Devils make Cup finals after 3-2 win over Rangers

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? Moments after sending the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 2003, Adam Henrique skated to the corner and waited to be mobbed by his teammates.

It's become a common occurrence for the 22-year-old who spent last season in the minor leagues. He notched the series winner in double overtime against Florida in Game 7 in the opening round, and did it again on Friday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, sending the rival New York Rangers packing for the season along the way.

And, oh, how sweet it was for the Devils.

The memory of missing the playoffs last season and the ghost of an 18-year-old wound were wiped out with a sweep of this rolling rookie's stick.

Henrique scored off a wild scramble in front at 1:03 into overtime and the Devils eliminated the Rangers 3-2 to advance to the Cup finals against the Los Angeles Kings.

"I mean, this kid's just at the right place, right time, all the time," Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. "The two biggest goals of the playoffs come off his stick.

"And that's not accidental."

Both goals have been followed by scrums in which teammates surround Henrique and pound on him to celebrate. It's fun, of course, but Henrique is more focused on facing the Kings in a series that will start in New Jersey on Wednesday.

"There's still more things to accomplish," said Henrique, who is a finalist for the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL's top rookie.

"Try to take in as much as I can this whole year. And obviously those are two huge goals, and then probably two of the biggest goals I ever scored. There's still more ahead. We're not done yet. We haven't really won anything. It's a long ride.

"Every kid dreams of playing in the Stanley Cup final. And we have a chance to win. I'm excited, and ready to get started."

After beating Florida, Philadelphia and their biggest rivals, the Rangers, only the Kings stand in the way of a fourth Cup for New Jersey.

"It feels great to get to where we are," Devils captain Zach Parise said. "As Adam said, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. But we've put ourselves in a pretty good position right now, and we've got a chance.

"We'll see what we can do."

This series win came against the Devils' most intense rival, and it was that much more enjoyable ? even to those who haven't been around the feud all that long.

"That one was like Christmas," Henrique said.

It also was needed. The Devils, after all, blew a 2-0, first-period lead and didn't want to head back to New York for a Game 7 on Sunday.

"It didn't matter how it got to overtime, we were in a good position," Parise said. "We were at home. We just needed one shot."

Actually, the Devils needed a few shots to win the game.

Henrique's winner came after Henrik Lundqvist stopped Ilya Kovalchuk twice and Alexei Ponikarovsky. The last shot was in the crease and Henrique tapped it home.

"We caught them on a line change and their defensemen were tired," said DeBoer, who was fired by Florida after missing the playoffs in his three seasons with the Panthers.

"We found a way to jam one in. That's the only way you're going to score on Lundqvist. You're not going to get a clean one. You're going to have to work for it around the net.

"And that's what we did."

Ryan Carter and Kovalchuk also scored for the Devils, whose biggest move this year was hiring DeBoer. He has more than proved his coaching ability.

Ruslan Fedotenko and Ryan Callahan tallied for top-seeded New York, which had a good flurry just before New Jersey scored to end it.

The six Rangers on the ice just stayed down in disbelief and frustration. This was very much like Game 5, which the Devils won 5-3. New York carried the play after the first period and had a 35-29 edge in shots.

But when it came time for a game-deciding play to be made, it was a Devil who made it.

"When they scored, it was such an empty feeling," said Lundqvist, who said the puck took a weird bounce on the final play. "It is shocking."

Henrique overcame injury to score this one. He seemed to take a stick from Brian Boyle in the groin area late in the third and had to leave the ice.

He felt no pain after the game winner.

All the Rangers could do was bow their heads and then line up for the traditional handshake after losing to their cross-rival rivals in a series that was close.

"That's playoff hockey, and that's usually where you get an overtime goal," New York's Brandon Prust said. "Just whacking away in front of the net, getting rebounds."

The ageless Martin Brodeur, 40, kept the Devils alive in the third. He stopped a power-play shot by Brad Richards, made a save on Artem Anisimov between the circles and used his stick to deflect a pass from the boards by Carl Hagelin in the final minute just before it got to Marian Gaborik on the edge of the crease.

"There's a reason why he's the best goalie to play the game," Henrique said. "He gives us that extra confidence every night when we got him back there. He's going to give us the chance to win no matter what, even if we're not playing our best. He seems to make those big saves night in, night out, and he did it again tonight."

