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Some tech companies either accept lower acquisition values or disappear altogether
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- Stephen Roth
- Staff Writer
At a time when many tech entrepreneurs are selling their technology companies at bargain-basement prices, Michael Gassman said he considers himself one of the lucky ones.
He and his business partners sold Tidestone Technologies Inc. in May to San Francisco-based Actuate Corp. for 870,000 shares of Actuate stock, roughly $13 million.
If all those shares were cashed in now, the acquisition would be worth about $8.6 million. As of July 25, Actuate stock was trading at $9.90 a share -- about $5 below where it was when Tidestone was acquired.
"Actuate has been profitable from Day One and made us think it was a long-term value company," Gassman said. "Our position is we'll sit on it because we believe in what (Actuate) is doing."
Gassman said Tidestone didn't have to sell when it did.
Not so for Lenexa-based ClaimPort Inc., which Bill Miller sold in April to San Diego-based HNC Software Inc. for $3.2 million cash.
Miller wouldn't say how much ClaimPort would have been worth in a more prosperous economy but admitted that the HNC deal wasn't the exit strategy he and his investors envisioned. ClaimPort has since closed its Lenexa office, and its technology has been folded into HNC.
"It's hard to take solace in the fact that, yes, we were acquired, especially for the valuation we were acquired at, which we weren't thrilled about," Miller said.
Deals such as the ClaimPort acquisition are becoming standard fare in Kansas City and tech markets throughout the country. Many start-up tech companies and dot-coms, burned by the retreat of venture capitalists and private investors, have been forced to either close their doors or sell what intellectual property they own. In many cases, dot-com market leaders are buying out their old competitors or related businesses, said Tim Miller, president of Webmergers.com, a San Francisco hub for buyers and sellers of Internet and tech companies.
Reach Stephen Roth at 816-421-5900 or by e-mail at email@example.com.
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Chinese tissue maker Vinda International Holdings Ltd. (03331.HK) is gearing up to become No. 1 in the booming Chinese household paper industry.
Chief executive Donna Zhang Dongfang said the company, ranked among the top three in China’ tissue market with a 13 percent market share, is aiming for the top spot in the medium to long term.
“We are resolved to achieve the market scale we have obtained in the past 30 years… It’s not only about sales figures but also market share and market recognition,” Zhang said.
The company will also ramp up its personal care business that covers sanitary napkins and diapers. The business accounts for only 1.4 percent of overall revenue and the plan is to boost its contribution to 20 percent in the coming five years, she said.
Chairman Li Chaowang said Vinda does not have overcapacity problems, although there are concerns about excess production in the industry.
It will continue to expand capacity according to market conditions, Li said.
Major players in the Chinese tissue market include Hengan International Group Co. Ltd. (01044.HK), C&S Paper Co. Ltd. (002511.CH) and Gold Hongye Paper Co. Ltd., a unit of Indonesia-based Asia Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd.
Zhang said disposable hygiene products, which include household paper and personal care products, are among the strongest and fastest-growing industries in China.
“This is a sunrise industry. Growth is fast. People have to buy again after using [disposable hygiene products],” she said.
Vinda’s profit rose 9.3 percent to HK$593.5 million for the 12 months to December. Revenue climbed 17.5 percent to HK$8 billion, of which the core business of household paper accounted for 98.6 percent.
However, the company suffered foreign exchange losses of HK$17.9 million during the period due to exchange rate fluctuations between the renminbi and the Hong Kong and US dollars.
Chief financial officer Toby Lawton said Vinda will gradually move its borrowings toward the renminbi from the Hong Kong dollar this year to hedge against currency risks.
Vinda’s net gearing ratio rose to 73.7 percent for 2014 from 44 percent previously after its acquisition of controlling shareholder SCA Group Holdings’ hygiene business in the mainland in September.
– Contact us at [email protected]

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INVESTIGATION – Gabriel Attal presented Monday a national plan to fight against social fraud. In the viewfinder in particular, “false work stoppages sold for a few tens of euros on social networks”. To realize the extent of the phenomenon, Le Figaro tried the experiment.
Some are ready to do anything not to go to work. But it is ultimately very easy to obtain a fake sick leave. By presenting his plan against social fraud, which costs between 6 and 8 billion euros per year according to the Court of Auditors, Gabriel Attal denounced these “false work stoppages sold for a few tens of euros on social networks, such as Snapchat“. To understand how this fraudulent business works, Le Figaro made the move.
#managed #10day #work #stoppage #Snapchat #euros


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Restaurant technology company Toast announced several new products on Tuesday intended to deepen its ties to the industry.
The Boston firm already provides hardware and software to help restaurants take orders and payments as well as manage payroll. The new products include software to better manage takeout orders from third-party delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats. Toast is also adding debit cards for restaurant owners and restaurant workers with special features to speed the flow of payments.
The goal is to make Toast’s software more and more essential for its restaurant customers, Toast chief executive Chris Comparato said in an interview.
“Each of these products is planting seeds in the platform,” Comparato said. “And as our platform becomes this unified operating system, it’ll have more seeds within it that then grow over time.”
The new products arrive as Toast’s sales are surging. Sales for the first nine months of the year more than doubled to $1.2 billion while the company’s loss from operations shrank 32 percent to $111 million. Toast’s total net loss increased to $487 million from $187 million, largely due to accounting charges for changes in the value of warrants and derivatives.
The new debit card for restaurant owners will grant fast access to money from credit card sales processed by Toast, including on holidays and weekends, the company said. The card is available only to some customers under an early access program.
The card for restaurant employees will give access to wages and pooled tips immediately via Toast’s payroll software. The software is also getting a new feature to help restaurants manage and allocate pooled tips.
“With labor shortages and high, high turnover within restaurants, it’s critical for restaurants to engage their teams,” Comparato said. “We’re going to now give [employees] access to their pay much more quickly, versus waiting for a direct deposit or waiting for a printed check.”
The delivery software is intended to simplify the chaotic task restaurants face of organizing orders coming in from the five large delivery services — DoorDash, Caviar, Grubhub, Postmates, and Uber Eats — each of which has its own platform software. By working with the services, Toast built connections into its software so that restaurants will be able to view and manage orders on a single, combined dashboard. They will also be able to assess the profitability of orders from each service. The feature is available this month.
Toast announced the new features at a virtual conference it held on Tuesday for its customers, dubbed Spark.


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THE man in charge of making all of supermarket chain Iceland’s own label products plastic-free has urged other supermarket to do the same, and for those in packaging development to “push boundaries”.
Ian Schofield, own label and packaging manager for Iceland was in Edinburgh recently to present a keynote speech at the Scottish Resources Conference 2018, where he discussed the supermarket’s progress so far in its ambitious endeavour to remove all plastic from its own products in the next five years – some 1,500 lines.
Speaking after the event, Ian told Packaging Scotland, “Packaging is just as important as the product so if you’re involved with packaging development, push those boundaries.”
So far, Iceland has seen the most success in moving its ready meals into cartonboard, from non-recyclable plastic trays, Ian explained. The chain also recently began to roll out a recycled and recyclable paper band for bananas. Other produce lines are to follow in the coming months, with mushrooms, grapes and strawberries moving from plastic punnets into pulp and paper-based moulded trays. The supermarket is also eager to progress on films.
Ian said, “We’re really keen on getting some films moved over and some rigid tubs moved over to non-plastic materials. They’re all the ones we’ve got on test at the moment, so I would say from January onwards you’re going to see quite a few materials coming into play, which are moving the plastic film into a non-plastic film.”
He also stressed that food safety would “never, ever” be compromised, and if shelf life were to be reduced on a product, Iceland would let customers know.
The biggest challenge in the process thus far has been ensuring that Iceland can remain cost-neutral, as the alternatives have all been more expensive. People simply don’t have more money to spend on food, Ian said, and he does not believe customers will pay more in order to be sustainable. Nor will Iceland’s suppliers.
However, the company is currently working with packaging and product suppliers to address the issue of cost, Ian added. He went on to acknowledge that while Iceland was the first retailer to take this step, others would follow suit because the issue of plastic packaging can no longer be ignored.
“Other (retailers) are now having to think differently about how they’re doing their packaging development. It’s got to be part of your brief now; they can’t ignore it anymore,” Ian said.
“We are a speedboat, not a super tanker; we can move quickly, we can change quickly, we are a private business. A lot of other people have got shareholders, they’ve got a lot of big stakeholders in their business and packaging is not seen as (being as) important as (it is to) Iceland. It has always been important in Iceland. Thankfully, the good news is we got packaging number one on the agenda. I think if we’ve done nothing else, we’ve got packaging to number one on the board table. We never thought we’d do that.”
He added, “We’ve got a lot of new ideas from so many areas now, we’re actually working through those on a daily basis.
“The good thing now is when I started the year I probably only had three or four materials; now I’ve got probably 30, and that’s good news.”


