Cultural Perception of the Use of Information

A question on LinkedIn sparked some thoughts on cross-cultural challenges in communication based on different cultural perceptions and levels of acceptance. The question was about:

* People who deliberately withhold knowledge or dangle tempting bits of information over your head to go one-up.

Of course, there are people who like to share their knowledge and others who prefer not to. And there are also those who actively conceal information for various reasons.

The Cultural Thumbprint

From a cross-cultural viewpoint, there are also different cultures more prone to seeing good reasons to withhold knowledge or information.

As a cross-cultural marketer, I notice cultural differences in people who like to withhold information. This is intriguing.

* Are there cross-cultural communication issues here?

Individualism Versus Collectivism Cultures

You can use Geert Hulshof's cultural behavior scales to try to understand this.

In my personal experience, the people who blatantly withhold information for their own personal benefit usually come from cultures with a high "Individualism" score. But this is only my personal experience, and I interact quite a bit with these cultures.

It should be easy enough to establish a cultural connection if you look into strong "Collectivism" cultures. You would naturally assume that any use of this sort of tactic would have an adverse effect on the "offender".

A Change In Generations

Again from a marketing standpoint, it is obvious that we are now living in a customer-centric world. Our behaviors and expectations have changed and will continue to change in the future.

Personal tactics of withholding information for power just will not continue to work in the current context.

Of course, there are some people who seem to be naturally inclined to be social bullies. But being a social bully in today's world will not get them far.

Information For Personal Gain

* How do people use information or knowledge for personal gain?
* Are there cultural differences?

I do think there are some differences in cultural acceptance of how people use information. The cultural perception will create different barriers for what people can get away with.

Even so, there are also other, more personal, factors or skills that come into play.

Are you committed to speeding up your international sales cycles?

Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools and international sales strategies for faster sales.

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Prepaid Legal MLM? I Reveal the Truth on This Network Marketing Company

You have been probably thinking about joining the prepaid legal MLM company. I'm sure was a hard decision to make, because there are a lot of different network marketing companies out there would great compensation plan and incentives for joining. Whether you're looking at the cost, or training, all these factors play a big part when choosing a profitable MLM company. So does prepaid legal really work? Let me tell you what I noticed when I was part of their company.

First off the service works great. I noticed that a lot of times when in network marketing companies, a lot of people don't use the service that is offered. That's not the case for prepaid legal. I noticed myself using this service a lot at times and actually benefiting from it all the time.

Also I noticed that prepaid legal MLM has a great support staff. What I mean by that is when you join the business, you more than likely will not to be left alone. Why? They hold weekly hotel meetings and have many conference calls to keep you updated and also I feel it's necessary to keep you motivated when times are rough and building your network marketing business.

I've noticed a lot of people calling the prepaid legal MLM a scam or say it doesn't work. The truth is the reason why they're saying that is because they quit on the business and more pointed to quit on themselves. It's never the compensation plan, or the business model that sales people, is the lack of desire and the understanding it takes to build a successful business.

If you are looking for a network marketing company that has been around for very long time, prepaid legal should be a great fit for you.

Just make sure you know how to promote it over the Internet and if you don't the resource box below will show you everything that you need to know.

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How to Sell Paintings

Selling your paintings can be a great way to generate extra cash. Attractive art is in high demand, and painted art is no exception. Here are a few tips to get you started.

The traditional way to find buyers for your artwork is to team up with an art gallery. These establishments have an existing stream of prospects who are actively looking to buy art. By exposing your pieces of art at such a gallery, you might well generate your first sale within days, especially if what you produced is appealing to the eye. In many cases, the art gallery only charges a fee if they actually sell one of your items, so you might not even have to bear any up-front expenses.

Another way to sell your creative work is to walk all over town with some photos of your paintings. Many businesses are looking to beautify their offices, and if you happen to be at the right place at the right time, you might not only generate some instant cash, but win a lifelong customer.

