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28.71 +0.02 (0.07%)
After hours: 7:04PM EST
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|Day's Range||28.62 - 29.16|
|52 Week Range||22.89 - 30.33|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||N/A|
|Expense Ratio (net)||0.14%|
Goldman Sachs’s (GS) performance expectations in 2018 are reflected in analysts’ ratings. Analysts have given GS a mean price target of $268.29, implying a 2% rise from its current level of $262.58. As of February 2018, 11 of the 27 analysts covering Goldman Sachs (GS) have recommended a “buy” or “strong buy” for the stock.
Amid stocks' wild ride in recent weeks, a number of bank stocks have underperformed—but not all deservedly so, according to Raymond James. The firm's financial team, led by David Long, looks at how banks ...
Now Whole Foods customers will earn five percent when they use their Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card. This is a pretty big price break for customers
You'd think Jeff Bezos wouldn't have the TIME to do any side projects. But His latest endeavor is one you are going to have to WATCH out for.


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12 of our live channels reaching 250,000 households in the UK
In addition to launching the £5.99 a month BritBox service on its platform last January 2020, Netgem has also announced that it is adding 15 new HD channels to its line-up, which currently comprises over 100 live channels from providers including Freeview and Premier Sports.
Sylvain Thevenot, Managing Director of Netgem.tv, said: “British television has a rich and diverse heritage that BritBox is making accessible to an ever-increasing audience and, with our service already accessible via 12 Ultrafast Fibre provides with a reach of a quarter of a million TV households and growing with the Fibre rollout in the UK, we are delighted to be part of that heritage’s future.”
Netgem reported in December that it had expanded its reach in the UK to 12 fibre broadband providers, making the streaming service available in about a quarter a million homes overall.
The service is offered as bundle with fibre broadband ISPs, based on its multiscreen TV product, which offers direct access to entertainment services with recommendations across live or on-demand streaming content.
The new channels being added from Mobibase are:
• Sports channels: Xtrem Sports, Speed TV, Sports TV & Football TV
• Gaming & esports channels, Frag TV & Gaming TV
• Entertainment channels, Gossip & Movies News
• Food channel, Cooking TV
• Nature channel, Nature Vision TV
• Music channels, Karaoke TV & Clubbing TV
Contact us to know more about our TV channels & On-Demand content in 10+ languages & streaming offers

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Seven retailers in the Garden and Pet sector go for GS1 GDSN (GS1 data pool)
BTC-Retail, GRS Purchasing & GRS Services, Intratuin, Ranzijn Tuin & Dier, IJsvogel, Tuincentrum Osdorp and Vijver- en Tuincentrum Pelckmans - the Benelux retailers in the Garden and Pet sector - have expressed their commitment to use the GS1 data pool for exchanging reliable product information. Tuinbranche Nederland (the Dutch Garden Sector) and FEBIN support this initiative.
For many people it’s the time to get back to working in their gardens: to mow their lawns or to sow flowers, for example. In order to purchase the right material for this, consumers are increasingly looking online. Thus, product data is crucial to properly inform, inspire and advise those consumers. Because imagine the displeasure when a customer wants to sow strawberries, but turns out to have tomatoes by mistake due to incorrect information!
Fancy reaping the benefits of standardized exchange of product data? Start here!
The entire sector profits
Peter Paul Kleinbussink, director of Intratuin, Lex van Ewijk, purchasing director of GRS and David Zwanenburg, director of Ranzijn Tuin & Dier all agree that cooperation in the garden sector leads to uniform data. "That is why Ranzijn, GRS (with Groenrijk) and Intratuin are collaborating to embrace the GS1 standards, which should lead to uniform and reliable data."
“The data pool allows companies to speak one language. The entire sector can benefit from more efficient chain processes and better service to the omnichannel customer. We are pleased with the commitment of several retailers. Suppliers only have to record their data once and multiple retailers can then use that data at the same time”, says Brenda Horstra, deputy director of Tuinbranche Nederland.
Jan Somers, CEO of GS1 Belgium & Luxembourg: “In 2016, several brands in the DIY sector signed the letter of intent to use GS1 GDSN. New players are now joining them, especially from the Garden and Pet sector. As consumers increasingly combine physical store visits and online shopping, standardizing the exchange of product information is essential! So let's make GS1 GDSN the reference network for exchanging product data.”


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After running Neoteny Labs as Principal and making 24 investments since May 2010, James Chan has announced on his blog the rebranding of his early-stage venture fund. It’s now called Silicon Straits, reflecting the narrow bodies of water that flow through much of Southeast Asia.
The change affects Neoteny Labs Pte Ltd, the Singapore-registered entity that was part of the National Research Foundation’s Technology Incubation Scheme (TIS), a government startup co-funding initiative. Neoteny Labs will continue to exist as an offshore Limited Partnership.
James unveiled the new development not long after Neoteny participated in a USD500K seed round in Burpple, a Singapore-based startup that has created a mobile food journal and discovery app. While Joi Ito, the General Partner of the fund, will continue to maintain its existing portfolio with James, he will be focused primarily in his new appointment as the director of the MIT Media Lab.
While Neoteny has a portfolio with startups from diverse geographical areas — including San Francisco — James writes that Silicon Straits will be primarily Southeast-Asia focused. Details are scant on this new entity, except that it’ll continue to be enlisted under the TIS scheme. More will be revealed in 2013, provided the world doesn’t end today.
While James will continue to be on the boards of Burpple, ImpulseFlyer, and TripVillas, he won’t be making any more new investments using Neoteny’s USD5M fund. He’s also seeking new partners on certain unspecified endeavors.
Besides Burpple, Neoteny’s previous investments in Asian startups have included Viki, an entertainment translation service, Insync, a syncing app for Google Docs, ImpulseFlyer, a private sales platform for hotels, and Animoca, a games development company.
While the above startups are either thriving or alive, Neoteny has had its fair share of failures too. Startups that have gone nowhere include Found, an app that arranges meetups between friends, Chalkboard, a mobile advertising startup that shut its doors in April this year, and Chumby, which failed to respond adequately to market shifts, most notably the rise of Apple’s iPhone.
We have contacted James for additional comments. We’ll update this article if he responds.
The post Neoteny Labs, a Singapore-based early stage fund, is now Silicon Straits appeared first on SGE.
Link to full article