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What is not clear about the new guidelines for alcohol consumption is whether the risks are calculated on what people actually drink or what they report that they drink. In 2013, the Institute of Alcohol Studies used market research data and assessed the average consumption of all those above 15 in the UK at 11.7 litres a year or 1,170 units. That’s 22.5 units per week on average. The same publication gives reported rates of consumption that seem to be about half this level. If the damage from alcohol is mapped against reported consumption – and rules are drawn up on this basis – these rules will be overly strict for those who assess their alcohol consumption honestly.
Professor emeritus, Kingston University
The answer is that the guidelines and the epidemiology are both ultimately rooted in research that takes people's self-reported consumption at face value. We know that people only report a half to two-thirds of what they actually drink. If the epidemiology shows that 14 units offers peak protection, the real figure is probably more like 21 or 28 units. If the epidemiology shows that 30 units is safe, we can assume it's more like 45 units.
You only ever hear about under-reporting when campaigners are saying 'OMG! We're drinking more than we thought'. This is not really true since we know how much is sold from tax receipts, but under-reporting has a profound impact on what we believe about safe and harmful drinking because epidemiologists do not have their subjects' tax receipts. As the letter above suggests, under-reporting can only lead to an exaggerated perception of risk.


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19 December 2022
Householders in Powys are being urged to recycle as much as they can over the festive season.
With Christmas nearly upon us, Powys County Council’s Waste and Recycling Team would like people to remember to recycle as much as possible over Christmas and New Year.
Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys says: “Christmas is a busy time of year for us all, but it is really important to remember to recycle as much as possible over the festive period.
“Each one of us generates a huge amount more waste than normal during Christmas, but most of it can be recycled – from tin foil, food, glass jars and bottles to real Christmas trees, plain Christmas cards, plain wrapping paper, batteries, plastic bottles, Tetra Pak cartons and more.
“Our crews will be working over the holidays to ensure that the usual weekly collections will take place only one day later than normal during Christmas week and with no changes at all over New Year, so please remember to put all your recycling out to be collected.
“This year we want to urge everyone to make the most of the weekly kerbside collections and remember that glass is no longer accepted at the community recycling sites. Please do not leave any bottles or jars at these sites where the glass recycling banks have been removed. Not only is it an eyesore, but it also makes it very dangerous for other people using the site.
“Please recycle your glass at home using your aqua recycling box.”
If traders such as pubs, cafes and restaurants are struggling to keep up with the amount of glass recycling they are accumulating over the festive period, please give the Powys Commercial Recycling team a call to discuss recycling options.


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AVI-SPL has introduced two new features addressing the increased concern by customers about unauthorized video calls into meeting rooms. AVI-SPL’s expanded solution portfolio allows clients in varying industries to easily incorporate privacy safeguards into their day-to-day conferencing experiences.
VNOC Symphony Automated Room Shutdown: VNOC Symphony’s Business Processes Automation Module hinders uninvited guests from seeing or hearing what is happening in a conference room by automatically performing a series of shutdown procedures after every video meeting. This is available to AVI-SPL Video Managed Service customers as a part of their meeting process.
The Block ME device is for customers who want a more tangible way to ensure privacy in their meeting environments. This small device enables the users in the room to simply press one button to block any video calls from being launched or received in the room they are in. The device can easily be installed in any video conference room, doesn’t require programming or a control panel and cannot be accessed remotely. The patent pending design allows the video endpoint to continue to be monitored so it does not cause unwarranted alarms to network operations team.


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Starbucks To Become Full Owner Of Its China Joint Venture For $1.3 Billion In Cash
Starbucks Corp. said Thursday it is acquiring the 50% stake in its East China joint venture it does not already own for about $1.3 billion in cash. The company will assume 100% ownership of about 1,300 Starbucks stores in Shanghai and Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces. The coffee store chain said it is still committed to operating more than 5,000 stores in Mainland China by 2021. The company said it's also divesting a 50% stake in its Taiwanese joint venture for about $175 million. The Taiwan venture operates about 410 stores in Taiwan. "Full ownership will give us the opportunity to fully leverage our robust business infrastructure to deliver an elevated coffee, in-store third place experience and digital innovation to our customers, and further strengthen the career development opportunities for our people," said Belinda Wong, chief executive, Starbucks China, in a statement. The company will update investors on the impact the deals will have on earnings on its third fiscal quarter call later Thursday. Shares were up 0.5% in premarket trade, and have gained 4.4% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 11%.
Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.


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The official launch of BBM for Android and iOS was delayed this past Saturday, after what BlackBerry calls a foul up due to an older version of BBM hitting the web, pretty much crashing the BBM system. The users of the leaked version, which hit 1 million+, sent too much data to servers, which then, “impacted the service in an abnormal way.” Today, the head of BBM at BlackBerry, Andrew Bocking, says a lot of work needs to be done to fix the problem, so launch won’t be happening anytime this week. (more…)
BBM for Android was supposed to launch yesterday and never did. As many waited patiently (though, I don’t know why) throughout the day without a release or update from Blackberry, a leak from the night before continued to circulate, giving many a first-hand look at the messaging service. By the late afternoon, Blackberry announced that they would not be launching because that leak had caused them problems. With over 1 million users installing the leaked app in such a short time, Blackberry could not keep up and has put it all on “pause.” (more…)
Years later, the BBM for Android application has finally leaked, and we are so very close to seeing its official launch. Over the weekend, a special build of BlackBerry Messenger was posted to the web, but only whitelisted accounts can gain access past the login screen. You can set up an account and get yourself oriented with the app’s icon, but so far, there is no functionality for regular users. (more…)
Well, there it is – BBM for Android. Thanks to a beta build shown off on video over the weekend, we now know what to expect from Blackberry’s formerly popular instant messaging client outside of a release date. It’s a Blackberry 10-esque version of Blackberry Messenger that works on Android. You’ve got group chats, emoticons, NFC contact sharing, an ongoing BBM icon notification (in case you forgot it was running), and even that snazzy little BBM notification sound. (more…)
We have been hearing rumors that Blackberry Messenger is coming to Android for almost a year now. Seems like every few months, just when we have forgotten about it, another leaked screenshot or release date comes out to remind us that Blackberry is still working on it. Emails have been sent out to members of a Blackberry Beta group that BBM for Android is available for download right now for testing. (more…)
According to T-Mobile UK, Blackberry Messenger (BBM) will arrive on Android and iOS on June 27. Blackberry announced in mid-May that their popular messaging service would turn into a cross-platform messaging client, but would only offer up a release time frame of “this summer.” We know that the app will have groups and voice chat, screen share and all that jazz at some point, plus it should work on anything Android 4.0 and above. (more…)
After years of requests, Blackberry is finally bringing BBM – their one-time incredibly popular messaging app – to multiple platforms. Yes, BBM is coming to Android this summer. And…yeah. Isn’t it too late, Blackberry? There are dozens of high-quality messaging apps on the planet that have already consumed people’s lives. Plus, Google is about to release Hangouts (formerly Babel) as a unified messaging service to the masses that will gobble up all sorts of the messaging pie.
Announced this morning at Blackberry Live, BBM for Android (and iOS) will have groups and voice chat and screen share and all that jazz at some point, plus it should work on anything Android 4.0 and above, but come on, it doesn’t matter anymore. Just like with their hardware, it took Blackberry 3 years too long to capitalize on something good.


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Chinese laws crack down on Gaming Cafes
The Xinhua News Agency reveals this week that from March 1st teenagers will be banned from internet cafes where gaming takes place, as the government look to block "audio and video products and electronic games" which could prove a 'negative' influence. As well as games and net cafes, where MMO titles are incredibly popular, the ban also covers karaoke bars and discos. The news agency said the new rules target media which could "harm national security and incite hatred toward other nationalities."
"With the development of the Internet, there has been some harmful and illegal content. The Chinese Government has adopted some management measures so as to limit the immoral and harmful content, especially for young people," government spokesman Liu Jianchao is quoted as stating, when announcing the strict new legislation.
China introduced new measures at the end of last year in an attempt to limit the time gamers could spend in persistent online worlds, however reports emerging from China suggest that gamers have been able to negate time limits by switching between avatars and titles.
More on this as we get it.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 after all
- Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third gets a release date
- Adr1ft is coming to PC and consoles at the end of the summer
- EA gives the new Mirror's Edge a name – Mirror's Edge Catalyst
- ZombiU PS4 and Xbox One port reportedly in the works
- Mike Bithell's Volume to be released this August
- Gearbox's new shooter Battleborn gets a pre-E3 trailer
- Steam Controller launches in October, Steam Machines arrive in November
- Gears Of War devs Black Tusk change their name to The Coalition ahead of E3


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This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive SummaryForm a joint, independent e-commerce company to service the $143 bil. domestic, high-volume medical and related supplies market, aimed at the healthcare purchasing professional
You may also be interested in...
The US FDA has overhauled its ‘Purple Book’ to make it a searchable database of biologics information. The agency is also seeking input on next steps.
The International Council for Harmonisation has replaced its 1993 guideline on reproductive toxicity studies with an updated version.
Stada says it has become a "major consumer healthcare player" after signing a deal to acquire from GSK 15 brands, which generate annual sales of around €120m.


