Getting started with Ebay marketing by Dottye Blake

If you have ever read an article on eBay, you'll have discovered the type of income people earn - it isn't strange to find out about people earning thousands of dollars per month on eBay. Next time you are surfing the eBay site, check out how many PowerSellers there are: you'll find quite a few. Now think about the fact every single one of one of them must be making at least $1,000 per month, as that's eBay's requirement for becoming a PowerSeller. Silver PowerSellers make at least $3,000 monthly, while Gold PowerSellers make more than $10,000, and the Platinum level is $25,000. The top level is Titanium PowerSeller, and to measure up you must make at least $150,000 in sales each month!

It's hard to believe that Ebay has been around for ten years. eBay started in September 1995, by a man named Pierre Omidyar, who was residing in San Jose, California. He envisioned his site - formerly known as 'AuctionWeb' - to be an internet mart, and composed the first code for it in one weekend. It was one of the first sites of its type on the planet. The name 'eBay' follows from the domain Omidyar applied to his internet site His company's name was Echo Bay, and the 'eBay AuctionWeb' was formerly just one part of Echo Bay's website at ebay.com. The first product ever traded on the site was Omidyar's defective laser pointer, which sold for $14 .

The web site rapidly became hugely popular, as vendors arrived to auction off all sorts of strange things and buyers actually purchased them. Relying on faith appeared to work out outstandingly well, and implied that the web site could just about be left alone to run itself. The internet site had been configured from the beginning to take in a small fee on every sale, and it was this revenue that Omidyar applied to finance AuctionWeb's expansion. The fees speedily totaled up to more than his salary at the time, so he resolved to quit his job and devote attention to the site full-time. It was at this point in time, in 1996, that he added the feedback capability, to let buyers and sellers rate one another and make purchasing and trading safer.

In 1997, Omidyar modified AuctionWeb's - and his company's - name to 'eBay', which is what people had been using to refer to the site for awhile. He started to spend a great deal of money on promotion, and had the eBay logo created. A milestone was reached in this year - the one-millionth item was sold (it was a miniature version of Big Bird from Sesame Street). Then, in 1998 - the peak of the dot com company boom - eBay became big business, and the investment in Internet businesses at the time allowed it to bring in senior managers and business strategists, who took in public on the stock market. It began to encourage people to trade more than only collectibles, and rapidly morphed into a huge site on which you could trade anything, big or little. Different from the other websites, though, eBay endured the final stage of the bonanza, and is still going strong nowadays.

1999 saw eBay go worldwide, unveiling sites in the UK, Australia and Germany. eBay purchased half.com, an Amazon-like internet retailer, in the year 2000 - the same year it inaugurated Buy it Now - and bought PayPal, an internet payment service, in 2002.

Pierre Omidyar has now cleared an estimated $3 billion from eBay, and still serves as Chairman of the Board.There are now literally millions of items bought and sold every day on eBay, all over the world. For every $100 spent online worldwide, it is estimated that $14 is spent on eBay - that's a lot of laser pointers.

The fact that these PowerSellers are around gives you some idea of the money possibilities on Ebay. Most of the power sellers never intended to even launch a commercial enterprise on eBay - they merely began trading a couple of items, and then continued. There are quite a lot of people whose full-time job is merchandising items on eBay, and some of them have been working at it for years now. Can you believe that? Once they've purchased the merchandise, everything else is basically pure profit for these people - they don't need to spend money on any business premises, employees, or anything else. There are multi-million dollar commercial enterprises earning less in genuine net income than eBay PowerSellers do.

Even if you do not want to resign from your line of work and really try for it, you can use all the same eBay to make a substantial supplemental income. You can package customer purchases during the week and bring them to the local post office for shipping each Saturday. There are few other things you could be doing with your free time that have anywhere close to that kind of money-making potential.

What's more, eBay could care less about who you are, where you reside, or if you are good-looking. Some PowerSellers are very old, or very young. Some live out in very rural areas where selling on eBay is one of the few options to agriculture or being very impoverished. eBay levels the playing field and removes the roadblocks to earning that the real world constantly erects. There's no job interview and no traveling back and forth involved - if you can post items on the site, you can make it happen!