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No.3: Diamond Is So Obsolete
那些原本希望今年凭借战术策略获得些利益的财务顾问和资产配置人员，也在反复无常的市场中栽了跟头。全美前三位的战术策略产品中，有两款产品几乎因为高达两位数的亏损而崩盘，还有一款产品则因为向公众误报自身历史回报率而受到美国证交会调查。另一家战术产品巨头嘉信理财旗下90亿美元的Windhaven Diversified Growth产品，2014年的回报率几乎为零。战术策略原来不过如此。
What is Apple Cider Vinegar?
Apple Cider Vinegar, [ACV], is an age-old remedy used for a variety of health benefits. Though it’s effect on every body is different, some individuals claim they experienced dramatic results by adding ACV to their daily routine! However, while some scientific studies have discovered trends that suggest it’s effectiveness, other studies failed to see much of a difference.
China’s bid to close its own Asia-Pac deal
Dachis says: Kraft took a stance in support of genetically engineered foods midway through the year and the decision turned their brand into an overall loser for 2012.
Type D personalities usually have a low self-esteem and a great fear of disapproval and this is the primary reason that prevents them from opening up to others.
The Jungle Book will be released worldwide on April 15, 2016.
10 Proven Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
1. Weight Loss
《战地神探》(Foyle’s War)，acorn.tv，2月2日播出。去年流媒体服务网络Acorn TV放完了《大侦探波洛》(Agatha Christie’s Poirot)的最后三集，如今又带来另一部传统英国推理剧，这部超级剧集在英国已经拍到第九季，在美国还是首次播出。迈克尔·基臣(Michael Kitchen)在剧中饰演克里斯托弗·弗伊(Christopher Foyle)，一位可敬而又狡黠的侦探，这部剧多年来从一部“二战”后方警探剧演变成勒卡雷(le Carré)式的冷战惊悚剧。新的几集中有纽伦堡审判以及英国在巴勒斯坦所扮演的角色。
Some 150,000 rural residents in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region escaped poverty last year, according to the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Office.
2. "Breaking Bad" (4.2 million)
What studies have found true is that consuming ACV before large meals, [1 tbsp in a cup of water], does seem to help with appetite control and curbing cravings. Researchers in Japan also found that daily consumption of ACL helped prevent weight gain. So if you’re currently trying to maintain your weight loss, this might be the magic tip you’re looking for!
2. Blood Sugar Levels, Insulin Sensitivity & Type II Diabetes
Apple Cider Vinegar contains acetic acid, which has been proven to balance blood sugar levels when it’s consumed before meals. Studies have shown that by drinking ACV in a cup of water before eating, pre-diabetic individuals have been able to lower their post-meal blood sugar levels to that of a normal adult, and those living with Type II Diabetes improved their blood sugar levels by an average of 25%.
3. Blood Pressure, Cholesterol & Heart Disease
“As long as overall markets remain relatively constructive and transactions continue to be executed well, we continue to expect healthy volumes over the rest of the year,” said David Ludwig, head of Americas equity capital markets at Goldman Sachs.
人力资源机构罗伯特?哈夫国际公司（Robert Half International）最近针对4,000名企业高管进行了一项调研。其中有88%的人预计，未来一年，公司的业务将有所好转。这不失为最鼓舞人心的消息了。
Going into the debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, Obama had an inbuilt advantage on foreign policy and security. As president, with access to daily briefings by intelligence analysts, diplomats and generals, he is better briefed and it showed as he dominated Romney in the first half of the debate.
The research proving this effect was done on rats, but a study of a large group of women who increased their consumption of ACL in an oil and vinegar salad dressing did find that their risk of heart disease decreased. Could it have been because their consumption of leafy greens likely increased with their consumption of salads? Maybe. It also could have been a combination of both! Takeaway: eat your greens, and top them with ACV in your dressing for an added healthy kick!
World's Most International Universities Ranking 2016 by The Times Higher Education included 200 universities from 28 countries. It employed indicators such as the proportion of international staff, the number of international students and research papers published with at least one co-author from another country of each institution.
5. Bodily pH Levels & Heartburn
This year, China will further enhance international cooperation in fighting corruption, said a statement adopted at the second plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Historians now hope to dispel some of the myths about Richard, publicising evidence to refute claims that he killed the two young princes and focusing on what he achieved in his brief two-year reign, including the establishment of a system of bail and legal aid.
《沃兹汽车》将于1月15日在底特律一个与北美国际汽车展（North American International Auto Show）联合举办的仪式上颁发十大最佳引擎奖。
Heartburn and acid reflux are conditions you’ll struggle with when the pH levels in your stomach are too acidic due to a lack of digestive enzymes and probiotics. Apple Cider Vinegar contains both of these things! So drinking a tablespoon in a cup of water before your meals will help alleviate your symptoms.
It’s said that adding a cup of Apple Cider Vinegar to a warm bath, along with some coconut oil, will help soothe a sunburn. It will ease the discomfort, but won’t necessarily stop you from peeling if it’s too severe. Regardless, avoiding the “my bedsheets feel like sandpaper!” feeling is reason enough to fill the tub and relax!
7. Stuffiness & Sore Throat
8. Get Inspired
8. Skin Complexion
The anti-inflammatory and pH balancing properties of ACV make it an effective remedy for acne, sensitive skin and even varicose veins. A lot of natural, toxin-free beauty products use it as an ingredient in their skin care lines. Some people even use ACV straight out of the bottle as their facial toner!
9. Hair Texture
If you are a working-class white person and you fear that the new, cosmopolitan world will destroy or diminish an identity you cherish, you have no culturally acceptable way to articulate what you perceive as a crisis.
Trium跃升3名，击败由凯洛格管理学院(Kellogg School of Management)与香港科技大学(HKUST)联合推出的课程，后者多年来一直高居排行榜榜首。这是Trium首次登上排行榜榜首，也是14年来第四个登上榜首的课程。
10. Teeth Whitening
An investigation is continuing into how La La Land was wrongly named Best Picture rather than the triumphant Moonlight.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook Inc, said at the forum that "Artificial intelligence will understand senses, such as vision and hearing, and grasp language better than human beings over the next five to 10 years."
The wealth and depth of knowledge from around the world adds tremendous value to the course, wrote another graduate from the US, adding that “with so many cultures and experiences represented, a classroom ethics discussion about bribery is not your typical boring USA version”.
The world’s 100 biggest brands still command a significant premium over others and that value increased by 3 per cent to $3.4tn this year, according to the latest BrandZ rankings compiled by Millward Brown, the research agency.


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The pandemic caused a major disruption in America’s labor force—something many have referred to as The Great Resignation. But a closer look at what has happened to the labor force can be better described as ‘The Great Reshuffle’ because hiring rates have outpaced quit rates since November of 2020. So, many workers are quitting their jobs—but many are getting re-hired elsewhere.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is capturing the trends on job openings, labor force participation, quit rates, and more. Read on for an analysis of which industries have been impacted the most, and for an in-depth look at how the worker shortage is impacting the nation – and businesses – overall.


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The King Of Iron Fist fanatics were given a great surprise last weekend. It was during the EVO Grand Finals, Tekken Creator Katsuhiro Harada announced the release of a new DLC Character Geese Howard. Fighting games fans will recognize this titular antagonist, from the King Of Fighter Series. Sporting his Trademark Hakama pants and lowered Gi top below his waist. It seems Geese may have a bone to pick with Heihachi Mishima.
Fatal Fury DLC
Being the second character, to be brought in from another series(Akuma being the first.) Namco seems to be on a role with Adding iconic characters and utilizing them for their Engine, which is no surprise, as Namco has teased fans with the long promised Tekken x Street Fighter. Many are speculating, that this may include Sega’s Kazama Kiryu. Fans will remember him, from the Yakuza Franchise, but only time will tell.
The trailer Shows us, that Geese will retain have his signature moves (with the exclusion of Deadly Neo-Rave.) with incorporated Tekken mechanics, such as Akuma. Keeping Geese balanced in gameplay.
With the Tekken DLC 1 coming soon. Fans can expect the release of Geese Howard to platforms, Winter of this year. With the remaining guest character, scheduled for the first quarter of 2018.


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Dolby Laboratories and Royal Philips Electronics have announced the Dolby 3D format, a new content delivery specification for Dolby 3D. The Dolby 3D format ensures that 3D content delivered to TVs, smartphones, PCs, and tablets enabled with Dolby 3D looks its very best, and accurately reflects what the content creator originally intended.
The Dolby 3D format, which attaches essential playback information to content, will be available through a licensing program. Leading postproduction tool provider The Foundry will be demonstrating the future integration of the Dolby 3D format into its popular NUKE and OCULA postproduction products.
Dolby 3D is a comprehensive suite of technologies for the creation, delivery, and playback of glasses-free 3D content, producing auto-stereoscopic images with lifelike realism. In addition to eliminating the need for glasses, Dolby 3D has no narrow “sweet spot,” so viewers can enjoy the sharpest images regardless of where they sit.
Roland Vlaicu, Senior Director, Broadcast Imaging, Dolby Laboratories explained, “The Foundry’s award-winning products and tools are behind the groundbreaking 3D visual effects in such films as Avatar, Tron: Legacy, and Hugo. By providing powerful tools to create Dolby 3D content, Dolby and Philips will make it easier than ever for Hollywood to create content for glasses-free 3D TVs and other devices.”
“The professionals using our postproduction tools want to know that whatever they create is going to look great, no matter where or how viewers choose to watch,” said Simon Robinson, Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of The Foundry. “The Dolby 3D format will ensure that creative professionals’ artistic vision is recreated intact in the home.”


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Crypto Trading Revenue May Double, Bernstein Says
The reports of the death of the cryptocurrency market may really be greatly exaggerated.
That’s the view of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analysts, who say that revenue generated from
crypto exchanges could more than double to as much as $4 billion this year even amid the collapse in the prices of digital assets, in a report titled “Crypto Trading -- the Next Big Thing is Here?”
The buying and selling of digital currencies including Bitcoin generated $1.8 billion of fees at the largest crypto exchanges last year, or about 8 percent of the revenue seen on traditional exchanges, analysts led by Christian Bolu wrote. The estimate is based only on transaction fees. In terms of segments, only the global cash equities business surpassed crypto trading.
“As the crypto-asset class seasons and institutional demand builds, there are a plethora of opportunities for traditional firms,” the analysts wrote, including custodian, asset management and market-making services.
While Wall Street behemoths from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to JPMorgan Chase & Co. have dipped their toes in the nascent business, the traditional financial industry has proceeded cautiously amid regulatory uncertainty and volatile prices. Bitcoin has plunged about 67 percent from its December peak as government scrutiny grew.
Because of such caution, Coinbase Inc. -- a U.S. exchange backed by traditional banks, exchanges and venture capital -- may end up with an “unassailable competitive position” unless Wall Street becomes more engaged, Bernstein said. They estimate San Francisco-based Coinbase enjoys about 50 percent of the transaction revenue pool. Still, traditional
finance is unlikely to push into crypto spot trading in the near future, owing to concerns over regulations and money laundering, the analysts said.


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For whatever reason, despite enormous propaganda from across the news media, and I am talking blogs to MSM, the belief is that the Fed has pumped huge sums of money into the system since the financial crisis started, they have not done so. They have re-directed money from the main street to the elite bankers, but they haven't printed any new money.
Take a look yourself, the Fed data shows there is no growth in money supply (M2).
This lack of money printing means a crash of the entire economic structure that grew up based on continuous Fed money printing. This inflation based economic structure includes the tax system. The tax system for almost all cities and states was designed to siphon money off inflation growth (It's less painful than straightforward taxes.. Taxes on profits and real estate sales always are). With no inflation, the tax systems are not generating anywhere near the money needed to support built-in spending. Thus the cities and states crisis.
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Apple CEO Tim cook continues to donate money to charity, reports MacRumors. Previously, Tim cook said he wants to give all his fortune to help the needy.
According to the statement of the Commission on securities and stock exchanges of the US, Tim cook turned 23 215 Apple shares to a charity. Given the fact that one share of Apple worth 215,04 dollars, the total amount of donations amounted to almost $ 5 million.
The document does not specify the Fund to which money was remitted because philanthropists have a right not to disclose this information.
For the first time about his desire to do charity, Tim cook announced in 2015. Then he added that he would like to develop a “systematic approach to philanthropy”. In the past, Tim cook has supported the Center for justice and human rights Robert F. Kennedy and the human rights Campaign.
Now Tim cook 425 878 owns shares of Apple, which cost nearly 189 million dollars.
MDlavka — our store for your favorite readers. Technology Apple for the most pleasant prices are waiting for you every day from 10:00 to 21:00. Readers Macdigger.ru discount.
Follow the news of the Apple in our Telegram-channel, as well as in the app on iOS MacDigger.


