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The idea for the MCC, or My Concept Car, came from a company employee and after sketches were shown to chief executive Hans-Olov Olsson last year the project got the go ahead.
"... we believe that women and men prioritise differently," said product developer Eva-Lisa Andersson.
"This is why all the decisions on this car are being made by women."
Details of the new car, including features and technology, will remain a closely-guarded secret until next year.
But Mr Olsson said the project was important to Volvo.
"It thinks along new lines and maintains a sharp focus on customer needs," he said.
"We see it as a way to reach new customer segments."
The Volvo project follows a decision by Saab in recent years to establish a female reference group to take into account women's views when developing new models.


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Burberry faces AGM backlash over chairman and 'excessive' executive pay
Burberry will face shareholder anger at its annual meeting next week as shareholder lobby group Pirc urged shareholders to vote against its chairman and ‘excessive’ executive pay.
Pirc said share awards of chief executive officer Christopher Bailey are equivalent to 1185.4 per cent of his salary and are excessive, as is the ratio of chief executive to average employee pay at 86:1.
Last year 52 per cent of shareholders did not support Burberry’s remuneration report and this year Pirc has again questioned chairman Sir John Peace’s role, which it said is not independent as he was previously chief executive of GUS, then a majority shareholder.
'Excessive' pay: Burberry chief executive Christopher Bailey, pictured with model Cara Delevingne
Pirc also raised questions over the independence of board members such as Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch and EasyJet boss Carolyn McCall.
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McDonald’s Introducing a new addition to its menu, a sandwich that will feature two-piece chicken tempura, pickles, shredded lettuce and American cheese, a combination that the company said was a hit when it launched to customers in the UK.
“Chicken Big Mac” It comes amid a fast-food dispute dubbed the “Chicken Sandwich Wars,” which has escalated since Popeyes introduced the popular chicken sandwich in 2019.
Other chains followed the trend, with McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s Introducing new sandwiches dedicated to competing with Popeyes and Chick-fil-A.
The new sandwich will be launched at the end of August For a limited time at select locations in Miami.
After a successful pilot in the UK, McDonald’s plans to introduce a new Big Mac in select US locations. Big Mac chicken isIt will be available at limited McDonald’s restaurants in the Miami area starting in late AugustThe company confirmed.
Unlike the original, the . file Chicken Big Mac It does not come with onions. “We always look forward to providing our fans with more ways to enjoy classic menu items. A McDonald’s US spokesperson told The Sun.
Big Mac for the first time
The Big Mac appeared in the United States in 1967 And it’s been a fast food staple for decades.
It is not clear exactly when Big Mac Chicken in Miamior how long they will remain on the lists.
Below , McDonald’s He has no specific plans to bring the sandwich to any other American restaurant.
Big Mac Chicken in other countries
The sandwich might be new to United Kingdom and the United States But it has been available in other countries for five years.
McDonald’s customers in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Dubai They managed to get Chicken Big Macs in 2017, according to Refinery29.
“Infuriatingly humble travel fanatic. Passionate social media practitioner. Amateur writer. Wannabe problem solver. General food specialist.”


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Freeview unveils experiential road show featuring dancing tadpoles
Freeview is looking to extend its latest campaign with a new experiential road show featuring two dancing tadpoles.
Created by Gekko, the activity features a large dome structure containing a digital floor projection featuring the tadpoles, recognisable from the ongoing TV campaign, with children able to ‘splash water’ and interact with the tadpoles.
James Chambers, retail marketing manager at Freeview, said: “With our latest experiential road show we wanted to demonstrate that entertainment is even better when it’s free. By creating something fun and a bit out of the ordinary, we hope to get people thinking about Freeview differently.”
The road show will be fully integrated with current ATL, digital, PR and social media activity.
A team of ambassadors will also be on hand to demonstrate all the benefits on offer from Freeview.
Content created with:
Gekko is a full service field marketing agency, specialised in connecting brands with consumers in retail throughout the UK and Ireland.Find out more


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SOURCE: Comptroller of Maryland
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (July 30, 2018) – Comptroller Peter Franchot joined with the Maryland Retailers Association (MRA) today to announce a social media contest coinciding with Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week in which two winners will receive $2,500 and $1,000 scholarships, respectively, to any Maryland university, college or trade school.
Leading up to and during the annual Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, which takes place August 12 to 18, shoppers should like or follow the official social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Then snap a picture or take a video that incorporates the theme of “Maryland” (the state colors, school apparel, sports team, a crab, etc.), write a creative caption and use #shopmdtaxfree during Tax-Free Week to submit an entry on any or all of the social media platforms.
MRA, which is providing the scholarships, will select the two entries at the week’s conclusion that best reflect the spirit of Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week.
“The State of Maryland loses money during Tax-Free Week, but it’s a big win for locally-owned businesses and for shoppers,” said Comptroller Franchot. “This will be the easiest scholarship Maryland college students will ever have the chance to win. There’s no application, no essay and no interview – just shop tax-free!”
“Tax-Free Week provides a much-needed boost to brick-and-mortar retailers in our state, and we encourage all consumers to support their local businesses,” said Cailey Locklair Tolle, MRA president. “This year we are again thrilled to help promote shopping local and Tax-Free Week by offering scholarships to our contest winners.”
During Tax-Free Week, any single qualifying article of clothing or footwear priced $100 or less – regardless of how many items are purchased at the same time – will be exempt from the state’s six percent sales tax. The first $40 of any backpack or bookbag purchase is also tax-free.
In the weeks leading up to and during Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, Comptroller Franchot will visit local businesses across the state to encourage shoppers to take advantage of these savings and to participate in the contest.
To get the latest details about Tax-Free Week and to enter the contest, like or follow the social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Resulting from legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2007, the tax-free week is held annually during the second week in August. Businesses selling items that are not eligible for inclusion in the tax-free week can still participate in Shop Maryland. Under “Sellers Privilege,” other unqualified merchandise can be sold tax-free, but the retailer is responsible for paying the sales tax owed to the state.
For more information on qualifying items, visit marylandtaxes.gov, email email@example.com or call 410-260-7980 (Central Maryland) or toll-free at 1-800-MD-TAXES.
Joseph Shapiro – firstname.lastname@example.org
410-260-7305 (office); 443-871-2244 (mobile)
Alan Brody – email@example.com
410-260-6346 (office); 443-924-1473 (mobile)
Note: We are not responsible for typo error, price change, substitute item, or available of item from online ads.


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There is no better time to talk about cyber security than now. After all October is National Cyber Security Month. It seems that every time you turn on the television, there is another report of business computer systems being hacked in order to steal pertinent and private information from those who do business with that company or business.
Barefoot Technologies Blog- Vacation Rental Industry News
Over the past few months we have seen some scams and issues coming through a few larger portals because, on some level, the portals leave the deals up to the private parties. This will not be the case much longer as HomeAway.com has launched its newest communication management tool. This isn’t a tool for HomeAway for professionals, or one that will even really compete with you at this point. It is a security measure for individual owners.
Happy Holidays to everyone and we hope this holiday season treated you well. Sadly with the ringing in of this New Year, my first post-holiday blog comes with some bad news. Another market is being targeted by vacation rental scams, Lake Placid and the Olympic village has reported dozens of rental scams this holiday season.
Tags: Vacation Rental Management, Barefoot, Vacation Rental, Client Expectations, Rentals, Rental Market, VRBO, Scams, Vacation Rental Software, HomeAway, VRBO Portal, rental industry competition, vacation rental scam, RBO, Security, HomeAway.com, rental industry
Browser based, the cloud, web storage, and more are words that seem to paint the picture of a secret file cabinet hidden by location, not security. Barefoot boasts a browser based vacation rental software system as one of the main selling points and recently, the question of security has come from a few prospective clients. It’s time to set the record straight and assure you that browser based software is very secure and does not need questioning.


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After a genuinely stunning Watch Dogs Legion reveal, the Ubisoft press conference tapered off into a series of updates about existing games about army men with guns and a reminder that Just Dance is still a thing. At the end, though, we got a hint of something interesting: Gods & Monsters.
Gods & Monsters comes from the team behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The team walked away from that game with piles and piles of research about ancient Greece and Greek mythology, and decided to, you know, use it for something.
According to Kotaku‘s preview, the game takes heavy inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You’ll step into the sandals of a customizable character in a big, open world. The character can wield swords, bows and arrows, get around with gliding and other abilities, and even has a stamina meter. Yeah, that sounds a lot like Breath of the Wild.
The team has been working on the game since late 2018, and it’s set to release in February. That doesn’t even ring the two-year bell, and yet Ubisoft says this is going to be a full-size action RPG.
Gods & Monsters heads to PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One on February 25, 2020.
Fun Jug Media, LLC (operating TheNerdy.com) has affiliate partnerships with various companies. These do not at any time have any influence on the editorial content of The Nerdy. Fun Jug Media LLC may earn a commission from these links.


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According to the interviews, there were money scams for sending seasonal workers to the Republic of Korea.
These scams were advertised on social media.
“I paid to go to Korea. But, there was no response. It was only when I warned to sue if no refund was made that I got my money back,” said a 25-year-old man.
Some lost contact with the scammers after paying a certain amount of money via online.
“Some met online. Some went to see them in person. After paying money, there is no more communication. Some even transferred money online in advance. We want people to believe only in what the legal persons officially say,” said another young man.
Comments on social media by those who had been cheated regarding seasonal workers said, “Don’t be fooled by brokers’ scams. As for me, I had to ask for very hard to get my money back because I couldn’t go. Those who have paid should just demand your money back” and “when I told them I wasn’t going, they replied that I would lose what I had paid.”
No official announcement has been made for recruiting seasonal workers by the Republic of Korea.


