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Y Combinator now offers you a free online course
Mountain View's Y-Combinator which has mentored startups for over 10-years, has announced that it will be offering a free startup online course, according to Wired magazine. The course will feature lessons from prominent startup personalities such as Yahoo's Marissa Mayer, as well as Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham.
The course is in fact taught at Stanford University, will offer videos and readings a week after they are posted on the Stanford bulletin, with the hope of promoting greater reach for the accelerator and increasing inspiration in the number of people interested in starting their own business.
I always welcome content initiatives like these, and in fact hope myself to get into some of these Stanford classes.


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In the rush to purchase fuel-efficient hybrid cars, consumers can overlook some of the smaller, lightweight gas cars that can deliver exceptional fuel economy. While hybrids certainly lead the way in efficiency, the premium price consumers must pay for these vehicles can be a real turn off.
The most fuel efficient gasoline powered car is the Smart Fortwo, a tiny two seater produced by Germany’s Daimler AG. The car has been sold for several years in Canada, but only recently became available in the US. Powered by a 61 cubic foot three cylinder engine, the Smart Fortwo is by far the smallest car on the road, at least a foot shorter than the MINI Cooper.
The advantage of the Fortwo is in its highway fuel economy, where the car achieves 41 mpg according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That number puts the Fortwo fifth on the list of fuel efficient models, behind several hybrid and diesel models, but at the top of the gasoline powered car heap.
“The smart fortwo demonstrates there are options, other than hybrids, when seeking excellent fuel economy at a time when fuel prices have been at a historic high,” said Dave Schembri, president of smart USA. “This vehicle has a low cost of ownership starting under $12,000 and is one of the most ecological vehicles on the road today, not only for its environmental friendliness, but also for its compact size in an age of increasing urban congestion.”
The diminutive Fortwo has also been certified as an Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its exceedingly low exhaust emissions. It is also certified by EPA as a “Smartway” vehicle, which indicates good environmental performance, placing it among the “greenest” vehicles available on the market.
The component materials and the manufacturing processes used to produce it clearly demonstrates the ecology of the Smart Fortwo. For example, 95% of the vehicle is recyclable, and the dash material is made from recycled synthetics. Moreover, the “smartville” factory in France, where the vehicle is manufactured, is considered to be one of the most modern and environmentally friendly plants on the globe.
Besides the Smart Fortwo, there are several other gasoline powered cars that are larger, but get very good gas mileage, particularly on the highway. The Chevrolet Cobalt XFE commands 37 mpg as does the MINI Cooper, while the Toyota Yaris returns 36 mpg. Among hybrids, the Toyota Prius returns 45 mpg on the highway, but 48 mpg around town. The most fuel efficient diesel is the Volkswagen Jetta which gets 41 mpg on the highway.
The biggest advantage of the Smart Fortwo besides its fuel efficiency is its price. With an MSRP of $11,590, the Fortwo offers class leading fuel economy along with a class leading price advantage.
(Source: Smart USA)

domain: news


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Websummit 2016: The velvet rEvolution: Geeks, nerds and millionaires
The 2016 edition of Websummit revealed the major forthcoming trends. After Dublin in 2015, this edition was held from 7 to 10 November in Lisbon, a city that intends to capitalize on this event to become the European Silicon Valley within 10 years.
While Dublin exuded a party atmosphere with its Rock’n Roll and garage feel, a degree of middle-classness made itself felt at the Lisbon Websummit. There were half as many start-ups as in the 2015 edition (1,300 this year), no doubt to make room for the very many and generous sponsors of the most popular European Tech event (more than 50,000 visitors).
With fewer start-ups at the event, one could be forgiven for expecting to see less creativity and madness. However we have to admit that we really got into the mood of the Websummit 2016, as we chatted with start-ups on their minimalist stands (Alpha, Beta or Meta categories), listened to pitches and attended conferences.
A busy time with hundreds of conferences to spur on the world of technology and to spread the “lucrative” word of the Techtitans attending the event, like Facebook, Google or Amazon, who boost their profits by exploiting our day-to-day existence.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) was at the heart of the debates, more particularly with Facebook, whose CTO Mike Schroepfer demonstrated the very sharp acceleration of the power of AI “made in Facebook” (Editor’s note: development team based in Paris). The most concrete illustration concerned image and text recognition, with the new “Style transfer” functionality that lets you airbrush a video in real time. Tomorrow, thanks to AI, Facebook will be able to identify the context, activity, people and constituent parts of each of the photos published on its network.
Furthermore, applications will soon no longer need to be downloaded. Transparent commerce, embedded directly in the messaging system thanks to image recognition, will transform the world into a true living e-commerce site.
Amazon, through the intervention of its CTO Werner Vogels, was there to encourage developers to embrace its AI Alexa. The American giant also showed off its advances in AI with an ecosystem affecting all areas of our life, which brands itself as a veritable ‘living services’ platform.
Hanson Robotics’s smart robot Sophia took the centre-stage at Lisbon with its human face and humour. However, Sofia is not just a gadget, as it clearly announced to an audience of 10,000 that it can already work as a receptionist in stores, a guide in shopping centre or a teacher of children (a true icy beauty).
Miss Sofia, still a teenager, even ended her intervention in an impressive manner by announcing that she is simply starting her learning process, and she confirmed that her aim in ‘life’ was to be able to programme herself! Hanson Robotics’s Ben Goertzel reacted by asserting that “there are no jobs done by humans that AI will not be able to do”!
The same story was heard from the start-ups, with tens of entrepreneurs offering AI on messaging services via chatbots, to manage the home, one’s energy consumption, find a job, travel… in a nutshell quite simply enhance one’s life!
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) also featured very prominently at the conferences and on the stands, whether for gaming, viewing properties, helping disabled persons learn to walk again (more particularly with the Facebook-backed project “Walk again”), or even doing sport in a network with one’s friends in one’s living room. VR claims to be the future of the media and could even supplant the television we have had in our living rooms for over 60 years. As for RA, according to the panels of experts who were at the Websummit, it will become the ultimate technology for boosting productivity.
But will the future be driven by Mixed Reality, with Microsoft’s Hololens headset being its current incarnation? But it is already on the decline. Indeed, Apple is reported to be working with 600 engineers to make the next iPhone a Mixed Reality device featuring sensors and a revolutionary 3D camera, and it will be released in the next 11 months.
Finally the Websummit also has its share of unconventional speakers, and here we are not alluding to the presence of Ronaldinho or Luis Figo, but rather to a speaker who aroused the audience. This was the hot-headed Gary Vaynerchuk, who remotivated his listeners, still stunned by the election of Donald Trump. With a stage show featuring off-beat optimism and critical of large corporations. In his view despite the millions of dollars at their disposal, they are still too conventional in their marketing in response to the increase in new media.
Ultimately the 2016 edition was highly instructive, with new technologies that are confirming their hold on our future day-to-day existence and that will impact on our lifestyles over the next 10 years! Echangeur will for that matter almost certainly integrate new partners, including favourite start-ups like RECAST.AI, PROFILE AUDIENCE INSIGHT or even MEREAL BIOMETRICS… Read about our future technological partnerships in our newsletter and come and test their solutions in our showroom.
Published on November 16 2016 by


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It has been a bad year for ITV (LSE: ITV). Coronavirus and lockdown have stopped the production of some of its most popular shows. But as another of its top hits starts again this week, I am wondering if ‘I’m a Celebrity’ will be enough to bolster its share price.
Popular shows translate to advertising revenue
As a viewing public, we may have been disappointed when TV’s top hits were cancelled in 2020, but for ITV it is far worse. Popular shows bring in massive advertising revenue. At the risk of stating the obvious, making less money hurts a company’s share price.
During the summer months, when viewer-favourite ‘Love Island’ would usually have been on, ITV reported revenues falling about 7%. ‘The X Factor’ was also cancelled this year – yet another hit to its advertising cash flow.
Interestingly, ITV has also been seeing less revenue from the holiday industry. As early as April this year the company was warning about the suspension and postponement of advertising campaigns from the industry. At present, this still remains an unknown factor going forward.
On a more positive note, ITV’s latest figures show advertising spending in November is up around 6% so far. This gives it an optimistic view for Q4, suggesting the quarter may end “slightly up year on year”. Its share price has climbed 35% since the begging of this month.
ITV did warn however that these positive projections assumed that “current Covid restrictions in England end as planned on 2 December”. Taking an uncharacteristically positive view, I think this seems a reasonable assumption at the moment.
Vaccines and I’m a Celebrity
As with many industries this past week, those that were suffering on the back of coronavirus have seen a boost on positive vaccine news. The ITV share price is no different – up about 6% over the past week.
As the first episode of ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ aired on Sunday night though, ITV has another reason to celebrate. The show that usually sees various famous people spending time in the Australian jungle is another major hit for the company. Despite some concerns it may not be same set in a Welsh castle, it has already assuaged these fears.
Its popularity should translate to more advertising revenue for Q4. The last quarter of the year is particularly important for broadcasters, making up much of their annual revenue. For ITV, Q4 accounted for almost 30% of its full-year advertising revenue in 2019.
Can it help the ITV share price long term?
Personally, though I think ITV’s Q4 numbers will help, it may not be enough to support the share price in the long term. In my opinion the company has a number of headwinds its needs to face.
The main one of these for me is the increase in digital streaming. This was already a trend before Covid-19. Lockdown has seen this increase. ITV said that during summer, while total viewing hours climbed 2%, its share fell 4%.
Personally, its attempts to hit back with BritBox seem too little, too late. It’s hard to see it competing with Netflix and Amazon. Though coronavirus concerns do seem to be waning, I think it may have been the catalyst that set terrestrial TV’s decline on the fast track.
Cybersecurity is surging, with experts predicting that the cybersecurity market will reach US$366 billion by 2028 — more than double what it is today!
And with that kind of growth, this North American company stands to be the biggest winner.
Because their patented “self-repairing” technology is changing the cybersecurity landscape as we know it…
We think it has the potential to become the next famous tech success story.
In fact, we think it could become as big… or even BIGGER than Shopify.
Karl has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended ITV. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.


