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U.S. President Donald Trump signed the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act, S. 770 (formerly known as the MAIN STREET Cybersecurity Act) into law on Tuesday, August 14, 2018. It requires NIST to "disseminate clear and concise resources to help small business concerns identify, assess, manage, and reduce their cybersecurity risks." This is a massive achievement, as many small businesses want to adopt it, they are having trouble doing so because of the complexity.
In an article in SecurityWeek, The resources that NIST will provide will be generally applicable to a wide range of small businesses and will vary with the nature and size of small businesses. They are supposed to promote cybersecurity awareness and workplace cybersecurity culture and will include practical application strategies for small organizations. The resources must be technology-neutral and as much as possible.
Strong Bi-Partisan Support
The bi-partisan act was authored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and James Risch (R-Idaho), co-sponsored by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
"As businesses rely more and more on the internet to run efficiently and reach more customers, they will continue to be vulnerable to cyber attacks. But while big businesses have the resources to protect themselves, small businesses do not, and that's exactly what makes them an easy target for hackers," said Schatz, who is the lead Democrat on the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications Technology, Innovation, and the Internet. "This new law will give small businesses the tools to firm up their cybersecurity infrastructure and fight online attacks."
Well-Received In The Security Industry
"Small businesses account for 99.7% (SBA) of employers in the United States and as many as 50% (CNBC) of those have experienced a cyber attack. Not surprising when you consider that websites are attacked as many as 50 times per day on average" says Jessica Ortega, a member of the SiteLock research team.
"The NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act aims to provide cyberdefense resources for small businesses by creating a set of guidelines for basic security measures that should be easy to follow and implement affordable", she says, "It also creates guidelines for making security best practices a required component of corporate training and workplace culture, something that is very needed as cyber threats continue to evolve."
Small businesses and many large organizations struggle to comply with the existing NIST Security Framework. Some are saying that this change aided by government sets the stage for greater compliance and readiness from smaller organizations, especially those who have thought that NIST compliance was too costly, complex, or time-consuming to achieve.
Still, small organizations can't afford extensive cybersecurity resources in-house, and many still believe they will not be a target for cybercriminals now or in the future. Small businesses are a direct target for business email compromise and ransomware attacks, especially those who are part of the supply chain for larger organizations. In fact, small businesses suffer more from successful attacks than larger companies. They are also able to recover much less.
The act only requires NIST to make resources, or guidelines, methodologies, and other information. Small businesses can still risk falling vulnerable if they don't have an easy way to track, measure, and manage the best practices of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
Larger organizations are starting to insist that smaller companies who sell to them or partner with them show adequate compliance with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. The CyberStrong Platform enables rapid NIST implementation that is so easy, small businesses, supply chains, and less technical teams can manage it without wasting time and resources. Larger companies with massive supply chains also use CyberStrong in-house to scale up the NIST CSF, ISO, GDPR, DFARS, and many other frameworks that they need across locations, applications, and vendors.


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Google brings you the latest update for the Chrome 87 browser that improves speed, performance and efficiency browser Chrome.
With the latest update, Chrome will prioritize the tabs that are actively viewed by users and override background activity on tabs that are not seen.
As a result, Google Chrome claimed to reduce the workload of the processor (CPU) up to 5 times and save battery life up to 1.25 hours longer.
“We do this without sacrificing important background features for users, such as playing music and getting notifications,” said Matt Waddel, Product Director. Google Chrome.
In addition, Google also claims that Chrome 87 will later be able to open 25 percent faster than the previous version, and load internet pages up to 7 times faster and save money. RAM.
In addition, navigation between pages (back and forward) in the Android version of Chrome 87 is now claimed to be more agile and smoother than the previous version.
Various efficiency support features Apart from the performance aspect, Google has also released a number of new features that will be present in Chrome 87. This feature also aims to increase user efficiency when using the browser.
Tab Search feature that can browse and search for any tab that is currently open by the user. This feature is located to the far right of the row of tabs (shaped like an “O” icon) and can be clicked to open a search field.
There is a Chrome Actions feature that allows users to launch various setup functions via Chrome’s URL box known as “Omnibox”. This feature is actually a shortcut to a number of Chrome settings.
It’s just that the orders are based on keywords (keyword). For example, if a user wants to delete their browsing history, they can simply type a related keyword, such as “delete my history”, in the Omnibox box.
These features are certain to be released in the future. Chrome version 87 itself has been rolled out gradually to several supported platforms, namely Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS.

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Millennials “killing” industries and how Gen Z will transform the industry
by ZOHREEN ISMAIL
It’s the age-old question of, well, age. What do seasoned experts who have been working in an industry for more than a decade have to offer when compared to younger generations entering the industry?
Hospitality is an industry that values building intergenerational knowledge, growth, and wealth. From the beginning of the 17th century, entrepreneurs developed inns across America to serve the needs of pioneers traveling across the country. And now, more than 100 years later, the goal for hotels and hospitality hasn’t changed much. Hospitality professionals still strive to serve the needs of travelers. However, the way this is done has completely transformed due to new generations bringing in new ideas, the adaption of emerging technology, and acceptance of age diversity.
WE ARE THE EXPERTS
The baby-boom generation viewed the hospitality industry as a culture of results. Figure out what the customer wants and deliver results flawlessly. With this mindset, they built hotel empires starting with one property and expanding to 10. This idea of expansion is very relatable to many boomers and Gen Xers.
Boomers and Gen X strived to build intergenerational wealth and create a standard of excellent service. Now, the question is posed: How will younger generations move the industry forward while keeping the integrity of everything previous generations built intact?
MILLENNIALS – THE DISRUPTORS
Millennials have a reputation of “killing” trends in industries. For hospitality, millennials are “killing” the front desk check-in process and “killing” the hot continental breakfast many hotels offer.
Sameer Tharani, a millennial hotelier, owns and operates two properties. “I don’t think millennials are killing industry trends,” he said. “If your client falls under an older generation, they may care about room service and being able to get free breakfast. It’s all about identifying what your demographic wants and solving for it.”
New York Times bestselling author Chip Conley agrees. “I’m not sure I agree with the premise that Millennials have killed industries. Millennials often take the less traveled path which means they’re hard to predict especially for established global brands.”
In 2008, three Millennials sparked an idea that would completely disrupt the hospitality industry. Many hospitality professionals saw the creation and development of Airbnb as a competitive move and an industry disruptor. What many hoteliers do not know is these three Millennials reached out to Chip Conley, who would be considered to fall under the Baby Boomer generation, to help transform the start-up company.
Conley, now Airbnb strategic advisor for hospitality & leadership, recalls sitting in meetings and clearly noticing the differences between him and the Millennials he was sharing the table with. Airbnb, now a multi-billion-dollar company, was started by Millennials and was able to reach new heights by welcoming age diversity and new perspectives.
GEN Z – THE NEWBIES
Bloomberg News describes Gen Z as individuals born between 1997 and 2012; that means Gen Z is already in the workforce. While boomers, Gen X, and millennials are navigating the hospitality space, they all agree there is absolutely no shortage of opportunity when it comes to the hospitality industry.
“Gen Z has never known a world without the internet,” Yutta Shelton, Hospitality Practice Leader at Deloitte Consulting LLP said. “As this generation matures, we expect digital innovation to continue to rise. The industry will evolve to a place where digital becomes a powerful tool to improve service excellence. A big part of that is data-driven personalization.”
When considering what Gen Z will bring to hospitality, Tharani said, “I try and think back to what my thought process was when I was that age. I was very ambitious and maybe even a little naïve. However, sometimes that combination can lead to great things, because an idea you have in your head can become something great if you work hard.”
IN IT TO WIN IT – THE HUSTLE CONTINUES
With four different generations collaborating, what can be expected? “Previous generations in the industry are tackling challenges, but they don’t have to overcome it alone,” Tharani said. “New generations can bring new ideas to help find innovative solutions.”
When multiple generations begin working together, characteristics like work ethic and risk-taking begin to collide. “I do think younger generations, seeing the success of tech start-ups, are perhaps growing less risk-averse in their professional lives,” Shelton said.
“If your background as a millennial is from the hospitality industry, you might be more inclined to take risks because you have a strong support system,” Tharani said.
OLD IDEAS, NEW WAYS
In 1989, a small group of hoteliers collaborated to create an innovative approach to solve the problem of discrimination within the hospitality industry, particularly from insurance companies and banks. This resulted in the creation of AAHOA. This example is a testament to how working together and sharing knowledge makes industries stronger and gives industry professionals an opportunity to collaborate and find innovative solutions. There is no doubt the hospitality industry has been moving forward ever since.
This same strategy is used today among different generations in the hospitality industry. For example, boomer hoteliers are welcoming new technology, while millennials are constantly reinventing ways to use technology. The end goal, going back to the hotel pioneers of the 17th century, is to serve the traveler and that is accomplished through welcoming age diversity in the industry.
Chip Conley couldn’t have said it better. In his TED talk he states, “turn the judgement into curiosity,” and that is the mantra to live by.
ARE WE ALONE?
Many hoteliers are often so engulfed in the operations and business strategy in their day-to-day they forget to take a step back and see that the hospitality industry is not the only industry being affected by intergenerational diversity.
“Every industry is benefited, especially if they’re reliant on technology,” Conley said. “It’s become most evident in the advertising and marketing world where digital savviness is increasingly important.”
Millennials have brought many new ideas that transform the way industries operate. “Perhaps the better question is…what industry isn’t transforming?” Shelton said. “As much as millennials may be a generation disruptor, their behaviors and choices are disrupting businesses and society alike.”
“Every industry has a focus on constant renovation and growth,” Tharani said. “In the era we are in now, changes are going to happen and it’s our responsibility to find creative ways to adapt while ensuring you are playing an integral role in maximizing your return and moving the industry in a positive direction.”
FUTURE TRENDS – WHAT’S NEXT?
In hindsight, some hoteliers could have predicted industry disruptors like Airbnb, while others say it’s close to impossible to predict what the future of hospitality holds. That’s why Today’s Hotelier reached out to the industry insight experts at Deloitte.
“Perhaps the biggest trend will be a redefinition of the core hotel product,” Shelton said. “Today, we associate large hotel brands primarily as a place to spend the night, grab a drink, or get a bite to eat. In the future, how hotel chains serve the consumer will evolve. Hotels will grow their presence in the consumer’s everyday life, taking their core competency of service excellence with them into new spaces.”
According to Shelton, some early signs of this are already beginning to permeate the marketplace. For example, hotels are expanding into co-working spaces, health and wellness facilities, destination activities, and even retail.
The idea that you don’t need an established company or brand to succeed is a different type of work culture that new generations can bring in. “That workforce culture, business resources, and access to global markets through digital and social are all ingredients helping good ideas thrive outside of the traditional corporate ecosystem. It’s a significant mindset shift,” Shelton said.
“As a millennial hotel owner, I would predict a lot of consolidation in terms of brands and many technology facets will be seen as a standard rather than a luxury,” Tharani said. “The individuals that will be successful will be the ones that consider age diversity an asset. If you stick to your ways, you might get left behind.”
“The future is all about mutual mentoring,” Conley said. “Wisdom no longer comes exclusively from the top-down or from old to young. I learned so much from younger generations about the tech industry, design thinking, and Millennial travel habits. We all have something to learn from each other.”


