I am Professor Ronnie Shaw, University of California Los Angeles African Studies M.A. alum and Executive Director of TheSankofa Center. Founded in 2004, We are an American 501(c)(3) arts-based HIV/AIDS education, prevention, testing, and treatment internship program working throughout the year in Ghana, West Africa under the National AIDS Control Programme.

We recently had University alumnae on our program that recommended we recruit Cabrini College students on our program, so we are reaching out to similarly interested individuals who’d like to be apart of our dynamic program given the wonderfully impacting exchange while promoting global change. Those with an academic interest in artistic expression- dance, drama, music & art, public health, global studies, social welfare, and medicine are encouraged to apply to our program.  We fuse artistic expression with health information and provide testing with links to treatment and anti-stigmatization programs using culturally appropriate educational methods- African dance dramas.

Can you please post or forward through email the attached Press Release to students and alumnae of Cabrini College and those interested in international study who may desire this unique artistic public health internship?

To learn more about our program in Ghana, West Africa please click on our website below:
http://WWW.THESANKOFACENTER.ORG

Thank you for your time. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about our program!

Sincerely,

Ronnie Shaw

UCLA African Studies M.A.

Executive Director

Professor

The Sankofa Center

714-589-5355 (U.S)

011-233-249-68-78-60 ( Ghana)

sankofa_center@yahoo.com

www.TheSankofaCenter.Org

IBM‘s Watson supercomputer seems like an amiable-enough character, judging from his performance in a practice run against two top Jeopardy players. (Then again, H.A.L. seemed friendly and helpful too, until crossed by a human.) Should the emergence of technology that enables computers to understand and emulate human communications be viewed with any degree of trepidation?

“From an AI standpoint, the fact that IBM was able to build a computer that can interact on an intellectual basis with human speech clearly has ramifications that are far beyond Jeopardy,” said Scott Testa, a marketing professor for Cabrini College.

“But I think for people to accept that, it has to debut first in places like Jeopardy,” he told TechNewsWorld, “taking it to a basic level that people can understand and smile at before they let it make more complicated computations for them.”

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Mild-Mannered-Watson-Skewers-Human-Opponents-on-Jeopardy-71651.html?wlc=1295064516

According to the National Retail Federation, restaurant cards are one of the most popular gift card choices — coming in second only to department stores. Consumers can save big on these cards by visiting websites such as Restaurant.com that offer them for prices lower than face value.

Buyers can browse by location, cuisine and average entree price. The choices vary widely, from local mom-and-pops to major chains. There are also multiple discount levels, with purchase prices that represent a 50 percent savings or more.

While it’s possible to score some good deals with Restaurant.com, be sure to read the fine print, says Scott Testa, a retail consultant and assistant professor of business administration at Cabrini College near Philadelphia.

Read more: 7 ways to score discounted gift cards http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/7-ways-to-score-discounted-gift-cards-1.aspx#ixzz15YG1YOoN

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/7-ways-to-score-discounted-gift-cards-3.aspx

Entrepreneurs eager to bring innovation to social networking application development now have a new potential resource to tap: a special fund set up by KPCB and a handful of tech giants, including Facebook. “KPCB is a top drawer firm. When they put money into something, it means they see a real future in it,” said Cabrini College marketing professor Scott Testa.

The new fund is a step up from these activities, though, and it potentially could mean a real boost for social media if other venture capitalists should follow suit, Scott Testa, a marketing professor at Cabrini College, told the E-Commerce Times. “KPCB is a top drawer firm. When they put money into something, it means they see a real future in it.”

The fund, along with its participating investors, also points to a firming up of valuations in this space, added Testa.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Tech-Titans-Create-250M-Kitty-for-Social-Startups-71090.html

Related articles

• Quoted – Hulu Revving Up for Bold IPO Move (scotttesta.com)
• Quoted – Gen Y moms prefer digital, rather than face-to-face, communication more than their older cohorts. (scotttesta.com)

Image via Wikipedia

In the last season ofOprah Winfrey’s 25-year-long television program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, the queen of media has been looking back with nostalgia on what she’s built—a global audience and a $2.7 billion net worth—and forward with excitement to what lays ahead. She transitions from network TV to cable in January to cut the ribbon on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), which is arguably the pinnacle of her career. She didn’t get here by chance, of course. She led the way.