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CommScope and Google's Area 120 have created a new platform that will provide private, secure roaming for consumers and eliminate cellular dead zones. Orion Wifi is being supported by the RUCKUS SmartZone from CommScope. The platform allows carriers to offer secure Internet connections when customers use public Wi-Fi signals. Orion Wifi is about more connectivity for consumers, more options for carriers and more revenue and happier visitors for Wi-Fi network owners. CommScopes RUCKUS SmartZone allows venues to easily configure Orion Wifi with the highest levels of security," said Raj Gajwani, Director at Google's Area 120.
Read more on DevOps.com.


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‘Cambridge is open, so come and enjoy the city safely’
Cambridge is open, so come and enjoy the city safely – that was the message from business leader Ian Sandison after footfall figures indicated a slow start following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
It came as the high street battled to get back on its feet. It has suffered a number of blows in the last week, with several companies announcing the closure of outlets.
Cafe Rouge on Bridge Street is set to close, and the three Bella Italia outlets in Cambridge are also vulnerable after the owner of both chains, the Casual Dining Group, went into administration.
Pret a Manger in Lion Yard will also be shutting.
But Mr Sandison, chief executive of Cambridge Business Improvement District, feels that the safety measures put in place by businesses across Cambridge should help to increase consumer confidence.
“We’ve got a great range of bars and restaurants as well as our retailers, so my message to consumers would be Cambridge is open so please come back and enjoy the city safely,” he told the Cambridge Independent.
“We’ve worked very hard with the city council and the county council highways team and we’ve got very good signage in place, we’ve got a team of stewards and on-street ambassadors to help with guiding consumers.
“Our shopping centres have very clear one-way systems and their teams will help you, as consumers, navigate the city. All of our retailers have got staff marshalling their queues and helpful signs inside.
“What I’ve found going into shops is that it’s nice being met at the front door by a member of staff and someone says ‘hello and welcome’ to you – it’s a bit like shopping used to be when I was young.”
As the first pubs, restaurants and hotels opened last Saturday, the figures show that footfall for the week starting June 29 in the city was down 60 per cent year on year.
It compares to 65 per cent for the week starting June 15, when non-essential shops were able to open, and 57 per cent for the following week.
There is a common thread that certain streets that are dependent on the food and beverage industry – such as Regent Street, also a main thoroughfare from the railway station, and Bridge Street – were particularly down, up to 80 and 70 per cent respectively, year on year.
Fitzroy Street, which has major stores such as Primark, Next, Debenhams and Poundland, has been the least impacted year on year, with footfall down 40 per cent on the week starting June 22.
However, as more outlets open, visitor numbers are improving.
Shoppers have been urged to wear face coverings or masks by city leaders and now by the government in the light of scientific advice - reported by the Cambridge Independent - that shows they could play a major role in preventing transmission of Covid-19.
Mr Sandison said: “One of the challenges Cambridge has is how do we replace the large numbers of international visitors we used to get?
“How in the short to medium term do we replace many of them with regional and UK visitors who want to explore their country more?
“Clearly this year, our international numbers are going to be hugely down. Once the schools break up, it’s about what we can do to encourage families to come into Cambridge and ideally spend a few days or a weekend here now that the offer is much more opening up.
“We have some fantastic hotels and some great family things to do in Cambridge, so why not spend a few days exploring your home city as well?
“Cambridge has an international pull and a strong regional pull, but there are people I speak to who live not very far away sometimes and they haven’t been to Cambridge for many years.
“They’ve often not come because they’ve always found it too busy, and they can’t park, but let me tell you now there are plenty of car parking spaces available now, and you can stroll around and enjoy the bars, restaurants and great retail that we have and take your time to enjoy the city.”
The impact of the lockdown is still being felt by the number of premises still to reopen.
Some are waiting until footfall picks up and others are waiting to see when government schemes will enable them to open and take staff off furlough.
“I don’t think businesses are expecting sales to be anywhere near normal for quite some time,” said Mr Sandison, “but they are just hoping to be able to pay their bills, pay their staff and get through the next few months as they regroup and plan for next year.”
The reopening of bars and pubs in Cambridge passed without incident last weekend.
A police spokesperson said: “We can confirm the weekend went well and passed largely without incident.
“Officers on patrol were on hand to keep the public safe and remind people to stick to the social distancing guidelines.
“We would like to thank the communities of Cambridgeshire for enjoying themselves responsibly and encourage everyone to keep up the good work in the coming weeks.
“It’s really important that everyone takes personal responsibility for their actions to help prevent the spread of the virus and keep our communities safe from harm.”


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Soft Q4 PC Sales Lead to First Annual Decline in Five Years
January 11, 2013 2:07 PM
comment(s) - last by
PC industry slumps as Windows 8 fails to drive upgrades
Manufacturers in the computer industry were optimistic for the launch of Windows 8. Computer manufacturers and Microsoft hoped that the launch of Microsoft's latest version of its Windows operating system would spur consumers and businesses to upgrade and buy new PCs. However, IDC reports that
did not have the impact expected for the computer market.
The research has offered up its numbers for Q4 2012 for the computer industry, and the results are far from positive. IDC reports that worldwide PC shipments totaled 89.8 million units in Q4 2012, representing a decline of 6.4% compared to Q4 2011. The decline during Q4 was worse than the forecasted decline of 4.4% for the computer market.
Lackluster sales during Q4 2012 marked the first time in more than five years that the PC market has seen a year-over-year decline during the holiday shopping season. The computer market continues to be challenged with the growing popularity of tablets and smartphones that many consumers are purchasing instead of upgrading computers.
"Lost in the shuffle to promote a touch-centric PC, vendors have not forcefully stressed other features that promote a more secure, reliable and efficient user experience,” said Jay Chou, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. “As Windows 8 matures, and other corresponding variables such as Ultrabook pricing continue to drop, hopefully the PC market can see a reset in both messaging and demand in 2013."
HP maintained the top position in the worldwide rankings for Q4 2012. Lenovo outpaced the market with growth of over 8% landing in the second place for the global computer market. Rounding out the top five PC vendors in order by sales volume are Dell, Acer, and ASUS.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Apple bias?
1/12/2013 7:47:23 AM
The different figures we are looking at are the difference between "sold into the sales channels" and "sold from channels to actual users"... The difference isn't huge. The question is, why does it matter so much to you to accuse people of lying? What goes "snap" in your brain when the word Apple is mentioned?
“And I don't know why [Apple is] acting like it’s superior. I don't even get it. What are they trying to say?” -- Bill Gates on the Mac ads
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FODEL is the first in the GCC region to implement the pick-up location option as an alternative to home delivery enabling online shoppers to pick up their ecommerce parcels from their local stores any time they want. The concept is famous around the world and 7Eleven is a reference point for the pick-up service concept internationally.
Many of 7Eleven’s 66,000 stores in 18 countries including, the US, European and Hong Kong outlets offer similar ecommerce parcel pick up services and the trend is catching up in the UAE. Now FODEL and 7Eleven have agreed to work together to make the pick-up service available to UAE online shoppers at any of the retail chain’s convenience stores across the country.
In addition, more 7Eleven outlets will offer the service once they open later this year to become part of FODEL’s rapidly growing network of collection points across the UAE helping consumers to receive their shipments faster, cheaper and at a place and time most convenient to them.


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Seminole Heights’ Florida Avenue Brewing is opening a new location in Wesley Chapelv
Looks like Seminole Heights’ Florida Avenue Brewing is expanding into Wesley Chapel.
Today, the brewery announced that its new 34,000-square-foot facility stationed at 2029 Arrowgrass Dr. Slated would open in late March 2020.
The plans include a full-service restaurant, event space, tasting room (complete with table, bar and couch seating) and space for cornhole and other recreational games under hanging lights.
The Wesley Chapel location allows also Florida Avenue to crank out product canning and distribution.
“We’re thrilled to be growing Florida Avenue Brewing into Pasco County,” Anthony Derby, CEO of Florida Avenue Brewing, said in a release.“This expansion allows our company to create a distinct and multifaceted destination for beer lovers to gather and enjoy craft brews and high-quality food from one of Florida’s oldest and most recognizable brands.”
The release adds that the new location creates 46 local jobs and an estimated $8.7 million-plus in new capital investments.Continue Reading


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The Chippewas of Rama First Nation is taking steps to protect everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic by temporarily closing its cigarette and smoke shops.
“COVID-19 has created significant concerns for the community, particularly the ongoing volume of traffic from visitors,” reads a letter signed by representatives of the local government. This will be in effect until April 15th
This closure affects the Rama Moccasin and Smoke Shop, which posted the letter to its Facebook page.
Feature image courtesy Rama Moccasin and Smoke Shop courtesy Facebook


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Denny’s opening on Elmira Road
Ithaca will get a Denny’s restaurant Tuesday, when franchisee Top Line Restaurants inc. opens in the former Friendly’s at 323 Elmira Road.
The restaurant will have about 60 employees and be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is operated by Line Restaurants, a husband-and-wife franchise company that owns nearly 40 Denny’s restaurants in New York and Arizona.
“We look forward to becoming a local gathering place where our guests can always count on good service, a great atmosphere and, most importantly, delicious food,” said Denny’s franchisee Tina Beattie.