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As debate intensifies over the prices for prescription medicines, a new study suggests that 10 so-called breakthrough drugs – including some that have not yet been approved by the FDA – will cost the U.S. government nearly $50 billion over the next decade.
Specifically, Medicare would absorb the largest expense at $31.3 billion, followed by an estimated $15.8 billion in Medicaid spending and another $2.1 billion in spending as a result of subsidies provided through health exchange plans created under the Affordable Care Act.
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AirBnB has recently removed 80%(!!!) of it’s listings in Japan as new regulations for owners and people listing properties on AirBnB become active.
I’ve been hearing a lot of people specifically buying up property for the sole purpose of letting/renting on AirBnB, so it’s kind of like a business for some people.
But as I’ve mentioned before in some of our business mentoring session, never, ever rely on a third-party platform as your sole source of business (e.g. Facebook).
While the regulations Japan has implemented are meant to protect renters (and I agree with such regulations that ensure safety), those who reply on AirBnB are going to get burned if not already.
So, remember, have an “Asset” mindset where you have the most control over what happens rather than being at the mercy of any one platform, whether it be AirBnB, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, etc.


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While the corona pandemic mercilessly trampled over a significant part of the Danish business community and plunged many industries into financial crisis, there are also some that came through the crisis both dry-shod and more resilient. This includes the Danish bio and life science industry, which did very well overall and, unlike many other industries, wa not bleeding red numbers on the bottom line.
One of the companies that performed well despite a worldwide crisis is the global life science company Chr. Hansen, which develops natural solutions for the food, beverage, supplements and pharmaceutical industries as well as the agricultural sector. The company's CFO Lise Skaarup Mortensen is in no doubt where to find part of the answer to why the bio and life science industry has been successful even through the corona crisis.
"We are an industry that is less sensitive to economic cycles. We make ingredients for the food and healthcare industry. And in times like these, we still need food and, to a large extent, we still need to take care of our health," she says.
Health and sustainability on the global agenda
Looking at the bigger picture, Lise Skaarup Mortensen believes that the success of the bio and life science industry in recent years is due to a growing global interest in health, sustainability and good food. For Chr. Hansen specifically, the company is experiencing a high demand for nutrition without chemical additives. Something that speaks to what is one of the company's core products.
"We may be a company whose existence is an offshoot of the fact that for many years we have been able to produce healthy bacteria that can develop good cheese and yogurt. But we've come a long way since the company was founded almost 150 years ago. This technology with natural bacteria can be used widely in the entire food industry today - for example, to protect crops instead of pesticides and to reduce the use of antibiotics for farm animals by using natural bacteria instead," she says.
In recent years, Chr. Hansen has had particular success with natural bacteria, which can give a number of foods a long lifespan in a natural way, says Lise Skaarup Mortensen. This means that in the future, these will in many cases be used instead of artificial additives, so that foods such as yogurt can be given a longer shelf life in a natural way. This aspect is also in line with the global agenda to address food waste and reduce the use of the earth's resources, she says:
"Statistics say that approximately one third of the total amount of food globally is wasted. If you can use nature's own good bacteria instead of additives and chemicals, it's amazing from a global perspective. That's one of the things that fascinates me about the industry: that you can do something good for the world and run a healthy business at the same time. It's a big part of our DNA, and I believe that this is the path we need to take to contribute to a good economy in Denmark," says Lise Skaarup Mortensen.


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BENGALURU: Mobile health and fitness platform, HealthifyMe has raised $12 million (around Rs 77 crore) in its second fund raise from a group of global investors led by Sistema
Asia Fund, the India focused fund of Russia's largest Conglomerate.Samsung
NEXT, Singapore’s Atlas Asset Management and Japan’s Dream Incubator are the other global participants. Existing Indian investors IDG Ventures India, Inventus Capital, Blume Ventures and Dubai based NB Ventures, that had previously invested $6 million in the health app, also participated in this round.
This is Samsung Next’s first investment in India. The company has previously invested in Silicon Valley-based companies.
Started in 2012 by Tushar Vashisht and Sachin Shenoy and incubated by Microsoft
Accelerator, the platform provides health and fitness trip and lets users track food, workout, and chat with nutritionists.
The new investment will be used by the company to grow its AI-based platform launched last year. Currently 70% of all exchanges on the platform happen through its AI chat platform. “We are also planning to expand to different countries through our diverse investors. We hope to expand to other emerging markets like Japan. We are also planning to expand our AI team and look to add other products on the platform in food, diagnostics, and insurance,” said Vashisht.
Currently, 1/4th of its revenue comes from the Middle East and South East Asia market. The platform has 4 million registered users.
Kirill Kozhevnikov, MD and Partner, Sistema Asia Fund Advisory said, “We are strong believers in preventive healthcare. People all over the world associate healthcare mostly with disease treatment, but ideally healthcare should prevent diseases. HealthifyMe team is disrupting this vitally important sector with its technology platform. We are happy to back the company in its mission.”
Sistema Asia Fund’s previous investments include online meat delivery platform Licious, cyber security company Seclore and gift card solution provider Qwikcilver
. Kozhevnikov will now join the board of HealthifyMe through this round.
The Rainmaker Group was the advisor to the company on the transaction for which the term sheet was signed in October 2017.


