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|By Marketwired .||
|December 10, 2012 08:01 AM EST||
REDWOOD SHORES, CA and READING, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwire) -- 12/10/12 -- Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL)
- Research released today from Oracle has revealed that customer experience is now a key driver for revenue growth in Europe, and an effective channel for brand differentiation in a globalized economy where products and services are increasingly commoditized.
- The research report, "Why Customer Satisfaction is No Longer Good Enough," reveals that 81% of consumers surveyed are willing to pay more for superior customer experience. With nearly half (44%) willing to pay a premium of more than 5%.
- Improvement of the overall customer experience (40%), providing quick access to information and making it easier for customers to ask questions (35%) were cited as key drivers for spending more with a brand.
- The pan-European research, carried out in June 2012 by independent research company Loudhouse, surveyed 1400 online shoppers (50% female, 50% male) who had made a complaint or enquiry to a customer service department in the last 12 months.
- For full research findings please go to: http://bit.ly/UwmB3j
- Benefitting from churn: In addition to driving new revenue growth, a good customer experience is also essential to protecting existing revenue channels. Seventy percent of respondents have stopped doing business with a brand following a poor customer experience. Importantly, 92% of this number have gone straight to a competing brand and made a purchase. With fewer than a quarter of consumers (22%) nearly always satisfied with their customer experience, there is a clear opportunity for brands to improve customer service to win market share from competitors.
- Drivers for revenue growth: The survey has indicated steps businesses can take to benefit from the opportunities provided by a positive customer experience. Respondents said that the top five changes to customer experience that would lead to them spending more money with that company are:
- 40% - Improvement in the overall customer experience
- 35% - Ensuring questions can be asked easily and information accessed before making a purchase
- 32% - Adopting an easy return policy
- 26% - Improving the overall website usability and search functionality
- 20% - Providing customers with a more tailored/personalized shopping experience
- Brand loyalty: Eighty-two percent of respondents describe their experiences as requiring too much effort, suggesting that brand loyalty is closely linked to ease of communication. Respondents listed having to use different methods of contact to resolve an issue (26%) and using different methods several times (24%) as the point at which dealing with customer service requires too much effort. Businesses wishing to benefit from the revenue implications of providing a good customer experience therefore need to focus on making their customer interactions as simple as possible.
- Social media: The research also revealed that many organizations are failing to make the most of the customer experience opportunities available to them through social media channels, with only 46% of respondents claiming to have received a reply from a company after posting a comment. The research indicates that 29% of these became angry when the response failed to resolve their issue.
- Danny Rippon, CRM Business Solutions Director, Oracle, said: "Our report has made one thing absolutely clear: getting customer experience right can help increase revenue and win customers away from competing organizations. By creating a consistent and connected experience across all points of customer contact -- including the increasingly important social channel -- businesses can clearly differentiate themselves and build priceless brand capital. As an absolute fundamental, businesses must ensure that their customer experience systems can support fulfillment and service to the extent demanded by consumers, while at all times making it as simple as possible for them to interact with the brand. This is the key both to winning new customers and retaining them for the long-haul."
- Oracle Customer Experience
- Customer Experience Online Forum: Join the Revolution
- Why Customer Satisfaction is No Longer Good Enough Report
- Follow @OracleCX on Twitter
- Connect with Oracle Customer Experience on Facebook
Notes to Editors
The survey focused on 1400 online shoppers (50% female, 50% male) who had made a complaint or enquiry to a customer services department in the last 12 months. The survey was conducted by market research company Loudhouse in the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain during June 2012.
Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center. For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL), visit www.oracle.com.
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Embedded Video Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2176085
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with the 19th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world and ThingsExpo Silicon Valley Call for Papers is now open.
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Hyundai Motor Company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with BEEAH Group (BEEAH), to promote hydrogen mobility demonstration project in the United Arab Emirates and explore further opportunities for collaboration. BEEAH is the pioneer for sustainability and digitalization in the Middle East, integrating zero-waste, waste-to-energy and net-zero innovations to drive industries towards sustainability targets. As […]
By Bang Sun Jeong, Vice President, Head of Middle East & Africa Operation at Hyundai Motor Company Technology has significantly transformed the automotive industry so much that the way we travel in the future will not be the same as how it is today. We are already seeing this revolution with almost all vehicles today […]
Dubai, UAE, June 2020: Juma Al Majid Establishment, the exclusive distributor for Hyundai in the region, has unveiled the launch of the new model of its stand-out sedan Azera. The new iteration has undergone an extensive facelift and will surpass the ordinary when it hits the road. Reflecting Hyundai’s next-generation design vision — the Sensuous […]
November, 2019, UAE: Juma Al Majid, the exclusive distributor of Hyundai in the UAE, has announced the availability of all-new Sonata, starting this November. A sportier avatar of the much loved mid-size sedan, the new Sonata is a must have for those who look for elegance, sportiness, and quality in one car. The eighth-generation of […]
An SUV par excellence! Hyundai’s best and biggest offering yet, the Hyundai Palisade, is the ultimate getaway vehicle for those who love to discover. A spacious eight-seater that is airy and comfortable with an impressive premium tech and safety system, the new Palisade is sure to guarantee a memorable drive every time and promise unmatched […]
After Sales Service Div.- has conducted the 4th Hyundai Service Advisor National Skill competition on the 15th of Aug 2016 in Ras Al Khor Training Center. 14 Service Advisors from 9 Service Centers all over UAE were pre-selected from the results of Service Advisor on-line qualification test to compete against each other to win the […]
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domain: news


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Canadian doctors have invented a portable device capable of "printing" new skin directly onto a wound. The device is able to heal even deep burn marks on any part of the body without leaving scars.
The handheld "bioprinter" was developed at the University of Toronto with the participation of specialists from the Burn Center of the Sunnybrook Center for Medical Sciences. "Its analogy is a scotch tape dispenser," researcher Axel Gunther said earlier.
This week, the device was successfully tested on experimental pigs. Scientists were pleased with the result, which opens up prospects for the early treatment of burn injuries of the skin in humans.
According to Gunther, the new device is much more effective than the current method, when damaged tissue is removed and replaced with healthy tissue taken from another area of the patient's body. Moreover, this method is ineffective for deep and extensive burns, with the destruction of the upper and lower layers of the skin.
The device created by doctors, explains the researcher, completely eliminates the need for grafts by applying a fibrin sheet directly to the wound. Bioinks are made up of a protein involved in blood clotting, which helps the body's immune system and stimulates the growth of new cells.


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Soon after Sorenne started at Junction Park State School, I started volunteering in the tuck shop, prepping foods for a few hundred kids on Fridays.
But not before I left about 10 Comark tip-sensitive digital thermometers and advised, use them frequently.
While cooking breakfast this morning for 120 school kids, I ran into my friend, Dave, who is currently running the tuck shop, and he told me the thermometers get a regular workout each week, he had to change some batteries last week, and he took one home for cooking.
Now imagine that a tip-sensitive digital thermometer could be used to harness user data (and sell product).
Sapna Maheshwari of The New York Times writes that most of what we do — the websites we visit, the places we go, the TV shows we watch, the products we buy — has become fair game for advertisers. Now, thanks to internet-connected devices in the home like smart thermometers, ads we see may be determined by something even more personal: our health.
This flu season, Clorox paid to license information from Kinsa, a tech start-up that sells internet-connected thermometers that are a far cry from the kind once made with mercury and glass. The thermometers sync up with a smartphone app that allows consumers to track their fevers and symptoms, making it especially attractive to parents of young children.
The data showed Clorox which ZIP codes around the country had increases in fevers. The company then directed more ads to those areas, assuming that households there may be in the market for products like its disinfecting wipes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends disinfecting surfaces to help prevent the flu or its spread.
Kinsa, a San Francisco company that has raised about $29 million from venture capitalists like Kleiner Perkins since it was founded in 2012, says its thermometers are in more than 500,000 American households. It has promoted the usefulness of its “illness data,” which it says is aggregated and contains no identifying personal information before being passed along to other companies.
It is unique, Kinsa says, because it comes straight from someone’s household in real time. People don’t have to visit a doctor, search their symptoms on Google or post to Facebook about their fever for the company to know where a spike might be occurring.
“The challenge with Google search or social media or mining any of those applications is you’re taking a proxy signal — you’re taking someone talking about illness rather than actual illness,” said Inder Singh, the founder and chief executive of Kinsa. Search queries and social media can also be complicated by news coverage of flu season, he said, while data from the C.D.C. is often delayed and comes from hospitals and clinics rather than homes.
The so-called internet of things is becoming enmeshed in many households, bringing with it a new level of convenience along with growing concerns about privacy.
Clorox used that information to increase digital ad spending to sicker areas and pull back in places that were healthier. Consumer interactions with Clorox’s disinfectant ads increased by 22 percent with the data, according to a Kinsa Insights case study that tracked performance between November 2017 and March of this year. That number was arrived at by measuring the number of times an ad was clicked on, the amount of time a person spent with the ad and other undisclosed metrics, according to Vikram Sarma, senior director of marketing in Clorox’s cleaning division.
Being able to target ads in this way is a big shift from even seven years ago, when the onset of cold and cough season meant buying 12 weeks of national TV ads that “would be irrelevant for the majority of the population,” Mr. Sarma said. The flu ultimately reaches the whole country each year, but it typically breaks out heavily in one region first and then spreads slowly to others.
While social media offered new opportunities, there has been “a pretty big lag” between tweets about the flu or flulike symptoms and the aggregation of that data for marketers to use, he said.
“What this does is help us really target vulnerable populations where we have a clear signal about outbreaks,” Mr. Sarma said.
Imagine using similar for data for people cooking dinner tonight.
This is what we’re having (above, right; Chapman, about those thermometers?).