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"We know that customers love shopping as a means of entertainment. It's something embedded in the DNA of human beings, "Richard Barry, president and CEO of parent company" R "Us, the company that reported on Tru Kids to CNN Business. "We also know that kids and families are looking for things to do on the weekends or when school is out. We know parents and families really appreciate the game and the value of the toys as a whole. As we thought about the strategy, we wanted to put all these things together. . "
According to the company, these are not just shops. The grocery chain will partner with startup retailer B8ta to create hands-on, engaging experiences for children and their parents, who may have fond memories of the "R" toys from their own childhoods.
Old R Toys The stores in our country were behemoths with an area of 40,000 square meters with goods stacked on endless rows of metal shelves. The new stores are approximately 6,500 square feet with interactive spaces for children and parents to play with toys.
The B8ta, which designs interactive store displays where shoppers can try the latest products, will bring theaters, video games and other engaging items to the new "R" Us toy stores.
"We have a huge tree house in the middle of the store where the kids will be able to get in, a movie event space in the store. We'll have great brands in the store, "Barry said.
John Goodman, CEO of Candytopia, helped implement this shop-o-tainment idea two years before partnering with Toys" R "Us earlier this year to launch "Toys R Us Adventure," an indoor gaming tour that appears in select malls nationwide for a limited time. The off-site attraction costs $ 20 for children ages 4-1
These pop-up playgrounds are not permanent stores, and in about six months they will set up shop elsewhere.
The "R" Us Adventure toys at the Lenox Market Atlanta shopping mall were nearly full, Goodman said.
"We feel that we are adding service to the mall in terms of attracting additional traffic, from 1700 to 2200 people every day," Goodman told CNN Business. "It's like a circus. The circus comes to town and the circus goes away. It may or may not come back in a few years. That's how our model is built."
This idea is not entirely new, but it is coming up elsewhere. The mindset behind the new mall of the American Dream of New Jersey, which opened on Friday, came up with a similar concept. The Rutherford, NJ shopping mall is less a place to buy consumer goods and more for an indoor theme park with theme cartoon attractions in its Nickelodeon universe. It also has an indoor ski run, a water park and an ice rink with an NHL controller.
Scott Webb, CEO of digital consulting firm Avionos, says it could be the future of brick-and-mortar toys for retail shopping Encouraging kids to play with toys that are not tied to TV characters , movies, or video games, is critical to an industry that has struggled in an age where strolling kids watch streaming services often avoid toys for commercials that you don't see in their favorite shows.
"Children are as many as they are now digital users," Web tells CNN Business. "The hasbro numbers confirm this. The toy segments that are really thriving are those related to some kind of intellectual property, whether it's Fortnite or Marvel or Star Wars."
Web said that "R" toys Us turning the company into a toy discovery brand as opposed to a retailer can be a good strategy. "I think they really have a lot of equity to build a new niche in this role," he continued. "But I think it would be difficult to foresee ever finding the same dominance in retail."


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Moving into meat
Cargill is partnering with Asia’s largest food service company to launch a poultry business in the Philippines
June 03, 2016
When Cargill opens its new poultry processing plant in Santo Tomas, Batangas, in the Philippines next year, it will be the first multinational meat company to enter the country, which has a population of 104 million and is on a growth curve for protein consumption.
Cargill will own 70 percent of the joint venture, called Cargill Joy Poultry Meats Production, Inc., with the remaining share held by Jollibee Foods Corporation, a growing powerhouse in the quick-serve restaurant industry.
“Once the plant opens in mid-2017, it will be biggest, most modern facility in the whole of the Philippines,” said Philip Soliven, president of Cargill Philippines. “We expect this plant will be a game changer for quality and food safety standards in this country.”
The business will be asset-light. A network of contract growers already in a customer relationship with Cargill’s feed business will provide the birds. The new business should have a major impact on poultry farming in the Philippines, where most growers still sell birds to the outdoor “wet markets” where the birds are sold live or unprocessed.
“The key point is not the fact that we’re getting into the chicken industry,” says Paul Fullbright, managing director of the new joint venture, “it’s that we’re partnering with by far the biggest buyer of restaurant chicken in the country. In market capitalization, Jollibee is one of the top-10 restaurant chains in the world — more than 3,500 stores. They just bought Smashburger in the United States.”
Indeed, Jollibee has grown at a rate of about 19 percent a year for the past quarter century, according to Fullbright, who has worked in Cargill’s meat business in the U.S. and China prior to coming to the Philippines.
In the Philippines, the cartoon face of a bee in a chef’s hat signals one of Jollibee’s thousands of stores — and counting. Jollibee founding owner Tony Tan is determined to grow as a global restaurant power.
One reason Cargill was attracted to Jollibee as a partner was the good cultural fit, Fullbright says. “Their other JV partners have nothing but good things to say. They have a long-term view.”
Vision for growth
One of the selling points for Jollibee was seeing the quality and food safety at Cargill’s poultry processing businesses in China and Thailand. The visiting team included Tan himself.
“Tony is the owner and founder, still active in the business,” says Fullbright. “He has a vision — a big vision. It’s hard not to be excited about a joint-venture relationship with such a dynamic partner.”
“Jollibee aspires to be one of the top five quick-serve restaurants in the world — not just the Philippines,” says Atoy Huelgas, agricultural project leader for the joint venture. “This is a good step to earn the confidence of Jollibee, so that we can be part of their growing vision for 2020.”
The joint venture has the potential to change the food system of the entire country. New standards and methods introduced by Cargill poultry processing could become common practice.
“This partnership will meaningfully benefit our customers, our operations as well as the overall Philippine food industry,” said Ernesto Tanmantiong, chief executive officer of Jollibee Foods Corporation.
Cromwell Tajon, a veterinarian, is business development manager for Cargill Feed & Nutrition. “We have more than 100 million people to feed, and our population is still growing,” he says. “As the economy improves and the middle class grows, so will broiler consumption. We really need to find ways to produce chicken more efficiently and safely. I think the entry of the meat business will change the poultry industry.”
Food safety standards could be a particular contribution of Cargill. As Soliven says, “I think Jollibee and other food companies here are beginning to appreciate that the Filipino consumer will have a great interest in understanding how food is prepared.”
The right partners
Among the most excited about the growth prospects of the joint venture are people in Cargill’s feed business and some of their large poultry-farming customers.
“This is our opportunity to work with preferred suppliers to process poultry for a specific end customer,” says Stephanie Quah, general manager of Cargill Feed & Nutrition. “Our approach is very simple. If this joint venture is a success, we are a success. As their supplier, we will earn their business every day. We’ll operate transparently with an open book to make sure both of us win.”
Quah is confident the system can work. “You just need to find the right partners. There will be challenges, but I’m excited for our new poultry business.”
The only people more excited may be commercial poultry growers. “These producers —ranging in size from 100,000 birds to more than 3 million birds — would like to expand,” explains Tajon. “The wet market they serve is already saturated. They see this project as a great opportunity for them.”
Dindo Katigback is one of these commercial producers. A poultry producer for 30 years, he has 30 farms with a total of 1.2 million birds. He aims to double his capacity within a year.
“When big players like Cargill move, everybody notices,” says Katigback, who buys 60 percent of his feed from Cargill. “There is a big chance to grow now, partly because of this development in the Philippines.”


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Regis Corp., the hair salon firm that's trying to put its best foot forward as it faces a proxy fight by dissident shareholders, pre-released first-quarter revenue numbers Monday that showed it beat Wall Street expectations.
While salons saw modest increases in the number of customer visits, Regis is "not satisfied" and is working on converting more first-time customers into repeat clients, said CEO Randy Pearce.
First-quarter revenue was $569 million, down 1.7 percent from a year ago, but slightly above a composite analyst estimate of $567.4 million. Regis, an Edina-based operator of hair care salons, beauty schools and hair restoration centers, also said that consolidated same-store sales in the quarter decreased 1.5 percent, although customer traffic to its stores rose slightly. The company is scheduled to report earnings on Oct. 24.
"The Regis management team remains committed to implementing its important revenue and aggressive cost cutting initiatives to drive customer traffic and enhanced financial performance," said Pearce, who was promoted to CEO last week.
But the Edina firm's announcement had minimal effect on the stock market, where Regis shares rose 2 cents, a tiny fraction of a percent, to $15.72, on a day that broad market indexes surged more than 3 percent.
The company's flagging stock price has been one of the points of contention in the pending proxy fight. Starboard, a New York-based activist hedge fund that owns about 5.2 percent of Regis, is waging the battle for three of Regis' six board seats, partly based on its contention that Regis' stock price has historically been weak.
The fund's other complaints are that Regis has allegedly high operating expenses and executive compensation, a reluctance to sell non-core assets and allegedly insufficient stock ownership by existing board members. Starboard has said Regis needs to cut $100 million in costs, sell off non-core assets, and reorganize its core North American business.
Starboard executives have said previously that they regarded board representation as a top priority so they can make sure the company will properly execute its preferred strategies.
In an attempt to deal with the Starboard threat, Regis previously said it would explore selling off its Hair Club for Men and Women business, cut $40 million to $50 million in costs over the next two years, and that Regis' chairman and CEO, Paul Finkelstein, would leave the company next year, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Seeking Alpha, an investor website, said Monday that Regis has hired an investment banker to help sell some businesses that might have a value of $200 million.
Steve Alexander 612-673-4553


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Hey guess what? Funko has announced yet another new line of Funko Pops, and they are the second wave of Classic TV Series Batman Pops. These Pops definitely have an old school look and feel to them, and while we can only see concept art right now they final molds will be very similar.
You can check out the new wave of Batman Pops below. While a pre-order date hasn’t been unveiled you should definitely bookmark Entertainment Earth’s Funko page now so you have quick access to it in the future.
“Making you a better geek, one post at a time!”