The final option is the Internet. Set up your own website and advertise your stuff there. Make sure you include high quality photos of your work so your prospective clients know exactly what they're getting. Another option is to offer your beautiful creations on auction sites such as eBay. You'll have a worldwide audience and might become famous if your work becomes well known.

Once you have established a network of satisfied art buyers, the sky is the limit. You can easily and cheaply acquire new paintings from other artists and sell them to your clients at a profit.

If you need money now, like I mean in the next hour, try what I did. I am making more money now than in my old business and you can too: read the amazing, true story of Martin Thomas in the link below. When I joined I was skeptical for just ten seconds before I realized what this was. I was smiling from ear to ear and you will too.

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Network Marketing

Although network marketing has been around over 100 years now, I still often hear the question, "Is this a scam?"

Since the introduction of direct sales, other terms have come into the equation. People now use the terms network marketing and multi-level marketing.

This article is not to argue the meanings of the three phrases but rather to combine them for the sake of this article.

The very simplistic definition of network marketing or multi-level marketing is selling products through several lines of sales distributors. In other words, Person A sells some products and finds others to sell the products. Those "others" then follow suit sell some products and find others to sell the products.

In a nutshell, that's what network marketing is. Companies such as Avon and Watkins have been around since the late 1800's.

Over the years more and more companies have been created offering a wide variety of product lines to choose from for those wishing to become sales distributors.

There are two reasons that people have begun to wonder if network marketing is legitimate or if it's a scam.

Network marketing has seen such incredible success for over 100 years that non legitimate business models use the term "network marketing" hoping to attract people into the newest scheme out there. These are not legitimate network marketing companies but instead are shady offerings that will be gone tomorrow. This does not make network marketing a scam, it makes those who lie and steal money scam artists or thieves.

The other thing that has happened is legitimate companies have had the unfortunate task of dealing with distributors who have questionable ethics and business practices. We've all read the ads that claim you'll make millions while you sleep. This is a promise that no one can keep.

The person who responded had expectations to make millions while they slept. They've been scammed by an individual, not by a company. I've seen many companies remove distributors with unethical business practices. These companies do not wish to mislead or cheat anyone. They are looking for sales distributors who want to sell some products and find others to also sell the products.

If you find a company you think might be legitimate there are a few things you can do. You can check the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed. You can also do a web search with the name of the company followed by the word "scam." You'll find what people have said about the company. By reading the complaints you'll know if the complaint is about an individual or the company itself.

Network marketing is not a scam. People are scam artists and will use any means they can to trick you and steal your money. Don't let these individual people stop you from entering into a business model that's seen success for over 100 years.

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The Importance of Website Reviews

There are numerous companies that offer the service of a web site design review. There are several reasons that contribute to the importance of a web site design review. Many people have benefited from having a web site design review because this is a wonderful opportunity to receive a professional opinion on not only the design but the overall effectiveness of your web site.

Most companies that specialize in web site design review will review the following features of your website; the overall site organization, the web site home page, page titles, messaging, content formatting, professional image and the search engine friendliness of the web site.

The main focus of having a website review is to figure out how you can improve your web site. A web design review company considers how to increase the usability of a web site. The company will review and then evaluate how clearly the message of your web site is perceived by visitors.

With an experienced team of professionals reviewing your web site you can take your business to the next level. Custom web site design services assist and ensure the success of a web site. Many web site design review companies will even offer a free evaluation of your web site. This is an amazing offer that promises to take your business even further then you could have dreamed of.

There are over eighty million web sites currently on the Internet. That means that the competition on the Internet is often times plentiful and fierce. Let your web site gain an edge over the competition by having your web site reviewed. Many people have noticed an increase in business after following the suggestions from a web site design company.

When launching a web site put your best foot forward. Have your web site reviewed by a group of professionals who are focused and dedicated to making your web site an overnight success.

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This Trade Is Better Than Gold

This year will be the year of precious metals. I'm certain of it.