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Garmin International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., has launched its first experiential brand store in Bengaluru. The new experience center has been launched to provide premium user experience to the customers. The store is spread across 500 Sqft. To provide seamless product experience to all the fitness enthusiasts.
The new brand store is an extension of Garmin’s retail identity and provides an immersive shopping experience. The store will house the entire product portfolio of the brand across categories like– Fitness, Outdoor, Wellness including products like the Fenix 7 Series, Instinct 2 Solar series, Forerunner 922/255 and Venu SQ2 and many more. The brand experts will also be available at the store to guide the customers with its features and help them in finalizing the most appropriate gadget as per their requirement.
Talking about the expansion, Sky Chen, Regional Director of Garmin India & Southeast Asia said, “Indian smart wearable industry is growing rapidly and holds a lot of opportunity in serving the customers. Bengaluru is an important market for us and with this new experiential brand store we want to empower customers and showcase them the performance of global technology from the house of Garmin. With this, we aim to further expand our footprints in India and bring a new experience and range of products for the enthusiasts who search for advanced features and performance in their smart wearable devices”.
Garmin has taken a step towards strengthening brand’s retail footprint across the country with the new store located in the heart of the city at 84, Brigade Road, Ashok Nagar. The new store will feature company’s entire gamut of wearable devices under one roof. With this launch, Garmin’s total brand stores in India increases to 3, out of which the other two stores are currently present in Pune and Delhi NCR. Garmin drives its sales through partner channels like Helios Watch Store, Just In Time, Croma and other multiband stores including online partners.
|S. No.||City||Store||Address||Operating Timing|
|1||Bangalore||Garmin Brand Store||No. 84, Brigade Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore
(Landmark: Opposite to plan B/ Below Novus Immigration Services)
|Monday – Sunday
10:30 A.M. – 07:30 P.M.
|2||Delhi&NCR||Garmin Brand Store||Shop no 6A first floor Sector 42-43 Rapid metro station, Golf Course Rd, Sector 43, Gurugram, Haryana 122002||Monday – Sunday
10:30 A.M. – 08:00 P.M.
|3||Pune||Garmin Brand Store||Shop No, 9, Bund Garden Rd, Bund Garden, Sangamvadi, Pune, Maharashtra 411001||Monday – Sunday
10:30 A.M. – 07:30 P.M.


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Formal dressing for the office was already meeting its demise when tech heavyweights like Mark Zuckerberg made showing up to the office in a hoodie the new norm, but now even Wall Street is following suit. Goldman Sachs has announced a new casual dress code. A memo sent out to the company’s 36,000 employees on Tuesday indicated that the company would be a little more laid-back in its approach to office attire.
The bank cited the “changing nature of workplaces generally in favor of a more casual environment” as the impetus for relaxing its policy on suiting up, according to the BBC. What its bankers are or are not allowed to wear was not stated in the memo but it did note that, “Casual dress is not appropriate every day and for every interaction and we trust you will consistently exercise good judgement in this regard.”
Goldman Sachs had already loosened its dress code for its tech division in 2017 in order to attract top talent. With more than 75 percent of its employees born after 1981, the bank finally decided it was time to keep up with millennial and Gen Z trends firm-wide. It comes as no surprise that the bank would be loosening its collar a little under its new CEO, David Solomon, who has a side career as a DJ and recently announced a clubby new track he produced on his Instagram @djdsolmusic.
Goldman isn’t the first firm to embrace casual dress; J.P. Morgan bank relaxed its dress code back in 2016. Morgan’s memo stated that its reason for allowing business casual dress was due to the fact that more of their clients, and many parts of their company, had already begun dressing more casual, according to the Wall Street Journal. But it did stress that business casual was not to be confused with weekend casual. J.P. Morgan was a bit more specific with their new dress code than Goldman Sachs, spelling out that sweatpants, flip-flops, hats, hoots, leggings, yoga pants, and halter tops were forbidden, but polo shirts, dress sandals, casual pants, and capri pants were considered acceptable. Jeans and athletic shoes could only be worn if an employees manager approves it. Meanwhile, the company went a step further to add that “distracting, tight, revealing or exceptionally loose or low-cut clothing” is considered inappropriate.
For now, the wolves won’t be wearing Brunello Cucinelli hoodies, but they may be throwing out their ties and their heels and occasionally leaving suit jackets behind in their penthouses.


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BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski reports that Apple and Amazon have reached an agreement that will bring Amazon Prime Video to the Apple TV and put the Apple TV back in Amazon’s store. The deal will reportedly be announced at the WWDC keynote next month. Recode previously reported on the rumor, making it sufficiently substantial to pass on. If everything pans out, the Apple TV’s content lineup will become significantly more compelling. The agreement also raises the broader question of whether Apple is adjusting some App Store policies to be more accommodating to competing digital retailers.
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On March 10, 2021, Matt Prindiville of the civil society organization Upstream published an overview article on the history, background, and most recent developments in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging debate. In addition, he also gives recommendations to consider when attempting to implement EPR policies successfully.
Prindiville explains that the beginnings of EPR-focused policy work were hampered, especially due to stakeholders misunderstanding the concept, a lack of interest from industry and politicians, as well as China’s open recycling and waste policy. Extensive implementation of the EPR concept would mean, for example, consumer brands such as Nestlé would be required to “pay for the collection and recycling of their packaging, plus litter prevention and clean-up and public outreach.” The article reports that much has changed in recent years due to better communication of the concept towards policymakers, as well as political actions to ban plastic waste trade such as the Basel Convention (FPF reported) and the Chinese waste import embargo (FPF reported).
In the article, Prindiville gives recommendations policymakers should consider when attempting to implement EPR schemes. According to Prindiville, EPRs are the foundation of a circular economy, however, many more actions are needed, for example, expanding container deposits and source reduction/reuse policies. Furthermore, he discourages viewing EPR as “a way to determine who finances and optimizes recycling.” He recommends instead that EPR packaging legislation should focus on developing new reuse/refill systems that could greatly reduce upstream impacts, as well as including targets for litter prevention and mitigation. Upstream advocates that binding reuse targets similar to the EU’s recycling targets for plastics would “create the conditions in which businesses can safely invest in the associated technology and infrastructure for reuse to scale.” Business sectors such as individual foodservice companies should “use reusable packaging at a rate of 25% within 5 years and 50% within 10 years of adoption.”
Food Packaging Forum, 11 March 2021


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Paris / FR. (ad) Private equity company Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, announced the sale of its minority holding in «Piz’Wich», a specialist manufacturer of on-the-go frozen snack products, to Frostkrone Tiefkühlkost GmbH, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of frozen convenience food and snack products. Frostkrone, located in Rietberg, North Rhine-Westphalia (DE), now holds all shares in Piz’Wich.
Ardian Growth is a key partner for profitable growth companies generating sales of between 10 and 100 million EUR annually. This success is reflected in the team’s recent fundraise of 230 million EUR for its second generation Growth fund.
Ardian Growth purchased a stake in Piz’Wich in December 2016 in order to support the group’s organic growth and accelerate its international expansion, particularly through a global industry partnership strategy. These objectives were quickly achieved, thanks to further product range development and the establishment of strategy agreements with industrial groups. In fact, negotiations initially focused on forming an industry partnership in Germany have eventually led to the Frostkrone acquisition. Frostkrone, which now holds all shares in Piz’Wich, was itself an Ardian Expansion investment until February 2017, when its shares were sold to its current backer, Emeram Capital Partners.
Piz’Wich, located in Bulgnéville near Nancy (FR), was founded in 2001 and has enjoyed continued growth in an evolving and expanding market. Under the direction of Stéphane Delahaye, Piz’Wich rapidly adapted its business model to focus on on-the-go frozen snack products, a niche, high-growth market. As part of this pivot, it created the «Pizza Pocket», a successful and innovative product. With a strong focus on quality and traceability of ingredients, Piz’Wich has responded to the ever-increasing demand for these types of products, and the evolving range of consumer habits while at the same time complying with stringent certification and control requirements.
Stéphane Delahaye, CEO of Piz’Wich, said: «We have seen an intense and productive period since the beginning of our partnership with Ardian, through its investment in Piz’Wich. We have continued to develop our product range, and with the support of Ardian’s extensive network, have identified a number of industry partners worldwide as well as other external expansion targets. We would like to extend our thanks to the Ardian Growth team for their support. We now look forward to benefiting from the synergies with Frostkrone and to pursuing further development in the future».
Frédéric Quéru, Director at Ardian Growth, added: «Piz’Wich has experienced rapid development over the 16 months since our investment. Through our initial investment, we, alongside Stéphane Delahaye, were able to successfully enable Piz’Wich to roll out its strategy. The company generated strong interest from a number of players, but Frostkrone, a recognized industry leader, made it clear early on they were willing to take Piz’Wich to the next level».
Alexis Saada, Managing Director at Ardian Growth, added: «This operation, which is a testament to the high quality of products offered by Piz’Wich, places the company in an optimum position to continue its development. It also reflects our team’s comprehensive approach to high-growth companies and our partnership ethos with entrepreneurs looking for a new stage of development».