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Research carried out by Aldermore has found that one in 10 SMEs believe they would not survive disruption to their supply chain.
In addition, 49% of SMEs do not have contingency plans in place should their biggest supplier fail.
Over 59% of SMEs don’t fully understand all the components in their supply chain and 38% have undertaken audits to better understand them. Just 41% of SME decision makers say they know all of the business customers and suppliers in their supply chain, while 9% SMEs say they have no knowledge of any of their business customers whatsoever.
Tim Boag, group managing director, business finance at Aldermore, said: “Our research shows a lack of awareness amongst UK SMEs about their supply chains as well as a lack of preparation to mitigate any disruptions. When you consider how vital SMEs are to the national economy, and the impact this could have across every sector, as an industry we need to do more to ensure SMEs are aware of the importance of their supply chain.
“As a responsible lender to SMEs, we strongly advise they make business continuity plans in case situations arise that could quickly and significantly impact their business.”
The research also highlights that 51% of UK SMEs rely on the EU, whether it’s exporting, importing, or transporting goods and services. However, the research shows that many have not necessarily taken the steps to prepare for the eventualities of Brexit; 31% have consulted the government’s guidance for small businesses post-Brexit and just over a quarter (27%) have secured a GB EORI number.
SMEs that import goods are more likely to have consulted advice from government guides (42%) but have also not taken key steps such as setting up a duty deferment account (75%).
Scenarios that SME business leaders consider likely to have negative impacts on their supply chain in the future are:
- Rising fuel prices (29%)
- VAT changes (27%)
- Late payments from their customers (22%)
Boag added: “Businesses should undertake more contingency planning; especially those who may have close ties to Europe. However, preparation is being made more difficult for SMEs because of the ever-changing political and economic landscape.
“Aldermore continues to work closely with businesses to help them prepare as best they can for changes in economic circumstances and possible supply chain disruptions. As one of the first to sign the British Business Council’s SME Finance Charter, we have pledged to proactively support SMEs through whatever Brexit scenario plays out.”


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A line of fresh hidden object games can ignite the casual market on 3DS, says Licensed 4U.
The publisher has nine titles heading to the handheld in the first half of next year. It follows comments made by Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime that mainstream-friendly titles can boost demand for the console.
Licensed 4U says the upcoming 29.99 hidden object and puzzle games – including Secret Mysteries in London and Jewel Quest 6: The Sapphire Dragon – are ideal for females and casual players.
Recently having met with a number of key supermarkets, it is apparent that the 3DS market really needs some good casual hidden object titles,” Licensed 4U MD Adam Prichard told MCV.
There’s nothing intimidating about picking up a hidden object or a match-three title, and I think that’s why it really appeals to the female gamer more than anything.
3DS is an ideal opportunity for publishers and retail to make a decent margin again by maintaining a 29.99 game price point.”
The call echoes comments from the boss of developer Cooking Mama Limited, Takeshi Nagashima, who recently told MCV that 3DS was in need of more kids and casual titles.


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As we close out 2021, we have seen a myriad of changes in the payment methods at most of our top online casino for US players, as well as players abroad. This is due to the evolution of Bitcoin, the most popular payment method for casino players today. There have been hundreds, maybe thousands of articles written about Bitcoin, and all of them come to one conclusion: Bitcoin is the number one method for funding any online casino account providing they accept it. But, as you know, more online casinos are adding Bitcoin to their payment/withdrawal portfolios, which is great news for US players. Then came Bitcoin; an internet explosion of a form of payment that was not only acceptable, but guaranteed online casino players a safe, secure, and anonymous method to fund their accounts.
The Bitcoin WalletWhen you use the Bitcoin Wallet, you are making your funding process an easier one. Casino accounts can be funded through computers and mobile devices. Funds are instantly sent with no delays or limits. All transactions are secure and are protected against hackers and/or identity theft.
Buying BitcoinsUS players can purchase Bitcoins by exchanging currency for Bitcoins. This is the basis for crypto currency. US friendly e-Wallets are the best form of funding your casino accounts, and the Bitcoin purchases allow players to open an e-Wallet in order to transfer balances. A Bitcoin wallet, therefore, is the crypto currency that can be used to fund online casino accounts directly. Withdrawals are handled in the same manner. These withdrawals are sent to the e-wallet and transferred back to the Bitcoin account you have in place.
What Can We Expect in 2021?We expect that 2021 will be a game changer for Bitcoin casinos. While there are many crypto currencies that are trying to climb the ladder of success, no one can come close to the popularity of Bitcoin. Thus we predict that 2021 will have all of the online casinos accepting Bitcoin as a payment and withdrawal method. Every day, more and more online casinos are adding this method to their deposit and withdrawal options. So it is that Bitcoin is the number one method for players from the US. Unless and until the legalization of online gambling becomes a nationwide event, Bitcoin is now the optimal course of action for online players. We say this because despite any new laws that are passed, credit card companies will stand their ground and now allow payments for gambling to become a reality. Bitcoin is here to stay.
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Cerabino: McCollum lobbies to undo consumer safeguards he once enacted
Here’s a fresh tale of public disservice in Florida.
Remember Bill McCollum? He was the previous Florida Attorney General, the guy who imagined he was next in line to be Florida’s governor until a self-funded multi-millionaire named Rick Scott pushed him aside.
McCollum couldn’t believe Florida’s Republican primary voters would prefer Scott, given his checkered past in running a hospital chain that defrauded Medicare. And two days after losing to Scott in the 2010 primary, McCollum wasn’t ready to endorse Scott.
“I still have serious questions about issues of his character, his integrity, his honesty,” McCollum said.
He eventually relented and supported Scott, and like so many former lifelong politicians, McCollum healed his wounds by cashing in on his government experience.
And he’s doing it in a spectacularly cringe-worthy way these days. One might even say it raises issues about McCollum’s character, integrity and honesty.
When McCollum was Florida’s Attorney General, his office used the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act to go after Royal Caribbean Cruises for failing to disclose fuel supplement charges on the advertised ticket price to passengers.
As part of the 2008 negotiated settlement, the cruise line agreed to refund these supplemental charges to its customers and make quarterly reports to the Florida Attorney General’s Office until all the refunds were made.
The office initiated its action after receiving about 300 complaints from cruise passengers who were surprised by the hidden $5-per-person-per-day surcharges on their bills. In the end, it amounted to refunds of about $21 million and an agreement that this fee would no longer be hidden.
“The parties agree that Royal Caribbean will clearly and conspicuously disclose the fuel supplement charge by placing the amount and frequency of the fuel supplement charge directly above, beneath, or next to the cruise fare price, and above or before the governmental or quasi-governmental imposed fees or charges,” the voluntary compliance order read.
McCollum hailed his office’s efforts to protect cruise passengers from hidden fees.
“This resolution will serve as a model for the rest of the cruise line industry and I expect the other companies to take this example and follow suit,” McCollum said.
Well, that was the Bill McCollum of 2008. The current Bill McCollum is now working for Royal Caribbean, and helping the company to establish hidden fees that subvert the consumer protection work that the 2008 Bill McCollum did as Florida’s attorney general.
The cruise company employed McCollum to get his successor, Florida Attorney Gen. Pam Bondi, to ease consumer disclosure requirements on service fees for baggage and cargo loading that had been covered under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Getting Bondi’s office to accommodate a deep-pocket special interest isn’t hard. Just ask the Dickstein Shapiro lobbying firm, which schmoozed Bondi into a number of easy conquests, including getting her office to lose interest in pursuing millions of dollars in unpaid state sales taxes from the online booking companies, Travelocity and Priceline.
And McCollum had a little extra mojo working for him. He was the head of the Republican State Leadership Committee, a group that contributed $650,000 to Bondi’s recent re-election campaign. That can’t hurt.
But wait, there’s more. We haven’t quite reached ethical bottom yet.
Lobbyists are supposed to be registered in Florida, and McCollum isn’t. That’s because he’s acting as a lawyer, not a lobbyist, in his dealings with his former office, he explained.
“I’m representing my client on a legal matter,” McCollum said. “I’m not trying to influence the attorney general. I’m trying to represent my client.”
Craig Holman, a lobbyist with the public watchdog group Public Citizen, disagrees.
“Lawyers can’t use that type of argument to cloak what they’re doing, unless they’re actually representing a client in court or in an administrative hearing,” Holman said. “But if you’re negotiating on behalf of a client to get a particular procurement or benefit, that’s what lobbying is.”
So if you’re keeping score at home: The former candidate for governor who complained that voters foolishly picked the shifty guy is now working as a unregistered lobbyist to undo the consumer protection work he did as the state’s attorney general, a task made simpler because his successor is just as easily bought by deep-pocket special interests, and also the recipient of significant campaign contributions from a committee controlled by this former paragon of public virtue.
Does it get any more Florida than this?