Put it this way: if you know where to acquire something fairly inexpensively that you could sell, then you can sell it on eBay - and because you can always get discount rates for mass purchases at wholesale, that's not hard. Purchase a job lot of something in-demand inexpensively, sell it on eBay, and you are earning cash already, with no set-up expenses.

If you wish to try it out before you commit to really purchasing anything, then you can just sell unwanted objects that you've got sitting around in the home. Explore that closet full of items that you never use, and you'll in all likelihood find you've got a couple of hundred bucks' worth of stuff lying around in there! This is the beauty of eBay: there is always someone who wants what you're selling, whatever it might be, and because they have come searching you out, you don't even need to do anything to get them to buy it.

Please visit http://homebizhelper.com and http://www.computingninternet.com/

About the Author

Dottye is an Educational Consultant. Please visit http://homebizhelper.com and http://www.computingninternet.com/

Purchasing a New Vehicle: Lease Vs. Buy by Brad

Essentially, Leasing is just an alternative way to finance a new vehicle. We know that when purchasing a new vehicle the down payment, sales tax and license fees are required to be paid up front. However when leasing a new vehicle you are required to pay only the first monthly payment, a security deposit (usually same as monthly payment), and the license fees. The sales tax (which is based on the capitalized value of the vehicle) is actually amortized over the term of the lease in most states. In other words, the taxes are included in the monthly payments.

Capitalized Cost

Essentially the capitalized cost of a new vehicle is the actual price you have agreed to pay for the vehicle.

Gross Capitalized Cost

The gross capitalized cost of a new vehicle includes the selling price of the vehicle (which is the capitalized cost plus acquisition fees, extended warranty, accident & health insurance, dealer title fee, payoff on your trade-in, credit life insurance, gap insurance and any other fees the dealer decides to charge you). Buyer beware; that most people really don't ever know what their capitalized cost is because it is buried within the gross capitalized cost and the dealer doesn't actually reveal this number unless he has to. Most car deals made at auto dealerships are negotiated on the basis of payment rather than price. This applies to both leasing and purchasing. Don't get caught in this trap! Make the dealer reveal the selling price for every payment offer he makes you!

Adjusted Capitalized Cost

The adjusted capitalized cost of a new vehicle is the gross capitalized cost minus (-) your down payment, net trade-in amount, rebates, license fees and taxes along with any other deductions given.

Depreciation/Residual

When purchasing a new vehicle your payments are based on the full value or selling price, plus extended warranty, tax & license, minus (-) rebate, down payment and net trade-in value. However, when you lease a vehicle your payments are based only on the "depreciation or your use" of the vehicle during the entire term of the lease. The depreciation is actually only a portion of the capitalized cost of the vehicle and is determined by the term of the lease, number of miles driven and condition of the vehicle at the end of the lease. The payments on a lease are based on the deprecation money factor (which is a form of interest rate) and the amortized taxes. Therefore, you can actually drive a more expensive vehicle with a lower payment if you lease. Please note that the depreciation is actually estimated and set at the inception of the lease.

The residual is the portion or balance of the adjusted capitalized cost after the deprecation has been deducted. The residual is just put aside in limbo until the end of the lease. The higher the residual - the lower your monthly payment. At the end of the lease you have two options. You can either turn the vehicle back into the bank or leasing company, or you can buy the vehicle outright for the residual balance. You can even refinance the residual. But keep in mind if you turn in the vehicle with more mileage than allowed on your contract, you will be charged any where from .12¢ to .25¢ for each extra mile. In an auto lease you are limited to a specific number of miles in your lease contact. The average would be from 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year. You may drive any number of miles in any given year but you cannot exceed the number of allotted miles or you will be penalized. If you purchase the vehicle the charge for the extra mileage will normally be waved. Most banks and finance companies will allow you to add an extra 15,000 to 20,000 miles to your lease contract depending on the term of the lease. However, the cost of the extra miles will be added to your gross capitalization cost and your monthly payment will be increased accordingly.