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Scoops: Who’s moving, buying, opening, changing, winning
(Page 2 of 3)
The downtown Honolulu office building known as One South King is for sale.
The six-story, 91,917-square-foot building, whose actual address is 33 S. King St., is being offered without a price. The building’s owners — Jay Shidler and James Reynolds — are offering it with a $12.18 million assumable mortgage that matures in January 2017.
The 50-year-old building is 77 percent leased and has 70 parking spaces, according to marketing materials prepared by Hawaii Commercial Real Estate and Sofos Realty Corp., which are co-listing the property.
As PBN reported in Scoops last week, Shidler reportedly is eyeing another office investment farther up the street — the much larger, 920,000-square-foot two towers that make up Bishop Square.
Is Anna Bannana’s next for owner of Irish pubs?
Word on the street is that the owners of a trio of Irish pubs in Honolulu reportedly are in talks to take over Anna Bannana’s on South Beretania Street.
Bill Comerford, co-owner of E&J Lounge Operating Co., which runs O’Toole’s Irish Pub, Kelley O’Neil’s and the Irish Rose Saloon in Honolulu, registered a new business called Anna O’Brien’s Inc. with the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs on March 3.
In a recent e-mail to PBN, Comerford said Anna O’Brien’s is a “possible new venture” but declined to discuss details.
New Kauai restaurant commits to buying local
A new restaurant on Kauai has committed to sustainability by buying local.
About 80 percent of the meat, fish, fruits and vegetables purchased for Oasis on the Beach at the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort is from the Garden Isle.
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Commodities Briefing: Hard and Soft
Crude Oil and Metals
Crude Oil prices fell Friday, with NYMEX WTI Crude heading for a 7th weekly decliner on increasing concerns about slowing global economic growth that could hit demand for petroleum products as inventories build across the sector.
Data out Wednesday showing a large build in US inventories fostered fears about the outlook for fuel demand.
ICE Brent Crude futures were down 3c at 71.40 bbl, and NYMEX WTI Crude futures dropped 1c to 65.45 bbl.
Spot Gold is up a 1,175.45, +1.89, or +0.16 in Asia Friday
Copper is flat to unchanged at 2.61 lb in Asia Friday
Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agriculture futures closed sharply higher Thursday with Soybeans surging more than 3%, as China and the United States prepared for trade talks.
The most active Corn contract for December delivery rose 3.75c, or 1.00% to settle at 3.7975 bu.
December Wheat went up 10.25c, or 1.86% to close at 5.62 bu.
November Soybean were up 28c, or 3.22% to settle at 8.97 bu.
A Chinese delegation led by Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen will, at the invitation of US side, visit the United States in late August to talk with the US counterpart on bilateral economic and trade issues of their own concern, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday.
The vice-ministerial talks will focus on “bi-lateral economic and trade issues of their own concern,” according to an MOC statement.
The news immediately drove up the prices of US oybeans, as China has been the Top buyer.
CBOT Corn and Wheat also followed Soybeans’ rise.
China reaffirmed its stance of opposing unilateralism and trade protectionism, and not accepting any forms of unilateral restrictive trade measures.
Have a terrific weekend
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As the opponents of Walmart continue their campaign to prevent the company from opening stores in New York, it remains a mystery how they intend to do that. The City Council has no power to intervene in leases signed at existing retail locations, and the company seems more determined than ever to take on the Big Apple.
One possibility is new legislation that would give the Council the power to review all leases that meet certain criteria. Mayor Michael Bloomberg will reject any such bill, which means the Council would have to come up with a two-thirds majority to override his veto. Any law broadly written would be of such reach as to raise all kinds of opposition, and any law narrowly written to apply to Walmart alone would be of dubious legality.
Another possibility is that labor unions and their allies will raise such a ruckus that landlords will have second thoughts about leasing space to Walmart. After all, any future help a developer needs from city government will run into trouble, right? No, or at least not as long as Michael Bloomberg is running the show.
That's the message from yesterday's announcement that Related, the company in talks to bring a Walmart to its Gateway project in Brooklyn, won the hotly contested competition to build affordable middle class housing in Queens. Let's accept the administration's position that Related and its partners offered the best proposal. It is also clear that this is a message that Related will not be penalized for doing business with Walmart.
The next flash point in this debate will be the emergence of some sort of legislation in the Council. It will be very interesting to see what the bill attempts to do.


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Tonal is the name of the game at the moment. Tonal sneakers have been hot for a minute already, but things do not seem to slow down, at least judging by the incredible reactions to the soon to release all black adidas Ultra Boost.
Yuki Kawauchi, known as Japan’s “Citizen Runner” due to his refusal to accept corporate sponsorship, took an unorthodox approach to Japan’s Kuki Half Marathon.
To complement the recently revealed all-white pair, adidas will be releasing a new grey colorway of the Ultra Boost Uncaged.
Saucony is the latest sportswear imprint to unveil a festive sneaker drop in anticipation of Easter.
The upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics will be partially filmed in 8K “Super-Hi Vision,” and anyone wealthy enough to actually own an 8K TV in Japan will be able to watch around 130 hours of it.


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Drop Everything, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty Is Coming to Boots UK
Following Fenty Beauty‘s lipbalm reveal earlier this week, Rihanna has just announced that her cult-favorite makeup brand is now teaming up with Boots, the UK’s leading health, beauty retailer and pharmacy chain. Announced on her Instagram, the singer and beauty mogul revealed that “Fenty Beauty is officially taking over the UK!” also saying “I am so excited, I love Boots and I love my UK fans.”
The new partnership will mean that Rihanna’s game-changing beauty products will now be readily available to shop at selected Boots locations throughout the country, making them more accessible to the UK customer than ever before. The range has previously only been available at London’s luxury retailer Harvey Nichols.
Fenty Beauty x Boots is releasing on May 10, but if you can’t wait, there’s already a waitlist to sign up to for all the exclusive news as well as early access to the upcoming drop.


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To some fanfare, Apple has released the latest version of its iPhone operating system to an eagerly-awaiting world.
Existing iPhone users can update their operating system via iTunes to version 3.0, and take advantage of a number of longed-for new features such as cut-and-paste, and a landscape virtual keyboard.
What’s most interesting to us, however, is that Apple has also included a number of important security patches inside this update, making it important for users to patch as quickly as possible.
According to an advisory on Apple’s website, iPhone OS 3.0 patches 46 vulnerabilities, including some that could potentially allow hackers to run malicious code on a user’s iPhone if they visited a booby-trapped website or viewed a…
Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.


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Barry Hytinen has been named executive vice president of corporate development and finance for bedding supplier Tempur Sealy International (NYSE: TPX).
Casegoods vendor Somerton Dwelling has promoted Dave Pinamonti to president.
Furniture Marketing Group has teamed with LendPro for LendPro's automated retail consumer finance platform and optional kiosk technology.
The North American Home Furnishings Association's Retailer Resource Center at Las Vegas Furniture Market will host more than 40 providers of business services to furniture retailers.
FBI Wind Down Inc., the legal entity for the former Furniture Brands International Inc., said in a regulatory filing Thursday that a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge had confirmed its liquidation plan.
Ronald Young has joined multi-brand retailer Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) as senior vice president, global.


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Zoë Bernard is a reporter covering startups and tech culture at Business Insider.
If you know of any strange internet ephemera, cryptocurrency elites, innovative companies, or compelling stories you think she should write about, send her a note: email@example.com
Disclosure: Zoë owns small amounts of cryptocurrencies including ethereum and ripple.
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Google launches new feature to allow Roku users to access YouTube TV
Well, it looks like Roku's decision didn't go unanswered, as Google counterattacked with a move of its own. The search giant introduced a new feature that will give access to YouTube TV to all Roku users, even though the app was pulled last week.
But how is that even possible? The answer is quite simple, as Google found a simple solution. Basically, users can now access YouTube TV by clicking on “Go to YouTube TV” in the main YouTube app. The latest YouTube update integrates YouTube TV into the base app so that all Roku users can once again access it.
The update will be available to all YouTube TV members on Roku over the next few days, and it will expand to as many devices as possible over time. Along with the new update, Google revealed how the negotiations with Roku are going.
Apart from that, Google is “in ongoing, long-term conversations” with Roku to certify that new devices meet its technical requirements. We'll probably hear from both companies pretty soon as they're not even close to burying the hatchet.