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With the threat of coronavirus impacting nearly every facet of American and global businesses from Apple to Amazon to Trader Joe’s, you best believe that this serious pandemic that has killed more than 8,000 worldwide is going to have an impact on capitalism in this country.
With stores such as Nordstrom and DSW closing down, it’s only natural that your favorite beauty brands are following suit and sending updates to their customers about what’s going on, how their employees are affected and the safety precautions they are taking to continue to produce and ship their products.
We will be updated the list as more statements and information become available.
On March 17, RIhanna’s popular beauty brand stressed that their employees are working from home and that you can continue to shop the brand online. In the meantime, Rihanna herself has donated protective equipment to the New York’s overloaded hospitals. and through her Clara Lionel Foundation she’s donated $5 million to various organizations on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., the Caribbean and Africa.
2. Mented CosmeticsSource:Instagram
On March 14, the black-owned fave known for its nude lipsticks from women of color sent an email to its customers that they are following all CDC-advised procedures for packing and shipping items. That, and for the new launch of their velvet lipstick line, they are ceasing all in-person launches.
3. The Lip BarSource:Instagram
Melissa Butler, Founder/CEO told HelloBeautiful, “Corona has come through and created so much turmoil not only for my business. I’ve had to make some tough decisions, closing the store, reducing marketing spend dramatically and also driving my team towards efficiency. But I still put on my lipstick, I’m taking care of myself, making my smoothies, working out and I go to work ( on my couch). I’m plotting on how to build deeper connections with my audience and how to make up lost revenue after all this is over.”
According to a company statement, all of its U.S. and Canadian stores will shut down at 5 P.M. (EST) on March 17 until April 3. In addition, the company’s corporate staff will be working from home. Sephora is offering free shipping from now until April 3 when you order online.
“To our Ulta Beauty community: Beginning 6pm local time on Thursday, March 19 through at least Tuesday March 31st, all Ulta Beauty locations will be temporarily closing. For full details and further information please visit http://ulta.com/updates,” the wrote on social media.
While their stores are closing, its CEO said, “Whether it’s this or something like it, we’re going to try to use this moment to spin up new, creative ways to foster community and connection and make magic happen.”
While some may think that Macy’s is just clothes and accessories, but it’s not. It houses some of the best and our favorite brands such as MAC, Nars, Estee Lauder and Lancome to name a few. With all 775 stores closed, you have purchase it online.
Gwen Jimmere, Founder/CEO told HelloBeautiful: “As the leader of my team, it’s my responsibility to ensure my staff feels the smallest amount of stress as possible so that they can remain productive and healthy during this time. My first order of business was to close our office and allow my team to work from home with their full pay. While we are home, technology is allowing us to remain connected and efficient. our marketing leads, Tava and Roni, are pressing full steam ahead to ensure our overall brand messaging doesn’t get lost in the sea of COVID-19 chaos. From that standpoint, it’s been business as usual. Our supply chain has definitely been affected. Though we manufacture all of our products in the U.S., some of our raw materials and packaging are imported from Europe and Africa. But the proper planning we’ve always done (even before COVID-19) and having created a solid contingency plan is allowing us to feel confident about weathering this storm. We are also still pushing forward with the opening of the first Naturalicious Salon, which is located in Detroit, MI. We realize customers may not be working as much as possible and they may be tightening up their wallets during this time. But we’ve built an extremely strong and loyal tribe of thousands of Claymates (aka our customers) who have proactively informed us that they’re actually doubling down on stocking up on Naturalicious while they are quarantined.”
9. Bomba CurlsSource:Instagram
Lulu Cordero, founder/CEO told HelloBeautiful: “From supply chain issues to canceled beauty events and trade shows COVID-19 is definitely causing major stress throughout our community. For me, the focus is on remaining productive throughout this situation and not only delivering healthy, wellness-focused, high quality products to my customers but also offering an easy online shopping experience. We all need to take a moment to breathe and I know sometimes taking that little extra time to treat yourself to a hair mask or oil treatment can make all the difference in how you feel inside and out.”
The world’s largest luxury brand conglomerate that owns Fenty, Christian Dior and Benefit to name a few is using their perfume factories to create hand sanitizer for citizens in France–free of cost.
Kiehl’s will be closing all of its stores effective immediately until further notice and will pay their employees during this time. “We are encouraging our Kiehl’s store teams to take this time to be with their loved ones and reconnect, while practicing social distancing.”
Popular nail polish company ORLY plans to begin production of its 75% alcohol-based hand sanitizer by the end of March, the company said in a news release Thursday. “For 45 years, our company has always created products based on our community’s needs, and right now, hand sanitizers are vital to helping reduce the spread of this devastating pandemic and to help keep everyone safe,” founder and CEO Jeff Pink said
13. CHI HairSource:Instagram
Farouk Systems Inc., who owns both CHI Hair and BioSilk, announced that they have begun the manufacturing of CHI® and BioSilk®’s first hand sanitizer lines. ” “As a nation, we are being challenged by a world-wide pandemic. It is our responsibility as Americans, business professionals and human beings to do everything we can to help with supplying America with vital products, equipment and supplies necessary to help fight this virus. Our company and manufacturing facility are equipped to step up in any way we can to help our fellow Americans maintain some sort of protection against COVID-19 with the proper hand sanitizers. We wish you all to remain safe and healthy. May God bless all of you,” they said in a recent statement.
14. Estee LauderSource:Instagram
recently announced they are helping combat this shortage by using their Melville, NY manufacturing factory to produce this much-needed cleansing gel for the masses.
“The Estée Lauder Companies is proud to contribute to the broader COVID-19 relief efforts by reopening our Melville manufacturing facility this week to produce hand sanitizer for high-need groups and populations, including front-line medical staff,” a spokesperson for the company told Women’s Wear Daily.
15. Coty Inc.Source:Instagram
New York-based Coty Inc., the popular manufacturer behind makeup and fragrance brands such as CoverGirl and Calvin Klein, announced that they are using its factories to produce hydro-alcoholic gel (AKA hand sanitizer) by pumping out tens of thousands of units per week to donate to hospitals and medical workers in the U.S. and abroad.
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40 min ago
US auto factories cutting back on summer downtime
Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that 21 of its North American factories will shut for only one week this summer.
Tue May 21, 2013
Exclusive: Bob Lutz, Chinese in bid to buy Fisker Automotive - sources
Apple's ability to shelter billions of dollars of income from tax has depended on an unusual loophole in the Irish tax code that helps the country compete with other countries for investment and jobs.
SAE Foundation to Honor STEM Education Supporter Mary Barra with the...
SAE Foundation announced today that it will honor Mary T. Barra with its Industry Leadership Award at the 2013 SAE Foundation Celebration Dinner.
GM moving Treasury jobs from New York to Detroit
General Motors Co. Tuesday announced it will move about 70 positions from its Treasury Office in New York City to its global headquarters in Detroit in mid-2014. "GM Treasury plays a critical role in the success of our company and locating the team in Detroit will fully integrate them into our core business operations," said Dan Ammann, senior vice ... (more)
GM to invest $44.5M on Lansing logistics center, creating 200 jobs
General Motors Co. officially announced Tuesday that it will spend $44.5 million to build a logistics center at its Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant.
Mon May 20, 2013
Detroit Free Press
Tom Walsh: Upbeat Bing tees up more business help for recreation and police, fire
Mayor Dave Bing speaks with the Detroit Free Press from his office in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, Monday, April 29, 2013.
GM FastLane Blog
GM's All-New State-of-the Art Data Center Transforms Global IT
On Monday, May 13, 2013 General Motors unveiled a state-of-the-art $130-million enterprise data center in Warren, Mich.
GM hires 110 area high school students to fix up Detroit neighborhoods
General Motors President North America Mark Reuss addresses the gathering at the Automotive News World Congress Wednesday, January 16, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan.
Chafing against engine friction
"As engines get smaller, eliminating friction becomes even more important," says Dave Lancaster, a General Motors technical fellow who works at the automaker's powertrain engineering operations in suburban Detroit.
Auto Review | 2014 Chevy Impala a beautiful head turner inside, out
General Motors Co. has released one of the final pieces to its redesigned Chevrolet lineup with the unveiling of the 2014 Chevy Impala.
Sun May 19, 2013
General Motors PT Raised to $38.00 at Citigroup
The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock.
Sat May 18, 2013
How has Buick survived 110 years?
General Motors , the brand's owner, was going through its largest restructuring in history and many thought Buick was going to be scrapped with the likes of Hummer, SAAB, Saturn and possibly even Pontiac.
Silver City Sun-News
GM stock rises above $33 for first time in 2 years
In this Jan. 12, 2009 file photo, the General Motors logo is seen on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Fri May 17, 2013
Bobby Layman Chevy showroom gets smell of new - and more cars
The auto dealership at 3900 W. Broad St. in Columbus is debuting its new showroom and administrative offices Friday, showing off the newest design from its supplier General Motors Co.
Detroit Free Press
GM shares break through $33 IPO level
Recent findings in a new Harris Poll looks at how fliers who take at least one trip a year feel... The skyline of Detroit with the six towers of the Renaissance Center along with the River Walk and a portion of the Detroit River.
Log Cabin Democrat
Brawner: Too much bigger to fail
I try not to write about things I don't know much about, and I'll be the first to admit I understand little about high finance.
GM returns to $33 IPO price on truck optimism after 2-year slump
General Motors Co., poised to rejoin the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, topped its $33 initial public offering price for the first time in more than two years as the automaker prepares to introduce redesigned full-size pickups.
Buick: An American icon that helped birth GM
On the southwest corner of Beaubien and Lafayette streets in Detroit, therea s a large brick building filled with restaurants and bars.
2014 GMC Sierra Regular Cab revealed
Despite initially launching in just the Crew Cab configuration, the lineup of 2014 GMC Sierra and 2014 Chevrolet Silverado trucks will eventually grow to include three cab sizes and three bed lengths.
Thu May 16, 2013
Hemmings Auto Blogs
Why did GM buy another auto company's historic factory?
Amid all the reports of southeast Michigan automotive landmarks either facing the wrecking ball or similar uncertain futures comes news that General Motors has stepped in to buy a historic former automobile factory in Flint, Michigan; however, the factory never built a GM vehicle and is not suited for manufacturing use.


