The Merits Of Blog Business News In Finance
The need of blog business news has intensified in the contemporary times due to many financial implications that come with ever changing people demographics. These include economical changes such as the recent global meltdown, legal cases involving compensation and also re-mortgaging issues that have continued to affect the core of society. All these areas are given consideration by experts who post their solutions and explanations in these pages that are accessible to many readers with Internet access.There are usually many areas that are targeted in business news. As mentioned above, the issue of compensation, for example, enjoys perpetual updated resources that are given to people on how to handle their finances in anticipation to getting a claim. This can be seen in such explanations as how to settle for a forwarded amount from lenders who rely on the premise that the cash give out they have offered to the person anticipating a case will make a breakthrough thus leading to the recovery of the lent sum. In many cases, the cap lies on the expectation that the targeted amount will act as the salary for the lender, in most cases being only a portion of the total compensation.One of the merits of these popular business pages revolves around a contemporary financial niche as that of mortgages. They offer guidelines on how to take advantage of growing equity of the investment so that one can cash in on the loans that are extended on that investment in order to reapply for better terms. These posts also cast a light on the precautions to take in order not to fall into bad economic times that may see mortgage repayments hike up instead of taking a dip as expected.Another merit of the blog business news is that it also sheds a light on handling personal finances by reaping the benefits of soft means of transactions and applying for academic aid. One of the areas mostly targeted in this niche includes that of the academic community whereby learners are updated on the latest developments in the category of electronic money transfer abroad without suffering any surcharges. The posts also target other areas like name tags and free gifts that are given online. In this way they give consideration to the best free gifts that lead to most sales as well as the name tags that are considered most effective to the e-commerce environment.In short, the overall merit of business news as obtained from a blog is helping to keep people and commercial entities in the know on issues affecting their finances on a daily basis. While some of the highlights given above are usually treated as universal contents, others are provided on a successive basis in form of reports. The former casts the limelight on making informed financial and transactional choices, while the latter form of news aids in staying updated with all types of relevant reports. This treasure-trove of suggestions, tips, concepts and vivid financial reports is usually presented in the most informative manner.
Deceptive Advertising – An Essay
The role of advertising in our free market society is to help develop products that satisfy consumer demands and to spur effective price competition. Advertising informs consumers about the availability of products, their features, and price information. Such information is vital to our competitive process. Advertisers employ unfair business practices in order to gain an unfair advantage above their competitors and to deceive consumers. The following essay examines the common types of deceptive acts and practices involved and the federal government agency that regulates advertisers. Government regulation provides a delicate balance between free business enterprise and consumer protection.Businesses rely on advertising as a vital communication tool to reach potential consumers. Important information about the company and product features is conveyed to consumers in an attempt to offer them products that satisfy their wants and needs. In addition to print, radio, and television, laws governing advertising also cover signs, billboards, pamphlets, pictures or emblems, and direct and oral advertisements to consumers. To a certain degree advertising is protected by our courts under “commercial freedom of speech” guidelines. However, the information conveyed to consumers must be perceived as “truthful” in order to be protected against arbitrary government intrusion.Consumers are protected from advertisers that intentionally or inadvertently mislead in promoting their products. Two main areas that consumers are protected from are false advertising and unfair acts or practices. False advertising is when an advertisement is misleading through a made or suggested statement, word, device, sound, or omission of material facts with respect to consequences which may result from the use of the product. This definition pertains to food, drugs, devices, and cosmetics. In addition, an advertisement can be viewed as being a false or misleading representation because of an implied representation.Generally speaking an act or practice is considered to be unfair when it causes injury to consumers, injury to public policy or when it is based on immoral, unethical, or unscrupulous nature of the practice. A good example of how advertising leads to injury to consumers was when regulators decided that it was unfair for cigarette manufacturers to omit the health risks of cigarette smoking. This led to legislation requiring health warnings in cigarette advertising.The Federal Trade Commission is the federal government body that regulates, monitors, and challenges advertising claims believed to be illegally deceptive. The FTC uses the following criteria when determining to challenge an advertising representation:1) The ad makes a representation, has an omission, or uses a practice that is likely to mislead the consumer. The representation may be explicit (literal claim) or implied (indirect or by inference) in the advertisement.2) The representation, omission, or practice is misleading when examined from the perspective of a reasonable consumer.3) The representation, omission, or practice is material. The FTC evaluates the extent to which the questionable ad influences behavior or purchasing patterns. A representation, omission, or practice is material when behaviors or purchasing patterns are affected.The FTC has the authority to punish offending companies that compromise deceptive advertising regulations. There are various types of remedies and sanctions available to the FTC to enforce the law. Such remedies and sanctions include:Injunction – a court order that prohibits or compels future conduct.
Cease and desist orders – prohibits the firm from engaging in the act or practice that was determined to be deceptive.
Affirmative disclosure orders – the company is prohibited from making the claim in the future without making an additional disclosure.
Corrective advertising – compels the advertiser to state in all future advertising that the specific claims made in the past were false.
Multiple product order – applies to all future advertising of all products sold by the firm.