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Tag: business intelligence
According to a new report from Saugatuck Technology, cloud-based business analytics is poised for huge growth over the next two years.
A growing trend in enterprise environments is the ability to deploy predictive analytics. Cloud services match up well with the requirements of these applications.
In early April the SAS Institute (SAS) announced it had integrated its most advanced analytics software into database appliances from EMC Greenplum and Teradata Corporation. The new offerings marry high performance computing to “big data” and are designed to enable users to perform deep analysis on huge datasets hosted on purpose-built, parallel computing platforms.
R language booster Revolution Analytics is going after the predictive analytics crowd with its latest Revolution R Enterprise software platform. The company announced this week it will be introducing a package called RevoScaleR to bring the R language into the world of “Big Data,” enabling analytics applications to turbo-charge their performance and scale terabyte-sized mountains of data.
Business intelligence moves off the desktop.
REvolution Computing may do for R what RedHat did for Linux.
In what IBM is characterizing as a “breakthrough,” researchers have developed an algorithm that cuts the computational costs of assessing data quality by two orders of magnitude. The new algorithm has potentially far-reaching applicability, extending to nearly all types of analytics applications as well as scientific modeling and simulation.
‘Watson’ super being readied for public challenge.
Commodity HPC driving down costs of business intelligence.
With retail sales in their biggest slump since record-keeping began in 1992, businesses are desperately looking for ways to boost the bottom line. Improving productivity in existing stores with technologies like video analytics may turn out to be one of the most effective ways to accomplish this.


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Right now, people from all over the world are working from home for the first time. That’s evident by Team’s skyrocketing usage numbers. The service went from 13 million daily active users (DAUs) last July to 32 million DAUs last week to 44 million DAUs now. Amid all that, the service is adding features that might make your next virtual conference call more bearable.
Update, 4/9/2020: Microsoft says custom backgrounds, end meetings, and participate reports are available now. Raise hand is rolling out this month, and noise suppression will roll out later this year.
Most of the new features Teams announced revolve around group calls, but there is one exception. Teams will soon have an offline mode. While offline, you can read any messages (presumably that came through before you lost connection) and draft messages to send as soon as you have service.
But the group calls features are the ones you don’t just want, you need. First up is noise suppression. It seems like on every group call, there’s always someone who can’t figure out how to mute while they eat chips or rummage in the kitchen. Noise Suppression will attempt to filter out those sounds so you can focus on voices.
And if you’re ever wanted to say something, but just can’t find an opening to speak up (because Jim won’t stop talking, again), the new raise hand feature is for you. Click on the raise hand button to let everyone know you have something to say.
Meeting organizers are also getting a couple of new options—end meeting and participate reports. End meeting stops the call for everyone at once, and participate reports give the organizer a list of who joined the meeting.
Teams is also adding a new popout chat feature to help with the organization of your conversations. And, much like Zoom, Teams will get a custom backgrounds option to hide your dirty office.
It’s not clear when these new features will roll out, but we know one at least part of the answer for Teams users—not soon enough.
via The Verge


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Electronic Arts expressed their excitement for Sony and Microsoft’s upcoming console upgrades, the PlayStation 4 Neo and the Xbox Scorpio respectively. In a recent interview with IGN, Company Executive Peter Moore revealed that the studio is already working on titles for the upcoming consoles.
He complemented both of the company’s work and effort put into the development of the consoles, and he continued to confirm that his studio is currently developing games for both of them. Moore also said that the new hardware “certainly obviously ups the technological output,” with the studio’s staff loving “what they’re seeing right now.”
“I think Sony and Microsoft have done this incredibly well. They have taken what they needed to do whether it’s 4K… to keep the platform fresh for technology that’s moving faster than the archaic nature of a 10-year piece of hardware cycle.”
Sony is expected to officially reveal the PlayStation Neo during next week’s PlayStation Meeting event held in New York City.


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One of the most impactful innovations of the past three decades is the smartphone. Although the term “smartphone” wasn’t used until 1995, IBM introduced the first smartphone — a gadget called the Simon Personal Communicator — three years earlier. That was a decade and a half before the iPhone was introduced. The smartphone has impacted our lives in many ways; not the least of which has been changing the way we shop. Shopping often begins with searching and Dan O’Shea reports a 2017 study published by BrightEdge determined “mobile searches on Google now represent about 57% of all search traffic.” O’Shea adds, “The ultimate takeaway from this study goes a little something like this: Mobile is happening, people. Get with the program.”
The Digital Path to Purchase
Getting with the program means making mobile strategies a priority in your marketing efforts. Why? Because mobile not only dominates search efforts, it impacts sales as well. To underscore this point, research from Periscope By McKinsey found “consumer packaged goods (CPG), once purchased almost exclusively in stores, are quickly moving into the digital realm as more and more consumers are researching and purchasing CPG products online.” Daphne Howland (@daphnehowland) reports a Forrester study found “just over half of retail sales in the categories studied — online sales plus digital-influenced offline sales — were impacted by a digital interaction.” Robert Williams reports another Forrester study found, “Mobile commerce sales grew 29% to $153 billion in 2017 from the prior year, making up one-third of online retail revenue.”
Those results might lead some people to conclude they should pursue a “mobile-only” strategy; but, Howland indicates that would be a mistake. She explains, “After years of surging, mobile commerce growth is easing up, and is now no greater than e-commerce growth, according to the report. Last year, 65% of U.S. online adults accessed the internet from a mobile phone daily, versus 71% the year before.” Williams explains this leveling-off trend reflects the fact that “more than two-thirds of today’s online buyers are already mobile buyers, leaving less room for growth.” Williams also notes, “Mobile shopping still lags behind desktop platforms for big-ticket items, Forrester found. The average order value on desktops is $155 while mobile’s is $120. Smartphone order value is gradually rising at 4% a year, slightly faster than desktop’s growth of 3%. That difference indicates that shoppers are using their mobile devices to research and browse for big-ticket items, but are more comfortable making purchases for things like designer goods or pricey electronics on a desktop.” So what kind of digital path to purchase strategy should retailers pursue?
The Periscope by McKinsey study found significant consumer interest in multichannel touchpoints. Consumers from France (40%) and UK (39%) exhibited the greatest interest in multi-touchpoint shopping followed by German (33%) and U.S. (32%) shoppers. Howland reports the Forrester study supports the importance of leveraging a multi-touchpoint strategy because the mobile touchpoint is cooling off. She explains, “Just 28% [of survey participants] said they made purchases on mobile at least monthly in 2017, down from 35% who said they did so in 2016.” Retailers, however, have been slow to adopt multi-touchpoint strategies. Howland reports, “Only a little over a third (36%) of retailers Forrester surveyed had buy online, pickup in store in place by 2016, and just 7% implemented it last year, according to the report. Yet, according to another Forrester report, … multi-touchpoint consumers are very valuable, and, by 2021, digital touchpoints will influence 41% of U.S. and 38% of E.U. offline retail sales.” Tracey Wallace asserts, “Omni-channel may be an industry buzzword, but the need for it … cannot be ignored. Most brands sell in more than 1 place.” Wallace provides a “non-exhaustive” list of multi-touchpoint options. They include:
- Pop-up Shops
- Events + Markets
Wallace believes the list will only grow longer as retailers get more creative with their multi-touchpoint strategies.
Digital Path to Purchase will continue to Grow
Howland reports another Forrester study concludes, “U.S. online retail sales will exceed $506 billion this year and by 2022, will surpass $712 billion. Nearly all American adults — 98% — already go online at least once a day.” The report also supports the importance of implementing multi-touchpoint strategies. “More than half — 53% — of the $3.7 trillion U.S. retail market,” the study predicts, “will be driven through digital touchpoints by the end of the year. E-commerce is also quickly moving into the devices in people’s hands: More than $1.3 trillion of U.S. retail sales will be impacted by smartphones in 2018.” What does this mean for retailers? It means they must pay close attention to both prices and presentation. Howland explains, “For a while now, it’s been pretty clear that U.S. shoppers expect lower prices online, and the research from Forrester found that 61% of adults here believe they find better value and deals online while roughly half also say that the product information found online is more useful than what’s available in the store.”
Retailers are in the midst of what has been called a Retail Apocalypse and in-store sales representatives have felt the brunt of the collapse. Dominic Rushe (@dominicru) reports, “The retail sector has been the biggest loser of jobs for the last two years in a row in the US, as thousands of stores closed as shoppers moved online.” The loss of jobs has affected women more than men. Rushe reports, “Between November 2016 and November 2017, the sector fired 129,000 women (the largest loss for any industrial sector for either sex) while men gained 109,000 positions, according to an analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).” Obviously, many of these job losses have been the result of store closures. Other losses, however, have been cost-cutting measures. Eliminating in-store sales representatives could backfire. Howland explains, “Research has found that retailers are losing customers fast as frustration builds when store associates are nowhere to be found. A third of shoppers who experienced a problem at apparel stores were not able to locate sales help, for example, and 6% of all possible sales are lost because of lack of service, according to a report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management late last year.” Howland believes part of any retailer’s multi-touchpoint strategy must recognize “the importance of knowledgeable store staff. Other research has found that retailers are losing customers fast as frustration builds when store associates are nowhere to be found.”
Although the importance of the digital path to purchase continues to increase, retailers are beginning to understand it involves both online and offline sales. That’s why omnichannel operations and multi-touchpoint strategies are beginning imperatives in the retail sector.
 Dan O’Shea, “Study: 57% of Google search traffic is mobile,” Retail Dive, 5 September 2017.
 Periscope By McKinsey, “Online Purchases in CPG are Trending Up, Consumer Survey Shows,” Cision PR Newswire, 11 April 2018.
 Daphne Howland, “More than half of retail sales are influenced by digital,” Retail Dive, 2 April 2018.
 Robert Williams, “Forrester: US mobile sales jumped 29% to $153B last year,” Mobile Marketer, 11 April 2018.
 Tracey Wallace, “The 19 Ecommerce Trends + 147 Online Shopping Stats Fueling Sales Growth in 2018,” BigCommerce, 2017.
 Daphne Howland, “Forrester: US e-commerce will top $712B by 2022,” Retail Dive, 19 April 2018.
 Dominic Rushe, “The US retail industry is hemorrhaging jobs – and it’s hitting women hardest,” The Guardian, 13 January 2018.