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Asimov Ventures Announces Investment in Collider: 3D Printing Startup Promises to Deliver High Speed & New Materials
When a major new technology arises, it grows from several directions. Take 3D printing, for example. As it begins to supplant traditional manufacturing methods, older manufacturing companies are integrating it into their services and, in many cases, creating new divisions specifically dedicated to additive manufacturing. However, the most exciting and innovative ideas in 3D printing tend to come out of the startups, which is what drove the formation of Asimov Ventures, the venture capital firm that launched last summer.
Dedicated solely to funding startups in emerging technology fields, particularly 3D printing and robotics, Asimov Ventures has already invested in several promising companies such as CleverPet, Metamason and Wiiv. The latest addition to the company’s portfolio is Collider, a Chattanooga-based startup that was born from the city’s GIGTank accelerator program. Collider’s founder, Graham Bredemeyer, worked for GIGTank as the head of the program’s 3D printing track; he also previously worked for Shapeways.
Details about Collider are being kept fairly under wraps thus far, including a fairly sparse website (which teases “All new speeds” and “All new materials”), but the information they have offered is enticing: a new, proprietary technology that will allow industrial companies to 3D print parts in materials that have to date only been available for traditional manufacturing processes.
Collider’s new technology will allow the additive manufacturing of industrial grade plastic parts that will have mechanical properties identical to traditionally manufactured parts. This should greatly appeal to companies who have so far been hesitant to use 3D printing for low volume production grade parts, functional prototypes and rapid tooling.
“Collider’s technology is a game changer and we are thrilled to be an early stage investor,” said Alan M. Meckler, General Partner at Asimov Ventures. “Many industrial companies will no longer have to sacrifice material capabilities in producing 3D printed parts as they will be able to use the exact same materials they use today to make parts.”
Furthermore, Collider expects that their new technology will allow for print speeds that will match the latest high speed printing technologies. A pilot program will be launched this year, with several top industrial companies involved. While details about the types of materials developed by Collider have not yet been released, the technology is expected to lend itself to several new materials that will be valuable to target customers.
Collider is also benefiting from an investment from the Chattanooga Renaissance Fund, a capital fund dedicated to driving economic growth and entrepreneurship in the region. More details about Collider and their new technology will be forthcoming before long, but at this time a lot of information is being kept under wraps for intellectual property reasons. However, private inquiries can be made directly to Asimov Ventures at [email protected]. Discuss this investment in the Collider forum on 3DPB.com.
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IBM is aiming to remake itself as a provider of cloud computing and data analytics, a transition that carries risks even in the best of times.
With a looming global economic slowdown and a strong dollar crimping revenue earned overseas, where International Business Machines Corp. gets the majority of sales, the company lowered its full-year profit forecast, excluding some items, to $15.25 (U.S.), plus or minus 50 cents. That compares with analysts’ average projection for a profit of $15.68 and IBM’s previous outlook for $15.75 to $16.50.
That came on top a 14 per cent decline in third-quarter revenue to $19.3 billion (U.S.), short of the average estimate for $19.6 billion and the 14th straight quarter of shrinking sales. Chief executive officer Ginni Rometty is experiencing the same thing that other technology executives have seen as they shed legacy businesses to focus on new products that promise more regular subscription-based revenue, as seen with Adobe Systems Inc.’s three-year transition to the cloud. The difference is that IBM is much bigger, with almost 380,000 employees and an existing business that still needs care and attention.
“Just at the end of the quarter, we did see an elongated sales cycle for a number of our transaction businesses, including software,” which are one-time purchases and not recurring revenue, Martin Schroeter, IBM’s chief financial officer, said in an interview. “Most importantly, we see the results of our investments in our strategic imperative growth, and we want to keep those investments going—we do not want to slow down. That has an impact on earnings.”
Translation: IBM is still dependent on big software deals, which take time to secure, while it still needs to invest in new businesses that show promising early results. The shares fell 5.3 per cent to $141.27 at 9:44 a.m. Tuesday in New York, their biggest intraday drop since July 21. The stock was down 7 per cent this year through Monday. IBM’s goal is for the new businesses to deliver $40 billion in revenue and account for 40 per cent of total sales by 2018.
“IBM is still on track for the most part—and over the next three to four years, the strategic imperatives will eclipse the legacy businesses,” said Bill Kreher, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co., referring to IBM’s new businesses. “It did slow from the previous quarter—that’s something you want to continue to monitor to gauge the success of this transformation.”
Profit in the third quarter, excluding amortization, acquisition-related charges and divested businesses, was $3.34 a share, compared with the $3.30 average estimate from analysts. The stronger U.S. dollar reduced sales by 9 percentage points, IBM said in a statement Monday.
In the three months that ended in September, IBM returned cash to shareholders by paying out $1.3 billion in dividends and repurchasing $1.5 billion in stock. The company generated $2.6 billion of free cash flow. IBM also reduced its forecast for full-year free cash flow to be relatively flat, from a modest increase.
“This has been more of a dividend stock for us than anything else,” Dan Morgan, a senior portfolio manager at Synovus Securities Inc., said before the results. Depending on dividends and share buybacks “is not a sustainable plan anymore for IBM. They have to show some ability to transform to greater products.”
IBM said that its strategic imperatives—cloud, analytics, engagement—have grown 20 per cent year-to-date. The group brought in $25 billion in revenue in 2014. The company has made a bet that the Watson data-analytics unit will help to drive growth. The division, which sells what IBM has called cognitive computing tools, has yet to reach $1 billion in revenue.
“Everyone’s going to be all eyes on how Watson is doing, how their cloud initiative is doing,” Morgan said. “Unfortunately for IBM, that initiative isn’t big enough to get too excited about because they’ve got so many other moving parts.” His company, which has $10.6 billion assets under management as of end of the third quarter, holds IBM stock.
Within the services division—IBM’s biggest—revenue as reported for Global Technology Services fell 10 per cent to $7.94 billion, while Global Business Services sales dropped 13 per cent to $4.21 billion. The slump in GBS sales, due to a slower-than-anticipated transformation toward the strategic imperatives, also helped account for the reduction in the full-year forecast, Schroeter said. Part of that shift includes building out a recently created consulting unit that focuses on cognitive consulting, he said on a conference call.
Revenue in the hardware division fell 39 per cent to $1.49 billion. Software sales as reported decreased 10 per cent to $5.14 billion.
“It really is on us to keep driving that transformation,” Schroeter said, adding that the shift “takes a little while.”


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Gaming was always a passion for Rohit Gupta (below). It turned into serious business when he gave up his job at Electronic Arts and started Rolocule in 2010 with an initial investment of Rs.1 lakh given by his father. His classmate at engineering college in Pune, Anuj Tandon, gave up his job at Infosys to join him as a co-founder and game designer. Young game fanatics and animators at Rolocule develop realistic, social and casual games for iPhones and iPads.
Touch squash, super badminton and flick tennis are their most popular offerings in the app store: there have been over 1.5 million downloads in more than 100 countries so far. The company follows a freemium model where the basic game can be downloaded for free but additional features will be charged. Each game costs $2-6, of which Apple keeps 30%. “We expect the downloads to reach 5 millions by FY13 once we port the games to the Android platform as well,” says Tandon. Rolocule has lined up more than five or six games lined up for release in the next year, with a new take on tennis likely to be out by September.


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China carmakers struggle to succeed
Four years ago, a small Chinese carmaker had such big ambitions it broke ground on a US$1 billion plant to make more cars than Ford Motor. Then reality set in and Jilin Tongtian Automobile's factory site is now a pile of rubble.
Tongtian has stopped producing cars after struggling to compete. Near the site, in a province bordering North Korea, dust-covered metal cabinets are among the few traces the firm ever existed. It kept its car-maker licence, though, which are limited and therefore valuable in the world's biggest vehicle market.
With the Beijing car show set to begin next week, China is facing a reality check: six decades after setting out to create its own industry, the policies have failed to spawn a single brand able to compete globally. Instead, it has been plagued by overcapacity, easy money and dominance by foreign carmakers. Now the government is working to revise that approach, including reclaiming licences from weak players like Tongtian.
"A lot of what the local automakers make is rubbish," said Jochen Siebert, managing director of Shanghai-based JSC Automotive Consulting. "They are more or less zombies and there's no way for them to compete with the big boys."
China, which last year became the first country to see annual motor-vehicle sales of more than 20 million units, is betting that fewer carmakers will translate to better cars and stronger companies, just as the US car industry experienced at the turn of the 20th century, when hundreds of manufacturers sprouted and then collapsed until General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler emerged as the dominant trio.
The number of Chinese carmakers has ballooned through the years as the government promoted the industry as a pillar of the economy that would bring in investments and create skilled jobs. Municipal governments compete with each other to attract carmakers by dangling tax holidays, land and financing.
The result: there are about 70 major carmakers in China producing passenger vehicles, buses and trucks, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). And that number doesn't even include manufacturers of low-speed vehicles used mainly in the country's rural areas.
Such numbers haven't translated to market share. Local car brands have seen their combined share of total sales shrink for seven months to 39.3 per cent of sales in March, down from 50.6 per cent in February 2010, according to CAAM.
"The slump exposes the weak competitiveness of local brands," Dong Yang, secretary-general of the association, which represents Chinese carmakers, said at a briefing in Beijing this month. "The time for hand-to-hand combat to the death between local and foreign brands has really started."
While the central government has voiced the need for consolidation in China's car industry for years, the drumbeat of official pronouncements has gotten louder more recently as Chinese carmakers continue to lose market share.
In 2009, the State Council set a goal for the top 10 carmakers to account for more than 90 per cent of the market and to form two to three carmakers that sell more than 2 million vehicles a year.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) followed up last October with a list of 48 carmakers that made few, if any vehicles. Twelve government ministries and agencies then issued a joint directive in January placing the car industry at the top of a list of nine that deserve "major focus" for consolidation.
The carmakers on the MIIT list have until October next year to meet minimum production levels - at least 1,000 passenger vehicles or 50 medium to heavy trucks, depending on category - or have their permits cancelled.