Ownership

When you have entered into a lease contract you cannot terminate the lease or turn-in your vehicle prior to the ending date of the contract. If you do this the bank will report this as a voluntary repossession on your credit record. On an auto lease the vehicle is actually registered and titled to the bank or leasing company. Therefore you do not own the vehicle, the bank does. You get to use the vehicle and are legally responsible for the upkeep and maintenance. Please note, if you don't maintain the vehicle during the lease you will be penalized for all excessive wear-and-tear when you turn it in. Also, if you really needed to get out of your lease you can buy out of the lease if you can get the financing or you can get someone to take over your lease. Of course, they will have to qualify.

Vehicle Warranties

The average new car warranty is 36 months or 36000 miles, which ever comes first. It is not recommended that you enter into a 4, 5 or 6 year lease contract because they are not economical. Even with a four-year lease it is common for the residual to be higher than the actual value of the vehicle at the end of the lease which makes it very hard to refinance. If you are like a lot of people you can lease a new vehicle every 2 to 3 years and never have to buy an extended warranty. The only time it would be beneficial to buy an extended warranty is if you knew you were going to buy the vehicle outright at the end of the lease.

Gap Insurance

Gap Insurance is basically insurance coverage on the difference between the actual value of your vehicle and the balance you owe on the lease including the residual. This kind of protection is needed in case your vehicle is involved in an accident and is declared a total loss. Gap Insurance is important especially for people who lease vehicles. The lease on a vehicle is actually designed for the balance owed to be upside-down in relation to the actual value of the vehicle until approximately the end date of the lease term. At this time the residual should fall in line or be equal to the vehicle's actual value. Gap Insurance is good for purchase financing as well. The gap is not as large as in leasing, but you still stand the chance of having to put out a great deal of money.

Final Advice

Remember, there are two main factors you must consider when you are thinking about leasing an automobile. The first is how long you intend to keep the vehicle and the second is how many miles you travel annually. If you intend to keep the vehicle a maximum of three years and you only average 15,000 miles a year, then you should definitely consider leasing. If you want to keep the new vehicle for more than three years, you should consider purchasing.

When you lease a vehicle, you very rarely have to put any money down, so lease a new vehicle every two to three years and you won't owe any money on the old vehicle, plus you'll never have to buy an extended warranty. Also, you will have spent a ton of money less for each vehicle than if you had purchased them. If you want to keep a vehicle longer just buy it at the end of the lease.

Remember, don't let the dealer try to sell you on the basis of payments. Negotiate on the price only and when you have agreed on the price then tell them you have a trade-in. When you have agreed to your trade-in value then tell them you want to lease the new vehicle. Now you know what to do from here. Also, dealerships have a tendency to quote lease payments without the monthly tax. This makes a big difference in the monthly payments. If you don't control this you will be sadly surprised when you go into the finance manager to sign the paperwork. One more thing - when you are signing the lease contract, be sure to verify that the trade-in value you have agreed upon is actually deducted from the capitalized cost. Otherwise the dealer could wind up purchasing your trade for pennies and you would never know.

Visit My site http://www.autopurchasesecrets.com for more free information on the secrets the dealerships don't want you to know.

About the Author

Brad spent thirteen years in the Automobile business, specifically auto sales and worked for several Dealerships. He held positions from Retail Salesman up through New Car Manager and Fleet Manager. During this period Brad received an excellent education on what goes on inside the Automobile Dealerships. You can visit and communicate with Brad at his website http://www.autopurchasese

Car loan deals by Sean Horton

When it comes to getting the best car loan deals then a lot of it will depend on your credit history. If you have a good credit past then this will go in your favour when it comes to getting the best rate of interest. However, all is not lost if you have had problems with credit in the past, although you still can get credit when it comes to getting a loan for a car you wont get the best interest rates, but by shopping around you can get a good car loan deal.