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Microsoft’s Surface is preparing for a special release event on Oct. 25th, with a midnight launch at select Microsoft Stores on the 26th. With that in mind, it has hit the FCC. We now know everything there is to know about the Surface– except for the price tag.
The Microsoft Surface is on its way soon, with an expected date of October the 26th. We’ve heard a lot of interesting rumors about the Surface recently, including a $200 price point and a battery life that easily extends up to near 13 hours. While the $200 price point is only likely to happen if MS has some kind of contract deal in works, it seems that MS believes that its new tablet is going to sell like hotcakes.


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Bancassurance has emerged as a high-growth segment for insurance sales in recent years, as banks seek new revenue sources and diversification of their customer portfolios. In January 2019 the Indonesia Life Insurance Association (AAJI) forecast that total life insurance premium generated through the bancassurance channel would grow by 15-30% that year, based on the proliferation of partnerships between life insurers and banks, and a deepening product portfolio. AAJI said that as of September 2018 bancassurance had contributed life insurance premium of Rp59.2trn ($4.2bn), equivalent to 42% of the life segment’s total. Some 65-70% of bancassurance premium is sourced from single-premium customers who tend to be investment-minded and comfortable committing to investments with long repayment periods. Insurers favour single-premium policies because regular premium payment periods tend to be short, at just two or three years, and persistency is low. Bank clients present an obvious target market for insurers seeking single-premium customers because the fact that they hold bank accounts implies a certain degree of financial literacy. “Trust in the banking industry helps to ensure the success of bancassurance. We see significant potential for growth in this segment as awareness grows among Indonesia’s emerging middle class,” Rio Winardi, CEO of BCA Life, told OBG.
In December 2019 AAJI reported that life insurance revenue increased by 14.7% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2019 to Rp171.8trn ($12.1bn), supported by a 2% increase in total premium income, which reached Rp143.7trn ($10.1bn). Bancassurance again accounted for 41.8% of total premium.
Further growth of the bancassurance channel will depend in part on deepening the talent pool involved in the distribution of products. This process will take considerable time and investment in order to enable bank sales agents to convince customers of the efficacy of regular premium coverage and protection. In the meantime, AAJI is promoting an expansion of the number of accredited insurance agents in Indonesia, who account for approximately 40% of premium sales. AAJI is aiming to boost the number of agents to over 1m from a base of about 585,000 in 2019. However, future growth may be more about the customer base than the sales force. “Bancassurance is not going anywhere but the market is saturated. Every single branch of every bank is selling insurance, so growth is limited to the number of people who walk through the door on a daily basis,” Sam Flitman, advisor of insurance at PwC Indonesia, told OBG.
Meanwhile, the penny stock investment scandal involving two of Indonesia’s largest state insurers – life insurer Asuransi Jiwasraya and its counterpart Asabri – has created some uncertainty around the near-term growth of bancassurance unit-linked policies (see Capital Markets chapter). News about the manipulation of penny stocks brought a strong response from a host of regulatory actors. The Attorney General’s Office ordered the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the Indonesia Stock Exchange to suspend 800 securities accounts, and the House of Representatives called upon the Supreme Audit Agency to launch an audit of state-owned insurers. In February 2020 AAJI pushed back against the OJK draft restrictions aimed at limiting the sale of unit-linked insurance products to eliminate unnecessary risk. The OJK plans to review and subsequently regulate which products can be marketed through the bancassurance channel.
While banks initially halted unit-linked sales following the news of the market manipulation, this was expected to be a temporary measure. In the longer term, after Indonesia adopts the International Financial Reporting Standard 17 in 2021, the industry will lose the incentive to sell single-premium, unit-linked policies, as most policies will immediately be booked as liabilities rather than positive contributions in profit and loss accounting.
Despite the setback, industry stakeholders are confident that state efforts to bolster insurance inclusion alongside digital innovation will bear fruit. Bianto Surodjo, chief partnership and distribution officer at Allianz Indonesia, told regional media that he expects a compound annual growth rate of 15-20% to drive gross written premium to over Rp1000trn ($70.5bn) by 2030, creating an insurance industry profit pool of Rp100trn ($7.1bn). He also foresees systems that process claims and payments to be among the first applications of digital solutions in the sector, alongside programmes that enable integration with health care operations. The OJK is working on new regulations for insurance technology (insurtech) business models, as well as claims payment mechanisms and complaints procedures aimed at protecting consumers. It is hoped that these will be included in the forthcoming Omnibus Law revisions to the wider financial system.
This sets the stage for Indonesia’s unicorn digital platforms – defined as privately held start-ups valued at over $1bn – to track bank operations and leverage their huge user bases and established payments systems to offer consumers digital insurance products – or at least digital pathways to buy traditional insurance. Such synergies have already begun to take place. For example, Allianz Indonesia formed a digital partnership with e-commerce unicorn Bukalapak in May 2019 to launch a “touch of a finger” insurance product, which it markets as easy, instant and secure. Allianz has also partnered with ride-hailing start-up Gojek to provide protection for drivers.
In June 2019 Prudential Life Assurance announced a strategic partnership with domestic payments and financial services platform OVO to launch digital wellness, health and wealth products and services, including e-payments and e-claims. OVO followed this by seeking to recruit a head of insurance in Jakarta, which mirrored steps taken by Gojek and fellow ride-hailing app competitor Grab Indonesia. Elsewhere, Indonesian life insurance firm Astra Aviva Life launched Flexi Critical Illness, an online policy offering coverage for strokes, heart attacks and early-stage cancer. Insurer AJ Central Asia Raya has issued a micro-insurance product in collaboration with e-wallet money service TrueMoney Indonesia that covers dengue fever.
Local insurtech player PasarPolis has received investment from Gojek, Tokopedia and Traveloka, enabling it to build a portfolio of more than 100 micro-insurance products, from damaged goods protection for Tokopedia’s shoppers and sellers, to flight and train delay insurance for customers who buy tickets via Traveloka. In February 2020 Gojek launched GoSure, providing its users with access to a suite of PasarPolis insurance products that cover motor, travel and mobile device protection. Other players in the space include FWD, Asuransiku, AXA MyPage, insurance88.com and Jagadiri. The trend points to large potential growth in lifestyle-oriented micro-insurance products; Jagadiri even has one targeting computer gamers. OJK data shows that there were some 22m micro-insurance policyholders in Indonesia as of June 2019 with considerable potential for further expansion.
Although the acceleration of low-cost products launched via digital channels is promising, the bulk of insurers are looking for the right combination of market and higher-value products to drive profitability. PwC expects to see tie-ups between insurers and large holders of transaction data, such as banks and airlines, proliferate as partners seek to tailor specific insurance products. “The bigger play is leveraging customer data to sell more substantial products,” Flitman told OBG, adding that local insurers do not possess the capacity to process large swathes of data, and the digital partners that do will want significant remuneration in return for their services. “The balance of which party – the insurer, digital partner or customer – bears that cost needs to be carefully worked out or demand will dwindle.”
However, the success of digital insurance business models is as yet unproven and data privacy compliance in an evolving regulatory environment may prove restrictive. Nevertheless, insurers could do more within existing laws – such as seek customer consent for data sharing and create deeper levels of aggregation in terms of how data is segmented – to improve product targeting. Investments in digital tools, both back-end systems and customer-facing offerings, are expected to bring down costs in the long term and help insurers maintain a healthy bottom line. PwC’s 2019 survey of financial insurance executives suggests that – despite knowledge of an over-reliance on manual processes – there has so far been “remarkably little investment in robotic processing and data analytics in finance processes compared to other industries”.
Meanwhile, progress is moving faster when it comes to customer solutions. Sudibyo Susanto, vice-president of sales and marketing for Selindo Alpha, which provides communication technology for business enterprises, told OBG that banking and insurance is by far the company’s largest and fastest-growing customer segment, with insurers demanding omnichannel solutions to streamline their interactions with customers.
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Alphabet Inc.’s inventory slipped practically 5% in prolonged buying and selling Thursday after the tech large missed barely on income and earnings in ho-hum quarterly outcomes.
Google’s mother or father firm reported fiscal fourth-quarter whole income of $76.05 billion, up from $75.3 billion a yr in the past. Earnings have been $13.62 billion, or $1.05 per share, in contrast with $20.64 billion, or $1.53 per share, final yr. Alphabet’s income, minus traffic-acquisition prices (TAC), was $63.12 billion, vs. $61.9 billion a yr in the past.
“We’re on an vital journey to re-engineer our value construction in a sturdy approach and to construct financially sustainable, vibrant, rising companies throughout Alphabet,” Chief Govt Sundar Pichai mentioned in a press release asserting the outcomes. The corporate not too long ago introduced 12,000 layoffs and has scaled again hires.
In a convention name later with analysts, Google Chief Enterprise Officer Philipp Schindler mentioned a “pullback” in spending by advertisers amid a more difficult financial system in addition to foreign-exchange headwinds impacted gross sales.
Analysts polled by FactSet anticipated Alphabet
to report whole income of $76.2 billion and earnings of $1.18 per share, with gross sales anticipated to be consistent with final yr’s outcomes and revenue declining from the vacation season a yr in the past. Income, minus TAC, have been modeled at $63.2 billion, which additionally suggests little to no development from final yr.
Google’s whole promoting gross sales slid to $59 billion from $61.2 billion a yr in the past, lacking analysts’ common expectations of $60.44 billion. Google Cloud introduced in $7.32 billion, in contrast with $5.54 billion final yr. YouTube advert gross sales slipped to $7.96 billion from $8.63 billion a yr in the past.
“The search large underperformed our expectations throughout virtually all enterprise models, most significantly its core ad-search phase,” Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com, mentioned. “As soon as once more, YouTube development slowed to a crawl amid powerful competitors from TikTok and different gamers within the video-streaming area.”
A dip in digital promoting has outlined the previous few quarters for Google, Meta Platforms Inc.
and different corporations depending on advertisements. Meta’s better-than-expected quarterly report Wednesday was an indication of encouragement after Snap had one other desultory quarterly efficiency.
Certainly, Alphabet shares closed up 7% in Thursday’s common session, at $107.74, earlier than retreating in after-hours buying and selling.
Learn extra: Alphabet earnings: What to anticipate from the Google mother or father firm
“After Alphabet’s promoting income cycle reached peak development” within the second quarter of 2021, income for this a part of the enterprise is ready to decelerate for the sixth quarter in a row, mentioned Monness, Crespi, Hardt analyst Brian White, who forecast a 3% drop within the not too long ago accomplished quarter.
On Thursday, Alphabet Chief Monetary Officer Ruth Porat mentioned that starting in
the present quarter, AI subsidiary DeepMind will likely be included in Alphabet’s company prices quite than in Different Bets.
Alphabet’s inventory has declined 24.7% over the previous 12 months. The S&P 500 index
is down 6.7% over the previous yr.