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Oracle is hoping to capture the fancy of smaller companies enamoured with its Exadata data-processing machine after announcing the availability of a new database appliance configured for SMEs.
The Oracle Database Appliance is "exciting stuff," and brings "the benefits of Exadata to entry-level systems," co-president Mark Hurd said on Wednesday.
The hardware component of the appliance will be sold separately at a list price of $50,000 (£32,500) for a configuration that includes two Sun Fire servers, 192GB of main memory, 24 processor cores, 12TB of raw disk storage and 292GB of solid-state disk.
"Everything is fault-tolerant and redundant," said Andy Mendelsohn, senior vice president of Oracle server technologies. "It's quite an amazing engineered system," and something midmarket customers could never create on their own, he added.
The appliance runs "pretty much" the same software stack as found on Exadata, including the 11g database, RAC (Real Application Clusters) clustering software and Oracle Linux, although the Exadata Storage Server software isn't a component. It also features Appliance Manager software that provides automatic monitoring and patching. The system "even calls Oracle support if you have a hardware failure," Mendelsohn said. "Before the customer knows it we'll have an Oracle technician out there fixing the part, and the customer may have had no idea anything failed at all."
Customers can get the appliance up and running in just a couple of hours, according to Oracle.
It is aimed at customers who are running their Oracle databases on older hardware and want to make an upgrade, as well as those who want to consolidate many smaller databases, including from third-party vendors, on a single platform.
Oracle is using a "pay as you grow" pricing model for the systems. Customers can start out by licensing software for two cores, adding more up to the 24-core limit as they need to, Oracle officials said. They will also be able to move over their existing database and RAC licences if desired.
"We're trying to increase our target market with this," Hurd said. "So we're trying to package it in the most attractive way we possibly can."
However, it will not be possible for customers to chain together multiple database appliances. If they want more power, they will have to move up to the smallest, or quarter-rack, Exadata configuration, Mendelsohn said. List pricing for a quarter-rack system starts at $330,000 (£214,000), with support and other costs bringing the price significantly higher.
The 12TB of storage on the database appliance works out to a maximum database size of 4TB once triple mirroring is factored in, Mendelsohn said.
Oracle 'could thrive' in SME market
"You can run a lot of workloads on that box," Hurd said. "If you want to go beyond that, we've got an answer. You go to Exadata."
Overall, Oracle's move reflects its oft-stated desire to avoid the commodity server market in favour of selling engineered systems, as well as a belief that even smaller companies can be enticed to invest in such products.
Still, the announcement drew a sceptical response from one close observer of the database industry.
"This doesn't solve Oracle's SMB problems, which include the fact that Oracle software is too difficult and costly to administer," said analyst Curt Monash of Monash Research. "The appliance will make a modest dent in that one, but it's not any kind of game-changer, because the issues are central to the antique design of the Oracle database."
SMBs are also looking more and more to SaaS (software as a service) options, and ISVs tend to avoid using Oracle when feasible, he added.
"Oracle is not well positioned to thrive in the SME market, except maybe through its MySQL subsidiary, but that has a long way to go too," Monash said.
The new appliances will be quite easy for SMEs to use, according to Oracle. In fact, they won't even need to hire a dedicated database administrator, a spokeswoman said.


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2 March, 2015
In a bid to encourage greater transparency within the retail FX industry FxPro is pleased to announce its latest slippage statistics for the month of February:
This is an important statistic for retail clients as it shows what proportion of trades were executed either in their favour or against them. The recent increase in volatility has made slippage all the more important so the greater transparency in respect to these statistics, the better informed a client can be about how fairly they are being treated by their broker. Spot FX is an OTC (Over the Counter) product as opposed to being traded on exchange, therefore clients can experience trades being executed at a different price to the one displayed at the time, which is referred to as slippage.
“At FxPro we understand the importance of putting the customer first, which is why we want to be at the forefront of promoting fairness and transparency. Through our automated No Dealing Desk trading environment, backed by a Negative Balance Protection policy, we are proud to be a trusted broker for many clients globally. We encourage all of our peers to do the same.” Psimolophitis, FxPro CEO.
FxPro has also seen a significant uplift in trading volumes in February and is announcing the following statistics in conjunction with their slippage numbers:
Average No. Lots Traded Daily
Increase 106% YoY
Increase 11% MoM
Average No. Trades Daily
Increase 104% YoY
Increase 12% MoM
Average Volume Daily
Increase 87% YoY
Increase 13% MoM
(YoY = Feb 2014–Feb 2015)
(MoM = Jan 2015–Feb 2015)
In 2018, as part of an unwavering commitment to constant service refinement, online broker, FxPro, has waived all deposit fees from all payment methods available...
In 2018, as part of an unwavering commitment to constant service enhancement and refinement, FxPro has waived all deposit fees from all payment...
Are you proactive, positive, responsible, able to solve different tasks, and have many creative ideas that you want to make come true? Then send us your CV right...
In 2017, as part of a long-standing commitment to providing traders with comprehensive educational material, online broker FxPro...
FxPro, a well-established European forex and CFD broker, has obtained a license from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and will open an office...
In order to commemorate the beginning of the 2017/18 Premier League season and the first game of FxPro and Watford FC 3-year sponsorship deal...
We are proud to announce that FxPro has signed a three-season deal to become the Official...
We would like to inform you that, starting on Monday, February 6, 2017, the day for triple swap payments will change from Wednesdays to Fridays. We believe this change will be fairer for our clients, as any calculations made to account for Saturdays and Sundays will now take place closer to the weekend...
In the days preceding the 2016 Italian Constitutional Referendum, which will take place on Sunday, December 4, 2016, as well as in the days following the event, market volatility is expected to increase significantly as a result of the impact that the vote may have on the country’s future in the Eurozone...


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Trade gives people a tangible interest in each other’s economic wellbeing and offers a path to fiscally responsible growth, says Arancha González, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre and co-chair of the Global Future Council on International Trade and Investment. In this interview, González also discusses the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how, by 2030, trade and investment could help us to empower women and end poverty.
Why is trade and investment among the most important topics for the world’s future?
I would identify four reasons. First, in a climate where governments are limited in what they can spend, trade and investment offer a path to fiscally responsible growth.
Second, trade and investment enable companies to specialise and scale, which brings prices down – especially for the poor, more of whose income goes on goods that are commonly traded. One recent study, for example, found that the gains from trade in terms of cheaper goods and enhanced purchasing power are more than twice as significant for the poorest decile than the wealthiest.
Third, trade and investment are good for innovation – open economies allow new ideas and technologies to diffuse more quickly from wherever they are created.
Finally, trade and investment give people a tangible interest in each other’s economic wellbeing. Look at a map of the world: the countries which do not trade much, or which trade only in oil and gas, tend to be in regions which suffer the most social and political instability. That’s not an accident. If I trade with you, I understand that what happens to you also affects me.
What are the key trends in trade and investment?
There are two, both driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but pulling in opposite directions. The digitalization of economies is hugely empowering for people at the bottom of the pyramid – the 4IR is bringing small, distant and poorly-connected societies into the global economy, and enabling SMEs to become “micro-multinationals”.
For all the talk that volumes of trade are slowing down, cross-border in digital goods and services is actually growing hugely. We just haven’t figured out how to measure it properly yet. Statisticians are struggling to keep pace with services that were never previously tradeable suddenly becoming tradeable, like being able to consult a doctor in another country online.
However, the 4IR is also creating huge disruptions and dislocations. Change is happening so rapidly that societies struggle to respond and adjust. There’s an old phrase that I think captures the sense of dizziness a lot of people are feeling: “Stop the world, I want to get off”.
Are you worried about growing protectionist pressures?
I think that when voters react negatively to trade and investment, they are really expressing their angst about the pace of technological change. You can’t vote to slow down technology, but you can vote against trade deals, and people are looking for any levers they can pull in an attempt to regain some sense of control. Governments have not yet found a way to resolve this tension between the simultaneously empowering and disempowering impacts of technology.
So I am less worried about protectionist pressures in the short term than I am about whether, in the medium- to long-term, societies will find a way to adjust to the pressures being created by the increasing speed of technological change.
Do you see any countries doing a better job than others at managing this tension?
I was recently in Canada, where I was impressed with the understanding that trade and investment policy has to be placed in the context of a broader domestic policy agenda on education, childcare, infrastructure, taxes and growing the middle class. After all, trade isn’t an end in itself – it’s a means to growth, and growth in turn is a means to creating a better society through policies that shape the distribution and the inclusiveness of that growth.
I also found in Canada an appreciation that cultural diversity can become a real economic asset, but that this doesn’t happen automatically – it needs to be worked on – and that citizens will be more supportive of open trade policies if they feel reassured that the country’s borders are secure. If leaders act as if all they care about are open markets being economically beneficial overall, and it’s tough luck to the groups who happen to lose out, that’s what causes a backlash.
Who are the key players in maintaining an open approach to trade and investment?
That’s changed a lot in the 20 years I’ve been working in trade negotiation. When I started, it was much more about governments talking to each other – but now making trade and investment policies work requires embracing the private sector, NGOs and academia in a genuinely multistakeholder approach.
Where do you think we might be by 2030?
I hope we’ll have succeeded in finding ways to measure trade in the digital goods and services that will exist by 2030 and we couldn’t now imagine. More broadly, my hope is trade and investment policies will have contributed by 2030 to ending poverty and economically empowering women – and my worry is that we will mismanage the huge changes that will take place in societies by 2030, and accidentally blunder into war and conflict.


