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Enterprise Data Integration Market by Type, Size, Growth and Forecast – 2027
Posted by mahavir mete on May 6th, 2021
Enterprise data integration market 2020 is all set to attain a strong valuation of USD 3.90 billion by 2024, affirms Market Research Future (MRFR). MRFR also reckons that the market size can advance at a rate of 12.6% from 2019 to 2024, which is the assessment period. We will provide covid-19 impact analysis with the report. The COVID-19 impact on the market has been studied in the report, which offers an in-depth analysis post the coronavirus disease outbreak.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given a massive boost to technological trends, which were already advancing tremendously in recent years. For instance, cloud services have gained more popularity now than ever before, post the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak has been notable, with the work-from-home model gaining traction to maintain business operations. Moreover, there has been a significant surge in traffic, be it on Zoom or Netflix due to the increasing online content consumption after the lockdown imposed in several countries.
The enterprise data integration solutions market has been a big gainer since the advent of the novel coronavirus, given the growth of cloud computing and the increased need for business analytics among enterprises. Moreover, since the onset of the pandemic, the enterprise data integration market has observed an increase in acquisitions, mergers and partnerships between acclaimed players; strategies that the companies are leveraging to solidify their position.
The enterprise data integration industry can be narrowed down to segments like component, deployment, organization size, business application as well as end user.
The key components analyzed in the market study are services and software/tools. The service types considered in the report are professional services and managed services.
The categories depending on deployment include cloud-based along with on-premise.
The organization size ranges included in the market research are large enterprises and small & medium enterprises/SMEs.
The business applications of data integration technology include sales, marketing, finance, human resources and operations.
Some of the key end-users in the worldwide market are manufacturing, energy and utilities, healthcare, retail, BFSI, media and entertainment, IT and Telecom, and more.
Complete Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/enterprise-data-integration-market-8302
North America, APAC/Asia Pacific, Europe, and RoW/the rest of the world are the main markets for enterprise data integration.
North America is currently in the lead out of all the regions, given the high demand for integration tools among various industries to streamline and extract data. Technical advancements are quite frequent in the region, with high prevalence of technologies like IoT, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and more, which causes generation of massive volumes of data. A sizeable portion of the global tech giants is headquartered in North America, some of which include IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, and others, who offer a wide range of tools, software and services to enterprises. This presents a lucrative outlook for the enterprise data integration market in the region.
Europe has clinched the second position in the global market, thanks to the large number of financial companies present in the region that are responsible for the generation of colossal volumes of data. The high number of research centers across the region also warrants major market growth. BFSI remains the top end-user in the regional market, while Germany remains at the vanguard of the business growth.
The fastest expansion rate can be procured by the APAC market, with the top growth boosters believed to be the increasing technology-based innovations and the surge in data generation in line with rising digitalization across industries. A majority of the players in the region are concentrating on building advanced data integration software and tools to cater to industries that desire to extract valuable data from the unorganized structure, leading to higher market expansion.
The RoW market, comprising the Middle East & Africa/MEA and South America, can advance at a notable rate in the ensuing years. The expanding industrial sector in the region and the increasing expenditure by the telecom and IT companies on data integration services and tools can benefit the market to a large extent. The RoW market is led by MEA, which can also attain the fastest expansion rate over the appraisal period.
MRFR lists the prominent competitors in the market as Information Builders Inc. (US), Oracle Corporation (US), Pitney Bowes Inc. (US), HVR Software Inc. (US), SAS Institute Inc. (US), Informatica Corporation (US), Cisco Systems, Inc. (US), SAP SE (Germany), Denodo Technologies (US), IBM Corporation (US), Microsoft Corporation (US), Syncsort Incorporated (US), Actian Corporation (US), Attunity Ltd. (US), Talend Inc. (US), to mention a few.
About Market Research Future:
Market Research Future (MRFR) has created a niche in the world of market research. It is counted among the top market research companies that offer well-researched and updated market research reports and insights to businesses of all sizes. What sets us apart is our super-responsive team that offers quality work keeping clients abridged of the prospective challenges and opportunities in various markets. Our team is adept in their space as well as patiently listens to every client.
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About the Authormahavir mete
Joined: April 27th, 2021
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Tour’s longest luxury cruise to start from Varanasi in The month of january (Representative image)
Starting on January 10, the cruise will cover 4, 000-km long and will 50 days to complete the journey from Varanasi. It will pass through Kolkata and Dhaka before reaching Bogibeel in the Dibrugarh district of India’s eastern state Assam on March 1, according to a report in LiveMint.
“Ganga Vilas luxury cruise will sail from Varanasi to Dibrugarh in the greatest river trip of fifty days covering 27 water systems plus visit over 50 tourist sites including World Heritage Sites. This will be the single largest lake journey by a single river ship in the world and would put both India and Bangladesh on the particular river cruise trip map associated with the world, ” minister of ports, shipping plus waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said in an interview with Mint.
The Varanasi-Dibrugarh cruise is expected to be run on the public-private partnership (PPP) model. The government’s Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has signed an agreement with Antara Luxury River Cruises and JM Baxi River Cruises for the initiative. The ticket price would end up being decided simply by the operators without Centre’s intervention, the report added.
“The service will certainly facilitate all kinds of tourists. Moreover, with the particular amendment in order to Indian Vessel Act, cruise lines would have a national permit to move seamlessly across states, ” Sonowal additional.
After the amendment associated with the Indian Vessel Act, cruise liners would have a national permit to move seamlessly across states, he added.
The cruise will start in Varanasi and reach Patna on the 8th day passing through Buxar, Ramnagar, and Ghazipur. The cruise will protect almost 1, 100 km in Bangladesh before entering Indian. This will be possible under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route, which has already opened trade and transit channels connecting the two countries on Ganga and Brahamaputra rivers.

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For a certain subset of Apple fans, the only thing more exciting than Cupertino unleashing a new device upon the world is the box they choose to unleash it in. Apple is famous for its sexy, minimalist packaging design, and when the Apple Watch hits the market in 2015, we are expecting it to come in a box worthy of its luxury watch status.
Of course, what that box will actually look like is anyone’s guess. But Evelio Mattos of Design Packaging has released a stunning Apple Watch concept that isn’t just sexy, but has a killer hidden feature: the box doubles as an iPhone dock!
“When Tim Cook released the Apple WATCH and iPhone 6… the first thing that came to mind was how often is the watch going to need charging? But that question quickly evolved into how will we charge it among the increasing number of mobile devices that we carry everyday needing a nightly charge?” Mattos writes of his design.
“Immediately John and I discussed what that meant for consumers and the ultimate experience for charging these items on your nightstand, the clutter of cables, the ever growing mess of products; iPads, phones, and now watches. Not very minimalist, not very Apple.”
The solution, says Mattos, is a watch holder that can double as a dock, charging your Apple Watch even as your Apple Watch holder charges your iPhone. I think it’s a brilliant, elegant idea.
What do you think?


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Having had 12 months or so to look back over what works and what doesn't, Facebook announced on Wednesday new "native advertising" functionality within the Facebook Audience Network, which it hopes will help publishers and developers, and ultimately Facebook itself, cream more revenue from the platform.
Native ads are ads that reflect the style of a publisher or app developer's other content. Facebook's own news feed ads on the Facebook platform are native, as are ads on Twitter: They appear in the news feed and elsewhere within their apps and sites just like any other content. Media pundits tend to criticize native ads for deliberately trying to deceive users into thinking paid-for placements are organic content, but survey results suggest consumers are pretty comfortable with them so long as they are relevant and from trustworthy brands.
Native advertising is one of the hottest properties for marketers online right now, and they attract significant spend. BI Intelligence forecasts revenue in the US from native ads on both desktop and mobile will reach $21 billion by 2108, up from an estimated $10.7 billion this year.
Facebook wants to take up a bulk of that spending. In a post on the Facebook Developers blog published on Wednesday, the social network said native ads work better than standard banners. It claims that publishers on the Facebook Audience Network are seeing 7X higher CPMs (cost-per-mille/or the cost for an advertiser to reach 1,000 people with their ad) with native ads versus standard banners.
To help optimize those native ads even further, Facebook is introducing three new tools for publishers and developers.
- Native ad templates: These will help publishers define characteristics such as font, the height of an ad, background color, and other properties to make their Facebook Audience Network ad formats look more in line with the rest of the experience on the app.
- Native ad management tools: These tools will automatically optimize which ads appear on a publisher's app depending on performance.
- Horizontal scroll: This tool looks a bit like a carousel, allowing users to swipe across to view more ads. Publishers will like this because it means they can maximize the amount of ads in their app, without flooding the entire display with lots of separate ads.
Here's what those native ad formats look like within an app:
And here's that "horizontal scroll" ad format
Before today, publishers could still plug into the Facebook Audience Network to create the components of a native ad themselves to fit their app. Now there are some free, off-the-shelf formats available, which should take a lot of the hassle out of implementing native ads within their apps.
And as before, advertisers on the Audience Network can still choose to buy banner ads or interstitials (ads that appear in-between swiping between different sections of an app, or within an article, for example) if they wish.
Facebook's Audience Network is in direct competition with platforms such as Google's AdMob, Yahoo's Flurry, and other mobile ad networks like Millennial Media.Last year Google took a 46.8% share of worldwide mobile ad spend, while Facebook (the next largest in terms of share) had a 21/7% share, according to eMarketer.