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TEXT OF STORY
Bill Radke: Some promising numbers out of Germany this morning. Exports there jumped 7 percent in June,
and industrial orders continued to rise. Reporter Christopher Werth has more.
Christopher Werth: Germany’s economy runs on selling products to other countries. It typically runs a trade surplus, which is why this surge in exports is good news for German companies. They’ve been hit hard as consumers pinch pennies in the rest of the world. But does this mean Germany is headed for a V-shape recovery? Stefan Schneider is an economist with Deutsche Bank.
Stefan Schneider: Probably not a V-shaped. I mean if you take the picture literally, it would mean that the rebound will be as strong as the slump, and I think that’s exaggerated. So it would be an odd V in a way, meaning that the right-hand side of the V is probably much less steep than the left-hand side.
But Schneider says if you look closely at that odd-shaped V, it does look like the free fall in the German economy has finally bottomed out. It’s also good news for German policymakers, who’ve defended the country’s dependence on exports against pressure to become a more consumer-drive economy like the United States. Schneider says that model hasn’t been shown to work very well either.
I’m Christopher Werth for Marketplace.
If you’re a member of your local public radio station, we thank you — because your support helps those stations keep programs like Marketplace on the air. But for Marketplace to continue to grow, we need additional investment from those who care most about what we do: superfans like you.
Your donation — as little as $5 — helps us create more content that matters to you and your community, and to reach more people where they are – whether that’s radio, podcasts or online.
When you contribute directly to Marketplace, you become a partner in that mission: someone who understands that when we all get smarter, everybody wins.


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The Kelowna S.H.A.R.E. Society is reopening the doors to its downtown thrift shop this weekend.
After two months of closure, the non-profit thrift shop located at 571 Gaston Ave, a fresh coat of paint and a new look, is again ready to serve the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning Saturday, June 6 — now donning a fresh coat of paint and a new look.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding while we temporarily closed our doors in order to re-configure and re-adapt in order to better serve our community during these extraordinary times,” stated the S.H.A.R.E Society on its website.
Several additional precautions will be taken by the society to ensure the health and safety of those immuno-compromised individuals who frequent S.H.A.R.E. Those measures include the following:
- Increased sanitization and cleaning
- The number of staff and customers permitted in the building will be limited as needed
- Debit or credit payment is encouraged, though cash will still be accepted
- Donation pick-ups will take place solely on Wednesdays
- Donation drop-offs are limited to Thursdays and Saturdays by appointment only
- Donations will be held in quarantine for at least seven days before being released for sale
- Masks will be required for both staff and patrons of the store and will be made available with a $2 donation
After the grand reopening on Saturday, the S.H.A.R.E. Society’s new business hours will begin on Wednesday. The thrift shop’s hours of operation will be Wednesday through Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Pick-up and drop-off can be arranged by calling the store at
Throughout the closure of its thrift shop, which funds most of its charitable endeavours, the S.H.A.R.E. Society was committed to the continued operation of its many in-house social outreach programs.
The community can give back to the society by making an online donation to its GoFundMe campaign, bringing in a cheque or cash donation to the store or making a $5 donation alongside an in-store purchase.
To report a typo, email:


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Channel services provider Agilitas has launched its a logistics hub in Nottingham to support its ongoing global expansion.
The renovated unit has seen its total pallet capacity quadruple and shelf space increase by 80 per cent, to help support Agilitas’ operations in 60 countries.
Shaun Lynn, CEO at Agilitas, said: “We are always looking to improve our services as the industry develops, and our logistics hub transformation is just one of the ways we are transforming our business to remain relevant for customers, and continue to provide world-class channel services solutions.
“This transformation has allowed us to create quicker response times and enhanced service levels to add even more value to our channel partners, in turn creating benefits for their business too.”
The renovation took Agilitas three months to complete, with temporary warehouse space sought to avoid disrupting on-going operations.
The new unit sees the introduction of semi-automated picking, which Agilitas says can reduce pick times by 30 per cent.
Agiltas has also boosted its workforce in the centre by over 20 per cent.


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Coverage: Publishers chafe at cut from Apple’s new service
Apple’s upcoming Spotify-style magazine subscription service, an offering with all-you-can eat access to dozens of publishers, will only pay the media partners 50 percent of the revenue.
Garett Sloane of Ad Age had the news:
Apple plans to take half of the proceeds from $10 monthly subscriptions to the magazine service, leaving publishers to split the rest based on how many people read their stories. “It’s a shitty deal,” said one publishing executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It seems greedy.”
Publishing executives spoke on condition of anonymity for this story because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal terms. Apple did not return a request for comment.
Apple’s new subscription media service is expected to launch in the spring, an outgrowth of last year’s acquisition of Texture, an app that was jointly founded by traditional media giants, including Condé Nast, Hearst and Meredith. Texture gave digital subscribers full access to hundreds of magazines laid out as they appear in print. Apple is redesigning the experience, and is expected to make it more dynamic, like Apple News. As of now, Texture isn’t much more than a digital recreation of the print product.
“It feels like a punch in the nose, to hear those [revenue sharing] numbers,” says Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next, a trade organization that advocates for traditional media companies. “There is significant concern around how platforms are squeezing the oxygen out of the media ecosystem.”
Jeremy Horwitz of VentureBeat reported that Apple won’t share subscriber data with publications:
The company has been expected to offer a subscription tier in the News app for roughly a year. After acquiring a magazine subscription service called Texture last March, Apple executives suggested that they would have something to announce around the same time this year. Now the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will price its “Netflix for news” all-you-can-read subscription service at about $10 per month, keeping around half of the revenue for itself. The remaining $5 would be split by publishers based on “the amount of time users spend engaged with their articles,” and Apple would not likely share subscriber data with the publications.
If this sounds like a case of double or triple deja vu, that’s because the same basic story has played out several times since 2010, when the iPad was first positioned as a potential savior for the declining news industry. Most recently, Bloomberg first reported in December that Apple was planning to keep Texture’s engagement time-based revenue split system, but told publishers that an increased number of subscribers would boost their revenues.
Prior to that, Apple spearheaded an iOS initiative called Newsstand that herded newspaper and magazine apps into a special folder, enabling them to sell recurring subscriptions — with a 30 percent cut to Apple.
Chaim Gartenberg of The Verge reported that Apple has tried to extract more money from others for years:
We’ve been down this road before, too — Apple trying to extract unreasonably unfair terms from content creators is what has doomed its TV ambitions for years, to the point where Apple simply is now spending millions in creating its own exclusive content for its upcoming TV service instead of licensing from other sources.
Adding to the pressure is that Apple’s paid news service is coming at a critical time for the company, one that has seen iPhone sales slump and a new emphasis on services as a key revenue source for the company. Apple News comes preinstalled on every one of the billions of iOS devices in the world, and converting even a fraction of those users into ongoing paid subscribers would be a huge addition to Apple’s services business.
It’s a strategy the company has already used to achieve great success with Apple Music, which leveraged its first-party positioning to offer actual competition to Spotify. Pulling a similar coup with News and its 90 million users would be key to the company’s future — but it needs to have compelling content, from partners who feel the deal is worth it, in order to accomplish that. Asking already beleaguered news publishers to fight over just half the total revenue on a per-view basis seems like a bad way to start.