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The recent announcement by the Ontario government of an investment into the province’s meat processing sector is welcome news for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). The funding, provided by the governments of Ontario and Canada under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), will provide eligible meat processing businesses with up to $150,000 each for meat handling and processing equipment, technologies, and practices that improve efficiency, productivity, and food safety.
Ontario’s meat processing business are a critical link in the provincial – and national – food supply chain, and innovation is one way to address the ongoing challenges they face such as labour shortages and regulatory compliance requirements that are limiting their growth.
The OFA, representing farmers, and Meat and Poultry Ontario, representing meat processors, have been raising awareness of this issue for a long time, and in addition to this new funding, there are also other new initiatives now underway that will start to make a difference for the industry.
One of these is Processor Links, an online tool that makes it easier to connect farmers looking for processing space with processors who can accommodate last minute needs or are accepting future bookings. Funded by the federal and provincial governments, it was launched in 2022 by AgSights and Meat and Poultry Ontario.
Updates to Processor Links, also funded by the federal and provincial governments, will be added to the system this fall to add more functionality to the online tool and make it more user-friendly for both farmers and processors using the system.
And earlier this year, Meat and Poultry Ontario launched the new Centre for Meat Innovation and Technology (CMIT), which is designed to bring more training, innovation and research to the meat processing sector. The Centre, which is the only Canadian meat technology hub that encompasses skills development, training and sharing best practices backed by world class research and education, will help businesses find and adopt new technologies and make it easier for workers to learn and advance their skills.


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- Development & Aid
- Economy & Trade
- Human Rights
- Global Governance
- Civil Society
Friday, September 22, 2023
Dr. Lawrence Haddad is the Executive Director, GAIN and H.E. Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko is Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission
ADDIS ABABA, Sep 28 2020 (IPS) - One of the biggest revelations of the COVID-19 pandemic has been that people with pre-existing, diet-related conditions such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, are more at risk of suffering severe forms of the disease leading to a need for intensive hospitalization.
In Kenya, for instance, the Ministry of Health in July reported that 16 percent of seriously ill COVID-19 patients had diabetes, while diabetes and hypertension alone accounted for 47 percent of the COVID-19 deaths linked to pre-existing conditions.
According to WHO data, these chronic diet-related conditions were among the main risk factors for illness and mortality in Africa prior to COVID-19. The current crisis is simply throwing fuel on the fire. It has highlighted the criticality of diet as the key determinant of health of individuals and populations, particularly in urban areas, where an increased uptake of highly-processed and unhealthy foods is increasingly undermining regional nutrition goals.
In fact, data from countries in East and Southern Africa published in the Journal of International Development show that highly-processed foods now account for more than one third of the purchased food market. Not all of these foods are unhealthy, but many are, and combined with the availability of cheap, convenient and tasty street foods, the result is cheap food that is high in saturated and trans fats, salt and sugar.
The UN estimates that 74% of Africans cannot afford healthy diets. That is nearly 1 billion Africans. This is shocking and unacceptable. These numbers are only likely to rise during this time of a pandemic, where job cuts have greatly reduced people’s spending power and lockdowns have broken food supply chains, further increasing food prices, especially the prices of perishable fresh foods.
Temporary and very partial workarounds include the expansion of social protection programmes such as in Nigeria providing targeted transfers to poor and vulnerable households. These financial packages help the vulnerable to meet their minimum dietary and nutritional needs, but they are not a complete or sustainable solution.
As was greatly emphasized at this year’s African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), long-term solutions must be sought; a process that demands the involvement of all the world’s leaders from communities, governments, civil society and the private sector. The challenge is clear: to incentivize food producers, processors, distributors and marketers to make nutritious food more available and affordable.
First public policy needs to be aligned with this goal. Too many policies are working against this aim. For example too few food production and consumption subsidies are going to nutritious foods; too little public agricultural research development and farmer extension focuses on these foods; too often public food procurement disfavours these items and infrastructure development ignores cold chain development.
Agriculture in Africa is a key economic driver and supporter of livelihoods. Productivity needs to be increased, biodiversity promoted and climate resilience attained. Is this possible? Yes. Already, farmers in countries like Zambia are recording up to a 60 percent increase in yields through the application of ecosystem-based adaptation techniques.
Elsewhere, in Burkina Faso, farmers have reclaimed 200,000 to 300,000 hectares of degraded lands by digging shallow pots in barren land and filling them with organic matter. The reclaimed land now produces an estimated 80,000 to 120,000 additional tonnes of cereal for the Burkinabe. The challenge is to replicate these successes throughout the continent.
Second, private investment into these more nutritious foods needs to be incentivised. Of the $200 billion impact investment fund industry, GAIN estimates less than 0.3% goes to nutritious foods in Africa. Fund facilities that stimulate private investment in small and medium sized companies that produce nutritious foods for low income populations need to be established that offer loan rates that are lower than market while targeting nutrition outcomes.
Institutional investors such as pension funds need to signal to the bigger companies with extensive value chains in Africa that they will favour companies producing more nutritiously beneficial foods.
Third, consumer demand needs to be shifted towards healthy foods. Too often healthy food campaigns pale in comparison to private sector campaigns for highly processed foods: they lack imagination, humour and flair.
Healthy eating campaigns must be engaging, aspirational and memorable. Food environments—where consumers come face to face with food—are stacked against the consumption of healthy foods which are often consigned to unattractive spaces in markets and stores. This needs to change too.
Fourth, civil society campaigns can hold businesses and governments accountable for promoting healthy foods. Civil society activism is particularly essential to focus attention on silent crises such as unhealthy diets.
Together these four levers can incentivize businesses and other stakeholders to innovate and develop business models, products and services that make nutritious and safe foods more available, affordable, desirable, and sustainable. Africa cannot move ahead smoothly if 1 billion of its people cannot afford a healthy diet.
The approaches defined above are not exhaustive, but if well implemented will bring the continent closer to better nourishment, further improving the prospects of properly fighting emerging health challenges such as COVID-19, both from a health and economic perspective.
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and civil society on issues of development, globalisation, human rights and the environment
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Whenever clients dropped behind on repaying their short-term, small-dollar loans, Ace money Express threatened prison time or pressured them into taking right out brand brand new loans with excessive costs to pay for your debt.
Ace ended up being so intent on squeezing cash away from clients that its training manual included a visual of a step by step loan procedure that could trap borrowers that are delinquent a period of financial obligation, the buyer Financial Protection Bureau stated Thursday.
Those kinds of abusive debt-collection methods have reached one’s heart associated with the ten dollars million settlement the federal government watchdog reached with Ace, certainly one of the nationвЂ™s largest lenders that are payday. The Irving, Tex.-based business decided to the offer but denies wrongdoing.
Ace need to pay $5 million to refund delinquent clients who have been susceptible to illegal collection methods from March 7, 2011 to Sept. 12, 2012. Ace also needs to spend a $5 million penalty that is civil ВВend its abusive strategies, in accordance with the order.
Qualified borrowers will undoubtedly be contacted with a settlement administrator with instructions for publishing a claim for the reimbursement of these re re payments to Ace, including costs and finance costs. CFPB officials stated they might maybe maybe not figure out a number that is exact of harmed by AceвЂ™s behavior, but estimated the figure to stay in the countless amounts.
вЂњAce ended up being relentlessly overzealous in its quest for overdue customers,вЂќ CFPB Director Richard Cordray stated in a meeting call with reporters. вЂњAce enthusiasts had been over and over calling customersвЂ™ employers and family relations and improperly sharing the facts associated with the debt.вЂќ
Troubles at Ace became apparent if the bureau carried out one of their first exams regarding the lender that is payday.
Examiners found that the companyвЂ™s in-house and third-party loan companies threatened to report delinquent borrowers to credit reporting agencies or to include charges for their financial obligation, in breach associated with the legislation.
Additionally they uncovered a visual in AceвЂ™s training manual that illustrated that the business provides delinquent clients the option of refinancing or expanding their loans. Then, if the debtor вЂњdoes maybe perhaps not create a re re re payment therefore the account comes into collections,вЂќ the cycle starts once again, using the customer that is same for the next pay day loan.
A current CFPB research discovered that a lot more than 80 % of pay day loans are rolled over or accompanied by another loan within 2 weeks, centered on a report of 12 million loans in 30 states. These borrowers are more inclined to remain in financial obligation for 11 months or longer, accruing more charges.
Ace, that has 1,500 retail storefronts in 36 states therefore the District, stated it cooperated using the bureauвЂ™s probe but disputes the findings.
вЂњWe settled this matter to be able to give attention to serving our clients and supplying the services and products they depend on,вЂќ said Ace chief administrator Jay B. Shipowitz.
After the CFPB raised issues, the business hired Deloitte Financial Advisory Services to review a sample of their collection telephone calls. The consultant discovered that a lot more than 96 per cent of AceвЂ™s calls through the review duration had been prior to regulations.
CFPB Deputy Enforcement Director Lucy Morris stated the Deloitte research had вЂњsignificant flawsвЂќ but nevertheless revealed вЂњsubstantial violations.вЂќ
Ace insists so it has policies set up to avoid struggling borrowers from taking right out loans that are new. The business analyzed its information from March 2011 through February 2012 and discovered that almost 100 % of clients with that loan in collections for longer than ninety days failed to sign up for a brand new loan within fourteen days of paying down their existing financial obligation.
Nevertheless, the business stated it offers instituted a brand new conformity monitoring system, has cut ties having its old third-party collection agency and today calls for all workers to just simply just take compliance training that is quarterly.
The growing prevalence of payday financing, specially following the economic crisis, has alarmed lawmakers and advocacy teams. Pay day loans carry high rates of interest and balloon re re payments that may trap Us citizens in a period of financial obligation, experts state. Industry teams argue that payday financing acts a need that’s not being met by old-fashioned banking institutions.