Lundqvist's best stop in the third was on Dainius Zubrus on a shot from behind the circles.

Facing elimination and down 2-0 after 20 minutes, the Rangers found their game in the second period and tied it at 2-all on goals by Fedotenko and Callahan in a roughly four-minute span.

Carter, who scored the game winner in New York on Wednesday after the Devils blew a 3-0 lead, put New Jersey ahead again at 10:05 of the opening period on a rebound. Kovalchuk added his seventh goal of the postseason on a power play, his fifth with the extra man.

The Devils ? as is the tradition for many Cup finalists ? did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy that was presented at center ice. As the team skated off to their locker room, "Glory Days," the 1984 hit from New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen serenaded them.

The game was played on the 18-year anniversary of the Rangers' dramatic 4-2 Game 6 victory over New Jersey at the Meadowlands, a win that pushed that classic Eastern Conference final series to a Game 7 and eventually led New York to its first Stanley Cup in 54 years. That game, of course, was preceded by a guarantee from Rangers captain Mark Messier, who delivered three goals en route to the victory.

This time, though, there will be no Game 7.

NOTES: The Rangers became the fifth team to play 20 postseason games without reaching the finals. ... TV personality Donald Trump was at the game. ... Devils C Travis Zajac left the ice briefly in the second after being slashed on the left hand by Prust. No penalty was called. ... New Jersey is 4-1 in overtime in the postseason. New York finished 2-3 after regulation. ... This is only the second time the Devils have defeated the Rangers in the postseason in six tries. ... The last time New Jersey played in the Stanley Cup finals, the Devils also played a California team: the Anaheim Ducks in 2003.

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Six Strategies For University Basketball Betting | ApostolicCM.com ...

In terms of sheer numbers, no activity matches the opportunity, intrigue, depth of high quality, or endless assortment concerned with university basketball betting. Almost everyday with the week, from mid-November by means of March, bettors and sportsbooks match bankrolls on the hardwood fortunes of 235 teams in over a dozen conferences.

When quantity crunching and detailed analysis usually are necessary tools in school basketball betting, a diploma of ?art? compliments the ?science? and is helpful, as well. The productive bettor understands that subjective evaluation of many other variables also has to be regarded as.

Let?s look at a number of these elements:

Teeming with teams: Competitors all but mandates that a sportsbook posts costs on more than two hundred teams, (as compared to 30 NBA clubs) delivering the gambler with several far more solutions. For bettors, it is a good deal a lot easier to find a poor quantity among 100 video games than it is to find one amongst 13 or fourteen.

Residence, sweet residence: Confident, the residence court is usually an aspect in NBA perform but it really is the tiresome travel connected with getting to a street sport that places the going to team in a disadvantage within the professional ranks. For that reason, NBA spreads are affected additional by schedule than by actual residence court.

Because NCAA groups only perform about thirty video games a year, lengthy street excursions aren?t an aspect in school perform. Nonetheless, with its requisite contingent of chanting, sign-waving students, the dwelling court actually does make any difference in school basketball betting. Actually, the household court is usually such an benefit that there may perhaps be as much as a 10-point swing in home-and-home sequence pointspreads.

Morale: A shorter schedule and far more warmed rivalries, particularly within conferences or states, all but ensures that emotion, in particular when you are coping with impressionable teens, will perform a greater function in college basketball than it does inside the NBA. For that reason, evaluating a team?s determination can be an essential element in college basketball betting.

Revenge: One more issue unique to college basketball is revenge. A team that misplaced to an opponent when normally is troublesome to tame the second time around. This is a scenario that performs alone out in convention play, where splits are more common than sweeps.

Freshmen: Time was that first calendar year recruits sat to the pine and waited their turn. These days, if you are superior enough to play, coaches put you inside the recreation.

Apparently, the emergence of freshmen as key contributors has necessary sportsbooks and bettors to track the professions of higher school seniors, checking their college selections and assessing the impact they may perhaps have on people programs. Ohio State, which landed prized middle Greg Oden, North Carolina, Texas, Connecticut, Duke, Tennessee, Washington, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Wake Forest, Stanford and Kansas are amongst the schools whose recruiting hauls could possess a sizable impact on their fortunes this time.

