Deepak Nair

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 Search Engine Criteria The first thing that you need to know is that most of the major search engines utilize an algorithm to determine where a website ranks. The search engines have setup specific criteria that a website must meet to get to the top of the list. The criteria are different for every engine, but all engines share several commonalities. It all boils down to the type and amount of content provided on a given website, the level of optimization done on the site, and the popularity of the website (link popularity/PageRank). Below we examine these commonalities in more detail.

Monday, August 17, 2009 1. Where Are You and Why Are You There? How to get promoted? First you will need to have a reference point. Ask yourself, where are you now? And why are you there? Is there any key strength that has brought you where you are now that you can continue to leverage for the next promotion? Are there any weaknesses that you really need to correct before the next promotion is possible? These questions, while simple are strategic. It allows you to check your strengths and weaknesses. It forces you to access what has worked and what will work to get you promoted. 2. Where Do You Want To Be and How Do You Get There? You obviously need to have an objective and a plan. Just saying that you want to get promoted is not enough. You need to be clear on your next position. Is it a promotion to a different department or a different branch? Write this down. Now that you have written this down, how do you plan to get that promotion? Develop a plan for to achieve that ...

CM of Gujarat Refuses SOPs to Diamond Industry - Says it is an unhealthy practice, Diamond Companies should look after Employees The Economic Times reported that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi refrained from announcing any direct relief package for the troubled diamond polishing industry, addressing the diamond companies he said “You have earned enough, now give it back to your people.” The industry, which was hoping for subsidy on power and relief package for its skilled workers, instead got a rather crisp round up on how they could help themselves. As far as the relief packages go, the CM said that he could only ‘talk to the Centre’ He said that he would provide alternative employment, training programme and relief to the affected workers directly. “We are the only state to give VAT respite to the diamond industry. And who is the biggest beneficiary of the government’s Jyotigram Yojana (24-hour electricity supply to villages)? It’s the diamond industry. The state ...

Body Language The DO’s 1- Always look at someone directly in their eyes when they are speaking to you. This may seem difficult at first but it’s definitely the #1 body language ingredient to make you successful when interacting with others. Note: Do not ever stare at someone. 2- Always stand up straight. You never want to slouch. Not only does this make you appear shorter but it projects an image of someone who has low self-esteem. 3- Smile. Smiling is your most powerful body language signal. Though it is not recommended to smile constantly (people will be under the impression you are searching for approval), you should still make an effort to appear happy and optimistic. 4- Do not make repeated, nervous like gestures. When speaking to someone it’s important to use body movements but never fast and repetitive ones (picture someone who is nervous while public speaking; this is exactly what you're NOT aiming for). 5- Create your own personal space. Make sure you let othe...

Brain Damaging Habbits 1. No Breakfast People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration. 2. Overeating It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power. 3. Smoking It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease. 4. High Sugar consumption Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development. 5. Air Pollution The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency. 6. Sleep Deprivation Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells. 7.. Head covered while sleeping Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentratio...

Friday, July 3, 2009 Email Ettiquette 1. Be concise and to the point. Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an e-mail is harder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read. 2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions. An email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions – If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customer’s time but also cause considerable frustration. Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your customer will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful customer service. Imagine for instance that a customer sends you an email asking which credit cards you accept. Instead of just listing the credit card types, you can guess that their next question will be about how they can order, so...

E-Commerce Opportunities for the Gems and Jewellery Industry - Reduce Marketing and Selling Costs, Tap New Markets E-commerce has transformed traditional business channels for many industries, gems and jewellery being one of them. The Gems and Jewellery industry lends itself perfectly to E-commerce. A consumer can look at magnified images of jewellery pieces on his or her laptop, compare jewellery across three to four stores and have the jewellery delivered to his or her doorstep. The advent of online jewellery shopping would have brick and mortar companies worried. However, for the industry as a whole E-commerce implies exciting new opportunities. It would not be incorrect to state that E-commerce would increase total volumes of sale for the industry. However, the benefit will be enjoyed by those players who can understand online channels of business and use them to their advantage. Business to Business (B2B) Most of the electronic commerce that takes place today is of a b...

Tiffany & Co.'s profits tumbled during its fourth fiscal quarter as the weak consumer market, particularly in the U.S., took its toll on company sales. Profits for the three months ending January 31, 2009, fell 76 percent to $31.1 million, the luxury jeweler reported before the bell Monday. Tiffany took a one-time pretax charge of $97.8 million for an early retirement program and other staffing reductions in the fourth quarter. Approximately 800 employees were offered early retirement, 600 of whom accepted, Tiffany reported. There was also a $7.5 million pretax charge related to the anticipated closing of Tiffany's Iridesse retail operations, charges of $12.4 million to write off an investment in diamond mining at the Jericho mine in Canada, and a pretax charge of $3.4 million to close its diamond polishing facility in Yellowknife, Canada. Together with the drop in headcount from the early retirements and the anticipated closing of Iridesse, Tiffany expects a total staff re...