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(WJW) — Wednesday is National Popcorn Day, and several movie theater chains are celebrating with free popcorn and contests.
**Be sure to confirm your location is participating**
AMC theaters are offering free unlimited popcorn refills with the purchase of any size popcorn.
Cinemark is giving customers the chance to win free popcorn for a year. According to a press release, customers will have their first chance to win when they enter the sweepstakes in the Cinemark Rewards Center. Twenty people in all will win, and there will be more chances for other members to win throughout the year.
Silverspot Cinema will celebrate the day with two promotions. The NE Ohio location in Orange Village will offer free popcorn refills on any size popcorn purchase Wednesday.
Silverspot Cinema will also offer customers at all locations a chance to win free popcorn for a year. To participate, customers must be Silverspot SPOT Rewards members. They must also like the chain’s National Popcorn Day post on Instagram or Facebook, follow the chain on social media and tag two friends. Seven winners will be chosen at random on Jan. 20.


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Microsoft has no intention of keeping Activision Blizzard games exclusive
President of Microsoft Brad Smith has stated that Activision Blizzard's games will remain available on PlayStation, and that they would like to bring more of them to Switch.
Why all this magnanimity? Well, Microsoft needs to convince the US Federal Trade Commission that acquiring Activision Blizzard will not harm the marketplace and that they don't have anticompetitive motives for the acquisition.
- The US FTC is reviewing Microsoft's intent to acquire Activision Blizzard
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is ‘confident’ it will be approved
- Call of Duty: Ghosts from 2013 was the last Call of Duty game on a Nintendo console
Inclusivity: “We’d like to bring it to Nintendo devices,” Smith told CNBC, along with “other popular titles that Activision has, and ensure that they continue to be available on PlayStation”.
Minecraft: Smith suggested looking at Microsoft's Mojang acquisition as an example of how Microsoft will handle Activision Blizzard. “I think is a clear indicator of what we hope to do”.


text: Patients in the Waitemata district in Auckland will ultimately benefit from improved health outcomes under an agreement to develop e-health initiatives between Waitemata DHB and Orion Health.\nUnder the three-year innovation partnership, North Shore Hospital\u2019s Special Care Baby Unit and Ward 10 (Haematology) will become hubs for the development of new technology supporting healthcare delivery.\nThe DHB has the largest population of any district health board in the country. It provides services to approximately 500,000 residents of North Shore City, Waitakere City, and Rodney District.\nAn initial focus will be on making these two wards \u2018paperless\u2019 using electronic systems to replace traditional paper-based processes. Products developed through the innovation agreement would ultimately be extended to primary care, community-based and outpatient services.\n\u201cThis agreement positions Waitemata DHB as a national leader in technology adoption,\u201d says Waitemata DHB CEO Dr Dale Bramley. \u201cOne of our driving values as an organisation is to provide \u2018better, best, brilliant\u2019 care to our patients and this agreement aligns with our determination to drive better care through innovation.\n\u201cThe technologies developed under this agreement will be the product of real-world testing and refinement based on the input of people at the frontline of healthcare.\n\u201cOur patients and their whanau will benefit from the new models of care that flow as a result, such as the potential for mobile devices to be used for reviewing results, entering notes and coordinating care at the bedside.\u201d\nThe technologies developed under this agreement will be the product of real-world testing and refinement based on the input of people at the frontline of healthcare. Dr Dale Bramley, Waitemata DHB\nDr Bramley says innovation could arise from anywhere in the organisation \u2013 hospital wards or primary care \u2013 and the partnership with Orion Health would enable improvements to existing products and the development of new products that could be made available to other DHBs.\nOrion Heath CEO Ian McCrae says the company had other innovation partnerships which were extremely productive in generating new products and better health delivery and care. \u201cHealth professionals have a lot of excellent product ideas and this gives them an outlet where that creativity can be realised as products.\u201d\nMcCrae says Orion Health\u2019s innovation partnerships also provided great economic value for New Zealand as they initiated or enhanced products which are exported across the globe as well as providing high-paying jobs for the company\u2019s 500 New Zealand-based employees.\nUnder the agreement, Orion Health will provide the latest versions of its software systems for the two wards as well as implementation and support. The project will be reviewed after 12 months to evaluate the processes and further developments.\nSend news tips and comments to email@example.com\nFollow Divina Paredes on Twitter: @divinap\nFollow CIO New Zealand on Twitter:@cio_nz\nSign up for CIO newsletters for regular updates on CIO news, views and events.\nJoin us on Facebook.


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The National Football League has announced a four-year agreement with leading eyewear and sport lifestyle brand Oakley to become the league’s official helmet visor provider, a new sponsorship category for the league.
According to a press release, the partnership is the biggest sports deal in Oakley’s history.
Since 1988, the NFL has banned players from wearing tinted helmet visors, also known as shields, unless they had a medical exemption. But the rules were loosened to bring in Oakley, which will become the exclusive visor provider for all players.
As part of the deal, players for all 32 teams will have the option to wear Oakley Prizm Clear shields, a lightly tinted visor designed to help optimize detail recognition and, in turn, enhance performance and improve player safety.
In addition to being the official on-field eyewear partner of the NFL, Oakley will become an official licensee. Fans will be able to buy a special-edition NFL eyewear collection from Oakley, which will be available for all teams in two men’s styles and seven women’s styles. Players and coaches will also be encouraged, but not mandated, to wear Oakley eyewear on the sidelines.
Of note, the Oakley “O” logo will also now be featured on NFL helmets, providing valuable advertising space to the company. With the category now opened up, team deals will follow, with the New York Giants already striking their own partnership with Oakley.
“We really just got excited about a brand that’s so endemic to sports, but also one that’s a leader in their category from an optical standpoint,” Nana-Yaw Asamoah, the NFL’s vice president of business development, told Sports Illustrated. “We’ve had rules around visors and what players are allowed to wear on the field, but we haven’t had any relationships there. Through conversations what became uncovered was that from both a performance and safety standpoint, there was a lot more that could be done in this space and working with a brand like Oakley could really take us to the next level on that.”
Oakley also has player-level partnerships with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes – the 2018 NFL MVP – as well as Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“The NFL is the biggest sport in the US with the biggest audience,” Oakley global marketing director Ben Goss told AdAge. “We think this is a really big move for Oakley and a chance for us to bring some new consumers into our brand.”
The deal boosts the NFL’s robust commercial revenues, with partnerships with an official passenger car sponsor and a health insurance sponsor due to be finalized this season.


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The SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime is a three-tuner CableCard device that lets you stream and record content from Xboxes, iPads, and now PS3s.
Although UPS delays left some Amazon customers empty-handed, the company boasts a merry Christmas, both for sales and services like its Amazon Prime.
Netgear's latest in its NeoTV player line now also offers Google Play, full Web access, live TV, and a lot more
Amazon's Prime service is increasing by $20. Can you handle it?
The Asus Transformer Prime is the best full-featured Android tablet yet, with a sexy design, thoughtful features, and an impressive camera.
The company says it's "encouraged" by week-over-week subscriber growth over the last several weeks.
The massive Internet retailer launches a new service that lets users buy as many dry good items as they can fit in one large box for the flat delivery fee of $5.99.
Prime subscribers spend twice as much as non-Prime members, while Kindle owners spend 30 percent more than non-Kindle owners, says Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
In a deal that's sure to sting Netflix, Amazon licenses HBO programs for its Prime Instant Video service exclusively -- but no "Game of Thrones" -- and says HBO Go app will be on its Fire TV media-streaming box later this year.
The advantage of Amazon’s subscription service is the convenience of getting your products in two days. CNET takes a look at whether or not it's worth it.