Since no sport is more affected by just one player than basketball, each new addition?freshman, junior university or transfer?has the opportunity to change the dynamic in the group.

Three-for-all: Additional complicating the oddsmaking and betting equation is that college basketball is significantly far more just like a three-act play than the usual seamless time of year.

Act I starts in mid-November and extends via the finish with the year when groups play most of their non-conference games. For teams nonetheless seeking an id, this is a likelihood for experimentation with various lineups and approaches, a time of growing pains that frequently are reflected by the pointspread. Other groups, ones with seasoned gamers, have an obvious advantage in cohesiveness. Immediately after all, basketball can be a team activity.

Act II starts using the tip-off from the conference routine, which starts in January. Groups have worked out the kinks by now and, for probably the most part, are prepared to face a series of opponents with whom they?ve some familiarity. The teams could play one another as several as two or three instances every season?twice in convention perform and possibly again in the league?s tournament?and coaches know each other and their favored design of play. You will find few surprises and, apart from for those events once the extremely best groups are playing the quite worst groups, near video games are frequent.

For your fortunate, the curtain will rise for Act III, the NCAA Men?s Basketball Tournament, in March. It?s the unpredictable nature in the ?Big Dance,? the convergence of groups which have as significantly in common as Rick Majerus and hair spray, which makes ?March Madness? the oddsmaking and sports betting problem that it truly is.

Due to its uniqueness, wager makers and wager takers method the event both respectful and wary of an completely distinct set of variables that rarely come into perform throughout school basketball?s typical time of year. We will examine that facet of school basketball betting subsequent spring.

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Monarch butterflies down again this year as decline continues

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2012) ? Unlike their colorful wings, the future of Monarch butterflies may not be too bright and their numbers are expected to be alarmingly down again this year, says a Texas A&M University researcher.

Craig Wilson, a senior research associate in the Center for Mathematics and Science Education and a long-time butterfly enthusiast, says reports by the World Wildlife Fund, private donors and Mexico's Michoacan state show that Monarch numbers will be down almost 30 percent in 2012 as they make their annual trek from their breeding grounds in Mexico and move across Texas.

The figures show an alarming decades-long decline in their numbers, Wilson says, adding that it is best "that we take the long view rather than yearly cycles.

"The latest information shows that Monarchs will be down from 25 to 30 percent this year, and that has been part of a disturbing trend the last few years," Wilson notes.

"Last year's severe drought and fires in the region no doubt played a part, resulting in less nectar for the Monarchs as they migrated south. But estimates show that each year, millions of acres of land are being lost that would support Monarchs, either by farmers converting dormant land for crop use -- mainly to herbicide tolerant corn and soybeans -- or the overuse of herbicides and mowing. Milkweed is the key plant because it's the only plant where the female will lay her eggs."

The loss of such lands is a critical factor in the Monarchs' survival, Wilson explains.

"Chip Taylor, who is the director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas, estimates that 100 million acres of land have already been lost that previously supported Monarchs," Wilson notes.

Most of the Monarch reserves are in the Mexican state of Michoacan. It's an area where Monarchs spend the winter and mate before heading north, Wilson points out.

In the spring, the butterflies leave Mexico and across Texas, and Wilson has noticed both eggs and young Monarch caterpillars feeding on milkweed in the Monarch Waystation, a butterfly garden outside his office. The adults will fly various routes through Texas, with the fourth generation eventually arriving in Canada.

This year, according to the Texas Monarch Watch, Monarchs covered about 7.14 acres of forest in their Mexican breeding grounds compared to 9.9 acres last year, and it shows a continued long-term downward trend in Monarch population since official surveys began in 1994.

Wilson says there has to be a national effort to save Monarchs or their declining numbers will reach the critical stage.

"We need a national priority of planting milkweed to assure there will be Monarchs in the future," he says. "If we could get several states to collaborate, we might be able to promote a program where the north-south interstates were planted with milkweed, such as Lady Bird Johnson's program to plant native seeds along Texas highways 35-40 years ago. This would provide a 'feeding' corridor right up to Canada for the Monarchs."

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321172210.htm

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Insider trading ban sent to White House

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate on Thursday sent President Barack Obama a scaled-down bill to explicitly ban members of Congress, the president and thousands of other federal workers from profiting from nonpublic information learned on the job.