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Quixote Corp. will tilt at windmills no more.
After more than a decade of corporate peregrinations worthy of its namesake, the company is coming home to concentrate on its original business, highway safety products. No longer will Quixote be a mini-conglomerate with interests in businesses as diverse as court-reporting equipment and compact disks.
Battered by low margins and heavy competition, Quixote early last year shed the legal technologies business and a line that makes a device that causes air bags to inflate. The company finished the job in December, when it sold Disk Manufacturing Inc., maker of its largest product line, to competitor Cinram Inc. of Richmond, Ind., for $80 million.
Disk manufacturing, once seen as the company's play in the high-tech arena, became a sinkhole of overcapacity and falling prices as larger rivals crowded into the market.
Losses at the disk unit helped drive Quixote into the red last year. As its stock swooned, the company posted a net loss in the year ended June 30 of $9.9 million, or $1.24 a share, compared with fiscal 1995 net income of $5.9 million, or 73 cents a share.
Falling disk sales pushed 1996 revenues from continuing operations down 3.5% to $129.1 million. Disk manufacturing for the music and computer industries accounted for about 64% of 1996 sales, while the highway safety business contributed the remainder.
Nevertheless, Quixote couldn't withstand the margin pressure of the disk business. Anticipating a surge in demand for CD-ROMs and digital video disks, Quixote spent $65 million to double production capacity between 1995 and 1996. But digital disk sales didn't materialize, creating overcapacity and price-cutting in the industry.
Making matters worse, top disk customer BMG MusicCEO Philip Rollhaus conceded that the time had come to leave the business to larger rivals better able to absorb the tight margins.
Citing "quiet period" restrictions related to the company's filing of a proxy statement seeking shareholder approval of the unit's sale, Mr. Rollhaus, CEO of Quixote since 1969, declined to comment on the decision to exit disk manufacturing.
Analyst Gary Prestopino of Mesirow Financial Inc. in Chicago called the move inevitable. "What is surprising is that it took them so long to do what they did," he said.
Mr. Rollhaus said the company's future lies in its original business-manufacturing cushioned guard rails and other crash barriers for highways. That business generates operating margins in the 25% range, and Mr. Prestopino estimates that Quixote controls about 80% of the market, competing with an array of smaller companies.
It's an industry ripe for consolidation, Mr. Rollhaus noted after the company's recent annual meeting. "We feel there is a good opportunity to be a consolidator in the highway safety industry," he said.
Acquisitions will be the key to growth in the relatively mature industry, where revenue increases run between 5% and 10% annually, Mr. Prestopino said.
It will take faster growth than that to get Quixote stock back to the $22.25 it hit in August 1994, before the disk buildup began.
Last week, Quixote traded around $9, compared with a 52-week low of $5.50.
Said Mr. Prestopino: "When the stock goes from $21 to $6 and the market goes from 3400 to 6000, that's disappointing."


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Yet Another Bad Publishing Idea
When HarperCollins announced their latest innovation—“video books”—earlier this week, thousands of people around the country came up with the same joke: “yeah, video books . . . they’re called movies.”
But honestly, that’s just the tip of the stupidity iceberg. First off, here’s the idea in full from the article in the Washington Post, which is shockingly unironic (I think—the final sentence is really confusing):
For those who don’t have the time to listen to an audiobook, let alone read a hardback or e-Book, HarperCollins brings you: the video book. Perhaps fittingly, the first author to get the video treatment is BuzzMachine’s Jeff Jarvis, whose book, What Would Google Do?, will be available in all the other formats as well, WSJ notes. News Corp.‘s HarperCollins has been noted for its digital experiments the past few years, but it’s still being cautious about the prospects for video books. It expects to produce about six titles for video in house, which will be available for download on iPods and iPhones. [. . .]
Jarvis’ video book goes on sale Tuesday and retails for $9.99. The 23-minute video has Jarvis speaking into a single camera with a white background. Instead of reading directly from the book, which was published last month by the company’s Collins Business imprint, Jarvis runs through the basic concepts in the book, such as how Google has been able to compete so successfully on the web and what can be learned from its practices. If HarperCollins can make a go of v-books, perhaps Google will be the one to pick up a few tips for generating revenue from YouTube.
Yeah, really. HarperCollins wants you to pay $10 to watch a v-book that’s not actually a book but a video about a book shot with a single camera in a white room.
On second thought, maybe this is some mad genius idea of theirs . . . I mean think about it, people like TV right? I mean, they’re not too keen on reading, or attending readings, or watching Book TV, or whatever other book related activity one might think of, but hey they like TV, no? So why not just put the books on TV! I mean, don’t act them out or any of that period shit, don’t even let the author read the book, just put him in front of a camera to talk about the book. He won’t read from the book or anything mind-numbingly boring like that, just talk about the big concepts. The things you need to know for cocktail parties. Kind of like video CliffsNotes. You know, it’ll be like an infomercial. But one that people will pay for . . .
I can only imagine how many hundreds of thousands of dollars were pissed away on this, and how many meetings took place without anyone pointing out just what a bad idea this is. Did they run this by a single reader?


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This article was originally published on Financial Times Debtwire.
Ascena is projecting USD 5bn in sales and a 12% operating income this year with consolidation of brands and a restructure layout, according to the company president and CEO David Jaffe at ICR Xchange conference. The company plans to liquidate its Fashion Bug division and finally shut it down, and the liquidation is expected to be completed by the end of January. This came after the elimination of Figi’s after the lower than expected holiday sales.
A merger of Lane Bryant Outlet into Lane Bryant is also on the to-do list, and by internalizing the two shared services, the Suffern, New York headquartered clothing retail company would make its structure “a lot simpler”, with five brands and services brands supporting the brands, added Jaffe. This is part of the fashion retailer’s mission to focus more on its back end besides putting managing units in a choice city potentially being Duluth, Columbus or Bensalem.
The company projects its brand Brothers to generate significant growth, with 30 stores opening up in the spring on top of 30 existing stores. The fashion retailer is also considering repositioning another brand Lane Bryant into strips from mall stores, which has had a revolving door of presidents and spread focus over the past few years.
“This is a process. I’m sure we’re going to stub our toe and make mistakes, but we’re going to test new things and we’re going to continue to listen to the customer in response to what it is that she’s looking for,” said Jaffe at the conference.
On top of the restricting plan, the company would like to advance its Maurices brand into smaller markets from the existing markets of population 150,000 and below, with a goal of building 50% more stores throughout the country and Canada.
Building on retail e-commerce as an already successful revenue driver, the company plans to take e-commerce in house to the back end also from the previous outsourcing choices to increase distribution efficiency.
The company has USD 150m in pocket, with USD 80m from the acquisition of Charming Shoppes, and existing USD 70m, but it plans to bring it down to USD 100m to support operations.


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AT&T introduces Mobile Share Value plans
AT&T has introduced new Mobile Share Value plans to offer customers a new way to share data. The plan includes an option for no annual contracts and offers a US$15 monthly saving to shared plan customers who meet one of four criteria.
What are the criteria? Well, that's the question, isn't it? To qualify, you must:
- Buy a new smartphone with no down payment with the AT&T Next early upgrade program.
- Bring a separate off-contract device.
- Buy a smartphone at full retail price.
- Switch to a new plan after a phone is no longer under contract.
The carrier notes that, "Consumers will have the ability to connect up to 10 devices, including tablets and other wireless devices, while business customers will be able to connect up to 10, 15, 20 or 25 devices, depending on the plan." The whole thing kicks off on December 8. If you're shopping and you fit somewhere in the list above, give it some consideration.
Software Updatesmore updates
- Apple Remote Desktop updated with Yosemite support
- OS X Yosemite 10.10.2, iOS 8.1.3 updates now available
- Sports Illustrated 120 SPORTS channel comes to Apple TV
- Logic Pro X update brings AirDrop support, new effects, tools, and more
- Parallels Access 2.5 released, adds file manager, computer-to-computer remote access
- The Google Translate iOS app is about to get a lot smarter


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Taichi Panda: the Ascension Update Trailer
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We have supposedly seen some more “green shoots” of recovery over the last few weeks. It’s true that many companies have exceeded analysts’ expectations but their accounts reveal that, in most cases, this has been achieved by cutting costs rather than growing revenues. Microsoft, for example, announced its first ever sales drop this week, but in their case cost cuts didn’t make up for revenue reductions.
Personally, I remain bearish on the economy. Just because GDP numbers are less bad than last time does not mean that they are good, that we are into a new bull market or that the recovery has started.
But recessions do not have to be all doom and gloom. Interestingly, they have given rise to some enduring brands and innovations – Edision’s incandescent light bulb (1873), Colour TV (1929), Rice Krispies (1931), Diet Coke (1982) and the IPod (2001). All of these innovations went on to produce substantial revenue streams, jobs and shareholder value.
Here’s the interesting point about this list; at the time when most firms went into lock-down these organisations had the vision to identify opportunities for innovation and growth. They actually invested in their future rather than simply cutting costs.
Clearly, some cost cutting is inevitable during a recession – even in the best run organisations. However for the weaker, highly-geared and less resilient organisations times are harsh and Darwinian.
So, what can organisations do to ride out the recession and be stronger for the upturn?
Develop a clear, well thought out strategy
Regularly test assumptions made about customers
Ensure that leaders are visionary
Build a culture which values innovation and achievement
Up-skill the workforce – and leaders – particularly – are not exempt from this process
I agree that this list may seem daunting, but as the Roman poet, Virgil, famously said – fortune favours the brave.


