text:
The operator comissioned an independent review into standards at 25 attractions it sells last year. The investigation, which audited 25 attractions sold by Thomas Cook, found dolphins with badly damaged skin, heavily chained elephants showing signs of distress and other elephants forced to spin hoops, stand on small platforms and take part in a “tug-of- war”.
Assessment company Global Spirit found that 16 of the reviewed attractions did not meet the minimum standards for welfare set out by Abta. As a result, Thomas Cook has instructed its agents to stop selling tickets to those attractions.
Thomas Cook group chief executive Peter Fankhauser said: “Our industry has not changed fast enough. By taking these attractions off sale, we are sending a message that we won’t accept anything less than full compliance with the welfare standards our customers would expect.”
This is an excerpt from an article first published on TTG. You can read the original article here.


text:
The Chinese pet care market, valued at US$1.3 billion in 2012, shows potential for the global petfood industry, with petfood sales accounting for just 37 percent of the provisional pet care market total, according to a blog from Euromonitor International’s head of pet care research, Paula Flores.
China is home to one of the world’s highest pet populations, Flores says, with 27.4 million dogs and more than 11 million cats in 2012. The country ranks first globally as a home to other pets, such as birds, fish, reptiles and small animals.
Increasing disposable incomes in China may also help the petfood market in that country. The percentage of Chinese households with disposable incomes of more than US$10,000 and US$45,000 increased four-fold from 2006-2011, to 36 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
Further potential in the Chinese petfood market lies in the fact that much of the pet population is still eating table scraps rather than prepared petfood, as the less than 10 percent of pets receive their nutrition from prepared foods.
According to Flores, international manufacturers, such as Mars and Nestle, are most popular with consumers in China, holding a 58 percent market share in dog and cat food. The main challenges for these companies are bringing in new consumers and driving more affluent customers up to purchasing premium and higher-priced products. The top Chinese manufacturers, Tongwei Co. Ltd. and Nory Pet Co. Ltd., on the other hand, accounted for just 2 percent of retail value in 2011.
Committees discussed key proposals such as a possible shift in the oversight of animal feeds
The mid-year meeting addressed several regulatory matters affecting petfoods
Public meetings invited comments and provided updates
Now is the time for packagers, producers, marketers and manufacturers to capitalize on the traveling with pets trend
While petfood shoppers continue to show strong brand loyalty, pet products have not been immune to the store brand swing
As an industry, are we missing a huge opportunity to take advantage of another aspect of the human-pet bond?
Good, maybe we can sell them our contaminated grains.
Most is right,and,Nory Pet Co. Ltd., accounted for just 5 percent of retail value in 2012.
--- Thank you for your patience ----
If you have any issues logging in or any other need feel free to contact us.

domain: news


text:
CHICAGO — Next month, McDonald’s USA is conducting an operations test of the McPlant, a new plant-based burger, for a limited time in eight select restaurants across the U.S.
Here are five things to know about McPlant before our small-scale test begins:
- We’re always testing new items and flavors, and this particular test will help us understand how offering a burger with a plant-based patty impacts the kitchens in our restaurants. The McPlant was created to give customers more delicious options in addition to the McDonald’s burger line-up you know and love, with fan favorites like the Big Mac and Quarter Pounder sandwich still available nationwide.
- The juicy details. The McPlant includes a plant-based* patty co-developed with Beyond Meat that’s exclusive to McDonald’s and made from plant-based ingredients like peas, rice and potatoes. The patty is served on a sesame seed bun with tomato, lettuce, pickles, onions, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and a slice of American cheese. It has the iconic taste of a McDonald’s burger, because it is one.
- When and where will it be available in the U.S. Eight McDonald’s restaurants across the U.S. will be testing the McPlant for a limited time starting Nov. 3 while supplies last. Cities with test locations include: Irving and Carrollton, Texas, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jennings and Lake Charles, Louisiana and El Segundo and Manhattan Beach, California.
- If it sounds familiar…The McPlant has also been introduced in various markets overseas this year, including Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and most recently the U.K. Just like in the U.S., we often conduct limited-time offers with menu items internationally to help us learn.
- Since we know you’ll ask, you’ll have to stay tuned for future McPlant availability updates coming out of our test...we can’t share that secret sauce just yet.
* In addition to the plant-based patty, the McPlant in the U.S. contains non-plant-based ingredients such as American cheese and mayonnaise. It’s also cooked on the same grill as meat-based products and eggs. As always, guests can customize and request to hold the cheese and mayonnaise, or any other ingredients.


text:
- Restaurant Brands International has promoted Peter Perdue to chief operating officer at Burger King U.S. and Canada, and appointed Katerina Glyptis as president of Tim Hortons U.S., the company announced Thursday.
- Both executives have long tenures at brands now owned by RBI. Perdue joined Burger King in 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile, while Glyptis began working for Burger King in 2014.
- The promotions come as RBI fights to revitalize the Burger King brand in the U.S. and boost franchisee profits to protect operators against further bankruptcies and closures.
Perdue will be tasked primarily with ensuring operational consistency across Burger King’s system in Canada and the U.S., according to the press release. His efforts there will support the brand’s ongoing drive to remodel or improve thousands of stores.
“Peter has proven experience working closely with franchisees to improve profitability through operations initiatives, in addition to supporting restaurants through our field team,” Burger King U.S. President Tom Curtis said in the release.
Curtis called Perdue an architect of the Reclaim the Flame plan, which dedicates $250 million to remodeling, improving or refreshing some 3,800 Burger King stores, first announced last September. While Burger King said the program is having an effect on stores and sales, the company also said during its most recent earnings call that it expected more stores than normal, or up to 400, to close in the U.S. this year.
At Tim Hortons, Glyptis will be responsible for growing the brand’s presence in the U.S., Tim Hortons U.S. and Canada President Axel Schwan said in a statement. Schwan said the company had about 600 stores in the U.S. Before leading Tim Horton’s U.S., Glyptis worked as VP of franchise operations for Burger King in the U.S. and Canada.


text:
Indian Angel Network (IAN) and tyre-maker Michelin have started a logistics initiative to improve the efficiency of moving produce from the farm to the market.
The initiative - Farm to Market Logistics (F2ML) - is an incubator managed by IAN, a network of angel investors investing in start-ups and early stage ventures, and supported by Michelin. It will seek ideas that will help make the food supply chain generate less waste through new practices, behaviours and solutions, the company said in a statement.
“It has been IAN’s continuous endeavour to invest in innovative ideas across sectors. In partnership with Michelin, IAN would like to focus particularly on the food supply chain. The challenge of moving food produce efficiently from the farms to tables, reducing the current level of waste creates many opportunities to invent and grow profitable businesses in India,” said Saurabh Srivastava, co-founder of IAN.
Shortlisted innovators and entrepreneurs of this initiative will receive assistance on designing their products or service, building prototypes, getting customer validation and preparing the foundation for commercialisation of the idea.
The F2ML initiative is open to individuals, teams or Indian start-ups and SMEs and will endeavour to encourage innovators to become entrepreneurs. The shortlisted applications will be assigned business mentors from the IAN mentor pool, comprising successful entrepreneurs, investors and senior professionals.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.


text:
Newcestown PA have booked a clothing collection. Clothing can be dropped to the GAA changing rooms from 9am to 6pm on Friday 21st May until Tuesday 25th May.
This will be a clothing only collection including paired shoes and bags. The company doesn’t collect household items e.g quilts, bedding curtains etc .
Newcestown NS PA


text:
In-N-Out Burger president Lynsi Snyder is the youngest woman on the latest Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.36-year-old Lynsi, is not only worth $3 billion, but she also boasts sky- high approval ratings. According to Glassdoor, Snyder’s support from employees stands at 99 percent.
Forbes reports that workers of the family-run burger chain enjoy a better-than-average quality of life. Restaurant workers make $13 an hour, compared to $9 at McDonald’s, and they’re eligible for health insurance. Managers, who on average have been with the company for 17 years, make about $163,000.
“It is very important to me that In-N-Out Burger is a great employer because I value our associates so much,” Snyder told Glassdoor in 2017. “They are the reason for our success and they deserve to enjoy coming to work, to feel appreciated and to be treated like family, which is what I consider them.”
Snyder has also lived a very full life. She became company president in 2010 after her grandma and In-N-Out co-founder Esther Snyder died. The avid drag racing fan has been married four times and battled with alcohol abuse in her youth.
“It was like a black-sheep era of my life,” she told Forbes. But Snyder, who’s based in Glendora, California, said that her devout Christian faith helped her through the rough times.
These values are reflected throughout the restaurants. Bible verses are inscribed on burger wrappers, cups and fry containers.
“It’s not about the money for us,” said Snyder, who insists she’s not selling In-N-Out anytime soon. “Unless God sends a lightning bolt down and changes my heart miraculously, I would not ever sell.”
While McDonald’s and Burger King serve well over 80 different items, In-N-Out famously serves fewer than 15: burgers, cheeseburgers, fries, soda, milk shakes and the signature two-patty Double-Double. Snyder has added just one thing: hot chocolate in 2018. The company will make tweaks from time to time, like switching to a premium Kona coffee and healthier sunflower oil for cooking fries.


text:
|Boxes of labels for FU Sandy bottles|
Think July, not June.
Flying Fish has put out out an update on the bottle release of its wheat-pale ale, FU Sandy, pushing back the date a little bit.
The 6.5% ABV brew that initially appeared in February as storm-relief fundraiser made a draft return last week (notably at the start of Philly Beer Week), but it's going to take a couple weeks longer for the 750 milliliter bottles.
The beer is due to be bottled in a week. However, such schedules can be subject to change. Additionally, the brewery's handling of the 750s is a two-stage process: They get the labels put on a day or so after they've been filled.
There are a few other circumstances related to doing business in New Jersey to factor in. The upshot is, the beer's bottle release is now the beginning of July.