Gems & Jewellery Sector May Recover Soon Gems & Jewellery Sector May Recover Soon - - Reports of increasing consumer spending in the US According to Press Trust Of India, Indian gems and jewellery exports, which have been declining owing to the global economic meltdown, are expected to recover in the next few months on account of revival of demand in the major market of America. "We expect that, in June and July, there will be some revival of exports as one of the reports revealed increasing consumer spending in the US," Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council Chairman Vasant Mehta said.However, he said that exports would continue to remain down by about 20-30 percent in April and May. As per estimates by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, the industry has suffered an export order loss of Rs 125.67 crore and cash loss of Rs 49.93 lakh during August-October 2008.The US accounts for 30 to 35 percent of the Indian jewellery exports.The declining trend...

GIA Museum To Debut 472-Carat Emerald --- It's a brilliant green four-inch hexagonal crystal According to Rapaport, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) plans to debut a recently discovered 472-carat emerald crystal from the Muzo region mines in Colombia. The emerald, the El Itoco crystal, was named after Muzo Indian lore, according to Ron Ringsrud, the emerald dealer who loaned it to the GIA Museum on behalf of its owner, Hernando Sanchez, who is the emerald mine shareholder and Colombian emerald exporter. "This is the first time any of the Colombian mine owners have displayed such a significant emerald at any museum worldwide," Ringsrud said. "This is by far the largest gem-quality crystal to have come out of this historical mining area in a long time." GIA spokespersons stated that a gem-quality emerald crystal of this size is extremely rare. The four-inch hexagonal crystal possesses a color equivalent to the finest emeralds, according to Terri O...

Turkey To Challenge India In Gold Jewellery Sector --- According to Commodity Online, India may witness strong challenge from Turkey in the gold jewellery sector with that country focusing on better designs and new models. According to reports, Turkish gold jewellery sector is in a strong position and is set to continue growing. Reports appearing in the media said that Turkey could become the market leader for creating quality jewellery pieces from the precious metal. Turkey is in a very successful position in terms of workmanship and design. A strong culture of jewellery making combined with advances in marketing and design has put the country at the forefront of the sector. The number of Turkish designers has increased with gold jewellery experts on every corner in the country.

Alrosa Aims To Become World's Leading Diamond Miner ---Presently accounts for 25% of global diamond output En.rian.ru reports that Russia's largest diamond company Alrosa could become the world's top diamond mining company, and is considering buying foreign assets, the company CEO said. Sergei Vybornov said Alrosa has an opportunity to seize the initiative and become the global leader amid the ongoing crisis, as the company has the world's best diamond resources in Yakutia in northeast Siberia, while its rival De Beers has had to cut output. "There is also an opportunity to purchase very good diamond assets abroad - small companies that are going bankrupt or are on the verge of bankruptcy," Vybornov said. Alrosa accounts for 97% of Russian and 25% of global diamond output. The Russian government holds a 50.9% stake in the company.

GSI Launches Minisite for Indian Jewelry Industry Gemological Science International (GSI) has launched its first minisite, http://www.gsiindia.net/, dedicated specifically to the Indian jewelry industry. GSI has been in India since 2006 and its business now serves both export and local sectors, according to CEO Mark Gershburg. "The minisite concept has been used by many non-jewelry companies. We believe this is its first application in the jewelry industry," says Mr. Gershburg. "This approach allows us to offer more Indian-directed services online without overcomplicating our main site. It also shows our dedication and strong belief in the future of the Indian jewelry industry." In support of the Indian industry, including those looking to enter it, the GSI-India minisite provides information and services that are unique for a gem lab. For example, it offers a list of Indian suppliers of equipment and services along with directories of Indian jewelry associati...

Women Regard Gold Jewellery Ideal Gift for Valentine's Day: WGC Survey - Represents something 'everlasting' say 76% of the correspondents The Israel Diamond Industry Portal reported that according to participants in the World Gold Council's (WGC) 2008 jewelry survey, women all the world – no less than 76% - agree unanimously that a key reason for buying gold jewelry as a gift is "because it is everlasting,” which makes it very apt for a Valentine's Day gift. The survey was conducted by the GfK independent research firm, in the central gold jewelry markets of India, China, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Turkey and the USA. 7,500 females aged between 15 and 65 were asked what their reasons for buying gold jewelry were and to name favorite occasions for receiving gold jewelry. Valentine's Day was named a key date. Philip Olden, Managing Director of the World Gold Council, noted: "Our survey shows that Valentine's Day is an important occasion for receiving ...