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Best rewards credit cards for August 2021 - CNET (Jul 31, 2021 22:10)
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Many shopping complexes in Qatar have announced today that kids below 12 years are allowed to enter malls. However, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued a circular recently regarding this.
The circular says that further to the control the second phase of the gradual lifting of restrictions, children below the age of 12 won’t be permitted to enter commercial centers, shopping centers and popular markets.
إلحاقاً بضوابط واشتراطات المرحلة الثانية من الرفع التدريجي للقيود المفروضة على المجمعات التجارية ومراكز التسوق والأسواق الشعبية تقرر التالي :#قطر #سلامتك_هي_سلامتي pic.twitter.com/BfzD6EMuow— وزارة التجارة والصناعة (@MOCIQatar) July 1, 2020
The statement further mentions that most commercial activities will remain closed on Fridays and Saturdays, except for those offering vital services such as pharmacies, restaurants and food outlets.
Ministry has also withdrawn its previous decision setting time limits on commercial and service activities, therefore, management now can decide the work hours according to their requirements.
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It's morning in Tewksbury — and Somerville, and Chelsea, and 68 other Market Basket locations, to which trucks full of food are headed even as you read this.
WGBH News has you covered with the current status of your foodstuffs, the arcane financing mechanisms that put them on the shelves, and the implications the whole deal has for the future of organized labor.
• Cristina Quinn broke down the complicated, private equity-backed Market Basket deal into terms you can understand.
• Phillip Martin asks: What can labor unions learn from the Market Basket revolt?
• James Edwards traveled to aisle 10 at the Chelsea Market Basket, where he found workers restocking countries and cultures in addition to shelves.
• Free speech lawyer Harvey Silverglate ponders the future of public- and private-sector unions in a post-Market Basket world.
• Fortune's Dan Primack and The Boston Business Journal's Jon Chesto shed further light on the new Market Basket, which will be drained of cash and saddled with serious debt.
• Dan Kennedy suggested that Market Basket's customers deserve some of the credit for the success of the walkout.
That'll do it, see you next weekend.


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WENTZVILLE, Mo. – Acres upon acres of new 2021 GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado trucks, plus full-size vans built at the GM plant in Wentzville have been parked in at least two secure “mega-lots” in Missouri and Illinois for about the past three months. The vehicles still need the semiconductor chips that run their computer and electronic features.
“This didn’t happen overnight,” said AutoAgent CEO Jay Grosman.
Grosman is an industry analyst and podcaster whose company, AutoAgent, buys and sells cars for its customers. The chip shortage has idled new cars for nearly every automaker, he said. The shortage has its roots in the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s toasters, there’s appliances, there are cordless drills that need this chip,” Grosman said. “If you want to get the new smart phone that’s coming out, good luck on that.”
There’s certainly a domino effect. All of those new vehicles just sitting there with no one able to buy them has inventory a little thin at St. Louis area car dealerships.
The chip shortage has forced shift layoffs and a planned two-week shut-down at GM’s Wentzville plant. With shrinking new car inventory, used car prices are skyrocketing, too, Grosman said.
“Last year, the prices were really, really hot but this year it’s insane. I’ve never seen anything like it … this is not going to get any better probably until about 2022 based on my research,” he said.
There is a bright side. Load after load of the parked vehicles are now heading back to Wentzville for their chips and eventual delivery to waiting dealerships with more semi-conductors now becoming available.
A GM spokesman confirmed “the completion process at GM Wentzville will be accelerated.”
He added that the company’s strategy of building then parking new vehicles without chips was “better for customers, dealers, and employees than not building at all.”


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If You’re Not First, You’re Last!
The famous words of hot-head racer Ricky Bobby are important words to live by for racing fans with a Need For Speed!
Burning off the line this week are details of a closed beta for the Need For Speed reboot on Xbox One and PS4. The sign-up are on the official Need For Speed site, and entries must be made before 9am on September 25th. Strangely, there are no details on the PC version at present. I will most definitely be signing up for this after I finish writing, hopefully it will give me a chance to test out EA’s latest racer, and decide whether or not I need more than just Forza Motorsport 6 in my racing life this year!
Talking of being first, this is very much the opinion of Microsoft Executive Kudo Tsunoda. When talking about first party titles for the rest of 2015, Tsunoda said:
“the amount of big, blockbuster, exclusive titles that you can get this holiday on Xbox is just stunning. I mean, it’s really amazing – I think if you look at our competition there’s no way that people can really stack up with our exclusive content, and that’s an amazing part of what we’re doing at Xbox”
To be honest, he isn’t wrong. While people may be able to defend Sony’s PS4 line-up in 2016, when it comes to first party games this year, Microsoft is winning, hands down! I am happy that I own both consoles, but I can see myself spending a lot of time with my Xbox One over the next couple of months – Forza Motorsport 6, Halo 5: Guardians and Rise Of The Tomb Raider.
One game that Sony without doubt lays claim to is Uncharted. Well, according to Naughty Dog, something Uncharted related will be dropping over on Twitch in about 30 minutes! Due to stream at 7:30pm, it is simply known as “Uncharted Moments.” My only assumption is that it will be some gameplay footage of the upcoming Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – maybe some of the best “moments” from across the trilogy.
I touched on PS4’s 2016 line-up earlier, and one title that stands out for a lot of people is The Last Guardian. The long, long awaited title from Team ICO was finally re-revealed at E3 earlier this year and, it could now also be making an appearance at this week’s TGS. A tweet from GenDesign stated that “We are thinking about how to take Trico to the Makuhari (in a new and different way).” Trico is the name of the “bird-dog” seen in the game, and Makuhari is the convention centre where TGS is held. We don’t have long to wait as Sony’s press is tomorrow – the actual event starts on 17th. I’m all for seeing more of this game, but I’d rather just have it in my hands, it’s been long enough!
Closing out the news, and remaining in Japan, Nintendo has announced their new president. Tatsumi Kimishima will take over the role previously held by Satoru Iwata, before his sudden death in July this year. Kimishima has previous held positions with The Pokemon Company and was president for Nintendo of America from 2002-2006. I’m happy to hear they finally have their man, but whoever it was going to be has a big job on their hands! Next year’s rumoured launch of Nintendo NX could make or break Nintendo as a home console company. They will always have the software IP to remain relevant, but I don’t know if they can afford another failure like the Wii U in the hardware space.


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Antoine Dodson – Original News Clip
If you’ve been living under a rock, you probably didn’t see this news clip! Now you know black folks always cring when we see folks like this on the news. This dude is ghetto as hell! You wouldn’t believe this one little news clip has made this guy an overnight internet sensation. Especially since the Gregory Brothers auto tuned it and put some music behind it…(CRAZY!!) We’ first check outthe original news clip, then check out the video, and then you can check out what Mr. Dodson has been doing since his new found fame!