text:
Definition of Comparably:
in or by comparison
Synonyms of Comparably:
Opposite/Antonyms of Comparably:
Sentence/Example of Comparably:
With only a few, if any, comparable shows on CBS or ABC, the Peacock stood alone with a bevy of Blackness on its roster at the same time.
That’s pretty close, but there are also several examples of polling error comparable to this year.
Using eDNA metabarcoding, the team was able to identify a comparable number of species with more traditional methods of deep-sea sampling.
The number and severity of penalties were comparable to those of recent years, although the number of hospitals receiving the maximum penalty of 3% dropped from 56 to 39.
When pricing this way, you review the comparable sales and price higher than what similar homes have sold for recently.
Now Page was telling them that quantum gravity mattered under conditions that, in some cases, are comparable to those in your kitchen.
In its most recent quarter, Target’s comparable sales rose a record 24%, helped by the fulfillment options Cornell spoke of, which include curbside pickup of online orders and same-day delivery.
Saks has seen modest comparable sales increases since the summer, driven by its soaring online business.
That’s comparable to humans living in buildings a few kilometers high.
Salaries of federal employees are lower than those of private-sector workers in comparable positions by about 23 percent, although the gap has narrowed in recent years, an advisory council reported Wednesday.


text:
The industry of electronic books as well as e-book readers is set to explode next year, according to Taiwan’s Market Intelligence Center (MIC).
According to Taiwan’s Market Intelligence Center (MIC) of the Institute for Information Industry, about 3.05 million e-book readers are expected to be supplied globally this year, up 177.3% from 2008, reports Taiwan Economic News. MIC predicted that global shipments of e-book readers will reach 19.76 million units in 2013.
E-book content revenues in the U.S. market only reached $63.4 million in the first half of 2009, compared to the $52.4 million in whole 2008, reports MIC.
S.H. Wang, senior analyst of MIC, indicated that the e-book industry has gone through the lead-product period, when the user habits, content preparation, business model forming and technical maturity developed into a better stage for pushing the new business into next growth stage.


text:
Big investors love many things about Tesla. Volatility isn’t one of them.
Despite a trillion-dollar valuation, pole position in the electric-vehicle business and entry to the S&P 500, the world’s sixth-largest listed company is subject to greater swings than any other US megacap technology stock, with 21 daily moves of at least 5 per cent to the upside or downside this year.
“It is not a name we would recommend to our clients,” said Edmund Shing, BNP Paribas Wealth’s chief investment officer, citing volatility brought about by high levels of interest among retail investors.
Tuesday’s sharp about-turn in the stock, without any fundamental catalyst, highlights the unpredictability. Tesla shares jumped as much as 4.3 per cent in New York, despite a Monday postmarket disclosure that chief executive officer Elon Musk had exercised options and sold more shares.
Tesla was up 3.2 per cent to $US1045.56 near 1.50pm in New York.
The string of sales by Musk had caused the stock to fall about 15 per cent since his Twitter poll asking followers whether he should sell shares, wiping nearly $US200 billion ($274 billion) off the company’s market value.
Tesla’s volatility has frequently spilled over to other EV stocks, making it a hallmark for the group. The most recent examples are a five-day rally in newly public Rivian Automotive, taking its valuation past Volkswagen on Tuesday, and a 19 per cent surge in Lucid Group’s shares after the company said it remained confident in its ability to produce 20,000 units in 2022.
Still, it’s hard to completely ignore a stock that’s up 47 per cent in 2021, after surging more than eightfold the year before.
Shing recommends gaining exposure through exchange traded funds or other passive investing methods. “We prefer our clients to take indirect exposure that way, so as to benefit from some diversification and the offset to volatility that other stocks can provide.”
Indeed that’s been the general narrative in the latest regulatory filings from institutional investors. Hedge funds have increased the amount of exchange-traded funds in their portfolios in the third quarter, while decreasing their exposure to single stocks, according to 13F filings.
Retail’s sugar rush
Tesla’s addition to the S&P 500 late last year didn’t go down too well with institutional holders averse to volatility. They included Mark Stoeckle, chief executive officer and senior portfolio manager at Adams Funds.
With a 2 per cent-plus weighting on the US benchmark index, Stoeckle had to look beyond Tesla’s frequent wild swings and buy in, he said by phone.
At the other end of the spectrum, amateur traders have been gobbling up Tesla stock through call options -- used to position for gains in stocks. According to Goldman Sachs Group, Tesla and Amazon represented more than half of the single-stock options traded in early November.
But Musk’s near $US8 billion stock sale might act as a deterrent, at least for now. “The recent fall might have put off some retail investors,” said Jim Dixon, a sales trader at Mirabaud Securities. The alternative for them is Rivian, he said.
Fetching latest articles


text:
A new online survey has revealed that spontaneity, automation and veganism are the three key drivers that UK millennials believe will shape the future restaurant sector.
Young British consumers are continuing to move away from eating meat, according to a dining trends survey by branding agency I-AM.
Christmas Day restaurant dining rates have increased in the UK by 240% in five years, according to research by restaurant reservation platform OpenTable.
Research by cooking appliance company Crock-Pot has revealed that around 7.9 million Australians prefer home-cooked meals over dining out.
US consumers have contributed to a spending surge in restaurants over the last three months, according to the latest figures from the Commerce Department.
A study conducted by Oracle Food and Beverage has shown that 57% of consumers globally have used or are using mobile apps to engage with restaurants.
Restaurants Canada, a foodservice industry association, has launched a guide to help foodservice employers enhance their workplace environment.
One in three consumers are now choosing premium global beers when drinking out. That's according to latest findings from premium Japanese beer brand, Kirin Ichiban.
Canadian-based restaurant point-of-sale system TouchBistro has raised a Series D investment of C$72m, co-led by Omers Ventures and JPMorgan Chase.
Voice based ordering and food tracking devices are believed to be the next big thing to influence the UK’s fast growing food delivery market. This is according to in the...


text:
It always good to win these games but Monday night in December. It important for us.needs to come together. It the perfect time for this. The 49 year old Glaser says that while he hasn’t done much in the way of promotional work in the past, he was drawn to the part because of ESPN’s commercial track record. Sometimes, the things you get offered are not so funny,” he says. “And making money, of course, is nice.”.
But if they continue a trend similar to the 16 turnover differential, things can change quickly in favor of the Ragin’ Cajuns.Alliance of American Football to kick off inaugural season in 2019Alliance of American Football to kick off inaugural season in 2019Updated: Tuesday, March 20 2018 4:32 PM EDT2018 03 20 20:32:07 GMTThe Alliance of AmericanFootball will kick off it inaugural season after the 2019 Super Bowl. (Source: Alliance of AmericanFootball)The Alliance of AmericanFootball will kick off it inaugural season after the 2019 Super Bowl. Former NFL executive Bill Polian announced Tuesday morning that he is establishing The Alliance of American Football.
Neither has Utah though that might be more about the opponent USC has an injury to deal with against Texas. The Trojans also have a history with the Longhorns. UCLA hits the road this weekend. Steve was one of 3 real estate agents we interviewed to sell a family home held in trust. None of us had experience with this process so we were looking for a professional who could educate us, give us professional advice, and then hold our hand throughout the process. Steve did all this and more..
Video game consoles such as the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 have helped usher in a digital distribution era in which major blockbuster titles such as Call of Duty and Halo can live alongside independently made games that are cheaper, shorter and often more unique experiences.In a global video game industry expected to hit almost US$79 billion in sales this year, according to the research firm Statista, indie developers now have a direct line to consumers through digital marketplaces and programs offered by the companies making the home consoles.net result, for us as players and gamers, is when you turn on an Xbox One or PC the variety of game you see is broader, more diverse and better than it ever has been in history, said Charla. Independent games, we been in this golden age since about 2008 and it just doesn show any signs of ending. If approved by Xbox, the applicant would receive two free development kits that allow access to the Xbox platform hardware or software features and eventually end up with a published title for the Xbox, Windows or both.