Obama has said he would sign the bill.

In an unusual move, the legislation passed unanimously without a vote on the measure itself. Passage was automatically triggered by a procedural motion that was approved on a 96-3 vote. The lawmakers who voted no were Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Charles Grassley of Iowa.

The bill would give the public a more frequent look at financial transactions of government officials. A driving force has been Congress' focus on its own dismal approval ratings, which ranged from 12 to 19 percent in polls over the last several weeks.

Public reports would be posted online either 30 days after the individual was notified of a transaction in his or her account or 45 days after the transaction. The House currently posts disclosure information on the Internet, but the Senate still requires people seeking the data to appear personally in a Senate office building.

Both the House and Senate overwhelmingly have approved separate versions of the STOCK Act, which stands for Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge. A segment on CBS' "60 Minutes" in November said that members of Congress were profiting from inside information, giving new impetus to legislation that had languished for years.

Lacking enough votes, Majority Leader Harry Reid abandoned the Senate's own, stronger bill and decided to accept the House legislation, which stripped out two key provisions from the bill that originally passed the Senate.

One was designed to strengthen criminal laws in public corruption cases, including restoration of tools used by prosecutors that were limited by a Supreme Court ruling.

The second, which was more controversial, would have required registration and public reports ? similar to those filed by lobbyists ? by anyone selling inside information learned from members of Congress and their staffs.

Opponents of regulating so-called political intelligence operatives substituted a study to learn more about individuals and firms collecting and selling information.

Federal officials, including members of Congress, are not excluded from federal laws prohibiting insider trading. But there is little public information showing that members of Congress have been investigated.

Recently, it was learned the Office of Congressional Ethics was looking at the trading activities of Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala. In the two months surrounding the 2008 financial collapse and subsequent $700 billion economic bailout passed by Congress, Bachus made more than three dozen trades. The OCE is an independent ethics office of the House, run by a board outside of Congress.

Bachus, now chairman of the House Financial Services Committee but then the panel's senior Republican under a Democratic chairman, participated in closed briefings on the crisis by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. He's denied using inside information, and subsequent records show he incurred a net loss of $19,490.

Bachus has denied any wrongdoing.

The bill has a number of additional provisions, including one major exemption. The frequent reporting will not include transactions in widely held investment funds that are publicly traded, have diversified assets and are not controlled by the covered government official.

The bill also adds stronger ethical and legal provisions.

It would deny federal retirement benefits to the president, vice president or an elected official of a state or local government convicted of certain felonies. It also would prohibit senior executives of mortgage giants Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac from receiving bonuses while the companies are under government control. And it would expand the definition of public corruption crimes and increase maximum penalties.

It also requires officials to disclose the mortgages on their primary residences, a provision that has been exempt from reporting requirements.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-03-22-Congress-Insider%20Trading/id-95a1eef93f9e47a9810682c927d52810

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OLRTXT USATX US WASH JUDIC VOTE POL VOTP VOTS VOTH LAW

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas should be playing a role in Republican politics this year as big as, well, Texas.

The fast-growing state - the most populous by far in the Republican column - has four new seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, a big U.S. Senate race and more than a 10th of the delegates who will choose the party's presidential nominee.

But a racially tinged dispute over redrawing its congressional districts has delayed the Texas primary by almost three months, complicated the U.S. Senate and House contests and altered the race for the White House.

A San Antonio court pushed Texas' primary back to May 29 from March 6 after complaints that a new electoral map drawn by Republicans violated the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of blacks and Latinos.

Three of Texas' four new U.S. House seats were created in areas dominated by whites, even though Hispanics and blacks accounted for 90 percent of Texas' population growth since 2000.

The battle sets white Republicans, who have firmly established political control in Texas within the past decade, against rising and strongly Democratic Hispanic and black populations, whose leaders argue that they are being unfairly denied an equal voice in state politics.

The stakes are high both for 2012, when the White House and control of the U.S. Congress are up for grabs, and longer term, when a rapidly growing Hispanic population is expected eventually to disadvantage Republicans and benefit Democrats.

"Republicans can work that racial solidarity thing for a while, but in the end, they've got to do better than 35 percent of the Hispanic vote or their election prospects are not great," said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

States with a history of minority voting rights violations must obtain pre-clearance from either the U.S. Department of Justice or the federal court in Washington, D.C., before they can use new maps. The new voter map in Florida, another fast-growing southern state, has also been subject to legal wrangling this year.