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Manufacturing Solutions Expo coming to Hickory in 2019
HICKORY, N.C. — The third Home Furnishings Manufacturing Solutions Expo (HFMSE) will take place July 17-18, 2019, at the Hickory Metro Convention Center in Hickory, N.C., according to Exposition Development Company Inc. and Progressive Business Media, the event’s organizers.
The decision to move the event, which had its second edition July 18-19 at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, S.C., was a response to the high demand from exhibitors and attendees requesting the show be held in Hickory. With further discussions among industry leaders, the consensus is that moving to Hickory will allow for easier show access for the furniture manufacturing industry and significant growth in both exhibitor and attendee numbers.
“HFMSE has received an overwhelming amount of support from the industry since its inception, and the move to Hickory will allow for more show growth opportunities, allowing us to provide this industry with the best possible show for all their manufacturing needs,” said Lorie Gross, show director for HFMSE.
Bill McLoughlin, editor in chief of Furniture Today, a Progressive Business Media publication, also commented: “This event has demonstrated its relevance to the furniture industry as it looks toward automation as a solution to the challenge of finding skilled workers. We had a number of the industry’s largest manufacturers attend this year and express how grateful they were to find an event with equipment and service options that were so well aligned with their needs.”
For more information on the show, visit www.HFMSE.com.


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Court throws out ACCC case against TPG over pre-payments The Federal Court has thrown out a case filed by the Australian consumer watchdog claiming that telco TPG Telecom had made false and misleading claims to obtain pre-payments for Internet, home telephone and mobile plans.
15th October 2019
5G for Business in Australia awn for explosive growth The latest research from Samsung Australia and Tech Research Asia explores 5G readiness of Australian businesses. ANU gets grant for research into optical technologies The Australian National University has been given a grant of $34.9 million by the Federal Government to set up the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems.
12th October 2019
Nokia claims ‘industry-first’ integrated intent-based solution launch Nokia has claimed the industry’s first launch of a fully integrated intent-based solution that it says completely changes how operators build fixed access networks to deliver ultra-broadband services.
11th October 2019
ACCC warns NBN Co over playing favourites with RSPs The Australian competition watchdog has warned NBN Co, the company rolling out broadband in the country, about discriminating between retail service providers when it comes to supplying upgraded infrastructure to business customers.
10th October 2019
Spirit of Tasmania passengers get new high-speed satellite Internet service Passengers on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry service between Devonport and Melbourne now have access to high-speed Internet, with a partnership by the ferry operators with Australian satellite Internet provider, IPSTAR Broadband.
9th October 2019
Malaysian mobile operator Maxis picks Huawei for 5G Malaysian mobile carrier Maxis has signed an agreement with Huawei for its 5G rollout. The agreement was signed in Putrajaya by Maxis CEO Gokhan Ogut and Huawei Technologies Malaysia CEO Michael Yuan.
5th October 2019
Southern Cross NEXT Cable enters construction phase The trans-Pacific Southern Cross NEXT Cable has now entered the construction phase with the project achieving CIF (Contract in Force).
4th October 2019
Telstra buys stake in Southern Cross Cable Network Australia's largest telco Telstra has put pen to paper with the signing of a conditional agreement to take up a 25% equity interest in the US$300 million trans-Pacific Southern Cross Cable Network (SCCN).
3rd October 2019
Digital Tasmania critical of west coast mobile services upgrade Non-profit consumer action group Digital Tasmania has decried the fact that a $5.2 million investment to upgrade mobile services in Tasmania's west coast region has been limited to just one mobile operator – Telstra.
2nd October 2019
Optus moves ahead with 5G rollout, releases new Samsung, Oppo plans Optus continues the national rollout of its 5G network and has boosted its 5G plans on offer, announcing the availability of Samsung Galaxy S10 and Oppo Reno 5G handsets, as it prepares to reveal further plans for the rollout in coming weeks.
1st October 2019


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The Canadian government announced on October 7 that six disposable plastic products will be included in the national ban on plastic products, which will take effect next year.
Plastic products on the “blacklist” include shopping bags, straws, mixing sticks, six ring plastic sets for packaging beverage cans, tableware, and lunch boxes made of hard to recycle plastic. But plastics used to make personal protective equipment or medical supplies will not be covered by the ban.
Canadian Minister of environment and climate change Wilkinson said the legislative process is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. When the ban comes into effect, businesses must provide customers with alternatives, such as reusable green shopping bags or paper bags.
This is one of the measures taken by the ruling Liberal Party to implement one of its election promises in 2019. The Canadian government is striving to achieve “Zero plastic waste plan” by 2030. The federal government and provincial and regional governments have jointly established a “Zero plastic waste strategy”.
A day earlier, Alberta, an oil-rich Province in western Canada, released a natural gas vision and strategy aimed at promoting clean technology and economic diversification as an important plan for its economic recovery. It is proposed that Alberta will become a plastic recycling center in western North America by 2030. In response to the federal government’s ban on plastics, deputy director general of Alberta’s natural gas department, Nari, said the federal government should focus on building a circular economy, rather than banning disposable plastic products and labeling them as toxic substances.
According to Canadian official data, Canadians discard 3 million tons of plastic waste every year, of which only 9% are recycled and the vast majority of plastic waste is landfilled. In Canada, as many as 15 billion plastic bags are used every year, and nearly 57 million plastic straws are used every day. Most of the plastic waste in the country’s freshwater environment is disposable plastic products.
Post time: Oct-22-2020


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- Research on teens suggests that skimping on sleep tends to impact the consumption of sugary foods.
- This increased intake could be due to daytime fatigue as a result of sleep deprivation, as people try to get quick energy.
- Previous research shows adults are at risk for the same effect, which means getting quality sleep can be an important part of reducing sugar intake.
A study in Sleep found that teens who got less than the recommended amount of sleep were more likely than those who slept longer to consume foods that spike blood sugar, increasing their risk of excess weight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
“Shortened sleep increased the risk for teens to eat more carbs and added sugars, and drink more sugar-sweetened beverages than when they were getting a healthy amount of sleep,” says the study’s lead author, Kara Duraccio, PhD, a clinical and developmental psychology professor at Brigham Young University.
About the Study
Researchers looked at the eating patterns of 93 teenagers. They studied their caloric intake, macronutrient content, food types, and glycemic loads of foods they ate regularly. They also analyzed sleeping patterns for one week, splitting the participants into two groups—short sleepers who got about 6 1/2 hours of sleep nightly, and healthy sleepers who got about 9 1/2 hours every night.
Kara Duraccio, PhD
— Kara Duraccio, PhD
Dr. Duraccio notes that both groups ate about the same amount of calories. But, those who slept less simply chose more foods with added sugars and high carbohydrates.
“We suspect that tired teens are looking for quick bursts of energy to keep them going until they can go to sleep, so they’re seeking out foods that give them that,” she says.
Although sleep is essential for everyone, adolescents are particularly in need of more sleep overall and yet are notorious for not getting enough of it, according to Jodi Mindell, PhD, author of A Clinical Guide to Pediatric Sleep.
The average amount of sleep that teenagers get is about 7 hours, she says. But studies show that most teens need at least 9 hours of sleep, which Dr. Mindell says is caused by a few main issues.
For instance, the biological shift in sleep schedule causes teens to stay up later and wake up later. They also must deal with early high school start times as well as social and school schedules that occur in the evening, causing them to stay up even later.
Jodi Mindell, PhD
— Jodi Mindell, PhD
“As a result of these factors, most adolescents are very sleep-deprived,” she says. “That sleep deprivation will impact many aspects of a teenager’s functioning, including mood, behavior, attention, decision making, and academic performance.”
As the recent study suggests, poor eating habits may also be part of that list, causing an additional ripple effect. For example, a study looking at the prevalence of added sugar intake of teens in Brazil found that those who ate more sugar also have worse overall diet quality and spend more time on electronic devices.
Adults Affected, Too
Although the recent study highlighted the effects on teenagers, the results could apply to adults as well. For example, looking at people who do shift work—and therefore have unpredictable sleep schedules—provides a glimpse of the connection between sleep shortfalls and diet quality.
“There are many difficulties when it comes to dietary recommendations for shift workers,” says Arne Lowden, PhD, at the Stress Research Institute at the University of Stockholm in Sweden. “Most notably, they tend to rely on convenience foods, such as sugary treats and high-carbohydrate choices to maintain energy during a shift.”
That practice doesn’t just add calories, though. According to a 2021 study in Science Advances, the circadian rhythm misalignment that comes with staying up all night can lead to glucose intolerance as well.
In that study, those who refrained from eating during their shifts had better-regulated glucose levels, an indication that eating at night may have a significant effect on your metabolism. Choosing sugary foods may add another challenge on top of that.
The Sleep-Sugar Connection
The same issues of less sleep and food choices can affect non-shift workers as well, according to previous research. A 2016 study in Sleep Health found that shorter sleep duration has been linked to increased appetite and obesity in general. Participants who slept 5 or fewer hours per night had a 21% higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages during the day.
Overall, skimping on sleep could drive up sugar cravings, and at the same time, increased sugar consumption might negatively impact sleep—setting up an ugly cycle.
What This Means For You
Read the full article here


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BINGHAMTON, NY – A store owned by one of the 3 women who founded the First Friday Art Walk is one of several locations that have been designated as “creative sites” for the monthly event.
Garland Gallery, which like many other downtown retailers stays open for the art walks, also regularly schedules live music for inside or outside of the store, weather permitting.
The shop offers custom framing, unique gifts and irreverent greeting cards.
This month, singer/songwriter Pat Raube will play acoustic guitar and sing original and folk music covers from 6 until 9.
Garland Gallery owner Sherry Eaton says the art walk has grown into much more than an art event, it’s also a social occasion.
“You hear a lot of people embracing and saying that they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. It’s very comfortable and it’s just a very nice pace,” says Eaton.
Eaton along with artists Yvonne Lucia and Maggie Martin founded the Gorgeous Washington Street Association in the early 2000’s which originated the monthly art walks.
Beginning this year, the Broome County Arts Council is taking over managing the event.
We’ll have more on that Friday night.


