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TRENDING ON ONEINDIA
- Jammu & Kashmir: IED Blast Leaves An Army Officer Dead In Rajouri
- Saina And Saurabh Emerge Champions In The National Badminton
- Xiaomi Mi 9 Is The Most Powerful Android Smartphone In The World
- CBDT Notifies Deadline For Mandatory Aadhaar Linking To File Tax Returns
- Tesla Sentry Mode — The Guardian Angel Of Your Tesla
- Jageshwar — The Himalayan Town With 100 Ancient Temples
- Anushka Sharma Opens Up About Catfights In Bollywood
- Ever Faced Emotional Abuse As A Child?
With an aim to give tough competition to the ongoing tariff war, Sunil Mittal led Bharti Airtel has brought back Rs 100 and Rs 500 prepaid packs.
Both recharge plans are now listed on the MyAirtel app and in terms of benefit, the Rs.100 pack provides a talk time worth Rs 81.75 for a period of 28 days along with lifetime activation of incoming calls. While Rs. 500 offers Rs 420.73 for 28 days.
Meanwhile, there is news that the company has launched long-term plans of Rs. 597 and Rs. 998 for a period of 168 days and 336 days respectively.
As per Telecomtalk Rs 597 offers unlimited voice calling, 6GB of data, 300 SMS, while Rs 998 offers unlimited voice calls along with 12GB of data.
For those who are not aware, the telco announced its initiatives to offer a digital Kumbh Mela 2019 experience for its customers.
A special channel, dedicated to Kumbh Mela 2019, has been created to on the Airtel TV app to bring all the action excitement from the event to the smartphone screen. Airtel has tied up with VR Devotee, India's leading devotional content provider, to bring this exclusive content to Airtel TV app.
This special channel on Airtel TV app, powered by VR Devotee, is already LIVE and will run through till March 4, 2019. To access this digital service, customers need to download the Airtel TV app (available for Android and iOS) on their smartphones.
In addition, Airtel in partnership with VR DEVOTEE is putting up special kiosks at the venue (in Prayagraj) to offer Virtual Reality based immersive experience to visitors, who will be able to enjoy real life like display of proceedings right from the kiosks. VR DEVOTEE is the market leader in bringing mobile app driven religious and spiritual experiences to devotees all over the world.


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JD Sports has announced that it will be opening a new 21,500 sq ft flagship store in Paris, France, at the start of the summer.
The store at 118-120 rue de Rivoli was formerly occupied by H&M. It is expected to open around the third week of May.
JD now has a presence in 11 countries in mainland Europe. It has eight store locations signed off for openings in France later this year: at the Lillenium shopping mall in Lille, in Tourville-la-Rivière, Toulon (Mayol), Nantes (Beaulieu), Nancy (Houdemont), inside the La Vache Noire shopping centre in Arcueil and in Strasbourg (Vendenheim).
Group revenues jumped 47% to £2.7bn in the six months to 3 August 2019, compared with the same period last year. EBITDA at the sportswear retailer grew 37% to £235m.
The group reported an operating profit of £200m, a 61% increase on the previous year. Profit before tax grew by 7% to £122m.

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Full-service digital agency Emakina MENA has announced their new technology partnership with Tealium – the industry’s leading customer data platform. As customer data plays an increasingly central role in the business decisions brands make today, this alliance was a natural step forward for Emakina MENA.
Document scanner support services improves ROI and helps organizations achieve their business objectives
Many people assume that support services for the products they buy are an unnecessary add-on to the overall cost of an item. For the individual consumer, this is often a fair assessment. But when it comes to complex business systems and workflows, support services are critical to ensuring continual success after an initial investment has […]
BeyondTrust today announced the hire of Marc Maiffret as Chief Technology Officer and appointment of Morey Haber as Chief Security Officer, further expanding and strengthening the company’s security leadership.
With HP retracting from the only business print segment to see growth over recent years, Epson views the move as highly advantageous to its own growth potential, and that of its channel partners. Remaining committed to its indirect sales model, Epson is reassuring its partners that it will not be making a similar switch back […]
DETASAD today announced it has signed a channel partner agreement with Nokia. As a result of this relationship, DETASAD will market, distribute and service Nokia’s Internet of Things (IoT) solutions including IMPACT IoT platform and Integrated Operations Center (IOC); Connectivity solutions including SD-WAN from Nokia’s Nuage Networks; and Mission-Critical Push-To-Talk (MCPTT) technology.
SolarWinds has announced it will host its Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Virtual Partner Summit 2021 (August 23 – 27), and Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) Virtual Partner Summit 2021 (September 6 – 10). The events offer a collegial setting for in-depth training and enablement, virtual networking opportunities, and exchange of experience. New this year, […]
Nick Cross, Vice President, Networking & Security, VMware EMEA, explains how organizations can securely enable their workforce from anywhere.
Poly has revealed six distinct personas, and the associated trends to baseline the workplace technology needs that businesses must be aware of and adapt to in the world getting fine-tuned by a continuum of regional nuisances, the pandemic, and the new ways of work.
Canon announces the launch of two solutions which address the changing needs of the broadcast and production industries, including the compact, yet powerful XF605 professional 4K camcorder and 10×16 KAS S 8K BCTV zoom lens. Designed with solo shooters in mind, the XF605 builds on the renowned XF series, making this portable camcorder a powerhouse […]
Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) today announced the UAE launch of HUAWEI WATCH 3 Series including elegant looking HUAWEI WATCH 3 and HUAWEI WATCH 3 Pro and its sleek beautiful camera phone – the HUAWEI nova 8 the latest nova family member that empowers people to explore and share.
vivo announced the latest expansion of its global manufacturing network with newly established production bases in Pakistan and Turkey. The new intelligent production bases mark vivo’s seven facilities as the company strengthens its footprint across the globe in line with its “More Local, More Global” strategy, which aims to boost localized production while deepening vivo’s […]
Forcepoint has announced that Rees Johnson has joined the company as Chief Product Officer (CPO). Johnson will play a critical role as the company continues to deliver its Data-first Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions that enable enterprises and government agencies to protect the lifeblood of their organization – data – anywhere it is accessed.


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Exports of beef from the UK to Japan were worth a staggering £1.78 million in January – almost a fifth of the total value last year, in just one month.
The latest figures from HMRC show that 334 tonnes of beef were exported to Japan in the first month of the year, up from 24 tonnes in the same period last year.
It comes after an incredibly strong year for beef exports to Japan, with volumes up 48 per cent in 2021 compared to the previous year – adding over £9.7 million to the sector.
AHDB has identified Japan as a key target market for the UK’s red meat sector, with the country being one of the world’s largest beef importers – importing 585,000 tonnes of fresh and frozen beef last year, worth £2.7 billion.
Japan opened its doors to imports of UK beef in January 2019, following a series of visits and negotiations between UK and Japanese officials, which culminated in an inspection of beef production systems in 2018 – hosted by AHDB, Defra and wider industry.
AHDB Head of Asia Pacific Jonathan Eckley said: “Japan is proving to be an incredibly important market for our beef exports, with January alone bringing a strong financial boost to the UK beef sector.
“AHDB has made Japan one of the key target markets for exports, showcasing the UK’s beef, pork and lamb products to businesses across the country by having a presence at trade shows, such as Foodex earlier this month, and securing agents on the ground to work directly with importers.
“Japan is a complex and competitive market to establish new business and restrictions on international travel as a result of Covid created further challenges for our exporters.
“However, we are confident that AHDB will continue our work in flying the flag in support of the UK’s red meat sectors and building on these already impressive export figures in the year ahead.”
In spring 2022, we will be asking all eligible levy payers to shape our work and priorities. Your views will help guide what we deliver over the next five years. Have your say on the vital support we offer your business and the industry. Registration is open until 31 March 2022.


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Human centric lighting has got Gordon Routledge hot under the cauldron.
When will we know it is time to replace an LED product that is way past its intended design life? Gordon Routledge takes inspiration from the past.
Here they are: the standout lighting project and products that have made their way on to the shortlist for the Lux Awards 2015.
The operator of a tunnel in America’s north east is set to install high sodium lamps because it claims that ‘LEDs haven’t been tested in a tunnel’.
The European Commission has stuck with its decision to phase out mains-voltage halogen directional lamps from the European market in September 2016 following a review. The move has divided opinion among industry figures.
A multi-tenant office has become one of the first to be retrofitted with IoT wireless lighting control. The 500 node system - installed in a three storey building in Surrey, England - also features white colour tuning, enabling so-called circadian lighting.
A series of three reports from analyst IHS has found that the needs for lighting vary greatly by sector. Security is key in transportation, increasing sales is important in retail and the upfront and lifetime costs of installation, energy and maintenance is critical in office environments.
Your customers looked like ghosts, your products looked worse, the LEDs changed colour, your boss got mad...you didn't do your homework did you?
Philips Lighting chief Eric Rondolat has called on international business leaders to act on climate change by embracing new lighting technologies. PLUS: Internet of Things is theme of this year's LuxLive show in London. Lux Today 29 September 2015 presented by Courtney Ferguson.
Lighting equipment test centre LIA Laboratories is advising lighting specifiers and installers to ensure the products they are considering for use have been subject to a meaningful, independent verification.
The National Centre for Circus Arts has slashed energy and maintenance costs by replacing outdated fluorescent lamps with energy efficient LEDs. The move will save the charity over £2000 a year in fuel bills and is expected to cut maintenance expenditure by £14,000 over five years.