“She’s the ultimate self-made business leader,” says Scott Testa, a professor of business administration at Cabrini College in Philadelphia, Penn. “Her basic leadership style is unparalleled and incredibly effective.”

“You can’t build a business by yourself,” says Testa. “She really knows how to motivate people.” Oprah’s people strategy is simple. She invests in top talent, seeks out smart mentors, values her customer and consistently nourishes each relationship.

Like every great leader, Oprah has become the best by surrounding herself with the best. She carefully selects her top team to assure competence and compatibly, and then stands by them. Success stories like Rachael Ray and Dr. Phil remain under her management. She also seeks out mentors that she admires who will offer her guidance. Early in her career, attorney Jeff Jacobs advised crucial contract deals and helped her launch her company, Harpo, which has been the key to her wealth. Moreover, Oprah allies herself with other power players, from celebrities like Julia Roberts to politicians like the Obamas.

“She became a billionaire by spreading the wealth,” says Testa. Not only did she often spontaneously give to people in need who came on her show, she established several philanthropic efforts that bettered the world. Her motivations were at times questioned by the press, but giving back allowed her the credibility to continue growing her wealth. She launched the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, a school in South Africa and an audience-mobilizing effort, Oprah’s Angel Network.

http://blogs.forbes.com/jennagoudreau/2010/10/22/how-to-lead-like-oprah-winfrey-own-rachael-ray-dr-oz-phil/

Related articles

• How To Lead Like Oprah (blogs.forbes.com)
• Quoted – How to Lead like Oprah – Forbes (scotttesta.com)

Certain questions should not be asked of people at the gym. For example, “Is that all you can bench press?” or “Do these spandex shorts make me look fat?” These are impertinent and potentially embarrassing questions.

Even worse is a question that is rarely, if ever asked: “What do I get for my initiation fees?”

At a handful of Montreal gyms, the question might well be on the verge of taboo.

Gym folk will be familiar with the scenario. You learn the price for a one-year membership. “That’s $550 for one year, everything included.”

Then the zinger: “And with the joining/signing/administration/initiation fee, the total comes to $675.”

Huh?

Scott Testa,  college marketing professor, has three words to say about fees: “Just tell me.” He would rather be told, “If you can’t afford it, I understand completely. This may not be the club for you.”

Initiation fees have been around for decades.

“They go way, way back,” said Concordia University marketing professor Harold Simpkins. “The idea was you collect money and put it into capital funds for upgrades. Fees also act as a filter, and make it more difficult for members to leave.”

Said Testa: “This is the old country-club idea: You want to make it exclusive, like a lot of golf clubs and high-end sports clubs. They all had large initiation fees – 10 grand and up.”

Many Montreal clubs have undergone major, impressive renovations, notably the downtown YMCA, MAA, Atwater Club and Le Sanctuaire. So why not call it what it is? Why not be frank with the consumer?

“People have the right to make money,” Testa said. “On the other hand, consumers need to protect themselves and get the best deal they can.”

But charging to open a file?

“What’s that cost? A nickel? At the end of the day, initiation fees are almost pure profit,” Testa said. “From a consumer’s standpoint, I don’t like paying them, but we are in tough economic times, and people don’t see gyms as something they need. The vast majority of users will drop out, and clubs count on that. So why not get the money up front? My position is ‘If you prove yourself from month to month, then I’ll come back to your gym.’ ”

Testa suggests a face-to-face meeting if you want to try for lower fees: “That way you can read body language. And, remember, you get what you negotiate.”

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/total+fees+what/3679132/story.html#ixzz137zI94v5

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/total+fees+what/3679132/story.html#ixzz137ywQMVl

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/total+fees+what/3679132/story.html

Gen Y moms prefer digital, rather than face-to-face, communication more than their older cohorts.

Mothers are more connected online than the average woman, with younger moms especially committed to digital communication, says a report examining moms and online behavior. More than 90 percent of U.S. women with children under age 18 in the household are online, compared with roughly three-quarters (76.3 percent) of all adult women. Mothers of Generation Y, however, are even more involved in online communication than their older counterparts, with nearly one in five (17 percent) stating that they use email or Facebook to communicate with immediate family—with “immediate family” defined as family members living in the same household.