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Sustainability is growing in importance among electronics companies, particularly those that compete in the consumer electronics sectors, according to Pike Research.
Applying an index of corporate social responsibility (CSR) based on company-generated reports and metrics, the "cleantech" market intelligence firm finds that companies like IBM, HP, Apple and Texas Instruments achieved the highest levels of completeness, transparency and reported results.
"In general, the closer the company's business is related to consumer electronics, the higher its CSR score," says Pike Research president Clint Wheelock. "Many of the largest companies in the sector are in the midst of adopting or improving sustainability practices in their new product lifecycles to include a greater focus on more sustainable design, manufacturing, distribution, use, and end-of-life management."
Nevertheless, the subject remains a delicate one: Less than 10 percent of the companies contacted by Pike Research for an interview related to sustainable design were willing to talk about their processes. In addition, many issues integral to a holistic view of CSR, such as the social and environmental impacts of the extraction of basic raw materials feedstocks (e.g., mining of metal ores or refining of crude oil), remain to be addressed.
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When the Bratz Dolls were released in 2011, MGA Entertainment – the (then) small Southern California-based company that had poached a former Mattel designer (according to a string of ugly lawsuits) and created a line of sassy, fashion-forward Barbie alternatives – did not know for sure if it could successfully rival the long-standing American staple that is Barbie. Yet, that is exactly what MGA did; it became the first company in 40 years to steal a sizable amount of market share from multi-national toy giant Mattel and its world-famous doll. Fast forward to December 2016 and MGA was on the brink of doing it again.
To take the toy market by storm again, MGA CEO Isaac Larian was looking beyond Barbie vs. Bratz. This time, he wanted to find a way to bank on the YouTube-driven “internet phenomenon of unboxing.” The proposition was simple enough: A hard plastic shell inside of which were multiple layers that could be unwrapped to reveal surprises, such as stickers, charms, doll outfits and accessories, and a collectible doll. MGA would call it L.O.L. Surprise!
“Just like unwrapping any gift, there’s a buzz of anticipation and that feeling of ‘oh-my-goodness, what’s inside?!,’” MGA said of its latest creation in late 2016. What the company did was tap into the same underlying psychological effect that excites gift-openers and that drives adults to sign up for monthly subscription boxes (and thereby fuel the crowded multi-billion dollar subscription market). And it worked.
Acting quietly in an attempt to test the market, MGA stocked store shelves and e-shelves right before Christmas in 2016 with 500,000 L.O.L. Surprise! products. Without so much as a television commercial or digital marketing campaign, all 500,000 products sold out in two months. Within five months, MGA had sold 2.5 million L.O.L. Surprise! products.image: MGA
While MGA – now the largest privately-held toy company in the U.S. – was busy nabbing titles on various top-toy lists, the company’s new L.O.L. Surprise! products were also getting a different sort of treatment.
Almost as swiftly as it became the top toy in 2016, L.O.L. Surprise! became one of the most frequently copied toys. The stream of Chinese-made fakes that made their way into the market in the U.S. was a direct result of the rapid spike in popularity for MGA’s newest toy. “Once a toy becomes hot, the Chinese counterfeiters focus on that, and they quickly knock it off and bring it to the market,” Larian said in July. “What I haven’t seen until now is how openly blatant they are about it.”
But more than that, the sold-out status of L.O.L. Surprise! products in toy stores across the U.S. created a gold mine for counterfeiters, who identified a limit in supply and a surge in demand for the toys, which range in price from $7 (for a mini version) to nearly $200 for a full set, complete with a doll house.
Larian has taken a strong stance when it comes to the copycat versions of L.O.L. Surprise! products. “It is our duty to protect consumers from these dangerous knock-offs attempting to capitalize off of the phenomenal success of L.O.L. Surprise! I will continue to prosecute any and all counterfeiters to the fullest extent of the law,” he said in a statement this spring after MGA filed a strongly-worded lawsuit against China-based TomTop.com and its CEO Mike Liao. The defendants are on the hook, per MGA’s complaint, for “defrauding consumers around the world with counterfeit L.O.L. Surprise! listings on its own website as well as via stores on eBay, Alibaba and Amazon.com.”
As the Los Angeles Times stated this summer, MGA’s case “highlights an issue many U.S. toy companies are facing: China-based websites that advertise discounted versions of sought-after toys, when the sites are really schlepping cheaply made counterfeits or knockoffs, slightly altered versions that still amount to a theft of their intellectual property.”
It also speaks to an issue beyond intellectual property. “All toys sold in the U.S. must comply with very strict product safety requirements and must be tested by an accredited, independent testing lab to demonstrate compliance,” Rebecca Mond, the Toy Association’s senior director of federal government affairs, says. Compliance with safety requirements is almost entirely absent from counterfeit toys, posing safety and health issues to a vulnerable segments of the population: children.
Even more recently, MGA – whose CEO is also very vocal on Twitter about the company’s fight against fakes – announced that it had added 36,000 units to its tally of 250,000 seized and destroyed counterfeit L.O.L. Surprise! products.
“The recent seizures are the result of MGAE’s aggressive anti-counterfeit campaign being stringently enforced across the globe,” MGA said in a statement. Or as Larian stated on Twitter, “You knock us off or copy (no matter who and how big you are) we will come after you and kick your ass!”
* This article is part of a larger series, entitled, “Counterfeiting: The Big Business of Fakes,” which endeavors to examine the state of counterfeiting in 2018 in the United States and beyond in connection with everything from luxury and high fashion products to the black market for automobiles and cigarettes.


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Tag: Motorola Moto G53
Motorola Moto G53 and G73 5G released with 120Hz screen and Android 13
Motorola announced the Moto G53 5G and Moto G73 5G, the two phones positioning entry models, together to understand. Both phones feature a 6.5-inch display...
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Motorola last week launched a moto g53 phone for only 899 yuan, equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 + processor. According to the latest news, the...
Motorola Moto G53 best features
The budget smartphone industry welcomes the new Motorola Moto G53 5G-enabled device powered by a Snapdragon processor.
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Tamron 35-150mm f / 2.0-2.8 lens appearance revealed, is expected to be released next week
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Fifty businesses in the Australian alpine resort of Falls Creek, the largest in the state of Victoria, have been equipped to provide information to visitors via NFC.
The system enables visitors with NFC phones to connect with Falls Creek’s businesses and services by tapping their handset against NFC stickers located at business premises. Tapping a tag opens up a mobile site which provides access to a range of local services.
“We have made the technology deployment into a simple, two-step process that takes minutes to set up”, says Justine Mittelheuser from technology provider NFC Wireless. “Any company can buy the tag or sign for a few dollars, and then use our online tool to set up a mobile ‘pod’ site, which takes no design or technology skills at all. They have a range of services to choose from. These include downloading coupons, discount vouchers, links to social media, and links to web sites”.
“Falls Creek alpine resort is thrilled to be the first NFC-ready town in Australia,” enthuses Falls Creek Resort Management’s Jo Prothero. “Through NFC Wireless we now have over 50 businesses enabled to this exciting new technology, further enhancing Falls Creek’s reputation as one of Australia’s truly unique holiday destinations.”


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A look at two of the longest-running family breweries in the US—New York’s F.X. Matt and Minnesota’s August Schell—explores the challenges they faced and the ways these companies survived when others disappeared after Prohibition.
Hydroponic growing techniques have existed since the early 17th century. These methods have already changed the way vegetables can be grown across the world, but why hasn’t anyone tried to grow hops this way?
BrewDog announces location in Columbus; Minnesota allows Sunday growler sales; US breweries win at Australian International Beer Awards; AB InBev trademark application suspended; Alabama craft beer law limits brewery expansion; and breweries and brewpubs now open or coming soon.
Josh Bischoff, Indeed’s head brewer, is hustling to keep up with exploding demand because he starts from a baseline of challenging his customers. The brewery is built around two canned, hop-forward flagship ales, which Bischoff combines with a rotating set of specialty beers and one-offs.
Shortages of aromatic hops forecast for 2014; HopCat to open Michigan’s largest beer bar in midtown Detroit; San Diego leads industry in job growth and wages; and Lakemaid’s beer-delivery drone program grounded by FAA.
The world produced over 134 million metric-tons of barley between 2011 and 2012. But up to 95 percent of the world’s barley is susceptible to a variety of a fungal disease called stem rust that was discovered in Uganda in 1999. Dubbed Ug99, it has spread across East Africa and up into the Middle East.
Joe Pond is a chemical engineer who brews with a decidedly pre-industrial mindset. Olvalde Farm and Brewing Co., the southeastern Minnesota brewery he founded two and a half years ago, is a throwback to the rural, agriculturally focused brewhouses that existed before refrigeration and malt catalogues.
When Surly Brewing Co. of Minnesota released renderings of the new, $20 million brewery it plans to build in an industrial area of Minneapolis, criticism of its “Brutalist” design aesthetic began pouring in.
With help from the its fan base, the “Surly Nation,” new Minnesota laws allow Surly Brewing Company to sell beer at its own location. Now, plans are in the works for a $20 million, 6 acre destination brewpub.
Brau Brothers Brewing Company has been keeping Lucan and the rest of southwest Minnesota well-lubricated since 2006, and now this 15-barrel, family-owned brewery is making a name for Lucan by distributing beer to five states.
Mike Hoops has been at the helm of the Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery for roughly a decade now, and he’s moving faster than ever—he’s doing more with lagers, playing around with more than a dozen barrels, and experimenting with new ingredients and adjuncts.
With all of the region’s successes and the outstanding and diverse beers available, I think it’s about time we give Midwestern brewers the praise due to them. They’ve got my vote for best in the industry.


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As per a co-study by digital wallet Valora and international market researcher Appinio, women are now actively participating in the crypto trend, as they are increasingly engaging and investing in this industry.
CEO of Valora, Jackie Bona noted: “It’s encouraging to see women from around the world joining the crypto community and unlocking new financial opportunities.”
As more women entered the industry the perception of crypto being a men’ club has been diminishing, Bona added. She also pointed out that “crypto has this reputation for being a bit of a boys’ club, but more and more women are now empowered to meaningfully participate in this new financial system.”
With the majority of women making their first investment in this industry less than a year ago, women are assuming a key place in the cryptocurrency industry. “Nearly two-thirds (60.6%) of women who own crypto made their first crypto investment less than one year ago,” the study revealed.
Moreover, compared to 13.9% over two years earlier, 28.1% of women invested in cryptocurrency in the six months to the survey publication.
As a result, this occurrence signifies a trending change. According to the study: “until recently, the space was predominantly made up of men. Over half (51.8%) of men made their first cryptocurrency investment more than a year ago.”
Because of shifting needs, preferences, and interests, more women are getting involved with the cryptocurrency industry. A general partner at Valora, Morgan Beller posited the following: “I think the growth can be attributed to need, want, increased understanding/education, and superior product experiences.”
The study was carried out in the time frame from March 23 to April 10, 2022, and included 1,500 NFT and cryptocurrency buyers or hodlers aged 18 to 65 from France, Spain, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom.


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Flemington, New Jersey (January 8, 2017) – The Flemington Car and Truck Country Family of Brands is awarding each of its full time employees a $500 bonus because of the recently passed Federal tax reform and corporate tax reduction, which will allow our company to share with our employees more of our income, instead of sending those dollars to Washington, DC. Our associates are our most important asset as they serve our customers every day to the highest level of customer satisfaction. Their commitment is extraordinary.
Flemington Car and Truck Country will also be announcing a series of facility upgrades enabled by the new tax law passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump last month, which helps us to build a stronger business, employ more workers, and return more investments to our community.
“We believe this is the right thing to do,” said Founding Chairman Steve Kalafer. “Reinvesting tax savings in our employees and our businesses will make our communities and America stronger. We call on all of the auto manufacturers we work with to help drive economic growth by giving back to the communities where they employ and invest with appropriate employee bonuses and by creating new jobs with their new capacity for additional capital expenditures.”
Founded in 1976, Flemington Car and Truck Country Family of Brands is located in Flemington, NJ, has 17 brands in eight locations.