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DeRusha Eats: Kramarczuk's Holidazzle SausageThe Holidazzle will begin Friday evening and will be underway all month long. The event, which changed from a parade to a holiday village in 2014, is introducing some new changes in 2015. In addition to the new location in Loring Park, there is new food. Among the new dishes is a special sausage created by Kramarczuk's.
Cooking With WCCO: Roasted Delicata SquashIt can be hard to maintain a diet as the holidays approach. Many of our favorite foods can be very high in calories. So, WCCO decided to find some recipes that were delicious and nutritious.
Shoppers Stock Up On Last Minute Thanksgiving ItemsShoppers looking for last-minute staples for Thanksgiving dinner waited in long lines across the metro Wednesday. Crystal resident Chase Johnson spent most of his childhood shopping at Almsted's.
News Click: Thanksgiving
Bite Of Minnesota: Quick Cranberry JamLet’s face it, for most of us this is going to be a tough week. After all of those vacation days, light traffic days, and days of irregular meals, it’s time to face reality and head back to the daily grind.
Simple Recipes: Healthful Holiday TreatsThese four holiday recipes are both scrumptious and healthy.
Comparing Thanksgiving Meal Prices As Costs RiseWhen every penny counts for many families, the cost of Thanksgiving doesn't leave many people "thankful."
Wis. Bureau: Turkey Dinner Will Cost 11 Percent MoreThe Wisconsin Farm Bureau says the average price of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in the state is just over $50 this year.
Bite Of Minnesota: Pear Cranberry TurnoversEach month, I get excited when Bon Appétit arrives in the mailbox and I search the issue for mentions of Minneapolis establishments like Chef Shack and Rustica Bakery.


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In Weymouth’s Columbian Square, everyone’s a wee bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day
For one day each year, the dented and scraped cars at Celtic Collision in Columbian Square are replaced with tables stacked with corned beef and cabbage and boiled potatoes.
The din of power tools and the hydraulic lift gives way to traditional Irish ballads played live on a makeshift bandstand, and the braver partygoers trade their work clothes for kilts.
Four years ago, Dublin-born owner Bernard Lindsay decided to close his shop for business each year on St. Patrick’s Day and hold a party open to the other business owners in the square, friends and family.
“This is my way of giving back,” he said. “The dentist to the baker to the doctor to the jeweler to the pizza guy – they’re all here. It’s a nice spot.”
Each year, Lindsay stays late the night before the holiday to set up for the party, and the shop stays closed throughout St. Patrick’s Day.
Just after 1 p.m. Thursday, about 60 people filled the garage bay. They carried plates of food and plastic cups of Guinness, and sat at tables covered with green and white tablecloths.
Usually during the party, the organizers like to catch a newcomer off guard by activating the hydraulic lift under a long table of cheeses and desserts, lowering it a few inches out of reach, Lindsay said.
When Lindsay first announced his plan for a party in his auto shop, some of the members of the Columbian Square Business Association were skeptical, but the annual event quickly became a hit.
“The first year I came in and was blown away,” said Paul Hackett, owner of Olden’s Pharmacy on Pleasant Street. “It’s the perfect setting.”
Lindsay said he holds the party during the day so employees and owners of the other local businesses who don’t live in town can take some time to come by without staying late.
Joe Fucile, co-owner of Commercial Lock and Safe and The Bicycle Clinic, said the local business owners look forward to the event every year.
“It’s what a village is. There’s a sense of community here,” he said. “We all know each other, and we all stand by each other.”
Fucile, who is of Italian descent, didn’t grow up celebrating the traditionally Irish holiday, but he said he’s grown to embrace it.
Lindsay, who wore a blue plaid kilt to the party, said he’s determined to keep the event going as an annual tradition.
“It’s St. Paddy’s Day,” he said. “It’s a chance to let your hair down.”
READ MORE about this issue.
Christian Schiavone may be reached at email@example.com.