text:
Nigeria, Ghana, Tunisia hold business investment forum in Tunis
An international business forum aimed at bringing together entrepreneurs and business en from Nigeria, Tunisia, and other West African countries, is to hold between June 8 to 14, 2019, in Tunis, the Tunisian capital.
The business forum, a collaborative effort between the Tunisian Embassy in Abuja, CMD and Tours, and Grey and White Nigeria Limited, has the theme: Harnessing Business and Trade Opportunities between Nigeria and Tunisia. The forum will focus on business relationship between Tunisia and West African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, and others.
In a press release issued on the business forum, signed by Cecile Doumbe, the organisers said the reason for the forum was based on the need for a genuine wealth building through networking to achieve robust economic growth and development and also attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for the country.
“Nigeria and Tunisia Business Investment Forum is anchored on this principle, to harness businesses and trade opportunities together,” she said.
She noted Nigeria, with a population of about 191.8 million and growing GDP of about $581.6 billion, was a business hub, with a robust private sector.
The Nigeria government is promoting the increased production in the non-oil sector of the economy by creating a level playing field for private sector-led activity. Essentially, the pivots around which the framework for economic growth and development will revolve include the following: agriculture and agro-business, solid minerals development, other manufacturing, including information and communications technology (ICT), crude oil, natural gas, tourism and services.
“Tunisia has a population of 11.5 million, a GDP of $41.6 billion, and an average production of 190,000 tons, was the world’s second largest olive oil producer in 2017 behind Spain, and growing global demand could double that amount. Tunisia also has substantial phosphate deposits and was the world’s fifth largest producer until 2011. It also has gas deposits for domestic consumption. The improving security situation is reopening possibilities for new investment in tourism, has a diversified industrial base (aeronautics, chemical industry, and textiles); making both countries an economic hub in Africa.”
Doumbe said the event was important because of the many highlighted businesses and trade opportunities that Nigeria and Tunisia can benefit from. The economy of Nigeria advanced 2.4 percent year-on-year in the last quarter of 2018, following a 1.8 percent expansion in the previous period and beating market expectations of a 2.1 percent gain.
It was the highest growth rate since the third quarter of 2015, as the non-oil sector increased further and the oil sector contracted less. Output increased further for information and telecommunication, arts, entertainment and recreation; agriculture; manufacturing; and construction.
Among the areas the business forum would cover are; ICT, medical and agriculture, tourism agribusiness, aviation, education and training, skilled workforce development, healthcare services, entertainment, hospitality and tourism, infrastructure and real estate, manufacturing, maritime and shipping, extractive Industries telecommunications, technology and innovation, waste management and environmental remediation, transportation, mining, banking, among others.
The objectives of the event, according to the organisers, include: to provide opportunities for Nigerian and Tunisian businesses to create effective partnership and collaboration; highlight incentives available in each country; include funding opportunities and risk management, SMEs for the purpose of increasing FDI into each country; provide a unique opportunity for the countries to attract captains of industries and investments for robust development; provide platform for business leaders, policy makers from each of the countries; provide platform for business leaders, policy makers from each of the countries to share ideas, discuss and network; to highlight and facilitate investment, harness business opportunities in West Africa and Tunisia; provide opportunities that can reduce negative trade balance to its barest minimum in major sectors.
Among the expected result from the business forum are identification of emerging business opportunities worth investing in each country; have a robust knowledge of each country’ economic outlook and potentials; the event will bring about the establishment of partnerships/collaborations with international development agencies towards training, and capacity development in each country.
Also, there will be signing of MoU between some countries in West Africa and Tunisia on various business opportunities.
Among those expected at the forum include: members of Tunisia Chambers of Commerce and Industry; potential private investors from Nigeria and Tunisia; Togo Chamber of Commerce; Ghana Chamber of Commerce; Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending and National Orientation Agency.
Others are: Manufacturers Association of Nigeria; Ministry of Mines and Steel Development; Ministry of Science and Technology; Ministry of Education; Nigerian Communications Commission; Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; Niger Delta Development Commission; Ministry of Health; Motion Picture Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) ;National Council of Arts and Culture; Bank of Industry, Nigeria; Nigerian Export-Import Bank and Nigerian Export Promotion Council.


text:
'Macho' ads driving men and women from brands: study
A new study on car advertising suggests some brands are far too macho in how they promote their products.
The in-depth study claims it found a "huge disconnect" among women and men as a result.
In effect, it claimed that macho advertising is driving people away.
The only thing is - and it is purely anecdotal - but I would have thought that the vast majority of ads I see, on TV especially, are targeted at families.
But the research insists it found a substantial 92pc of consumers felt it was "too masculine".
And as many as 77pc of women said they were put off buying as a result.
Conducted for Auto Trader, the research says that 87pc feel "increasingly disconnected from car marketing".
Almost three-quarters (73pc) argue that car adverts "personify gender stereotypes or are directed to appeal exclusively to men".
Half (52pc) felt all industries, not just motoring, had "hyper-masculine adverts" that they found "patronising".
It goes on and on.
But is it the case in Ireland?
How do you feel about it? Tell us at firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
Job redesign can provide what silvers need in order to be successful
This is the second instalment of a two-part series on preparing employees for the future of work. To read the first story, click here: Transforming and redesigning jobs: a ‘how-to’
The way we live and work is rapidly changing. Technology and its advancements impact the way we work, interact with each other, and how we go about day-to-day life. We have adapted, and organisations must do the same.
Mercer’s recently released Global Talent Trends Survey 2019 found that 43% of respondents are redesigning jobs as a way to prepare for the future of work.
In addition to these fast-paced changes, organisations need to consider the demographics and well-being of their employees. Singapore is experiencing a rapidly ageing population.
In fact, according to the UN’s World Population Ageing report,19.5% of Singapore’s population is 60 or over in 2017, which is the highest in Southeast Asia. The report also found that in 2050, 40.1% of Singapore’s population will be aged 60 or over.
According to a recent article from Reuters, the employment rate in Singapore of citizens and permanent residents aged 65 and older reached 27% last year. This is up from 16% in 2008.
Silver workers can be a treasure trove of experience and should be considered during a job redesign exercise. Coupled with the opportunity to live a longer and fulfilling life, workers are also employed for longer, and organisations need to consider how to design jobs that can accommodate a range of employee needs.
By re-looking at what work should be done and how the work should be done, job redesign can help organisations prepare their workers to embrace new technology and future-proof their skills. This can improve productivity, workforce optimisation, and ideally employee well-being.
In fact, Mercer’s Global Talent Trends Survey 2019 found that executives believe the highest ROI on talent investment will come from redesigning jobs to better deliver value. However, only 43% of HR leaders are redesigning jobs to prepare for the future of work.
While workers can prepare to upgrade themselves, HR can proactively focus on employees and communicating during a job redesign. HR will need to understand workers’ sentiments and common concerns.
Employees might ask themselves:
These questions are especially relevant for silver workers, who may seek comfort in familiar processes.
Job redesign as a concept is neither new nor revolutionary. All workers have experienced changes to their jobs. It could have been a new tool or software, or it could have been additional skillsets which they acquired knowingly or unknowingly.
For silver workers, HR leaders will need to consider these five criteria to ensure sustained gainful employment:
1. Provide continual support such as training, mentoring, and inclusive work practices and culture.
2. Ensure that work performance such as efficiency, effectiveness, and teamwork are fair for all workers.
3. Consider the demands of the job commensurate with the cognitive, sensory, and motor abilities of older works when redesigning jobs.
4. Create fulfilling jobs for workers at any age.
5. Instil confidence in employees by showing a willingness to continue employing older workers, to continue investing in age-inclusive workplace practices, and to support job redesign efforts.
Here is an example of job redesign at work:
Client – Singapore government agencies
Driver – The client hopes to revitalise the Singapore retail industry to attract more job seekers into the retail sector and to raise labour productivity so as to reduce reliance on manual manpower.
Challenge – The retail sector is in the midst of a massive transformation and there are tremendous opportunities for retailers to rethink their business delivery models. Coupled with the tightening of foreign worker quota and ageing workforce in the Singapore services sector, retailers are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain the right talent.
Specifically, it was challenging to attract sufficient employees to join retail operations and warehousing functions as these roles are deemed as less attractive. Also, the labour market does not produce sufficient e-commerce or data analysts to help fulfil new industry demands.
Solution – Mercer developed a job redesign toolkit from scratch and piloted these solutions with a group of seven pilot retailers across six sub-sectors. The framework includes a detailed guide to educate retailers on the process of conducting a job redesign review for their organisation supported by a series of success stories.
As the toolkit is aimed to help retailers of all sizes, Mercer also developed a set of pre-fitted solutions. These are pegged to a series of commonly experienced pain points aimed at alleviating operational pressures for the small and medium enterprises.
In partnership with the pilot retailers, Mercer collaborated closely with them to conduct a time-and-motion study to observe the impact of business operations, functional processes and tasks on individual job roles.
Thereafter, opportunities were identified so as to enhance processes — some manual processes were automated. Upskilling plans were also developed in consultation with these pilot companies and employees to restructure jobs in a way that could be more fulfilling and productive.
With the intention of proliferating job redesign as a concept, and to build a job redesign community within the retail sector, a series of train-the-trainer workshops were conducted and over a hundred retailers have been trained so far.
Result – The team successfully piloted job redesign solutions with the seven retailers in over a year and these solutions improved labour productivity for work processes by up to 50%.
While a job redesign exercise should be inclusive of all employees, silvers are a mostly untapped group that, in the right circumstances, can share their extensive knowledge and experience.
It’s a myth that silvers cost the business more, struggle with new technology, will take more time off due to health problems, are less innovative, and less productive than their younger counterparts. These are all biases. Thoughtful job redesign can provide what silvers need in order to be successful.
Especially with Singapore’s ageing population and workers who want to work longer, redesigning jobs to accommodate diverse skills and backgrounds is the responsibility of organisations who want to be successful in the future of work. Also, it is the responsibility of those committed to providing meaningful work and a culture that cares for the well-being of employees.
Sean Tan is Workforce Transformation Leader for the Career Consulting Group at Mercer Singapore. He also leads the Talent Consulting Services business.
Sara Tiew is the Job Design and Public Sector Leader for the Career Consulting Group at Mercer Singapore.
This article first appeared in HRD Asia on 1 April. Click here to view the original article.
We’re eager to speak with you. Please provide your details below.