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Hotel transaction volume in Canada’s six largest markets was $712 million in 2021, Avison Young reports. That’s up 124 per cent over a very slow 2020 and also exceeds the 2019 total – prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A number of hotel transactions were deferred or collapsed during the early stages of the pandemic due to the uncertainty it created, but last year’s activity brought some optimism business will continue to pick up.
There were 92 hotel deals with an average value of $7.7 million last year compared to 75 with an average value of $9.6 million in 2018, when $726 million in property changed hands.
“Traditionally, the majority of hotel transactions that do occur are smaller, but they stand out more (in 2021) simply because there were so few larger transactions of $25 million-plus that occurred,” Avison Young principal and Canadian hospitality lead Curtis Gallagher told RENX.
Hotels sold for other purposes
“The majority of the transactions were change of use. Towards the end of 2021 there were some more traditional hotel transactions that were starting to take shape, and I suspect that trend will continue into 2022 barring any unanticipated lockdowns or travel restrictions happening from this point forward.”
Gallagher said 60 per cent of 2021 hotel transactions were for an alternative use, which is uncommonly high.
“There’s always change-of-use deals in any market, whether it’s from hotel to student housing or hotel to seniors. If there’s a market shift or new supply, or if something becomes functionally obsolete as a hotel, it can perhaps be adaptively reused as something else.
“Where there was a real jump, and where it stood out because there were fewer transactions, was for government acquisitions for housing.
“That grew and I think there will continue to be those types of deals, but they won’t be dominant simply because other transactions will start to occur this year, next year and into 2024.”
Hotel performance by market
The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area was the most active market, accounting for 53 per cent of 2021 hotel sales. Calgary had 14 per cent, Montreal 12 per cent, Ottawa 11 per cent, Edmonton seven per cent and Vancouver three per cent.
Canada’s largest markets have attractions such as sports, entertainment, dining, nightlife and shopping that Gallagher expects to give their hotels a boost if the economy is opened up and they’re operating at or near full capacity.
“These major urban centres are built to have demand across all seasons,” said Gallagher. “But if the business doesn’t come back when you rely on it, then it’s going to be a struggle.”
The national occupancy level reached 65.6 per cent and revenue per available room (RevPAR) was $106.22 in August, the highest since October 2019.
Vancouver experienced the strongest performance metrics, with a 48 per cent occupancy, $156.35 average daily rate (ADR) and $77.65 RevPAR. Montreal posted the lowest occupancy at 33 per cent, while Edmonton reported the lowest ADR and RevPAR figures with $103.80 and $37.16 respectively.
Toronto experienced the largest percentage improvement in occupancy at 42.1 per cent year over year, while Vancouver posted the strongest increases in ADR at 16 per cent and RevPAR at 52 per cent.
Edmonton and Ottawa were the only cities to experience declines in ADR from 2020, at minus three and minus one per cent respectively, but also had respective 22 and 20 per cent increases in RevPAR.
Gallagher believes ADR and RevPAR numbers in all Canadian major markets will be higher this year than in 2021. He thinks Calgary and Edmonton might perform surprisingly well owing to increases in oil and gas prices.
Hotel performance by class
Upper mid-scale hotels experienced the strongest occupancy at 45.8 per cent. Luxury hotels posted the highest ADR and RevPAR at $305.08 and $101.75 respectively, but had the lowest occupancy at 31.6 per cent.
Economy hotels posted the lowest ADR and RevPAR at $97.29 and $43.36 respectively.
Compared with the 2020 averages, upscale experienced the largest increase in occupancy at 33.2 per cent, while luxury reported the biggest leaps in ADR at 19 per cent and RevPAR at 38 per cent.
Gallagher believes resort hotels will continue to perform well this year, as people will either be looking for a relaxing break or have grown accustomed to working remotely and can mix business with pleasure and recreational activities at resorts.
Biggest Canadian hotel deals of 2021
Though it wasn’t included in Avison Young’s transaction statistics because it was outside of the six major markets, the biggest transaction of 2021 was Freed Hotels & Resorts’ $330-million deal that included acquiring a portfolio of Ontario resorts from Skyline Investments Inc.
Other major hotel deals, according to Avison Young, were:
– Courtyard per Marriott Aeroport de Montreal’s $69.6-million acquisition of 6600-7000 Robert-Jones Place in Saint-Laurent, Que. from Hotel Cavendish Limited Partnership;
– 161 Laurier Properties GP Inc.’s $44-million acquisition of Ottawa’s The Carleton Suite Hotel from Gillin Engineering and Construction;
– and Brigil Construction Inc.’s $21.8-million purchase of Four Points by Sheraton Hotel et Centre de Conferences in Gatineau, Que. from Four Points by Sheraton Hotel et Centre de conferences Gatineau-Ottawa.
Valuations and the lending community
Hotel valuations haven’t changed much because there haven’t been a lot of transactions over the past two years.
“If things start to recover and there’s no real distress in the market, I think valuations will come off a bit, but I don’t think it will be a dramatic decline,” said Gallagher.
The lending community remains cautious about the hospitality sector, though a few lenders have remained active. Gallagher noted Canada Western Bank as an example of one that has continued to support the hotel industry.
“A lot of the credit unions fell away and didn’t continue,” said Gallagher. “They maintained their current clientele but you really had to have a compelling story for them to take on new clients through the period.
“As a result, there really wasn’t a lot of transaction activity because if financing isn’t there it makes it very difficult to transact. The lenders will start to come back once their allocations get settled and they get more confidence in the industry.
“There’s a great opportunity for new lenders to come into the hotel space. A financial crisis, SARS and now this situation have occurred, and we’ve really seen little distress. The industry is somewhat resilient to these declines.”
The Avison Young report notes these factors could also impact hotel performance and valuations this year:
– the anticipated rise in interest rates;
– inflation due to continued supply chain issues and increased consumer demand;
– inventive government stimulus programs, such as the Ontario “staycation” tax credit;
– the impact of depleted hotel capital reserve accounts;
– owners’ ability to fund operating shortfalls in the absence of government support programs;
– creative use of indoor and outdoor space to capture new revenue sources; and
– the pace of event and group booking activity.
Government support programs for hotels
Gallagher said government support programs allowed hotels to stay open and break even or suffer smaller losses during the pandemic.
“Through COVID, with the government’s support of the industry and the patience of lenders, there was very little distress in the market,” said Gallagher. “As a result of that, no one needed to do anything.
“Everyone kind of sat on their hands and if there was an expectation on the sell side, it was high, and on the buy side it was low. There was a significant gap between the bid and ask of buyers and sellers, so nothing really transacted.”
If a recovery occurs, Gallagher expects that gap to narrow and more transactions to occur.
Several government programs are supporting the hospitality sector, such as the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program for organizations with more than 50 per cent of eligible revenue coming from tourism, hospitality, arts, entertainment or recreation activities.
Gallagher believes the summer should provide a leisure demand boost to hotels, and that business travel should start picking up in the fall. He hopes business travel will build through 2023 to a more normalized 2024.
Hotel staff shortages
Employment in accommodation and food services fell 20.8 per cent from 2019 to 2021, the greatest decline of any sector, according to Statistics Canada. Hotel owners reported staff either moved to other industries with more secure employment or that it made more financial sense for some workers to continue collecting government aid.
Gallagher said hotel operators need creative ways to deal with staff shortages, which could involve such things as cleaning rooms less often and reducing restaurant hours. The biggest issue, however, could revolve around employee payment and treatment.
“You’re going to have to demonstrate that you can offer people a career that gives them advancement and not just continuous minimum wage opportunities,” said Gallagher.