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Some of the world’s largest tech companies have lobbied the European Union behind closed doors to keep global data flows as unrestricted as possible.
Firms such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook and tech-industry groups have spoken to European Commission officials at least 16 times over the past two years to discuss negotiations between members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for a treaty on e-Commerce.
Minutes from meetings between Big Tech and EU officials obtained by netzpolitik.org offer a rare insight into lobbying on the new trade rules, which could set a legal framework on international data flows for decades to come.
Trade agenda „reflects interest of major digital powers“
Since 2017, the United States, China and more than 70 other countries, representing over 90 per cent of world trade, have joined talks in Geneva to create binding rules on electronic commerce, data flows, software source code and encryption.
While the secretive talks so far have received little attention in the international press, negotiations have seen a clear division between industrial nations such as the United States, the EU and countries of the Global South including India and China.
Some topics on the negotiating agenda „reflect the interests of the major digital powers and their superstar firms which are reaping first-mover advantages“, said a recent report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Poorer nations are concerned over proposed rules in favour of unrestricted cross-border data flows. Alternatively, provisions for data localization and customs duties on cross-border data flows could provide a „significant data chip to negotiate fair terms with global digital platforms seeking to work on local data and in domestic economies“, the UNCTAD report notes.
While some economic justice campaigners hope that data localization could help to generate economic activity in the Global South, civil liberties groups warn that it could give authoritarian countries such as Turkey new surveillance powers.
These warnings have been echoed in public by tech giants like Facebook, whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg has warned of „a really bad future“ in which authoritarian governments could abuse data localization laws.
Critics note that data localisation laws currently discussed or already passed in Nigeria, India and South Africa find a controversial precursor in China’s Cyber Security Law enacted in 2016, which requires personal data gathered in China to be stored on Chinese territory and to only be transferred overseas following a security assessment.
Fair trade or a „really bad future“?
Possible abuse of data localization laws for surveillance is a real concern, says campaigner Sven Hilbig with the German development NGO Brot für die Welt. He says that demands for data localization rules should be linked to obligations for countries to guarantee fundamental rights and data protection.
Hilbig stresses that both India and South Africa are attempting to strengthen data protection laws in their bid for digital sovereignty. He insists that allowing developing countries to impose conditions on data flows is a chance not to be missed.
„This could allow countries of the Global South to be more than just suppliers of data, but build their own data resources and create a data-driven economy.“
The campaigner also says we should question terms such as „free data flows“. „From the perspective of our partner organisations from the global south, the data from Bangladesh, Kenya or Guatemala stored on Amazon or Google servers is anything but free.“
What is an „ambitious agenda“?
Even though the EU has already called to ban data localisation requirements in a written proposal to the WTO in April 2019, tech industry lobbyists have pushed for an even stronger commitment.
In early 2020, a Google representative told the Commission that the company stressed the importance of having rules on cross-border data flows and data localization and was „pleased with the ambitious agenda of the WTO e-commerce negotiations“.
Within the context of the negotiations, the word ambitious is understood as „a means to improve the domestic regulatory environment … including for cross-border data flows [and] a ban on localization requirements“, the UNCTAD report notes.
Therefore, an „ambitious“ treaty could create an international commitment against data localization laws.
The industry push for „ambitious provisions on data flows and data localization requirements“ was echoed in a July 2020 meeting with trade group DigitalEurope, whose membership includes most major tech firms, as well as in an earlier meeting with the software lobby group BSA, which represents tech giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle and IBM.
Curiously, Commission minutes from meetings with Google, IBM and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) on different dates in February 2020 all state the same lobby message word for word: „They also considered that industry could play a more active role in explaining the business case for an ambitious e-commerce framework.“
In a written reply, a spokesperson for the Commission told netzpolitik.org that the three stakeholders did not used identical words in the meeting, but that the reports were drafted by the same Commission representative, who used the same sentence „to summarise three different versions of the same idea“.
Big Tech wants transatlantic axis
Meanwhile, the European Services Forum (ESF), a lobby group with members such as Apple, Google, Huawei, Orange and Vodafone, has pushed for an „improvement on cross border data flows“ in the EU’s position. „Not only outgoing data flows but also data incoming to the EU should be covered“, the Commission was told in a December 2020 meeting.
Companies have asked the EU and the US to align on digital trade policy. Data flows should be put on the agenda of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, a newly created transatlantic forum, an unnamed Facebook vice president told the Commission at a meeting in February. Microsoft „underlined the importance of the EU and the US working together“ at an earlier meeting.
And indeed, the EU and the US announced the Trade and Technology Council at a summit meeting in June. One of its stated goals is to „avoid new technical barriers to trade“.
While most lobbying on the e-commerce treaty was done by Big Tech companies, the Commission also registered a meeting on the issue with the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The group told EU officials that there was „significant commercial interest“ in cross-border transfer of patient data.
The documents show that tech companies want to use international trade law to freeze the status quo, says campaigner Sven Hilbig. „Digital giants use the call to ban data localization to stifle independent tech policy-making in other countries.“
EU set to fight „digital protectionism“
Data flows are not the only contentious issue on the agenda of the trade negotiations. Consumer rights groups have raised concerns over a proposed provision in a leaked draft of the treaty that would ban forced transfer of source code or algorithms.
The EU and industrial countries argue that such a provision is necessary because innovation depends on the development and use of proprietary software. It is „an important tool to fight the rising trend of digital protectionism“, the European Commission told German MEP Svenja Hahn.
But campaigners argue that an overly broad prohibition limits countries‘ right to regulate. It could, for instance, harm the EU’s ongoing efforts to create a legal framework for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a study by German consumer federation vzbv argues.
Another point of contention in the e-Commerce negotiations is the proposal to make a WTO moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions permanent. The moratorium has been in place since 1998 and so far was always extended by member states. But countries such as India want to end the moratorium to „preserve flexibility“ in trade policy.
The outcome of e-commerce negotiations remains uncertain. While negotiators are pushing for „substantial progress by December this year“, key issues appear unresolved. Any advance, however, is likely to see a renewed lobbying push by the world’s largest tech companies.
Update on July 2nd, 2021: The comment by a Commission spokesperson in paragraph 21 was added after publication.


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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has called on deposit money banks to strengthen their operational capacity to effectively harness the opportunitues of its soon-to-be launched digital currency, eNaira.
This call was made by the CBN deputy governor, operations directorate, Folashodun Shonubi at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Advocacy Dialogue Series 4, on Thursday in Lagos.
The event was themed, ‘Central Bank Digital Currencies: Insights for the 21st Century Banker’.
The apex bank last month announced that it had engaged Bitt Inc., a Barbados-based fintech firm, as its technical partner for the launch of eNaira.
According to NAN, Shonubi said nations were embracing the opportunities that the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) presents for financial inclusion across the globe.
“I am of the opinion that CBDC will strengthen the stability of the banking system even as deposits become more diversified when more people are banked,” he said.
“Though Nigeria has blazed the trail in instant payments, we rank top when it comes to instant payments, the CBDC generally will improve efficiency and promote opportunities for jurisdictions without instant payment options to leapfrog on their operations of faster payment mode.
“We have so many countries today that have not implemented instant payments as we have done in Nigeria.
“More retail payments may assume real-time features, thereby requiring banks to strengthen their operational capacity to effectively harness the opportunity.”
The CBN deputy governor, who was represented by Musa Jimoh, the apex bank’s payments system management department director, said that the CBDC might enhance the liquidity of banks in developing nations, through international remittances.
He said that the diaspora population of developing nations was on the increase and remittances likewise, even as the world economy rebounds in the post-pandemic era.
According to him, the CBDC is expected to enhance efficiency in international remittances and challenge the current high cost of remittances.
He said that the expectation of the CBDC was to see how the cost of remittances could be brought down so that more people begin to remit money home.
“As remittance rule improves, the deposit base of the banks in receiving countries will also improve. That is one of the key benefits of CBDC,” Shonubi said.
“With greater inclusion, diversified bank deposit base, and expected growth in remittances, the economy will become buoyant as intermediation will be eventually deepened with broader access to finance.
”It is therefore hoped that outcome will be generally enhanced even as trade ramps-up with increased adoption of CBDC by more central banks.”
On his part, Lamido Yuguda, director-general, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), urged the CBN to properly position the eNaira to compete with other digital currencies in the world.
He explained that central banks across the world would adopt different models of digital currency.
“Over the next two to three years, you might actually see some models becoming more successful than other models,” Yuguda said.
“So, as we embark on this journey, we have to be very alert to what other countries are doing, because this is really competitive in the marketplace.
“People will want to position their currencies in such a way that really entices many other users even beyond their own borders to use this particular currency.”


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Industry experts predicted today that IP-enabled PBX sales will surge to $2bn in 2010, nearly a threefold increase from 2005.
Combined IP PBX and hybrid IP/TDM PBX sales are projected to gain share steadily over traditional PBX and key systems, according to Dell'Oro Group.
"The conversion to VoIP will be the dominant factor in the enterprise voice market over the next several years," said Steve Raab, director of IP telephony research at Dell'Oro Group.
"Modernising the installed base of traditional PBX technology to IP telephony requires co-ordinated investment in data networking and enterprise voice equipment. During this transition, hybrid IP/TDM PBXs that embody newer IP and legacy TDM technology will represent the majority of sales."
The analyst predicted sales of IP telephones to exceed $4bn in 2010, driven by businesses adopting IP Centrex services and upgrading PBX handsets to IP telephones.
In addition, consumers of residential VoIP are expected to adopt wireless local area network phones and soft phones.
V3 puts the pro-level football GPS tracker through its paces, and asks if it's more than a gimmick
Finding refutes many earlier studies that suggest that galaxies don't have much dark matter at the time of their birth
Boris the robot outed as man in rented robot suit
Mission will provide vital data about the performance of rocket, spacecraft, autonomous docking system and the landing system


