Author: WaelBadawy
The Operational Floating Current Conveyor and Its Application
A five-port general-purpose analog building block, termed as an Operational Floating Current Conveyor (OFCC), is described. The OFCC combines the features of current feedback operational amplifier, second-generation current conveyor and operational floating conveyor. An implementation scheme of the OFCC is described and its terminal operational characteristics are used to yield a working device. The OFCC is then used as a single block to realize the current conveyors (CCII+ and CCII-) as well as the four basic amplifiers (i.e., voltage, current, transconductance, and transresistance amplifiers). The applications of the OFCC are presented and discussed. In the field of the analog filter synthesis, we proposed a new active universal second order filter using OFCC. It has three inputs and one output employing two OFCC, two capacitors and three resistors and can realize lowpass, bandpass, highpass, notch, and all pass filters from the same configuration. The proposed universal filters offer the following advantageous features: using active elements for the same type (OFCC). No requirement for component matching or cancellation constraints, which makes the filter easier to design, orthogonal adjustment of ω0 and Q and the circuits have low sensitivity. The simulation and experimental results are obtained and discussed.
Read More: https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0218126606003118
Link to the list of other Peer Journal Publications
Yehya Ghallab, Wael Badawy, M. Abo El-Ella, and M. Elsaid, “The Operational Floating Current Conveyor and Its Application“, Journal of Circuits, Systems and Computers, Volume 15, No. 3, June 2006, pp. 351–372.
Originally posted 2018-04-09 14:17:00.
5 Key Components Of A Small Business Acquisition Loan
Major Challenges To Securing A Business Acquisition Loan
Qualifying for a small business acquisition loan can be quite an ordeal to say the least.
If the business being sold is very profitable, the selling price will likely reflect a significant amount of goodwill which can be very difficult to finance.
If the business being sold is not making money, lenders can be difficult to find even if the underlying assets being acquired are worth substantially more than the purchase price.
Business acquisition loans, or change of control financing situations, can be extremely varied from case to case.
That being said, here are the major challenges you’ll typically have to overcome to secure a small business acquisition loan.
>>> Financing Goodwill
The definition of goodwill is the sale price minus the resale or liquidation value of business assets after any debts owing on the assets are paid off. It represents the future profit the business is expected to generate beyond the current value of the assets.
Most lenders have no interest in financing goodwill.
This effectively increases the amount of the down payment required to complete the sale and/or the acquisition of some financing from the vendor in the form of a vendor loan.
Vendor support and Vendor loans are a very common elements in the sale of a small business.
If they are not initially present in the conditions of sale, you may want to ask the vendor if they would consider providing support and financing.
There are some excellent reasons why asking the question could be well worth your time.
In order to receive the maximum possible sale price, which likely involves some amount of goodwill, the vendor will agree to finance part of the sale by allowing the buyer to pay a portion of the sale price over a defined period of time within a structured payment schedule.
The vendor may also offer transition assistance for a period of time to make sure the transition period is seamless.
The combination of support and financing by the vendor creates a positive vested interest whereby it is in the vendor’s best interest to help the buyer successfully transition all aspects of ownership and operations.
Failure to do so could result in the vendor not getting all the proceeds of sale in the future in the event the business were to suffer or fail under new ownership.
This is usually a very appealing aspect to potential lenders as the risk of loss due to transition is greatly reduced.
This speaks directly to the next financing challenge.
>>> Business Transition Risk
Will the new owner be able to run the business as well as the previous owner? Will the customers still do business with the new owner? Did the previous owner possess a specific skill set that will be difficult to replicate or replace? Will the key employees remain with the company after the sale?
A lender must be confident that the business can successfully continue at no worse than the current level of performance. There usually needs to be a buffer built into the financial projections for changeover lags that can occur.
At the same time, many buyers will purchase a business because they believe there is substantial growth available which they think they can take advantage of.
The key is convincing the lender of the growth potential and your ability to achieve superior results.
>>> Asset Sale Versus Share Sale
For tax purposes, many sellers want to sell the shares of their business.
However, by doing so, any outstanding and potential future liability related to the going concern business will fall at the feet of the buyer unless othewise indicated in the purchase and sale agreement.