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Of all the “outside the box” concepts of the 1990s, perhaps the most absurd was when companies tried to make soda “cool.” There was Coke, who unleashed upon the world a drink that was basically soupy Jell-O mixed with Mello Yello called Surge. Pepsi, on the other hand, went toward making their signature cola clear. And both tasted like they sound, disgusting. Frankly, Surge tasted like hot garbage in a can, while Crystal Pepsi tasted like expired Sprite mixed with dirt.
Last year, Surge made a comeback that anyone who braved the so-called drink 20 years ago never wanted. And now Pepsi is hinting at bringing back the drink that people bought a 12-pack of in 1992, tasted one, and threw out the other 11 in the trash where it belonged — Crystal Pepsi.
According to Advertising Age, the company sent a message to a competitive eater named Kevin Strahle, who tweeted it for the world to see:
From Strahle’s Twitter account, it looks like he has been on a campaign to bring back Crystal Pepsi. As to why he would want to bring back wretched tasting garbage is not clear (even its creator thinks it tasted bad), but it seems like he is the kind of person who would demand Zima to return as well.
It remains to be seen if the much-mocked soda will once again grace the shelves of grocery stores, or if it will be like Surge and only to be bought online.
The crystal craze also made for one of SNL’s greatest commercial parodies.


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CKX Inc. owns the “American Idol” franchise, among other things, and founder Bob Sillerman had already put it in play. However, several reports now say that The Gores Group, majority owner of Westwood One, has made its own bid for the company.
CKX isn’t officially for sale. However, when the board of directors rebuffed a partial buyout offer by Sillerman a few months back it left the door open to considering an offer, if one were to come along, for 100% of the company. There hasn’t been any public move by Sillerman to increase his offer to buy out all other shareholders, nor has Simon Fuller ever made the bid he had indicated was in the works. Sillerman stepped down from any direct role in the company to pursue his bid. Fuller is still involved, most recently agreeing to manage the career path of this season’s Idol winner.
It appears Bloomberg News was the first to report that The Gores Group had made an unsolicited bid for CKX. After that story cleared the stock rose 10% in late Friday trading. It had, however, already gained in recent months while the Sillerman bid was pending. The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and others ran stories saying their sources had confirmed that The Gores Group had made a bid for 100% of CKX.
In addition to owning the Idol franchise around the world, CKX owns the rights to the names and likenesses of Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali.
Since Sillerman’s departure, veteran radio executive Mike Ferrel, has been CEO of CKX.


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Ford Motor Co. said its first-quarter U.S. light-vehicle sales fell 12 percent, which was the biggest decline among the Detroit 3. Sales dropped 13 percent for its F-Series pickups, an outlier in a segment that otherwise remained strong as the industry was decimated by the coronavirus.
The F-Series, the top-selling pickup line in the country, suffered a rough March retail performance after gains in January and February, a Ford executive told Automotive News. But the biggest factor in its decline from a record first quarter in 2019 was an expected reduction in fleet sales.
"GM and FCA were incredibly aggressive on incentives early in the year, and our price per unit widened dramatically," said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president, U.S. marketing, sales and service. "We believe we've maintained leadership and have a healthy position in the market. I'm not overly concerned about any gap there for the long term."
Ford is preparing to introduce a redesigned F-150 later this year.
Overall, Ford delivered 514,614 light vehicles from January through March this year, down from 586,956 in the first quarter of 2019.
Sales were down 36 percent for sedans, 13 percent for crossovers and SUVs and 4.9 percent for pickups and vans.
Sales by the Lincoln luxury brand rose 2.3 percent in the quarter on the back of the new Aviator crossover. The Continental was the only Lincoln nameplate to post a year-over-year sales gain, up 15 percent.
Ford no longer breaks out monthly sales numbers, but LaNeve said the automaker's sales in January and February were strong. That all changed around March 10 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Sales have been hampered by a number of states issuing stay-at-home orders that in effect bar retailers from selling new vehicles.
LaNeve said roughly one-third of Ford's U.S. dealers can both sell and service vehicles, while about half have been forced to close their showrooms but have kept service centers open. Of the dealers that can continue to sell, more than 90 percent are offering virtual sales and remote delivery.
LaNeve said Ford expects sales to fall in the second quarter, but it's too early to say whether the crisis will lead to full-year declines.
Brands: Ford, down 13%; Lincoln, up 2.3%
Notable nameplates: Ford F-Series, down 13%; Transit, up 16%; Explorer, down 9.1%; Escape, down 21%; Mustang, up 6.8%; Lincoln Navigator, down 14%; Continental, up 15%
Incentives: $3,808, down $400 from a year earlier, ALG says
Average transaction price: $41,203 per vehicle, up $2,015 from a year earlier, according to ALG
Fleet mix: N/A
Inventory: 100-day supply
Quote: "At Ford, we feel a deep obligation to step up and contribute in these unprecedented times," LaNeve said in a statement. "Our dealers and employees have jumped into action to support health care workers, their communities and millions of our customers. Our Ford team is working around the clock on everything from building health care equipment, assisting our dealership network and providing our customers peace of mind through deferred vehicle payments. I have never been more proud of our team."
Did you know? The Transit's 36,836 first-quarter sales were its best since it launched in 2014. Ford expects sales of the van to remain strong through the coronavirus crisis because of demand from health care workers and first responders.


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Alipay launches home rental service with benefits for "trustworthy" customers
Speakers: Li Ningjing, Sam Duckett and Lu Sirui
[Photo: from Chinadaily]
Ant Financial, the payment affiliate of Alibaba Group, has officially launched a home rental service, and people with good credit on Alipay may be eligible to rent an apartment deposit free, the firm said today.
Currently, more than one million apartments are available on Alipay, covering eight cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Xi'an and Zhengzhou.
People with good credit on Alipay may be exempted from paying a deposit, which is now the norm when it comes to home rentals.
Wang Bo, head of Ant Financial's innovation and smart services department, said deposit-free rentals are expected to be the mainstream in the future, with the help of new technologies that track people's trustworthiness automatically based on consumption manners.
The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.


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Greenbrier Reports Second Quarter 2014 Results; Backlog Grows to 15,200 units
Greenbrier announces webcast and conference call of quarterly financial results
The rapid increase of online and mobile banking is streamlining transactions, reducing costs, and making the traditional bank branch a relic of an earlier era.
As consumers rapidly embrace online and mobile commerce, traditional retailers are scrambling to refine their strategies.
Our top managers continue to put money into wide-moat firms.
We are finding more undervalued names in this moaty sector.
We think Prudential is overvalued and investors could be better off with Aviva.
We think the market is overly concerned about the competition.
We like 3-D printer firms' growth fundamentals, but current valuations limit long-term investor returns.
Final environmental regulations give utilities near-term certainty but no comfort.


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That's the finding of this study from the New America Foundation. Here's the Foundation's data summary:
Last year, the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute published The Cost of Connectivity, a first-of-its-kind study of the cost of consumer broadband services in 22 cities around the world. The results showed that, in comparison to their international peers,
Americans in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Washington,
DC are paying higher prices for slower Internet service. While the
plans and prices have been updated in the intervening year, the 2013
data shows little progress, reflecting remarkably similar trends to what
we observed in 2012.
Oh, and if you are interested in fast Internet service in the U.S. that rivals the best in the world, move to (or stay in) Chattanooga.


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As Covid-19 vaccinations have picked up and more businesses reopen across the country, Easter weekend saw a resurgence of tourist activity in some cities, perhaps indicating a turning point for the struggling tourism industry.
Chip Rogers, the president and chief operating officer for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the trade organization for the hospitality industry, said that before last weekend, recovery had been “very regionalized,” with places like Florida and Texas doing well and “cities that thrive on large meetings and conventions like a Chicago, Orlando, Las Vegas” struggling to recover.
“You’re seeing really good pickup over the weekend dates, which have now extended. Traditionally they’re Friday to Sunday, now it’s Thursday to Monday,” he said, referring to the increase in leisure travel. But the lack of business travel means weekday bookings continue to lag. Still, he added, there’s reason for “cautious optimism.”
But travelers, even those who are fully vaccinated, should practice caution while visiting some states, health experts warn. Case numbers are going up in some popular destinations, like Florida, which saw a spike as revelers flocked there during spring break. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that people continue to wear masks, social distance and frequently wash their hands, even though some local governments have relaxed or lifted these rules.
Mila Miami, a restaurant in Miami Beach, many have traveled from out of state for extended stays — particularly from places like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago — which he said “has enabled the business to pick up customers that we wouldn’t have.”
This influx proved problematic over spring break, when police officers in riot gear used pepper balls to enforce an emergency curfew and disperse revelers ignoring social distancing and mask regulations.
During the weekend of March 28 to April 3, Miami “saw its highest occupancy level since the start of the pandemic, with most hotels reporting upward of 75 percent occupancy levels,” said Suzie Sponder, a spokeswoman for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. That’s only a 6.6 percent drop from the same weekend in 2019.
Ms. Sponder added that the average room rate for the weekend was $282.29, up 25 percent from 2019. And Mr. Rogers, of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, said that revenue, which is still down across the board, is the best indicator of the industry’s recovery, noting that Miami’s strong numbers are the exception rather than the rule.
In the tourism industry, “you still have a lot of folks that are out of work,” he said, “because it’s those large, city center urban hotels that employ the most people, because they have those extensive food and beverage operations that are not working right now. That’s where most job loss is occurring.”
Circa Resort & Casino. “It’s like trying to book a dinner reservation on New Year’s Eve. It’s not something you do the day before.” Spots at the pools at his establishments, which include two other hotels, are booked a month in advance because of reduced capacity limits and social distancing, which he said shows that there is demand for leisure travel. Hotels and other venues in the city are limited to 50 percent capacity.
Though the weekend of Easter is, historically, the second slowest weekend in the city, this year was different because of March Madness, the annual N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments. “Everything was packed to the restricted capacity level,” he said. “On Saturday, all of our venues were filled by 10 a.m. because of Final Four. I think that was the case throughout all of Las Vegas.”
Mr. Stevens said that since the Super Bowl, in February, there have been indications that the tourism industry in Vegas is recovering, adding that his three hotels have been sold out every weekend since. “I’ve never seen booking at the rate of what we’ve seen in the past three months or so. This is the strongest booking that I’ve ever experienced,” he said.
But there continues to be a dip during weekdays because of the lack of conferences or conventions. “What we’re seeing is enormous pent-up demand for leisure travel that while it’s going to take place throughout the entire summer, does not necessarily mean that business travel will follow suit,” he said.