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Spring City 66 in Kunming topped-out
Hang Lung Properties has held a topping-out ceremony for its Spring City 66 shopping mall and office tower in Kunming, its first entry into the southwest region of Mainland China.
Hang Lung CEO Weber Lo said Kunming is an important tourist destination and business centre in China with unparalleled development potential.
“With a customer-centric focus at the very heart of our operations strategy, we are confident that Spring City 66 will be a world-class regional mall with luxury content, bringing our customers more diverse choices, a better quality of life, and an innovative customer experience to cater to the aspirations of this burgeoning city and the people of districts nearby.”
Lo said the company has been successful in attracting internationally renowned brands to the centre, which is scheduled to open mid next year. More than 60 per cent of the space has been committed to by retailers already.
With a total investment of RMB12 billion (US$1.75 billion), Spring City 66 is Hang Lung Properties’ ninth Mainland China project after developments in Shanghai, Shenyang, Jinan, Wuxi, Tianjin, and Dalian. Since acquiring the land in 2011, which was originally where the Kunming Municipal People’s Government was located, Hang Lung has spent six years designing and building what it hopes will become a landmark in the city.
Some of the retail tenants will be brands new to Kunming and several international brands plan flagship stores in the centre.
The broader mixed-use development under construction has a total gross floor area of 432,000sqm, comprising a world-class shopping mall, a 63-story Grade A office tower, serviced apartments and car parking spaces.
Spring City 66 will be home to more than 300 international retail, dining, lifestyle, and entertainment brands.


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Payments “Revolution” — Visa drives a surge in digital transactions. A great interview with the CFO of Visa. In this episode, Vasant talked about how Visa makes money in general and the company’s position with regard to the supposed threats such as Open Banking, Buy Now Pay Later or Cryptocurrencies.
($) TikTok Turns On the Money Machine. “ByteDance’s hit video app is on track to triple revenue this year to $12 billion, threatening Facebook’s hold on social media. TikTok has an edge against Meta that Apple Inc. helped solidify. Last year, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company updated its iPhone operating system so that users have to opt in to let apps like Facebook track their activities as they used other software on their phones. Most users decided not to let Meta track them, a change Zuckerberg has blamed for financial troubles like those in February. TikTok, it turns out, isn’t relying so much on that kind of tracking data. Its artificial intelligence discerns a user’s likes or dislikes largely from activities on the platform, picking up on how long you watch, say, a cat video, a skateboarding clip or lip-synced dancing. TikTok’s algorithms can then match up users with not just content, but advertising too.”
($) Americans Have Had It With Inflation. Consumers are showing signs that spending is not as strong as some companies make it out to be. With damaging inflation showing no signs of abating, persistent supply chain issues and vulnerable consumer spending, the future looks bleak
($) The Secret Sauce That’s Made Slutty Vegan a $100 Million Chain. A fascinating story about a business founded by a fascinating 34-year-old woman.
How the man behind the Apple Store presided over a Spac catastrophe. Ron Johnson is richer and more famous than most of us, but one thing that we haven’t done is to lose millions of dollars in a business catastrophe in a short time. Past credentials are useful as signals, but they don’t guarantee the same success in the future. Just because someone is rich and famous doesn’t also mean that they have the right opinions or can do everything.
Online grocery shoppers spend more but less loyal. “The vast majority of the 45% of consumers who shop for groceries online are omnichannel shoppers. While their monthly average grocery spend is $594 compared with $388 for in-store-only shoppers, online shoppers spend their dollars across a greater number of retailers monthly, between 3.9 to 6.6 stores per month compared with 3.2 for in-store only, the customer data science firm said.”
($) Intel Bets 17 Billion Euros on a Tech Revival in Eastern German. Intel has made a lot of headlines lately with their planned investments. The key here is that everything is just a plan and full of promises. Nothing has actually come to fruition yet. Intel fell far behind their competitors in terms of technology. In the world of semiconductor, it’s very challenging to make up ground. And I wonder how Intel will pull that off while fulfilling their promises to build plants in Europe and Ohio. Or is that the case of, and I quote somebody in the article, “promises are cheap”?
Other stuff I find interesting
How football shirts chart the rise and fall of tech giants. Football is THE global sport. It’s no surprise to see companies craving for eyeballs spend millions of dollars to appear on teams’ shirts.
Layover or nonstop? UCLA Health research says unique pattern of connectivity lets highly creative people’s brains take road less traveled to their destination. About 15 years ago, somebody said something that stuck with me till this day: it’s all a big giant jigsaw. The more pieces you gather, the more likely you can complete the jigsaw. You just need to find the pieces, whether it’s through experience or reading. It really motivates me to read and improve myself constantly. When I read the article, it reminded of that lesson. In this case, highly creative people have the “pieces” required to take the less traveled path. Somehow, their upbringing, their personality and life experience give them the pieces they need to be who they are and think the way they do.
The local news crisis is deepening America’s divides. You can’t make great decisions without being informed. I don’t think national news outlets have the resources to cover everything in every local community. As more regional news outlets shut down, citizens don’t have enough information on their communities; which affect their votes and decisions. And if there is one thing everybody should know about politics in America in the last 10-15 years, it’s that voting matters at every level.
Japan’s shochu capital becomes new hot spot for whisky. “Traditionally known for its shochu, a clear liquor made from grains, potatoes, sugar cane and more, Japan’s southwestern region of Kyushu has become home to a budding whisky industry as craft distillers chase a larger, more global audience. Surrounded by vegetable fields and rice paddies, Shindo Distillery began producing whisky in the Fukuoka Prefecture city of Asakura in summer 2021. The facility belongs to Shinozaki, a storied barley shochu maker founded in 1922. Shinozaki is branching out “because demand for Japanese whisky is skyrocketing,” said Michiaki Shinozaki, who is part of the eighth generation of the founding family.”
Tips for Productivity, Thinking, and Doing. I wholeheartedly agree with this post, especially on the morning routine, the value of writing and the benefits of getting the most important thing done early.
What Is the Pesco Mediterranean Diet? I am actually following the Pesco Mediterranean Diet right now. It’s more about my love for sea food than trying to meet the daily protein intake. It also makes the transition to a plant-focused diet such as Mediterranean Diet easier. If you are looking for a diet that is great for your health, look this up.
India consumed 6 million tons of meat in 2020
In Zambia, only 10% of the adult population uses a debit card.
FedEx estimates savings of $400 million annually from retiring mainframes
Amazon Prime reportedly had 172 million members in the US as of June 2022


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Gold set for third weekly drop in four on dollar strength
Spot gold shed 0.3 percent to $1,158.32 an ounce by 0329 GMT and is down 1.5 percent for the week
Gold eased on Friday and was likely to finish lower for a third week in four, as a resilient dollar and strong U.S. economic data undercut bullion’s appeal as a hedge.
Spot gold shed 0.3 percent to $1,158.32 an ounce by 0329 GMT and is down 1.5 percent for the week. It has failed to recover strongly from a 4-1/2-year low of $1,131.85 hit last week, on steady outflows from gold-backed funds.
The dollar rose to a fresh seven-year high against the yen on Friday, bolstered by rising Japanese equities amid speculation that Japan’s leader would call an election and delay a sales tax hike.
The greenback was holding close to a four-year high against a basket of major currencies.
“We are tracking the dollar-yen for now, and unless there is a sharp movement there, gold should hold,” said Ronald Leung, chief dealer at Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong. Leung saw support for gold in the $1,150-80 range.
Strong U.S. data on Thursday also hurt gold. The number of new U.S. jobless claims rose last week but remained near a 14-year low, suggesting the U.S. labor market was moving toward full health.
A robust economy could prompt the U.S. Federal Reserve to soon raise interest rates, hurting non-interest-bearing gold.
The bearishness in bullion's outlook was reflected in holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world's top gold-backed exchange-traded fund.
The fund’s holdings fell 0.3 percent to 720.62 tonnes on Thursday - an eighth straight day of declines and a six-year low.
Traders were also closely tracking developments in No. 2 gold consumer India, where officials are considering curbs on imports.
Any new restrictions could raise local premiums against the global benchmark and hurt consumer demand. Reduced Indian gold buying would also pressure global prices, already smarting from weakening demand in China.
In news from the physical markets, consumers in Japan sold gold jewelry and bars as yen-priced bullion hit three-month highs and the Japanese currency slid, while buying interest elsewhere in Asia picked up.
- Bedazzled! Lebanese jewelers make $2 mln bras for Victoria’s Secret
- Gold posts second weekly gain amid global economic fears
- Gold heads for 4th weekly loss in five, platinum hits 5-year low
- Bahrain’s Ali Hasan Mahboob wins Asiad marathon
- Hard times for ‘red gold’ divers in Morocco’s El Dorado
- Top Dubai refiner obeying conflict gold rules, audit finds


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Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Smokers may be at risk of having their efforts to quit smoking derailed as new Government legislation conflicts with current COVID-19 restrictions.
New legislation passed last week will significantly restrict the range of vaping products available to the public through dairies and service stations in the coming weeks.
At the same time, speciality vaping stores are not considered an essential service provider during a Level 4 lockdown.
Nabhik Gupta, spokesperson for NZ owned Shosha the country’s largest retailer of e-cigarettes says weeks under lockdown can place additional stress on smokers.
He says they have had a surge in calls from panicked customers today concerned about their access to retail supplies of vaping products and the potential impact on their efforts to quit smoking.
“Studies have shown that loneliness, such as that experienced under lockdown, can trigger an increased likelihood of smoking behaviour.
“We know that smokers can be highly susceptible to changes in their routines or increased anxiety and when you couple this with easier access to cigarettes than their alternatives, it is easy for their efforts to quit smoking to be derailed overnight.
“When the new Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Vaping Amendment Bill comes into effect in 11 weeks time, if we are at Level 4 at that time smokers will have reduced access to alternative products.
“We can expect that well ahead of that timeframe, retailers will run down their current vaping stocks and not replace them – knowing that they will not be legally allowed to sell them after that.
“This means that should the country enter Level 4 in the coming days, the nearest convenience stores in some town centres may already have a very limited range of vaping products.
“While purchasing online is an option for some there are many customers that don’t have a credit card or simply need to make an urgent purchase to help keep their smoking cessation efforts on track and can’t wait for the extended delays such as those experienced by courier services during the last lockdown.
“Ultimately the new legislation is out of sync with COVID restrictions; the regulations empower speciality stores to control the supply of vaping products to consumers but at the same time, these stores will not be able to open at a time when they are most needed,” he says.
Gupta says a move to classify speciality vaping stores in the same category as dairies, service stations and some liquor retailers as essential service providers, in preparation for any potential move to Level 4, will also support smokers trying to quit during lockdown.
 ‘Bi-directional effects between loneliness, smoking and alcohol use: Evidence from a Mendelian randomisation study,’ by Robyn E Wootton et al., in Addiction, June 2020.