While Baby Boomer moms said that they communicated with family members in person most of the time (an average of 62 percent face-to-face communication), Generation X mothers stated they do so 58 percent of the time, says the report. Gen Y moms said that their face-to-face communication with immediate family averages just less than half the time at 48 percent. Boomer moms are also less likely to use Facebook as often as their younger cohorts do, while one in five (19 percent) of Gen Y moms reported that they spend at least two hours a day on the social networking site.

Marketing consultant Dr. Scott Testa, also a professor of business administration at Philadelphia-based Cabrini College, says that he has also observed this fast-moving trend.

“Generation [Y] and [the mom] demographic is rapidly moving to electronic media,” he notes. “In order to reach these moms [companies] need to go digital.”

Singer warns marketers to not be too complacent when it comes to reaching out via social media.

“Too many marketers are sitting back and waiting to see how social media pans out, as though it’s a temporary phenomenon,” she explains. “But it’s as permanent and as influential as TV was in its infancy, and it will grow even more important. The more quickly that marketing executives learn to harness social media, the more likely they’ll come out ahead because of it.”

Testa agrees. “It is not a fad,” he adds. “Those companies that really get it could really target [this group] effectively.”

http://www.demodirt.com/index.php/generation-y-trends/consumer-spending/433-digital-age

Hulu is about to make a big move — talk of an IPO within the next couple of months appears to be well founded. The timing is right, says BU professor N. Venkatraman, as the economy is expected to pick up in 2011, and the tech sector with it. “Media will be one of those sectors that will be redefined by tech, and Hulu wants to be seen as the leader of the pack.”

Hulu is expected to file a prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its initial public offering by the end of the year. It believes it can raise US$200-$300 million, according to an unnamed source in a Reuters report.

The final decision to move forward is expected to be made in November, the source said. If it does happen, the IPO is likely to be in April or May.

The deal would value Hulu at $2 billion.

Two billion dollars is likely a fair valuation for Hulu, according to Scott Testa, a marketing professor at Cabrini College.

“I think the partners want to take some money off the table with the IPO,” he told the E-Commerce Times. “Also, I think this may be a good time for the partners to go public from a balance sheet perspective. This way they will be able to get a tangible valuation for the company.”

Besides giving the investors an exit for their initial capital, the bulk of the proceeds will certainly be sunk into the company’s business model, continued Testa. “Data center investment is what I would guess — or buying data center space in disparate locations on worldwide basis.”

Google needs significant redundancy to keep YouTube operational, he noted. “When you are talking about video, you are talking about huge, big pipes — and fiber is expensive. It is not like running a website.”

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Hulu-Revving-Up-for-Bold-IPO-Move-71008.html?wlc=1287007214

Contract process full of pitfalls for small firms

Government specifications, timelines often overwhelming

Valerie Lilley‘s Navy coat contract was part of a government set-aside program aimed at growing small businesses. Since 1997 Congress has had a goal of awarding 23 percent of government contracts to small businesses.

But a study by a business credit card unit of American Express found that on average it takes a small business nearly two years of trying before it wins its first contract.

n this sputtering economy, the situation Toluca Tailoring found itself in wasn’t uncommon. Small businesses are more likely to count on winning a single big order after they run out of options, said Scott Testa, a professor of business administration at Cabrini College. That’s why he said small businesses should carefully read a contract to account for any potential payment lags.

“Some of these decisions that may be important from the small business owner’s perspective may not be a priority for these huge government agencies,” Testa said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/feed/ct-biz-1010-toluca-side–20101010,0,3775650.story

The appreciation of the yuan initiated in June by China’s central bank has raised concerns among investors, especially regarding the impact on China’s major exporters.

However, experts agree that the immediate impacts of yuan re-valuation will be minimal as the Chinese government is expected to realize the appreciation through a series of minor steps.

The general economic principle dictates that a stronger yuan will have negative impacts on China’s export-led companies. However, Scott Testa, a professor of business administration at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa., said the controlled pace of the appreciation will mitigate such impacts on China’s exporters.

“I do think it [impact of yuan valuation] will be minimal because I think it will be gradual and will give the exporters time to adjust to the new currency environment,” he said. “If it was something that would happen dramatically, it would hurt them more.”

http://medillmoneymavens.com/2010/08/25/yuan-expected-to-appreciate-at-snail’s-pace/