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The new General Motors was spun out of bankruptcy on Friday, July 10th. Its prospects are uncertain. The new cost structure and (one hopes) an end to complacency should lead in time to successful enterprise. Eventually: we should find caution in that GM's now much larger rival Toyota continues not only to lose money, but to lose it at a faster rate than GM-old.
First, Toyota has gone where the money is: larger vehicles in North America. Toyota now sports V-8 engines, a full-sized pickup truck and a range of SUVs and other light trucks. Does that sound familiar? Well, so are the consequences: red ink. It was making its Tundra pickup in both Indiana and Texas; no more. All production is now in Texas – and that plant was closed for over 3 months in summer-fall 2008, and runs only one instead of two shifts. So it has billions in sunk costs that are generating little to no revenue, and is reluctant to lay off workers, as that policy has been a mainstay in its battle to keep plants union-free. Nor is the prognosis good: even if gasoline prices stay low, Toyota has few rural dealerships. Despite cutbacks, the Detroit Three still do.
Second, Toyota has focused on the American market in general, again because that is where the money is. The company is a modest player in Europe, and a latecomer to China; the population in Japan is aging, and the number of licensed drivers in its home market is in decline. It may book profits in Japan, because that's where the production of most Lexus vehicles is still located. But sales depend on the US.
It gets worse: product planning also followed the money. Anyone of my generation can remember (or often owned) a Toyota at one time (my first new car purchase, in 1981, was a Toyota Tercel). They were small, sparingly powered rust-buckets, but with good mechanicals for their time (by today's standards, they were junk). No longer are Toyotas small or sparingly powered. That pairing generates profits – the public perception of fuel economy is swayed by the Prius, but the Prius makes no money, at least since the price was lowered to fight the Honda Insight at the same time that the yen strengthened. But back to that pairing: such vehicles are peculiar to the North American market, and don't sell well in Japan or Europe. Those markets are left with larger vehicles that don't fit, they're just a bit too large on every dimension. Toyota thus struggles to sell such potential high-margin vehicles everywhere else in the world.
Third, they became a big company with big ambitions, replete with MBAs in various HQ functions. For those who don't know their history, Toyota was bailed out by the Japanese government in 1950, because they kept "pushing the metal" on dealers despite a recession. One measure, along with kicking the Toyota family out of management, was to split off the sales functions to increase their ability to say "no" to the factory. The separation between Toyota Auto Sales and Toyota Motors lasted about 30 years, but they've now been merged for 25 years. Headquarters staff over the past decade came to dominate product planning, investment planning, well, MBAs plan. But not always well, not when they are far removed from the "real" world of sales and manufacturing. Sure, Toyota was earning a better return on assets, 5+% instead of the early 3-4%, while return on equity was pushed to 15% and above. And sales kept increasing, first overtaking VW, and then briefly GM.
They were going to rule the world; they had already taken over Daihatsu and Hino inside Japan, and more recently acquired stakes in Fuji Heavy Industries ("Subaru") and Isuzu, both former GM affiliates. They upped their share of Denso to a controlling stake. And there was Lexus, and the Tundra, all those other nice high-margin vehicles. To support this growing empire took a lot of investment. But while the product plan looked good on paper, it wasn't necessarily what the people on the ground were comfortable making and selling. Furthermore, product proliferated, a car for every niche for every name plate. Inside Japan Toyota maintained 5 distribution channels and 47 cars in its 4 "legacy" channels, 9 for its new Lexus channel, and 13 more at Daihatsu (covering the minicar end of the spectrum). Add another 14 light commercial vehicles – but leaving out all of the heavy truck and bus makes of Hino – and they have 83 model names inside their domestic market. [my count] Toyota's brands are muddied and the cars are bland.
It doesn't take much imagination to see what happens to marketing costs. To make matters worse, Toyota outright owns several large (40-plus sales point) urban dealerships, because they can't operate as profitable ventures. (Not that people seconded from headquarters – with salaries paid by the parent company – improve matters.) And think of the engineers: they're so busy doing product, and all that totally new stuff for the US, that they don't have time to do things right, at least by their standards. Recalls are up sharply. Costs, too, because forcing commonality takes time, and time they do not have. (Remember, in today's auto industry most manufacturing is at parts firms, so using parts in common is the key to cost control.)
Fourth, they have their own unions to contend with, and those unions include engineers and regular office workers, not just factory hands. Plus it's easier to coordinate inside Japan, because even today language skills are weak. So we now find Toyota entering a steep recession with the ability to build 10 million vehicles, all according to plans from HQ, but with sales of only 6.5 million. Worse, they have added to that capacity not only in places such as Texas but also in Japan, where they can now build 4.5 million vehicles. In the process they have allowed their export share to gradually rise from under 40% in the mid-1990s to roughly 65% in 2008. But even as exports have fallen due to the global recession the yen has strengthened, amplifying their losses.
We may not have seen the worst of it. Toyota has quietly added a couple stamping facilities, bought from a failing domestic supplier. But it surely has many other suppliers, pushed to match its expansion, that have weaker cash reserves and weaker management. As things stand, they will have to pick up the tab (which to me is ethically appropriate, but is surely not part of the financial projections of their MBAs). And already their ROA has swung from 5.9% in April-June 2007 to -10.4% in Jan-Mar 2009. That's a swing in profits before taxes of Δ¥1,654 billion (or ΔUS$17.8 billion at this weeks average of ¥93 per dollar). Toyota maintains a sterling (though recently lowered) credit rating and sits on $30 billion in cash and securities and $40 billion in financial receivables. But it also has $64 billion in short-term debt and long-term debt due this fiscal year. Far better than GM, but as a big, heavy firm its cushion is not as comfortable as it once was.
Wish the new president Toyoda Akio good luck! If it wasn't for his ability to borrow to tide things over, he'd be facing a tougher battle than GM's new CEO Fritz Henderson.


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For the past few years, the industry has been working through a regular cycle of taglines and keywords: ‘metered models,’ ‘memberships,’ ‘registration paywalls,’ dynamic paywalls,’ and so on. These have led publishers to leverage a mixture of advertising, paywalls, and subscriptions to generate revenue. The keyword cycle is primed to shift again, and I predict that the industry will now turn to embrace user engagement. And by that, I mean the practice of increasingly giving users what they want, the way they want it, in order to convert readers to paying customers.
With the latest update to Apple’s Safari browser preventing sites from detecting when visitors have private browsing enabled, publishers are once again up in arms that a major platform is rendering their paywalls useless. They’re missing the point. Data privacy is top of mind for most consumers, and the tech platforms are all building off of this movement to evolve their products, just as their audience has evolved. When it comes to building reader revenue, publishers need to take a leaf from Apple’s book - hear what consumers want, adjust to meet their needs and engage with them to generate revenues while also protecting their privacy.
More online publishers are considering diversifying their revenues, moving away from a reliance on advertising and boosting reader revenues. When it comes to reader revenues, there are a lot of solutions, from paywalls, subscriptions, memberships and more. LaterPay offers a unique flexible paywall that works across publications and lets users pay at a later date. Hal Bailey, Chief Revenue Officer of LaterPay, helped explain what differentiates his solution and what trends he sees in digital media in this Q&A.
While magazine media has shifted to focus on reader revenue streams over the last 18 months or so, the landscape is still fraught with questions and uncertainties. No surprise then that subscriptions have been top of mind for media this year; the subject has been discussed at INMA's Subscription Summit, and snapshotted by FIPP's Global Digital Subscription Snapshot.
NEW YORK, NY – September 12, 2019 – LaterPay, the industry-leading platform that offers users immediate, frictionless access to content or services without requiring upfront registration or payment, has appointed John McKinney as Chief Technical Officer. As LaterPay continues to expand and scale up its operations in Europe and North America, McKinney will be responsible for managing the end-to-end development process of the company’s suite of technologies. Based in New York, he will report directly to LaterPay Founder and CEO, Cosmin Ene.
“A dynamic leader, John excels at managing his product and technology teams while also understanding the wider vision for LaterPay as a whole, and we are extremely pleased to welcome him to the team,” said Ene. “John brings with him a deep understanding of our technology and industry but has also demonstrated the ability to work with different teams and company functions to build out efficiencies across multiple groups and disciplines, which will be essential as LaterPay continues to conquer new markets.
A well-rounded industry veteran, McKinney brings almost 15 years experience in managing diverse teams as well as shepherding companies through the evolution of web technologies. Most recently he has served as CTO of the Boston-based fintech start-up Netcapital as well as the co-founder of [opening riff], a technology investment and consulting group. Earlier in his career, McKinney co-founded Ashe Avenue Development in 2007, specializing in the development of web platforms, native applications, and experiential campaigns, and led the construction of vice.com and other properties for VICE Media. After working for a number of publishing clients, including building multiple lifestyle verticals for AOL.com, Ashe Avenue was acquired by AOL in 2015 and McKinney took on the role of VP of Engineering, AOL Core Products. He holds dual degrees in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
“LaterPay has created a truly unique and empowering industry model - one that has the potential to fundamentally change the way people perform financial transactions online,” McKinney said. “At the same time, that requires a structured and systematic approach to technical development, which is something I look forward to bringing to the team in this new role. I am very excited to be joining the company at such a pivotal moment.”
LaterPay enables publishers to convert users into subscribers at a higher rate than traditional models and helps publishers to earn revenue with single articles and time passes from readers who never will subscribe. By using LaterPay’s solution, digital publishers and service providers can simultaneously expand existing subscription models, increase paying customer bases and improve user experience.
LaterPay owns patented technology for enabling micropayments without upfront registration, facilitated by the “use now, pay later” approach. This allows users to consume paid content and services on the internet with one or two clicks — without prior registration or having to pay in advance. It is only when the online tab’s $5 limit is reached that users are prompted to register and pay. LaterPay aims to empower content providers to monetize the vast space that lives between ads and subscriptions. www.laterpay.net
Like seeking shelter from the rain under a bridge, building a business model around a loophole is not a long term strategy. Dealing with the aftermath of closing the Google Chrome’s Incognito mode loophole gives publishers the chance to embrace more user-centric models and engage directly with their audience in order to generate revenues from readers while also protecting their privacy.
With millions of people using news aggregators daily, they’re here to stay. And your phone’s app store has countless options available, from Flipboard to Feedly to Nuzzel. But we’re now entering the age of the Super Aggregators – for want of a better term – and things look set to change. What will the implications be for publishers?
The 2019 GEN Summit saw so much positive awareness about how different monetization models can complement subscriptions. Just like at INMA earlier this year, people are paying attention, listening to the arguments being made, and building their own opinions. In this article for Medium, Cosmin Ene shares his own contribution to the debate when he participated in a panel on the future of publishing and paywalls.


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Australian Internet company Spike Networks signalled its intention to become "the largest Internet media company in the world" last week when it issued the company's prospectus for an IPO listing on the Australian Stock Exchange on 29 July.
Spike's loquacious CEO, Chris O'Hanlon, announced a three-pronged branding strategy based on new ventures, original content development and Spike's core business of Web site construction, to secure Spike's future growth, a growth Spike and underwriter Salomon Smith Barney are counting on when they offer 26.4 per cent of the company to the public.
On offer are 22.5 million shares at $1.45 each, equating to a capital injection of $32.6 million with an over-subscription option for a further $3 million.
According to the prospectus, Spike is set to report $6.3 million in revenues for the fiscal year ending two weeks ago - 42 per cent coming from overseas - which is forecast to grow to over $20.4 million by June 30, 2000.
The money raised by the IPO will be split, according to Salomon Smith Barney's director of investment banking media and telecommunications Wayne Homschek, with approximately half being farmed back into the company's financial infrastructure and the rest being invested in new growth initiatives including original content distribution.
One such initiative is an online radio service - Spike Radio - set to go live on August 1 this year. O'Hanlon said Spike has already broken even with $3.2 million in revenues through advertising and sponsorship from Spike Radio and expects this to exceed $5 million by June 30, 2000.
The listing also signals the first time in Australia IPO share applications can be filled out over the Internet and appropriate funds sent via the Web or B-Pay.
Spike's online prospectus and application form are available at http://www.spike.com.auFast FactsSpike NetworksOffer price: $1.45Shares offered: 22.5 millionClosing date: 22 July 1999ASX debut: 29 July 1999Capitalisation: $123.4 million after floatGrowth areas: Web development, new ventures, original content creation


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PORTLAND, Ore. — The governors of Oregon and Washington say they’ve reached an agreement with a Vancouver, Wash., company to mitigate the impacts of a proposed I-5 bridge across the Columbia River.
John Kitzhaber of Oregon and Jay Inslee of Washington announced the agreement with Thompson Metal Fab on Thursday but released no details.
Thompson Metal Fab is one of three manufacturers upstream that would not be able to fit some of their products under the proposed bridge, which would be shorter than the existing one. The states reached mitigation agreements with the other two companies earlier this year.
A project spokeswoman said she didn’t have details of the agreement. A Thompson Metal Fab official did not immediately respond to a phone call.
Bridge proponents are trying to revive the project after the Washington Senate failed to approve funding.