Because potential business liability is a difficult thing to evaluate, there can be a higher perceived risk when considering a small business acquisition loan application related to a share purchase.
>>> Market Risk
Is the business in a growing, mature, or declining market segment? How does the business fit into the competitive dynamics of the market and will a change in control strengthen or weaken its competitive position?
A lender needs to be confident that the business can be successful for at least the period the business acquisition loan will be outstanding.
This is important for two reasons. First, a sustained cash flow will obviously allow a smoother process of repayment. Second, a strong going concern business has a higher probability of resale.
If an unforeseen event causes the owner to no longer be able to carry on the business, the lender will have confidence that the business can still generate enough profit from resale to retire the outstanding debt.
Localized markets are much easier for a lender or investor to assess than a business selling to a broader geographic reach. Area based lenders may also have some working knowledge of the particular business and how prominent it is in the local market.
>>> Personal Net Worth
Most business acquisition loans require the buyer to be able to invest at least a third of the total purchase price in cash with a remaining tangible net worth at least equal to the remaining value of the loan.
Statistics show that over leveraged companies are more prone to suffer financial duress and default on their business acquisition loan commitments.
The larger the amount of the business acquisition loan required, the more likely the probability of default.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
Originally posted 2018-04-09 12:52:00.
DeFET: A Novel CMOS Electric-Field Sensor for Lab-on-a-Chip and Biomedical Applications
This paper presents a novel CMOS electric-field sensor, it is called the “differential electric-field sensitive field-effect transistor” (DeFET), which is based on a standard 0.18-mum Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) CMOS technology. The DeFET shows a sensitivity of 51.7 mV/(V/mum). This paper also describes the DeFET’s theory of operation in addition to the experimental and simulation results that confirm the DeFET’s theory of operation. Some applications of the DeFET in the area of lab on a chip and biomedical are also presented
Published in:
Sensors Journal, IEEE (Volume:6 , Issue: 4 )
- Page(s):
- 1027 – 1037
- ISSN :
- 1530-437X
- INSPEC Accession Number:
- 9008434
- DOI:
- 10.1109/JSEN.2006.877806
- Date of Publication :
- Aug. 2006
- Date of Current Version :
- 24 July 2006
- Issue Date :
- Aug. 2006
- Sponsored by :
- IEEE Sensors Council
- Publisher:
- IEEE
Link to the list of other Peer Journal Publications
Yehya Ghallab, Wael Badawy, “DeFET: A Novel CMOS Electric-Field Sensor for Lab-on-a-Chip and Biomedical Applications,” IEEE Sensors Journal, Volume 6, Issue: 4, Aug. 2006, pp. 1027 – 1037.
Originally posted 2018-04-08 21:05:00.
Advantages of Buying Promotional Products Online
Buying your promotional products and corporate identity apparel online provides five major advantages: a greater selection, better pricing, convenience, customer service, and faster ordering time.
Factories often display their entire line of products on the web, providing you with a greater selection of products. With all of these factories on the web, you gain the opportunity to compare quality and pricing in a simple and easy online format, instead of wasting time browsing through endless catalogs that crowd your work center.
Better pricing is readily available on the web, but you have to dig and probe for it. Type in any promotional product related keywords into your favorite search engine and sift through the results until you find a promotional products company with discount pricing. A great trick is to choose an item and have several promotional product companies give you a quote, ALWAYS including any set up charges and freight. This will get you a true number to compare an exact total cost.
How do these online web companies afford to sell the exact same product for less than other distributors? Traditionally, promotional items are sold by a distributor who has a whole staff of outside sales people that will go to your business, show you tons samples, and baby sit you through the process of placing an order. These outside sales people are number one primary expense of an off-line distributor. Believe me this expense is then factored into the price of the promotional item you are purchasing, thus raising your total cost. By purchasing discount promotional products on the web, you can eliminate lining some salespersons pockets and reduce your purchase price by a considerable amount of money.
The Convenience comes with the ability of placing your entire order online. All successful web companies offer this service with encrypted order forms to secure your purchasing information. You may send your artwork via email. This is made easy with the online form. With online ordering you gain the convenience of placing your order anytime, twenty-four hours a day seven days a week.