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PERRIER UNVEILS FIRST ENZYMATICALLY RECYCLED BOTTLE
Perrier has unveiled the first successful production of 100 per cent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sample bottles using Carbios’ enzymatic recycling process. In a bid to make packaging more sustainable, Perrier has sourced solutions from stakeholders and start-ups that are working to address the problem of plastic waste.
Since April 2019, Perrier has been part of a global consortium – set up initially between Carbios and L’Oreal, and now home to Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe – supporting the industrialisation of the original recycling technology designed and developed by Carbios. Carbios is a biotech company that develops biological processes to refashion the end of life of plastics and textiles, largely through the introduction of enzymes into plastic waste.
This enzymatic recycling is needed as the plastic used in PET packaging is degraded over time and requires new virgin plastic to retain its quality. Carbios uses naturally occurring enzymes from compost heaps to break down PET plastics into their more simplified form of basic monomers: terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.
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According to a number of list firms, consumer list prices should remain relatively stable this year. On the other hand, many pros also say list spending overall should rise as the demand for and number of selects steadily increase.
During 1998, there were either no increases or only slight boosts in the base prices for consumer lists, sources say. “Prices have stabilized,” asserts Fran Golub, vice president of list management for New York-based list firm Walter Karl. “Competition is high, and brokers have become more aggressive, so no one is really raising prices.”
Others agree. “Our consumer base costs haven’t jumped much because we still want to be competitive,” says David Todd Waldman, director of list management for New York-based list company 21st Century Marketing.
As for this year and the impact of the postal rate hike, “anything can happen, but I don’t think the January rate increase, which was small, will have any effect on prices,” says Andy Ostroy, managing partner at list firm ALC of New York.
Those list firms admitting to any price increases in the past year say they have been slight-around 2%. Worldata, for instance, hiked its consumer list base prices an average of 2%, says Al Diblasi, group vice president of the Boca Raton, FL-based list company. Danbury, CT-based list firm Statlistics also increased its base consumer list prices an average of 2% last year, says executive vice president John Papalia. Statlistics then also made “moderate” price increases this year to cover the cost of the postal rate hike and any possible decline in business should mailers cut back on mailings as a result of higher postal expenses.
More selects, higher costs None of the list pros would provide numbers proving their assertion that catalogers are ordering more selects when placing their list orders. But the reasoning behind their claim of heightened interest in selects rings true. “Catalogers are mailing smarter,” says 21st Century’s Waldman. “They want a better response rate, so they are requesting more selects.”
Indeed, renters’ demands for these additional selects is in turn helping increase the supply, according to list sources. List owners, anxious to improve their list rental revenue, are increasingly more willing to spend on technology to slice and dice their customer information into more marketable segments. Moreover, the greater accessibility (and enhanced capability) of database software has also enabled more catalogers to further segment their files.
In addition, Waldman points to the increased availability of buyer information from the Internet as a reason for the rise in selects. “Customers more readily and completely respond to user-friendly questionnaires on the Internet,” he claims, as opposed to mail-in reply cards.
Waldman cites presence of children and PC users as two of the hotter selects currently on the market. And among renters of Statlistic’s consumer lists, recency and e-mail addresses are popular selects, Papalia says.
The scandals surrounding the Clinton administration have not only provided late-night talk show hosts with comedic fodder, but they’ve also given Conrad Direct a new list. The Cresskill, NJ-based list firm describes the 21,774 12-month buyers on its Vince Foster/Ron Brown Investigation Buyers file as “citizens concerned about government abuses and media bias who have purchased information relating to scandals surrounding Bill Clinton.” Such information includes books and videos about “possible cover-ups” regarding the deaths of White House aide Vincent Foster and Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, and about “allegations of drug trafficking during Bill Clinton’s term as governor of Arkansas.”
The Democratic National Committee will likely not be renting this file.


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Early during the coronavirus crisis, there was hope the economic damage and ensuing recovery would be V-shaped: acutely free-fall but then a quick recovery as things were put on track.
But this might not be the case, writes Tosten Sløk, chief economist at Deutsche Bank. Why? Because the coronavirus lockdown may fundamentally change much of the behavior of people, businesses, and governments.
“Once the global economy reopens, we are likely to see changed behavior from households, corporates, and the government sector,” Sløk wrote. “These behavioral changes are the reason why we will not get a V-shaped recovery, and there is not much fiscal policy can do about it.”
The impact from the immediate, complete, and necessary shutdown of the economy has brought large portions of the consumer discretionary economy — restaurants and any public activity — to a standstill, resulting in record unemployment filings and a crashed stock market.
Due to the delays of the American response, the societal shutdowns are already approaching a month — a long term, behavioral-shaping length that could get much longer. The damage is going to be deep.
“We estimate that the increasingly stringent lock-down measures to combat Covid-19 in Europe and the US are depressing the levels of consumer and business spending by more than anything we have seen since the Great Depression,” a recent note from Deutsche Bank economists said. “The peak-to-trough decline in [European] and US GDP is likely to be more than double that during the more prolonged Global Financial Crisis.”
How your behavior will change
After a seemingly endless bull market following the Great Recession, bad times had become almost academic as they faded into memory — and many younger workers have lived in nothing but bull market. This will be a stark wakeup call to prepare for the bad times as well as the good.
For the slightly older millennials, the Great Recession shaped their psyche and worldview, pushing them away from credit cards (and toward debit cards) and compelling them to save more than their parents, even though they’ve accrued less by the same age. More traumatic times have had starker effects, as many in the Greatest Generation never shook the habits of moderation, indelibly shaped by wartime rationing.
Some of the psychological changes Deutsche Bank predicts are fairly positive, but inhibit growth — like consumer spending. After this is all over, it will likely change people’s view of emergency savings.
Spiking unemployment and acute financial concerns for millions may spur more emergency savings.
This isn’t just for lower-income groups. According to the AARP and Deutsche Bank data, a quarter of households pulling in $150,000 or more don’t have emergency savings.
After the Great Depression in the 1930s, personal savings rates shot up — a trend echoed during the Great Recession. If that ends up happening amid this pandemic, it would coincide with the highest credit card interest rates in decades, further pushing people away from spending.
The changes may not always be obvious. Sløk writes they could take the form of increased spacing between seats on airplanes, restaurants, cinemas, sporting events, concerts, conferences, trains, buses — and even offices.
In the near term, fewer people may choose to go on vacation until a vaccine emerges, which at its earliest would be in a year-and-a-half, many experts say.
With people unable or incentivized not to go to the store, online commerce has seen a boost, and services like grocery delivery have rapidly scaled up to deal with the demand. When the crisis subsides, many consumers will decide to keep the deliveries coming.
To avoid contact with COVID-19 patients, many hospitals have embraced telemedicine when possible, a trend that could continue.
The effects won’t be the same for everyone. The coronavirus crisis (which Deutsche Bank calls the “Virus Crisis” at a few points) will hit lower-income groups far harder as these groups see less paid leave, health benefits, and may not be able to work from home.
The corporate sector will change, too
The prolonged restrictions will also have an effect on businesses. Companies may decide that many business trips are less necessary, as teleconferencing via Slack, Zoom, Hangouts, Meet, FaceTime, Skype, and WhatsApp becomes more common.
Sløk writes that work schedules might become more staggered and flexible and as more people adopt permanent work-from-home setups, fewer cubicles and seats in offices could result.
For both businesses and people, higher health insurance premiums will emerge, as well as more pressure from workers for improved labor benefits like paid sick leave — and gig worker protections.
Governmental changes and permanence
The coronavirus crisis will reshape the government as well. Sløk predicts more travel restrictions for high-risk areas and more fever scanners at borders. More regulation could emerge pushing both companies and households to have emergency savings, the health care system to have better disaster preparedness, and more systemic planning across the board — including a beefed-up strategic reserve of critical medical supplies, removing the dependency on other countries in a crisis.
Another Deutsche Bank note even suggests that, “European solidarity is being questioned and threatens to turn a socio-economic crisis into a political crisis.”
Mohamed El-Erian, Allianz SE chief economic adviser, popularized the term “the new normal” after the 2008 financial crisis, pointing out that the event may have been significant enough to reshape society rather than simply result in a reversion to pre-recession normal. In 2008, he said the U.S. had exited this post-recession situation as economic growth spiked.
What Sløk is predicting is a similar re-definition of normal, and the unique nature of the coronavirus pandemic could result in a much more pointed change than 2008. Added to staggering jobless numbers is the stress and fear of a virus that has already killed over 10,000 people in the U.S.
This is a deadly disaster that has reshaped how everyone lives — even rich celebrities and billionaires. There could and will likely be effects far beyond the first and second-order predictions Sløk puts forth, as isolation changes our behavior. Much of it, however, is hard to predict. When this is over, will people spend more time together, deprived of IRL social contact? Will they flex back to their original form? Or will they stay bent inward?


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FRANKFURT: Know-how corporations‘ providers may very well be banned from the European market if they don’t heed EU regulation, Europe’s trade chief Thierry Breton instructed German weekly Welt am Sonntag, because the European Fee finalizes guidelines on web corporations.
Breton will announce new draft guidelines often known as the Digital Companies Act and the Digital Markets Act along with European Competitors Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Dec. 2.
The foundations will set out a listing of do’s and don’ts for gatekeepers – on-line corporations with market energy – forcing them to share knowledge with rivals and regulators and to not promote their providers and merchandise unfairly.
The brand new draft guidelines come as critics of U.S. tech giants, which embrace corporations and trade our bodies, query the EU’s rulings towards Alphabet unit Google, saying they haven’t curbed its allegedly anti-competitive behavior. Some need EU enforcers to go additional than simply ordering corporations to cease such practices.
The draft guidelines would permit the EU to ban corporations or a part of their providers from the 27-country bloc as an excessive possibility. Till the draft guidelines are adopted EU antitrust and digital regulators don’t at the moment have the ability to impose such bans.
“Strict guidelines have to be enforceable”, Breton instructed Welt am Sonntag.
“For this, we’d like the suitable arsenal of potential measures: Impose fines, exclude corporations or elements of their providers from the Single Market, insist that they cut up in the event that they wish to maintain entry to the Single Market. Or a mix of all of those.”
He added that these sanctions would solely apply to corporations that don’t respect the EU’s guidelines and that the hardest measures would solely be utilized in distinctive circumstances.
In an indication of how a lot of tech companies worry about the brand new regulation, Google unit final month launched a 60-day technique to get U.S. allies to push again towards the EU’s digital chief.