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Titanium Dioxide China News
Believe most of the importers for China Tio2 have felt the price-up tendency with past continuous months. It is getting harder to have new order with much more lower price any more from first level China Tio2 manufacturers since entering Aug. With low-price running of ilmenite supplying, which is the main and occupying over 50% total materials during Tio2 producing since beginning of 2009, the recent price increasing seems less convinced, especially under the situation of over capacity of Tio2 supplying worldwide at present. Actually, below two more elements should be taken into account while considering China Tio2 besides other production materials.
Capital of Manufacturer---This is key point to determin the future and production cost of one manufacturer. China Tio2 (What I mean is qualified export products) got market share is normally by competitive cost and workable products. Experienced the booming & down period since 2008 till end of 2013, the more sufficient on capital, the more powerful for development and cost control.
Environment Protection--- As heavy polluted industry, Sulphate process Tio2 production is now under very strictly monitoring & control by Govt Environmental Protection Law. The cost on production wasts dealing with is no doubt an important factor for final Tio2 price increasing. Any manufacturer less or even without capability of dealing with production wasts properly would have to be heavy fined or closed. Believe there would be more small or even middle-sized manufacturers would be vanished in following couple of years.
For all first level China Tio2 manufacturers, both above two factors are unavoidable while price determing, and also affect further development. With more strict demand on environmental protection and Tio2 upgrade in near future, the cost of China Tio2 would finally stable at a reasonable cost, which is also helpful for long-terms cooperation with importers worldwide.
- September 6, 2017According to market news, subject to strict environmental inspection, Today, Panzhihua vanadium and titanium industry park titanium manufacturers all stop production, some manufacturers said the recov...view
- February 24, 2021Venator Materials PLC (“Venator”) today announced global price increases for all its titanium dioxide pigments for coatings, plastics, inks and paper applications. The increases are effective from A...view
- September 6, 2017The production of titanium-zirconium concentrate has been launched in North Kazakhstan province, governor of North Kazakhstan province Samat Eskendirov said on Dec.6 at a briefing in Central Communica...view
- June 9, 2020ISHIHARA SANGYO KAISHA, LTD. and its affiliates have announced aprice increase of TIPAQUETM titanium dioxide (TiO2) by US$200 permetric ton in the Asia-Pacific region effective as from July 1, 2020.view
- September 6, 2017Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: KRO) announced that its board of directors has declared a regular quarterly dividend of fifteen cents ($0.15) per share on its common stock, payable on December 19, 2013 ...view
- September 6, 2017According to the German Coatings Association survey, in nearly 250 enterprises, most companies because of raw material prices continue to rise, so that the paint business has been greatly affected, on...view


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The first sentence of the Associated Press item reads: ‘It’s a natural fit.’
Mimmi Montgomery, for the New York Observer, filed her report about the marketing moves of a Midtown icon under the category-tag Keeping It Tight and a headline that begins: “Fruit of the Loon…”
And, per the screen grab below, the New York Post wisely avoided any attempt to wink-reference its iconic “Headless…Topless…” headline with its crowning of an AP-based item.
The only thing missing from the media coverage is a clever Ratso Rizzo reference. From the AP article:
The New York City fixture — real name Robert Burck — who reached fame by strumming his guitar clad in only his underwear, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, will help launch the new line with promotions beginning Tuesday.
While he usually wears traditional white briefs, the marketing campaign will see him switch to Fruit of the Loom’s new underwear, which have tapered legs to prevent them from riding up. Also on Tuesday, samples and coupons will be given out in Times Square from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two final notes:
1) The AP photo of Burck, above, by Frank Franklin II is fantastically composed.
2) Shockingly, at press time, none of the slides adorning the Fruit of the Loom U.S. website relate to Burck’s imminent Broadway re-debut. That needs to be fixed, pronto.


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CIRCULATION figures for national newspapers across the UK have just been released and they make for grim reading for those in that industry.
And in the latest ABC figures for December, three Scottish newspapers have reported significant drops in circulation with drops of up to 13.5% in year on year circulation.
The Daily Record has shed almost 10% of the circulation it had a year ago and in December 2016 it sold just 160,557 copies per day.
The Record’s 9.7% year on year decline is awful but at least not as severe as the 12.68% decline in circulation at its sister paper the Sunday Mail. In December 2016 the Sunday Mail sold just 172,513 copies. This is a long, long way from the days when it sold around half a million copies every Sunday.
The only other Scottish paper reporting is the Sunday Post which in December 2016 sold just 142,863 copies, a drop of 13.5% year on year. The Sunday Post, to be fair do not include bulk, or free copies within its sales figures.
Nationally there are several newspapers that are currently losing sales at a rate of more than 10% year to year. The Sun dropped by 10.5%, Sunday Mirror (down 16.3%, the Daily Mirror (down 11.68 %), Sunday People (down 15.1 %), Daily Star Sunday (down 13.2 %).
The only titles to grow print sales year on year were The Sunday Times and The Times, but this can be explained by increased free bulk copies which are distributed at places like hotels and airports. This is also a tactic that is used by both the Daily Record and the Sunday Mail.
The figures for two of the Scottish titles also show bulk (or free) copies within their circulation figures quoted above. The Daily Record reported bulk 4923 bulk copies while the Sunday Mail had bulks of 3806 copies.
So their figures, excluding bulk copies, given away at airports, hotels and so on are just 155,634 sales per edition for the Daily Record and 168,707 sales for the Sunday Mail.


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"Prices for the Model X have not been announced, but Tesla hopes to deliver the Gen 3 at a much lower cost than the Model S because it will spend much less on research and development."
At the time that you are determining prices for an innovative new product, the development costs are all sunk. They are not relevant for pricing decisions.
When determining whether to go ahead with the project, one might consider that, by innovating, the market will bear a price premium. Proceed only if the implied contribution margin for anticipated sales exceeds the development costs. Or the causality expressed above is backward; the additional R&D is lower because the anticipated price is lower.
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
I would concur that in any new project initiation, determining whether to proceed with the project, managers would consider that, by innovating, the market will bear a price premium. But spending less on R&D does not guarantee savings the will be passed on the consumers.ReplyDelete
Market demands and consumer preferences are ever changing, so doing less on R&D could result in a shortfall in innovation and consumer interest. Furthermore there are no savings to past on to the consumer if the R&D cost is already spent, thus not relevant to the pricing decisions.
Notwithstanding, Tesla Motors could possibly lower its price based on the potential increase in demand in the industry. Higher electric car demand opens the prospect to introduce volume discounts to their dealers. According to ccbldg, “Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk says some competitors are finally taking him up on his deal to share some of Tesla's 200 patents for free” He expressed surprise that despite Tesla's success so far -- it plans on making about 35,000 cars this year -- which no other automakers seemed serious about making long-range electrics”. This niche could yield significant value creation for Tesla. Also since they are the leader in this area, they are position to harness more information on consumer’s interest in electric cars with little or no competition for its rivals. Thus, Tesla could take advantage of price discrimination opportunities among certain group segments.
Leo Palmer ESC ECON
Ccbldg..ELON MUSK SAYS RIVALS ARE NOW USING TESLA PATENTS. RETREIVED 1/28/15 FROM


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The growing number of millennial and Gen Z professionals have very high expectations for B2B ecommerce, says a new report from Forrester Research Inc.
Millennial refers to people born between 1981 and 1996. Gen Z refers to those born between 1996 and 2012.
“Generational shifts in the workplace are turning the business buying process on its head,” says Amy Hayes, vice president and research director at Forrester. “Lack of understanding about millennial and Gen Z buying behaviors can adversely affect providers’ ability to reach, engage, and ultimately win these buyers over.”
Millennials and Gen Z zoomers constitute 64% of business buyers. Furthermore, millennials make up more than half of all business buyers, Forrester says.
“These younger buyers are more demanding, engaging in more buying activities, and more willing to express their dissatisfaction with the buying process,” Forrester says. “These changing buying behaviors, combined with continued economic uncertainty and tighter budgets, necessitate that sales and marketing leaders adapt their go-to-market strategies.”
Millennial and Gen Z B2B buyers also have high standards for engaging and purchasing online from sellers
- Younger buyers carry new demands and expectations for B2B buying. Forrester predicts that in two years, more than a third of millennial and Gen Z business buyers will purchase through self-guided digital channels. Those include vendor websites, marketplaces, app stores, or directly from an existing product.
- Millennials and Gen Z B2B buyers are active information seekers. Younger buyers go to more sources and find third-party resources more impactful than vendor resources.
- This group is quicker to express dissatisfaction with the buying experience. 90% of younger buyers cite dissatisfaction with their vendor in at least one area compared to 71% of older buyers.