text:
|By PR Newswire||
|September 2, 2014 07:00 AM EDT||
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- RetailMeNot (NASDAQ: SALE), a leading digital offers destination that helps consumers save money, today announced the release of the updated and newly redesigned RetailMeNot app for iPhone and Android phones.
With thousands of offers at your favorite stores and restaurants, the refreshed RetailMeNot app makes it even easier to save. Whether you're hungry for food deals or looking for in-store offers while shopping, RetailMeNot does all the work to help find and deliver the best deals and offers!
"Millions of consumers have turned to RetailMeNot to save on virtually everything they buy online and in store. The updated and redesigned RetailMeNot app will continue to provide shoppers with incredible localized offers, and now includes a more personalized savings experience on deals that are relevant to a user's retailer or brand preferences," said Cotter Cunningham, the CEO and founder of RetailMeNot, Inc. "The RetailMeNot app is helping consumers save while they shop at their favorite stores. Just as exciting, our mobile technologies are helping our retail partners efficiently build their brands, generate traffic and increase sales. It's a win-win."
Improvements to the RetailMeNot app include better navigation and a refreshed design that makes it easier to access nearby deals, favorite stores and saved offers!
RetailMeNot also introduced three new features accessible from the app's homepage, including:
- Just For You: Check out the top offers for your favorite stores
- Our Best: Find the best new deals of the day—now with stunning new visuals
- Popular: See what offers are trending in the RetailMeNot community
The updated app still includes:
- Deals and offers from thousands of online and brick-and-mortar retailers
- 24/7 verification of thousands of coupons and deals from top retailers
- Location-aware offers from retailers and restaurants at more than 15,000 geo-fenced shopping areas, airports, universities and event centers
- Mobile alerts for relevant deals and special offers from your favorite stores
When signed-in, RetailMeNot members can continue to access coupons across any device. Consumers can save coupons for later use on their desktop, mobile and tablet devices. Additionally, the RetailMeNot app will send reminders when your saved coupons are about to expire.
"We continue to believe that improved personalization functionality will lead to a better user experience for consumers who value the relevant, localized offers available to them through the RetailMeNot app," said Jag Bath, senior vice president of product at RetailMeNot, Inc. "As we work to feature more of our partners in the RetailMeNot app, the new design and navigation will enable retailers and brands to provide more dynamic offers with richer content and visuals to consumers."
RetailMeNot's apps have been downloaded more than 18.5 million times worldwide.
Video/b-roll footage of the latest version of the RetailMeNot app is available for download by clicking here:
RetailMeNot.com (www.retailmenot.com) is a leading digital offers destination that helps consumers save money. Since November 2006, our users have shared hundreds of thousands of offers from retailers. These offers are voted on by users, ensuring that quality deals rise to the top and those that are expired drop down the list. RetailMeNot.com is operated by RetailMeNot, Inc., the world's largest marketplace for digital offers.
We're out to save the world (some money).™ Watch the new RetailMeNot ad.
Shopping on the go? Download the RetailMeNot app for iPhone and Android phones or the RetailMeNot app for iPad to access thousands of online and in-store offers nearby, including deals at local and nationwide restaurants. Make sure to "like" RetailMeNot.com on Facebook, follow the company on Twitter @retailmenot and add us on Google+. Consumers can sign up to receive online and in-store deals from the Best of RetailMeNot emails by visiting: http://www.retailmenot.com/signup.
About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. The company enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers from their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months ended June 30, 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 625 million visits to its websites. In 2013, RetailMeNot estimates $3.5 billion in its paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. Its mobile apps have been downloaded over 18.5 million times. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes www.RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United States; www.RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; www.VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United Kingdom; www.Deals.com in Germany; www.Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital offer site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and www.Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital offer sites in France; www.Poulpeo.com, a leading digital offer site with cash back in France; and www.Deals2Buy.com, a leading digital offer site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit: http://investor.retailmenot.com/.
+1 808 224 3215
Allison+Partners Public Relations
SOURCE RetailMeNot, Inc.
All clouds are not equal. To succeed in a DevOps context, organizations should plan to develop/deploy apps across a choice of on-premise and public clouds simultaneously depending on the business needs. This is where the concept of the Lean Cloud comes in - resting on the idea that you often need to relocate your app modules over their life cycles for both innovation and operational efficiency in the cloud. In his session at @DevOpsSummit at19th Cloud Expo, Valentin (Val) Bercovici, CTO of Soli...
Dec. 2, 2016 02:15 PM EST Reads: 1,494
Without a clear strategy for cost control and an architecture designed with cloud services in mind, costs and operational performance can quickly get out of control. To avoid multiple architectural redesigns requires extensive thought and planning. Boundary (now part of BMC) launched a new public-facing multi-tenant high resolution monitoring service on Amazon AWS two years ago, facing challenges and learning best practices in the early days of the new service. In his session at 19th Cloud Exp...
Dec. 2, 2016 02:02 PM EST Reads: 161
Predictive analytics tools monitor, report, and troubleshoot in order to make proactive decisions about the health, performance, and utilization of storage. Most enterprises combine cloud and on-premise storage, resulting in blended environments of physical, virtual, cloud, and other platforms, which justifies more sophisticated storage analytics. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Peter McCallum, Vice President of Datacenter Solutions at FalconStor, discussed using predictive analytics to mon...
Dec. 2, 2016 02:00 PM EST Reads: 4,802
Keeping pace with advancements in software delivery processes and tooling is taxing even for the most proficient organizations. Point tools, platforms, open source and the increasing adoption of private and public cloud services requires strong engineering rigor – all in the face of developer demands to use the tools of choice. As Agile has settled in as a mainstream practice, now DevOps has emerged as the next wave to improve software delivery speed and output. To make DevOps work, organization...
Dec. 2, 2016 01:30 PM EST Reads: 5,685
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing IoT strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @ThingsExpo 2016 in New York. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is as "IoT-Ready" as it can be! Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, is co-located with 20th Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry p...
Dec. 2, 2016 01:30 PM EST Reads: 1,802
20th Cloud Expo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy.
Dec. 2, 2016 01:15 PM EST Reads: 2,068
Traditional on-premises data centers have long been the domain of modern data platforms like Apache Hadoop, meaning companies who build their business on public cloud were challenged to run Big Data processing and analytics at scale. But recent advancements in Hadoop performance, security, and most importantly cloud-native integrations, are giving organizations the ability to truly gain value from all their data. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, David Tishgart, Director of Product Marketing ...
Dec. 2, 2016 01:00 PM EST Reads: 1,381
Join Impiger for their featured webinar: ‘Cloud Computing: A Roadmap to Modern Software Delivery’ on November 10, 2016, at 12:00 pm CST. Very few companies have not experienced some impact to their IT delivery due to the evolution of cloud computing. This webinar is not about deciding whether you should entertain moving some or all of your IT to the cloud, but rather, a detailed look under the hood to help IT professionals understand how cloud adoption has evolved and what trends will impact th...
Dec. 2, 2016 01:00 PM EST Reads: 2,440
More and more brands have jumped on the IoT bandwagon. We have an excess of wearables – activity trackers, smartwatches, smart glasses and sneakers, and more that track seemingly endless datapoints. However, most consumers have no idea what “IoT” means. Creating more wearables that track data shouldn't be the aim of brands; delivering meaningful, tangible relevance to their users should be. We're in a period in which the IoT pendulum is still swinging. Initially, it swung toward "smart for smar...
Dec. 2, 2016 12:11 PM EST Reads: 207
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place June 6-8, 2017 at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, is co-located with the 20th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. @ThingsExpo New York Call for Papers is now open.
Dec. 2, 2016 12:00 PM EST Reads: 1,824
"ReadyTalk is an audio and web video conferencing provider. We've really come to embrace WebRTC as the platform for our future of technology," explained Dan Cunningham, CTO of ReadyTalk, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at WebRTC Summit at 19th Cloud Expo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 2, 2016 12:00 PM EST Reads: 163
Everyone knows that truly innovative companies learn as they go along, pushing boundaries in response to market changes and demands. What's more of a mystery is how to balance innovation on a fresh platform built from scratch with the legacy tech stack, product suite and customers that continue to serve as the business' foundation. In his General Session at 19th Cloud Expo, Michael Chambliss, Head of Engineering at ReadyTalk, discussed why and how ReadyTalk diverted from healthy revenue and mor...
Dec. 2, 2016 11:45 AM EST Reads: 1,454
In an era of historic innovation fueled by unprecedented access to data and technology, the low cost and risk of entering new markets has leveled the playing field for business. Today, any ambitious innovator can easily introduce a new application or product that can reinvent business models and transform the client experience. In their Day 2 Keynote at 19th Cloud Expo, Mercer Rowe, IBM Vice President of Strategic Alliances, and Raejeanne Skillern, Intel Vice President of Data Center Group and G...
Dec. 2, 2016 11:30 AM EST Reads: 1,845
When it comes to cloud computing, the ability to turn massive amounts of compute cores on and off on demand sounds attractive to IT staff, who need to manage peaks and valleys in user activity. With cloud bursting, the majority of the data can stay on premises while tapping into compute from public cloud providers, reducing risk and minimizing need to move large files. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Scott Jeschonek, Director of Product Management at Avere Systems, discussed the IT and busin...
Dec. 2, 2016 11:30 AM EST Reads: 3,739
Extracting business value from Internet of Things (IoT) data doesn’t happen overnight. There are several requirements that must be satisfied, including IoT device enablement, data analysis, real-time detection of complex events and automated orchestration of actions. Unfortunately, too many companies fall short in achieving their business goals by implementing incomplete solutions or not focusing on tangible use cases. In his general session at @ThingsExpo, Dave McCarthy, Director of Products...
Dec. 2, 2016 11:00 AM EST Reads: 400


text:
(RxWiki News) Women facing chemotherapy for breast cancer may face another side effect: hair loss. But a new device could fight back.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Tuesday cleared the Dignitana DigniCap Cooling System for marketing. This device is meant to reduce hair loss in female breast cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy.
“We are pleased to see a product for breast cancer patients that can minimize chemotherapy-induced hair loss and contribute to the quality of life of these individuals,” said William Maisel, MD, MPH, acting director of the FDA's Office of Device Evaluation, in a press release. “Managing the side effects of chemotherapy is a critical component to overall health and recovery.”
Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of targeted anti-cancer drugs, which can often be hard on the body. According to the FDA, chemotherapy-induced hair loss is particularly common in women with breast cancer.
So how does a cooling cap prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss? The idea is that this cap cools the head, which constricts the scalp's blood vessels. This could reduce the scalp's exposure to harsh chemotherapy drugs in the blood stream.
This device, which comes from the Swedish company Dignitana, Inc., was studied on 122 women who were receiving chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. More than 66 percent of these women said they lost less than half their hair.
The women in this study reported side effects that included chills, pain, headaches and discomfort tied to wearing the device for an extended period.
The FDA noted that the benefits of improved patient self-image and quality of life likely outweigh the extremely small risk that cancer cells could be in the scalp and therefore protected by the DigniCap Cooling System.