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Farmers say they're owed over €1m from meat plant
A group of Donegal farmers claim they are owed over €1m from a meat factory in Lifford.
More than 100 farmers who supply Edenmore Farm Meats Ltd have held a series of protests outside the factory after they claimed attempts to negotiate with the company failed.
Last week, the farmers informed Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed of the escalating situation and have requested him and the Department to intervene.
However, in a statement to the Farming Independent, Richard Burke, managing director of Edenmore Farm Meats, said that the company is committed to paying all farmers involved.
"We are in regular contact with farmers and the farmers committee, and made it very clear that we intend to get all farmers paid as soon as normal operations resume," said Mr Burke.
"Edenmore Farm Meats Ltd is firmly committed to the farming community in Donegal and is working tirelessly to get normal operations resumed as quickly as possible and farmers paid," he added.
Last November, a High Court judge expressed concern about the future of the Donegal meat plant following a dispute involving the premises' owners and a bank-appointed receiver.
The plant is currently not operating due to the on-going row.


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This was reported by Censor.NET, referring to UkrainskaPravda.
More than a thousand Mariupol residents formed a human chain at thecity checkpoint towards Novoazovsk. Eyewitnesses of the eventreport about it on social media. The chain
"Live chain in Mariupol.There are up to thousand people",the Polish journalist Paul Penonzhek wrote about it on hisTwitter.
In turn, the Dutch journalist Olaf Koons added that there are many women and childrenamong the participants.


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Pet King products win two industry awards
WESTMONT - Pet King Brands Inc., the maker of veterinarian recommended Zymox ear and skin health care products for dogs and cats, has received top honors from two industry-leading publications, Dogster magazine and Pet Insight magazine.
Both awards are for Pet King's Zymox enzyme-based dermatology products in the pet care category.
The Dogster magazine 2022 Editor's Choice award has been given to the Zymox Leave-On Conditioner, which helps dogs with itchy allergy skin, hair loss and hot spots. The conditioner was applauded for its no-sting formula, the patented enzyme system, and versatility of use with its ability to be washed off or left on to dry for skin-hydrating benefits.
The Pet Insight Vanguard Award, which is targeted to the pet specialty retailer, recognized three Zymox ear care products leading the remedy category in sales and innovation. This is the fourth Vanguard Award Pet King Brands has earned.
"Zymox has been blazing trails since the products were introduced over 20 years ago," said Pamela K Bosco, president and founder of Pet King Brands. "The line has done amazing things for the health and comfort of countless animals and these awards are great reminders we are making a difference in the lives of animals across the nation."


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The United Auto Workers has set up an organizing committee at the Tesla Motors plant in Fremont, CA, but says it is meeting with resistance from management despite CEO Elon Musk’s pledge to let the workers decide whether they want union representation.
UAW President Bob King tells WardsAuto his group is actively looking to recruit workers at the Tesla factory, which is building 400 battery-electric vehicles each week. The plant employs about 2,000 people, but not all are production workers the union is targeting, he says.
"It's growing fast," King says of the support for the committee. Establishing a pro-union committee is only the first step in any UAW organizing drive.
The UAW has met with Musk, and King says the Tesla founder was “very open and said he would respect what the workers wanted. But his operating management has done the opposite. The operating management has taken a very anti-union stance.
“We're trying to go back to Elon and say, ‛You have credibility with us. You're doing a great job from many different perspectives. We need you to really intervene so workers have the right to exercise their right to join a union,’” King says at UAW headquarters in Detroit.
Tesla spokeswoman Shanna Hendricks declines to comment on the UAW activity in an email to WardsAuto.
Some of Tesla's employees worked for the UAW-represented New United Motor Mfg. (NUMMI), the General Motors-Toyota joint venture that in 2010 shuttered the plant now serving as the home of Tesla production. GM abandoned the JV in 2009 while it was in bankruptcy, and Toyota said it could not sustain the plant's operations if it wasn't building vehicles for both auto makers.
However, many of the workers who have expressed an interest in a union are not former NUMMI employees, King says.
"They're just workers who feel they would be better off with union protection, the protection of the contract,” he says. “But (the number) is growing fast."
King has tempered the union's old-line militancy by stressing a labor-relations philosophy that is focused more on cooperation and problem-solving.
"We really are working hard at different approaches," he says, acknowledging the UAW also has to overcome the resistance of managers who consider the union an obstacle to a smooth-running industrial plant.
“When we organize at a company, we're going to work together with the management of those operations to make sure they're successful," King says, adding the union recognizes that delivering the best quality and best productivity helps protect jobs in the long run.
The UAW, with help from the German metalworkers union, IG Metall, has active organizing drives under way at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN, and Mercedes-Benz operation in Tuscaloosa, AL. It also has been recruiting at a Nissan factory in Canton, MS.
However, so far it has been unsuccessful in organizing workers at any Southern U.S. plants and has not pressed for any elections under King’s direction.
But the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Fremont plant is located, has a long tradition of strong union presence and may present a friendlier atmosphere than does the Southern U.S. In addition, the political climate in California, where union membership has been growing, is much more favorable, notes Kent Wong, a labor-relations expert at UCLA.
Tesla began building its new Model S sedan in Fremont last year. The car has been a hit, becoming the best-selling EV in the U.S. and bringing Musk's once-struggling company its first profits.
The success has made Palo Alto, CA-based Tesla popular on Wall Street, as the value of its stock has soared. It opened Tuesday at $144.75, nearly four times the value of GM shares.
Fremont stopped producing vehicles for Toyota in April 2010, as output of Tacoma pickups was relocated to a factory in San Antonio and North American-market Corolla production was shifted entirely to Canada and Japan.
At its peak production, the NUMMI plant employed 4,700 workers and produced 400,000 Toyotas, Chevrolets and Pontiacs annually.
Tesla purchased the plant for $50 million in 2010 and is hiring additional production workers according to its website. Starting pay is estimated at $16 per hour, which is in line with the wages paid new workers at Chrysler, Ford and GM under their current UAW contracts and equal to pay at Nissan and VW plants in the U.S.
Tesla’s website says its workers also are eligible to receive company stock, which has gained 411% during the past 52 weeks.


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Hoteliers can simplify the management of their online sales strategy with the announcement that Rate Tiger is enhancing its integrated revenue management suite, RT Channel Manager.RT Channel Manager Plus will see the complete integration of its leading products, RT Shopper and RT Allocator into a single screen, making it even more convenient to view the market position and update rates and availability.
Hoteliers will be able to manage rooms and rates across online channels without the additional paper work and time consuming activities involved in assessing competitors’ rates and positioning themselves in the market.
The single RT Channel Manager Plus screen streamlines revenue management to allow hoteliers to view the market and its inventory in one glance.
The new suite, due for launch in early 2008, will offer hotels greater flexibility when allocating rooms and setting rates to Internet Distribution Systems (IDS) to gain a greater competitive edge online. It will be the only such product on the market.
“It is essential that hospitality technologies move with the times; hoteliers have more to deal with now than five years ago,” says Andrew Morsi, co-founder. “Regulation commitments, increase in online bookings and higher expectations from patrons means hoteliers need to streamline their business. We have been listening to the needs of our customers to develop technologies that are going to save them time and increase the return of investment.”
“Marketing room availability has for a long time been a guessing game for hoteliers,” says Reuel Ghosh, co-founder. “People are more confident booking their travels online through web booking engines and agencies, now the hospitality industry must update its position in the market.
“Hoteliers need to act smart to stay ahead of the game; this technology will help rates and inventory sales remain flexible and manageable.”