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Everyone assumes that high fuel prices equal massive profits for forecourts – nothing could be further from the truth.
As a nation, we have all seen prices rising almost daily, mostly because of the war in Ukraine which has severely impacted energy costs and the knock-on effect that this has had in manufacturing and supply chains. This has affected the way we all shop, and consumers have understandably tightened their belts as inflation has decreased their money’s purchasing power.
What we can’t see quite so visibly is that when we all make our own cutbacks, by switching to cheaper brands, driving less, and making a sandwich at home, is the massive impact this has on the local business. The local community forecourt provides essential services to Irish families by providing them with local access to everyday food basics and much needed ‘grab and go’ food items for people spending time on the roads. However, with ever increasing costs, the viability of the retail forecourt could well be in question.
Members are reporting huge hikes in energy costs; one member reported an electricity increase of 190% which equates to an additional €2,750.00 per week or €140,000 per year.
The cost of buying stock, food and consumables is increasing and yet consumers understandably aren’t willing to pay more for these products or services. Retailers can only reduce margins so far before they are offering a service that is costing the business money – that is not sustainable.
To add to the increased costs facing retailers, the Valuations Office has just issued a revaluation order for businesses in Clare, Donegal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Galway, Kerry and Mayo County Council and Galway City Council. This will revalue properties at 1st February 2022 (notably prior to the breakout of war in Ukraine and destabilising factors Europe has since faced) and rates bills will inevitably increase.
The retail sector has been campaigning for several years asking the Valuation Office for an equitable rate calculation methodology. One IPRA member advises that alongside all the other costs of doing business, their county council rates bill has risen from €4,000 to €17,000 in to the past two years. They claim that ‘Government needs to urgently review the actual cost of rates as they believe their business cannot survive with this level of cost increase’.
The IPRA is behind its members and is calling on Government to aid the forecourt sector before it’s too late. As part of its ‘Budget Submission’, the IPRA is calling for;
• Inclusion of forecourt fuel and food retailers into all existing and any future business support schemes and regulatory assistance including the Government’s electricity account credit and any future schemes.
• Forecourts should also be eligible for the Government’s €55m Green Transition fund.
• We need to develop a rebate for our sector when energy costs as a percentage of turnover increase over predefined thresholds.
• Develop a fairer way to calculate council rates for businesses in our sector as the current methodology using turnover, does not work for our low margin product and service business.
• We would advocate that a commercial rates ‘holiday’ is urgently required to prevent numerous small businesses from folding this winter. Rate payments can be reviewed in Spring 2023.
• We need to see clear guidelines on the provision of solar PV (to assist reduction energy costs) and remove the need for planning permission urgently.
• On-site generation should be incentivised, and we need Government to provide new financial support to help businesses invest in on-site energy generation.
• As we see a massive spike in drive offs, due to the high price of fuel, we would ask Government to urgently allow a nominated third party to access the NVDF (National Vehicle and Drive File) database to engage with potential fuel theft offenders to chase fuel payments, as we know a similar scheme in GB has returned an 80% payment rate.
David Blevings from IPRA said, “We cannot overstate how important it is to keep the lights on and doors open at petrol stations across the country. Without Government intervention and assistance there is a real chance that some forecourts will close. Others may start reducing opening hours and or cutting staff costs. Forecourts are major local employers and any reduction in opening hours will only affect local employment and force locals (already under pressure with the spiralling cost of living) to travel further afield to buy their daily basics”.


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Largest Q3 on Record for Interactive Whiteboards
Sales of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and interactive flat panel displays in the education and corporate sectors achieved close to 400,000 displays in Q3 2013, up 3 percent on last year and making it the largest Q3 on record, according to the latest quarterly research from Futuresource Consulting.
“The interactive whiteboard market has grown at a tremendous pace over the last decade. Initially finding a foothold in the UK, Mexico and the U.S., the technology is now used across the globe,” says Colin Messenger, senior market analyst at Futuresource Consulting. “Though as the technology has evolved over the last few years, interactive flat panels are moving centre stage and becoming the dominant future purchase in the overall interactive display market. Initially we’re only seeing a handful of countries use this technology, but this is accelerating and will encourage additional vendors into the marketplace.”
EMEA performed above target in the quarter, spurred on by strong performances from Russia and the UK.
“Phase 2 of FATIH (Turkey’s National Education Project) is expected to start in 2014 and Futuresource projections show that this will account for over half of all sales in EMEA,” says Messenger. “Without this tender the market would be level.
“However, FATIH could be a huge loss-making deal for any vendor. There are high risks with signs of instability in the country. The tender specs are very complicated, the investment is huge and the deal is priced in Turkish Lira which has recently devalued and the expected prices are extremely low.”
In the UK, interactive flat panel displays are starting to take market share from interactive whiteboards, and some of the first replacement boards are now being purchased. Twice as many IFPDs were sold this quarter than Q3 last year and by 2016 more IFPDs will be sold than IWBs, which in turn will create the faster value growth.
Futuresource forecasts show the total display technologies market of interactive whiteboards, interactive flat panels and interactive projectors will exceed 1 million devices by 2017. However, the adoption rates of the three products are very different by country and even by region (Futuresource has compared all three technologies in 67 countries).
“In 2012, over three million tablets were purchased by schools across the globe and this has definitely contributed to increased competition for education budgets.
“The scale of the corporate space presents a number of alternative opportunities, as there are over twice the number of meeting rooms than school classrooms. As a result, moving forward we see the corporate market as the fastest growing sector, increasing to 24 percent by 2017, with the growth coming from more developed markets like the U.S., UK, Germany and Sweden.”


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Apr 30, 2014 California grows almost all medium grain rice in the U.S. And prices are up.
Apr 22, 2014 Maybe you want to put down that money now.
Stacey Vanek Smith
Apr 14, 2014 As Bitcoin gets bigger and bigger, a look at its value outside of money
Apr 11, 2014 A look into why food costs are rising across the world.
Apr 9, 2014 This year you'll pay a lot more for limes -- a key ingredient in Margaritas and guacamole.
Apr 7, 2014 A Bitcoin ATM maker is setting up shop in Congress.
Mar 25, 2014 The IRS says bitcoins should be counted as assets for tax purposes. And that means what, exactly? Marketplace's Paddy Hirsch explains.
Mar 17, 2014 And now we may never know if he's the one or not.


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Place: The Tech Shop San Jose
Uber gets financing for vehicle drivers, professional and civilian
Uber Technologies has arranged vehicle financing discounts for transportation companies and drivers providing services ranging from its high-end UberBlack product to the low-cost UberX offering, which connects riders with citizen drivers who don't have commercial licenses and drive privately owned vehicles.
The San Francisco startup has secured financing deals for its "partners" from General Motors (NYSE: GM), Toyota (NYSE: TM) and a number of unnamed financial institutions, said Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Monday morning a conference call with reporters. The financing option will debut in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Dallas.
Uber wanted the financing to help add 100,000 vehicles on the road so that it can continue its breakneck pace of expansion, which has produced recent revenue growth running at a compound rate of more than 16 percent a month, with the pace increasing, according to Kalanick. Founded in 2009, Uber has used advanced algorithms and mobile telecommunications to build a rapidly expanding global franchise that is already operating in 62 cities.
"This is about streamlining supply so that our growth continues," Kalanick said. "At this point we’re really focused on everything we can do to get more cars on the road."
Kalanick estimated that the preferential financing deals it has negotiated could save a vehicle owner as much as $100 per month.
The discounts are available to transportation companies and individual drivers, including UberX drivers who are receiving a minimum level of income through UberX.
Kalanick said the automobile and financing companies were eager to get involved because the income that Uber provides drivers lowers the risk on vehicle loans. He estimated that a "fully utilized" care on the Uber platform receives more than $100,000 of gross income.
Asked whether there was hesitancy to launch the new financing program in cities like Dallas, where city officials are considering whether to impose new requirements upon Uber, Kalanick said competition such as his company affords will inevitably bring out calls from the taxi industry for official crackdowns.
"If we use that kind of activity as a reason for us not innovate and bring new products to market, well, there wouldn’t be a lot of places left," Kalanick said.
Patrick covers technology.
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Exchange giant CME Group has launched micro bitcoin futures, smaller-sized derivatives contracts, opening the door for a broader customer base.
"At one-tenth the size of one bitcoin, Micro Bitcoin futures will provide an efficient, cost-effective way for a broad array of market participants — from institutions to sophisticated, active traders — to fine-tune their bitcoin exposure and enhance their trading strategies, all while retaining the benefits of CME Group's standard Bitcoin futures," said Tim McCourt, CME Group's global head of equity index and alternative investment products.
CME launched standard bitcoin futures in December 2017 and they are one of the popular products in the crypto derivatives space. Aggregated open interest in CME's bitcoin futures is currently the third-largest, at nearly $2.5 billion, according to The Block's data dashboard.
CME also offers trading in bitcoin options and it is currently the second-largest bitcoin options exchange by trading volumes, according to data compiled by The Block.