Consent order – company agrees to cease certain activities without admitting wrong doing.The basic goal of the FTC is to increase the accuracy of product information available to consumers. They do this by imposing regulations on very specific advertising practices such as; mock demonstrations, endorsements or testimonials, promotions based on price, advertisements concerning the availability of credit, and product labeling.In order to avoid FTC scrutiny advertisers must have the ability to substantiate their claims about a product’s attributes or performance through “reasonable basis.” An advertiser that claims their product “kills germs that cause colds and flu,” or “stimulates 25 pounds of weight loss in one week” must gather sufficient evidence of the claims validity, usually before the ad is printed or broadcast. If a complaint is made to the FTC concerning the accuracy of an advertisements claim, the FTC will assess the reasonableness of the advertisers substantiation in order to determine if it serves the public interest. The reasonable basis doctrine applies to food, drugs, devices and cosmetics because their effect to the public is direct and their use might endanger life.The tremendous amount of money spent on advertising is a testament to the importance of advertising in our economic system. In a sense advertising fuels the economy. Unfortunately, the integrity of the advertising community must be monitored. Deceptive advertising legislation is continually being updated and improved to reflect the changing product lines that appeal to a public with specific growing needs and wants. Government regulation provides the balance between the important issues of commercial free speech, free business enterprise, and consumer protection.
Seeking A Business Loan – Bank Loan Vs Non-Bank Loan
As the months slowly pass by, there are many things in the business world that continue to change or evolve. But, one constant over the last two years is that loans to small businesses from traditional lenders like banks and similar financing companies are still extremely hard to come by.Banks and other financial institutions remain tremendously skeptical about what tomorrow will bring. Some banks cite over regulation by the government while others tout that they are just not seeing qualified borrowers.Regardless of the reasons, small firms continue to struggle in finding business loans from traditional sources to help them grow and succeed.This has created an enormous funding gap for small or Main Street businesses in this country.Small businesses are one of the (if not the) strongest economic driver in our nation. Small and Main Street businesses provide jobs, wealth and opportunities in the communities in which they operate – communities which ebb and flow with the strengths and prospects of their local businesses.However, from the bank side – they also create the greatest risks – risks that banks continue to NOT want to take.The old saying – the bigger the risk, the greater the reward. And, to achieve that reward, we have to find ways to make the risk work in this new economy. And, some new non-bank lenders are indeed finding ways!Leave it to the ingenuity of entrepreneurs in this country to come with new stop gap business loan products and services – all designed with the small business or Main Street businesses in mind.Many new non-bank lenders are stepping up to fill the small business funding gap left wide open by banks. These business loan products are usually easier to qualify for and can be funded much faster than traditional loans as these new financing companies understand the real needs of small businesses and the opportunities they represent.Some of these new lenders have been changing or modifying traditional business loan products to meet this new small business financing demand. Example:There has been significant changes and growth in non-profit lenders like Micro Lenders where a new business can qualify for a loan up to $35,000 but now also where an existing business can receive a business loan upwards of $50,000 – all designed and marketed to and specifically for small businesses.There has also been a sharp increase in peer-to-peer lending or social network lending. While these are still designated as personal loans (most business loans to new businesses are personal loans – guaranteed by the business owner) they offer (and are now being marketed too) small businesses as a quick and usually low cost means of securing a small loan to help them overcome a slow month, meet payroll obligations or to take advantage of new opportunities to grow the business.There have also been new breeds of business lenders entering the market. Some have taken traditional loan vehicles like accounts receivable factoring or business cash advances and tweaked them to better meet the needs of smaller firms (firms with potential but not yet profitable) while others have created a completely new way to view a business’s financial strength with a focus more on cash flow than profitability or time in business.To reduce the risk of default; most lenders – bank and non-bank – like to fund on the basis of the conversion of assets. This allows these lenders to focus less on the overall financial condition of the borrower and more on the strength and make up of the asset used as collateral. Thus, when the assets actually convert into cash (like a customer paying its invoice) those funds are used to pay-off or pay down the outstanding loan balance. This has, in the past, allowed businesses and their owners a means to financing that they may not have gotten otherwise due to time in business or years of profitability limitations.However, these new breed of lenders are taking this view of business financing, adding their own individual twist, and finding success in funding pre-profit, growing small businesses.For example, there are new non-bank lenders that focus less of profitability and credit but more on the business’s ability to generate cash flow each day. If your business is able to close deals and has a constant supply of cash inflows (regardless if the business is profitable or not) then these new lenders are willing to take a chance on your firm’s ability to grow – with their financial help. This also means that these lenders will match their payments with your business’s daily cash inflows.The benefit to the lenders is less risk from not having to wait 30 or more days only to find out a business is not able to make a payment. The benefits to the business is being able to use intangible assets (like its ability to find and service customers) to obtain necessary funding to propel the business to that next level.Further, there are new business financiers that are side-stepping business loans completely and innovating new business financing mechanisms.For example, playing off the peer-to-peer loan industry, there are companies that are implementing peer-to-peer angel or private investment. Thus, should your business not meet the very stringent and specific criteria of an angel capital or private equity deals, your firm might still be able to obtain the same type and amount of investment dollars from others like you or from those in your community or in your network.The bottom line here is that the longer the banks hold their vaults shuts against small businesses and continue to ignore the rising demands for small business financing, the opportunities created for new, innovative lenders to step up and fill these gaps are astounding.Will these new lending vehicles and methodologies work for your business? It really depends on your business and your ability to look outside the box. Will all of these new lenders survive? Probably not. But, whenever there is unfilled demand, pioneering entrepreneurs will emerge hoping to change the world while fulfilling their personal dreams.What this means to the small businesses struggling today and those that will surface tomorrow is that while banks continue to dig in and avoid internal innovation to meet current small business loan demand; other non-bank lenders are stepping up and trying to succeed with new products and new markets.Thus, while finding and obtaining a bank loan is probably still the goal of the majority of small businesses (as most don’t know about or understand these new options), new funding vehicles are opening each and every day from non-bank lenders who actually understand the needs of growing businesses and are designing ways to meet their business loan / capital needs.