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Here you can follow 68 auto websites just by visiting us. Check the auto categories you like by clicking "popular" link at the top menu bar or our other editions such as DesignPLX, FoodiePLX at the bottom menu bar. Once you sign up, you can add more websites, categories you like and remove the ones you don't.
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-We inspected the entrants at the sixth annual Southern Discomfort 24 Hours of LeMons on Friday, and today they raced.
-We’re back at Carolina Motorsports Park in South Carolina for the sixth annual Southern Discomfort 24 Hour of LeMons, and today we inspected the 90 or so vehicles that will be competing this weekend.
- Mssrs. Johnson and Siler at your service.- The Rolls-Royce Phantom and I have a history, and with the exception of a seaside blast in a Phantom Coupé years ago, that history has revolved around me carting around my fellow humans.
- Excitement for the latest James Bond 007 movie, SPECTRE, is growing, including, at least in our circle, for the flick’s hot cars.
- Well, that was quick. This report from 9to5mac.com indicates that a Tesla-controlling app for the Apple Watch is now a fully realized thing, and it’s pretty neat.
-The subcompact-crossover segment is erupting like an overdue volcano—witness the new Chevy Trax, Fiat 500X, and Honda HR-V joining other wee hatchbacks on stilts, such as the Buick Encore, Jeep Renegade, Kia Soul, Mini Countryman, and Nissan Juke.
- The money is talking loudly in Gaydon this week after Aston Martin’s Italian and Middle Eastern investors committed £200 million ($307 million) for the British sports-car maker’s first-ever crossover SUV, among other products slated for the decade’s end.- - The company’s two major private-equity shareholders, the Italian Investindustrial and the Dubai-based Tejara Capital, have together purchased £100 million in new shares and will buy the rest within a year.
- Ford is adding 156,000 more cars to last week’s recall covering faulty door latches, the company said today.
- From the May 2015 issue- Today’s active cruise-control systems can read the road, spot impending collisions, and automatically apply the car’s brakes.
-We’re not sure how this flew under our radar, but at this year’s Detroit auto show in January, the Department of Energy showed off an electric vehicle it had 3D-printed out of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic.
- The auto industry isn’t exactly short of three-letter acronyms, or TLAs as they are sometimes referred to by those either proficient or deficient in the art of irony.
-A company created to build battery-operated cars is now expanding into battery-operated homes and, if Tesla chief Elon Musk wins his battle to electrify the carbon-based world, battery-operated everything.
- We’ll start with an apology to any fans of two-door Subarus who have found this page via a wayward Google search.
- This is hardly a surprise. While the rest of VW’s supervisory board was no doubt hoping that VW/Porsche heavyweight Ferdinand Piëch would simply disappear and enjoy retirement after he and his wife (and fellow VW boardmember) Ursula stepped down last week—his critical remarks on the performance of VW CEO Martin Winterkorn had been met with outrage—that isn’t to be the case.- - The void was was quickly filled with two new appointees, 57-year-old Louise Kiesling, the daughter of Louise Daxer-Piëch; and 34-year-old Julia Kuhn-Piëch.
- Cadillac is getting serious about efficient powertrains. The brand will launch four- and six-cylinder diesel engines, the brand’s chief engineer Dave Leone re-confirmed to us.
-Scion’s sales woes for the FR-S sports car haven’t un-woed, and the company sold just 893 of the coupes in March, down from 1464 during the same month last year.
- Of the post-Communist Škodas, there is one near and dear to our hearts above all others. The Felicia Fun, a pickup variant of the company’s last vehicle built on a pre-Volkswagen platform.


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|Christian Louboutin Sees Red Over YSL's Copyright Infringement
Written by Sarah Thomas
Fancy footwear mogul Christian Louboutin filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Yves Saint Laurent last week for the use of red soles in their footwear designs.
Louboutin has been using the now iconic red soles since 1992 when he first painted a sole red with nail varnish to inject some energy into the design. The label, which in fact trademarked the red sole in 2008 apparently asked YSL to refrain from using the colour in January this year but did not receive a satisfactory response. Louboutin therefore filed the current lawsuit, claiming $1 million in damages and a complete halt in production on all red-soled YSL shoes.
Reuters reports that the lawsuit states: "Mr. Louboutin is the first designer to develop the idea of having red soles on women's shoes. The defendants' use of red footwear outsoles that are virtually identical to the plaintiffs' Red Sole Mark is likely to cause and is causing confusion, mistake and deception among the relevant purchasing public."
This is not the first time Louboutin has filed a lawsuit regarding the infamous red soles; in 2007 the label sued US brand Oh Deer! for similar reasons and it has been reported this week in Vogue that the Brazilian label Carmen Steffens has also received a court order for trademark infringement.


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With the latest news on UK manufacturing less than positive, based on latest monthly statistics, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has offered something worthy of celebration, taking a rather longer term view than a single month.
The organisation has issued a statement saying: "UK automotive manufacturers have set their sights on breaking all-time manufacturing records by the end of 2015. The confidence is fuelled by multi-billion pound investments committed to the country over the past 18 months that will see production expanded, new models introduced and thousands more people employed." More than £5.5 billion has been invested in the sector over that period, in fact.
If achieved, the country could surpass the 1972 record of 1.92 million cars produced, with over two million units rolling off domestic manufacturing lines in 2015. There is a 'but', however. This achievement relies on eurozone stability, and ongoing government support and collaboration.
Nevertheless, achieving annual car manufacturing volumes in excess of two million units would equate to an increase in manufacturing output of more than 50% over 2011's level of 1.3 million units, says SMMT.
On average, the UK manufactures 1.5 million cars and commercial vehicles and over 2.5 million engines annually – 80% of total vehicles and 70% of engines are exported. Automotive is the UK's largest sector, in terms of exports, and generates around £30 billion of annual export revenue. In a typical year, the sector delivers to over 100 markets worldwide and accounts for around 11% of total UK exports.
"The UK automotive industry is leading economic recovery with increased manufacturing output, growing export volumes and new jobs being created on the back of major international investment in the sector. Our engineering expertise, workforce flexibility and renowned motoring heritage, combined with top level collaboration between industry and government, makes the UK an important location for the global automotive industry," says Paul Everitt, SMMT's chief executive.
"The UK has attracted unprecedented levels of new investment and has a tremendous opportunity to see vehicle manufacturing rise to record levels in the years ahead. To remain globally competitive, it is essential that industry and government continue to work in partnership, and that key eurozone markets return to sustainable levels of economic growth," he continues.
Now that all sounds better than the hysterical newspaper headlines about UK manufacturing's monthly ups and downs, don't you think? Let's not let the headline writers take the shine of this very positive development.
First published in Machinery, July 2012
Author: Andrew Allcock


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The Financial Services Authority is investigating the payment protection insurance selling practices of 10 firms with a view to taking enforcement action.
Speaking at a Treasury Select Committee hearing on the FSA’s annual report, Callum McCarthy, chairman of the regulatory body, says: “We are investigating 10 firms with a possible view to taking enforcement action on their PPI selling practices.”
He says the regulator will take action on firms selling PPI where there is significant evidence of mis-selling, taking into account the FSA's treating customers fairly (Tcf) principle.
Rather than forcing firms to disclose their commission levels when selling PPI, McCarthy says the FSA is more concerned consumers recognise the importance of checking the terms and exclusions of policies.
John Tiner, chief executive of the FSA, admits the commissions on PPI are higher than any other type of policy – with some as much as 66% of premiums – but says disclosure of premiums is not the right way forward.
He states: “I’m not sure commission disclosure is right because I don’t think consumers know what to do with this information. We need competition in the market to bring costs down.”
Tiner says the FSA will consider putting information on its website to enable consumers to compare different firms’ commissions and will feed back to the Treasury Select Committee in a month.
McCarthy adds the distribution model in general is “unattractive” and says if firms do not change they will face competition from new entrants in the market.
He states: “There is a recognition that churning is unattractive and I hope this will pressurise the industry to change.”
Although more consumers are paying a fee for advice, the FSA’s mystery shopping has revealed not enough advisers are making it clear to consumers they offer a fee option.
If you have any comments you would like to add to this story or would like to speak to its author about a similar subject, telephone Emily Perryman on 020 7968 4554 or email [email protected].IFAonline
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£92bn transferred since 2015
Achievements, charity work and other happy snippets


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Every mall built by the Orouba Misr group ensures its role in the economy as well as ecological and social perspective Creating new jobs, enhancing the supply chain, logistics, and production happens simultaneously.A protocol has been signed by the Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, in cooperation with Dr. Herve Majidier, Regional Director of Carrefour in the Middle East, and Dr. Hassan ElDeeb, Chairman of the Orouba Misr Group.
This agreement is to entitle the Orouba Malls and Carrefour to create 10 new shopping malls outside the city of great Cairo. Serving the community is our honor and significant development is a goal that we work for. As adding value to a business is a hard business that is worth to achieve, Long term developments from just business point of view aren’t that appealing, but for social & community well fair it’s very attractive duty. Developments in the Delta area (Tanta, Damanhur,Zagazig, and Mansoura) and developments covering Upper Egypt (Asyut and Minya) as well as Suez Canal cities are all potential and in plan. Bringing these cities its needs according to their behavior and consumption pattern is a success story that had been studied by developers and retailers of the pioneering steps made by the Orouba Misr group, which we are extremely proud of.