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The backstory: Over the past decade, car manufacturers like Tesla, BYD and Rivian, have been in a competitive race to develop more efficient and affordable electric vehicles (EVs). Even legacy carmakers, like General Motors and Volvo, are getting into the game. As we approach 2024, they're not just working on new designs but also asking for extra support from policymakers for the cost of transitioning to EVs and the overall growing EV manufacturing industry. High interest rates and inadequate charging infrastructure pose some obstacles, limiting accessibility to EVs for many. But despite these challenges, more and more people worldwide are looking to electric cars, especially in China, Europe and the US.
More recently: In September, Munich hosted a big global car show called IAA Mobility, focusing on EVs. What stood out was that 41% of the companies there were from Asia, showing Asia's growing impact on the EV scene. European carmakers noticed that Chinese manufacturers are really good at making affordable EVs, making them rethink their plans to stay competitive.
The development: Recent market info from research firm Rho Motion shows that global electric car sales went up by 20% from last year. In November, battery-powered EVs made up 70% of those sales, with plug-in hybrids accounting for 30%. Even though there were concerns about slowing demand, monthly sales set a record at 1.4 million units. China and North America had increased sales, but Europe’s dropped a bit, compared to a strong end of the year in 2022 when Germans rushed to buy EVs before a launch of government subsidy cuts. Now, Germany and France are changing their subsidies to support electric cars made in Europe over Chinese competitors. Sales in Europe are expected to stay strong since automakers still need to meet emissions targets heading into 2025.
"EVs are going to be the future of the passenger automobile business," said Jeff Parent, COO of AutoNation (AN.N), the US auto dealership chain. But because of consumer concerns about price and charging, he said, "the next three to four years, things are going to be bumpy."
“I believe the time has come for Chinese brands,” said BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu at a BYD event in August. “It’s an emotional need for the 1.4 billion Chinese people to see a Chinese brand becoming global.”
"The more electric cars we have, the more we can benefit from economies of scale," Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said, “impressed” by China’s progress in EV tech and manufacturing.


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Terrasana Cannabis Company, the first of central Ohio’s five medical marijuana dispensaries, opened at 10 a.m. Tuesday at 656 Grandview Ave.
About 30 people waited in line Tuesday morning to shop in central Ohio's first medical marijuana dispensary.
Terrasana Cannabis Co., the first of central Ohio’s five medical marijuana dispensaries, opened at 10 a.m. at 656 Grandview Ave., just south of Dublin Road.
"We're excited about being the first to open in Columbus. We think this is a monumental moment,” said Craig Maurer, Terrasana’s co-founder, president and chief operating officer.
First in line were Todd Crow and Sid Vega, who arrived around 7:30 a.m.
“We're out here getting our medicinal products," said Crow, 41.
>> Video: Ohio medical marijuana store opens
Crow paid $300 in cash for a week's worth of marijuana, his first purchase of medical marijuana. He said he has chronic knee pain from a hockey injury.
"It was like walking into essentially a candy store, picking out what you want,” said Crow, who lives in the Short North area.
He was inside the dispensary for a little more than an hour, which appeared to be about the average time that customers spent. Patients were allowed in a few at a time.
By 11 a.m., the line had grown to about 70 people.
"It can be an overwhelming experience at first, a lot of first-time patients,” said Todd Yaross, Terrasana’s co-founder and chief executive officer. “We take great pride in that educational process so that unfortunately isn't a two-minute process sometimes."
Terrasana, a Columbus-based medical cannabis company, also will open a location in Cleveland on Thursday and a Fremont location April 2. A Springfield location will open later this spring.
Vega said it was his first time buying medical marijuana in Ohio after having a medical marijuana card in California. He said he has chronic back pain.
"This has been a long time coming for me,” said Vega, 41, of the East Side. “I'm just glad it's finally here."
Michael Doctor, 66, bought three products for $158 that will last him about a month.
"I just consume enough to take the pain away,” said Doctor, of the East Side. “It's not my intent to get a euphoric high. That's not why I do this. I do this because I actually need it for my back."
A one-day supply of medical marijuana — 2.83 grams — costs $40 at the dispensary, which Terrasana said is less expensive than competitors. Insurance does not cover medical marijuana.
At this time, patients can only buy marijuana flower at Terrasana, but company officials hope to start getting items like edibles, tinctures (liquid extract) and capsules in the coming weeks. Grow Ohio recently became the first in the state to receive a Processor Certificate of Operation from the Ohio Department of Commerce, allowing it to manufacture cannabis products.
Medical marijuana was legalized in Ohio on Sept. 8, 2016. Ohioans can consume marijuana and marijuana products if they receive a recommendation from a doctor. To receive a recommendation, patients must have at least one of 21 conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, chronic pain or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Ohio’s medical marijuana sales started Jan. 16 at the CY+ dispensary in Wintersville and three other dispensaries.
Of the 56 dispensaries in the state, 12 have received certificates of operation, with Terrasana Labs being the most recent. Statewide sales totaled 328 pounds and $2,476,330 through Sunday. The state issued the first citation for misusing medical marijuana three weeks after the first medical marijuana sales were reported.
Five of those dispensaries are in Franklin County, all of them in Columbus: Terrasana; Greenleaf Apothecaries, 111 Vine St.; 127 OH, 1361 Georgesville Rd.; Harvest of Ohio, 2950 N. High St.; and Verdant Creations, which will be on Cassady Avenue.
After entering the Terrasana lobby, patients must show their ID and their state-issued medical marijuana card. When both are verified, the patient will be escorted into the dispensary area where he or she can purchase the products. Terrasana does not accept credit cards. Patients must either pay in cash or through Hypur, an app similar to Venmo that provides electronic payments. There is also an ATM in the dispensary area.
"It's been a long road," said Dr. Anurag William Kedia, Terrasana’s co-founder, chief medical officer and head of research. "I can't describe the excitement and a little bit of trepidation that goes along with it."
Terrasana is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.


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Tugende , the innovative FinTech platform for MSME credit and asset-financing in East Africa , closed in Q2 pre-Series B equity funding from existing shareholders led by Partech and two new investors , including Women ’ s World Banking . The new investors add to the diversity of Tugende ’ s shareholding and complement the experience and skills that each contribute to Tugende ’ s growth . Along with a recent debt closing , the combined US $ 10 million investment further strengthens Tugende ’ s balance sheet , allowing it to increase portfolio growth and address a significant credit demand amongst MSMEs , particularly after the strict lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 .
Drug stock-outs and shortage of medical equipment in health facilities in Rwanda is becoming a thing of the past , thanks to an innovation that is addressing procurement constraints .
Viebeg Technologies , a venture capital backed HealthTech company , is helping to expand access to affordable health care in Central and East Africa by aiding healthcare facilities in procuring supplies in real-time . It uses Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) to manage supply chain processes ( from shipping to warehousing , distribution and inventory management ) to ensure that healthcare facilities have the precise medical supplies in stock .
In alignment with the company ’ s dedication to introducing innovative and technology-led imaging solutions in Africa , Canon has brought its much-anticipated R-tour to Abidjan , Ivory Coast . The tour sheds light on its upcoming products , closer to customer strategy , the rise of content creation as an industry in the country , and much more . Canon plans to introduce its revolutionary mirrorless range of products – EOS R3 , EOS R5 C , EOS R7 and EOS R10 in an endeavour to introduce a much wider array of technology solutions in Africa . Canon Central and North Africa has embarked on the Canon R Tour journey in Abidjan , Ivory Coast that falls in line with the company ’ s vision to bring together the latest imaging technology solutions to the continent of Africa .
Liquid Dataport , a business of Cassava Technologies , is bringing much-needed access to affordable Internet in South Africa . Liquid Dataport has acquired a pair of fibre cables on Equiano , the new West coast submarine cable , capable of delivering up to 12 Terabytes of new internet capacity , providing the South African economy with the boost it needs to ensure the successful Digital Transformation of businesses and individuals . The additional capacity augments Liquid Dataport ’ s existing pan-African fibre network , global satellite connectivity and subsea cable backbone that ensures businesses on the continent have access to affordable and reliable high-speed connectivity .
SOREC has launched the first “ Made in Morocco ” central gaming solution in partnership exclusively with Moroccan companies and exploitable by all types of gaming operators . SOREC joins the very limited network of about 10 horse racing software developers and is now one of the few operators worldwide to possess its own digital solution . Gamma Systems by SOREC has completed a staggering 150 million transactions since its launch in March 2022 .
24 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com