Diamond as an Investment History Diamonds have been cherished as gemstones since the ancient times. Popularity of diamonds has increased since the 19th century because of successful advertising in spite of an outrageously increased supply. Diamonds are not usually used as a mainline store of value during times of crisis, due to their lack of fungibility and low liquidity. Though, they may still be useful during times of hyperinflation. Roughly 20% of mined diamonds are used in jewelry and 80% for industrial uses (such as lasers, drill parts and surgical equipment). Chemical vapor deposition is now used to produce cultured diamonds which, different diamond simulants, require very close inspection to distinguish them from natural diamonds. Diamond price In olden times, the wholesale diamond price has been controlled by De Beers Group, which has an estimated 40% to 50% of the market. Botswana is presently the largest producer of diamonds with mines operated by Debswana, a joi...

Diamond Jewellery Gaining Popularity Down South - Registers a 25% positive growth Kerala market is known for its affinity for gold, diamond jewellery is becoming increasingly popular with customers in the state. Industry experts say that sale of diamond jewellery in the state has increased from Rs 400 cr in 2005 to nearly Rs 600 cr in 2008. The state has about 20 diamond dealers and over 50 retail outlets selling diamond jewellery. "Even though the economic slowdown has affected the consumer market in the state, the sale of gold and diamonds has been registering a positive growth in the last few months," they said. As per a report of De Beers Diamond Trading Company, the top city for retail diamond jewellery sale in the country is Hyderabad, followed by Kochi. "While the national sale figure of diamond jewellery has fallen nearly 70 percent from last year's sale figure in the last four to five months, in Kerala the sale figure shows a growth rat...

Diamond Retains Lustre Among Online Shoppers - Kundan sets too find prominent buyers Reports say that glittering even during the economic downturn, diamonds better known as a "girl's best friend", have emerged as one of the most popular buys among online shoppers. Diamonds were much sought after purchases by women as well as men in January, according to data available with online marketplace eBay India. Apart from loose diamonds, 'Kundan sets' and diamond rings were the most popular among jewellery shoppers. "Diamonds continue to be a girl's best friend. As more women shop online as well as most male shoppers gifting jewellery to their significant others, jewellery is the single most popular category on eBay India," an analysis report of 50 most popular trends by the company showed.

LVMH 2008 Sales Rises 4 percent - But a 2 percent decline at constant exchange rates Rapaport reports that LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton reported that its 2008 sales rose 4 percent to EUR 17.2 billion ($22 billion). At comparable exchange rates, the company saw sales growth of 7 percent. Group profits, although nearly flat from 2007 at EUR 2 billion ($2.6 billion), set a new record for the luxury goods company. The watches and jewelry category rose 6 percent to EUR 879 million ($1.1 billion), but experienced a 2 percent decline at constant exchange rates. Operating profits fell 16 percent to EUR 118 million ($151 million), the steepest decline of all of the company's sales categories. LVMH reported a noticeable drop in jewelry sales during the fourth quarter due to weak sales in the U.S., but "good performance in Europe and Asia compensated in part for the slowdown in the American and Japanese markets." Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer...

Diamond Producers Plan Joint Marketing Campaign -Alrosa, De Beers, Harry Winston and BHP Billiton The Israel Diamond Portal Reported that Diamond producers Alrosa, De Beers, Harry Winston, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, which together control over 90% of the global diamond market, are planning a joint marketing campaign to promote demand for diamonds. The President of Alrosa, Sergei Vybornov, stated that part of the plan is to advertise diamonds as an investment vehicle in order to boost demand. De Beers spokesperson Lynette Gould said that the diamond producing companies will set up an SPV, SteerCom, to implement their common market strategy. Management consultants McKinsey & Co are reportedly working on the financial planning which will involve all of the production chain's links from diamond miners to cutters and jewelers. Vybornov and Gould did not specify the amount of money to be invested in the campaign. Sergei Goryainov estimates that an effective mark...

Jewelry Boosts December Online Retail Traffic in UK- 26 percent growth from November 2008 Jewelry and luxury goods helped draw internet traffic for online retailers in the United Kingdom this past Christmas. According to online research company comScore, traffic to jewelry and luxury goods sites grew 26 percent from November 2008 to 4.094 million unique visitors in December. The company did not provide comparative data for December 2007, nor did it give sales figures. While growth in visitors to jewelry and luxury sites outpaced other retail products, it remained among the smaller categories of the top 10 tracked by comScore. Traffic to retail music sites grew 16 percent to 11.805 million visitors from November to December, while traffic to mall sites rose 16 percent to 13.689 million visitors, and flowers, gifts and greetings increased 16 percent to 5.522 million visitors. The total online retail audience remained flat at 6.6 million unique visitors in December. Earlier, co...