If you have an excellent credit rating then it might be in your best interest to go for a personal loan, by going for a personal loan you are able to shop around online and secure the cheapest loan and rate of interest. It also works another way in your best interests because as you already have the cash in your pocket by going for a personal loan you can go along to the dealer and offer cash.

The majority of time if you pay cash for your car then you can get extras; the dealer could knock something off the price you pay if you pay cash there and then or offer you bonuses such as money off your insurance. Another benefit is that you will drive away from the showroom knowing that the dealer isn't in a position to repossess the car should you miss a repayment.

One possibility when it comes to financing your car is to take the finance through the dealer where you choose to buy your car from. However the majority of times the rate of interest will be a lot higher than if you had shopped around for a personal loan, one of the biggest benefits of taking this type of finance is that it is easier to get but you of course will pay for this privilege.

If you do have bad credit history and have been turned down time and time again for credit, then it still might be possible for you to get a loan to buy a car. If you look online then there many places which now offer loans to those with bad credit ratings, however by doing so you can expect of course to have to pay a high rate of interest on the loan.

Whichever way you decide to go for your car loan deal the best place to start is to go online, the internet holds a vast amount of information about the different types of car loan deals that are available and also the best rates of interest or best offers at car dealerships.

About the Author

Louis Rix is a Director of NetCars, one of the UK's leading motoring websites. First established in January 2000, its mission is to become the number one site for used car searches and motoring information. NetCars also provide Used Cars, loans and insurance.

The Differences Between How Parents and Society Teach Boys and Girls Financial Awareness by Carrie Carter

With a divorce rate of around 50% and many people not marrying until they are in their thirties, it is surprising to find that there are still many women who aren't financially educated. Most of this can be traced back to two factors: upbringing at home and society. In both cases, boys have often been given much more training and many more resources than girls have and the effects are damaging women financially today as they face a world in which they have to take care of monetary issues on their own but have never developed the skills to do so.

The Safe, Secure 1950's

In the 1950's most women quickly married and settled down to raise families. Very few of them worked outside the home, and finances were handled by the men. It was a financially prosperous time and women were expected to focus on the home and child-rearing. This focus on home-making was passed on to daughters while sons were groomed to the "breadwinners" of the family.

The obvious separation between girls and boys activities also managed to keep girls "sheltered" from financial concerns. They weren't expected to pay for anything on a date and parents didn't often expect them to hold down jobs. Boys, on the other hand, were expected to get a job at a young age, even if it was merely a paper route. The expectation was that a young man needed to "take on some responsibility" and "contribute."

As the generation raised in the 1950's grew up and raised families of their own, they passed on the financial biases that had been instilled in them to their own children. Many of today's parents have made the same mistakes their own mothers and fathers did, ignoring the obvious need for women to understand and learn to handle their own finances in favor of hoping that their daughters wouldn't have to face the harsh financial facts of life.

The belief that men would take care of women's financial needs was so ingrained that many of the "big picture" financial lessons were overlooked. Women tended to learn how to shop for bargains at the grocery store, stretch the budget at the holidays and that was about it. More complex lessons such as long-term investments, retirement planning and stock portfolio development were not a part of the picture.

Boys learned how to manage their money, save for a rainy day, and make smart investments and a host of other financial strategies.

Play and School Contribute to Gender Gap

Interestingly, boys more than girls tend to develop habits that are more geared toward understanding numbers and how they relate to finances from a very young age. While girls tend to be "collectors," says Joline Godfrey, founder of Independent Means, "boys develop informal economies based on relative value from the age of six on while trading cards and other items. By the time boys start trading stocks and bonds, it's just another form of the game." Independent Means is a company which promotes economic independence and growth for girls and women aged 14 to 24.

Even in school settings, boys are rewarded more consistently for being risk-takers, and investing is often perceived as a risky venture. Girls aren't encouraged to take risks and aren't rewarded for these types of behaviors and instead are likely to be cautioned to be careful. When faced with the prospect of learning about investing in the stock market or learning about retirement options, these same girls - now women - are more fearful of making decisions and less sure of themselves in making choices for themselves.