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The Brazilian Central Bank has announced the creation of a working group to explore the potential regulation of tokenization in the country. The group, which will be composed of experts from the bank, the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM), and other relevant regulatory agencies, will examine the various legal, financial, and technological aspects of tokenization.
Tokenization is the process of converting a physical asset, such as a piece of real estate or a car, into a digital token on a blockchain. These tokens can then be bought and sold on cryptocurrency exchanges, much like traditional stocks or bonds. The use of tokenization has grown significantly in recent years, with many businesses and investors seeing it as a way to more easily and securely trade assets.
The Brazilian Central Bank’s working group will aim to understand the potential benefits and risks of tokenization, and to determine whether the current legal framework in Brazil is adequate to regulate it. The group will also consider whether new laws or regulations are needed to ensure the security and stability of the tokenization market.
According to the bank, the working group will be “an important forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences” on tokenization. It will hold regular meetings to discuss the latest developments in the field, and will work closely with industry stakeholders to ensure that the views of all parties are taken into account.
The announcement of the working group comes amid growing interest in tokenization in Brazil. Many businesses and investors are increasingly looking at tokenization as a way to more easily and securely trade assets, and the country’s central bank is clearly keen to ensure that any potential risks are carefully monitored and managed.
It is expected that the working group will release its findings and recommendations in the coming months, and it is likely that they will be closely watched by regulators and stakeholders around the world. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, the formation of the working group is a clear sign that the Brazilian Central Bank is taking the potential of tokenization seriously, and is determined to ensure that it is regulated in a way that protects consumers and promotes stability.


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TOKYO -- Convenience stores, long among the most successful competitors in Japan's retail industry, continue to lose customers to drugstores and e-commerce.
Overall customer traffic at seven major convenience store chains dropped on the year for a 24th straight month in February, the longest slump since the Japan Franchise Association began collecting the data in 2004.
Same-store customer numbers fell 1.4% for February, as the three leading chains -- Seven-Eleven Japan, Lawson and FamilyMart -- all logged declines, the association reported Tuesday. The data covers stores open for at least one year.
Top-ranked Seven-Eleven Japan saw an eighth consecutive month of declines, as did Lawson, while FamilyMart's footfall dropped for an 11th straight month.
Japan's convenience store market continued to expand in 2017, with sales reaching 10.6 trillion yen ($100 billion), but growth slowed to 1.8%, according to the association.
In contrast, drugstore sales are forecast to grow 5.5% in fiscal 2017 to reach 6.85 trillion yen. Drugstores have attracted customers from convenience chains by offering more fresh foods and increasing the number of 24-hour locations. Meanwhile, e-commerce sales at Rakuten, Yahoo Japan and Amazon Japan totaled about 6.7 trillion yen in 2017, jumping 13% from a year earlier.
Convenience chains still lifted sales last year thanks to a 1.5% increase in store numbers to 55,395. But this strategy has proven to be a double-edged sword by saturating the market further.
The stores look to fight back by offering new services. Seven-Eleven intends to place 5,000 bicycles for a bike-sharing service at 1,000 of its locations by end of fiscal 2018. FamilyMart plans to set up laundromats at 500 of its stores by the end of fiscal 2019.


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Warren Buffet is the fourth richest man in the world and also known for being one of the shrewdest operators when it comes to investing in stocks. So, it comes as no surprise to learn that Buffet’s company Berkshire Hathway owns $50 billion worth of stock in Apple. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, recently attended the annual shareholders meeting of Berkshire Hathway and said that he was “thrilled” that Buffet is an investor in Apple.
In an interview with Fox Business, Cook was asked that if he feels happy that Buffet had invested in Apple. Cook replied, “I am thrilled, I am thrilled.” Not just that Cook also described Buffet as a “great teacher.” When asked what he had learnt from Buffet, Cook said, “Warren, to me, I’ll do the obvious wisdom: Integrity, humility, straight language, plain language,” before describing him as a great teacher, “I don’t think there’s a better teacher,” said Cook about Buffet.
Last week, Apple came out with its quarterly earnings which had surprised many experts and analysts as the company posted healthy numbers. Even though the sale of iPhones have been low in almost every country, close to 53% of company’s revenue came from its flagship product. Apple’s Services business continued to rake in the Moolchand as did the AirPods and Apple Watch.
Buffet, meanwhile was asked about Apple’s recent financial report and in an interview with CNBC said that he was “pleased.” He further said that none of his investment decisions were taken on the basis of quarterly reports. With regard to Apple, he told CNBC, “What they talked about and reported is consistent with the reason we own $50 billion-plus of Apple.”
Buffet remains the fourth richest man in the world, as per Forbes’ billionaires index, with an estimated wealth of close to $89 billion. Buffet’s Berkshire Hathway has almost 60 companies under its umbrella and he is also considered one of the leading philanthropists in the world.―Times of India


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Earlier on today we brought you the headline news that Nintendo reported a financial loss for the first quarter, which was very much expected. Despite some pre-results whispers, Nintendo didn't adjust its projections for returning a profit this financial year, showing a degree of confidence in the process.
The financial report that was issued had some interesting information, including total worldwide hardware and software sales for the three months up to 30th June. We've reproduced these below, showing the sales performance of the major hardware and related software in each region, with comparison figures for the same quarter in 2011 in brackets.
In the case of 3DS, it's a sizeable improvement across the board in comparison to last year. Nintendo would like worldwide sales to show the same momentum as those in Japan, so that will no doubt be a priority with the launch of 3DS XL.
Japan: 920,000 (210,000)
The Americas: 420,000 (110,000)
Other: 530,000 (400,000)
Worldwide total - 1,860,000 (720,000)
Lifetime sales: 19,000,000
Japan: 2,960,000 (1,030,000)
The Americas: 2,470,000 (1,840,000)
Other: 1,960,000 (1,670,000)
Worldwide total: 7,390,000 (4,530,000)
Lifetime sales: 52,810,000
The trend for Wii is less positive, which is no surprise due to the upcoming Wii U and the poor momentum that the system has suffered for a number of months. An interesting statistic is that, thanks to its significant fanbase, more Wii games were sold in this period than for 3DS.
Japan: 60,000 (110,000)
The Americas: 210,000 (530,000)
Other: 440,000 (920,000)
Worldwide total: 710,000 (1,560,000)
Lifetime sales: 96,560,000
Japan: 950,000 (940,000)
The Americas: 3,900,000 (6,440,000)
Other: 3,620,000 (6,070,000)
Worldwide total: 8,470,000 (13,440,000)
Lifetime sales: 826,930,000
As surely everyone knows, DS hardware sales are no longer anything to shout about, as its successor is now into its second year. Despite the hardware slump DS software, with a big boost from the Japanese release of Pokemon Black and White 2, has actually out-performed the individual totals of Wii and 3DS.
Japan: 10,000 (110,000)
The Americas: 400,000 (550,000)
Other: 130,000 (780,000)
Worldwide total: 540,000 (1,440,000)
Lifetime sales: 152,050,000
Japan: 2,810,000 (1,740,000)
The Americas: 3,080,000 (5,500,000)
Other: 2,590,000 (4,890,000)
Worldwide total: 8,480,000 (12,130,000)
Lifetime sales: 908,780,000
So there you have it, a picture of the sales in the last three months for Nintendo's current available systems. The downward trends of Wii and DS are expected, and Nintendo will be hoping that an increasing userbase will help 3DS to overtake its predecessors in software sales in the year to come. It's not all rosy in Peach's garden, but there are some blossoms coming through.


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Homeless couple caused $2,000 damage during free hotel stay
THEY were given a great gift: A homeless couple were offered time in a nice hotel room over Christmas. But what they did to it was horrible.
A WOMAN who raised money for a homeless couple to spend Christmas in a hotel was left distraught after the pair caused $2,000 worth of damage.
Louise Elliott, 32, and her friend Becky McSorley created a Facebook appeal to fund a 10-night stay at the Ibis Hotel in Crawley, West Sussex, on behalf of Lewis Holley, his girlfriend Stacey and their dog Bonnie.
The friends decided to raise money after organising a collection of clothes for the homeless in London — and well-known figure Lewis, also known as ‘Piper’, was chosen due to his popularity with locals.
Twenty-five generous strangers contributed to the effort, and $1,300 was raised in just five days.
One donor gave $250, while two of Louise’s own children put $20 of their birthday money towards the fund, as they wanted to give back to others over the festive period.
Louise even prepared a hamper for the couple to enjoy, including non-alcoholic wine — as they told her they didn’t drink — and dropped Lewis, Stacey and Bonnie off at the hotel.
She said: “We felt really good. We thought we had done such a good thing because it was cold and it was rainy and they were sleeping in a tent.
“When I went to tell them, they were over the moon. Stacey was crying she was so happy.”
But at the end of their stay, from Christmas Eve until January 2, the pair left the room in a “total mess” — with a smashed window, cigarette burns in the carpet and the TV ripped from the wall.
The window and carpet both had to be replaced — while the mattress was filthy and the couple had stolen the duvet.
Fortunately, the hotel will not chase Louise, from Reigate, Surrey, for damages — but staff were forced to spend two hours clearing rubbish from the destroyed room.
Hotel manager Sam White said: “I’ve never seen a room that bad in my many years of hotel management.”
It was later revealed that they had also tried to check out on Christmas Day and claim a refund of $1,190 instead of remaining at the hotel.
Louise, who vows she will never do anything like this again, said: “I just felt so angry and so bad for the hotel staff. We feel like fools. It was the time of year for goodwill and generosity.
“So many kind people went out their way to try and do something nice at Christmas but it has turned into a nightmare. I am so sorry for the people who gave money.”


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The next character coming to Fortnite is Bruce Campbell! Err, sorry no, it’s Evil Dead’s Ash Williams!
It’s been quite the busy year for the Evil Dead franchise and it looks like they’re not quite done yet. Earlier this year, Evil Dead: The Game launched and sold 500,000 copies within 5 days alone. Now, Ash Williams has just been seen joining the ranks of Agent Jonesy and Peely in Fortnite as part of the upcoming Fortnitemares event.
In the latest Fortnitemares trailer, Ash Williams was part of the new upcoming skins to be included in the latest Halloween event. Fortnitemares 2022 will feature the usual spooky Halloween themed skins along with a new Halloween boss. Howler claws will be available for use, which lets players use the “Wolfescent Ability” to help track nearby enemies through a heartbeat indicator that beats louder in response to prey.
Data mining searches suggest that players will be able to pick up Ash and everything he comes with through the Knowby Cabin Nightmare set, which may feature Ash’s skin, his Boomstick or the Necronomicon as Back Bling and his iconic chainsaw hand as a Pickaxe, the “It’s a Trick!” emote and the “Hello, Henrietta” loading screen.
However, news on the Fortnite X Evil Dead crossover is pretty tight at the moment so it’s unclear if Ash Williams will get more emotes, or if he’ll have Bruce Campbell’s voice for Fortnite. We’ve also no news on the official release date on when the skin and bundle will be out, but it will most likely be sold during the upcoming 2022 Halloween event which is expected to last until the end of October.