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Games have always been popular amongst people, going back to when cavemen are said to have invented football many thousands of years ago.
This continued to be the case, especially during the 90’s, when computer-based games consoles started to come about, notably the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Megadrive.
This paved the way for new games consoles with better graphics and more advanced features, which is what we have been left with today.
Up until now, this was all possible without the continued need for an internet connection, but this seems to be set to change within the next year or two, as Microsoft are rumoured to have said that the next Xbox will be virtually inoperable unless constantly plugged into a broadband internet connection.
This would seem to raise the possibility that gamers will avoid buying new consoles for this reason and stick with their old ones, especially people who have limited or even no access to the Internet.
While in today’s world this may seem like an unlikely problem, there are still large parts of this planet that still have no fixed internet access whatsoever, with gaming access being somewhat unreliable over satellite-based connections.
Also, for those people who do decide to buy a future games console, it creates a future risk of inoperability, partly due to the fact that despite it’s huge capacity, the Internet has limitations.
This fact has recently been somewhat demonstrated by the lack of new IP addresses (unique internet connection identifiers) that can now be assigned to connections.
On the positive side, lack of interest in future gaming may result in a boost to the second hand games market, especially for timeless classics that can be played again and again.
Also, if social networking sites are anything to go by, there may be a future time where the demand for games consoles drops by a high amount. This would be due to large amounts of games being played through web browsers rather than physical gaming devices.
The reason that demand for physical consoles is unlikely to drop to zero is due to the fact an increasing amount of games are requiring additional physical controllers in order to be played.
A notable example of this is the Nintendo Wii console, which has game-specific controllers that can be plugged into a console in order to enhance the overall gaming experience.
Overall, it would seem that the future of gaming has a more or less equal amount of both positive and negative points, depending on from which side you consider the subject.


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Medical devices maker AirXpanders has provided an update on its full US commercial launch of AeroForm tissue expander system.
AeroForm offers a needle-free alternative for women who choose reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy.
AeroForm is activated by a handheld wireless controller that administers small amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) up to three times a day, to gradually stretch the tissue to prepare for a breast implant.
With the push of a button from the wireless controller, a preprogrammed amount of CO2 is delivered in seconds, allowing the patient to continue with her daily activities while preparing for reconstruction.
The Company has today received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for an enhanced film material that is used to contain the CO2 within the device. "We are very excited about the FDA's decision which is consistent with the CE Mark and the TGA approval that we have already received," said Scott Dodson, president and CEO of AirXpanders.
"Plastic surgeons and their patients in the United States are very excited to finally have access to this game changing product for breast reconstruction and we appreciate the FDA's support in helping us continue to advance the state of the technology."
Since AeroForm received de novo clearance from the U.S. FDA in December 2016, the Company has made tremendous strides in executing against critical milestones in the U.S.
"The AirXpanders team have performed well against the aggressive goals we set for ourselves for the targeted market release of AeroForm in the U.S.," said Dodson.
"The market response to AeroForm has been overwhelmingly positive and we are thrilled to be able to begin our broader U.S. commercial launch ahead of schedule. We look forward to working with our 'first users' to offer AeroForm as an option and elevate the standard of care for women undergoing reconstructive surgery."
AeroForm is also available in Australia, where it was approved for sale in late 2014.


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General Motors has begun encrypting the control modules of its products, starting with the Cadillac CT4, CT5 and C8 Corvette. This is then followed by the latest generation Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, and GMC Yukon family. It continues with the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 that were recently unveiled. As a result, the stock ECU and TCU are impossible to tune and calibrate, leaving people to go to great lengths to circumvent this obstacle via piggyback control units and a rats nest of wires. Oftentimes, the vehicles are broken. So it’s largely an internet novelty to give a supercharged C8 Corvette Stingray 1,000-plus horsepower, as these tradeoffs are largely unappealing to most customers. However, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering and Magnuson Superchargers may have come up with a solution.
Lingenfelter C8 Corvette Stingray: 705 Supercharged Horsepower
Not to rain on the 2023 Corvette Z06 and its 670 horsepower via the awesome new LT6 V8 engine, which debuted earlier this week, but the teaser video from Lingenfelter alleges 705 horsepower, and 667 lb-ft of torque. That a gain of over 200 horsepower, and nearly 200 lb-ft of torque. Simply amazing. To get it done, Lingenfelter looped in Magnuson Superchargers for its development. The partnership can also be found in the 2019+ Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra supercharger kits that were announced and priced earlier this week.
Lingenfelter says that the package took over a year to develop, with hours and hours of testing on the dyno, making it the most comprehensive power upgrade for the C8 Corvette Stingray we’ve seen yet. We hope to learn more about this supercharged C8 Corvette Stingray from Lingenfelter at the 2021 SEMA Show in the coming days. Was the encrypted ECU cracked? We’re not sure, but expect the latest details to be published on MC&T before you see it anywhere else.


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PSI Pay is a tech company that created an efficient digital wallet for the citizens of the United Kingdom. Years after they started, the company decided to expand its market to include other European states. One of the features that they introduced would be a seamless way to pay using wearable devices. Dubbed as contactless payments, it allows the people to load up credits on their PSI Pay account and pay by tapping or scanning their wearable device. This became an effective way to pay because many establishments in Europe have already adapted to this business model. It is even possible to go out in major European cities without bringing cash because everything can be paid using PSI Pay.
Recently, the company reported that they are experiencing tremendous growth because of the demand for contactless payments. PSI Pay celebrated their achievement at the Sussex Super Growth Awards that was given this year, and the company received the top spot because of their growth at more than 189%. The recognition was provided by a sponsorship between ASB Law, Kreston Reeves, and Lloyd’s Bank, and it is given to companies that posed an impressive statistic for their performance. Across the region, PSI Pay is one of the fastest growing companies. They thanked everyone who helped them reach their goals and promised that more innovations will be coming in the near future.
PSI Pay is now busy expanding to other markets, and they have recently enabled transactions using different currencies. People from all over the world are satisfied with the services provided by PSI Pay, and they are saying that the company will have a major contribution to the way people are paying for their merchandise. The company’s change in leadership back in 2014 has become its advantage, and it allowed them to overhaul their methods and techniques on how they will deliver their products better to the public. PSI Pay is currently experiencing massive growth thanks to the developments that they introduced. It allowed them to reach new markets, and their customer based also doubled. Aside from European countries, PSI Pay has now spread to Asia and the Americas, and more people are becoming aware of the company and its products.
PSI Pay said that they need to work hard on their contactless technology because it will be the future of payments, and aside from the rings that they developed to promote this way of paying for merchandise, they are also partnering with other wearable tech firms to manufacture other types of wearable technology that could be used for payments. PSI Pay continues to become a globally-renowned firm for their ideas of changing the payment system, and they strongly believe that it will be the future of commerce. They are working hard to provide individuals, businesses, and other organizations with an easy way to pay. The payment system is also delivered fast, and it has better security features compared to its competitors. Elsewhere around the world, PSI Pay has become the main platform used in online retail transactions.
Digital payments are a recent technology that was developed to pay online transactions. Over time, it was applied to daily transactions like payments for the restaurant and grocery stores. Companies like PSI Pay would like to transform it further to become more convenient and safe. There are many digital payment platforms today that are operating online, but the problem with the leading ones are their strictness when it comes to payment transfers. Because of this, people started to look for an alternative, giving way to other smaller digital payment solutions company to grow, like what happened to PSI Pay.


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Following an amended complaint filed this week, the Big Five publishers are now named as defendants in a consumer class action lawsuit that alleges a conspiracy with Amazon to fix prices in the e-book market.
The news comes after the initial complaint, first filed in the Southern District of New York on January 14 by Seattle-based firm Hagens Berman, portrayed the Big Five publishers—Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster—as "co-conspirators" in a bid to restrain competition in the e-book market, but had named only Amazon as a defendant. The amended complaint, filed on February 4, now pulls the publishers into the suit.
The claim in the suit remains unchanged: an allegation that "Amazon and the Big Five agreed to price restraints" that caused consumers to "overpay" for e-books. Specifically, the suit alleges that the use of most favored nation clauses in Amazon's contracts with the publishers effectively ensures that Amazon can’t be underpriced in the e-book market—a “contractual stranglehold,” lawyers argue, that prevents existing retail competitors from expanding their market share and dissuades new competitors from entering the e-book market.
Among the relief requested, the suit seeks monetary reimbursement for a proposed consumer class made up of people who purchased e-books through Amazon’s competitors, as well as damages, and injunctive relief that would require Amazon and the publishers to “stop enforcing anti-competitive price restraints.”
Hagens Berman was the first to sue Apple and five of the then six major publishers for e-book price-fixing in 2011, in a case that would eventually draw suits from a number of states and the Department of Justice. The five publishers settled their claims for some $166 million in consumer credits, while Apple lost at trial and paid some $400 million in to consumers.


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Nine months before the gates to the 2014 International Truck, Trailer and Equipment Show (ITTES) will officially open, another major truck brand has now confirmed it will return to the prestigious Melbourne event.
After announcing the 2014 event will break all previous attendance records in the trailer section, ITTES Director Clint Hendry now said truck brand representation is well on course as well.
Seven major truck brands have already confirmed their involvement in the Melbourne event, with Swedish powerhouse Scania being the latest addition.
“Being supported by a major truck manufacturer like Scania is a milestone for every trucking event,” he added. “It looks like ITTES will again be a great display of what's on offer in Australia's truck market.”