Statistics Show Gender Bias

A recent survey showed some startling discrepancies even today between teenage boys and girls and how much education they have received in the very basics of finance. Some of the findings include:

* Many more teenage boys than girls report understanding of how to write a check and how a credit card works, including accrued interest. * Teenage girls are much more likely to be in debt than boys, with almost 50% reporting credit card debt as opposed to less than a quarter of teen boys having any debt. * Girls are more likely to report that learning about investing is boring, while boys report a real interest in learning about it. When asked to elaborate, girls often pointed out that this wasn't something they would be doing in the future, while boys indicated that it was important to learn so that they could be successful.

The perception that girls shouldn't have to worry about their financial future in the long term (based upon the faulty premise that a man will take care of her or that she can hire a financial consultant to handle all of the boring stuff) is still present in many homes. Fortunately, the balance is beginning to shift as more parents realize that women who are successful in their careers must also be able to guide their own financial futures, not rely on others to do it for them.

Programs Aim at Closing the Gap

Today's girls are more likely to learn how to handle money at a young age. Cautionary tales in the news and on talk shows about women left destitute and the fear that social security can no longer support an individual in their golden years has, perhaps, contributed to this. After all, with most women outliving their spouses and more than half of women divorced, it's likely that today's girls will be supporting themselves in their retirement years - understanding Roth IRAs suddenly becomes very important.

Companies and organizations are also stepping to the forefront with programs designed to educate teens in general and girls in particular. Boys and Girls Clubs of America, in collaboration with Charles Schwab, offer Money Matters: Make It Count programs in cities across the country.

Visa works with Girl Scouts of the USA to provide two resources, the Cashin' In workbook and the Makin' Cents web game, to teach girls aged 13-17 financial responsibility. The web game specifically challenges players to find real-world solutions for characters' financial challenges.

With such programs increasingly popular and the need for women to understand finances now a hot topic, it's to be hoped that this generation of fathers will teach their daughters as much about finance as they teach their sons.

Carrie Carter: Author of: Think Your Way to Riches Kids' Style

For more information or to arrange an interview with Carrie Carter at 810.252.2281 e-mail: carrie114cr@aol.com or visit: www.ThinkYourWayToRichesKidsStyle.com

Carrie's passion is to help people on their inner journey to discover their personal road map for abundance, peace, and happiness. Her main passion is to give children worldwide the "Tools" which are lacking in the normal educational system and understanding to create the abundant lifestyle they are all worthy of. Experience Carrie's educational seminars, workshops, and private life coaching.

About the Author

Carrie's passion is to help people on their inner journey to discover their personal road map for abundance, peace, and happiness. Her main passion is to give children worldwide the "Tools" which are lacking in the normal educational system and understanding to create the abundant lifestyle they are all worthy of. Experience Carrie's educational seminars, workshops, and private life coaching.

Third World Poverty: The Real Solution by Keith Wymer

Third World Poverty: The Real Solution

Aid to Africa

We all welcomed the campaign to address poverty in Africa and Tony Blair's commitment to it. When it was launched, the emphasis was on reducing debt and increasing aid from the rich Western nations. The priorities stated were to tackle disease, especially aids, and to generate economic activity.

At the time Blair retired, after 10 years as prime minister, progress in terms of contributions from the West had been extremely disappointing. The debt issue has been addressed in only 25% of the countries where relief is needed, and the aid contribution (separate from debt relief) from the rich Western nations to African countries has actually fallen.

Today, much more is being done by China, while India is becoming increasingly involved. A key factor is that, unlike Western finance, the aid from China comes without strings. Because the Chinese are happy enough with the trade which flows from their involvement, they make little effort to impose their culture on the recipient countries.