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Both pork producer and packer margins remain in the red for the week ending Nov. 16. But packer margins gained back $1.71 per head, while producers gave up $1.44.
Farrow-to-finish producers moved from a $23.33-per-head loss for the week ending Nov. 9, to $24.77 per head as of Nov. 16. That compares to the same week a year earlier when margins averaged a $9.58-per-head loss, according to Sterling Marketing, Vale, Ore.
Feed costs improved marginally again on the week, reported at $126.97 for pigs placed into the finisher as of Nov. 16. One week before, feed costs averaged $130.81. For the same week in 2011, feed costs were $103.10.
“With the sharply higher feed costs that producers have had to bear in recent months, it is imperative that consumers be able and willing to pay more for pork in the months to come if hog prices are to rise to a profitable level,” points out Ron Plain, University of Missouri agriculture economist. Over all, retail prices have moved in a sideways pattern since May 2011.
Hog slaughter last week came in at 2.366 million head, up 0.2 percent from the week before, but down 0.1 percent compared to the same week last year. So far, hog slaughter is exceeding 2011 levels by 2 percent. Average barrow and gilt market weights at 272.6 pounds (live) crept up a bit, adding 0.5 pounds from the week before, but down 1.9 pounds from a year ago.
Packers are still recording profits, but margins moved from $8.99 per head for the week ending Nov. 9, to $7.18 last week. Sterling Marketing reports that for the same period in November 2011, packers were averaging a profit of $11.87 per head.
The Sterling Pork Profit Tracker for the week ending Nov. 16:
- Average farrow-to-finish margins: -$24.77 per head
- Average pork packer margins: $7.18 per head
Sterling Marketing provides the Sterling Pork and Beef Profit Trackers, which are calculated using actual weekly prices for hogs and cattle, feed costs, pork and beef cutout prices, drop credits and other factors that influence profit margins.
Cattle feedlot losses move higher, averaging $93.58 per head for the week ending Nov. 17, compared to $87.97 for the week before. Looking back a year ago, feedlot margins were averaging a $39.14-per-head profit.
Beef packer margins improved by nearly $5 per head, reported at $83.31 last week, which compares to $88.59 for the week before. Sterling marketing reports beef packers lost $49.01 per head for the comparable week in 2011.
The Sterling Beef Profit Tracker for the week ending Nov. 17:
- Average feedyard margins: -$83.59 per head
- Average packer margins: -$87.97 per head
- Sterling Profit Quotient: -303.7
The Sterling Pork and Beef Profit Trackers are produced by Sterling Marketing Inc. and John Nalivka, president, Vale, Ore., and are published weekly by Pork Network.


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The launch this week of a plastic payment card specifically aimed at teenagers will cause more than a few parents to shudder at the idea of a "credit card for kids".
The card, called Splash Plastic, is targeting youngsters who want to buy goods on the internet and is designed "to give teens the independence to spend their own money online", says the company behind it.
However, parents can breathe a sigh of relief: Splash Plastic isn't actually a credit card. It's a pre-paid card that only allows you to spend what you've got, so you can't run up huge debts.
Mums and dads have a few months to prepare for the full-scale Splash Plastic assault - it is being piloted in November and will be officially launched in late January backed by a £2.5m advertising campaign. But kids are already being enticed to sign up now by logging on to the website (www.splashplastic.com). Those under 14 are requested to ask their parents to complete the online form for them.
Teenagers are arguably the most net-savvy section of the population and more than 80% say they are keen to buy CDs, computer games and books online, but up until now most of them have effectively been locked out of the e-shopping revolution because they are not allowed to have a credit card. Splash Plastic says its card gives teenagers the freedom to shop independently on the net.
"There are 6.7m teenagers in the UK spending £20bn a year. They want to spend their own money and don't want to ask to borrow a credit card or rely on their parents to top up on online 'e-wallet'," says the company's marketing director Briand Beausoleil. It is estimated that one in three teenagers could have a pre-paid card of this type within two years.
So how do the cards work, and who are Splash Plastic anyway? The cards look just like credit cards, even down to the magnetic stripe on the back, but there is no credit facility. You have to go into a participating shop, hand over your card and the money you wish to spend online, say, £10 of pocket money.
The shop assistant will key this into a special terminal which will credit it to their Splash Plastic account. The card is now automatically loaded with £10 of cash and the teenager can spend it online immediately at internet retailers subscribing to the scheme. You don't need a bank account.
Splash Plastic says it is working with the UK's leading payment system providers on developing a network of 60,000 high street top-up terminals. It has already signed a deal with PayPoint, which operates a system for payment of bills through newsagents, convenience stores, supermarkets and petrol stations, and is busily trying to sign up online retailers selling "appropriate" items such as books, CDs, computer games and clothing.
The system is described by the company as "safe, secure and convenient". Cardholders will have a password which they will have to quote when making purchases.
Splash Plastic was set up by a group of London Business School graduates. It has secured funding from venture capitalists including GE Equity (the investment arm of GE Capital, the UK's largest store card provider), Global Retail Partners, Arts Alliance and Sussex Place Investment Management, the London Business School's investment division.
So what do others think? The National Consumer Council says that because the card is pre-paid, teenagers can spend only the amount which parents have agreed to. But it adds that less well-off mums and dads are inevitably going to come under pressure from their offspring to take out a card or top it up.
Other card news
RBS Advanta has launched the lowest-cost credit card in the UK - an introductory annual percentage rate (APR) of 2.9 for both purchases and balance transfers until June 1 2001. But after that, the standard rate of 17.9 will apply (16.9 for the platinum version of the card).
After years of looking down its nose at the wave of low-cost, no-frills credit cards launched in the UK, Barclaycard is quietly test-marketing one of its own. Selected Barclays customers are being invited to sign up for Barclaycard Alpha, which has no annual fee, a standard rate of 14.9 APR on purchases and a 5.9 APR balance transfer rate.
People's Bank and Virgin Mobile have joined forces so that anyone taking out a People's Bank platinum credit card can take advantage of an introductory rate of 4.9 APR for purchases and balance transfers, plus obtain £50 off Virgin Mobile's new Siemens M35i handset, which currently sells for £119.99.


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Small businesses in Erewash that have not previously been eligible for COVID-19 support are being urged to apply right now for a new grant to help towards the impact of the recent lockdown.
Erewash Borough Council wants to hear as soon as possible from those micro and small businesses that qualify for the so-called ARG support – an Additional Restrictions Grant – which opened on 1 December.
Government funding has allowed all local authorities to draw up tailor-made criteria to help businesses in their community that do not pay business rates and were either forced to close during the latest national lockdown or which remained open but suffered a severe financial impact due to the restrictions.
The funding is available as a one-off grant payment for eligible businesses that were trading on 4 November and were affected by the national restrictions between 5 November and 2 December.
Councillor Wayne Major, Erewash Borough Council’s Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Resources, says:
“It is vital that we get the message out to the small and micro businesses in our community – you may qualify for a grant payment that could be a lifeline in these difficult times.
“We need to hear from you now so that we can, if you’re eligible, get this support out to you as quickly as possible. Please don’t delay, apply now.”
The ARG application form is available online at www.erewash.gov.uk Businesses should have a My Erewash business account to complete the application. An account can be set up via the website. The site will also give full details of the criteria for the Additional Restrictions Grant Scheme. Enquiries about the scheme can be emailed to email@example.com


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Over the years, Google I/O has been largely focused on software that affects the Google universe. From Android to ChromeOS to Google Assistant to the web, Google I/O is – at the core – a developer’s conference. Yes, there has been hardware announced and even handed out at the event in the past, but that is the exception: not the norm.
In 2019 Google chose to unveil the Pixel 3a, but even though that phone set the trend for an annual update in the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5a in the years following, those subsequent phones weren’t announced at I/O. And yes, Google announced the original Google Home at Google I/O 2016 and also handed out Chromebook Pixels to all attendees in 2013, but other than those few examples, the hardware at I/O each year has been few and far between.
And that’s to be expected, right? After all, it is a software developer’s conference, not a hardware event. Yet, each year we get our hopes up that Google will finally take Apple’s WWDC lead and start using this large, very-public event to at least announce a couple products that best showcase that software. And each year we are usually let down.
This year, more than any I can recall, there is a ton of hype around Google-made hardware that “looks likely to launch” at Google I/O and I’m growing more skeptical by the minute as the keynote approaches. In just about a day from now, we’ll have our answers, but for now we’re all wondering if this will be the year that Google uses this large stage to announce a few products that – frankly – shouldn’t be held until October for a hardware event. With that said, let’s look at all the possibilities from most to least likely to make an appearance in my opinion.
Most Likely: Pixel 6a
Of all the things looming in Google’s hardware portfolio, the Pixel 6a makes the most sense to get some Google I/O attention. The Pixel 3a was announced at Google I/O and the fact that it is a integral piece of hardware for Android, Chrome, and Google Assistant make it a very easy tie-in for Google to include in this event. The leaks are all out there and it’s clear this phone is nearing a launch, so I/O makes a lot of sense.
Somewhat Likely: Pixel Watch announcement
The Pixel Watch is just as hyped and just as leaked as the Pixel 6a, but the tie-ins aren’t quite as deep. Sure, there could be a section in the keynote about Wear OS and people will lose their minds if Google simply teases the Pixel Watch, but it’s still not a foregone conclusion in my mind. The rumors continue that we’ll at least see a tease or announcement this week, but I could also see Google holding this one until the fall, too.
Possible, but not likely: new Nest Hub
The new Nest Hub should be a detachable device that could be a wild new form factor for Google’s home hardware, but the lack of recent activity or leaks around it make me dubious that it will break cover at Google I/O 2022. We heard a report back in March about this device, but not much since then. As much as we see big releases leak from Google, I’d expect a bit more action surrounding this one, and it’s just not been there. Possible? Sure. Likely? Not really.
Unlikely: Chromecast w/Google TV HD
In a similar vein, the rumored Chromecast w/Google TV HD hasn’t been showing up very often since it was discovered in January. This downgraded-but-cheaper Google TV device will likely do well when it arrives, but I could see Google dropping this one in a post on The Keyword and simply shipping it to stores over time. I’d be surprised to see much of an announcement at any event for this device, so taking up keynote time at Google I/O feels very unlikely at this juncture.
Highly unlikely: Pixel Buds Pro
Finally, we have the Pixel Buds Pro. While I’m 100% thrilled to hear Google is working on a proper upgrade to the bug-prone Pixel Buds, it feels very unlikely that a product we’ve heard nothing about up until last week would get launched at a non-hardware-specific event. I could be wrong, but the timing just feels all off and earbuds are simply not a software-related piece of hardware you’d expect to see at a developer conference. Without passing through things like the Bluetooth SIG and FCC, it is quite unlikely we’ll see Google even mention these earbuds until the fall.
There’s so much about Google I/O that is exciting each year that has nothing to do with hardware, and we’re anxious to see what Google announces in this year’s version. As always, there are tons of sessions and a couple keynotes that will likely be stuffed with all sorts of software-related updates, so the next few days will be very busy around here. The first keynote kicks off at 1PM EST/10AM PST and you can watch right alongside everyone else over on YouTube or on the Google I/O 2022 site. We’ll be there for sure!