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[Photo by Lee Chung-woo]
The South Korean government and top businesses formed a joint front to counter what the president called an “unprecedentedly urgent” national challenge from Japan retaliating for Korea’s hard-line policy on past issues with export restrictions aimed to destabilize the core Korean IT component industry.
“The government will do upmost to solve Japan’s unjustified export curbs…We will seek international support as the move puts the global economy at risk as well. Despite our efforts, the problem can drag on. We must be ready for all possibilities,” said President Moon Jae-in Wednesday in a rare meeting with all economy-related policymakers from the Blue House and government and leaders of 30 biggest business groups.
He invited business leaders to share their insight and worries so that the government can devise the best possible counteraction against Japan’s moves and proposed to establish an around-the-clock network and regular government-business channel during the “emergency” times.
The standoff between Seoul and Tokyo over Japan’s export curb flared up after Japanese officials suggested they were regulating shipments of etching gas to South Korea on suspicion of some of them going into the hands of North Korea, which is in violation of the United Nations sanctions.
“The Japanese government is hurting the Korean economy for political purpose and making groundless accusation by connecting the move to sanctions on North Korea,” Moon said in the meeting, warning Japan not to head towards the “dead end.”
As announced last week, Japan from Thursday lifted its preferential treatment on three materials bound for South Korea essential in chip and flexible OLED display production. No shipments have been approved since then, making Samsung Electronics – the world’s largest producer of chips and OLED smartphone panels – scramble to find suppliers outside Japan.
Tokyo indicated the action is a response to Seoul’s “breach of trust” in inter-government agreements. The Moon administration disbanded a fund designed to compensate victims of wartime sexual slavery under the 2015 settlement to close the comfort women issue. The Supreme Court under liberal bench members ordered Japanese companies to repair individuals for wartime forced labor and seized assets of the companies in Korea when the Japanese government and firms refused to comply by arguing that the 1965 basic treaty had covered all wartime and colonial damages in return for $500 million loan and aid.
[Photo by Lee Chung-woo]
LG, SK and Samsung spoke first as their display and chip businesses are directly hurt by the first batch of curbs from Japan. They were followed by local component and material producers Kumho Asiana, Kolon, Hyundai Motor, and Hyosung groups.
Japan has warned that it could remove Korea entirely from the white-country list next month, placing over 1,000 Japanese materials necessary from IT to heavy industries manufacturing under scrutiny for shipments to Korea.
All remarks were made behind the doors as they could contain confidential or sensitive information.
Samsung was represented by vice chair Yoon Boo-keun as de factor leader Jay Y. Lee is in Japan to find an alternative for the embargo. Hwang Kak-gyu, vice chair of Lotte Group, also attended on behalf of chairman Shin Dong-bin also in Japan to use his connection over the embargo.
Hyundai Motor Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and leaders from Posco, Hanwha, GS, NongHyup, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Shinsegae, KT, Hanjin, Doosan, and LS attended the meeting.
Heads of the country’s major business lobby groups including Kim Young-ju, chairman of Korea International Trade Association, Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, Kim Ki-mun, chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs, and Kang Ho-gap, chairman of the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea, also were present.
From the government were Hong Nam-ki, deputy prime minister and finance and economy minister, Sung Yun-mo, trade, industry and energy minister, Lee Jae-kap, employment and labor minister, Park Young-sun, SMEs and startups minister, Noh Hyeong-ouk, minister for the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and Choi Jong-ku, chairman of the Financial Services Commission. Blue House officials also attended, including Noh Young-min, presidential chief of staff, Kim Sang-jo, chief of staff for policy, Kang Gi-jung, senior secretary for political affairs, Yoon Do-han, senior secretary for public communication, Lee Ho-seung, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, and Joo Hyung-chul, Moon’s economic advisor.
By Oh Soo-hyun and Lee Eun-joo
[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]


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Sidney DeBoer, executive chairman of auto dealer Lithia Motors in Medford, Oregon, is retiring at the end of the year.
But DeBoer will still get paid $1.05 million a year for the rest of his life, paid in $252,600 quarterly cash installments.
He also gets an annual car allowance of $42,000 paid for by the company.
He stepped down as CEO in May 2012, handing the job over to his son, Bryan.
According to the Mail Tribune, DeBoer still works 60 to 70 hours a week and "handles 300 emails a day."
Lithia is based in Medford and, in 2014, recorded revenue of $5.4 billion.
And as Footnoted pointed out, DeBoer is still the controlling shareholder in the company, owning about 52% of the company's voting shares.


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'Buoyant' is the word for todayby
Bloomberg News writes today:
New reports on U.S. consumer confidence, new home sales and durable goods orders depicted an even more buoyant economy than some analysts previously thought.
Is the economy 'buoyant'? It makes me think of a rubber ducky bobbing in a bathtub.
Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. LEARN MORE


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An Oregon search engine that specializes in searching for businesses based in Oregon has expanded its business search features, allowing for businesses to search for locations as well as employees, partners, and customers.
The company’s new search engine is named the Oregon Business Search, and is available in search terms such as “corporate location search,” “employee search,” and “customer search.”
Google said that it expanded its search engine to include business listings and related data in response to increased demand.
The company added that it plans to add additional search features in the future, but for now it has limited access to its business listings.
Users can also create their own custom search terms, but the company said that this option was not yet available to users.
The Oregon Business search was launched in October 2016, and currently lists more than 200,000 business listings, and provides search options for the business’ name, company location, company name, employee and customer names.
For businesses in Oregon, the company provides a list of businesses in that area, and the company can also provide information on local labor laws and other local regulations.
Google said that its expanded search features were in response, in part, to the increased demand for business listings from businesses that are looking to expand.
Google has also added an option to provide businesses with a list, of their current locations, so that users can make the necessary business travel decisions.
In addition, the search engine also lets users search for employees, and partners, to provide more context on business relationships.
The search engine has been available since March.
The Oregon BusinessSearch was initially launched in 2016 as an alternative to Google’s main business search tool, which was primarily used by Google to provide information to its users.
Google added that the Oregon business listing feature will not be able to be used for businesses that do not have a physical location, which could be businesses that operate out of a business office, but only within the state of Oregon.


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An independent jury from the Platform Clean Shipping initiative has identified the companies that will merit ‘Green Route’ status at Europort 2013, to be staged November 5-8 at the Ahoy Rotterdam exhibition and conference centre.
Europort 2013, the premier event for pioneers in maritime technology, confers the coveted Green Route status on exhibitors offering demonstrable commitment to a sustainable maritime industry. Recognition entitles exhibitors to acknowledgement on the organiser’s floor plan, highlighting their standing as ‘green innovators’.
Platform Clean Shipping is a partnership including the Holland Shipbuilding Association, Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (Marin), Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), North Sea Foundation, Port of Rotterdam and Royal Association of Netherlands’ Shipowners.
“As a partner in the Platform Clean Shipping we stimulate companies within the maritime sector to reduce their emissions while staying competitive, ” says Martin Dorsman, managing director of the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners.
The Platform Clean Shipping jury made its selection based entirely on merit, with the final list featuring large corporations and smaller independent companies able to show sustainability as a guiding principle. The Green Route recognises environmentally-responsible products or services, but also companies demonstrating an environmental ‘vision’, research-led initiatives, independent accreditation, or corporate responsibility on environmental issues.
“The Green Route is a great way to draw attention to companies committed to reduce the emissions of seagoing merchant and offshore vessels. It allows visitors to find a variety of companies displaying their sustainable products, while others show how they have implemented sustainability in their corporate strategy, ” says Mr Dorsman.
More than 45 applications for Green Route recognition were received by Europort 2013 for consideration, demonstrating the high value exhibitors place on being recognised for environmental responsibility.
“The criteria used for selection were searching and exhaustive, ” says Raymond Siliakus, Europort 2013 Exhibition Manager. “In line with pressing industry themes on innovation, the jury focused on practical steps in achieving enhanced efficiency today as much as on the technology, investments and attitudes that will shape the future of a sustainable maritime and offshore industry for tomorrow.
“The Green Route has proved itself at Europort to be a valuable tool to showcase the latest solutions for a sustainable maritime industry. Ever since the initiative was launched in 2009 by Ahoy Rotterdam and HME, we have found that exhibitors prize both their acknowledgement on the floor plan and the ‘Green Route participant’ plate they can display on their stands.”


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The New Year brings fresh expectations and in tech, that means looking forward to seeing innovative new products.
LifestyleTech is introducing Get In Gear, a breezy section that will highlight the latest and greatest products that you should look out for.
Huawei CEO Richard Yu teased in a report that the Mate X, which made its debut in China last November, will be released in more countries with an improved processor, tougher screen and better hinge.
The Mate X is a revolutionary smartphone that has a foldable screen that wraps around the outside of the device.
When folded, the front screen is 6.6in in size and when unfolded, it becomes an 8in screen that’s great for work (think multitasking) and play.
It goes for US$2,400 (RM9,850) in China.
Electronics giant Samsung is likely to start the year with the A series, namely the A51 and A71.
The A51 and A71 have a 6.5in and 6.7in screen, respectively, with the same full HD+ resolution (1,080 x 2,400 pixels).
Both phones feature quad cameras on the back – 48-megapixel main camera (64-megapixel on the A71), 5-megapixel depth camera, 5-megapixel macro camera and 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera.
Remember the Razr flip phone that was released in 2004? Motorola is attempting to “revive” it with a foldable version.
The new device has the same name and retains the clamshell design, giving users two screens: a 2.7in display on the front and when flipped open, a 6.2in display on the inside.
It’s expected to go on sale in the United States in January with a US$1,500 (RM6,150) price tag.
Mi Mix Alpha
On Dec 23, Xiaomi posted a teaser on Weibo for the Mi Mix Alpha, an almost all-display device boasting a 180.6% screen-to-body ratio.
Yes, you read that right – the screen wraps around the device, with only a thin strip for the camera.
This strip houses three cameras, including a 108-megapixel sensor with Samsung HMX lens. The phone is expected to cost more than RM10,000.
What do you think of this article?