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This article is more than 1 year old
DXC's new boss has quite the cleanup ahead after frankenfirm exits Q2 nursing $2bn loss
This poisoned chalice had better be delicious
A 10-digit dollar loss for Q2, hundreds of millions in forecast revenue clipped for the second half of the fiscal year, the ownership of business units being reviewed, and an admission that years of redundancies came home to roost.
DXC Technology CEO Mike Salvino – who was only confirmed in the role two months ago – last night faced the music for a mess that was entirely the making of his predecessor, and outlined his proposed fixes.
Former DXC Technology veep accuses 'toxic' CEO Lawrie of bullying staff in lawsuitREAD MORE
First up, the numbers for DXC's car-crash Q2 ended 30 September. Revenue fell 3.23 per cent to $4.851bn. Broken down by operating divisions, Global Business Services grew 8.2 per cent to $2.285bn, including sales from the acquired Luxoft. Remove those, and organic growth was just 0.4 per cent. Profit margin fell to 15.7 per cent from 18.9 per cent, reflecting investments "in digital hiring, training digital talents, as well as the slower pace of cost takeout in complex countries", said CFO Paul Saleh on a conference call.
The beleaguered traditional IT outsourcing (ITO) unit, Global Infrastructure Services (GIS), flopped as revenue slid 11.6 per cent to $2.566bn and profit margin dropped to 9.5 per cent from 16.3 per cent.
"GIS margin reflects the impact of stranded costs related to the decline in our traditional ITO business, as well as a slowdown in our delivery cost takeout actions as we work with select customers to improve service," said Saleh.
Total costs and expenses for the quarter came in at $6.850bn, leaving DXC nursing a $1.999bn loss from continuing operations versus an operating profit of $325m a year earlier. After tax, DXC exited Q2 with a net loss of $2.119bn, compared to a profit of $262m.
DXC: Slashing costs affects ability to attract, develop and retain staff? Who'd have thunk it!READ MORE
Of course, none of this was Salvino's fault. He officially took the hot seat at DXC just weeks before the quarter ended, though he had spent some months presumably trailing former CEO Mike Lawrie. However, it is Salvino's problem and there isn't a quick fix – this is a company challenged on multiple fronts.
The big boss said he has met 40 of DXC's largest customers since getting the job, all of its "strategic partners" – he didn't name them – and 80,000 staff. At last count, DXC had 130,000 employees (it started life in April '17 with 170,000), but presumably Salvino has tens of thousands more to press the flesh with.
Salvino said DXC has "significant scale and global reach" with $2bn worth of turnover generated in the cloud via agreements with AWS, Microsoft, Google and others and via the purchase of Luxoft, and $1.4bn in data analytics and digital engineering. There is a much bigger chunk that pertains to ITO and this is where the pain is felt as DXC tries to minimise the legacy run-off and convert more customers to paying cloud punters.
"We have a strong foundation to build on," he told analysts on the conference call, also talking up the IP and specialisation in automotive, insurance, healthcare, travel and transportation verticals.
Unsurprisingly, a look under the hood at DXC in this latest quarter showed the sales and more specifically the delivery units as being "areas for improvement".
Not all heroes wear capes: Contractor grills DXC globo veep on pay rises, offshoring, and cuts to healthcare helpREAD MORE
"First, our delivery teams were not able to execute the more complicated phase of operational cost improvements. This includes areas like pyramid optimisation, the broader deployment of DXC's automation program called Bionix, along with operational excellence leveraging Six Sigma principles."
DXC needs to "stabilise key accounts" to meet client demands and give them a reason to buy more stuff from DXC – cross-selling is another area to improve. "We also need to focus more on selling integrated solutions."
Salvino added: "We need to focus more on our people and strengthening our employee value proposition. Our people need to be clear about their career path at DXC, the opportunities to work with new clients, and also the opportunities for rescaling and retraining. Being clear about these items will help create an environment where people are acknowledged, recognised and rewarded, which will improve employee satisfaction and increase retention.
"Next, execution challenges from recent delivery actions have negatively impacted some of our large customers, which results in lower margins, delayed revenue and bookings as customers have placed the additional work on hold. We have recovery plans under way for these accounts, but we need to do a better job running operations. By doing this, we will earn the right to expand our footprint with customers."
The current operating model is "too complex", the CEO said, "resulting in unclear accountabilities as well as slow decision making. We will be simplifying this structure with greater emphasis on our regions and industries."
On ITO, he said the business had been "under-emphasised" by management and the plan is to "invest and strengthen" this area.
Each of these areas is "fixable", the exec claimed, and he has hired five people for roles including HR, corporate ops, global delivery and overseeing "key accounts" in the US and UK, its two largest markets.
"We will execute a focused strategy around what I call the enterprise technology stack, we will sell industry solutions and focus on our existing customers," said Salvino.
He revealed that DXC has also started a strategic review for businesses that currently comprise around a quarter of annual turnover: three businesses that include the Horizontal BPS in US state and local health; workplace and mobility.
"When I say strategic alternatives, that could involve a range of actions to unlock value including potential divestitures to strategic or financial buyers, a spin-off or other transactions."
Wall Street didn't look favourably on the financials. It didn't help that DXC is now targeting revenue of $19.5bn to $19.8bn, a "revised guidance" from the initial $20.753bn predicted.
This was caused by three things, said CFO Saleh: firstly "additional delays in several large deals" and a few that were "lost" means it expects $275m less revenue for the year; "execution" issues at existing customers could result in $250m less revenue, $75m of which is due to customers putting "revenue opportunities on hold" and $175m is based on "potential disruptions" based on the review of the specified biz units; and third DXC is forecasting $100m less revenue in its traditional IT outsourcing business.
"We've also experienced delays in several global initiatives such as delivery centre consolidation, maintenance optimisation and enterprise license rationalisation," said the CFO.
"We're investing in our ITO business to mitigate these declines and capitalise on the pipeline of opportunities with an aggressive focus on modernisation of customer environments," he added.
The proof of the pudding, as is often said, will be in the eating. Shit sandwich anyone? ®


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One person out of four suffers from poverty in Switzerland. After paying their bills some people, even employees, don’t have money left to buy food or clothing. Fondation Partage offers food and basic hygiene products to them and Youth for Soap deliver soap.
On February 20th 2019 the Youth for Soap team – Espace Entreprise’s trainees and workers with disabilities producing the soap – visited the Fondation Partage.
Partage is a food bank in Geneva, created in 2005. Their goal is to fight against food waste and help people in need.
After a visit of their facilities, Youth for Soap team donated soaps to be distributed by the Fondation Partage team to the associations and organizations that take care of those in need.
The team was saddened to see how much the need has grown over the years. Today Fondation Partage collects and redistributes over 1000 tons of food and hygiene products every year in Geneva.


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Ukraine within a few days of 2017 has completely exhausted the 5,200-ton quota for the exports of honey to the European Union, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food for European Integration Olha Trofimtseva said 13 January.
In the meantime, Ukraine is also running out of quotas on sugar (12,834 tonnes supplied against 20,070 tonnes quota), grape and apple juices (9,374 tons with the quota at 12,000 tonnes).
The quota for the exports of barley cereals and flour at 6.6 thousand tons is 15.6% taken up (1.03 thousand tonnes delivered). The exports of nearly 260 tonnes of oats (quota 4 thousand tonnes), 63 tonnes of starch (10 thousand tonnes), 204.3 tonnes of processed tomatoes (quota at 10 thousand tonnes) give some space for optimism.
According to the ministry, the basic quota for the supply of poultry meat at 16,800 tonnes, which is divided into equal parts on a quarterly basis, is already 25% depleted as 4,200 tonnes in Q1. The quota for the exports of eggs and albumin at 1,800 tonnes is far from depletion with Ukrainian supplies at 45 tonnes since the beginning of the year.
"In 2016, Ukraine fully utilized quotas for honey, sugar, oats, barley cereals and flour, malt, corn, processed tomatoes and other food groups. The new statistics prove the importance of our work on enhancing the access of Ukrainian agricultural exporters to EU markets. This issue will remain on the top of our team's agenda in 2017 ," Trofimtseva said.
Last September, the Cabinet of Ministers stated that the European Union in the three next years is ready to increase the size of quotas for Ukraine in the framework of the free trade zone agreement.


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From Baby Yoda to Jeff Goldblum, the magic of Disney+ is heading to eight more European nations beginning on September 15th.
According to Variety‘s Naman Ramachandran, that’s the day the streaming service will launch in Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Pricing has also been revealed for the streaming service in these nations:
- Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Iceland & Finland – €6.99 per month or €69.99 annually (roughly $7.89 and $79.05 USD, respectively)
- Denmark – DKK 59 kr per month or DKK 589 kr annually (roughly $8.94 and $89.21 USD, respectively)
- Norway – NOK 69 kr per month or NOK 689 kr per year (roughly $7.26 and $72.45 USD, respectively)
- Sweden – SEK 69 kr per month or SEK 689 kr per year (roughly $7.42 and $74.06 USD, respectively)
While it’s currently unknown if the service will feature the full current lineup of Disney+ Original programming at launch, confirmed titles include “The Mandalorian,” “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “The World According to Jeff Goldblum,” “Encore!,” “Diary of a Future President,” and “The Imagineering Story,” along with the Disney+ Original Film Togo.
Back in March, the streaming service made its debut in several Western European nations including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland, while France had a delayed launch in April. The first European nation to have Disney+ was the Netherlands, who joined in its global launch on November 12th of last year.