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Exports touched $95 billion in June quarter
Indian merchandise exports touched $95 billion in the three months ended June, recording an all-time high in any single quarter, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, adding that the country is set to achieve its $400 billion export target in 2021-22. He attributed the performance, which came despite the second wave of the coronavirus disease pandemic, to excellent performance by labour-intensive sectors such as engineering goods, rice, oil meals and marine products.
Merchandise exports in the first quarter of 2021-22 jumped 16% over $82 billion in the same quarter two years ago (Q1, FY19), when compared with a normal year preceding the first wave, he said. The previous record was $90 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020-21.
The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent 68-day nationwide lockdown since March 25, 2020 adversely affected merchandise exports in the first quarter of the previous financial year (April-June, 2020-21) , which clocked $51 billion.
According to official data, the highest growth of 168% was achieved in iron ore exports, which touched $1.7 billion compared to the same period two years ago [Q1 FY-20]. Similarly, rice exports grew 37% to $2.4 billion. In value terms, engineering goods worth $25.9 billion were exported , a 25% jump over $20.7 billion in April-June 2019. Petroleum products saw 16% growth during this period to $12.9 billion. About 14% growth was also recorded in pharmaceutical exports , the tenth top export item, to $5.8 billion .
Commerce secretary BVR Subrahmanyam said export growth in India surpassed that in major economies such as the European Union, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US in April 2021.
said the government has now set a $400 billion merchandise export target for the current financial year, which is over 21% higher than the record $330 billion achieved in 2018-19.
Goyal said the record performance in Q1 FY-22 was a result of PM Modi’s direct engagement with all stakeholders immediately after the Budget that ensured effective implementation of key policy announcements made on February 1. Goyal said the export performance is global recognition that India is a “trusted and reliable partner” to deliver high quality goods and services on time.
Despite a robust export performance, India’s trade deficit has grown due to higher imports. The country’s merchandise imports in April-June were $126.14 billion, an increase of 108% over $60.65 billion in April-June 2020, and a decrease of 3.05% over $130.1 billion in April-June 2019.
Petroleum import is one of the main reasons for the trade deficit . Oil import in April-June was $31 billion, a 136.36% jump compared to $13.12 billion in April-June 2020. However, India imported petroleum worth $35.36 billion in April-June 2019.
The net economic contribution of exports , net exports as a percentage of GDP , was the highest in 16 years during the quarter ending June 2020. This is basically a result of a simultaneous collapse in non-petroleum imports and crude oil prices as the pandemic ravaged the global economy and India was under a strict lockdown. India’s merchandise trade deficit was $30.7 billion in the quarter ending June , lower than the $41.1 and $35.1 billion figures for the quarters ending March 2021 and December 2020.
While complimenting government policies for a robust growth in exports, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) president A Sakthivel said increase in both quarterly and monthly imports should be looked into.
Sakthivel, who is also the chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), said: “India’s economic recovery is likely to be led by exports till domestic demand picks up. And, leading the pack of exporters will be the MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises], as exports need personalised management.”
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) director general Chandrajit Banerjee said: “Driven by structural reforms and positive sentiments about Indian goods, the milestone of highest-ever merchandise exports strongly demonstrates the growing importance of the country in global supply chains.”


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If you only get excited by the sausage of a car and not by the sausage making of a car factory, hop on to the next article, because this will utterly bore you. Everybody gone? Alright, talking to myself again. We’ve always said, not really in jest, that two industries profit the most from just in time manufacturing: The real estate industry and the trucking industry. Honda wants some of that money. Read More >
Latest auto news, reviews, editorials, and podcasts
Here I am, back in Carolina Motorsports Park in South Carolina for the second annual Southern Discomfort 24 Hours of LeMons, and the seventh LeMons event to take place at CMP. The ’10 Southern Discomfort really was uncomfortable, with freezing-ass temperatures and plenty of frigid mud all around, and that scared off many of the usual Southern LeMons teams this time… but the joke was on them; the 50 or so teams that had the guts to show up will enjoy beautiful 70-degree weather all weekend. Read More >
With GM’s announcement of a new SYNC-competitor system, the issue of whether or not in-car connectivity systems are compatible with the government’s desire to reduce distracted driving has raised its head once again. So we put the question to you, our Best and Brightest: will the government ever step in to regulate in-car electronics? Should it? After all, distraction comes in all shapes and sizes… from fast food to in-car Facebook updates. Can the government draw a line between acceptable distractions and unacceptable ones? Will any government action actually make a difference in the statistics?
These three men have been charged with criminal damage of property after vandalizing seven 2011 model-year Toyotas at the Chicago Auto Show, reports the Southtown Star.
Police said they caused about $30,000 worth of damage to the vehicles, which had speakers cut open, dashboards ripped apart, seats sliced and windshields scratched.
Responding officers caught the three in a blue Toyota Camry, damaging the interior with razor knives and flathead screwdrivers, according to police.
They said other Toyotas were found in the immediate area with similar damage, and the three were taken into custody by McCormick Place security personnel, who contacted Chicago police. The men told police they were angry about American jobs going overseas. [emphasis added]
The Barcelona Reporter, er, reports that a new law passed by Spain’s parliament
allows dealerships a full refund from manufacturers for unsold cars and, in some cases, to charge carmakers for sales teams’ labour and other related expenses… Car manufacturers will have to repay dealerships for any cars they fail to sell after three months, under the new law.
In the event carmakers’ contracts with distributors expire or are cancelled, they must also pay for layoffs at salesrooms and compensate them for lost custom.
Proponents argue that the law, which was bundled with a number of economic measures, would protect Spain’s 150k dealer jobs which, they argue, exist “at the whim” of manufacturers. Needless to say, the OEMs are not amused, and the association of foreign automakers who build cars in Spain (ANFAC) hints that investments by members like Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen will have to be reconsidered in light of these new rules. And even within Spain, the measure is drawing controversy. Industry minister Miguel Sebastian complains
How will a German, Japonese or French (car manufacturer) understand this law if I do not even understand it myself?
In other “Spain hates cars” news, Auto Motor und Sport reports that the country has also approved a new urban speed limit of 30 km/hour (about 18.6 MPH) in order to reduce pedestrian deaths.
Doesn’t that profile look familiar? Haven’t we seen that somewhere? Having taken the British brand in a bold new direction after decades of stylistic stagnation, Jaguar’s chief designer Ian Callum is letting Bertone take the lead in setting a stylistic direction for Jag’s forthcoming 3-Series competitor… and Bertone seems hell-bent on dragging Jag back to its XJ-obsessed recent past. But Bertone design director Mike Robinson won’t cop to the seemingly obvious charge, telling Autocar
Jaguar is looking at a new design direction and a small car — and we think this is the right style, with a very light glasshouse and the visual weight concentrated on to the wheels… I’m an anti-retroist. This is not an old classic design. It’s a new classic.
But is it? The (B) pillarless four-door screams XJC in proportion, and the whole effect is of a step backwards. Besides, when classic XJ proportions meet a 3-Series-sized chassis, the interior is going to face some serious space restrictions. In any case, Callum took one the boldest steps in automotive design when he left the XJ styling cues behind and penned the XF and the stunning new XJ. With this B99 concept, Bertone just seems to be muddying the waters. Let’s hope Jag keeps rejects the concept and keeps design of its forthcoming smaller luxury sedan in-house.
Arizona is home to the oldest continuously operating speed camera programs and the US headquarters for the two largest private companies that operate the equipment. It could also be the latest state to join the fifteen jurisdictions that ban automated ticketing machines. The Arizona Senate Government Reform Committee voted 5 to 1 on Wednesday to approve legislation repealing the statutes that have allowed the use of red light cameras and speed cameras in the state. The move represents a significant reversal for a legislature that in the previous session introduced no significant legislation to curtail photo enforcement thanks to a leadership that fully backed the program.
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers finally has returned from the Chinese New Year festivities and got around to counting the real official sales number for China in January 2011. China’s auto sales in January rose 13.81 percent to 1.894 million units. Passenger vehicles did not rise 12.6 percent to 965,238 units in January, as prematurely reported by the Associated Press. Passenger vehicle sales in China rose 16.17 percent to 1.529 million units last month. Read More >
Wards Auto reports that Ford now has more dealerships than Chevrolet “for the first time in years.” Not that this is a sign of growth on Ford’s part… it simply cut fewer dealerships (62) last year than Chevy, which wiped out some 372 at the behest of the government and its consultants. Chevy, meanwhile, has struck back at Ford by offering its version of Ford’s SYNC system… some 3 years after Ford built the only real brand in what is now the crowded field of in-car connectivity options. Of course, Chevy hasn’t released a date or price for MyLink sales, but at this point, what’s the rush? Besides, Ray LaHood is going to really roll up his sleeves and take on the “epidemic” of distracted driving any minute now… right?