ALREADY A MINORITY

Non-Hispanic whites already account for a minority of Texas' residents, with 45 percent of the population. The state is 38 percent Latino and 12 percent black, numbers expected to continue to rise.

President Barack Obama lost Texas by 11-percentage points in 2008. He got only 26 percent of the white vote, but was backed by 63 percent of Hispanics and 98 percent of blacks, fueling talk that it will not be long before Republican red Texas turns purple, if not Democratic blue.

"We sort of feel like we have the wind at our backs," said Anthony Gutierrez, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party.

Democrats have won Texas in only three of the last 15 presidential elections. The party has not won a statewide election since 1994, and Republicans cemented their control of the state with huge victories in the 2010 midterms.

But even Republicans acknowledge that changing demographics mean the party must appeal to Hispanics to hold onto power beyond the next few years. Latinos in Texas generally vote Democratic by a 2-to-1 margin, which won't be helped by a redistricting fight seen as a battle to maintain white control.

"It is obviously a high-risk strategy in a state that is increasingly Hispanic," said Michael Li, a Dallas-based election law lawyer who runs the blog "Texas Redistricting." Li is not involved in the redistricting fight.

SUPER TUESDAY NOT SUPER FOR ROMNEY

The redistricting mess has already affected the 2012 presidential race, notably the hopes of Mitt Romney, who may have done well in the Texas primary if it had taken place on Super Tuesday - March 6 - as originally scheduled.

Texas would have been the biggest prize up for grabs on Super Tuesday, when 10 other states held primaries and caucuses.

Romney, with far more money and a bigger campaign organization than rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, was best placed to compete in so many states at once. Texas alone has 20 media markets, meaning statewide advertising can cost millions.

Winning or putting in a good showing in Texas would have boosted Romney. The state's 155 delegates, awarded proportionally, are a huge chunk of the 1,144 needed to become the nominee.

A strong performance on Super Tuesday also would have given Romney a badly needed breakthrough in the heart of southern Republican conservatism, weakening Santorum and perhaps cutting short what has become a protracted nomination fight.

Instead, Romney has been a weak front-runner and Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator best known for strong religious conservatism, has been winning over the party's right wing.

"It (a March 6 Texas primary) would have changed a lot of things. It would have changed the entire complexion of Super Tuesday," said Matt Mackowiak, an Austin-based Republican strategist, especially with Santorum and Gingrich both vying for the support of the most conservative Texans.

"I suspect if the field was split and if Santorum and Gingrich hadn't had $5 million or $3 million to spend, then Romney probably would have won Texas on March 6," he said.

With Texas now one of the last states to vote, the nominee could be chosen by May 29. Even if it isn't, Santorum is now considered more likely to take Texas, thanks to improving fund-raising and his solidified position as the conservative alternative to Romney.

"Romney starts with a significant disadvantage in terms of public opinion," said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, although he added that Romney's big campaign war chest means that he could spend heavily in Texas to target clusters of mainstream conservatives in major media markets.

A Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research poll last week showed Santorum eight percentage points ahead of Romney among likely Republican primary voters in Texas. Santorum was at 35 percent to 27 percent for Romney.

Gingrich was at 20 percent and Ron Paul, a Texas congressman lagging in most polls, was at 8 percent.

The redistricting mess is affecting races down the ticket as well, with many voters not sure where they are registered and many candidates unsure of where they should run or raise money while the court fight has continued.

"I can look around the state and see the confusion in the eyes of the average voter," said Chris Elam, communications director for the state Republican party. Some 100 Republicans alone have applied to run for the 36 House seats, he said.

The interim map is expected to stand, but there is a chance it could be changed again by the Washington court.

The May 29 date is after schools close for the summer, leading to worries that turnout will be low, which often leads to unpredictable results.

The race to replace retiring Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has been most affected by the upheaval. Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst has been favored to replace Hutchison, because of his statewide name recognition and fundraising prowess.

But the long delay has given opponents, especially Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz, time to raise money and their profiles. Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Craig James, a one-time television sports analyst, are also in the race.

If no one wins a majority on May 29, state law mandates a runoff vote on July 31, the heart of the hot Texas summer when an even smaller turnout would be expected.