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McDonald’s on Tuesday announced plans to invest $69 million in 100 of the more than 170 stores in Arkansas by 2019. The work is part of a $6 billion plan to modernize many U.S. McDonald’s restaurants by 2020.
Work on the Arkansas stores is set to begin this year. David Stokes, a Cabot-based franchisee, said the work will use local professional services and help the state’s construction industry.
“This is an exciting time for McDonald’s and we’re proud to be investing nearly $69 Million to provide a new experience, look and feel for guests at 100 McDonald’s locations across Arkansas,” said Stokes, who operates restaurants in Bald Knob, Beebe, Cabot, El Paso, Greenbrier, Searcy, and Vilonia. “We are also pleased that our modernization supports local architecture, engineering and construction jobs across the great state of Arkansas.”
According to the statement on the investment from Little Rock-based Ghidotti Communications, the restaurant renovations will include the following:
Modernized dining rooms with globally and locally inspired décor, new furniture and refreshed exterior design
Digital self-order kiosks; • Remodeled counters allow for new table service that offers guests the opportunity to relax while their food is being made
Bright and easy to read digital menu boards inside and at the drive through
New designated parking spots for curbside pick-up through mobile order and pay
Expanded McCafé counters and larger display cases.
Ghidotti Account Executive Allyson Pittman Gattin told Talk Business & Politics that self-order kiosks would not result in job losses. She said each McDonald’s has about 60 employees, meaning there are around 10,200 McDonald’s employees in Arkansas.
“To answer your question about whether jobs will be lost due to the self-order kiosks, that will not happen. We will always have an important human element at our restaurants since that is what brings the service experience to life. In order to deliver a better experience, we anticipate that restaurants will train and hire new restaurant hospitality employees over the next few years,” Gattin noted.
Montine McNulty, executive director of the Arkansas Hospitality Association, said the renovation work will help the state’s economy beyond the tourism and travel industry.
“McDonald’s is an important local business and provider in the community,” McNulty, said in a statement. “McDonald’s is helping create and sustain local jobs not only in the restaurant industry but also in the communities they serve.”
The state’s travel and tourism industry had an estimated 114,900 jobs in June, down from 116,300 jobs in June 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sector employment hit a record of 118,800 jobs in October 2017. The employment high in 2018 was 117,800 in March.
McDonald’s has more than 37,000 locations in over 100 countries, with more than 90% of restaurants worldwide owned and operated by independent local business men and women. For the first six months of 2018, the company posted net income of $2.871 billion, better than the $2.609 billion in the same period of 2017. Total revenue in the first six months was $10.492 billion, down 11% compared to the $11.725 billion in the same period of 2017.
McDonald’s shares (NYSE: MCD) closed Tuesday at $161.12, up 2.98. During the past 52 weeks the share price has ranged between $146.84 and $178.70.


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The Nest Learning Thermostat used to be one of those products available from Apple’s online and retail stores, part of an assortment of third-party retailers that managed to get their fancy-lookin’ goods sold through one of the most popular brands in the world.
However, Nest is no longer being sold by Apple, now that Apple has its own smart home platform to favour.
The story was confirmed by Mashable last week, with the move being attributed to the release of the first line of products that will work on Apple’s HomeKit platform. (Note: the Nest Thermostat was actually removed much earlier this month, but only recently noticed and reported upon.)
Apple’s jump into the smart home business is of no real surprise, with HomeKit being developed as “a framework for communicating with and controlling connected accessories in a user’s home.” The host of products that are currently officially working with HomeKit is sure to grow substantially over the next months and years.
One such product that will work with Apple’s HomeKit, and is now available on the Apple Store, is one of Nest’s biggest competitors — the ecobee 3, the smart wi-fi thermostat with remote sensors.
What will be interesting to see is the impact such a retailing move will have on smart thermostat sales in the US. A recent report from Navigant Research placed Honeywell and Nest as the two leading smart thermostat makers in the US, far and away the most compelling companies making this relatively new consumer technology product. However, ecobee is on that list as well, coming in 6th in Navigant’s top 10.
Apple’s reach and insight into consumer electronics is not to be messed with, and though Nest currently does not run on the Apple HomeKit system, I would not be at all surprised to see this changing in the near future. However, Nest’s acquisition by Google at the beginning of 2014 is definitely not in Nest’s favour if they want to return to the Apple retail sphere.
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Drama! Crisis! Shortages! It's launch day for the fabulous -- and CNET UK Editors' Choice winning -- Samsung Galaxy S4, but the Android superphone is proving so popular that phone networks and mobile retailers are struggling to keep up.
"There has been unprecedented demand for the Galaxy S4 in the UK," the Korean company boasts in a statement. "Samsung is working hard to ensure that pre-orders and sales across all channels are fulfilled as soon as possible."
Funnily enough, that's almost exactly what Samsung reps told my CNET News colleague Roger Cheng in the US too. You might wonder if this shortage is a co-ordinated element of the phone's global launch strategy.
Samsung's own retail stores have it on sale today, but most shops and networks have been saying the S4 will go on sale tomorrow. If they have enough stock, that is.
"We've seen huge demand for the Galaxy S4, but unfortunately we have received fewer devices than anticipated," a spokesperson for 4G network EE told me. "We're currently prioritising pre-order customers on a first-come, first-served basis, and we're working with Samsung to fulfil all remaining pre-orders as swiftly as possible."
O2 is feeling the pinch too. "For us, some customers (who've pre-ordered their handset before 19 April) will get their handset on 26 April," a spokesperson for the oxygenated operator told me. "These customers will receive an SMS to let them know, if a contact number has been provided at point of order. For other customers who've ordered their handset before 19 April they'll receive their handset from 27 April." O2 couldn't tell me how many customers are getting their S4 today.
It's a pretty rum do that Samsung can't provide enough supply of a product when it almost completely controls its manufacturing. Especially when to secure a solid supply it's compromised on the groundbreaking octa-core chip, both here in the UK and in the US -- we're making do with a quad-core chip.
Nevertheless, the S4 received fulsome praise from our mobile expert Andy Hoyle, who in his in-depth review appreciated its spectacular power -- even with the UK's lesser quad-core chip -- and its big and bold Full HD screen. Its plastic case may not be quite as classy as metallic rivals the HTC One and iPhone 5, but unlike them you can swap its battery and expand its storage.
Have you got your S4? Did you pre-order? Have you seen them in shops? Let me know down in the comments, or over on our fully-stocked Facebook page.


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Super Mario Bros. turns 25 today, Anniversary Edition revealedWritten by: / / No Comments
Do you remember playing Super Mario Bros. on your NES way back in 1985? If you do, you deserve at least a modicum of respect because that means you’ve been playing games for at least 25 years.
Now go take your ‘old people pills.’ We’ll wait…
Hey, cheer up! You may be 25 years older than when you first experienced the joy of a side-scrolling Mario platform game, but that game is also 25 years old today, because on this day, September 13th in 1985, Super Mario Bros. was unleashed upon this earth.
Following the game’s release, and 25 years later, Super Mario Bros. has managed to sell an incredible 40 million units ‒ a total that was only recently surpassed by Nintendo’s own Wii Sports in 2009.
To celebrate such a momentous achievement, Nintendo has announced that a special ‘Anniversary Edition’ of Super Mario Bros. will become available for the Wii on October 21st in Japan, for a price of 2 500 yen.
This will be a limited edition product, and includes a booklet (that takes you through the history of the Mario franchise with never-before-seen artwork and development materials inside), a soundtrack CD (with music from the games, all the way from Super Mario Bros. through to Super Mario Galaxy 2), as well as the game itself: Super Mario Collection.
This game is a “reproduction” of Super Mario All-Stars/Super Mario Collection that released in 1993 on the SNES, and includes an array of classic Mario platform titles.
All playable on the Wii in one package!
While no international date or price has been announced for this game, Nintendo must surely see the value in releasing such a package to the world.
Happy birthday Mario! Woohoo!
To remember this day, be sure to watch an awesome celebration video marking the occasion, below:
Super Mario Bros. ‒ 25th Anniversary Celebration Video