Self-Defeating Conditions

Apart from its inadequate volume, aid from the Europe and the USA has limited impact because of the conditions imposed with grants; notable by the USA and the UK. An obvious absurdity is the 'no abortion' condition imposed by the Bush administration on grants to tackle aids. (Fortunately, this condition is not applied to some of the grants from the USA non government sector - for example, the Gates Foundation.)

A second restriction, more generally applied - especially by the UK - is the insistence on privatisation. The failure, in terms of value for money for the public, of Thatcher, Major and Blair governments' private finance initiatives (PFIs) does not appear to have dampened the enthusiasm for applying them to other countries.

In some African countries this has resulted in people becoming worse off than before the aid was granted. An obvious example is an increase in the cost of water as a result of privatisation. As with most privatisation, what appeared to be a short-term benefit has been more than wiped out by longer-term disadvantage.

What Must Change?

So the first change must be to remove the privatisation requirement. It is recognised, of course, that private firms which have succeeded in developing countries have valuable expertise. However, this should be used in the context of public control; control on behalf of indigenous people by leaders democratically elected to represent them. Although it has to be accepted that private firms exist to act in their own interests, as their obligations to shareholders require, they must recognise that their interests are not the priority with grant-aided projects. The most they should expect is a reasonable, commercially calculated, return.

Second, steps must be taken to ensure that a much smaller proportion of aid is devoured by consultants in the donor countries. These consultants are often involved in negotiating the grants: some are paid more for a week's work than an African's annual income. And, too often, the focus is on the trade benefits to the donor nations, rather than on the needs of the recipients.

Unless radical, and urgent, changes are made, the West will continue to lose influence in Africa. Europe and the USA will not be able to compete with China and India, or other emerging powers such as Venezuela, if they persists with trading agreements and arrangements which favour the rich nations.

A New Strategy

In terms of strategy, the most urgent change is to shift the emphasis to job creation; integrated with education and training. For the longer-term, literacy and social and political education is as necessary as training in the skills required by the jobs directly related to the projects. Too often the requirement (in the conditions imposed with the grants) to complete projects in a specified period ignores the issue of permanent benefit.

The key to bringing about real improvement for the poor is to ensure that investment is used to release the resources that the countries already have. The most important resource is the expertise that people have acquired from their life experiences. Millions of Africans have to be entrepreneurs to make enough money merely to survive: many who fail in this respect are no longer of this world.

Those who are still with us have gained valuable knowledge about the obstacles to success in their environments - and have devised strategies to overcome them. It is the habit of the West to seek to impose its own structures, rather than support the recipient countries' own organisations. A typical example was when Blair set up his African Commission, instead of supporting an African initiative: the recently formed New Partnership for Africa's Development.

Another valuable resource is, of course, the fund of knowledge accumulated by businesses which have figured out how to succeed in difficult trading circumstances. In being able to turn a profit, such enterprises have acquired valuable insights into the varying operation of markets in different countries.

Although private companies are entitled to a reasonable return for their contributions to projects, they must recognise that the projects are not run for their benefit. Thee needs of the recipients are paramount but, as the Chinese have recognised, benefits flow without the imposition of strict conditions.

In other words the focus must be on the longer-term benefits which can occur only with the involvement, on an equal basis, of the people themselves. Providing the approach is to integrate education and training with economic development, this can lead to the evolution of processes for democratic participation.

Ending Waste and Corruption

These changes would make a major contribution to ending waste and corruption. Although these are usually highlighted as problems in developing countries, they apply at least as much to agents operating on behalf of the donors. In how many cases have individuals and businesses from the donor countries become more prosperous as a result of their involvement, but have left the recipient countries poorer?

Paul Wolfowitz, the leader of the World Bank who is no longer with us, identified tackling corruption as his priority. His demise resulted from focusing on corruption in the developing world, while ignoring it closer, much closer, to home. From his words and actions, it could be concluded that he believed that the same standards should not be applied to the rich in the West as to the poor in developing countries.

The assumption in the West that the main, or in some circles entire, problem is with the developing countries is not sustainable. This is not to argue that they do not have problems of corruption, but to quote John Christenson (The Guardian 30/5/07): 'For each dollar of aid that goes into Africa, at least Five dollars flows out under the table.'