(Editing by Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/redistricting-wrangle-hits-romney-texas-republicans-052541860.html

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Benefits of Starting a Franchise Business in India | Business Articles

Benefits of Starting a Franchise Business in India
Author: Clark
India is one the world?s largest and the fastest-growing emerging markets, and franchising has become a successful business model for many local companies. If we go by numbers, India is the fifth largest country in terms of consumer capacity and retail destination. It is the second fastest growing economy in the world after China. The consumer spending in the country has increased to 75 per cent in the last four years and according to business analysts it will quadruple in the next 20 years. However, franchising in India has not yet attained an industry status even though the industry size is USD 7 billion growing at a rate of 25-30 per cent annually with over 1800 franchise formats operating in the country employing over 1 million people in the sector.

Globalisation and market liberalisation has fuelled brand awareness among the Indian masses making the importation of foreign brands to Indian shores an attractive business opportunity for local businessmen. Foreign brands such as McDonald?s and Pizza Hut have studied India?s tastes and needs and customised their products and menus to suit local preferences.

Many foreign companies consider franchising to be a convenient method of entry into the geographically vast and culturally diverse Indian market, which offers a very favourable franchising environment.

Although in a nascent stage, franchising is gaining popularity in the retail segment in India, more particularly in the areas of food products and drinks, restaurant chains, consumer goods, and computer training centres. Franchising is one way in which a company can take advantage of India?s vast market with a degree of control that other traditional forms of distribution cannot match.

Even though, franchising is creating thousands of opportunities for business owners and jobs seekers, it is still in its early stage of development. Simply to expand a business through franchising is not enough; it also needs knowledge on how to run a franchise business model. In India, the knowledge on franchising is inadequate and there is also no training being imparted to leverage the present status of franchising. We should also remember that India is a multi-ethnic country; therefore, it becomes all the more important to understand the trends and market that governs each region.

What is franchising?

In a nutshell, franchising is a business system where under the franchisor grants a license to the franchisee to use the franchisor?s diverse intellectual property rights,
namely, know-how, designs, brands, trade marks, patents, and trade secrets along with the franchisor?s proven name, reputation and marketing techniques to market the franchisor?s products or services in return for a sum of money. The franchisor provides training and continuous assistance to the franchisee.

Difference between franchising/ distributorship/ agency

The terms franchise, distribution and agency are often loosely used. Distribution and agency are the more traditional forms of distributing goods or services.However, they do not allow the principal to exert any real control over the distributor or the agent. The key distinguishing feature of a franchise is the higher degree of control that a franchisor exercises over a franchisee. The franchisor has a say in all important issues such as branding, methodology and mergers.Although corporate entities such as subsidiaries or joint ventures allow as much if not more control than a franchise, they entail a much higher financial risk.

Franchising in various sectors in India

Food and beverages

Some of the well-known brands in this sector that have received an overwhelming response in India include Baskin Robbins, Subway, McDonald?s, TGI Friday?s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza, Ruby Tuesdays, Barista, Costa, Wetzel Pretzel, Papa John?s and KFC.A study has revealed that more than one third of new food outlets are operated through the franchise system. The rapid development of mall culture has also encouraged the growth of food and beverage franchises. Fine dining restaurants, quick service restaurants, cafes and juice bars are among the leading franchised food segments in India.

Beauty and health care Fitness clubs such as VLCC and Talwalkers have established chains while hair and beauty salons offering domestic branded products including Shanaz Hussein, Biotique and Habibs, and international brands, for example, L?Oreal and Tony & Guy, have marked their presence through the franchise model.

A rise in the standard of living in India has increased demand for quality health services and has resulted in health-care service providers, spas, beauty salons and clinics opening new businesses in the cities through franchises. Apollo Hospitals has set up large chain of state-of-the-art health-care clinics in India and abroad, offering comprehensive health-care services.

Education

The increased acceptance of the importance of education by the Indian population and the proven success of education franchising in India has led to a boom in the amount of business owners wanting to expand their education brands using the franchise route. According to a recent survey, India is one of the largest markets for education in the world in terms of the number of students, offering vast franchising opportunities. Currently, out of the 1,200 franchises in the country, 32 per cent are in the education sector. Professional and vocational courses in the fields of aviation, hospitality, retail, financial services and insurance capture almost a third of the total share of education provided through franchises, followed by training in the IT sector. Franchising in the pre-school sector has grown particularly in the past decade.