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A list of 250 prominent business leaders has backed U.K.’s exit from the European Union (EU), according to a statement by Vote Leave group — a pro-Brexit camp. The list has been published nearly three months before a referendum on whether the U.K. should stay in the EU is scheduled to be held later in June.
The Vote Leave campaign has tried to counter the anti-exit sentiment among businesses after a third of the companies listed on London’s benchmark stock index, the FTSE 100, publicly supported staying in the 28-member bloc last month.
The news was followed by an announcement by Britain’s top business lobby, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), last week, saying that nearly a million jobs could be lost by 2020 if U.K. split ties with the bloc.
“The UK’s businesses and in particular its financial services sector would thrive outside the EU if the country votes to leave,” Michael Geoghegan, former CEO of HSBC, told the Financial Times. Geoghegan was reportedly joined by John Caudwell, the founder of the mobile phone retailer Phones 4u, and Sir Rocco Forte, an English hotelier, in supporting Britain’s exit from EU on Saturday.
“With our growing list of business supporters, Vote Leave will make that case that whilst the EU might be good for big multinationals, for smaller businesses it acts as a job destruction regulatory machine,” Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of Vote Leave said Saturday. Pro-Brexit campaigners have argued that the U.K. could weather a slide in trade from Europe — a shrinking market for U.K. exports — as the government would be able to draw up new trade deals with fast-growing economies around the world.
However, U.K.’s Business Secretary Sajid Javid, who is supporting Britain staying in the EU, said that businesses could see “we are stronger, safer and better-off in a reformed EU,” according to BBC.


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Wellawatte Police found around 15,000 Al Quran books in a warehouse of an international school in Wellawatte.
These books were found when inspecting the store after tip-off alerted the Wellawatte Police.
Police said several books were taken into their custody and the warehouse was sealed until the contents of those books were disclosed. (DSB)
Rax Friday, 02 April 2021 05:40 PM
Please give me also a copy to read.
Hassanda Friday, 02 April 2021 08:52 PM
You can drop into any mosque they will give you a copy but your intentions Should be honest and clear not to Bring disrepute to any religion
Ramesh Friday, 02 April 2021 09:34 PM
Well said Hasanda. The rulers who are supposed to unite the people are the fundamental cause for the division among society. The comment from Rax also a part of it.
Ranaweera Saturday, 03 April 2021 08:50 AM
I think authorities want to see if the contents are same as the standard book. Not something altered to create hate. As long as it is the standard book then there should not be a problem.
Si Saturday, 03 April 2021 09:14 AM
It is good to review content of the book as some quran spread redicalist thought.. which bad to Muslims..
josh Saturday, 03 April 2021 04:20 PM
the public need to know why these were brought ? l
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Multisensory wellness and male beauty treatments are predicted to be among the top trends in 2024, according to a new report from Fresha and WGSN.
The report’s insights are based on analysis of 600 million Fresha bookings and scans of more than 2,000 social media accounts.
Fresha and WGSN also conducted surveys of more than 1,000 consumers across the UK, US, Canada and Australia, and interviews with industry experts.
Fresha says that the report serves as a guide to changing consumer expectations and shows how services and treatments will need to be adapted to boost business.
Beauty and wellness trends for 2024
According to the report, the 11 beauty and wellness trends for 2024 are:
1. Dopamine beauty
At its core, dopamine beauty supports consumers to feel well, happy and cared for.
Salons and beauty providers can also go further into the power of dopamine, beyond physical aesthetics, to explore the relationship between mental health and beauty through psychodermatology.
While it’s well-known that skin conditions can affect mental health, more research is emerging on how low mental wellbeing can affect the skin.
Beauty salons that provide any skincare treatment have the opportunity to respond to this growing trend, shifting from just treating skin at the surface to treating mental wellbeing alongside it, helping customers to leave the beauty experience feeling good physically and mentally.
The report said, "For long-term success, beauty and wellness providers must double down on emotional client care, helping them to resonate with younger demographics such as Gen Z, who place more importance on their mental health than any other generation."
2. Prioritised indulgence
Driven by a renewed appreciation for the time spent on self-care and beauty routines, what was once deemed indulgent is now seen as a necessity.
Consumers are making time for a balanced self-care routine, evidenced through the rise of the ‘maintenance day’ which revolutionises the original ‘spa day’ concept into a new ritual that salons can capitalise on to increase footfall and time and money spent during an appointment.
The maintenance day is also triggering the rise of the hybrid salon, where hair, beauty or wellness treatments are all located under one roof.
This has the opportunity to revitalise package bookings, where two or more treatments are booked at the same time, making it easier for consumers to book multiple essential services within one appointment.
The report predicted that salons which evolve or adapt how consumers can access self-care experts, treatments and experiences will win in the future.
"Expect to see new spaces designed such as meeting pods, quiet zones or cafés, all enabling clients to comfortably work, relax and indulge over an extended period of time in the salon," said the report.
3. Pet wellness
The pet ownership boom is driving a change in consumer attitudes, with pet owners providing their animals with the same level of care as they do human members of the family.
There was a surge in dog separation anxiety after owners went back to work post pandemic, and in response, work and public spaces are increasingly welcoming animals, helping owners to minimise the distress experienced by their pets.
As pet ownership increases, consumers will expect their beauty and wellness destinations to be inclusive environments for their pets where they will be treated with the same level of service as their owners.
Some spa destinations have already begun taking note of this trend, creating pampering packages designed for humans and pets.
Consumers are also beginning to seek out premium products and services for their pets that offer humanised wellness benefits.
The report stated that “Salons, spas and barbershops of the future must cater not only to the wellness of the human, but also the pet, with services spanning pet sitting and grooming to facials and hydrotherapy.”
4. 'Phygital' exploration
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are merging the online and offline worlds, enabling consumers to explore beauty in phygital worlds (i.e., a mix of physical and digital).
The beauty industry is benefitting from advancements in AR and VR, by enabling consumers to experiment with make-up, skincare, and even cosmetic procedures, from the comfort of their home.
A greater opportunity lies in bringing this tech into the salon environment, as a means of enhancing the consultation experience between therapists and client and removing the guesswork.
The report says consumers will be motivated to explore ways to alter their physical appearance without commitment, meaning they will expect salons to embrace tech innovations that enable this.
5. Cultural intellect
Cultural expertise will expand beyond the haircare market, with cultural understanding predicted to become a differentiator in all beauty and wellness services.
This will become most evident within skincare services – the British Association of Dermatologists recently developed a new five-point Eumelanin Human Skin Colour Scale to replace the Fitzpatrick scale.
This has been established with all skin types in mind to help combat underrepresentation in research, and is set to positively influence products and services created in the future.
This trend towards cultural intellect is set to change how businesses communicate with clients, with a focus on embedding inclusive language into services.
A generalised approach will be swapped out in favour of detail, with leading businesses investing in inclusive treatment communication so that all consumers understand how services will benefit them.
This will extend to in-person experiences, with the report predicting that businesses will update everything from verbal language used by employees through to written signage, so that all consumers feel welcome and more likely to trust the salon's expertise.
6. Modern males
Men are becoming more confident in trying out new services, driving progressive change in the male beauty market.
They are now investing more time in their grooming rituals, as they enjoy the physical and mental wellness benefits – a fact that will transform the future of male services.
In removing stereotyping and gender bias, beauty businesses have the opportunity to grow their client base by making their salon environments more welcoming to men.
This will be particularly relevant for skincare, nail and wellbeing services.
The future will see access to male grooming, beauty and wellness services grow, offering the ultimate self-care experience where men and all other genders feel welcome.
The beauty services men request will become more nuanced, evolving from simple facials or manicures to more technical beauty services such as microblading, acne treatments or injectables.
The report said, “In what was once a female-dominated industry, male services will become the true growth opportunity of the future, which all salons will seek to capitalise on.”
7. Gender-fluid futures
Conversations about gender are evolving from a binary to a fluid mindset, inspiring beauty and wellness destinations to question gender-assuming language and services so that all identities can access the right experiences for them.
To boost loyalty and grow clients, salons of the future must be inclusive, designing services, spaces and experiences that are welcoming to all identities.
Language and terminology will be the starting point for salons, the key being to never assume the gender or pronoun of any customer.
It's predicted that service menus will be critiqued and updated so that gender assumptions are eradicated, instead focusing on the beauty needs of the client.
This language will flow throughout the entire online and offline salon experience, helping to drive change while authentically communicating to clients that the industry is focused on great service, rather than gender.
8. A make-over for add-ons
Add-ons and complimentary services have not evolved much over the years, but the value they can bring to a customer’s experience is significant.
Traditionally, these services have meant little more than a free drink – often water, tea or coffee.
Many salons have started to enhance complimentary experiences with beverages and snacks, adding personality to their establishment through unconventional options such as beer, cocktails or barista-made coffee.
Not all add-ons need to be complimentary – the consumer survey shows that the majority of respondents would be likely to pay for one or two add-ons.
Some nail salons are offering a menu of in-chair add-ons for clients to choose from, from aromatherapy and reflexology to massages and facials.
Aligning the add-on experience to personal preferences while facilitating the discovery of new treatments will be key to attracting and retaining customers in the future.
To streamline this, the report states that businesses will increasingly partner with local cafés, shops or independent grocers to revive their menu of complimentary drinks and snacks.
9. Multisensory wellness
Beauty and wellness services are becoming more sensorial, subtly engaging all five senses to deliver an immersive experience that leaves consumers feeling positive long after their treatment.
Touch and tactility are some of the most powerful senses connected with beauty, with a growing interest in temperature-driven experiences such as cryotherapy.
Innovative applications of sound, going beyond conventional music playlists, are being explored to aid client relaxation and restoration, and new technology aims to harness the power of fragrances, enabling everyone to access aromas aligned with their wellness needs.
As consumers increasingly prioritise holistic health, access to new forms of therapy, including sensorial therapy, is expanding.
Energy healing, chromatherapy, reiki and sound baths are becoming popular for enhancing mental and emotional wellbeing, prompting leading salons to diversify their treatment approach to cater to these needs.
As consumers continue investing in their day-to-day wellness, their expectations for new age wellness retreats, destinations and hotels grow higher.
Some retreats are combining mushroom ceremonies with breathwork, yoga, somatic movement and sound frequencies to enhance guests’ healing, while others are offering cannabis-infused therapies and food, yoga, mindfulness sessions and tantric psychology.
The report said, “Successful businesses will approach alternative therapies, either by investing in training staff to competently address these services or by hiring qualified specialists so clients receive premium levels of care.”
10. Health tweakments
Consumers are craving a fresher look, with the goal no longer being to look younger, but to look healthier.
Cosmetic treatments, no longer exclusive to older generations or those wishing to reverse ageing, are now viewed as an exercise in preservation.
Procedures such as anti-wrinkle injections, microneedling and lip fillers are among the top performing treatments, recording significant year-on-year growth in bookings according to Fresha.
The report explains that tweakments in the future will extend beyond the face, neck and décolletage, with increased demand for procedures elsewhere on the body including the hands and intimate areas.
As the focus on health and wellness continues to grow, stigma around aesthetic procedures is predicted to fade, shifting to being viewed as an integral component of consumers’ preventative health routines.
The report predicts that this cultural shift will encourage businesses to adapt by embracing innovations that respond to current aesthetic goals across minimally invasive and non-invasive aesthetic procedures.
11. Accessible diagnostics
Salon smart-tools will undergo a diagnostic upgrade, enabling customers to get hyper-individualised care and experiences.
The skincare market has seen a surge in diagnostic tech innovations in recent years, with new products enabling consumers to understand their skin health and needs at home.
Future devices will be increasingly smart and efficient, allowing busy salons to offer hyper-individualised expertise consistently.
As the lines between beauty, wellness and healthcare continue to blur, salons of the future will emerge as powerful data sources, collecting diagnostic client information that can be shared with healthcare professionals as needed.
Building trust with clients around data collection and healthcare credibility will be key to ensure future investment in diagnostics is well-received.