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Man of Steel promotional funding went to 100 global partners, the largest gathering in Hollywood history. These numerous partners have displayed several innovative methods of marketing the movie. Many proved the advantages in dealing with such a widely recognized brand in which the details are known to the vast majority of consumers, even if they have not seen the blockbuster. Warby Parker, for example, created a Man of Steel line of glasses designed to mimic the dapper Clark Kent look.
Gillette also tapped into the Superman zeitgeist, but with a more entertaining take, flooding social media channels with a series of videos exploring how someone invincible like Superman shaves. This take proved particularly brilliant because Gillette allowed fans to vote for their favorite theory: Bill Nye’s video, for example, hypothesized that Superman’s beard might be brittle enough to grind off in small chunks. Hershey’s somewhat similar take with the Twizzler brand held a promotion that encouraged users to create a self-starring Man of Steel video clip.
For those watching TV, Man of Steel commercials appeared from the Army National Guard, Nokia, Carl’s Jr. and a variety of other companies from a broad selection of industries. Nokia, the largest international company taking part in the promotions, created an entirely new app for the movie that gave newcomers the facts and history surrounding the Superman mythos. For those more well-versed in their comic hero information, Sears offered a series of extra tie-ins and early glimpses of footage that connected with Sears shopping perks and rewards programs.
Meanwhile, classic movie marketing in fast-food brands and cereal boxes also took place, with a few interesting twists. Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., for example, worked with director Zack Snyder to create commercials that actually starred Man of Steel lead Henry Cavill.
The massive number of promotions indicates a promising trend for future Hollywood movies. When a brand is already strong, marketers are willing to find innovative ways of utilizing that brand to its fullest. This works less well with original material, but when people get the joke or tie-in, it can be especially effective. The upcoming list of superhero movies will provide even more opportunities for companies to hop on board, but, for now, Superman is flying highest.
Photo Source: Flickr


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3d Flat Screens
News.com reports on upcoming flat-panel 3d displays from Sharp:
- Sharp, Japan's largest maker of liquid-crystal displays, said Friday its researchers in Britain have developed a flat-panel display for either two- or three-dimensional viewing that does not require special glasses.
Apple was rumored to be researching alternative flat-panel display technology, including stereoscopic displays.
Posted by edvniow


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The online experience carries the Birdman's eighth outing, despite its stumbles, into next-gen.
Activision's latest skater game gets a new downloadable demo on Xbox Live.
It's been a long time coming, but the Tony Hawk series is poised for a comeback. Can it attain its former glory?
The Birdman's next-gen outing looks set to break new ground by taking it to the old school.
Neversoft sets out to prove that eight is definitely enough... to satisfy gamers everywhere.
Neversoft is working on a visually enticing Tony Hawk game for next gen consoles, Tony Hawk's Project 8.


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Asian street markets have never been so hot.
Last month, everyone was losing their minds over Taiwan’s tasty tofu seller, but now it’s all about Malaysia’s sexy fruit vendor.
Part-time model/part-time tofu seller Yi Tin Chen went viral back in June after people began to share pictures of him on Weibo.
Queues of thirsty locals formed outside the bean curd shop where he worked.
It was hard to keep up with demand.
But, hot bean curd guy has got a rival.
Word on the street is Asia’s newest hot employee of the month is durian fruit seller and part-time fitness model Jordan Yeoh.
After spotting Chen’s success, Jordan decided to jump on the trend. He explained on Facebook that he decided to help out on his aunt and uncle’s durian street stall after realising ‘market vendors seem to be a trend.’
He’s got the uniform sorted.
Give the customer what they want and they will come.
Everyone admired his entrepreneurial spirit.
Why bother finding a modelling agency when you can just take a few shifts at your family’s street stall?
Is that the sweet smell of success?
Or just the durians?


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As the world faces up to the realities of climate change, all eyes are on China, currently the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. In September 2020, President Xi announced at the UN General Assembly the objective of peak CO2 emissions by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2060. Whether China will achieve this goal in full has been questioned by many. But it is clear that they will try. This has major implications for the battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty truck market in China.
Decarbonisation of heavy industry implies need for clean heavy duty trucks
Currently we see limited penetration for new energy heavy-duty (HD) trucks in China, as we do across the globe, owing to high prices and lack of charging infrastructure. But our interviews with market leaders in the sector point to the fact that emission-free trucks are a focus for a range of industries as they respond to national and local government emission-cutting policies. Nikkei Asia reported recently that party officials in Tangshan in Hebei Province imposed stringent emissions controls on steel-makers in response to President Xi’s announcement, cutting production by between 30-50%. However, China’s burgeoning economy needs high production levels and the longer-term picture in the steel industry will be the modernising and decarbonising of production lines and the electrification of their associated lorry fleets.
In some sectors, electric or hybrid HD trucks have been around for some time, though in limited numbers. We are talking mainly of vehicles covering short ranges in areas of high-density population, such as city sanitation vehicles, which are already well-established in China. As far back as July 2011, Reuters reported the introduction of 1,060 full electric sanitation trucks on the streets of Beijing, and in 2018 500 electric waste vehicles manufactured by BYD, a Chinese company, were rolled out in Shenzhen. Our interviewees reported the progressive outsourcing of sanitation services to private companies, and the subsequent pressure placed on those companies by local leaders, as well as government inducements in the form of subsidies, to commit to new energy vehicles to combat high pollution levels.
China posts significant increases in new energy truck sales in first half of 2021
New energy light-duty trucks have enjoyed far greater penetration on China’s roads than have equivalent heavy-duty vehicles. But our interviews detect that the gap may be about to narrow. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), sales of NEV HD trucks reached 1,732 units in the first half of 2021. This constituted a year-on-year increase of 22.4%. Of these, 240 units were hydrogen fuel cell trucks, accounting for 13.85% of total NEV HD truck sales, and 381 units, or 22% of the total, were battery-swapping vehicles. 2021 could indeed be regarded as a landmark year for new energy HD trucks in China. We feel the fuel cell powered option is something to take particular note of. Previously prevalent in the bus sector, it is spreading into the truck market, and interviewees quoted important supporting policies promoting fuel cell use in the medium and heavy duty lorry sector, such as the ‘Notice of Launching Demonstration Applications of Fuel Cell Vehicles’ issued by multiple central government ministries in September 2020. This initiative should incentivize the whole value chain for new energy commercial vehicles.
Battery-swapping: the way ahead?
Whilst the technological challenges to electrification of long-haul transportation trucks currently seem significant, if not insurmountable – battery size, range and charging time being the main barriers – mass adoption of EV solutions for short-distance HD vehicles such as on city streets (e.g. waste lorries), in mines, or in internal transportation scenarios such as steel plants is definitely in prospect. This is also the case for medium-sized construction vehicles such as dumpers and small excavation machinery. But even with short-journey HD vehicles, range and charging time can be an issue. Our interviewers extracted some interesting data regarding battery-swapping. HD battery-swap trucks saw good sales in the first half of the year, but it is a new technology, and issues remain to be resolved, such as a lack of industry standards allowing a proper match of batteries to vehicles.
An interesting point was made by one interviewee: some major operators in coal mining in China’s coal-rich North reported that they achieved a better TCO with electric trucks compared even to diesel, the main reason for this being that they have their own powerplants, and so can charge their vehicles very cheaply.
In competition with EV is the hydrogen fuel cell. In a fuel cell truck, the operational mileage is much longer than for electric trucks, and the fuel cell filling time is much shorter than electric battery charging time. But the technology has disadvantages: capital expenditure on a fuel cell vehicle is high – more than double that of an electric truck. Interviewees suggested that government subsidies could help to lower the price of these vehicles, but they could still cost up to 30% more than the equivalent electric truck.
Another major negative factor is the infrastructure required to support fuel cell vehicles. Interviewees highlighted the difference in cost of building a fuel cell filling station and an EV charging station, putting the cost of the former at 10 million RMB for a 1,000 KG installation, which is significantly more than the cost of an EV charging facility. This would inevitably have a knock-on effect on vehicle operation costs, putting hydrogen at, say 40-50 RMB per kilogram, twice the cost hydrogen would need to be to bring the vehicle TCO down to anywhere near economically realistic levels.
China poised to be a major global player
Whilst the USA will be the world leader in new energy HD trucks, we expect China to be a front-runner. We could well see Chinese government policies fuelling both Chinese and global markets, with global suppliers servicing a growing Chinese market, and successful Chinese OEMs exporting their products. Our upcoming truck and bus report will contain the latest deep-dive data supporting the anticipated growth in the EV and fuel cell HD truck sectors in China and globally.
For further information, please contact Shirly Zhu, author of this report: email@example.com.


