W.O.T » ased on scientific research published

Few things are more difficult than kicking bad habits or developing more positive ones. But it is definitely worth the effort. Bad habits like smoking Yaya Sanogo Jersey , overeating or self-criticism shorten lives and lead to underachievement, and unsuccessful attempts to change them lower self- esteem.


In contrast, good habits create a kind of 'success auto-pilot,? leading to greater accomplishment with less thought and less effort.


So how do you best eliminate bad habits and create good ones? Research from the new field of ?positive psychology? ? the scientific study of happy Wojciech Szczesny Jersey , successful people ? points to at least four proven techniques for successful habit management.


1. Replace a bad habit with a good one. Completely eliminating a habit is much harder than replacing it with a more productive habit. Studies of people who compulsively bite their fingernails have shown that it is very difficult for them to completely give up their habit, and much easier for them to substitute biting with the more productive habit of grooming their nails.


Similarly, people who talk too much during meetings struggle to become silent, but find it much easier to replace their compulsive talking with highly attentive listening.


2. Exercise. A habit of regular exercise is obviously important for lasting weight loss. But you may not realize that exercise helps in accomplishing a variety of goals Theo Walcott Jersey , and in eliminating a number of bad habits.


Frequent exercise helps break habits of overeating, and in kicking all kinds of addictions, particularly if exercise is substituted for an end-of-the-day cocktail or cigarette. Among smokers who become competitive runners, for example Shkodran Mustafi Jersey , over 80% give up smoking.


3. Reward success. The most fundamental law in all of psychology is the 'law of effect.? It simply states that actions followed by rewards are strengthened and likely to recur. Unfortunately, studies show that people rarely use this technique when trying to change personal habits. Dieters, for example, routinely overlook weeks of exercise and restrained eating Sead Kolasinac Jersey , only to let a single lapse 'snowball? into a total relapse and complete collapse.


Setting up formal or informal rewards for success greatly increases your chances of transforming bad habits into good ones, and is far more effective than punishing yourself for bad habits or setbacks.


4. Schedule your bad habits. If you are really struggling to kick a bad habit, try limiting the habit to a specific time and place. If you are struggling to quit cigarettes, allow yourself to smoke from 9-9:30pm Santi Cazorla Jersey , and only in an uncomfortable 'smoking stool.? When the urge to smoke strikes, tell yourself that you'll have plenty of time to smoke during your pre-scheduled smoking period. Research and case studies confirm that this rather unconventional approach can be a useful first step in changing bad habits.


Copyright ? 2004 Stephen Kraus, Ph.D.


REFERENCES


The findings and recommendations in this article are based on scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. For complete references, see Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates the Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil by Stephen Kraus Rob Holding Jersey , Ph.D.


Mergers and acquisitions


By Verena Veneeva

During the last century the concept of business went through major changes in terms of the company ownership ( , 2006). Nowadays, fierce competition is no longer only in the access to market, but also in what regards to business ownership. Most of times Petr Cech Jersey , deals involving mergers and acquisition involve billions and are reported in newspapers all the time. The process of globalisation had an increasing effect on access to foreign firms' ownership control, and thus becoming the process of controlling other firms more usual. The traditional family business concept is now under threat and the concept of business has changed as a consequence of the trend.
Basically the operation of merger and acquisition is defined as when two companies get together, either by resulting on a new firm or by one being controlled by the other. The former form of merging firms is known as concentration and defined as A+B = C and the later is known as incorporation and represented by A + B = A. Another important issue is related to the nature of the firm business activity or the market in which they operate. A process of merging companies is a strategy of diversification of the business and can be of three forms. Vertical diversification occurs when two or more firms in different stages in the value chain are merged into the same company. Horizontal diversification is present when the merging occurs between firms operating in different business (e.g. Virgin). Finally, geographical diversification happens when firms expand their territorial control by merging or acquiring companies operating in different geographical location.
There is a huge number of examples on mergers and acquisitions. Although only the one involving higher amounts of money become known to the public. And it is so widely used that there is also a great number of academic literature devoted to the study of the phenomenon.
The consequences of a higher number of mergers and acquisitions is a higher concentration of the business Per Mertesacker Jersey , which implies possibly implies a higher level of monopoly (under certain circumstances) and the business ownership control in the hands of few ( , 2006). In both cases there are losses for the economy, via the increase of the prices and because the overall economy becomes more dependent on few economic agents. On the other hand, the concentration of activities permits higher levels of profits (when economies of scale and economies of scope are present) and eventually increasing the investment levels in the country (in the case that these profits are reinvested).