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Aaron Polsky isn’t a clairvoyant, but the timing of his first product launch—a line of ready-to-drink, bartender-created cocktails to go along with a talent agency, under the name LiveWire Drinks & Talent—comes at a moment when the hospitality industry is in desperate need of support.
Despite the growing ubiquity of canned cocktails over the past few years, Polsky noticed a void in the alcoholic aluminum universe. “Canned cocktails have lacked high-quality ingredients and bartender development,” he says. An alum of notable bars like Amor y Amargo in New York and Harvard & Stone in Los Angeles, Polsky has pivoted his career to providing a platform for bartenders to reach consumers beyond their local markets. “The goal is to enable them to monetize their intellectual capital and set themselves up for sustainable financial stability,” he says, comparing the structure of LiveWire Drinks & Talent to that of a record label. While the model is complex and varies from state to state and country to country, across the board bartenders are compensated for their intellectual property, with a target of providing substantial enough payments to become their primary source of income.
We’re now at the precipice of bartenders becoming public figures, in the same way chefs did 20 years ago.
“The bartender and creator will have the potential to go on tour to endorse their launch,” says Polsky, a lifelong rock and roll fan with an undergraduate degree in music. (LiveWire derives its name from the eponymous songs by Mötley Crüe and AC/DC.) “Consumers can taste the cocktail made-to-order at bar events, and then buy it at the store in a can; bestsellers will become part of a permanent curation.”
The agency arm of Polsky’s company provides management services to industry professionals. “We’re now at the precipice of bartenders becoming public figures, in the same way chefs did 20 years ago,” he explains. Professional representation that merges public relations with management and legal representation—tailored to fit an individual’s needs and budget—is something Polsky hopes will help bartenders achieve more economic independence. “There are prominent working bartenders employed by big bar and restaurant groups, who are only getting a dollar raise per year and aren’t being offered equity, and most of them are now on unemployment. It’s untenable,” says Polsky. His model, by comparison, works by sharing earnings. “Depending on whether clients bring the work to me for advocacy, versus if I find them work, the fee structure differs,” he explains.
The extent to which widespread bar closures (due to the COVID-19 outbreak) will affect this aspect of Polsky’s business remains unclear. “Obviously now isn’t the time for new deals and contract negotiations,” he says. “We’re focusing our efforts on putting some money back into the economy via small businesses, and donating as high a portion of our revenue as is feasible to hospitality charities like the United States Bartenders Guild’s Emergency Assistance Program.” He notes, “There’s been a lot of useful help, but I’d like to see more than a couple of million dollars from liquor conglomerates—I’d like it to at least be higher than the raise Diageo’s CEO got in 2019.”
But my dream is also that one day soon, consumers can simply go to the store to buy their favorite bartender’s newest cocktail release.
In the meantime, Polsky’s first run of bartender-created cocktails is now available for purchase. His inaugural release, Heartbreaker—a crisp, citrus-forward blend of vodka, Oro Blanco grapefruit, kumquat, jasmine and ginger—hit the market on March 20, and is now available at liquor stores in his home base of Los Angeles, including at Bar Keeper, Domaine LA and The Liquor Fountain; as a takeout and delivery option at E Stretto sandwich and wine shop; and online through K&L Wine Merchants. LiveWire is slated to debut in New York, New Jersey and Florida in April, with national expansion within the year.
For the initial launch, Polsky tapped colleagues and friends like Sother Teague (Amor y Amargo), Travis Tober (Nickel City, Austin) and a clutch of Los Angeles–based talent: Yael Vengroff (The Spare Room), Christine Wiseman (Broken Shaker), Mike Capoferri (Thunderbolt), Gianna Johns (The NoMad), Erin Hayes (Westward Whiskey) and Chris Amirault (Otium) to come up with ready-to-drink cocktail concepts. The directive for each of them was to create a canned cocktail that is sparkling, low ABV (7.5 percent) and takes well to a wide range of temperatures so it can be enjoyed directly from the fridge, over ice or even hovering near room temperature.
Beyond promoting this new line of cocktails, LiveWire will broker any bartender’s potential revenue stream, from guest gigs and book and endorsement deals to consulting, public appearances and raises. “If we make this process easy for bar professionals and ensure negotiations are in writing, legitimate and fair, it will effect change,” says Polsky. “But my dream is also that one day soon, consumers can simply go to the store to buy their favorite bartender’s newest cocktail release.”


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During the VGA tonight fans were asked to vote for who they wanted on the cover of NFL Blitz. And they chose for Ray Rice to become the first cover guy for the resurrected franchise. But is that really good news for Ray? EA now owns the Blitz franchise and as we all know EA also owns the Madden franchise which has a curse of it's own. If you don't believe there is a curse, just ask Maddens latest cover, Peyton Hillis!
Lets hope for Ray that Blitz won't have the same curse.


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Verkställande direktörContact Karin
Here you can take part in the latest news from Processum Biorefinery Cluster. Stay updated and subscribe to our newsletter!
For 20 years, Processum has built an innovation cluster based on experience in industry-oriented research and development in collaboration between existing industrial members in the cluster and RISE. Now the cluster has a new name, Processum Biorefinery Cluster, which will soon rename Processum's existing channels and contribute to increasing awareness of the cluster's offering, both regionally, nationally, and internationally.
The Cleantech start-up Biocompost has installed a large reactor in Umeå to create nutrient-rich fertiliser out of organic waste, while at the same time reducing methane gas emissions. Recently, the recycling company Ragn-Sells Treatment & Detox bought the reactor. Two projects funded by IB:ACCEL via RISE Processum’s R&D council have driven this development.
The idea for the Allvar Underwear brand was born in 2015 when founder Niklas Gilmark read about the possibility of creating fabrics from residual streams of the Swedish forest. The brand today offers full traceability of the forest material used in textile production, textiles that are now sold by the fashion giant Gina Tricot.
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Well, there is something that is even more fake: fake comments and likes on Instagram. Now the service is looking to purge all this fake content.
The fake content includes likes, follows and comments from users using a third-party service to acquire more engagement. That's right, Instagram is prohibiting the use of third-party apps to increase these specific metrics in the updated EULA.
The Verge reports that Instagram is using an AI system that automatically recognizes and removes fake content, and sends a notification to the account about the removal.
The email also prompts to change the password associated with the Instagram account to make sure the account isn't compromised.
Instagram has been removing fake accounts for a while now, but hasn't previously addressed the more minor infractions.
Written by: Matti Robinson @ 20 Nov 2018 10:43


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Listen to this article
Aberdeen IT and cyber security company Converged Communication Solutions has joined forces with Robert Gordon’s College to mark tomorrow’s [Tuesday, 08 February] Safer Internet Day.
Chief security officer Robbie Ross is heading back to the classroom to help educate pupils about staying safe online as part of a global day of action on the subject. The cyber safety expert will deliver sessions virtually to pupils in primaries five, six and seven at the Aberdeen school.
The sessions will explore the different ways that pupils are likely to use the internet and explain how everyone leaves behind digital footprints during their time online. What people of all ages can do to stay safe online and help to protect private information will also be discussed, alongside the other steps individuals can take to be good digital citizens.
Robbie will also speak about the importance of passwords, highlighting passwords that are commonly used around the world, some of which can be easily guessed. Pupils will be shown how to create a secure password or passphrase. To encourage pupils to discuss internet safety with their parents, they will be challenged to speak to them about how safe and resilient their own online passwords are as part of a bid to improve their online security.
Safer Internet Day is held annually in February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world. Now in its nineteenth year, the theme of the initiative is ‘Together for a better internet’ and calls for all stakeholders to work in partnership to make the internet a safer and better space for everyone.
Robbie Ross, chief security officer, Converged Communication Solutions, said: “It is great to have the opportunity to speak to the pupils at Robert Gordon’s College about the importance of internet safety and explaining how we all create digital footprints. These youngsters have all grown up in an internet world, so may not be as guarded as older generations when interacting with others online.
“Safer Internet Day is an opportunity for us all to consider how we use the internet and communicate over it, so that we stay safe and are respectful to others while online. A robust password can be a great first line of defence in staying safe online. Understanding that can help us all to be more digitally secure in our lives.”
Ciara Houston, Robert Gordon’s College junior school e-safety coordinator, said: “We are delighted to have Robbie involved in helping us celebrate Safer Internet Day at Robert Gordon’s College. Using the internet safely and positively is a key message that we promote in Robert Gordon’s College, and celebrating Safer Internet Day is a great opportunity for us to re-emphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year. Having someone as experienced in cyber safety as Robbie, speaking with our older pupils in Junior School is such a great opportunity and it is always fantastic to make connections within our community.”


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The Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) has said it is “uncertain” whether radical measures being considered by the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) to cut its backlog of complaints will deliver sufficient change to turn the organisation around.
Meanwhile, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) called for outsourcing to be introduced immediately, countering LeO’s arguments that a change in legislation was required.
Responding to the consultation on LeO’s draft 2022/23 business plan and budget, LSCP chair Sarah Chambers said the panel had confidence in LeO’s leadership team but remained “unsure” about whether the ideas in the business plan – which include outsourcing, demand management and reviewing the scheme rules – would be enough to clear the backlog of cases in the pre-assessment pool (those accepted by LeO but not yet allocated to an investigator).
Ms Chambers said the panel had considered “very carefully” whether the business plans would lead to an organisation able to serve its customers “as effectively and efficiently as they need”.
She continued: “At this point, we are uncertain.”
The Legal Services Board has made it clear to LeO that this is its final chance to improve performance.
While backing most of the “radical options” outlined, the panel was “wary” of the one which permitted complaints to be rejected on the grounds of proportionality even where there was evidence of poor service.
“Proportionality does not trump fairness (unless the detriment is genuinely de minimis), so this option could erode the right of consumers to seek redress where providers have provided poor service.
“Sometimes an apparently ‘small’ case can be an element of a much wider problem in which a large number of consumers are each experiencing apparently petty problems, but only one or two are calling it out.
“It would be a pity if such issues were dismissed on grounds of proportionality.
“Some form of mediation provision, or suggestion by the ombudsman that the provider could make a small payment without a prolonged investigation, might be preferable to a simple dismissal.”
In its response, the CLC challenged LeO’s view that schedule 15 of the Legal Services Act 2007 meant new legislation would be needed before it could outsource complaints investigation.
Urging to LeO to reconsider this, it said: “We are very concerned that the improvement plan places over-reliance on achieving legislative change and locks in the current level of performance.”
The CLC said the draft business plan “seems to be proposing” that the backlog could be cut by half over the next two years, which was not “an acceptable pace of progress to achieve an efficient and cost-effective service.”
Given the budget underspend in the current year, the CLC said LeO should not need the extra budget increase of 1.3%, on top of the baseline 3.8% it is seeking, to implement the radical reforms.
LeO should also have set out “a clear timetable which went beyond March 2024 for eventually eliminating the backlog” and delivering “an efficient and cost-effective service”.
Sheila Kumar, chief executive of the CLC, said: “All regulators should be concerned by the ongoing resolution delays faced by consumers, with some complainants waiting for more than 1,000 days for a decision after their case has been accepted for investigation and the OLC taking, on average, 24 days to respond to general email enquiries.”
The Association of Consumer Support Organisations’ response said research among claimant law firms in personal injury and other consumer law sectors earlier this year found that the size of the pre-assessment pool was a “leading cause of frustration” and this should remain the priority.
“The minimum six-month wait for an investigation to start is likely to frustrate consumers and will service to undermine public confidence in legal services and their regulation.
“Although the wait times are published on the LeO website, the information is not easy to find, and therefore does not aid the management of consumer expectations.”