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A pop-up café inspired by food waste products serving dishes made of excess food from Hackney suppliers opened its doors in Shoreditch today.
The café serves a tasting menu inspired by foods that are typically wasted by people in the UK, to prove how foods we often forget about can be adapted into both healthy and nutritious meal.
All the meals served are composed of surplus food sourced from local Hackney suppliers where possible, and use ingredients that most people would never think to recycle.
A lot of the menu has been inspired by locals and people up and down the country who have thought up the meal ideas.
The Hotpoint Fresh Thinking Café in Bethnal Green was officially opened by chef Jamie Oliver yesterday evening.
Oliver, who is also the brand’s celebrity ambassador, has addressed the café’s mission saying: “Good food is a beautiful thing, it brings people together, it can cheer you up, and it can give you all the goodness you need to fuel your day – which is why me and the team don’t think any of it should be wasted.
I’m really excited to share tips for cutting food waste, and beautiful recipes that celebrate ingredients that often get thrown away.”
Food waste is becoming an increasingly important issue in the UK. According to a recent survey, European households claim to throw away over 8% of the food they buy.
Just in London alone, food waste amounts to around £840 a year per family, subsequently this creates 19 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
All proceeds from this event will go towards charity FoodCycle, a charity fighting food waste, food poverty, and loneliness through community projects all over the country.
CEO of the charity Mary McGrath told EastLondonLines: “Over a third of all food produced in the world goes to waste and in the UK we throw away a shocking £13bn worth of food each year.
“That’s why we’re delighted to be partners with Hotpoint for their Fresh Thinking Café, which is helping to raise awareness of this huge issue whilst supporting us with our mission to reduce food waste, hunger and loneliness across the country.
The proceeds from the Fresh Thinking Café will help us to continue doing what we do best, which is creating nutritious, three-course, community meals using food that would otherwise go to waste”.
The menu includes dishes such as Moroccan chicken with sweet potato croquettes and crushed harissa carrots, and salmon kedgeree with crispy egg and spicy fruit pickle. Desserts include bread and butter pudding and vegan salted chocolate mousse.
Hotpoint recently conducted research on the top 10 most commonly forgotten foods in the UK, with bread, bagged salad and fresh vegetables topping the list.
- Bagged salad
- Fresh vegetables
- Cooked leftovers
- Fresh fruit
Much of the menu comprises foods on this list.
The pop-up café is only open for a short time only from 10-11 October. It is situated on 133-135 Bethnal Green Road, with the closest overground stop being Shoreditch High Street.
There are no set prices at the café, diners are asked to pay as they feel appropriate for the dishes they eat.
Here’s a breakdown of what your donation at the café could pay for:
£5 Buys tablecloths and decorations to create a welcoming environment each week
£10 Provides a nutritious community meal for 7 guests
£20 Rescues 2 tonnes of surplus food, equivalent to 4,700 meals
£40 Stocks a project’s store cupboard with essential spices and oils to make the food super tasty
£50 Helps train a team of volunteers to ensure the safety and wellbeing of guests
There are only a limited number of reservations available at the café.


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What Can Entrepreneurs Learn from HelloGold’s Failed Consumer Businessby Johanan Devanesan February 9, 2023 1 comment
During the cryptocurrency frenzy of the mid- to late-2010s, the HelloGold gold savings app was launched in Malaysia to a curious public. Allowing savings in gold for as low as RM 1, many wondered if this alternative business model would actually empower financial inclusion for low- to medium-income users.
Officially launched in 2017, the HelloGold app outlasted many expectations and was recognised for its innovative application of blockchain, becoming the world’s first Shariah-compliant certified online digital gold platform.
But HelloGold announced late last month that it was shutting down its consumer app unit in both Malaysia and Thailand – and that users had until February 2nd to withdraw their funds.
Robin Lee, HelloGold CEO who co-founded the app in 2015 with Ridwan Abdullah, spoke with Fintech News Malaysia’s Vincent Fong on the latest episode of the Fintech Fireside Asia YouTube channel about the challenges they faced, what led to the shutdown, and what’s next for the company.
B2B2C and back again to B2B
Robin noted how the company had always intended to be a B2B2C platform, yet had to pivot to a B2C pureplay when corporate partnerships proved difficult to land. HelloGold slowly began gaining traction during the pandemic, but business “started falling off quite dramatically” as the world was coming out of lockdown.
“And so you know, much as we tried to keep it going, it just made sense to stop the B2C and pivot back to the B2B to see propositions,” he detailed. “So we’re now just focused on the corporate angle and putting all our eggs into that basket.”
Robin said consumers spent less during the lockdown months, with some of that discretionary funds being channelled into their gold. End of enforced lockdowns meant people started spending again, but now with the added issue of inflation, so goods were costing more. “They were taking money out of our gold. The positive to that was that the gold kind of did what it was supposed to do, you know? Unfortunately for us – it was our revenue, too.”
Processing payments and refunds
Since the shutdown, over RM30 million has been returned to customers, with about another RM10 million to be refunded, while around 50,000 users have yet to provide their account details to HelloGold. Robin says daily refunds processing will continue until the end of the week, before reverting to weekly processing, to be followed by monthly processing “until it goes to zero.”
Aware of the vulnerabilities of their business model and the fact that around 90% of startups fail in their first year, Robin emphasised that his partners and himself were always thinking about what to do in the event of a failure.
To avoid the startup fallacy of either listening to naysayers or believing in their own hype, Robin believes one can have backup contingencies, “from Plan A to B to Z”, but have to face reality at some point.
“But I think once you run out of ideas, and you’re kind of hoping, as opposed to planning, then I think is when you probably have to take a hard look at life,” he mused. When asked what he would do differently if he were to repeat the HelloGold app business, Robin pointed out that the benefit of hindsight is wonderful, and that they made decisions based on the available information at the time.
He laments not sticking to the B2B2C strategy and going B2C, but the company had a watershed decision to make at the time. “Either we just do nothing, and just sit there, or we go for it. And it was a call we made because, you know, we roadmap, and had a plan and milestones to achieve for our investors.”
Robin noted that funding, and therefore strategic thinking, were very different for corporations as compared to startups.
When the HelloGold platform was being developed in 2016, the innovation-driven financial services in Malaysia, including digital wallets and the ability to integrate with corporates for B2B investing, were still in their relative infancy.
Corporations likely have fallback capital, or can defer repayments – startups often don’t have those resources. Robin said HelloGold spoke to many corporates about strategic partnership and integration opportunities, but if the corporation decided not to follow through, there was not much that could be done.
“So I’m not saying that B2B2C is easy, because it has a set of challenges of which you’re getting corporates across the line, to sign a deal, and then start building the platform or integrating with you,” said Robin. “In hindsight, I guess I was naïve. I thought that if you ink the deal, everything is done. That was clearly not the case.”
Vincent highlighted the chicken and egg dilemma of corporations not being ready with their decision, and startups might consider entering the B2C sphere to generate revenue and to show potential investors that they could generate the numbers.
Would HelloGold go the ICO route again?
Robin highlighted how with traditional investing, an investor would have to know someone at a company like Alibaba in order to get in on the ground floor of pouring in funds. But with an ICO, investors big and small globally could participate in something akin to a seed round.
But the ICO’s strength of being able to raise capital quickly and with minimal interference is offset by the inherent instability of the tokenisation ecosystem. Knowing what he knows now, would Robin still raise capital through an ICO, as HelloGold did in 2017?
Robin acknowledged that in hindsight, ICO fundraising was “the Wild, Wild West” and added that he was unsure if he would repeat the decision. “At a personal level, no. As a company going out to raise money — yes. But there’s a huge — less so now, I guess, but certainly in 2018-2019 — there was a huge chat about the whole thing when we talk to partners, banks, etc … Is that happening in the space? People think twice.”
Pivoting to B2B the path to success?
One advantage for HelloGold when it comes to targeting its app and services for businesses instead of consumers, was its network of business partners it had built up. The company plans to integrate HelloGold into other platforms and whitelabel the gold savings component according to their corporate partner.
“So with a low burn and also without the need to look at the retail space and divert resources there, we can really focus on [B2B] and see where that takes us,” Robin exclaimed. “What’s interesting is that over the last week or so, since we announced the closure of the retail business, we’ve had a number of parties come to us, or partnership discussions.”
Robin compared the new B2B strategy to microprocessor makers like Intel and AMD, who work with multiple hardware partners and whose solutions are found in all sorts of electronic devices. And interestingly, partnership opportunities in this space keep presenting themselves.
“It’s interesting that, you know, new B2B business, these are coming out as a result of the closure of the retail business,” commented Robin wryly.
Vincent asked if these corporate partners had expressed apprehension about the digital gold method, to which Robin replied, “I fundamentally believe it is not difficult if you have a large installed customer base that you can tap into, and you can then acquire customers at a very low cost.”
Lessons from loss
He says that people like gold, even institutions, and would want to save in gold for its financial benefits over holding Malaysian Ringgit or equities. HelloGold has the added advantage of experience in the whole gold platform “and we continue to have a pipeline of opportunities from Malaysia, all the way to Africa.”
Robin says what remains is to activate some of these business relationships. It is in the interest of many of these institutions to leverage HelloGold’s expertise and built-out technology in the gold investment space, rather than building their own solution from scratch.
HelloGold is still focused on paying back its former retail app customers, to maintain its credibility with investors and potential business partners that this was not a ‘rug pull’. But it’s topline revenue has evaporated, and the startup was forced to restructure and slim down its team.
At the same time, Robin points out that the picture might not be as dire as it sometimes appears: the company was originally built with B2B business in mind, and that there are no operating costs presently associated with running that aspect.
Ultimately, Robin says entrepreneurs “with an itch to scratch” will still need to pursue their dream with resilience and confidence, to make it through all the highs and lows of building a business. “So you kind of need something to hold on to, and for me it was trying to do this thing and getting it out there. Do it for the right reasons.”
To check out the full interview, head on over to our Youtube page