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No one could really be blamed for opting to sit out the last few months. Any strategising has often meant second-guessing both patterns of consumer behaviour and, perhaps trickiest of all, what the next government restrictions will entail. Adjustments and delays quickly became total overhauls and rethinks.
It’s also given some of the industry’s more adventurous souls the opportunity to try something new and take the initiative to go on the offensive just when conventional wisdom suggests doing the very opposite.
Last year, travel and tourism brand TUI launched a campaign that fed directly into the notion that thinking about a getaway can do so much to lift your mood, even at a time when you’re only allowed out of the house for an hour a day.
As an exercise in positivity and reassurance, the ‘Welcome Back’ campaign resonated. There was no hard sell, offers or deals, just a reminder of who the company is and what it does. TUI is hoping many holidaymakers will now be looking to make up for lost time over the coming months and years.
As CMO UK and Ireland Katie McAlister explains, the ad felt like a natural step for the brand.
“We take our optimism from the fact that we can provide this escapism and hope, and we know that there’s that demand and desire there, so we feel quite comfortable providing that hope,” she says.


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Everyone seems to think there’s a deep lesson in Donald Trump’s popularity.
At the risk of stating the obvious, “bombastic” makes for a good TV.
Furthermore, Americans love a good train wreck. We can’t help ourselves. And one of the few things that will outperform a train wreck is the potential of a train wreck. That’s why the viewing numbers for reality TV shows continue to crush it. We keep watching to find out if he’s going to crash or win.
Naturally, the media loves him. The combination of cheap programming costs and high viewership translates into fat margins.
As E.J. Dionne Jr., political commentator for the Washington Post put it, “Trump has succeeded in transforming a battle for the presidency into a reality show starring himself.” Of course, Trump has practice with this reality TV stuff and uttering the words “You’re fired!”
As for the rest of us, Trump appeals to certain voters as the anti-politician politician. Do you remember the line in the movie Network, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore”? Trump taps that emotion.
Perhaps more than any other quality, Trump is real — a quality typically not associated with politicians. There appears to be no difference between who he is as a person, his voice and his personal brand.
Before going further, I try to stay away from the “A” word, “authentic.” I’m not exactly sure why, but the word sounds unauthentic. You never hear someone say, “Keep it authentic.”
Now let’s look at the opposite of real. This is what happens when the CMO and other company executives pay an inordinate amount of money to have someone else figure out what branding attributes will generate the greatest amount of revenue.
Apple didn’t sit around brainstorming brand attributes in the early days. It went all in on “simplicity” because that’s what the company stood for — or at least that’s what Steve Jobs believed. They believed there was a market for “simplicity” in desktop computers and later consumer electronic devices. Likewise, Trump didn’t conduct a slew of focus groups to decide how he should behave in order to appeal to the greatest number of voters.Most of today’s brands don’t act with realness because they’re tied to a bunch of attributes conjured up in the lab as opposed to defining who they are, what their aspirations are and how they are going to change at the core to achieve those aspirations. They make this quest for realness more complicated than it needs to be. If the brand attributes truly align with the company’s culture, values, goals, aspirations, etc., then the behavior that comes from the company and its products end up being real.
What a concept.
Southwest Airlines offers a good example of a brand with realness. What you see online, what you hear from their executives and most importantly the experience you have flying on one of their planes is real. They want to put a smile on your face.
I enjoy the Goldman Sachs branding as a spectator sport. The company’s No. 1 mission in life is to make an obscene amount of money for its investors and employees. The select few people and companies that invest in Goldman Sachs might like the company, but for the rest of us, the “sausage making” behind turning the crank to spit out another mill doesn’t make for a pretty picture. For Goldman Sachs, branding is akin to applying Vaseline on the photographer’s lens to soften the real picture. That’s how you end up with photos on the home page like this:and mission statements like this:
Goldman Sachs commits people, capital and ideas to help our clients, shareholders and the communities we serve to grow.
Nothing about money. Nothing about getting rich.
“Helping clients, shareholders and community grow” comes across as downright regal.
Whether you’re Goldman Sachs, Southwest Airlines or Donald Trump, the one uniting factor that people want from their brands is care. Does the brand care about me as a customer? Does the brand care about me as a voter?
With such a foundation in place, there are countless ways for brands to build on top of this care.
Yet, this is where brands go wrong. In their quest to appeal to the lowest common denominator, brands gravitate toward vanilla behavior. They don’t want to provoke, and they absolutely don’t want to offend. The upshot — It creates a sea of sameness.
In a weird way, Trump’s rudeness differentiates.
For brands, simply showing a personality and a point of view can differentiate.
Of course, this requires trusting the customer so that one difference in opinion won’t send him or her out the door.
For Trump, he’s not worried about his polarizing effect … for the time being. But at some point, his advisors are going to try to convince him to become less real in an effort to appeal to more people.
Hey, it seems to work for Goldman Sachs.


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After witnessing a huge contraction in export orders for recent months, Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the export sector has decided to receive much needed relief.
In an attempt to reduce the economic pressure, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led government recently unveiled a special package worth Rs 325 crore to relief to the export segment. This move is gonna benefit the employment-intensive export sectors such as leather, gems & jewelery and textiles.
Under the new package, procedural formalities for claiming duty drawback refund and refund of terminal excise duty also been simplified to help MSME exporters prune high transaction offers.
Measures like quick settlement of duty credit scrips to be issued ahead belonging to the realization of export proceeds and extension of scrips for import of even restricted items after payment of duty is expected to facilitate greater position.
In order to promote trade facilitation, federal government has also extended a provision minimize export obligations by the decline Aadhar Udyog Registration Online in India exports.
Export incentives for items like technical textiles, stapling machine and handmade carpets seemed to be provided during the recently announced export stimulus package.
The de-linking of grant of benefit under the work entitlement pass book (DEPB) scheme 1 other incentive that would help the MSME export segment tide over the crisis.
In order to promote trade facilitation, the government has also extended a provision to reduce export obligations in line with the decline in exports.
Export incentives for items like technical textiles, stapling machine and handmade carpets seemed to be provided in the recently announced export stimulus package.


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Disney Troubled Despite ChangesMay 19, 2023
According to The Wall Street Journal, ESPN, a division of Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), will start a streaming service. The company will also end a $1 billion plan to relocate 2,000 employees to Florida. Disney’s battle with the state government over control of the area around Disney’s large theme parks also continues. CEO Bob Iger has made a series of job cuts to bring down bloated expenses. Nevertheless, Disney’s stock still underperforms the market. (These are America’s 25 dying industries.)
Disney’s stock is off 11% in the past three months, while the S&P 500 is 2% higher. Investors continued to be troubled by a decision Iger made when he was last CEO, and that did not change under successor Bob Chapek, whose job Iger then took back.
Iger decided in November 2019 to launch the Disney+ streaming service. It had Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel and National Geographic video libraries. Disney was late to the streaming business, which Amazon Prime and Netflix dominated. Disney+ was priced at $6.99 a month, about half of the price of Netflix.
Iger’s plan worked, and then it didn’t. Disney+ added subscribers at a breakneck speed and recently topped over 150 million. The problem was that, at $6.99, the streaming service was posting annual billion-dollar losses. Disney had to raise the price of the service. It has moved the cost of the non-ad-supported service to $11. However, the price increase is bound to cause some level of attrition. Iger has been trapped by his success.
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Disney’s theme parks continue to be a major success. Its studio business will always be hit or miss, as is the case with all studios. Streaming was to be a powerful new leg that supported the entire company.
ALSO READ: Everyone Recognizes These 50 American Company Slogans
However, pricing is not the only Disney+ problem. The streaming field has major competitors who had little or no presence when Disney+ launched. These include products from HBO, Discovery, Paramount and Apple. Apple, in particular, has almost limitless access to cash and billions of Apple devices worldwide.
Disney’s stock is likely to lag the market for some time.
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That’s ambitious, to say the least, more so when you bear in mind diesel-powered long haulers can rack up 1,000 miles on a tank of diesel. Stuffing so many batteries in a limited space, the weight of those batteries, a lot of variables have to be taken into consideration for Tesla to reach its target.
As per Scott Perry, chief technology officer and chief procurement officer at fleet operator Ryder System Inc., he was told to look forward to a day cab with no sleeper berth. Whatever happens, it is worth highlighting Tesla is the kind of automaker that doesn’t shy off from adapting a design during development. What’s more, self-driving tech stands high on the priorities list for the e-workhorse.
Other than the problem put up by Tesla’s production ramp-up with the advent of the Model 3, think about the cost of the batteries needed by a heavy-duty hauler. There’s a silver lining on the horizon’s line, though, and that is automaker such as Daimler AG pushing for the electrification of short-haul workhorses. If Tesla does break the 200-mile mark with the yet-unnamed commercial vehicle, then Musk will need to brood over the resources, production planning, the whole nine yards.
The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck, for example, is packing 200 kilometers (124) miles of range and a payload of 12.8 tons (28,220 pounds). The juice comes courtesy of a 212 kWh battery, and if the customer trials are met with positive feedback, series production will start in 2020.
Can Tesla make its semi happen by then? Let’s wait and see.