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Five retail brands have signed up to British Land’s Ealing Broadway centre taking more than 45,000 sq ft of space in total.
Weston Group, the housebuilder, serviced offices and logistics group, has revealed a 54.5% leap in annual profit.
LondonMetric has sold its retail park in Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, for £22m, reflecting a net initial yield of 5.2%.
OakNorth has completed a loan to fund a new resi-led conversion project being developed by a joint venture between Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital.
Target Healthcare has paid £13.8m for a 62-bed care home in East Sussex.
Listed property companies faced another day of uncertainty on Friday as the fallout from Prime Minister Theresa’ May’s Brexit withdrawal bill continued.
Singaporean investor Elite Partners Capital has completed a £280m deal to buy Telereal Trillium’s Hayhill Portfolio, which comprises 98 regional offices let to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Property Week can reveal.
IWG-owned co-working provider Spaces has set out ambitious plans to double its portfolio in 2019 to more than 400 offices globally.
David and Simon Reuben have entered into a joint venture with Shiva Hotels to develop a new hotel across two separate sites they have recently acquired in Soho.
Palmer Capital and Wrenbridge have put Colworth Park, home to one of Unilever’s global research and development campuses, on the market for £66m.


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Silverstone has announced that the first week ticket sales for the 2014 F1 British Grand Prix are up 100 per cent compared with the same sales period twelve months ago.
Richard Phillips, managing director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, has put the uptake down to the success of this year's event and the circuit's 'Loyalty Offer', presenting savings of up to £68.
The new-for-2013 'Loyalty Offer', which was extremely popular amongst fans attending this year's Grand Prix, will remain available via www.silverstone.co.uk
until 17:00hrs on Monday July 8. After this time, tickets will go on sale at 'Early Bird' prices.
“The British Grand Prix was back to its best this year and the fans' experience has translated into early interest and ticket sales,” Phillips said.
“On-event sales were up 50 per cent (compared with 2012) over the weekend and that interest has continued to grow. We are now 100 per cent up on the same period last year, with a number of the best seats already sold out. The front rows in both International Pits Straight and Club grandstands, for example, have already been snapped up and others are selling fast."
“The strong sales are undoubtedly down to the success of this year's Grand Prix, which was one of the biggest and best in recent years, and the incentive to book early and make the most of our 'Loyalty' and 'Early Bird' offers,” he added.


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Study: Millennials' Spending Power to Outpace Boomers
NEW YORK – Millennials are expected to outspend the Baby Boomer generation by 2017, but retailers continue to underestimate the purchasing power of these consumers, according to a new research study by Berglass + Associates and Women's Wear Daily.
What Happens When Millennials Get the Wallet found that retailers don't fully understand the needs of Millennials and are employing business strategies and tactics that don't apply to this customer.
"Millennials have different motivations, attitudes and behaviors than previous generations, and retailers need to adjust their business strategies accordingly in order to thrive," said Les Berglass, CEO of Berglass + Associates. "For the first time in several decades, we will see a new member of the C-suite, who will be responsible for driving two-way communication between the Millennial customer and the brand and for developing initiatives that will deliver long-term growth."
The online survey was conducted in September and queried 121 U.S. business leaders in all sectors of retail (including department stores, specialty stores, home shopping and direct-mail catalogs) primarily in the apparel, accessories, footwear and beauty sectors. Key findings include:
- Approximately half of respondents are unaware that Millennials are expected to outspend Baby Boomers annually within five years.
- Millennials rely most on their friends to make buying decisions, but more than a quarter of respondents mistakenly believe that online advertising is the greatest influence on Millennials' purchasing activity.
- More than 30 percent of the executives surveyed are CEOs or presidents who plan to significantly increase their digital leadership over the next three years.
- Sixty percent of respondents are not conducting any research or analysis of the Millennial customer.
- And only 36 percent of respondents from companies with both physical stores and e-commerce sites offer a seamless customer experience, yet Millennials expect the channels to be integrated.


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|By Marketwired .||
|January 30, 2014 12:00 PM EST||
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 01/30/14 -- Today The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) launches its newest report on the global business of luxury, Shock of the New Chic: Dealing with New Complexity in the Business of Luxury.
The report -- the third in BCG's series of flagship reports on the luxury sector -- introduces BCG's proprietary Metroluxe Indices to track the luxury status and growth potential of the world's richest cities. The three indices help brands answer pressing questions such as which cities should be priorities for their luxury goods and services, where brands should optimize existing retail footprints rather than opening new stores, and where tourists spend most freely on luxuries.
The report also flags the importance of finely detailed segmentation of customers and markets and of the value of analyzing markets at a city level rather than by region or nation. In combination, these approaches enable brands to cluster cities together and develop sophisticated, localized go-to-market strategies that better serve local customers and tourists.
Furthermore, the flagship report highlights BCG's projections that the sales of luxury goods and services are far greater and far more robust than widely thought. BCG's latest study found that consumers spent more than $1.8 trillion worldwide annually on items they defined as luxuries -- far beyond the $390 billion usually cited as total global sales of luxury goods such as apparel, cosmetics, watches, and jewelry.
"Luxury experiences are by far the most powerful driver of luxury spending everywhere. Collectively, they make up nearly $1 trillion of the annual global total," said Jean-Marc Bellaïche, a BCG senior partner and coauthor of the report. "As older consumers realize that they have all the 'things' they want -- and as younger people favor experiences they can share with their friends -- consumers are spending more on everything from dining at five-star restaurants to exotic vacation travel."
Inside BCG's New Index of Luxury Buying
Although global luxury markets are growing steadily, BCG research finds that luxury providers risk lagging behind the markets they are meant to serve. Such providers, the report explains, must adapt to new levels of market complexity, accommodate new kinds of purchasing behaviors, push into new geographies and cities, evaluate different business models, and do more with digital technology.
Luxury players must anticipate such changes by focusing not on regional-level strategies -- often their conventional market lens -- but on city-level approaches or at least on strategies that target a cluster of cities whose inhabitants have roughly similar buying behaviors. "Brands must become much more specific in sizing and scoping markets," said Sarah Willersdorf, a BCG principal and coauthor of the report. "While creativity, quality, and brand protection will remain paramount, brands need to plan their go-to-market strategies more systematically -- including marketing, assortment, merchandising, and pricing -- at the city or city-cluster level."
To begin to explore these issues, BCG has developed its "Metroluxe" family of indices (collectively called the BCG Metroluxe Indices) to measure the current luxury status and growth potential of the world's 550 richest cities as defined by GDP per capita. Collectively, the cities in the index drive nearly 50 percent of global GDP.
The first of the three indices is the BCG Local Metroluxe Index, which gives some eye-opening city-by-city snapshots of the intrinsic potential of local luxury demand. The second is the BCG Total Metroluxe Index, which builds on the local index by overlaying the local propensity to spend on luxury with tourists' luxury spending and with supply-side factors such as the maturity of distribution networks and the impact of customs duties. The third is the BCG Metroluxe Growth Index, which provides a dynamic perspective of the growth in total luxury demand from 2012 through 2017.
Together, BCG's family of indices balances both demand and supply factors. It takes into account not only local demand from high-net-worth individuals and mass-affluent demographics but also the overlooked tourist factor -- tracking the impact of domestic and international tourism on luxury spending in the city.
Insights to Help Brands Succeed as Demand Patterns Shift Worldwide
BCG envisions three ways in which the family of indices can help brands and retailers.
1. Conduct deeper market analyses at the city and cluster-of-city levels. Brands and retailers armed with a deeper understanding of local demand and consumer behaviors can cluster cities beyond the geographic boundaries of countries. Brands need to continue to market locally and also market effectively in tourists' countries of origins. From a retail perspective, assortments need to cater to demand from locals as well as tourists.
2. Localize go-to-market strategies. It is no longer enough for brands to target the elites in emerging markets with splashy ads for existing "Western" products and retail assortments. Now, astute brands are developing highly localized approaches to marketing, assortment, and merchandising.
3. Develop aggressive strategies for reaching tourists. The proliferation of tourism will continue to drive growth for brands. Travelers from Brazil, China, India, and the Middle East have been especially keen spenders while vacationing abroad. Luxury brands and retailers must understand the tourist mix at a city level and develop strategies that create brand awareness before tourists' journeys begin.
For more on BCG's Metroluxe Indices and the other findings in the new report, please visit www.bcgperspectives.com.
To arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or [email protected].
About The Boston Consulting Group
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 81 offices in 45 countries. For more information, please visit bcg.com.
Bcgperspectives.com features the latest thinking from BCG experts as well as from CEOs, academics, and other leaders. It covers issues at the top of senior management's agenda. It also provides unprecedented access to BCG's extensive archive of thought leadership stretching back 50 years to the days of Bruce Henderson, the firm's founder and one of the architects of modern management consulting. All of our content -- including videos, podcasts, commentaries, and reports -- can be accessed by PC, mobile, iPad, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
The Boston Consulting Group
Global Media Relations Manager
Tel +1 617 850 3783
Fax +1 617 850 3701
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Pan-Euopean services player Imtech is expecting to write off more than €100m (£86m) for the 2012 financial year and breach its lending covenants after uncovering financial irregularities across four big Polish projects.
The Netherlands-headquartered outfit is to launch a forensic investigation into its deals with four Warsaw-based projects: three with the Adventure World resort, and one "involving energy-generating bio power stations".
"Imtech has established that the advanced payments for the four Polish projects do not comply with the agreements made with the customer regarding the availability of the payments to Imtech. This is because the customer has not secured its financing," said an Imtech statement issued today.
Until the size of the write-off is determined, Imtech is holding fire on releasing its 2012 results, which were due for publication tomorrow. But the services giant is bracing itself to have to swallow a write-off of at least €100m.
"The consequence of the expected write-off will be that, when its 2012 financial statements are drawn up, Imtech will no longer fulfil its covenants with lenders – average ratios of 3.0 maximum for net debt/EBITDA and 4.0 minimum for interest coverage," added the statement. "As a result, Imtech will begin consultations with its lenders."
A total of about €200m, which was recognised as cash or cash equivalents in Imtech's H1 2012 statements, was reportedly due to have been paid in advance by Adventure World.
"This advance payment was considerably higher than the incurred costs," explained the statement. "The advance payments have not become available to Imtech."
Management staff in Poland have been suspended, pending the commencement of the investigation.
Fall in shipments through distribution in first six weeks of Q4 are an indicator that Black Friday could be a damp squib, according to analyst Context
CEO Justin Harling and COO Richard Behan buy out other shareholders
UK chief executive Cindy Rose says the proposed deal is needed to maintain the 'free flow' of data
Contingency plans follow Carillion's demise earlier this year


