NCN: BUSINESS COLLABORATIONS, NEW CIV VIRTUAL COMPANY?
http://www.worldtrans.org

Several people have suggested getting together on collaborative business projects, creating some kind of virtual company in a new civ setting. Some message excerpts are below.

I'm very interested in virtual corporations. They can be sort of a hybrid between the old civ need for making a living, and a self-organizing structure that allows the members to be sovereign and self-motivated and flexible in terms of their scheduling and contributions.

I earlier set up a list in part with the purpose of exploring such matters. So, I suggest that those of you who are interested in creating some kind of virtual company or business network join it and we'll find out how we can work together on this. To subscribe, send a message mailto:majordomo@newciv.org with the message:
subscribe ncnbiz-L

Just to clarify, this in no way means that NCN is going commercial. This is just one proposed project

- Flemming
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From: Gene&Svetlana Albinder <genesa@best.com>
Subject: business proposition

Let's base our infrastructure upon the valid working economic model - the only one we know to work at present - capitalism. But with a twist. We all know that we would be much happier, if we could earn a living, while contributing to this very worthy cause - New Civilization.

So - let's create a virtual company - call it "New Civilization Enterprizes, Inc." ( or whatever other name or legal form we choose ) - and agree to sponsor and promote only those products and services that bear NCN participation on them. Example; organically grown produce would be sold through supermarkets members of the NCN. While this may be a difficult idea to implement at first - we can create a virtual "employment" agency of sorts - where the NCN members post their résumé's and the description of what they can contribute extra-curricularly - community action, contacts, special skills. This data would be accessible to the NCN members only.

When we need to, say, create public awareness of a particular event taking place in a specific area - we call upon NCN members, living in that geographic region with a specific task, outlining the desired action - and we pay that member for his services. If he happens to be a programmer, for example - we put him in touch with NCN-member shops that need qualified services and are hiring or we allow that member to bill those companies and groups, involved in the specified projects. The groups determine the rate they are capable of paying, post the summary requirements of what it is they need, and wait for the skills to announce themselves.

We can start small - like designing an NCN shop - an internet-based store, that would sell arts, crafts, NCN paraphernalia - mugs, t-shirts, jewelry, non-perishables etc. over the net and the proceeds from that store would go to a) those who produced the stuff b) to the NCN fund - to actually create the financial basis of some sort from which to contemplate more daring things.

I am willing to take on coordination and communications with the people that think this would be a good idea. Creation of the store is mostly painless - once the inventory is there. We already have a customer base - the cost for creating a killer web site can be subject to the business arrangements between the NCN and the artists, who can contribute graphics - the store engine itself and all the back-end is already there.

Maintenance of the store would run about $400 to $1000 a month - adding new graphics, maintaining the inventory, filling orders etc. - the routine stuff. What needs to be taken care of is the incorporation costs, setting up merchant accounts and all the logistics. Once that is done - the store can be operational in days.

Considering that most of us know how to use email - the word of mouth can be generated overnight - literally. Within a year we can have working capital for some other, more ambitious projects.

If anyone wants to discuss this - my email address is mailto:genesa@best.com

Cheers,
Gene.

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From: "Roan Carratu" <roan@bibbs.com>
Subject: Without works, faith is dead

Folks, I want to get things going towards working together in the real world as well as in cyberspace. I want us to start a import/export company and really get something that can sustain us economically as well as finance the strategy. We won't have to do much at first, individually; just look around our areas and see if we can find  something unique there that could be sold in other countries or other parts of our countries that might be worth shipping around. If it works, we could become partners in something that can do great good in the  world.
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From: Wayne Skews <jewelry@iafrica.com>
Subject: import/export

I reckon that whatever product we choose should follow some basic principles i.e..,

1. Helps people in a way more than just to consume - health tea for instance.
2. Is manufactured or produced in a green way concerning the planet and the people involved.
3. Allows a portion of profits from each process to go to NCN or other chosen cause.
4. Is sold in a way that promotes NCN or chosen cause in the form of branding etc.