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Income hunters that made their way into real estate investment trusts (REITs) at the start of 2019 are rolling in more than rent checks right now. Not only did they enjoy the sector’s generous dividends, they enjoyed big price gains to boot.
Even the “dumbly indexed” Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ) peeled off a sweet 28.9% in total returns last year. That’s its best showing since 2014, and more than double its average annual return of 11%-plus over the past decade.
But do these big 2019 gains mean that we’re due to regress in 2020?
I’ve previously warned about the dangers of holding REITs whose fundamentals are out of whack with its valuation. Not only are we limiting our upside with expensive shares, but overpriced property owners tend to yield less, too.
Unfortunately, today, the entire sector looks quite expensive! REITs on average are trading for almost 19 times funds from operations (FFO, a quintessential profitability metric for real estate companies). I typically want to buy into REITs when they’re cheaper from a P/FFO perspective. Our pickings are slim.
However, not every REIT followed the sector into the clouds in 2019. In fact, a few took it on the chin, and as a result trade far cheaper than their lofty peers—and sport screaming dividends to boot.
These three beaten down REITs are cheap in terms of their cash flows, and boast yields all the way up to 8.6%. But are they cheap for a reason?
Taubman Centers (TCO)
Dividend Yield: 8.6%
Let’s start out with Taubman Centers (TCO), which is quite cheap at a mere 6.2 times its trailing 12-month funds from operations.
Taubman is a retail REIT, which immediately answers the question “What happened?” once you discover that TCO’s stock plunged 32% in 2019.
Specifically, Taubman owns, manages and/or leases 26 regional, super-regional and outlet shopping centers in the U.S. (that’s a problem) and in Asia (more encouraging).
To the company’s credit, it has been working for years to improve various aspects of the business. Taubman’s tenant mix is much more diversified than it once was, which has driven more than three consecutive years’ worth of quarterly tenant per-square-foot sales growth. It’s also been dealing with its debt issues, extending its primary line of credit and selling 50% of its interest in Starfield Hanam, to real estate funds managed by Blackstone (BX), to raise $300 million in cash.
Indeed, if you look at the company’s operational performance since 2016, it would appear that 2019’s thud—which included a disappointing third-quarter report that investors met with ire—was merely an anomaly.
But one of the factors impacting that Q3 report is a reminder of the uphill climb Taubman and most traditional shopping-center REITs have to contend with: dying retailers. CEO Robert Taubman said in the most recent conference call that the bankruptcy of Forever 21 had a “significant impact.” That’s despite the loss of just two of Forever 21’s locations.
The dividend is at least for real. The payout has been growing steadily for years and represents only 73% of this year’s full-year FFO estimates. But an uncertain landscape for brick-and-mortar retail puts most retail REITs in question. Taubman might be set up for a dead-cat bounce simply because it’s so cheap. But a long-term retirement solution? Hardly.
Hersha Hospitality Trust (HT)
Dividend Yield: 8.3%
Hersha is a bi-coastal hotel REIT sporting a collection of 48 hotels, totaling more than 7,600 rooms, in cities such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its properties house high-quality upscale, luxury and lifestyle transient hotels, spanning well-known brand names such as Hyatt (H) and Marriott (MAR), but also independent hotels such as Philadelphia’s five-diamond The Rittenhouse.
That didn’t matter in 2019. Almost everyone in the hospitality real estate industry struggled. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (PEB) lost 5%. CorePoint Lodging (CPLG) fell by 13%. Hersha, though, was among the worst at a 17% loss.
I believe in lodging’s potential long-term, and catering to upper-class customers is almost a winning formula more often than not. But Hersha’s 2019 isn’t an isolated incident. Just look at how funds from operations have been trending over the past few years:
While CEO Jay Shah expresses quite a bit of optimism in the company’s quarterly results, as well as some legitimately strong results in important hotel metrics such as RevPAR, the fact remains that it’s struggling in key markets, most notably New York City.
HT’s payment has remained flat for almost five years now as a result of its weak results, and as I frequently preach: prices chase dividends, for better or worse.
Iron Mountain (IRM)
Dividend Yield: 8.1%
Iron Mountain (IRM) is truly a rare breed of a REIT, providing something that many companies still need: shredding and document storage.
It provides a lot more than that, too, out of necessity. As companies go increasingly paperless, that’s less product for Iron Mountain to keep locked up or destroy. So it has branched out into data centers, document scanning, analytics and workflow automation.
But it’s not happening fast enough.
The “first-level” numbers don’t seem to indicate that. Growth has been pretty steady of late, albeit with a hiccup in 2019.
The problems lie underneath. For instance, consider that through nine months in 2019, data center operations accounted for just 6% of revenues. Data management accounted for 9%. Records and information management, which includes its shredding business, was half IRM’s year-to-date sales, and that part of the business continues to shrink.
It’s clear management isn’t pleased with its progress on modernizing. The day of its earnings release, it also announced a “transformation program” called Project Summit that’s “designed to accelerate execution of Iron Mountain’s stated strategy. In a nutshell, it’s simplifying its org structure and streamlining management (cutting costs).
That’s not to say IRM can’t become a digital juggernaut somewhere much farther down the line, but for now, its legacy business is in decline while it struggles to make hay in where its future lies.
The final strike against Iron Mountain for now? Its pace of dividend growth over the past four years:
- 2016: +13%
- 2017: +6.8%
- 2018: +4%
- 2019: +1.2%
These 8%+ yields are far from perfect, which is why their stocks are trading a such steep discounts. But it is possible to find bargain yields that are a bit more ideal for your retirement portfolio.
Brett Owens is chief investment strategist for Contrarian Outlook. For more great income ideas, click here for his latest report How To Live Off $500,000 Forever: 9 Diversified Plays For 7%+ Income.