A few of these online web companies also provide customer service departments with extended hours. They are set up to take your calls, handle your rush orders, and to answer your questions promptly. If you prefer to communicate through e-mail, this is a great way to document your order from start to finish. You can e-mail a question to your distributor, leave for a break, and have it answered by the time you return.
A much faster ordering time is the fifth major result of the online purchase. I have personally visited hundreds of clients. This obviously requires an appointment, which naturally must fit into both parties’ schedules. An off-line salesperson is forced to interpret your needs prior to your meeting. Then bring what samples and catalogs they have on hand, but these may not meet your needs and thus your ordering time will be extended for a second meeting. If you have any questions about product availability, turn around time, or any other factory sensitive inquiries, the salesperson will have to return to his office in order to contact the factory, to get you your answers. When you order from an online web company, the customer service team is already in their office, so they can contact the factory with your questions and call you back immediately.
I have given you five great reasons to buy Imprinted products from an online discount promotional products company, but I must also remind you that there is always a trade off. Online promotional products companies work very hard to cut all possible costs and to pass this savings on to you. You will find that this results in a charge for samples and pre-payment requirements. The charge for promotional samples insures that the company will not give away products to non-customers, as this would considerably raise the real customers’ costs. Paying in advance is very common among internet purchasing in general, and necessary for almost every online company to insure payment. Pre-payment is nothing to worry about. You still have the right to a quality product, and you gain an enormous savings.
Another Tip: When purchasing imprinted corporate apparel, select an online company that has in-house embroidery and screen printing facilities. It has been my experience that these companies will have much better control of expediting your orders, a better knowledge of branding, experience which allows them to better monitor quality control, and a much better capabilities to complete rush orders quicker.
Today you will find that many more successful businesses are now placing their promotional product and corporate apparel orders in the hands of these qualified discount online distributors. The advantages are numerous; convenience, speed, selection, accountability, service, and above all, savings.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
Originally posted 2018-04-08 11:50:00.
Advantages of Promotional products at sports events
Sports crowd comprises captive and fanatic audience. Audiences that feel happy utilizing free sample they receive. Especially the promotional products that are imprinted with their favorite sports logo works best. Promotional products have been identified as an essential and effective part of marketing products. They are actually a proven and effective way to market your company at sports events. There are thousands of promotional products exists that work well with sports events, so choose one that is ideal for your company. A chief advantage of using promotional products is to improve your marketing strategy. These promotional items are often used practically and consequently your image gets repeated exposure. There are many advantages to using such promotional products as a part of advertising at sports events.
There are two basic features of any business that business owners have to concentrate on: First is to get customers and second is to retain that customers. Here promotional products are way of advertising your products to new and existing customers for repeated business. There are lots of promotional products available for advertising; business owner must look at the budget to determine how many people would be exposed to the brand with the budget. Even you will come across different types of items for promotional process. These products are especially designed to get your name and your locations noticed among the sports crowd. Apart from distributing items, you can also go with signs and banners to expose your name and brand to the public.
You can select from a wide range of knit shirts, t-shirts, baseball caps or visors with your company logo imprinted on it. Making use of such products as thank you gifts works best to keep your name on customers mind and it as well encourages a sense of loyalty. It as well attracts the brand new crowd and keep existing customer. Other way could be to get creative by using signs, vehicle wraps, balloons, and other clothing to get your message out there to the public. It is a real cost effective way to advertise and has various advantages too. You should not forget that all of these items should bear your corporate logo or brand name, so even when the public tee off, they would be thinking of you and thanking you for the amazing products youíve given them.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
Originally posted 2018-04-08 10:50:00.
Small Home-Based Businesses — Five Simple Steps to Success
Did you know that, in Australia, 60% of small businesses fail in the first twelve months? For those of us who would like to start a small business — maybe even work from home — that’s a very discouraging statistic.
Does that mean that your business idea is doomed to failure? Far from it! There are steps you can take that greatly increase your chances of success. With a little time and some serious research you can hit the ground running. Let’s start from the beginningÖ
The bright idea
First, of course, you need to come up with an idea. Typically, business opportunities can be divided into four groups:
1. Offering an existing product/service in an existing market. 2. Introducing an existing product/service to a new market.