text:
Sign Up for Our Monthly Hawaii Newsletter
When judged solely on its good looks, Oahu earns raves as one of the world’s most romantic destinations. But these days, it takes more than just natural beauty to satisfy the desires of traveling twosomes, and Hawaii’s most-visited island is responding in a dazzling fashion.
“Today’s couples are looking for authentic experiences,” said Noelani Schilling-Wheeler, executive director for Oahu Visitors Bureau (OVB). “They’re shifting from exclusively staying on-property to creating distinctive memories through cultural, wellness and outdoor activities. They’re also seeking out foods unique to the destination, and they’re putting equal emphasis on adventure and relaxation.”
For each of those trends, Oahu has an answer. For instance, couples can time trips with special events that immerse them in the island’s rich heritage, and they can share in spa treatments calling on age-old Hawaiian techniques and ingredients. They can indulge their love of sustainable tourism during meaningful excursions such as Hawaii Forest & Trail’s Farm to Forest Adventure; North Shore EcoTours’ low-impact hikes; and a native tree-planting experience at the Hawaiian Legacy Forest at Gunstock Ranch.
If a wedding is driving the trip, Oahu stokes passions with compelling locations, from traditional resort settings to island-wide beaches, bluffs and gardens. According to Roberta Annis, catering and events director for Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, travel advisors are finding particular success coordinating destination weddings in June, September and October, when airfares and hotel rates are lower.
“We are so fortunate to have beautiful, temperate weather year-round, so couples don’t need to worry too much about seasonal elements when planning an Oahu wedding trip,” Annis said.
For advisors who are eager to develop a reputation as an Oahu romance travel specialist, OVB’s niche webinars and ongoing news releases provide invaluable updates on the latest lures for lovers.
“At the same time, agents can connect with potential romance clients in their own community by participating in local wedding expos and meeting people who are newly engaged or celebrating an anniversary,” Schilling-Wheeler said.
The end goal, of course, is to create some happily-ever-after vacations on an island nicknamed — fittingly enough — the Heart of Hawaii.
The DetailsOahu Visitors Bureauwww.visit-oahu.com


text:
The 49ers will have a giveaway for every fan that attends a home game in 2017. Here are images of each.
The San Francisco 49ers announced on Friday a season-long lineup of gameday giveaway items for all fans who visit Levi's Stadium® for 49ers home games in 2017. While the 49ers have provided complimentary souvenir items to ticket holders at individual games during each season in their new home, this year marks the first in recent memory that all Faithful in attendance will receive a unique piece of memorabilia at every game that is exclusive to Levi's Stadium®.
"We're always looking for ways to add value for our season ticket members and fans in a continued effort to provide The Faithful with the best experience," said 49ers President Al Guido. "Just like our recently unveiled stadium enhancements, these items are a direct reflection of the fan feedback we received and we hope our fans enjoy them."
For the full list of 49ers 2017 gameday giveaways, see here:
|Rathman Hall of Fame Induction
|Rathman Rally Towel
|Thursday Night Football/Play 60
|Dwight Clark Day
|Dwight Clark Shirt courtesy of Levi's®
|Salute to Service
|Camo Yowie® (Multi-Functional Rally Wear)
|Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
Except for the Dwight Clark commemorative t-shirt provided by Levi's® for the Dallas game, all giveaway items were sourced from idegy, a worldwide leader in distinctive branded merchandise. Fans can pick-up their gameday giveaway item upon entry into Levi's Stadium, and pick-up locations and timing for giveaways will be communicated ahead of each home game in the 49ers Gameday Entertainment Release.


text: Russia has reportedly exempted the iPad from its standard 5% inport duty tax. The iPad somehow skirted the system once the government decided that the device was actually a computer and not a GPS navigation device, Bloomberg explained Tuesday. As you might imagine, Apple’s tablet competitors aren’t too pleased that other competing products are still subject to the same import duty fee. “There has not been an official confirmation of that yet,” an Acer said in a statement cited by TheNextWeb. “But if this information is true, we will demand explanations from the FCS and we will seek cancellation of customs duties on our tablet computers.” Samsung is also reportedly seeking an explanation from Russian authorities, although it appears one has not been made immediately available. We imagine this sort of law should apply to all tablets, not just the iPad, so hopefully there’s a balance to be found here.


text:
After recently creating over 100 jobs in the local hospitality sector Liverpool independent, Pub Invest Group, can now announce 7 of their city centre based sites will be opening on April 12th, as part of the government’s road map out of covid-19 restrictions.
Pubs and restaurants in England will be able to start reopening outdoor areas from mid-April, but indoor spaces including pubs, bars and hotels will have to remain closed until May. On reopening, businesses will no longer be restricted to serving alcohol with a substantial meal and last year’s 10pm curfew has also been scrapped.
Popular Pub Invest Group sites in the city that will be opening include Soho, Moloko, Einstein, Peacock, Celtic Corner and both of the city centre McCooleys sites. These sites have a mixture of terraces, patios and rooftops. Some with a mixture of both.
Phil Gillespie, Head of Marketing for Pub Invest Group said.
“There doesn’t appear to be any new rules in place for the next batch of re-openings- just a reintroduction of the previous ones, but the general public have by and large grown used to these now. We’re happy the curfew has been scrapped which made no sense in controlling transmission of the virus or allowing our business’ hope of making money, which is positive news. I think the plans for reopening will be tentative until the dates look solid however. It’s not just a case of opening the doors. There are supply chain and staffing issues which might affect the first few weeks after opening behind the scenes but we’re excited that the appetite to get back into the bars is there from the public. The enquiries are through the roof.
The largest independent operator in Liverpool, Pub Invest Group, who own other sites in the city such as, Level, Rubber Soul Complex, Sgt Peppers and Brooklyn Mixer to name a few will look to roll out more openings in May as well as June in line with the government guidelines.


text:
Yum Brands topped key sales estimates during the third quarter on growth in its KFC and Taco Bell restaurants.
The results helped push shares higher in premarket trading Wednesday.
The Louisville, Kentucky-based company said profit rose 8.6 percent to $454 million, or $1.40 per share. Excluding special charges and costs, Yum Brands earned $1.04 per share, topping analyst projections by 20 cents.
Revenue fell 3 percent to $1.39 billion, but still beat Wall Street forecasts.
Overall same-store sales, a key measure for retailers, rose 2 percent, matching expectations. The increase was driven by a 3 percent rise in sales at KFC and a 5 percent rise in sales at Taco Bell, both of which beat expectations.


text:
ORLANDO - International Business Machines Corp. has agreed to acquire Early, Cloud & Co., a software development and consulting firm based in Newport, R.I.
Early, Cloud specializes in creating customer service applications for several types of businesses, including banks.
IBM officials said the acquisition, which awaits regulatory approval, fits with a strategy to expand its "customer relationship management" services. These services include customer segmentation and sales management.
"IBM is making a major investment in this worldwide initiative and offering consulting, software, and services to enable reengineering of this key business process," said Karen Riley, general manager with IBM's cross- industry solutions group.


text:
The country’s biggest scrap metal business has been ordered to sell one of its recycling yards in County Durham , after the competition watchdog found a previous deal could harm the automotive industry.
European Metal Recycling (EMR) has been told it must sell its yard at Seaham Harbour along with four other sites that the business acquired from Metal & Waste Recycling (MWR) last year.
Following a six-month investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority found that the merger between EMR and MWR would lead to a “substantial lessening of competition”. EMR is the largest recycler of scrap metal in the UK, while MWR is the fourth largest.
The CMA found that the merger would have harmed car manufacturers in the North East and North West, which sell large volumes of scrap metal through tendered contracts.
Lesley Ainsworth, who led the inquiry at the CMA, said: “Having an efficient and competitive metal recycling industry is good for the environment and is important for both suppliers and waste metal customers, including those in the automotive and steel manufacturing industries.
“Over the course of our inquiry we surveyed, spoke to, or received comments from over 850 suppliers and customers. The evidence shows that EMR’s purchase of MWR is likely to harm competition in a number of areas and there is a material risk that prices for some suppliers and customers could worsen.
“To ensure competition is maintained, we are requiring EMR to sell off some of the sites that it bought from MWR.”
During the inquiry EMR argued that its tendered contracts for scrap metal made up only a small percentage of the business’s total purchases in the North East and North West, and would not harm competition.
As well as impacting automotive firms, such as Nissan, the CMA also said the merger would harm the choices available to supplies, such as car breakers, and those that shred scrap metal.
Along with the Seaham site, EMR was ordered to sell three of its scrapyards in the West Midlands and one in the South East.
MWR was acquired by EMR in August 2017, with the deal valued at around £52.6m. EMR bought the rival firm in order to broaden its geographical presence and to increase “operating synergies and savings”.


text:
Today Twitch an Amazon owned streaming service and Eleven Sports a cable sports network announced a new deal to stream Eleven Sports on Twitch. With this deal you will now be able to watch basketball, baseball, football and hockey on Twitch.
Eleven Sports carries content from Big Sky Conference, Ivy League, Southland Conference, and UMass Minutemen college football game. Eleven Sports also has international sports including Belgian Jupiler Pro League to bring Belgians top soccer action to the United States along with other international sports options.
“This partnership expands our presence in the U.S. and through our collaborative approach with Twitch, we are challenging the status quo on how sports are delivered, discovered, and packaged,” Anthony Bailey, SVP and managing director for Eleven Sports in the U.S., said in a statement. “We are focused on reaching audiences everywhere and ensuring that fans can interact socially around our content.”
“Sports on Twitch is a very nascent, yet well-received category by our community,” added Jane Weedon, Twitch’s director of business development. “ELEVEN SPORTS is tapping into the current appeal by offering up one of the first channels on Twitch dedicated to broadcasting sports content 24/7. Given the diversity of their programming from football to darts, and everything in between, this is an exciting time for sports fans looking for a more interactive viewing experience.”
Eleven Sports offers a free stream and a premium feed streamed online for Americans to subscribe to. They are also carried on several cable networks including Verizon Fios, Google Fiber, Mediacom, RCN, and streaming services like PlayStation Vue.
Need cord cutting tech support? Join our Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.