Getting into franchise business is a wonderful opportunity for anyone. According to the experts, franchising business is the safest business as it involves minimum investment with more revenue. That?s why more and more people are now moving towards the available franchising opportunities. Buying a franchise of a well-known brand is an excellent option to start a new business from scratch or could offer a quicker way to take an existing business to the next level. This option offers several advantages ? not the least of which is an opportunity to latch on to a tried and tested model. A well established franchising brand also affords instant visibility, and with most rules being laid out already by the franchisor.

India now presents huge opportunity for franchising organizations. A number of international and corporate giants stationed abroad always look for the opportunities to launch their franchising business in India. India?s vast geographical expanse, multilingual culture, strong and powerful economy and also growing middle class all clubbed together provide excellent franchising and business opportunities in India.Low labor cost is another main factor that makes India a favorable destination for franchising. The cost of hiring an employee in India is much lower than the west, that?s why, so much work is outsourced to India and many companies are setting up their operations here. Hence, if you wish to achieve success and also the revenue then this is the time to hunt and cash on the franchising and business opportunities available in India.

On the whole, India is the chosen destination for franchising as it provides everything one needs to flourish. This is the reason why franchise business is booming in India. Expert market analysts also have predicted that the franchising opportunities in India will continue to grow very rapidly and there will be lots of benefits available to the people who are involved.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ezine/5754875

Source: http://www.adupit.com/business/2012/03/20/benefits-of-starting-a-franchise-business-in-india/

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Advertising | Getting the Best Results in a Direct Marketing ...

Who said sending letters to communicate important messages or send appreciation or affection to someone is already obsolete? Just look at your mailbox. Chances are you are still receiving letters, postcards, or bills through it. And you will likely create a response through the same manner?sending a printed form of communication. This only shows that print media is not dead. In fact, it still serves as an important part of the business industry. There simply are instances when sending letters or printed materials are necessary. So, before you completely disregard print marketing, you better look at your marketing needs first. This will help you determine if printed materials are no longer appropriate for your business.

Direct marketing is one form of marketing that still makes use of print media. This campaign makes use sales letters, postcards, flyers, and other printed materials that are send directly to customers and prospects. Even in today?s high tech business world, direct marketing remains an important part of a business? marketing campaign. This strategy will help you achieve the best results in your campaign for the following reasons:

- It is a targeted form of marketing, which means you will only send your materials to people who are likely to get interested in your offerings.

- It will allow you to market your business in a specific area.

- You can easily reach your target audience since you don?t have to worry of getting your mail restricted as spam mail.

A lot of have changed in marketing technology over the years, and direct marketing has effectively adapted to these changes. Today, you can easily design your material creatively. You can take advantage of custom printing or die cut printing to give your materials a unique look. These printing techniques have made direct marketing materials look more impressive and interesting than before. If you want to maximize the results of your direct marketing campaign, here?s what you need to do:

? Make your materials captivating. To do this, create a bold headline and attractive design that will attract people?s attention. Also, use the appropriate colors that will help deliver your message clearly and attractively.

? Make your message short, clear, and simple. Don?t confuse your readers otherwise they won?t bother reading the rest of your message. Write in simple words and short sentences to make it easy for them to understand your message. If you have a lot of information to convey, consider directing them to your website or tell them to contact you.

? Know who your target audience is. This will help you create a message and design that will appeal to them. Get to know your customers first to get an idea on how to communicate to them effectively. If you do this well, you will easily know how best to communicate with them, whether it is through a conversational or professional tone.

? A strong call to action is necessary. Encourage your target customers to act at once. You can do this through discounts, incentives, or freebies. You can tell them to check out your website to get hold of the various offers you provide.

A competent and professional custom printer can help you create high quality direct marketing materials appropriate for your business. With their help, you are sure to get the most out of your marketing campaign.

About Author Vicky Russell : Vicky Russell spent 5 years guiding businesses to get new customers and increase sales.? To experience fast, hassle free and high quality? custom printing, visit Printplace .com, the number one most trusted custom printer online.

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Article Added on Tuesday, March 20, 2012
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