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According to typically-reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, Apple has a slew of new products in the works for 2014. The analyst has summarized his expectations for these new products in a new research note, and has also reaffirmed some of his previous claims for products in Apple’s pipeline for the rest of Fall 2013…
There are a couple of analyst rumors doing the rounds at present that are best described as … questionable.
As an Apple supplier, our contact offered insight into the “iWatch” and described this potential new device as much more than an extension of your iPhone but as a multi-purpose gateway in allowing consumers to control their home (i.e., heating/cooling, lights, audio, video, etc.)
You may recall that Mr White is a man who likes his remotes: he predicted back in April that the Apple HDTV (which he always claims is going to be released in the next quarter or two) would be controlled by an iRing … Read more
Following an extensive period of betas for developers, Apple has publicly released OS X 10.8.5. The update is available from the Mac App Store Software’s Update section and is recommended for all users on OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4.
The OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5 Update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users. It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. This update:
- Fixes an issue that may prevent Mail from displaying messages
- Improves AFP file transfer performance over 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- Resolves an issue that may prevent a screen saver from starting automatically
- Improves Xsan reliability
- Improves reliability when transferring large files over Ethernet
- Improves performance when authenticating to an Open Directory server
- Addresses an issue that prevented a smart card from unlocking preference panes in System Preferences
- Contains the improvements included in MacBook Air (Mid 2013) Software Update 1.0
The build number for the public release is 12F37, which is a single build over the most recent beta. Apple has also issued RAW Camera Compatibility updates and a new version of Safari. Later next month, Apple will release OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
Best Buy is having a significant College Student sale this week on MacBook Airs, Retina/Pros and iMacs and Students or anyone with a .edu email address get another $100 off the sale prices signing up here. For instance, the entry level Haswell MacBook Air is now $949 and another $100 drops it down to $849, the lowest price we’ve seen by $100.
- MacBook Air – 11.6″ Display/4GB Memory/128GB Flash Storage:$949.99-$100 students=$849.99 ($150 off)
- MacBook Air – 11.6″ Display/4GB Memory/256GB Flash Storage:$1139.99-$100 students=$1039.99 ($170 off)
- MacBook Air – 13.3″ Display/4GB Memory/128GB Flash Storage:$1,044.99-$100 students=$944.99 ($155 off)
- MacBook Air – 13.3″ Display/4GB Memory/256GB Flash Storage:$1,234.99-$100 students=$1134.99 ($165 off)
- MacBook Pro Retina 13.3″/8GB Memory/128GB Flash Storage:$1399.99-$100 students=$1299.99 ($200 off)
- MacBook Pro Retina 15.4″/8GB Memory/256GB Flash Storage:$2044.99-$100 students=$1944.99 ($255 off)
iMac Prices save $100 across the board and another $100 for students = $200 savings starting at $1100
According to a report from the BostonHerald, Boston University is the latest to sue Apple for patent infringement claiming several Apple products use technology covered by its 1997 patent for highly insulating monocrystalline gallium nitride thin films. The university filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts yesterday listing Apple’s iPhone 5, iPad, and MacBook Air as infringing devices.
“Defendant’s acts of infringement have caused and will continue to cause substantial and irreparable damage to the University,” BU alleges in its complaint.
The highly technical patent, which can be viewed on the USPTO’s website, was originally awarded in 1997 and lists computer engineering professor Theodore D. Moustakas as its inventor. BostonHerald notes that the university has also used the patent in cases against Samsung and Amazon, and “plans to illustrate that at least one other company pays a licensing fee to use the component in question” during its case with Apple: Read more
When Apple announced the Retina Macbook Pro at the 2012 Worldwide Developer Conference, we noted how it seemed like the company was integrating the selling points from all of its devices into one, with the iPad and iPhone’s Retina display being the main point of interest. Fast forward a year and Apple has done something similar, but this time with the MacBook Air. One thing the iPad has always been praised for is its battery life. It almost always lives up to the expectations set by Apple and can often exceed the marks with lighter usage patterns.
With the mid-2013 Macbook Air, Apple has taken that amazing iPad battery life and stuck in a laptop. While it’s not the Retina Macbook Air many of us were hoping for and may look nearly identical from the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that matters. Assuming, of course, that it can live up to the hype. Keep reading for our full review of the mid-2013 Macbook Air. Read more
In its extensive review of the new 2013 MacBook Air, AnandTech notes an issue with the machine’s new 802.11ac WiFi capabilities that it says is limiting the faster Wi-Fi chip’s potential. While it was able to get an average of 533Mbps using the iPerf networking tool, Anand found real world file transfers would only get 21.2MB/s or 169.6Mbps:
I disabled all other wireless in my office. Still, no difference. I switched ethernet cables, I tried different Macs, I tried copying from a PC, I even tried copying smaller files – none of these changes did anything. At most, I only saw 21.2MB/s over 802.11ac. I double checked my iPerf data. 533Mbps. Something weird was going on. I plugged in Apple’s Thunderbolt Gigabit Ethernet adaptor and saw 906Mbps, clearly the source and the MacBook Air were both capable of high speed transfers. What I tried next gave me some insight into what was going on. I setup web and FTP servers on the MacBook Air and transferred files that way. I didn’t get 533Mbps, but I broke 300Mbps. For some reason, copying over AFP or SMB shares was limited to much lower performance. This was a protocol issue.
According to the review, the problem is likely with the OS X networking stack that is for some reason artificially limiting the capabilities of 802.11ac: Read more
Apple appears set to release new versions of its MacBook Air notebook computer at next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, according to information provided by a source. Earlier this week, we reported that Apple is planning to release four new Mac models at WWDC, and we narrowed this down to either new MacBook Pro with Retina display models or MacBook Air models.
Today, we have received specific pricing for the aforementioned SKUs, and the price-points correspond to Apple’s current pricing for the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models. We have yet to receive pricing information that points to the imminent availability of new MacBook Pros (as some had hoped), but perhaps the next refresh to Apple’s Pro portables will arrive in the coming months. Supply constraints to the Retina MacBook Pro line seems to imply that…
In a report this morning, one of the better Apple analysts, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI securities listed his forecast for MacBook Pro and Air updates expected at WWDC. Apple’s annual developer-centric conference begins on June 10th with a keynote. The biggest change is Apple will move to Intel’s Haswell processors. These chips dramatically reduce power consumption, which in turn could allow Apple to need fewer batteries in the Retina MacBook Pros:
We expect the new MacBook, featuring an upgrade to Intel’s (US) Haswell processor, will be in the spotlight for Apple at the upcoming WWDC from June 10. Along with the new processor, we expect the following modifications to each product line:
Retina MacBook Pro to be slimmer slightly, along with a camera upgrade. We expect the 13” Retina MacBook Pro will have a slightly slimmer form factor for increasing its portability. Also, we think the camera spec will be upgraded from HD to full HD. This will improve Facetime and video conference quality in the high resolution Retina display.
The 1080P camera would match the capabilities of the rear-cameras in recent iOS hardware, but this would represent the first time in which Apple shipped a 1080p-capable front-facing sensor.
If Apple does choose to keep the same batteries and size of the Retina MacBook Pro, the new Haswell chips could push battery life up over 10 hours – an outcome I’d personally prefer. Additionally, how can you make the 13″ Retina MacBook Pro any thinner?
It is so thin that the ports+ fan outlets barely fit now. It would also be an uncharacteristically short sub-1-year duration for the current design.
As for the MacBook Air, at least one improvement is expected by Kuo: Read more
Update: Pricing has just been announced, at $3,799. Pricey, but actually not bad value in a market that had five-figure pricing not so long ago.
ASUS today revealed that it will launch a 31.5-inch 4k monitor late next month, its 3840×2160 pixels allowing four 1080p HD videos to display full-size on the same screen without overlap. A 4k monitor in such a small package is made possible by using an IGZO panel, whose smaller transistors enable greater pixel density, and is likely to be in the same league (and possibly from the same manufacturer) as the 32-inch Sharp panel we saw at CES.
However, don’t rush out to buy one just yet: it’s unlikely that even a top-spec Mac from today’s line-up would be able to drive the resolution at a decent frame-rate. But the next-generation of Haswell-powered Macs almost certainly will. Indeed, as we mentioned earlier, it’s even possible that a next-generation MacBook Air could do so … Read more
I’ve been using the $99 LandingZone 2.0 LITE 13″ Secure Docking Station for the past couple weeks to dock my MacBook Air when I use it at my desk. Until now, when I got to my desk, I would manually plug in MagSafe power, USB hub and sometimes audio jacks – which isn’t a huge pain, but it did add time time and clutter to my workflow.
LandingZone, which started as a Kickstarter project but is now in full production, has a complete solution in a white plastic/steel dock that allows you to secure your MacBook Air, and within seconds, have Ethernet, a 4 port USB hub, power and MiniDisplay Port outs ready for use. Read more
9to5Mac first broke the news that Apple sold refurbished merchandise through its own eBay store last year, equipped with the same price tags, full warranties, and approved inspections, and now the company has dropped prices on many of those items below what it offers at store.apple.com.
9to5Toys and eventually Dealnews recently noticed a $100 price cut for Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air with 1.8GHz i5 and 128GB of storage (now over). It costs $100 more at store.apple.com for the same refurbished unit.
An even better eBay deal has emerged today: Apple’s 11.6-inch MacBook Air with 1.8GHz, 4GB SDRAM and 256GB SSD is only $949. It’s certified refurbished unite, while the same refurb model goes for $1,059 on Apple.com, and the 256GB MacBook Airs start at $1,299 new. All items come with free standard shipping, and eBay adds sales tax for only a few states at purchase and allows folks to pay with PayPal and BillMeLater. Read more


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- The company that brought you Quicken wants fund managers to be patient as it converts to an Internet-based growth strategy.
Intuit Inc. senior vice president Raymond Stern told an audience at Goldman Sachs technology conference that the company's new online offerings in tax and payroll preparation should achieve "modest" penetration in the next three years.
Intuit's stock (INTU) INTU, -1.67% climbed 8 5/8 to 86, a gain of 10 percent, after Stern's appearance.
Of the 2.5 million consumers who use the company's QuickBooks accounting software, Stern said he hoped to sell online services to 5 percent of them by 2002, eventually expanding to 10-15 percent.
Stern promised that the company's new online tax product, which it launched in the fall, would make Intuit shareholders happier than the "shrinkwrap software" that made the firm famous. The online model features variable pricing--$9.95 for a simple return and as much as $14.95 for trickier ones--along with heavier revenue streams.
The 3 million consumers who currently use TurboTax tend to pass it on, he said, with an average 2.5 users per sold copy. By contrast, with the online tax service, Intuit "gets paid each time a return is filed."
The company plans to grow through Internet versions of its personal finance software in mortgage and insurance sales as well as payroll administration and tax prep, Stern said. Currently, these services make money through advertising--Stern said Intuit just signed a $100 million five-year contract--but Stern hopes to draw more revenue from fees.
To stay competitive in online personal finance, Stern conceded that Intuit may need to acquire a smaller firm. He told CBSMarketWatch.com that the company would consider buying companies that make processing software and ones that sell mortgage or insurance services.
"The big competitors are Yahoo! Finance, Microsoft Investor, and E*Trade," he said. "Then there's a long tail of other folks. Over the year, we expect that tail will tighten."