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EcommerceJan 08, 2015 11:55 AM By Daniela Forte
When it came to desktop buying, Cyber Monday once again ranked as the highest shopping day of the year. See how other days did for holiday season 2014.
EcommerceJan 06, 2015 5:55 PM By Tim Parry
Additionally, as retailers make the looming switch to EMV payments systems, those systems also accept mobile capabilities such as Apple Pay, which will also contribute to increased mobile payments. Click for more 2015 cybercrime predictions from ThreatMetrix.
EcommerceJan 06, 2015 5:11 PM By Daniela Forte
More and more shoppers are opting to buy online than in-store. This infographic by Nextopia illustrates the various reasons why people are moving away from the shopping mall to the screen.
EcommerceJan 06, 2015 4:50 PM By Daniela Forte
The holiday shopping season saw strong online and mobile sales with online sales up 13.9% year-over-year. See what other key metrics made an impact on the 2014 holiday season.
EcommerceJan 06, 2015 3:01 PM By Daniela Forte
Staples announced the availability of ambient alerts for its Staples Connect platform, providing visual notification outside of the Staples Connect app. See what other features are available with the ambient alerts.
EcommerceJan 06, 2015 12:05 PM By Daniela Forte
Coach announced it is acquiring luxury footwear brand Stuart Weitzman through a private equity firm Sycamore Partners. See what this will mean for both brands.
EcommerceDec 23, 2014 4:43 PM By Mike O'Brien
The USPS OIG said the USPS has been inefficient in handling Sunday deliveries for major customer Amazon, leading to over $350,000 in additional costs.
EcommerceDec 18, 2014 3:45 PM By Tim Parry
The idea of Free Shipping Day used to be a bigger deal. Now it’s more the exception than special. Amazon has trained people that they’re going to get not just free shipping, but fast free shipping, all the time. And that’s why Free Shipping Day has become a thing of the past.
EcommerceDec 16, 2014 5:08 PM By Mike O'Brien
In the never-ending battle for holiday shopping dollars, clothing retailer Banana Republic is offering free same-day shipping from Wednesday, Dec. 17 through Tuesday, Dec. 23 as part of its “Procrastinators Event” promotional program, the company said in a press release.
Through crowdsourced same-day shipping provider Deliv, customers who use Banana Republic’s reserve in store option on its website can opt for free same-day delivery in eight cities: San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Houston and Seattle.
EcommerceDec 12, 2014 11:49 AM By Yan Krupnik
Approximately one-third of retailers have invested in some level of omnichannel capabilities, but those that haven’t are setting themselves up for failure. Cross-channel features considered a luxury yesterday are a necessity today. So, what’s preventing retailers from omnichannel integration?


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#MeToo, So What?
As forecasts for America look good with a strong month in January, there is cause to worry for luxury and entertainment brands. A recent political movement, named #MeToo has empowered hundreds of men and women to stand up against their abusers. In cut throat worlds of fashion and film, there is a system of abuse and tolerance towards that abuse. 2017 brought financial uncertainty, but not in the way you might think.
Guess Again, GUESS
One of the world’s most lucrative luxury brands had remained untouched by the political climate that seemed to affect many other industries. For example, political debate surrounding environmental accords boosted companies such as Tesla immensely. The Weinstein scandal severely affected its namesake stock. GUESS shares tumbled by over 14% today as Kate Upton came out against co-founder Marciano. She accused him on Twitter, saying,
“It’s disappointing that such an iconic women’s brand @GUESS is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director #metoo,” (Reuters).
She couldn’t be reached for further comment, however. On a platform that is just as shaky as a social media site, Marciano responded to the allegations through TMZ. Refuting all allegations did not seem to help the stock regain market trust, however.
Why Should You Care?
All of this seems innocuous if you’re a hardcore financier. However, the markets have always been ruled by social and political thought. Harvey Weinstein was a man who wielded enormous financial influence. The entertainment industry certainly paid a price for his years of misdemeanours. In the same way, if social attitudes towards workplace standards and sexual harassment in the fashion industry continue to change, then traditional investors will find themselves in trouble.
On the flip side, sustainable and equitable fashion labels and new haute couture houses will begin to form, leading to an entirely new industry for investors to enjoy.
Combine the shift in values along with an enormous share of the market moving to online platforms, and labels like GUESS seem to be living on borrowed time.
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As tech companies descended on Capitol Hill this week, the ongoing debate around antitrust continues. Startups have long lamented about the anticompetitive business practices adopted by the big 4: Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google. If you build a business that relies on the Apple or Google app stores then you automatically know you’re going to pay a ~30% toll to access consumers. The debate has further been heightened as some startups like Classpass have been hit with this toll as they roll out virtual classes due to COVID. The founders argue that they are forgoing their normal take rate from providers (gym’s, etc) they work with during COVID so why is Apple charging them 30%. Apple is in an interesting situation, because if they make exceptions for one business, they need to make for others. They also would face potential legal battles from previous customers that did have to pay.
Drawing a parallel from the CPG or consumer products space. If you’re a brand and you want to sell at Walmart then you also pay a type of “toll” via a hit to gross margins and even possibly slotting fees to access their customers. While you can set prices, often buyers select brands that fit within their ideal price point based on research they have on their shoppers. So what do most brands try to do? They go direct-to-consumer.
And yet another parallel from the entertainment sector. Content providers (i.e. ABC, ESPN, Discovery, etc) are constantly at odds with pay TV operators (i.e. Comcast, DirectTV, etc) over carriage fees. ESPN wants more $ per subscriber and Comcast wants to pay less $ per subscriber. Who has more power here? The gatekeeper or the content provider. What ultimately happens in this situation is the pay TV operator drops the TV channel from their lineup and in-to -consumer offering.
There are anticompetitive business matters in each of these two scenarios and it’s not all that different than what is going on now with the big tech companies and mobile apps. Apple or Google don’t dictate the price of your app. They argue, just markup your cost to cover the toll if you can’t make the unit economics work.
Privately held Epic Games is upping the battle further against Apple and Google after the two app stores removed Fortnite from their respective platforms. But because Epic has a massive business licensing their 3D technology (called the Unreal Engine) to many other game makers they also, by default, would be removed from the app stores further hurting entrepreneurs who aren’t directly connected to this battle.
As Fred Wilson of USV says, politicians should be focused on “opening up not breaking up the tech companies.” The tech companies have a tremendous amount of power, and breaking them up might not solve a lot of the fundamental issues. Essentially, they will just slowly come back together and we’ll end up back with walled garden ecosystems. The app stores should open up to allow browsers to have the same access as native mobile apps.
In the meantime if you’re building a business that relies on the app stores today, I don’t see a world in which you can avoid paying the toll. Look at it as CAC and part of doing business and know that as you grow awareness you then create an omnichannel strategy by circumventing them. And lastly, continue to think about additional value offerings (i.e. gift with purchase, etc) that you can offer those customers who transact outside of the app stores.