text:
Industry Events: Entertainment
LIST YOUR EVENT IN OUR INDUSTRY EVENTS CALENDAR
Get your event noticed in our calendar. Viewed by 10,000 industry professionals per week!
Following the success of the inaugural Leisure Industry Communication and Marketing Awards, entries are now open for the 2017 edition of the Awards. The Awards aim to recognise leisure…read more
A recently launched Australia app which offers dynamic pricing for movie tickets has attracted more than 10,000 subscribers in just a few months. Choovie, a Melbourne-based start-up which…read more
After a sell-out premiere and tour in 2016, Opera Australia’s production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro has commenced a tour of regional Australia, undertaking 19…read more


text:
Written by Baneet Braich
Event cancellations, paused budgets and social distancing measures are fostering a new virtual norm to take care of business. With face to face events at a standstill, many B2B marketing leaders are scrambling to transform their advertising efforts during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Budgets are definitely shifting to accommodate a world of digital advertising, said Lisa Shepherd, founder of the Mezzanine Group in Toronto. Since the pandemic, half of Mezzanine’s B2B clients have shifted 50 per cent of their budget to digital advertising, she explained.
Canadian B2B companies are “upping their content game,” said Shepherd. More money is being invested into Facebook and Linkedin ads and content development which includes: quizzes, interactive white papers, video, online savings calculators, she said.
Businesses are also opening up to apps like Whatsapp and TikTok. “WhatsApp is a huge technology in emerging economies,” indicated Shepherd. She also pointed out how in South America and the Middle East, Mezzanine’s Canadian companies -who sell global- are investing in building apps for WhatsApp because customers want to engage on Whatsapp.
Tik Tok is proving successful for consumer businesses, however, Shepherd said she is not seeing much usage with B2Bs just yet but the potential is there. “It takes a little while for them (companies) to figure out their voice on Tik Tok,” she said. Downloads of TikTok increased by 315m in Q1 2020, making it the most downloaded app ever in any three-month time period, according to SensorTower.
While digital advertising is helping B2Bs go global, airport advertising is decreasing due to the pandemic. “The eyeballs are not there. The companies who have a contract they can pull from airport advertising are doing that,” said Shepherd, adding businesses must remain nimble on where and how they advertise. “What is happening today is different from what was happening six weeks ago.”
Sidestepping Facebook and Google
With uncertainties and new catalysts amidst COVID-19, advertisers and marketers can now turn to a new Canadian digital advertising platform to spread their messages.
Maple Network Exchange (MNE), a new Canadian digital advertising platform, is meant to help Canadian businesses shift away from foreign players like Facebook and Google MNE is bound by an alliance of ten Canadian publishers that reach a combined audience of 80-85 per cent Canadians from rural and urban Canada.
The economic impact is about leaving aside exchange rates and investing in Canadian businesses, said John Hinds, CEO of News Media Canada. “When you have that huge migration of revenues to Silicon Valley that really guts quality news publications in communities large and small. This is a way of really re-investing in local news and getting their ad passage out to Canadians,” he said.
Hinds said there is more opportunity to think local with geographic advertising even for B2B companies. The main motive of MNE is trust. “A lot of trusted brands have a concern about where their ads are going to appear. Are they really appearing on sites, and whose site?” he said.
The pandemic has also inspired solutions for self-serve advertising platforms. Hinds said he finds B2B companies struggle to facilitate marketing efforts on their own. “I think one of the challenges for B2B often is this sense that I have to get an agency, get my creative, I have to have this huge layout of resources. For Hinds, the importance is in targeting the geographic audience and taking self-serving measures to reach leads.
Virtual show floors
Despite the uncertainties of COVID-19, B2Bs are prioritizing advertising through virtual engagement. Nearly 95 per cent of event professionals plan to invest in virtual events moving forward, according to Bizzabo.
For Softchoice the increasing numbers for virtual events were surprising. The solution provider is seeing five to six times higher numbers for webinar participation. The numbers for leadership and other boot camps are, “through the roof,” said Julija Noskova, the company’s vice-president of marketing. Their recent virtual discovery expo last week – which entered its second year – attracted an impressive number of people, she added.
“We had 2,000 people registered for the event, ” she said. “More than 50 per cent actually attended the event, and those numbers were a good surprise for us.
On average, Noskova said attendees spent two hours inside the VDX experience, with the breakout sessions garnering more than 3,000 views over the course of the day. The virtual vendor booths, which replaced the physical expo floor, had 8,545 visits.
Noskova is also noticing the key advantage of reaching a new audience using virtual event platforms like 6Connex. The platform enables companies to host virtual trade shows, job fairs, summits and more.
“We saw a very healthy split between Canada and the U.S. in terms of participation. And it makes it so much easier to grow your audience,” she said, adding audience growth remains vital as B2Bs prioritize the nimble mindset for future advertising strategies.


text:
The latest iteration of the stunning Acura NSX concept broke cover at the Detroit Auto Show this January.
The good news is the supercar is headed for production and Honda has announced that the next generation model will be built at a brand new plant in Ohio, US. The proposed plant will be the third production facility for the Japanese automaker in Ohio.
Called as the Performance Manufacturing Center, Honda says the plant will use unique manufacturing techniques to build the NSX. The production facility is located within the premises of Honda's former logistics centre and is just a few miles away from Honda's Ohio R&D centre which is engineering the car for production.
Production of the NSX will be taken care by a team of 100 handpicked associates who will undergo a thorough training on the new manufacturing techniques. The first supercar will roll out of the factory sometime in 2015.
Hidenobu Iwata, president & CEO of Honda of America stated, "The location of this facility is in the midst of one of the greatest collections of engineering and production talent in the world. So it makes sense that we will renew the dream and build this high-tech, supercar in Marysville, Ohio."
The 2016 Acura NSX will sport a mid-mounted V6 engine coupled to the Acura SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) hybrid system.


text:
On one hand, Tesla is making and selling cars. Wednesday, the company said it had delivered 95,356 vehicles in the second quarter of 2019, beating its own record of 90,966, from the end of 2018. That’s a year-over-year increase of 134 percent. The figure also beat Wall Street’s prognostications and seemed to signal that the electric-car maker was ready to climb out of an early 2019 slump and get back to saving the world via four wheels.
On the other hand, Tesla isn’t back to making a profit yet. The company also reported it lost $408 million in the second quarter. That’s an improvement over the prior quarter, when it reported a $702 million loss; but the loss was still larger than Wall Street analysts’ expectations, which were already pretty grim. The company’s stock price fell more than 10 percent in aftermarket trading. Tesla also said longtime CTO and cofounder JB Straubel would step down to become a senior adviser to the company. Company vice president of technology Drew Baglino will take over some of Straubel’s responsibilities.
As Tesla becomes, increasingly, a manufacturer of “affordable” electric vehicles instead of luxury ones—just 18.6 percent of its deliveries last quarter were its higher-margin luxury Model X and Model S—the company still appears to be looking for a path to long-term profitability.
For that, Tesla is publicly casting its eyes to its next big thing: production of the Model Y compact SUV, which is slated to begin in fall 2020. “The story for Tesla’s future is fundamentally Model 3 and Model Y,” CEO Elon Musk told investors on a call Wednesday evening. He projected that “in a couple years” customers would demand about 750,000 Model 3’s and 1.25 million Model Y’s per year, compared with 80,000 to 100,000 S’s and X’s. With Tesla’s planned pick-up truck and semitruck, the share of Model S’s and X’s “gets smaller and smaller,” he said. (Neither Tesla’s shareholder letter nor the investor call offered an update on the timelines for the Tesla pick-up or semi, though Musk indicated in June that a pick-up truck might be unveiled “some time towards the end of summer.”)
The letter said the company expects the Model Y to be a more profitable product than the Model 3.
Even so, Musk and company said they weren’t quite sure why Model S and X deliveries have fallen 21 percent since last year. He chalked some missed sales up to a “communication” issue and said he believed some customers were waiting for new versions of the S and X before purchasing a vehicle. He emphasized that no big refresh was coming.
Tesla also appears to be pinning serious hopes on its factory in Shanghai, where it says machinery is being put into place for a Model 3 production line. The company says it’s on track to begin production there by the end of the year. China’s aggressive electric-vehicle sales goals makes it an ideal market for the EV company, but the country also places heavy import taxes on automobiles built elsewhere. Tesla hopes its new factory will boost demand for its cars in the country. Musk also said Tesla would finalize a location for a European Gigafactory by the end of the year.
As for Tesla’s futuristic car tech: well, it still seems to be in production. The investor letter indicated that the company’s “Enhanced Summon” feature, which Musk has long promised would allow a driver to summon a car from a parking lot, is still in development. “We are making progress towards stopping at stop signs and traffic lights,” the letter read—which seems pretty vital. Musk predicted earlier this year that Tesla would have 1 million robotaxis on the road in 2020, though technology experts have cast doubt on that claim.
Tesla said it is still on track to produce 360,000 to 400,000 vehicles this year, which would require more than doubling its output from the first half. Musk urged investors to focus on the positive. The company’s output has increased dramatically in recent years, he pointed out. “We didn’t evolve to feel an exponential” rate of increase, he said. “We can feel a linear, but we can only understand an exponential at a cognitive level. But Tesla is expanding at an exponential rate.”
- The hard-luck Texas town that bet on bitcoin—and lost
- The inside story of Twitter's new redesign
- How Waze data can help predict car crashes
- The simple way Apple and Google let abusers stalk victims
- Disney's new Lion King is the VR-fueled future of cinema
- 📱 Torn between the latest phones? Never fear—check out our iPhone buying guide and favorite Android phones
- 📩 Hungry for even more deep dives on your next favorite topic? Sign up for the Backchannel newsletter