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Sony PS4, Vita Sales Kick Off In China January 11, Government To Screen Games
It looks like Sony is finally going to bring its gaming consoles over to China after the county ended its 14-year ban on foreign gaming consoles back in January of this year. The PlayStation Vita is expected to go on sale January 11, 2015 alongside the PlayStation 4.
The PlayStation 4 will be arriving about four months after Microsoft’s Xbox One Chinese launch. Microsoft was the first company to take advantage of the third largest gaming market, dominated by PC and mobile gaming, which saw the company sell over 100,000 units within its first week when the console was release September 29.
"PS4 is expanding at the fastest rate in PlayStation hardware history, and the global gaming community is enjoying the ultimate entertainment experience only available on PlayStation," said Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House. "We are delighted that we are able to fully launch our business in China, which is a market with great potential."
Sony’s pricing strategy for the PlayStation 4, with 500GB HDD and controller, will see the console retail for 2,899 Yuan ($468). This makes it cheaper than the Xbox One, which, upon release in China, retailed for 4,200 Yuan ($699) with the Kinect. Without the Kinect, the Xbox One retails for 3,699 Yuan ($598). Meanwhile, the PlayStation Vita will be priced at 1,299 Yuan ($210).
But Sony, like Microsoft, will have to deal with government censors who will approve of what games both companies are allowed to publish in China. Upon the Xbox One’s launch, there were only 10 games available for Chinese consumers that left out Xbox staples such as Halo and Gears of War.
According to a company spokesperson, Sony has applied for licenses for 30 gaming titles with several already having been approved. However, there has been no information provided as to what games have been approved or which titles the company is hoping to release in China. Due to the country’s rigid stance on censorship, it is highly unlikely that games such as Grand Theft Auto V will be made available to the Chinese market.
At last count, around 13.5 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been shipped worldwide while Microsoft’s tally stood at just over 10 million. How the new market will affect sales for both companies has yet to be seen, though Microsoft has been quiet about Xbox One sales in China since its initial debut.
Do you think the PlayStation 4 will do better in this new market than the Xbox One and will the PlayStation Vita find success there as well?


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After curved TVs, LG has taken the trend to the mobile space. Here’s what it means for gaming.
After its acquisition by Amazon last year, Twitch continues to evolve.
Nick D. explains why rerelease developers shouldn’t mess around with the core mechanics of a game unless they understand what made the original tick in the first place.
Alien made us fear for its heroes. Alien: Isolation makes us forget them.
A look at the gamer behind the character…
For years, gamers and developers alike have argued back and forth about creating playable women characters in first-person shooters. Some
Dropping subscriptions fees is the best move for everyone, including Bethesda.


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by MarkLives. The One Show has released its 2020 list of 1669 finalists, representing 46 countries, including South Africa.
by Xolisa Dyeshana. Judging the Interactive category for The One Show took an intense four days of early mornings and late nights.
by Herman Manson (@marklives) The One Club, a non-profit advertising organisation of One Show Awards and Creative Week fame, recently appointed Ross Chowles of The Jupiter Drawing Room (Cape Town) to its international board of directors.
Chris Gotz, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Cape Town, recently took up the reins as chair of the Creative Circle, a body promoting creativity in the South African advertising industry.


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Distributed ledger technology (blockchain) has made significant headway this year, and people are starting to take notice. At the beginning of 2017, the cryptocurrency bitcoin was valued at just under $1,000 and soared up to over $3,000 in May. While it took a dive over the summer, bitcoin now comfortably sits at just over $3,000.
Cryptocurrencies have seen major growth in popularity, and alongside the increasing speed of eCommerce transactions, so does the demand for widespread use. Typically, cryptocurrencies have been relegated to the finance industry, but it has started to make inroads over the past few months into the mainstream arena. This gives way to countries opting to integrate cryptocurrencies for their own use. Once regulated at the top government level, it’s more likely that businesses will follow suit. Earlier this year, China shared news that it was developing its own cryptocurrency, dubbed OKCoin.
While some have pointed to Japan and China as the countries responsible for driving much of the virtual currency market value, there’s another country that just shared it’s ready to get into the cryptocurrency ring.
As we’ve reported this week, Russia announced news that it also wants to battle it out for the cryptocurrency crown. Russian Miner Coin (RMC), a company co-owned by President Vladimir Putin, has decided to raise $100 million in cryptocurrency to help motivate entrepreneurs in the region to take China head on.
Currently, RMC investors are using Ethereum and bitcoin to buy RMC tokens in an initial coin offering (ICO). These RMC tokens will account for 18 percent of the rights to earned revenue through use of the company’s mining resources. Russia is hoping that this move will help the country mine 30 percent of the world’s virtual currencies.
With Russia joining China and Japan at the cryptocurrency forefront, the goal of these digital currencies becomes more realistic by the day. Universities are now offering courses on how to mine bitcoin blockchain. Similar to that of the computer industry, it’s not likely that we’ll see a major shift of cryptocurrency into mainstream commerce until there are a wide array of young professionals who are well-versed in its intricacies. Over the next five to 10 years, we may end up seeing more countries join the battle for the cryptocurrency crown, with more startup companies hoping to cash in.
In cryptocurrency news this week, Overstock.com announced its partnership with ShapeShift to become the very first U.S. retailer to accept all forms of cryptocurrencies as payments. Through ShapeShift’s technology, any cryptocurrency used by consumers will be converted into bitcoin upon making a formal payment through Overstock’s checkout portal.
India’s government has made strides to have cryptocurrency regulations drafted, which could lead to it becoming the next country to join the virtual currency battle.
Fidelity is dipping its toes into the cryptocurrency arena by testing out a new service. Through a partnership with its Innovation Center and Coinbase, Fidelity will allow Coinbase users to view bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin holdings in their portfolios.
And finally, as a result of the recent split, bitcoin’s value has soared 16 percent upward, while Bitcoin Cash took a 64 percent nosedive.


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Karnataka CM launches home delivery app for groceries to limit public movement in Bengaluru
As many residents have had to stand in long queues to buy essentials and groceries from supermarkets and many have stepped out on the pretext of buying groceries, the BBMP along with KSDMA has come up with a home delivery helpline which was officially launched by CM BS Yediyurappa
Bengaluru: To put the brakes on vehicular and public movement during lockdown and to facilitate those who spend hours together standing in line near supermarkets to get groceries, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority ( KSDMA) have come up with a home delivery helpline.
The helpline number (080 6191 4960) is a WhatsApp enabled system that facilitates delivery of groceries at the doorstep of residents.
The BBMP has asked shop owners to mandatorily register themselves on the BBMP COVID-19 home delivery helpline and encouraged public to buy groceries only through these platforms.
According to the BBMP, nearby stores can be linked and Rs 20 needs to be paid as delivery charges.
This concept of home delivery based on mobile app was initiated in Bengaluru South limits to encourage them to adhere to social-distancing norms. However few consumers have faced issues with on-time delivery.