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Mobile, Web Payment Standards to Stem from Industry Collaboration
No two digital wallets are alike, but there is a growing interest within the payments industry in standardizing a base layer for digital payments.
"Standards lower barriers to innovation and development costs," said Ian Jacobs, Web payments activity lead at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is in the process of developing Web payments standards that could help all stakeholders in the payments value chain.
The W3C was formed in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web. The consortium's goals are to devise vendor-neutral, open and interoperable standards for the Web.
Generally, the W3C standardizes the very base layer of applications. For example, in payments, the group doesn't care whether a consumer wants to pay via an automated clearing house (ACH) transfer from a bank account; with a credit, debit or prepaid card; or even with Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency. Instead, the Web payments interest group wants to standardize the process of paying online, to make it just as easy to use one method over the other.
Because of this, standards should improve consumer usability and choice, Jacobs said. Users "should be able to use their preferred instruments with more merchants from more devices," he said.
By standardizing the acceptance of multiple payment methods on the Web, the work could also open online shopping to those consumers coined under- or unbanked. This could improve the financial health of those individuals and in turn, the society overall, Jacobs said.
Web payments work started in March last year, when 100 industry experts came together in Paris to talk through some of the technology, some of the success and some of the fears driving Web payments change. Following the workshop, in October some participants formed the Web payments interest group. The group's job is to figure out the requirements, use cases and architecture for undertaking a project like this. (Full disclosure: I participated in the March workshop and have kept up with the group since then, but am not a member of the Web payments interest group.)
On April 16 the interest group released the first public draft of the use cases document. The hope is that it gets broad feedback from a variety of stakeholders. Development of the architecture for Web payments has already begun and the group hopes to propose a charter in August so that more substantial work can begin by the end of the year.
A number of other standards groups including EMVCo, ISO, the FIDO Alliance and ASC X9 Inc. develop in the payments space and the W3C has been liaising with them to make sure its standard is interoperable.
The Web payments interest group has garnered significant attention recently, signing on key players in the payments space, including several members of the 12 Reserve banks that make up the broader Federal Reserve system; Target Corp.; Visa Europe; Gemalto SA; the Merchant Advisory Group, whose leadership includes an executive from Walmart; several large telecommunications providers; WorldPay; Ripple Labs; Ethereum; Google Inc. and Alibaba Group. In total 68 representatives from 36 organizations have joined the group and four experts have been invited in. Apple is absent from the Web payments group.
Over the past several years, numerous stakeholders have been wary, if not threatened, by standardization, but the payments industry seems to be ready to work together. During Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this March, several presenters cited standardization of payments a trending topic of 2015 and beyond.
This wasn't the case more than a decade ago when the W3C started developing a standard for micropayments on the Web. That project was scrapped as both the market and the W3C were not ready or able to standardize for financial services.
"But that has changed," said Jacobs. "The success of mobile computing, the demand for greater security and the interest in cryptocurrencies have driven a lot of innovation but also fragmentation."
One of the key focal points for the Web payments interest group is digital and mobile wallets. The interest group would like to define a framework for a wallet API that allows providers to compete on services while also breaking up the battle being fought at the point of sale with differing technology, to the disadvantage of the consumer.
This deliverable pokes at the sometimes understated conflict going on in-store with some providers deploying NFC contactless iterations of mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Wallet), others using QR codes (MCX's CurrentC) and still others that may favor Samsung's use of LoopPay to mimic swiped card transactions with a wireless signal.
Another focus for the interest group is security, identity and authentication. This will likely be a more nuanced challenge. One benefit Jacobs mentioned for the consumer was the ability to transact without sharing sensitive information with merchants or other third parties. Using the momentum Apple Pay has created for tokenization, the W3C sees Web payment standards reducing the need for merchants to store sensitive information, he said.
By moving to tokenized data, merchants can lower their compliance burdens under the Payment Card Industry data security standard. But this could also cause concern with merchants that use customer data to send targeted offers and build loyalty programs.
But the Web payments group hasn't overlooked this; one of the goals is to make sure merchants' branded payments mechanisms, whether co-brand cards or loyalty points will be visible and easy to use at checkout as well, Jacobs said.
Plus standards will make deploying an e-commerce solution less difficult and make adopting new innovation seamless for merchants, said Jacobs.
The cost of updating has been one of the biggest hurdles for merchants especially small merchants in launching websites, adopting new payment options and staying compliant and secure.
"Ultimately what we want to do is make Web payments and more broadly financial services available to everyone...for minimal additional costs," said David Ezell, a software architect at Verifone who's represented the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) at the W3C since 2001.
The Web payments work is especially important for the retailers Ezell represents.
"The second-biggest expense [for fuel sellers] is paying interchange on credit card purchases," Ezell said. And fuel is an extremely low-margin item for convenience stores. Interchange usually falls far lower on the list of expenses for other retail industries, he said.
NACS represents some of the largest convenience stores but also many small businesses; most NACS members have between two and 20 stores.
Many small merchants have years-long contracts with card acquirers and set their stores up to accept and manage payments in a certain way. It then costs a substantial amount to change the process. Once the merchants have bought in they don't have a lot of negotiating power with their acquirers; competition at the level of small- and medium-sized businesses stifles because the merchants are locked in.
A Web payments standard could make it easier for retailers, including convenience stores, to switch between providers and accept other, cheaper forms on payment. While that could cut into the revenue of card schemes and banks, Jacobs said making it easier and more secure for consumers to transact online means they'll spend more frequently and in greater volume.
And the telcos, which are having a tough time finding their place within the mobile payments market, could even find the standards helpful. For instance if fuel retailers begin pushing their customers to the mobile channel so they can pay with a bank transfer, there's a case for using the telcos' data for fraud mitigation. Orange, Deutsche Telekom AG, SK Telecom and AT&T participate in the Web payments interest group.
"Our membership expansion is mirroring the technology convergence," said Jacobs. "The mobile industry, the publishing industry, the entertainment industry and now the automotive industry are investing in the Web as the cross-device app platform.
Once the Web payments charter is approved, it could take 18 months to finalize the standard, Jacobs said. Along the way, stakeholders will implement the standard's elements, he added.


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Maruti Suzuki Brezza 2022 bookings now open for Rs 11,000: Here's how to book Maruti Suzuki has officially commenced bookings of the new Brezza ahead of its launch which is scheduled to take place on 30 June 2022. In a teaser released today, the company revealed the all-new Brezza with an Electric Sunroof. Also
Maruti Suzuki has officially commenced bookings of the new Brezza ahead of its launch which is scheduled to take place on 30 June 2022. In a teaser released today, the company revealed the all-new Brezza with an Electric Sunroof. Also Read - Mahindra Scorpio N to Hyundai Venue Facelift: Here are the top 5 most awaited SUVs in India
The all-new Brezza will be available with a new design, modern and spacious cabin and Next-Gen Powertrain with 6 speed Automatic Transmission. Also Read - Top SUVs under Rs 12 lakh launching in the coming weeks
“Maruti Suzuki Brezza took the Indian market by storm with its launch in 2016. Since then, it has ruled the market and started a new trend of compact SUVs in the country. With over 7.5L units sold in just 6 years, Brezza commands a strong market share in the compact SUV segment in the country,” Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said in a statement. Also Read - Maruti Suzuki Brezza 2022 launch: From interiors, engine to features, all that we know for sure
Customers can pre-book the new Brezza with an initial payment of Rs 11,000 at any of the company’s Arena showroom or from its website.
“Brezza has a very special place in our portfolio. It was the first product which was conceptualized, designed and developed in India by Maruti Suzuki. The true symbol of “Create in India”, Brezza revolutionized the Indian Compact SUV market with its stylish looks, bold design and highly refined drive experience. It is always challenging to further improve a very successful and loved product,” CV Raman, Chief Technical Officer (Engineering), Maruti Suzuki India Limited, noted.
Brezza 2022 will be adopting a lot of elements from the Baleno 2022. The sub-4m compact SUV will be borrowing the digital instrument cluster from Baleno 2022. The steering wheel also seems to be identical with a slightly flattened-out bottom.
It will get the same 9-inch unit that we see on the Baleno 2022. It is expected to get support for both Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Additionally, you might also get a wireless charging pad for smartphones.
The Brezza 2022 will also be getting the heads-up display (HUD). We can’t be sure if this is a feature that buyers would be looking for but its good to have an option. The Brezza 2022 will be getting cruise control along with other steering control options.
The Brezza 2022 will also finally get a sunroof. The competition in the segment has been gaining points for this feature. The new sunroof will be electric. Another good and useful addition will be a 360-degree camera view.Maruti Suzuki Brezza 2022 bookings now open for Rs 11,000: Here's how to book View Story


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Quad/Graphics Inc. has leased a 205,063-square-foot industrial building in New Berlin, according to an announcement Tuesday from the Dickman Co. Inc./CORFAC International, Milwaukee.
Ace Distribution Leasing LLC is leasing the facility at 5600 S. Moorland Road.
More details were not immediately available. A Quad/Graphics spokeswoman couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Quad/Graphics (NYSE: QUAD), a Sussex-based commercial printing company, posted a $21 million, or 39 cents per share, profit in its most recent quarter. But sales were down 7 percent to $1.1 billion on expected volume declines, pricing pressures on print and byproduct sales, and challenges in the company’s book product line.
The company operates six manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin, according to its annual report filed in March. Those include 2.2 million square feet in Lomira, 2 million square feet in Sussex, 1.6 million in Hartford, 911,000 square feet in West Allis, 303,000 square feet in Pewaukee, and 145,000 square feet in Burlington.
Quad/Graphics has 153 facilities in 21 countries.


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Tesco yesterday set out a 10-point plan designed to improve its image and underline its green credentials in an attempt to address mounting consumer concern over the giant supermarket group's power.
Chief executive Sir Terry Leahy outlined the grocer's new "community plan" - which ranges from sponsoring youth football to offering more local produce and biodegradable carrier bags - one day after supermarkets were referred to the Competition Commission for an investigation into whether they abuse their market power. Sir Terry said it was important that Tesco be viewed as a "good neighbour".
It also emerged that Tesco has pulled out of a high-profile campaign to extend Sunday trading hours. The UK's biggest retailer was co-financing the Deregulate campaign aiming to sweep away the rules that limit large shops to six hours of opening on a Sunday. J Sainsbury and Marks & Spencer had publicly refused to back the campaign.
Sir Terry denied there was any connection between the competition inquiry and the firm's attempt to improve its reputation. The planning for the community plan, he said, "goes back several years".
The Tesco charm offensive was unveiled at the offices of The Work Foundation. Sir Terry said it was the result of changing attitudes among shoppers, who want businesses to be responsible, fair and honest and to be good neighbours. "Customers reflect UK society as a whole," said Sir Terry. "What customers say reflects what the UK is thinking".
As a result, the plan includes new measures to save energy, use more local suppliers, and encourage healthier lifestyles.
The main plank of the community plan is a £100m environmental fund, which was unveiled last month. It includes plans to power stores with wind turbines, solar panels and geothermal power and to introduce gasification, which produces energy from waste food. Sir Terry compared it to the £50m initiative to encourage use of alternative energy announced by the chancellor in last month's budget and called on the government to make it easier for businesses to win planning permission for large wind turbine projects.
Tesco also plans to increase its recycling facilities and from September this year all its carrier bags will be biodegradable. It also plans clearer labelling, especially on its own-brand foods, and pledged more promotions for healthier foods. Sir Terry said it also aimed to improve fitness by getting "two million people running, cycling and walking in the run-up to 2012".
There are also pledges to consult local communities more about new outlets and to make Tesco Express convenience outlets less intrusive into local communities, blending shop fronts into their surroundings and making fewer and quieter deliveries.
Sir Terry also outlined plans to source more food from local suppliers and to put regional counters in stores to encourage shoppers to buy locally produced goods in season.
The Tesco chief executive said it was an "ambitious programme" and there would be more to come. However, he was unable to say how much would be invested in the community plan in excess of the £100m environmental fund. "We don't have figures on how much all this will cost, but it's pretty substantive."
Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation, which has been critical of retailers creating "clone towns", welcomed Tesco's commitment to renewable energy. "It is great - all businesses should be doing it." But he added: "The good-neighbour tag could come back to haunt them, rather like the Tories with their Back to Basics campaign."