Keith Wymer

June 2007

About the Author

40 years experience in further education

manager of international projects in many countries, including USA, Russia,Denmark, South Africa.

campaigner for equality and democracy and against racism

Volkswagen Sees Increased Sales In China by Anthony Fontanelle

German Volkswagen Group expects to sell more than 800,000 vehicles in China this year, encouraged by its strong sales in the first half.

The projection, made by Volkswagen's China chief Winfried Vahland, is up from 711,298 units it moved in the world's fastest-growing major auto market in 2006. Its January-to-June sales on the mainland and Hong Kong rose 24.6 percent year-on-year to record 431,369 units, including 379,705 Volkswagen-brand cars, 49,267 Audi vehicles and Skoda 2,274 units.

The German company's record sales figure is likely to help it remain the top seller in China's passenger car segment though its rivals, such as the General Motors Corp. and the Toyota Motor Corp., have yet to disclose their first-half results in the territory. "This (record sales) indicates that our 'Olympic Program' has been yielding good results in China," Vahland said in a recent interview in Beijing.

Volkswagen, the sole automotive partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, flagged off the program in 2005 to launch 12 to 14 new models by 2009 in China. The automaker also intends to cut costs by 40 percent by 2008 and to improve sales and service networks.

Vahland predicted that China's entire passenger car market would reach five million units this year, up from the company's previous forecast of 4.6 million units. In 2006, 4.2 million passenger cars were sold in the country. "However, we will not slacken our efforts to cut costs and improve customer satisfaction, although we performed well in the first half," he said. He warned that interest rate rises and soaring oil prices in China are likely to have a negative impact on the car market.

The VW turn signal alerts the automaker to a greener pasture. The German automaker now runs a joint venture with First Automotive Works Corp in the northeastern city of Changchun. The venture is responsible for the production of Bora, Caddy, Jetta, Golf and Sagitar, as well as the Audi A6 and A4. Additionally, the venture will launch a 1.8-liter turbo Magotan sedan next week.

The Mangotan also features Fuel Stratified Injection in nearly every petrol version. It ranges from 1.6 to 3.2 L, but the multivalve 2.0 L TDI is the most sought out version in Europe. In the United States, it features a 200 horsepower 2.0 L turbocharged I4 as the base engine, or a 280 horsepower 3.6 L VR6 engine as the upgrade and six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

An Tiecheng, the venture's general manager, said that it plans to roll out at least two new models under the Volkswagen and Audi marques annually in the next five years to lure increasingly sophisticated auto purchasers.

The VW Mangotan, also called the Passat, follows the latest design philosophy first introduced on the VW Phaeton luxury car. The new styling is a dramatic departure from the styling of the B5.5 Passat. Although the new design using improved VW parts is somewhat controversial, sales have improved over the old model.

For the full year, VW, which operates car manufacturing ventures with leading Chinese auto maker SAIC Motor Corp. and FAW Group, aims to increase its sales by roughly one-fifth and maintain its 17 percent share of the world's second-largest auto market, a senior company executive said.

The venture will have a "minimum" profit growth of 25 percent this year from 2006, said Joachim Wedler, its vice-president in charge of finance. But Wedler did not reveal how much the firm, in which FAW holds a 60 percent stake and Volkswagen 40 percent, will earn this year.

The Wolfsburg-based company is one of the world's biggest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker.

About the Author

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive.buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

Developing Your Business: choosing your core team 1 by Linda Pollitt

Although many small businesses begin with only one or two members of staff - the founders - most growing businesses quickly recognise the need to create a larger team. Not only can this spread the workload but a well-selected team can bring in more energy, creativity, drive and knowledge than the founder alone might possess. A small, closely-knit, highly motivated team can be an unstoppable driving force.

