| Multi-Level Marketing, a Hidden Peril in China
HONG KONGMulti-level marketing (MLM) 1 , also know as pyramid schemes ( chuanxiao ), has become prevalent again in China in the past two years 2 . Millions of people, including students and farmers, are involved in this sector, drawing 50 billion yuan (US$6.66 billion) into the scheme. Chinese authorities continue, however, to be wary of direct sales on a number of grounds, among them pyramid scheme frauds, strong networking capabilities and loss of social stability. With such a large and well-organized sales force, MLM has caused panic on the authorities. In July and August of this year, the authorities significantly strengthened the co-operation with related departments in fighting illegal pyramid selling. According to Oriental Daily News in Hong Kong, MLM salespeople, dissatisfied with the authority's bans, often gather a crowd to attack governmental agencies.
Pyramid Saimira acquires UK-based Aurona Technologies
Mumbai, Jan 24 Entertainment firm Pyramid Saimira Theatre today said it has acquired UK-based Aurona Technologies for an undisclosed amount.
The company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange that it has acquired a majority stake in the video games and interactive entertainment software company and the new entity would be known as Pyramid Saimira Production Services Ltd.
"We are extremely happy to announce this strategic acquisition of Aurona Technologies Ltd. This marks the entry of Pyramid Saimira in the high-growth, high-margin animation and gaming industry," Pyramid Saimira Group Managing Director P S Saminathan said.
The group has access to a huge content library and would be able to cross-exploit the content properties. The acquisition brings not only the existing knowledge and customer base, but also high quality management bandwidth, with international exposure, he added.
Pyramid Saimira acquires UK game developer
HYDERABAD: The Pyramid Saimira group has acquired close to 100% of UK-based animation and console game developer Aurona Technologies for an undisclosed amount. PS Saminathan, managing director, Pyramid Saimira said: We are set to emerge the worlds largest theatre chain company soon and look forward to gaming consoles at our theatres as a major revenue earner. Aurona, which has its development centre in Hyderabad, provides product development solutions and develops games for console, PC, handheld and online games for clients on the outsourced model. While this marks the companys entry into the fast-growing gaming business, including a future intention to focus on
mobile gaming content with 10-15 native games, the main objective is to utilise the extra space at our 800- odd theatres by setting up the gaming arcades, Saminathan said.
Delighted Džajić accepts Serbia task
FK Crvena Zvezda legend Dragan Džajić has been named the Football Association of Serbia's director of national teams. The 61-year-old penned a four-year contract today which will also make him vice-president of the FSS and a member of its executive committee. Room for improvement"I've been waiting for this call for so long," Džajić said. "I'm definitely not ready for retirement. An association is at the top of every football pyramid and I'm ready for the challenge. I will do everything I can to improve the quality of our national teams. We can do better but we have to work hard." Brilliant careerAs part of UEFA's Jubilee in 2004, Džajić was selected as his country's best player of the past 50 years. A brilliant left-winger, he gilded a Crvena Zvezda career spanning 590 games and 287 goals by winning five league titles and four Yugoslavian Cups.
X marks this iffy new gizmo
High-energy salespeople are hawking a device called Xpower at pumped-up meetings in Stockton banquet rooms, claiming it slashes home power bills. "Area directors" for Forum Technologies also are recruiting people into Forum's sales force, a multilevel marketing organization, or MLM, that the company's CEO says is not a pyramid scheme. The MLM half of the sales pitch, in other words, is not about buying an energy-saving gizmo but getting rich through multilevel marketing of Xpower and other Forum products. Concerned readers contacted me, saying scores of people eager for easy money are being recruited. I could not personally attend meetings, being held every few days at area restaurants, fearing that I'd be recognized. Instead, a trusted associate attended. My associate attended Sunday night's meeting at the West March Lane Carrows Family Restaurant.
Bill’s books of wisdom
The reading habits of successful business people are often revealed at this time of the year, when leisure is foremost.Mostly, they seem be top-of-the line thrillers or solid works of history or biography.So I was pleasantly surprised to learn of Bill Gates’ holiday reading list while in central Otago at Christmas.You might expect some heavy duty stuff on technology and the future.But, no, the world’s richest philanthropist is more interested in poverty and how to cure it.In fact, his books are an economist’s work list: Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), William Easterly’s The White Man’s Burden (2006), Professor C K Prahalad’s The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (2004) and Paul Collier’s The Bottom Billion (2007).Incidentally, Collier, an Oxford professor, is a keynote speaker at the Global Development annual conference in Brisbane this week along with the likes of Jeffrey Sachs and New Zealander Graeme Wheeler, managing director of the World Bank.Other books on Bill's list included Hernando de Soto’s The Mystery of Capital and Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism (2007).
Halla Bol takes to streets
Rajkumar Santoshi's Halla Bol has used an interactive marketing strategy. Since the film is vocal about man's inner conscious, Halla Bol is reaching the common man through street plays. Spokesperson from Pyramid Saimira comments, "Regular modes of marketing have been used over and again. Reaching the real viewer through street theatre will be direct interactive marketing. We are targeting on local issues, which will make people aware of it. We are taking these plays to eight cities and in each city one artiste will accompany the theatre group." One of the artistes from Ajay Devgan, Vidya Balan, or Pankaj Kapur will be representing the film during the street play in each city.
The street plays are organized and conducted by senior theatre personality, Om Katare and his artistes.
Wimbledon fans' anger that will never die
I figured the best plan was to march through the front door as though nothing had happened. The lynch mob was after me because I wrote something positive about MK Dons last week, but the last place they'd be looking for an enemy of the state was in the bosom of the state itself. Premier League Transfer Talk Football fans' forumThat theory was blown apart before I'd gone 50 yards. "Surprised you've got the nerve to come here, Tony," called one of the 80-odd volunteers who make matchdays possible at Kingsmeadow. The Womble costume hadn't fooled him then. I hastily climbed out of it. .
Rubens: A genius at Work - Brussels 4 days from £169 pp
Rubens aficionados are in for a treat this autumn as the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels play host to an exhibition dedicated to the works of perhaps Europe's greatest Baroque artist. Featuring over 100 paintings and drawings from Rubens' studio, in addition to those produced with his contemporaries, the works exhibited originate not only from the museum's permanent collections, but also from the Louvre in Paris, the Prado in Madrid and the Met in New York. Entrance to the exhibition is naturally included in this short break, along with a three-night stay in a hand-picked, centrally-located, 4 or 5-star hotel and travel direct to Brussels by Eurostar™ or by air. About Pieter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640):Born in Antwerp, the young Rubens received an intensely religious upbringing that was to have a profound influence on him and which was all too apparent in his subject matter.
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