The U.S. government is printing trillions of new dollars to bail out everyone from Wall Street bankers to Detroit automakers to Miami housing speculators to Las Vegas gamblers. That will lead to inflation.

It won't be the kind of inflation we're already used to - the kind that happens over decades as the price of milk goes from $0.79 per gallon to $3.98 or a first-class postage stamp climbs from $0.22 to $0.43. It'll happen overnight.

One day, we'll all wake up and notice 99¢ Only Stores has changed its name to $99 Stores. McDonald's Value Menu won't have anything under $5. And those little gumball machines that your kids love dropping dimes into will have a slot for dollar bills.

How do you protect yourself? You need to own precious metals.

Gold is a terrific hedge against inflation. It has run up a bit lately, and it's probably due for a pullback. If gold drops down anywhere close to $800 per ounce, that's a great time to buy.

Silver works well, too. In fact, I like silver more than gold at current prices. Historically, it takes about 35 ounces of silver to buy one ounce of gold. Today, that ratio is 75. So silver is cheap relative to gold. There's plenty of upside and only modest downside to buying silver right now.

But if you can only buy one precious metal in 2009, then buy platinum.

Relative to gold, platinum is cheaper now than it has been at any time during the past 10 years.

Normally, it takes between 1.7 and 2.2 ounces of gold to buy one ounce of platinum. Today, they're trading for almost the same price.

So if you like gold, then you absolutely have to love platinum. The percentage gains in this shiny white metal are likely to be far and above anything seen by gold and silver investors in 2009.

You can trade platinum by buying shares of a platinum mining company. But there is only a handful to choose from, and many of the stocks have already spiked higher. In fact, a trade I recommended for S&A Short Report subscribers last Tuesday is up more than 50% in just one week.

Alternatively, you can invest in platinum by buying shares of the E-Tracs UBS Long Platinum ETN (PTM). This exchange-traded fund tracks the performance of platinum futures contracts.

If platinum rises or falls 10%, then PTM will rally or decline a similar amount.

This year is going to be a great year for precious metals. Gold and silver should both do well. But the biggest returns are likely to come from platinum.

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Get Rich Fast - Tips For Beginners

Investing with high returns and profits is something we all seek and wish for. And in real life you don't need to be extremely smart or risky or pay extreme amounts of money to investment advisors in order to do some fruitful moves and see your account grow fast. Don't fall for outrageous promises of making billions in a week; in real life patience, solid plans and good investments is the key to success.

The best choice you have at all times is bonds and stocks. They can be safe or high risk, depending on if you want to play with fire or not. Better is to start with something less risky - although with smaller return - that can assure some profit but also test your competence and knowledge on this new 'game'. Don't try to swim in the deep right away. Money will come with experience and anyway you don't want your investment to turn sour right away.

Forex trading is a new fashion that pays off well, but demands constant observation and good comprehension of the market. Trading foreign exchange money daily and following the market is something that many people explore and they succeed in to getting some solid money monthly. Expand your knowledge and sharpen your discernment and your success is certain. Forex is a hot idea and it works.

After you see some cash flow in your pocket, there is a good suggestion waiting for you. Stock options. Highly more aggressive move than stocks and mutual funds, with a double digit return, that can come up to 80-90% within a few weeks. Not bad! Just remember that once you see your initial investment paying off it's time to enhance your strategy and play more aggressive little by little. This is what will make the difference and make you eventually rich.

Investing and becoming rich is definitely not for light-hearted people. It involves some risk but it's always up to you to decide its levels, and it's up to you to play your cards good enough to win.

If you need money now, like I mean in the next hour, try what I did. I am making more money now than in my old business and you can too, read the amazing, true story, in the link below. When I joined I was skeptical for just ten seconds before I realized what this was. I was smiling from ear to ear and you will too.

Imagine doubling your money every week with no or little risk! To discover a verified list of Million Dollar Corporations offering you their products at 75% commission to you. Click the link below to learn HOW you will begin compounding your capital towards your first Million Dollars at the easy corporate money program.

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