3. Offering a new product/service in an existing market
4. Introducing a new product/service to a new market.
At this stage of the game the only limit is your imagination. Inspiration can come from anywhere — maybe you have a hobby that you’d like to turn into a full-time job; you may be on the receiving end of bad service one day and decide to try doing it better yourself; or you may have a talent that you’d like to capitalise on.
Once you’ve come across something that you’d like to do, it’s time to take a look at the market and see what’s on offer.
Passing the test
So you’ve had a great idea and you’re keen to roll with it; now it’s time to put it through its paces. For the purpose of the exercise, let’s say that you have a passion for healthy living, and that you want to distribute a range of lifestyle accessories that promote healthy living with a do-it-yourself approach.
Ask around: Is there a market for products that promote healthy living? What sorts of products are available? Who would you be competing with and what do your competitors offer? Do you have the necessary skills to run such a business and — more to the point — what would those skills be? Where would your business be located?
Once you’ve answered those questions you should have a fairly clear picture of what your business will look like.
You source some products and decide to do some further research into the range of lifestyle products offered by a company called Vitality 4 Life. Your own life experience plus some work you’ve done as a dietician has given you the necessary skill sets, and you think that you’ll be able to work from home, giving you more time for family. There is an existing market, but there’s room for expansion. Now it’s time to take a closer look.
To be or not to be?
It’s time to get down to the nuts and bolts. You don’t want to jump into something feet first and find out the hard way that the budget just doesn’t work.
To get started, sit down and work out if you need to hire staff, which means paying wages.
If you lease a premises you’ll need to be able to pay the rent, and your location will have to be suitable for your business and target market (which also means that you’ll have to think carefully about just what that target market is). You’ll also need to work out the likely demand for your product/service.
OkÖ you’ve worked out that there is enough demand for good quality juicers, sprouters, water filters and other high end accessories to take a shot at a distributorship as a home-based business opportunity. Now you need to make some marketing decisions.
Look at me! Look at me!
Advertising can be costly so you’ll want to be sure that your advertising budget is spent wisely. That means more market research, this time one-on-one. Profile your customer groups so you can aim your marketing at the right group/s of people.
Draw up a questionnaire (a short questionnaire — people run out patience if you ramble for too long) and hang around outside a few of the local gyms (for our particular example). Come up with a mixture of open questions (What do you think ofÖÖ..?) and closed questions (Do you have a gym membership? Yes/No.); sliding scales can be useful too.
For our health accessories business, a good question might be ëHow did you hear about this gym? Radio, tv, newspaper, word of mouth etcÖ’ Such a question would then give you an indication of the types of media that your target group responds best to.
Choose a business name, print up some business cards, buy some stock and get ready to trade!
Measure it, manage it!
A teacher of mine made the point that, in business, if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it.
You need to be able to plan ahead, and to do that you need to know — or to be able to accurately predict — your total sales. The equation is simple: number of customers x average sale x frequency of visits per customer per year = total sales. Remember it, revise it often, measure your business and you’ll be able to manage it!
Keep an eye on your bottom line and, most importantly, always be aware of your cash flow — the cold, hard cash that you have in the bank. Allow for invoice periods (14 days, 30 days etc) when you’re planning your budget.
The market place has a life of its own, and no one can prepare for every contingency. Put some thought into your idea; make sure that there’s a market for what you’re offering; research, research, research; promote your business effectively; always know what’s going on in your bank account and don’t forget about cash flow!
It’s not perfect but, if you follow these few simple steps, you’ll be miles ahead of many new small business ventures. If you’ve heard of a great home-based business opportunity, or have a product or service of your own to market, you’re off to a great start!
Originally posted 2018-04-08 08:09:00.
Action Figures: Antiques for the Common Man
Given enough time, one boyís toy is an antique collectorís prized possession. Strange as that may sound, there are many collectors who would love to see an original G.I. Joe or an original Star Wars action figure. Remember He-Man? Action figures tend to be based on shows, movies, or comics that always have a following, and therefore even years after companies stop producing the figures, there are individuals who still seek to collect them. There are many a man who think of all the G.I. Joes they blew up with fireworks, only to find out twenty years later how many hundreds or even thousands of dollars their collection would have been worth if it remained in mint condition!