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ODESZA album the last farewell continues to be an ubiquitous moment in the world of electronic music with the surprise DSP release of a deluxe edition of the epic album today.
They also announced an upcoming limited edition 3LP deluxe physical box set (limited to 2,500 units sold), featuring a 2LP press of the last farewell on clear crystal pink and clear sky-colored vinyl with a clear misty gold icosahedron-shaped third LP with four bonus songs. The box set also comes with a 50-page hardcover photobook with images from The Last Goodbye tour.
In addition to the base track set, the Deluxe Edition includes ODESZA’s VIP remixes of two beloved tracks from their “In Return” era: “All We Need” feat. Shy Girls & “Sun Models” feat. Madelyn Grant. It also includes the studio version of “Hopeful”, a live fan favorite from their 2022 tour, and their latest acclaimed original track “To Be Yours” feat. Claudius.
PRE-ORDER THE DELUXE BOX IN-STORE.ODESZA.COM
Photo by Andrew Gomez


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Inflation, inflation, inflation. It’s top of mind for business influencers, shows FGS Global’s quarterly survey measuring and tracking attitudes toward major public policy issues.
- 400 employees of for-profit companies with at least 1,000 employees
- 400 business decision-makers who make hiring, purchasing or financial investment decisions
- and 400 investors with $100,000 or more in securities investments who follow business and financial market news closely.
Here’s what we found:
Inflation remains the top priority among corporate influencers.
- Among employees and business decision-makers, inflation now ranks first among government priorities, up from second and third respectively in the previous quarter.
- A majority of influencers feel the Biden Administration is not doing enough to combat inflation.
Corporations are expected to take action in response to the war in Ukraine, but inflation worries are more acute than geopolitical concerns.
- Influencers, particularly investors, want corporate action in response to the war.
- Containing Russian aggression ranks low on the list of priorities. There is more anxiety about the potential economic impacts of the war than about the war itself.
Actions on Ukraine are more important than words. Desired corporate responses to Russian invasion of Ukraine include:
- Stop purchasing products and services from Russia (73%)
- Stop operating within Russia’s borders (72%)
- Stop selling products and services to Russia (72%)
- Provide material support to Ukraine and its people (70%)
- Divest Russian assets (66%)
And 61% of influencers say sanctions on Russia have affected US companies.


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Amazon has begun accepting applicants for the first Alexa Prize SimBot Challenge, a new iteration of Amazon’s contests for voice..
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Amazon Fire Phone’s price has been slashed from $499 to $199, unlocked and contract free, the world’s largest online retailer announced on Wednesday. The discounted purchase still includes a 1-year Prime membership. In the summer the smartphone was going for $649.
The Fire Phone has been a commercial flop. In October, the company had to take a $170 million writedown because its new smartphone sold so badly.
The Seattle-based e-commerce firm is hoping that a 60% price cut will encourage shoppers to try out the super-cheap device.
In an interview with Fortune, David Limp, Devices Chief for Amazon, said the September discount from $649 to $499 had boosted sales. He believes a further reduction together with a contract-free phone may get people buying.
The Fire Phone’s spec is attractive. The customer gets an open source Android version with Amazon’s Fire OS customizations. It has a 32 GB storage, a 4.7-inch screen with 1280 x 720 resolution, an Adreno 330 GPU with 2GB dedicated RAM, 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800, a rear-facing 13 megapixel camera, and a 2.1MP front-facing (camera).
The Fire Phone has dropped from $649, to $499, and then to $199 in just four months. (Photo: Amazon)
It’s a great phone for people who use Amazon all the time, but not so much for those who don’t. Critics also say it has a boring design.
Experts say Amazon’s biggest mistake was to launch the device at $199 with a two-year contract alongside the iPhone and Android smartphones.
Even if with the new price the Fire Phone does not become a blockbuster, Amazon may be able to clear its stocks during this holiday seasons.


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The notification of plans by AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB and KBC to co-develop a new payment app was found to be invalid.
A plan by four of Ireland’s pillar banks to build a Revolut rival has hit a stumbling block with the competition authorities.
The banks had alerted the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to their plans to co-develop a new payments apps, but the competition watchdog has found the notification invalid.
AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB and KBC Bank Ireland intend to develop their own inter-bank payments app to rival the likes of Revolut and N26, which have eaten into their market share. A new company called Synch Payments has been established to oversee the development of the joint venture.
The CCPC, which usually vets mergers and acquisitions for any anti-competitive concerns, said that in its preliminary assessment it has been unable to gauge the scope of the Irish banks’ plans.
“As the notifying parties have failed to provide full details in the notification in relation to the nature of the proposed transaction, the CCPC has been unable to determine whether the proposed transaction is a ‘merger or acquisition’ within the meaning of section 16 of the 2002 Act,” it said, in reference to the Competition Act.
The competition watchdog was notified of the plans on a voluntary basis and it is assessing whether the banks should have notified it under its mandatory rules.
This doesn’t mean the end for Synch Payments but rather it will require more explaining from the banks. It may also put the planned summer launch on hold.
The Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), the industry group involved in coordinating the banks’ efforts, said it looks forward to engaging further with the CCPC on the matter.
Synch is hoped to claw back some consumer market share for the banks by creating an app that allows for quick and easy online payments among users, much like Revolut.
The fintech company and its rival N26 have secured strong userbases in Ireland, with the former amassing more than 1m customers.
Ulster Bank, the fifth pillar bank in Ireland, has not joined up with the banks’ venture. Its future in the country remains in doubt as parent company NatWest carries out a review on whether to wind it down.


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We all know that Amazon Prime Day is the Black Friday of the summer, but now the two-day event just got even more enticing. Taylor Swift is headling Amazon Prime Day’s concert, and Swifties are going to explode with glee. Here’s a quick refresher on Prime Day. Essentially, you get to lounge in front of your fan or air conditioner and partake in millions of sales across Amazon’s website. In the past, Prime Day has been one day in July, but this year the company is stepping it up a notch. Amazon Prime Day will be Monday, July 15 and Tuesday, July 16. So where does Taylor Swift come in?
The singer, who is currently promoting her forthcoming Lover album, will be headline a concert which will be live-streamed on Amazon Video (that prime membership super clutch.) Hosted by Glee alum Jane Lynch, SZA, Becky G, and Dua Lipa will also be joining the “You Need to Calm Down” songstress on stage.
This is the first time Amazon has done a concert series like this in correlation with Amazon Prime Day–so clearly it’s going to be super special. In a press release, Steve Boom, Vice President of Amazon Music said, “We can’t wait to celebrate Prime Day with an extraordinary night of unforgettable performances, for members around the globe. Prime Day brings members the best of both entertainment and shopping. To celebrate, we’ve curated a lineup across multiple genres with performances from artists our customers love. We’re looking forward to celebrating Prime Day with this can’t-miss, one-of-a-kind event.”
If you’re looking for a free-ish Taylor Swift concert (where we’re certain she will perform her new singles and maybe even debut a third) be sure to log in to Amazon Video Wednesday, July 10 at 9PM ET.