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Criminals are now increasingly copying bank cards in the UK before using them abroad so they can bypass chip and pin security, Lloyds TSB has warned.
While chip and pin makes it much harder for criminals to make useable copies in the UK, foreign ATMs are less secure.
This is because many overseas ATMs are still taking their information from a bank card's magnetic strip rather than the more secure microchip.
Lloyds TSB said it could not put a figure on the cost of the problem.
Closing the gaps
It has emerged that one Lloyds TSB customer had £3,000 drained from her account after a cloned version of her debit card was used to make no less than 19 separate withdrawals in the Netherlands.
Cloned UK cards have also been used in France, Hong Kong, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.
Lloyds TSB said it had moved to close the gaps in its security system, and anyone who had lost money through the fraud would be reimbursed.
Chip and pin was introduced widely in the UK last February to help combat card fraud.
The cards contain a microchip that can store information more securely than a magnetic strip - customers having to verify a transaction using a pin number rather than a signature makes it harder for criminals to use stolen cards.
Industry figures show that total card fraud in the UK fell 13% to £439m last year, with counterfeit and lost or stolen card fraud dropping by 24% to £58.4m.
The introduction of chip and pin is said have greatly contributed to these declines.


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Sales decline 3.29% to Rs 4310.02 crore ...http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-cm/tata-communications-consolidated-net-profit-declines-21-16-in-the-june-2017-quarter-117072500793_1.html
Tata Communications reported a stable set of Q1 earnings. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Pratibha Advani, CFO of the company spoke about the results... ...http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/results-boardroom/margins-likely-to-improve-going-ahead-tata-communications_9326121.html
Telecom stocks like Idea Cellular, Bharti Airtel, MTNL and Tata Communications will get astrological support, says Satish Gupta of astrostocktips. ...http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/astrology/idea-cellular-bharti-airtel-mtnl-tata-communications-to-get-astrological-support-satish-gupta_9323121.html
Shares of Tata Communications Ltd jumped as much as 4.6 pct, their biggest intraday pct gain since June 9. Co reported a 22 pct lower June-qtr... ...http://www.sify.com/finance/tata-communications-jumps-on-strong-ebitda-growth-news-sensex-rhzlaqiacihig.html
IoT devices don't require high bandwidth but absolute intolerance to network outages ...http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/tata-communications-bets-on-internet-of-things-in-utilities-health-care-117072200519_1.html
Tata Communications Ltd
Headquarters Bombay House
MAKS Communication is a leading...
uni-cell communication authorized...
Connectindia is an online platform to...


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Apple’s efforts to bring its workers back to the office are facing continued resistance from an organized group of employees, and at least one prominent resignation has been made because of the problem.
The Verge journalist Zoë Schiffer tweeted on Saturday, Ian Goodfellow, director of machine learning at Apple, will leave the company. He cited a plan to return to the office as the reason for his departure. “I firmly believe that more flexibility would be the best policy for my team,” he told a note to fellow employees, according to Schiffer’s tweet.
Current policies vary from time to time depending on the team and role, but in general, Apple has already asked employees to visit the office one or two days a week. On May 23, many Apple employees will have to go to the office at least three days a week.
Some employees are dissatisfied with the gradual return to the office. They coordinated their efforts in a group called “Apple Together”. The group recently released an open letter to the company’s executive management.
Apple Together cites several reasons why they believe Apple’s return to the office makes no sense to the company and its employees. The group is trying to unravel the idea that staying together in the office allows for random moments of collaboration and creation. The group says the company is already isolated, so working with co-workers is easier to manage when you work from home (when it’s sometimes easier to arrange video calls to other offices or departments) than in the office.
Apple Together records the impact that traveling to work in high-traffic cities where Apple has offices – such as the Bay Area, Los Angeles or Austin, Texas – has on employees’ personal lives, energy and availability at work. The group also points out that the requirement for employees to live within the range of travel to work from the office limits the types of employees who join the company.
The letter ends by citing what its authors consider “the most important reason” why Apple should allow more flexible working arrangements. It points out that Apple’s marketing messages position products like the iPhone, iPad and Mac as ideal tools for remote work, even as Apple tells employees designing those products to return to the office.
The letter suggests that Apple’s marketing is hypocritical and notes that employees working on making these products will better understand customer needs if they live the same lifestyle.
While Apple is gradually bringing employees back into the office culture, it is effectively using remote collaboration tools where there is no other choice.
For example, a Wall Street Journal article on how the COVID-19 pandemic changed Apple’s operations in China describes how Apple used technologies such as livestreams, video calls and augmented reality to allow California engineers to collaborate with counterparts in China amid travel constraints. Previously, many of these interactions required international travel to meet in person.
Meanwhile, several other technology companies have adopted more lenient approaches to teleworking. Microsoft still encourages some employees to come to the office, but that varies from case to case. Others like Dropbox, Twitter and Lyft have announced that most employees could stay completely away indefinitely if they choose to.
As it stands now, Apple plans to continue with its updated policy three days a week on May 23rd.


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At ad:tech NY, location-based services have been a hot topic of discussion (possibly the hottest). Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley spoke about his ambitions for making Foursquare an incredible tool for local businesses. A bit later, Greg Sterling led a panel with Murphy USA Internet Business Director Casey Petersen, Whrrl VP of products John Kim, MTV.com and VH1.com General Manager Kristin Frank, and Gowalla Director of Business Development Andy Ellwood.
Petersen and Kim discussed how Murphy USA (the Gas stations in front of Walmart) has been utilizing check-in app Whrrl to engage customers, build loyalty, and increase recommendations. Interestingly 44% of check-ins were new customers. More interesting yet, 85% of check-ins came because of the program, in cases when it would’ve been more convenient to go to a competitor.
According to Petersen, those using the app are three times more likely to visit more than once per week vs average customers, about 50% visit over six times a month, 72% are more likely to recommend a friend, and 56% are more likely to increase purchases due to the program.
In terms of influence, Petersen said Whrrl came in just behind email and Facebook, and over SMS and Twitter for Murphy USA’s customers. The three lessons Murphy USA and Whrrl learned from the project, as presented by Kim, were:
1. Align goals of the business and LBS service
2. Building proof should be first goal. Scale second.
3. Use LBS to highlight real people at your physical business in your broader social media efforts.
Frank said of MTV, "We’re always trying to set the standards and lead the way in social media. MTV and VH1 were the first media companies to partner with Foursquare on celebrity mode, she said, and MTV has the most followers on Foursquare of any brand.
"We’ve recently moved to more of an ‘expand the brand’ model," she said.
"Our audience expects us to embrace these different sites…different technologies that they’re using," she added.
"At the end of the day, Facebook is already starting to go there [LBS]…when they open it up to application development….that’s when this thing goes mainstream."
Let’s not forget Gowalla. Ellwood said, "It’s not just the check-ins. It’s also the photos that you take and the comments that you make."
"Gowalla is a virtual passport for your phone that allows you to catalog places visited, photos taken, comments shared and pins collected."
A question he says businesses should be asking is, "What are the places that my brand should be associated with?"
The places, by the way, don’t have to be predictable.