One interesting story dealing with action figures involves Takara, a Japanese toy company. They are best known to modern toy collectors as the company that built the original Transformers action figures. In 1974 Takara created a 4-inch humanoid action figure, which was called “MicroMan.” In the late 70’s and early 80’s this toy was brought over to the United States by the Mego Toy company, which was desperate for a hit after they made the famous blunder of passing on Star Wars. They re-named the line “Micronauts”, and created enough of a back story for Marvel Comics to get a good run of comics. Mego got several years of good sales, which was about the same size as Star Wars figures, before the whole company went down.
The basic construction of the Micronauts action figure would soon be utilized by Hasbro for their new action figures: the now famous and very collectible 3-3/4″ G.I. Joes (an action figure famous amongst young boys of the time for their propensity to have bad run-ins with fireworks). In recent years, the Micronauts concept has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence. There has been a decently successful series of comic books, a trilogy of paperback novels, and a toy company called Palisades managed to re-create many of the original Micronauts molds. Now the original company is coming out with larger action figures based on the originals. Like many classics, companies want to keep dipping back for more. Why mess with success? Still itís the old action figures that gain the most attention from collectors, so if youíre thinking about putting out the old toys from twenty years ago out in the garage sale, maybe think twice and take a second look before putting the boxes out. Who knows what you might find?
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
Originally posted 2018-04-07 17:16:00.
Be a Red Apple and surround yourself with Red Apples and don’t mind the Green Apples
Like all aspects of life, and in business, we have different customers who can be negative, positive or neutral. We have different employee who can be negative, positive or neutral. We have different co-works who can be negative, positive or neutral. No matters what is the example, we will always find red apples, green apples and brown apples.
The Red apples are the good ones, the delicious one, the performers, the positive, the high energy etc.
The Green apples are the sour ones, the ones who do not want to move but they do not decide, the undecided, I call them waiting for the train to have a ride or a hit, etc.
The Brown apples are the bad ones, the negative, the rejection, the non-performers, the road blocker, the negatives, Etc. These are the bad influences, who can harm you.
To be successful, you must be a Red Apple, surrounded by at least 90% Red Apples and do not mind up to 10% Green Apples. But, avoid Brown Apples and have 0% Brown Apples in your life. Your goal is convert Green Apples to Red Apples. If you stuck with a Brown Apple, you will be Brown.
It is Red, Red, Red, Apple; and only Red Apple.
Originally posted 2018-04-07 15:47:00.
Add Value to All You Do
While reading some very informative material recently, I found myself inspired by a concept that enables a person to soar to higher heights. The concept of adding value to everything you do, when applied to specific areas of a person’s life, can bring that person to be highly sought after by those receiving the added value. The material I was reading focused on business and what this concept will do for the success of a business. Another way of looking at this concept is in the idea of doing more than is expected, or doing more than that which you are compensated to do. When doing this a person will be “weighed” against others who do not. In comparison, the person who adds value to all he/she does will be sought after to the degree that there will be keen competition for his/her service. As a person becomes more and more recognized for doing more than he/she is compensated to do, he/she will begin receiving more and more compensation for their services.
There is an additional benefit that comes to the person who exercises this concept in his/her business; the development of that person’s strength. In nature, do you suppose the strongest trees are those that are protected from the storms and hidden from the sun? This isn’t the case. The one that stands out in the open and bears all of the winds and rain and is shone upon by the blistering sun is the tree that develops the strength to withstand the most violent weather. This also is the case for the person who goes beyond expectation to deliver added value in everything he/she does. This is the person that becomes strong enough to succeed despite the adversities that one is sure to come up against in his/her business. The fact that most people are delivering as little as they can get by with, serves as a great advantage to you when you deliver added value. One who delivers as little as he/she can, may rest assured he/she will receive the same.
I hope this information will add value to all of your experiences.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
Originally posted 2018-04-07 01:35:00.