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The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) Buendia Branch announces its recent transfer to the Ground Floor of the NAPOLCOM-NCR Building at No. 371 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City.
Located near the intersection of Makati Avenue and Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, the LANDBANK Buendia Branch caters to the banking needs of major government and private clients within the bustling Central Business District of Makati.
For more updates, please Follow, Like and Share the official LANDBANK Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts (@landbankofficial), Twitter (@LBP_Official), join our Viber community (@LANDBANK), or visit the LANDBANK website (www.landbank.com).
Davao cacao co-op relishes sweet success via LANDBANK partnership
The Biao Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (BARBCO) led by General Manager Guadalupe Ocial has grown into a prominent cacao industry player in the Davao region through a productive partnership with LANDBANK. DAVAO CITY – From its humble beginnings to the success it is now reaping, the growth of the Biao Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (BARBCO) is deeply rooted in the soil of collective endeavor, resilience, and fruitful partnerships. BARBCO was established in 1992 by former employees of the defunct Philippine Cocoa States Corporation, and initially ventured into the Lakatan banana industry. BARBCO has since grown into a prominent agriculture player in the region, primarily engaged in cocoa production, marketing, and cocoa liquor and chocolate production. It now has 41 regular members and 215 associate members. Their journey, however, was not without challenges. BARBCO General Manager Guadalupe Ocial admits that the 200 hectares of land awarded to them as Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) was a significant opportunity, but needed much work to really establish a productive and sustainable business. They needed enough working capital to fuel their growth—and this was where the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) stepped in. BARBCO first turned to LANDBANK for support during the co-op’s early beginnings in the 1992 when they availed funding for Lakatan banana production. This relationship grew over the years and paved the way for their successful venture into the cacao value chain in 2016. General Manager Ocial emphasizes the importance of this partnership especially in streamlining the process of securing financial assistance whenever they needed it. BARBCO first gained prominence in 2018 as the producer of Chocolate de Biao or "hugot chocolates" which featured sentimental lines, that became popular especially among the younger market. "Because of this long-standing relationship we have with LANDBANK, it was easier for us to process documents for the assistance we need," said General Manager Ocial. Today, BARBCO's portfolio includes the consolidation and processing of cacao beans into various chocolate products, including tablea, nibs, cacao butter, and powder. This access to credit and ease of doing business with LANDBANK has empowered BARBCO to expand their reach. What began with cacao bean consolidation solely within Davao City has now extended to Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, and Davao del Sur. And the cooperative's success extends beyond financial gains. BARBCO serves as a conduit of support from LANDBANK to its farmer members, ensuring fair compensation for their produce. This commitment to uplifting local farmers has garnered attention even from international food corporations, who now supply cacao beans to BARBCO, drawn by the promise of equitable pricing. "As a cooperative, we are like a channel of the support of LANDBANK. So whatever we get from LANDBANK, we provide it to our farmer members by making sure that we give them the best price for their cacao beans," explained General Manager Ocial. Even during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, BARBCO stood resilient, thanks in no small part to the partnership with LANDBANK. Through prudent management and unwavering support, they were able to sustain their workforce, ensuring that employees are properly compensated amid limited operations. For General Manager Ocial, BARBCO's success is not measured solely in profits but in the fulfillment of a collective vision. As she reflects on their journey, she underscores the legacy that the co-op aims to leave behind—a legacy of empowerment, shared prosperity, and community upliftment. "It's a legacy na maiiwan, because I'm not really after my own gain and profit. As long as I can provide for my family, I’m fulfilled. As long as my members and workers are happy and satisfied, then so am I," she added. As BARBCO continues to sow the seeds of success, their partnership with LANDBANK remains steadfast—a testament to the transformative power of collaboration in driving inclusive growth and prosperity in the rich agricultural landscape of Davao and beyond. ABOUT LANDBANK LANDBANK is the largest development financial institution in the country promoting financial inclusion, digital transformation and sustainable development to benefit Filipinos. It is committed to provide responsive and meaningful services beyond banking, while leveraging on innovative technology for safe, convenient, and accessible digital banking solutions.LEARN MORE
From national security to food security: Retired cop pursues farming thru LANDBANK
After 25 years in service, retired policeman Ritchie Tenegra ventured into poultry farming, and through LANDBANK’s support, now contributes to enhancing food security for the local community. LEON, Iloilo – From his sworn oath to ‘serve and protect’ the community for 25 years as a dedicated police officer, Ritchie Tenegra shifted his focus towards an equally meaningful purpose: food security. He has since embraced retirement by pursuing his other passion of poultry farming, and is now one of the reliable food suppliers in this town. At a young age, Ritchie saw the potential of animal farming through his parents who owned a piggery. He later followed their footsteps and established his own small piggery in his backyard in 2010 as an additional source of income to support his family. While still in the police force, he had limited capital to start his piggery operations. So Ritchie applied to be a beneficiary of the Swine Dispersal Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), and was provided his very first piglet that he grew and multiplied. “Mahirap pagsabayin ang pagpupulis at pag-aalaga ng baboy, pero kailangan ng tiyaga dahil kulang talaga para sa pamilya ko ang sahod ko, lalo na’t may mga anak akong nag-aaral,” he said. (It's hard to be a police enforcer and raise pigs at the same time, but it takes patience because my salary is really not enough for my family, especially since I have children still in school.) Encouraged by a fellow cop to diversify his farm with a chicken coop, he delved into poultry farming in 2013, starting with a mere 20 heads. Upon retiring from the service in 2020, Ritchie dedicated himself to full-time farming, and applied for a loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) to expand his piggery. However, just a week after his loan was approved, the African Swine Flu outbreak hit the country, which devastated the local pig industry. Eager to push through with his new purpose, Ritchie shifted his focus towards expanding his chicken coop through LANDBANK's Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) Lending Program, where he secured a P1 million loan to fund the improvement of his poultry farm in 2022. "Malaking tulong talaga ang LANDBANK sa pagpapalago ng manukan ko. Saan ka makakita ng loan sa bangko na isang milyon, tapos P20,000 lang ang interes taon-taon? Kaya malaki talaga ang pasalamat ko sa LANDBANK," Ritchie said. (LANDBANK has really been a huge help in growing my chicken coop. Where can you find a bank loan of one million, then the interest is only P20,000 every year? So I am really grateful to LANDBANK.) From the 20 chickens in a 4-by-6-meter coop in his backyard, the loan supported the scaling up of his poultry operations to an increase in his flock size to 2,000 breeders, and the expansion of his coop to cover an area of 2,000 square meters. In less than a year since his expansion, Ritchie has become a reliable supplier for the DA’s Chicken Dispersal Project, wherein they give away hens to aspiring poultry farmers—just like Ritchie once was. He has also become an established supplier of poultry products for local eateries and restaurants. “Kung hindi dahil sa LANDBANK, hindi lalaki nang ganito itong manukan namin. Malaki talaga ang naitulong ng LANDBANK sa pamilya ko,” said Ritchie. (If it wasn't for LANDBANK, our chicken coop wouldn't grow like this. LANDBANK really helped my family a lot.) LANDBANK remains steadfast in its commitment to servicing the growth requirements of farmers like Ritchie nationwide. In partnership with the DA, LANDBANK provides necessary credit to farmers and fishers, plus their cooperatives and associations, as well as micro and small enterprises (MSMEs) through the ACEF Lending Program, which helps increase their production and enhance their competitiveness. As of January 2024, LANDBANK has released a total of P12.1 billion in loans under the ACEF program towards fostering sustainable and inclusive growth in the agriculture sector. ABOUT LANDBANK LANDBANK is the largest development financial institution in the country promoting financial inclusion, digital transformation and sustainable development to benefit Filipinos. It is committed to provide accessible and responsive financing to drive the agriculture sector’s productivity and competitiveness, while championing sustainable development in the countryside.LEARN MORE
LANDBANK sees rise in online investors after RTB-30 sales surge
Demand among Filipino retail investors to utilize digital investment platforms is growing, as the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) sold significantly more online placements in the recently concluded Retail Treasury Bonds Tranche 30 (RTB-30) issuance of the National Government. The Bank sold close to half a billion or P438 million worth of RTB-30 investments through its online channels, which is almost three fold of what it sold in the last RTB-29 offering in 2023. LANDBANK’s online sales represent two-thirds of the total RTB-30 online sales worth P664 million. “The significant increase in online placements for RTB-30 reflects the growing confidence of retail investors in using our digital solutions. LANDBANK will remain committed to providing Filipinos with secure and convenient ways to participate in the financial market and contribute to nation-building,” said LANDBANK President and CEO Lynette V. Ortiz. The RTB-30 digital placements worth P438 million were sold through the LANDBANK Mobile Banking App and the mobile banking app of the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFBank)—the official digital bank of the Philippine government and a subsidiary of LANDBANK. The RTB-30 was also sold through the LANDBANK Link.BizPortal, a web-based payment channel, via the Online Ordering Facility of the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr). The National Government raised a total of P585 billion for the RTB-30 issuance making it the largest domestic fund-raising issue to date. As Lead Issue Manager, LANDBANK sold and contributed almost 30% of total sales. RTB-30 offers a very attractive investment return with a coupon rate of 6.25% per annum, with a minimum placement of P5,000. Interest payments will be paid quarterly within a five-year term. LANDBANK is one of the Joint Lead Issue Managers of RTB-30, designed to raise funds in support of the National Government’s sustainable and inclusive development agenda. The proceeds of the issuance will be used for enhancing the country’s infrastructure, strengthening the agriculture and other essential sectors, and improving the healthcare system, among other national development priorities. ABOUT LANDBANK LANDBANK is the largest development financial institution in the country promoting financial inclusion, digital transformation and sustainable development to benefit Filipinos. It is committed to supporting the National Government’s fundraising initiatives to boost public resources for the country’s development plans and programs.LEARN MORE


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technology news (Rui Jie) December 3rd Beijing time news, according to foreign media reports, as the world’s two most powerful technology companies, Microsoft and Google’s long-term relationship is not evident to anyone, but in the Christmas shopping season approaching, the relationship between the two giant companies seemed to usher in a further deterioration. In order to Microsoft traffic to its own search engine will be more, launched a new round of attacks on Google, accusing it of shopping search results are not reliable. At the same time, some industry analysts pointed out that Microsoft is in fact using this approach, some of it just means more secretive.
The following is the main content of this article:
[review] Microsoft: we call Google "PPC" to stop this practice, and give consumers really want something, it is the most honest search results.
Google staged "Christmas" (Tencent technology plan)
Google is actually a collection of all target ads for a list of one only, unsuspecting consumers will think that this is the result of the search." Microsoft said in a statement.
first, Microsoft has launched a new marketing campaign on Wednesday, exclusively on Google search for the latest adjustment involves shopping result engine launches a review. Google’s new policy requires businesses must pay to be able to display their products in the special edition of a shopping search. Therefore, in the latest ad, Microsoft accused Google of violating honest commitment on the Internet search results. Microsoft search service will remind consumers, if users rely on Google shopping in the face certain risks. It is reported that Microsoft will be in the NBC and CNN of the TV ads and "New York Times", "the Wall Street journal" and "Washington Post" and other mainstream newspaper advertising board that information. Moreover, these ads will also appear in the streets and lanes of billboards and on the Internet, Microsoft has also built a new site called "Scroogled贵族宝贝".
earlier this year, Google announced that it will modify the product search engine, make it become a paid advertisement shopping service. Google’s move to remove part of the merchants are willing to pay, including amazon. Of course, in the Google shopping search service >
this week, Microsoft in the search engine will be doing promotional activities again, Bing search engine is faithful to the search results. Microsoft in a statement even said, "Microsoft organized promotional activities is to enable consumers to know more about Google’s latest" PPC "(pay-to-rank) the risk of existing practices."
in this year’s Christmas shopping season is approaching, the industry’s two giants Microsoft and Google, whose search engine in terms of online shopping more just this problem quarrel.