The authors of The Beermat Entrepreneur call the members of this core team 'cornerstones'. They suggest that the ideal mix is one entrepreneur providing strong leadership, surrounded by four 'cornerstones' - one for sale, one for finance, one for product development and one for project delivery and customer service. In real terms, most small businesses cannot afford such a big team, and don't really need it to begin with. However, even bringing one other person in to the business can make a huge difference to its success during the first year or so.

In many cases, the original team will be composed of the founder, or founders, and one or two relatives or friends who have been roped in along the way. This works well if everyone is committed to the success of the business and prepared to work hard. As we've seen the early days of a business are defined by long hours and a painfully demanding workload - there is no room for the half-hearted or unenthusiastic. Not only will they not pull their weight, but they will sap everyone else's enthusiasm too.

I've heard it said 'never work with friends or relatives' and it's true that in some cases this leads to disaster. However, a team who like each other - and have a friendship beyond the business - can also be extremely efficient and powerful.

Jude, Business adviser

Remember that just because you enjoy spending time with someone socially it doesn't mean you will like working with them. Ask yourself what they would be like to work with. Are they hardworking? Enthusiastic? What do they have to offer your business? Try to find people whose skills compliment yours, who can bring something to the business that fills 'gaps'. For instance, if you are fantastic on the finances but weak on marketing, you need to find someone who can bring something extra to the marketing side of the business.

A recent London Business School survey of CEOs found that they considered the major factor that had contributed to the success of their businesses was 'selecting the right people with good attitudes who are loyal to the company and who want to excel in their careers'.

Defining Roles

Whether you decide to go into business with others as equals or you employ them as part of your original team, it is very important to define roles carefully. Everyone needs to know what is expected of them and where the boundaries of their 'area' lie. In businesses with two or more equal partners a lack of clarity about roles can be a major source of conflict, taking up valuable time that might be better spent focused on other aspects of the business. If you have a management team, you need to give them space to fulfil their roles and feel that their contribution is valued. This doesn't mean handing over control, final decisions will still rest with you (or if they don't you need to be clear about exactly who is the boss - only one person should take this position or squabbling and infighting can result).

Consider the following key roles and divide them between your core team. You should all be clear on who is going to take each role.

Business leader - who takes the final decisions? In other words, the boss.

Sales person - who sells to your customers? Identifies customers and carries out your customer research?

Finance person - who manages the money and the associated administrative work?

Supply management - who locates suppliers, negotiates with them and maintains adequate supply levels.

Core business - who does the core tasks of your business, by which we mean the things that your business is actually about? This might mean making a product, providing a service or something else.

Marketing and PR person - who promotes your business to potential customers and raises the profile of your business?

Some of these roles overlap, so good communication is also of key importance to your business.

Importance of Role Clarification

People do either one of two things in a business - they either add value or they add cost. There are no grey areas.

One of the most important ways to ensure that your core team members are all adding value is to help them clarify their roles.

There are a number of different aspects to role clarification:

Prescribed role - This is what the business uses to set down the individual's overall goals and objectives. It is usually called a 'job description' or something similar and it sets out the person's responsibilities, authority, and key tasks, as well as their position in the business hierarchy.

While this is a useful starting point, it does not take account of personal differences and changes in circumstances such as growth of the business or the need to cover weak performances by others.

Personalised role - the prescribed role is only part of the picture. These are factors internal to the individual which will affect the way he or she performs in the role.

This includes their abilities, skills and strengths, as well as their expectations of the role, their assumptions (about the role, the business, the sector. etc.), their values and ambitions.

Perceived role - the perceptions and expectations of others in the business will have an impact on the individual. For example, they will have their own views on what the priorities of the role should be as well as the boundaries: 'I don't think Sales Managers should...'; 'I expect you to...' These can limit or restrict the way a person performs, but if expectations are high and positive they can raise the person's game, enabling them to perform to their full potential within their current role.

From the Business Team at Learning Curve; offering a range of unique development programmes for small businesses.

About the Author

Director of Studies at Learning Curve Home Study, one of the UK's leading distance learning providers. Learning Curve offers home study courses in a range of subjects, including Business development courses.