text:
The government will steer clear of tampering with the $1,000 GST-free threshold for goods bought from overseas online stores, instead opting to improve its systems for collecting tax on imported parcels.
Retailers have demanded the threshold be lowered, but a landmark review by the Productivity Commission last year concluded that doing so did not make economic sense.
Although it would raise tax revenue of $600 million, this would come at a cost of $2 billion, it said.
Since then, a taskforce within Treasury has been investigating how to make parcel processing more efficient, raising hopes among retailers that the government is considering lowering the threshold.
A final report from the taskforce, handed to Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury in September, said that cutting the threshold to $500 would be more cost-effective than slashing it dramatically, as some retailers have called for.
However, it is understood the government’s official response to the Treasury taskforce will not include changes to the $1,000 threshold.
Due to the complexity of having to collect extra tax from items arriving in hundreds of thousands of parcels, the government is instead expected to implement reforms to how it processes parcels.
It is understood the government is also concerned that abruptly changing the taskforce could unleash massive disruptions for consumers and small businesses.
The government is expected to publish its response to the Low Value Parcel Processing Taskforce, as the taskforce is known, in the coming weeks.
The decision not to change the threshold comes as growth in online shopping continues to accelerate rapidly, hitting ‘‘bricks and mortar’’ department stores, clothing and electronic goods retailers especially hard.
NAB this week estimated online sales in Australia hit $12.3 billion in the year to October, clocking up an annual growth rate of 26 per cent.
Despite its phenomenal growth, however, NAB said online sales account for about 5 per cent of the traditional retail market, and most of the online spending is with Australian businesses.


text:
NEW YORK CITY—In this market, you have to go where the business takes you, and that is clearly China. Hilton Worldwide knows where the demand is and has just opened what it is calling the first internationally branded hotel in Putian, in the province of Fujian.
“The opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Putian marks Hilton Worldwide’s entry into Fujian Province and is another milestone in our ongoing expansion in China, where we have more than 110 properties in the pipeline,” said Martin Rinck, president of Hilton Worldwide, Asia Pacific, in a statement. “We plan to continue to accelerate our growth,” in China. The new asset is the company’s 12th Double Tree in China.
Situated in the central Chenxiang diplomatic and commercial district, the DoubleTree is located across the street from the new government center. It offers 23 suites, three restaurants, a lobby lounge and a fitness center with a 25-meter heated indoor swimming pool and a spa.
The opening comes at a time when Asia/Pacific is experiencing what may be simply a temporary slowdown in growth. In year-over-year measurements provided by STR, the Asia/Pacific region’s occupancy ended November down with a 1.1% decrease to 72.1%, its average daily rate rose 2.5% to $132.25 and its revenue per available room was up 1.4% to $95.34.
“For the eleven months this year, the region achieved an almost flat occupancy growth of 0.6% to 68.4%,” said Elizabeth Winkle Randall, managing director of STR Global. “ADR performed similarly, with a 0.9% growth to $129.25.
“The number of available rooms in the region increased only 2.9% YTD, the lowest increase in supply over the past six years,” the report continued. “Demand for hotel accommodation across the region continued to rise, growing 3.5% YTD to more than 699 million rooms occupied YTD.”


text:
SMTCL Global machine tool titan sets its sights on European shops
The world’s biggest machine tool maker has come to Europe, and it is ready to sell. With a Frankfurt showroom and a growing network for sales and service, SMTCL desires increased sales outside of China. The company’s export manager explains the plan.
Andrew Heath, general manager of import and export at SMTCL, describes how the largest machine tool maker in the world will boost sales in Europe, and how someone else’s control of a web domain remains a thorn in the company’s side.
ETMM: Your company, Shengyang Machine Tool Company Ltd (SMTCL), has been called the world’s biggest machine tool maker. According to whom?
Andrew Heath: This claim is based on Gardner Business Media’s annual ranking of worldwide machine tool manufacturers by sales revenue.
ETMM: What percentage of your sales are outside of China? To what level would you like to raise this in the next five years? What role should Europe play in sales shift?
Heath: Currently around five per cent of our sales take place outside of China. We are taking aggressive actions to raise this proportion to between 20 and 30 per cent over the next five years in order to better balance our sales across markets. We expect Western Europe to account for one-third of this growth.
ETMM: Are your machines ready for the European market?
Heath: Yes. We are careful to only offer machines within this market that we believe are suitable. The European catalogue represents only a sub-set of the full SMTCL portfolio.


text:
The CEO of Apple iPhone manufacturer Wistron has let slip that the next iPhone will include wireless charging.
Wireless charging has featured on Android phones for several years, but Apple in typical style has held back, leaving the iPhone either stuck with cords or third-party wireless battery cases and other gadgets.
That situation could change on the next iPhone if details from relatively new Apple supplier Wistron are correct. Wistron assembles some iPhone models in India, and according to its CEO, Robert Hwang, it's had to tweak its assembly processes for wireless charging.
"Assembly process for the previous generations of [iPhones] have not changed much, though new features like waterproof and wireless charging now require some different testing, and waterproof function will alter the assembly process a bit," Hwang told reporters after Wistron's shareholder meeting.
Hwang's slip-up is significant given the secrecy requirements Apple imposes on its suppliers and Wistron's normal reticence on market speculation.
The company only last month started producing the iPhone SE at a dedicated plant in India separate to its existing facilities for other smartphones. Apple said Wistron would initially produce "a small number of iPhone SE handsets".
Hwang didn't deviate from Apple's statement, saying only that a "small number" of iPhones were being made without revealing specific figures. He added that iPhones volumes will depend on upcoming talks between Apple and the Indian government.
Apple in February also joined the Wireless Power Consortium as a board member. The group drives the Qi wireless charging standard, of which Apple uses a customized variant in its Watch and wireless charging plate.


text:
Developer Yang Bing announced on Twitter yesterday that he will be receiving support from Sony to continue work on his viral title Lost Soul Aside together with the help of other developers.
As a result, the game will be a timed exclusive on PlayStation 4 with a tentative release year of 2018. Bing's Twitter announcement can be found below, including images on the game's progress so far:
Lost Soul Aside hit the internet in July with it's debut trailer and gained an immediate following soon after. The developer will be using Unreal Engine 4 for the project.


text:
RPAI: ‘Irma was kind’
Hurricane Irma packed less of a wallop than originally feared, and shopping centers owners are breathing a sigh of relief.
Retail Properties of America reported that its six Florida properties emerged from the ordeal practically unscathed.
“The company's Florida team is safe and is working tirelessly to help the company's tenants reopen and serve the impacted areas. The Company's management team is optimistic that the balance of the portfolio that lies within Irma's northwest trajectory is well-situated to withstand the weakening storm,” read a statement issued by the company.
RPAI owns centers in Ft. Myers, Miami, Tampa, Lake Mary, Tallahassee, and Panama City.
At the World Trade Center Mall, honoring heroes is an everyday thing
Outside the Oculus, the skeletal edifice that houses the World Trade Center’s transportation hub, thousands gathered this week to honor American heroes who lost their lives there on 9-11. Inside the Oculus, Westfield’s mall has been honoring America’s military heroes ever since it opened a year ago. Before any store opened its doors, Westfield staged a job fair aimed at enlisting veterans to come to work at Ground Zero.
It was two years ago that Bill Hecht decided to jump with both feet into a chain-wide community program for Westfield. The then new COO started with a desire to help veterans and a logical notion: get the community-minded people within the company to get the project going.
“I was keenly interested in doing more to help the veterans,” said Hecht, whose father was a veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict. “I sent out a note to the company at large to see who else might be interested and I got responses from over 100 people.”
The big mall owner now has 50 employees involved in the Westfield Veterans Initiative (WVI), which provides veterans with one-on-one mentorship opportunities, supports retail entrepreneurship, and drives awareness for issues faced by transitioning service members.
Early on, WVI formed a relationship with The Rosie Network, an organization founded by Navy SEAL spouses to help counteract high unemployment rates among transitioning veterans through entrepreneurship. In July, Westfield Mission Valley in San Diego sponsored a Rosie Network Veteran Business Showcase where 29 veterans and military spouses were allowed to display their wares.
“Thanks to Westfield, our military entrepreneurs have a meaningful way to connect directly with consumers,” said Rosie Network founder Stephanie Brown.
The National Retail Federation and its RISE Up Initiative partnered with WVI at a veteran’s job fair at its Century City mall in June to advise veterans on how to acquire the necessary skills to turn retail jobs into promising careers in the industry.
The Veteran’s Initiative has taken root at Westfield, and Hecht says the experience has been as rewarding for Westfield and its employees as it’s been for veterans.
“One of the most pleasant outcomes of this program has been the involvement of a wide variety of different employees,” he said. “Leaders have emerged from this project who were not among the most senior people in the company.”
Glimcher named CEO of Starwood
Michael P. Glimcher, who stepped down as the chief executive of WP Glimcher last year, has been named CEO of Starwood Retail Partners. He succeeds Scott Wolstein, who has taken on a new role as senior adviser to the parent company, Starwood Capital Group.
In the recession of 2008, Glimcher staged a turnaround of Glimcher Realty Trust by reducing the REIT’s debt-to-capitalization ratio by focusing on the acquisition of high-end regional malls. Five years later, its investors reaped an annualized return of 38% compared to and industry average return of 17%.
Washington Prime Group acquired Glimcher in 2015 and pledged to grow the company through increased cash flow and acquisition of more diverse assets. A year later, Glimcher, who had joined the company in 1991 and risen up the leasing department ranks to senior VP, left the company.
"Michael has an intense passion for the retail business… and has a deep understanding of what retailers and shoppers are looking for and how we, as landlords, must adapt,” said Mark Deason, head of U.S. asset management for Starwood.
Wolstein led Starwood Retail Partners from its inception in 2012, building it into a significant industry player with a portfolio of 30 malls and lifestyle centers in the U.S.