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Christmas gives shoppers the perfect reason to party so expect soft drinks sales to bubble over
Tetley has unveiled a new TV advert starring the Tetley Tea Folk and highlighting its Extra Strong tea range.
Taylors of Harrogate will be back on TV in November highlighting its Yorkshire Tea for Hard Water.
Mars Wrigley has revamped the gum as part of a new campaign
Choc Caramel will be available in standard and price-marked packs of 400ml and one-litre
Magnum has unveiled remixed versions of its best-selling Classic, Almond, and White Chocolate flavours
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Looking for love, with pictographic assembly instructions.
September 8, 2011 11:18 AM Subscribe
Shanghai singles are using IKEA to find love. Yes, IKEA has become a semi-public social space in Beijing and elsewhere in China (previously), but now one Shanghai IKEA is twice-weekly "taken over by a swarm of locals between the ages of 45 and 65 who come to seek out new love over free cups of coffee — a perk offered to holders of the Ikea Family membership card — and boxed lunches brought from home."
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JetBlue and Absolut yesterday on their official Twitter feeds offered support of Wizards C Jason Collins' announcement on SI.com Monday that he is gay, but “most marketers without a relationship with Mr. Collins seem to have held back on the subject so far,” according to Nat Ives of AD AGE. Some people “seemed to think JetBlue, an airline without a connection" to either the NBA or Collins, was "trying too hard -- stretching to turn a gay-rights moment into a marketing opportunity.” A JetBlue spokesperson said that the airline is “not working on any deal" with Collins (ADAGE.com, 4/30). CNNMONEY.com's Chris Isidore noted marketing experts said that while Collins has “never appeared in a Nike ad as part of his endorsement deal" with the company, there now is a “much greater probability that he'll do so.” Baker Street Advertising Exec VP & Exec Creative Dir Bob Dorfman said, “I don't think he's going to be a major spokesman, but he could certainly earn seven figures off of this.” But 16W Marketing co-Founder & Partner Frank Vuono said that while Collins’ endorsements will “increase, they'll grow modestly given the fact that he's not a star athlete.” Vuono: “I don’t see anyone beating down a path to his door.” Univ. of Oregon Warsaw Sports Marketing Center Dir Paul Swangard said that the endorsement dollars Collins previously got from Nike were “probably modest, and he cautioned that he might not be interested in doing any kind of advertising, even if he can” (MONEY.CNN.com, 4/30).
OH, THE PLACES YOU WILL GO: USA TODAY's Erik Brady examines Collins' marketing opportunities, and IEG Senior VP/Content Strategy Jim Andrews said that mainstream companies that marketed to the LGBT community “included MillerCoors, Target, Subaru, American Airlines and almost all of the banks and financial services companies.” Sports and entertainment ad agency Zambezi Managing Dir Chris Raih “suggests companies such as Levi’s and Gap.” He said, “It is less about, quote-unquote, ‘gay brands.’” He said it is more about brands “that organically fit into the champion pioneer in all of us.” Swangard said Collins’ "best marketing opportunities will likely be targeted speaking engagements and group/corporate outings” (USA TODAY, 5/1) OutSports co-Founder Cyd Zeigler said, “There is money to be made for the team that signs Jason Collins and companies that hire him. It is because of what he represents -- courage and being true to yourself.” 16W Marketing co-Founder & Partner Steve Rosner said, “He has shown he has character” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/1). Collins is “up more than 80,000 followers after starting Monday with around 3,500.” As of press time he has 97,250 (ESPNLA.com, 4/30).
ExxonMobil is "ending its top-level sponsorship" of The Masters, while UPS "joins the partner rolls," according to Michael Buteau of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Mercedes-Benz, an int'l sponsor of The Masters since '08, will move up to replace ExxonMobil as "one of three global sponsors of the tournament," joining IBM and AT&T. UPS will "take over Mercedes-Benz’s previous role and join Rolex as international sponsors." Augusta National Golf Club Chair Billy Payne "didn’t disclose a reason" for ExxonMobil’s departure. ExxonMobil "joined the Masters for the 2005 tournament after the club went without sponsors" in '03 and '04 due to protests. Sponsors for the tournament are "given access to private hospitality cabins built along the course’s first and 10th holes" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 4/30).
Sports business experts wonder if QB Tim Tebow, one of the “singular socio-cultural forces in recent memory will recover” from his recent release from the Jets, according to Wayne Coffey of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Forbes’ Kurt Badenhausen said, “It’s hard for corporate America to sign endorsement deals with guys we aren’t going to see on TV. People don’t want to be affiliated with a fringe player.” The Marketing Arm Senior VP/Consulting Bill Glenn said, “The way things went last year with the Jets has turned off that spotlight, at least temporarily.” Marketing Evaluations VP Henry Schafer, whose company creates Q Scores, said that while Tebow is “still affiliated with a number of companies, among them Jockey and EA,” Tebow’s Q rating has “fallen significantly as a result of what Schafer termed ‘the fiasco with the Jets.’” Tebow had an awareness rating of “83% among sports fans at the pinnacle of his popularity, after the Broncos’ playoff upset over the Steelers in January of 2012 -- a number that nearly doubles the awareness rate for the average celebrity athlete.” Tebow’s Q rating at the time -- the “number of respondents who rated him as one of their favorites -- was 22%.” Schafer said that a year later, in March ‘13, Tebow was “still known to 82% of sports fans, but his Q Score plummeted to 16% -- about typical among athletes.” Still, Schafer said that Tebow “continues to have significant appeal to the corporate world, by virtue of his name recognition, a guy who is a deity in shoulder pads to some, a polarizing preacher to others, but is a must-watch for most everybody” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/1).
RATED ROOKIES: ESPN's Darren Rovell noted there is not a "standout star in this year's NFL Draft" in regards to marketability, but companies "at least have their eyes on a few players." Jets draftee QB Geno Smith is "top of mind on nearby Madison Avenue if he can quickly rise to the top of the Jets' clouded quarterback roster." However, it is "hard to know who to talk to" after Smith fired his agents yesterday. Lions draftee DE Ziggy Ansah, the No. 5 overall pick, "has a catchy name, could start immediately and be the blue-collar PG-version of Ndamukong Suh that corporations won't be scared of." He is one of 11 draftees that have signed a deal with Nike. Meanwhile, 49ers draftee RB Marcus Lattimore may miss the enitre '13 season as he recovers from knee surgery, but he remains "intriguing." Rovell: "Hoping for the long-term play, Lattimore is Under Armour's only announced signee” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 4/30).


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100 01/18/08 17.0499 1,704.99 Long-term
200 01/23/08 15.65 3,129.99 Long-term
100 06/12/08 16.2999 1,629.99 Long-term
100 06/17/08 16.5299 1,652.99 Long-term
100 06/20/08 16.0999 1,609.99 Long-term
I hope to be selling nearly 1/2 of my position in EMC at $19/share due to a Professional Research report finding and current market volatility.
Professional Research on EMC Corporation and Quantum – A Roller Coaster Ride for Data Storage Stocks this Quarter
The data storage and devices industry is showing mixed results recently, and quarterly earnings have been up and down. EMC Corp. which reported its financial results back in July saw its profits grow two-fold to $426.2 million due to corporations’ willingness to spend on data storage. While there has been some positive news due to businesses increasing their information technology budgets, profit margins for some companies in the industry have decreased due to an increase in production costs. Another problem or boon, depending on how companies adapt to the marketplace, is the strong emergence of cloud computing. Source: Market Wire
While I am selling 600 shares, I am keeping 700 shares which I picked up at a much lower cost than the shares I am selling. I am still holding these EMC shares:
200 06/26/08 16.0499 3,209.99 Long-term
100 06/27/08 14.8499 1,484.99 Long-term
200 07/09/08 13.0499 2,609.99 Long-term
200 07/16/08 12.58 2,515.99 Long-term
This sale will allow me to reinvest in other high dividend paying stocks as outlined in previous post, The Dividend Play.


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PARIS — Zara proprietor Inditex reported gross sales are bettering regardless of ongoing retailer closures in vital markets because it reported 1.1 billion euros in annual internet revenue, exhibiting how the nimble, tech-savvy retailer has drawn on its digital prowess to navigate the pandemic.
Gross sales have been down 4 p.c within the first week of March, and down 15 p.c for the month of February, exhibiting enchancment from a 28 p.c decline for the yr ending Jan. 31.
Excluding the 5 main markets the place lockdown measures are in place — Germany, Brazil, Greece, Portugal and the U.Okay. — gross sales have been up 2 p.c within the first week of March, providing a snapshot of shopper demand.
“Inditex as an organization is stronger at this time than it was two years in the past, with a novel enterprise mannequin and a world, versatile, digitally built-in and environment friendly gross sales platform,” Inditex government chairman Pablo Isla stated in a press release. Isla added that the digital efforts locations the corporate “in a superb place for the long run.”
The Spanish retailer, which additionally owns labels Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Stradivarius, turned the nook within the second quarter,


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Travel and hospitality
August 24, 2017
Europe is a popular long-haul destination for Chinese travelers
By Brielle Jaekel
Tourists traveling from China are proving to be a lucrative segment in terms of shopping spend and frequency of travel, according to a new report from China Luxury Advisors and Fung Intelligence Group.
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