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Inhalers included, there's now an additional method that can help revitalize the health of asthma sufferers. Researchers publishing their findings in the Cochrane Library conducted a double-blind study involving 435 children and 658 adults, hoping to discover whether vitamin D helps reduce asthma attacks. Luckily, their predictions were right; According to the group's findings, supplementing with vitamin D actually works.
Though the exact reason for the correlation is not yet known, the study's results speak for themselves. Taking oral, vitamin D supplements "reduced the risk of attacks requiring medication by 37 percent." Using anywhere from 400 to 4,000 units per subject per day, positive trends were shown overall. Vitamin D also proved to have a positive effect in emergency situations; Subjects who took the supplements had a 60 percent decrease in acute asthma attacks requiring emergency intervention.
Focusing solely on children and adults with mild to moderate asthma, the researchers were sure to note that "further trials focusing on children and people who experience frequent severe asthma attacks are needed before definitive clinical recommendations can be made." Lead author of the study Adrian R. Martineau, a professor of respiratory infection at Queen Mary University of London, told The New York Times: "We don’t yet have the evidence to say that everyone should take it." Overall, though, the researchers believe that the conclusions drawn are solid, strong, and "of high quality."
In discussing why vitamin D is so game-changing, The New York Times notes that the effectiveness of vitamin D in reducing asthma attacks may be due to its ability to act as an anti-inflammatory in users. This, in conjunction with vitamin D's antiviral properties could improve lung health in asthma sufferers; vitamin D can therefore "decrease the risk for lung infection." The researchers didn't delve into whether natural vitamin D, either by exposure to sunlight or through eating nutrient-rich foods, plays a part in asthma attacks at all.
If you or your child suffers from asthma, this is definitely a helpful development to hear. Vitamin D supplements are relatively inexpensive and are without a doubt cheaper than, say, an impromptu visit to the emergency room—not to mention a whole lot less scary. As per the researchers' final thoughts, its not yet safe to say whether or not doctors can start prescribing high doses of the vitamin as a preventative measure. Ensuring that you or your child receive an adequate daily values of vitamin D, however, definitely can't hurt.


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Samsung has released a new beta of their Android 9.0 Pie for their Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus handsets, Android Pie beta 4.
The Android Pie Beta4 has been released to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus in the UK and Germany.
The software comes with the build number G965FXXU2ZRLF for the Galaxy S9 Plus and G960FXXU2ZRLF for the Galaxy S9.
The new beta comes with a range of bug fixes and performance improvements and you need to sign up to test out the beta.
Samsung previously announced that they would release Android 9.0 Pie for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus in January 2019, as soon as we get some details on the exact release date, we will let you guys know.


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CPI (Q1): Core Inflation Falls to Lowest Annual Rate Since Great Depression
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Q1 rose just 0.6%, below expectations for a 0.9% rise.
The annual rate is now 1.1%. Core inflation was also soft with the preferred measure, the Trimmed Mean, rising just 0.3% in the quarter and 1.1% over the past year.
Core or underlying inflation attempts capture the inflation trend in the economy. Core inflation is now at its lowest annual rate in almost 100 years, that is, since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Inflation jumped in Perth (1.4%) and Darwin (2.6%) largely due to government policy changes. Sydney (0.4%) and Melbourne (0.3%) were very low, also partly the result of policy changes.
The inflation ‘pulse’ in Australia remains low at around 1.25% to 1.5% and is looking a long way from the RBA’s target of 2% to 3%. There is nothing in these numbers to encourage the RBA to change their inflation (and policy) views.
The inflation numbers should be treated with caution because:
They are backward-looking and reflect economic conditions and decisions taken in the past.
They are being heavily impacted by government policies and COVID disruptions.
That being said, the ongoing low rate of consumer price inflation does impact inflation expectations and will make it just that little bit harder for employees to argue for a decent wage increase. With inflation just above 1%, to ask for a 3% wage rise implies a big real wage increase that only the most profitable (and generous) businesses will likely pay.
The biggest increase in the quarter came from petrol prices, which rose 8.7%. Domestic airfares fell 1.8% helping to push the “Recreation and Culture” group down 0.2% in the quarter.
Otherwise, notable price changes were mostly driven by government policy changes. For example, in Darwin, the Northern Territory Government’s Home Improvement Scheme came to an end. This pushed up the category “Home Maintenance and Repair of Dwellings” by 1.1% and was a big reason that Darwin prices rose 2.6%. There are many examples of these types of policy impacts from electricity prices in Victoria to higher education costs nationally.
Supply chain cost pressures that have emerged over the last year are not showing up in retail prices. Higher transport and logistics costs, delays to deliveries and higher commodity prices all appear to have been absorbed by businesses. This could be explained by strong profitability due to Jobkeeper and strong domestic demand. Business may start to look to pass some of these costs on if they persist.
The next numbers will see the annual inflation rate surge higher as the 1.9% Q2 2020 figure drops out of the calculations. If the quarterly rise in Q2 is 0.5%, the annual rate will jump to 3.6%. This will prove temporary with the annual rate dropping back to 2% by the end of the year.
Australian inflation could be at a long-term turning point. These numbers have been heavily impacted by Covid disruptions and related government policies. Isolated inflation pressures are emerging in the supply chain and the labour market. On-going strong economic growth and labour demand will need to turn these pressures into a general lift in wages growth if we are to get inflation sustainably higher, as per the RBA’s policy targets.
SMEconomics Report 6th Edition
2020 has been a year unlike any other with the impact of the COVID pandemic being felt across the global economy. This edition of the Judo SMEconomics report examines the Australian economic landscape and provides insights into what the recovery looks like for Australian business now and into the future.
SMEconomics Report 7th Edition
Welcome to the 7th edition of the Judo Bank SMEconomics Report. After what has been a year unlike any other, 2021 is all about economic recovery and the outlook for growth. This edition of the Judo Bank SMEconomics report provides insights into the outlook for the housing market, inflation, population growth impacts on the economy and the end of JobKeeper. Along with the growth outlook for the world’s two biggest economies, the US and China and implications for Australian businesses.


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There are plenty of things that are easy to get wrong when planning your day out, and that can mean you end up spending money you shouldn’t have on things you should have, or spending money that you can afford to avoid altogether.But with a little bit of planning, you can be sure you’ll be […]
Bookmark this topic!This article was written by the guest writer of Hacker News.You can follow her on Twitter @nashtron, like her on Facebook at Nashtron and subscribe to her free daily newsletter.
I had been doing freelance work in the United States for about two years when I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.I quit.The diagnosis was unexpected.But the job I had loved so much was now a burden.I had to take a paycut to make ends meet.For months I contemplated the choice of selling my […]
Salary and job listings for online job seekers, as posted by The Washington Post on May 3, 2018.For the first time, The Washington Paging Post is adding a search option to the job listing for its job posting editor and the company is asking job seekers to answer a series of questions before posting an […]
A new tool from Panda, a US company that makes money from the sharing of vacation photos and videos, will soon allow people to share their most popular holidays in one place.The company is currently working on a new version that will be released later this year.It has already made the leap from being used […]
I started my career as a sales rep.It was a great opportunity to make some money and then some.I was working on a team of about 30 people who were selling books and magazines, doing marketing, and doing the whole “buying the book” thing.And then I got promoted and moved to a bigger team.At this […]


text: Despite its multiplatform status, Call of Duty is almost synonymous with Xbox. It's no surprise then, that Microsoft's new platform, the Xbox One, will be the first next-gen system to digest Call of Duty: Ghosts' DLC. This isn't unprecedented, of course -- the Xbox 360 also boasted a first-out-the-door policy with the series' DLC. Still, a big score for Microsoft, one significant enough to serve as the closing announcement of its Xbox One launch event. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg went on to reveal the game's first official trailer, assuring fans that Ghosts would fun at a steady 60fps. "It will be the best Call of Duty game we've ever made," he promised, showing slides comparing the new game's Xbox One visuals against previous games in the series. Hungry for more? Patience, friend. E3 is still a few weeks away.


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Wed, 02 Oct 2019 16:06:00 GMT
MasterClass, the platform that makes it possible for anyone to learn from the best, today announced the launch of “How to Be a Boss,” its first-ever campaign featuring one of the most iconic bosses of all time: Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue and artistic director and global content advisor of Condé Nast. The roll-out coincides with the launch of Wintour’s MasterClass on creativity and leadership, complementing the roster of 65 MasterClass instructors including film directors, musicians, athletes, chefs, and more business leaders rolling out this year.
“Our first campaign, just like our platform, challenges people to take the leap and aspire to lead,” said David Schriber, CMO of MasterClass. “‘How to Be a Boss’ perfectly articulates the MasterClass vision of inspiring people to greatness. We're thrilled to have it out in the world.”
MasterClass tapped creative leaders and respective “bosses” at the top of their fields to bring “How to Be a Boss” to life through striking creative imagery via out-of-home, print and digital media. Famed creative director Jessica Walsh of &Walsh designed the campaign, featuring images shot by world-renowned photographer Tyler Mitchell. Each design captures advice Wintour shares in her MasterClass on how to lead with vision and without apology, including: Plant Your Flag; Yes or No. Never Maybe; Impact Isn’t Seasonal; Take Credit. Give Credit; Own Who You Are; You’re Nothing Without Your Team; Learn From Your Critics; Lead With a Vision; and Create the Culture.
“All of our instructors connect back to the message of owning who you are, without apology,” said David Rogier, co-founder and CEO of MasterClass. “‘How to Be a Boss’ isn’t just a tagline or a campaign — it’s also a movement for life-long learning. We’re incredibly honoured to have Anna represent our collective force of instructors as the face of our first campaign.”
Creative development of the campaign was executed by &Walsh and Observatory Marketing, with media planning and buying by Exverus. “How to Be a Boss” marks the brand’s first time using print, digital and out-of-home as significant components to their advertising.