text:
Home Tags Fitbit
A 2nd person has been charged with manipulating Fitbit’s stock price by announcing a fake acquisition offer
The US Securities and Exchange Commission filed fraud charges against a second person in connection with an alleged manipulation of Fitbit's stock price. In November 2016, a nonexistent company called ABM Capital filed a takeover offer for Fitbit on Edgar.
Companies are working to track signs of depression using data from your phone or smartwatch — and Olympian Michael Phelps is on board
Two companies are exploring approaches to using data from our smartphones and fitness bands to help detect depression.One of them, called Medibio, is backed by Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. The other is a Silicon Valley startup called Mindstrong Health.
The Apple Watch may be more expensive than the Fitbit Versa, but it's the queen of the smartwatch category. Apple Watch has built-in GPS, a better screen, and is still the best watch for iPhone owners.
Fitbit newest smartwatch, the Fitbit Versa, is smaller, cheaper, and has a few more features than the Apple Watch. Plus, it gets four days of battery life.
Fitbit's new Versa smartwatch is stylish and lightweight — and costs $130 less than the latest Apple Watch.
Fitbit Ace is designed to encourage kids to be more active.
Fitbit's new Versa smartwatch can show you personalized workouts, store music, answer texts, and track your sleep.
Apple's smartwatch sales skyrocketed in only a year.
DIGITAL HEALTH BRIEFING: Apple unveils health clinic — Fitbit misses earnings amid pivot — Samsung’s new phone will have in-built he...
Apple is launching a network of internal medical clinics with the aim of making healthcare more accessible to its employees.
This inconspicuous pair of glasses might just be the first fitness tracker I actually want to wear — here’s how it works
Finally, a fitness tracker you don't have to wear on your wrist.


text:
London Fog may be at the head of the top 10 list of outerwear brands, but the company is working to stay one step ahead of the competition.
On the business front, the company this month divided itself into three independently managed businesses: Pacific Trail, London Fog Trade and London Fog Factory Outlet Stores. The new format is designed to further growth through a vertical operational structure, particularly for the Pacific Trail division. London Fog’s new “Global Style” ad campaign, shot in cities including London and Paris, is intended to keep consumers from viewing the brand as staid.
Winding up at number two in the survey is L.L. Bean, whose rugged wares have made it a staple for shoppers in search of comfortable, yet sturdy, fashions. The company is reportedly looking into purchasing Eddie Bauer, which finished fourth on the top 10 outerwear list. Last month L.L. Bean chief executive officer Chris McCormick said Eddie Bauer’s brand name, customer list and warehouses in Virginia and Ohio were selling points.
In recent years, L.L. Bean has broadened its outerwear beyond its signature barn jackets. The company also offers various price points for its best-selling styles, permitting shoppers with differing budgets to wear the brand’s outerwear. Last fall, for example, three-in-one jackets, which allow the wearer to regulate his or her body temperature, retailed for $89, $149 and $350.
After being acquired by Sears, Roebuck & Co. last year for $1.9 billion, Lands’ End — which landed in the number-three spot — began selling its merchandise, including coats, at its sister chain’s 870 doors.
Eddie Bauer has been trying in recent seasons to broaden its appeal as a sportswear-oriented option for outerwear. This spring, for example, it reproduced a small number of replica 1936 Eddie Bauer Skyliner goose down jackets for distribution in its stores. It also placed the jackets in gift baskets given to presenters at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Academy Awards.
Nautica, whose women’s outerwear offerings are offered solely through its Nautica Jeans Co. division, grabbed the number-five spot on the top 10 list. For fall, Nautica Jean Co.’s outerwear includes denim jackets, faux fur-lined down ski jackets and quilted cropped jackets with faux fur-lined hoods.
Occupying the number-six spot on the outerwear top 10 is Liz Claiborne coats, produced by The Levy Group. Part of the brand’s high consumer awareness lies in the fact that The Levy Group encourages Liz Claiborne to feature outerwear in its national advertising.
More shoppers are becoming familiar with Columbia Sportswear Co. since the Portland, Ore.-based company has focused on selling to department stores to supplement its specialty store business.
Jones New York, which ranked eighth, recently experienced a boost in sales following placement in a national Jones New York ad — which influenced consumers’ awareness of the brand’s outerwear. The line is produced under license by New York-based Amerex.
Calvin Klein, whose fashion empire spans several categories, landed a spot on the top 10 for his coats, produced by Fairbrooke Enterprises. To distinguish the collection from the younger CK line, Calvin Klein collection coats have more of a sophisticated flair and are made of more luxurious fabrics.
Like Columbia Sportswear, Pendleton hails from the Pacific Northwest in Tacoma, Wash. The company is seeking to expand its distribution to department and speciality stores, as well as expand its offerings of casual pieces by producing hooded coats and duffel coats.
1. London Fog
2. L.L. Bean
3. Lands’ End
4. Eddie Bauer
6. Liz Claiborne Coats
7. Columbia Sportswear
8. Jones New York
9. Calvin Klein Coats


text:
Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter has come out to clarify what appears to be a case where he was allegedly quoted out of context….
It’s been widely heralded as the medium for Africa: the mobile phone is giving people on the continent a means to do everything from accessing the internet to paying their bills. And it’s often the only way to transact for a large chunk of the population: while the majority of people in high income economies have an account with a financial institution, only 24% of people living in sub-Saharan Africa, and 18% in Northern Africa and the Middle East do. But mobile payment systems may be making things easier for the millions of people without a bank account or access to ATMs or desktop online banking services.
According to the World Bank, 647-million consumers in Africa do not have a formal bank account — but reports suggest that there are around 750-million mobile subscribers on the continent. The majority of citizens in countries like Nigeria still visit a bank teller to transfer money, and some 63% of transfers are done through informal means. It’s not difficult to see the potential.
The environment in Africa has lead to a rapid uptake of mobile money services (some more than others) and consumers are being given new options all the time as more players enter the market. Visa-owned mobile financial platform provider Fundamo has powered three new services in Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe so far this year, bringing it to a total of 27 deployments in 19 countries across Africa.
“Earlier this year the industry celebrated a decade of banking the unbanked. Mobile money providers are rapidly diversifying and consumers are demanding access to more sophisticated services,” said Fundamo CEO Hannes van Rensburg. “One thing hasn’t changed – Africa, the cradle of mobile financial services, continues to lead the world with a swath of new deployments in 2012.”
One of the countries where Fundamo systems have launch recently is Nigeria. A recent study in the country found that Nigerians would primarily use mobile services to save money for their family (59%) and pay utility bills (58%). Some mobile money systems, like First Bank Nigeria’s platform FirstMonie, already allow them to do this, by offering services like utility payments (airline tickets, electric and insurance), cash withdrawal from an ATM without a bank card and payment for goods.
Earlier this year, Celpay International entered the mobile money market in Uganda and Zimbabwe in partnership with operators and banks, further illustrating the trend in mcommerce on the continent. And a number of the financial mobile services aren’t run by telecoms: nearly a third of the services Fundamo supports in Africa are delivered by providers other than mobile operators. According to van Rensburg, the launch of these mobile money services bodes well for the future, and “highlights the growing number of service providers competing to meet consumer demand in Africa.”
“A great deal of credit must go to governments across Africa which are driving the principles of financial inclusion and creating regulatory environments in which services like these can flourish as part of grander ‘cashless society’ plans,” said van Rensburg. “We expect to see a host of exciting government schemes gain ground in the next year.”


text:
Like sales of variable annuities, sales of single premium immediate annuities have become more concentrated among a handful of companies. Back in 2003, the top five sellers accounted for only a third of SPIA sales; in 2011, the top five accounted for more than half, according to the Fixed Annuity Premium Study by Beacon Research. (See chart below.)
In addition, none of the insurance companies who comprised the top five SPIA sellers in 2003 were still represented among the top five in 2011. Over that time, SPIA sales among the top five more than doubled, to $4.39 billion from $1.6 billion, while total SPIA sales rose to $8.48 billion from $4.75 billion.
The leader in SPIA sales for the past six years, New York Life, wasn’t even among the top five nine years ago. Genworth Financial, once a leading SPIA manufacturer, is no longer among the top 5. American General slipped out of the top five after 2008, the year in which its parent, AIG, had its catastrophic meltdown.


text:
Apple's iPhone 5, due to launch in October, will have a smaller 19-pin dock connector, replacing the 30-pin port, according to sources.
The move could have wide-ranging consequences for users and accessories manufacturers.
If Apple has switched to using a smaller 19-pin dock on the new iPhone 5, the change will hit users hard as it will make all previous accessories incompatible with the device, even if the software is capable of being updated.
Accessory manufacturers could also face expensive reconfiguring in order to produce the micro dock port and may have to remake all of their hardware to support the iPhone 5.
Reports arose after what was claimed to be a leaked picture of the forthcoming iPhone 5 (pictured), which shows a new smaller "Mini Dock" port, surfaced on website Mobile Fun.
This week, technology website TechCrunch claimed the reports had been verified by three independent manufacturers.
Apple did not respond to requests to comment.