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In the months since the FDA identified a probable carcinogen in tested lots of generic diabetes med metformin, the list of companies pulling their versions off U.S. shelves has continued to grow. Now, an Indian firm is dramatically expanding an earlier recall to include a vast swath of its version of the drug.
India's Marksans Pharma yanked (PDF) an additional 76 lots of its version of metformin off U.S. shelves after finding high levels of probable carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in more sampled lots, the company said.
The expansive recall includes 90-, 100-, 500- and 1,000-count bottles of two different strengths of Marksans' extended-release version of the drug, the FDA said in a notice published online Monday. The unexpired pills were distributed by Time-Cap Labs.
Neither the FDA notice nor Marksans' release disclosed the number of bottles affected by the recall. Marksans said it intends to continue manufacturing its version, which pulled in $1.43 million in sales in the year ending March 31, with "proactive" measures in place.
A Marksans spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
Back in June, Marksans initially recalled a single lot of the 500-milligram dose of its metformin at the request of the FDA, which identified high levels of NDMA in versions of the med made by five drugmakers. The others were Lupin, Apotex, Teva and Amneal.
The FDA has recently published a running list of the recalls for each metformin product.
Since then, however, the recalls have expanded to drugmakers outside the original scope of the investigation.
Late last month, Sun Pharma recalled one lot of its Riomet ER, an extended-release version of the common diabetes med, after finding high NDMA levels.The recalled lot contained 747 bottles of the drug with an expiration date of October 2021, Sun said in a release.
Sun was the seventh drugmaker to launch a voluntary recall of its version of metformin after the FDA earlier this year found high levels of NDMA, a contaminant connected to global recalls of "sartan"-based heart pressure drugs and heartburn med Zantac, in tested lots.
In August, New Jersey-based Bayshore Pharmaceuticals recalled one lot each of its 500- and 750-milligram extended-release metformin after the FDA found high levels of NDMA in tested samples.
Before that, Lupin Pharmaceuticals in July pulled all lots of its extended-release metformin after discovering high levels of NDMA in sample lots. Just days earlier, the FDA had said Virginia-based Granules Pharmaceuticals would pull its own version of extended-release metformin based on the same contamination concerns.


text: Constellation Brands /zigman2/quotes/207737284/composite STZ -5.54% on Thursday said its third-quarter net income fell to $470.8 million, or $2.48 per Class A common share from $1.28 billion, or $6.68 a share in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings were $3.12 a share. Third-quarter sales fell to $2.51 billion from $2.64 billion. Net sales fell to $2.32 billion from $2.44 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $2.77 a share and net sales of $2.28 billion, according to a survey of analysts by FactSet. Looking ahead, Constellation Brands expects a fiscal 2022 loss of 25 cents to a loss of 10 cents a share and adjusted 2022 earnings of $10.50 to $10.65 a share. Wall Street analysts expect 2022 earnings of $9.89 a share for the spirits company. Shares of Constellation Brands rose 1.2% in premarket trades.


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2016 Nonwovens Sales: $120 million
Israel, North Carolina
Air through bonded, thermal bonded, stitch bonded, needlepunch
Baby diapers, feminine hygiene, adult incontinence, wipes
“Sales were challenged in 2016 due to lower raw materials and market prices and unfavorable currency exchange rates.,” says CEO Ilan Pickman.
Shalag Nonwovens currently operates three production locations: in Shamir, Israel, with thermal bonded and air through bonded nonwovens; in Oxford, NC, with thermal bonded and air through bonded technologies and in Urim, Israel, with needlepunch and stitch bonded technology. Total capacity is about 45,000 tons.
Shalag’s most recent investment is a third production line in Oxford, NC. The $20 million investment brought the site’s capacity to 18,000 tons. With this line successfully started up, Shalag has turned its attention to Shamir, Israel, where it is upgrading an old calendar bonded line with new air through bonding technology. The new line will restart in May 2018.
“During the last few years we have been focusing on growing with air through bonding technology,” says Pickman. “We are currently working on our next strategic growth plan.”
Key markets for Shalag include baby diapers, feminine hygiene items, adult incontinence products and cleaning and industrial wipes. Sales are split between Europe and the North America, but the company is also looking toward emerging markets for growth.


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Heston Blumenthal Is Opening Four Totally Free One-Night-Only Pop-Ups In Melbourne
It's 100 percent free — if you can find it.
First he brought the entirety of his Berkshire restaurant The Fat Duck to Melbourne for a residency, in which seats went for $525 each (plus wine). Then it was Dinner by Heston, which, while not as exorbitant, still costs a pretty penny (a starter of savoury porridge goes for $36). But now, in UK celeb chef Heston Blumenthal's latest Melbourne project, he'll be opening a series of one-night-only pop-up restaurants for a considerably affordable price — that is, $0.
Yes, free. As in, no money will be changing hands, and no credit card details are required. The Hidden Heston pop-ups are part of MasterChef machine's Heston Week — and while they will no doubt involve nervous contestants fumbling over intricate and ridiculous dishes, they'll nonetheless be extremely exclusive events. So be prepared to earn yourself a place at the table.
There will be four pop-ups in total, each running for one service only in a "top-secret" location in Melbourne that will only be announced before the doors open. Punters will have to keep an eye on MasterChef's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts for clues, and enter online to receive an invitation.
According to MasterChef, each restaurant will offer a "completely different dining experience", and the lucky winners will get "an experience they will remember forever". So, fingers at the ready — this is your chance to get a slice of the meat fruit pie without forking out a whole month's rent.
The Hidden Heston pop-ups will be coming to Melbourne in March. For more info, keep checking the MasterChef Facebook page.
Published on February 15, 2016 by Lauren Vadnjal


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Hawaii Coffee has partnered with Chef Alan Wong to develop a new brand of Royal Hawaiian Coffee made with coffee beans from 600 acres of coffee farms in the Kau region.
Wayman said supply was an issue in developing the coffee line, which he began working on with Wong more than two years ago.
“We’d like to see them have 3- or 4,000 acres, and we’d like to help create the marketplace for Kau coffee so that those farmers can grow that product and prosper, make money and have a great future,” Wayman said.
Kau region farmers have been expanding their land as the demand for the coffee has increased. Leo Norberte, who owns JN Coffee Farms, has been able to expand his coffee farm land from 5 acres when he first started the farm 16 years ago to 30 acres today.
“Leo is a part of the real evolution of agriculture in Hawaii,” Wayman said, explaining that Norberte worked for former Big Five sugar grower C. Brewer & Co.’s operations in Kau. “When hard times came, they had to go out of business, but what they did for their employees was they set up a lease program so their employees could lease land to grow coffee,” Wayman said, adding that Norberte was one of the original leasees and is a testament to the success of farmers in Hawaii.
Ed Olson, who owns the Kau Coffee Mill, said it is a great advancement to have Wong’s name attached to the coffee.
“It means everything to the farmers,” Olson said. “The mill has been a big help to them. Now they have identity; they have a local place to get their products processed. This Alan Wong endorsement is just another leap ahead, so it’s great for the farmers.”


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Seven in ten global executives believe that 'mobile technology is breaking down the boundaries between work and leisure'.
Business Elite show more 'trust and respect' for social media tools.
LONDON, 11 December 2014 – CNBC, the leading business and financial news network, today released the results of its new Mobile Elite survey, an annual research report which tracks the usage and impact of mobile devices amongst business executives. For the first time this year's survey has been extended to cover Europe, Asia and the U.S.
CNBC's Mobile Elite 2014 study shows that access to business and leisure content everywhere via mobile devices is blurring the parameters between the working week and weekend. Seventy percent of executives surveyed, more than ever before, now agree that mobile technology use invades time between work and leisure, with six in ten accessing business content via their mobile device over the weekend.
Mike Jeanes, Director of Research, EMEA at CNBC said, "This new wave of global research reveals that the Business Elite are consuming more business content over the weekend. Mobile is blurring the boundaries between work and leisure, as the consumption of business content over the weekend becomes commonplace. This change presents an opportunity for media owners and advertisers alike."
The consumption of business content is still highest during weekday mornings and in Europe there is an additional evening spurt among executives who are monitoring the US financial markets.
The synergies between TV and tablets are increasingly evident in 2014 with 80% of US executives claiming to watch TV at the same time as using their tablet, compared with 71% in Europe and 70% in Asia. Fifty six percent of global executives use their mobile device as a direct result of watching TV. Type of action taken as a result of seeing TV content ranges from web browsing for products or services (69%), purchasing products, stocks or shares (55%) and responding to advertising (42%).
2014 also shows a significant jump in social media use amongst European business executives to 97%. This growth is fuelled by LinkedIn, which increased from 58% in 2013 to 66% in 2014, and Twitter use grew from 43% to 52%. Facebook has remained relatively stable and LinkedIn use overtook Facebook in Europe for the first time.
The importance of social media in business continues to grow and is highest in Asia. In Europe 61% claim to use social for a variety of business related functions (vs. 58% in 2013 and 53% in 2012). Top scoring business applications include interacting with clients and customers (37% vs. 31% in 2013), building brand presence among social network communities (34% vs. 27% in 2013) and tracking industry trends, which showed the highest year-on-year increase in Europe (22% in 2013 to 31% this year).
LinkedIn consolidates its number #1 position in Europe as a 'useful business and recruitment tool' (59%) and also scores highest for 'respected brand' (64%). Facebook now also now ranks #1 at the expense of Twitter for 'useful marketing tool' among Europe's Business Elite. Twitter registered its highest score to date among European executives for 'use for both work & leisure' (55%) increasing from 32% in 2013.
As for device preference, Android penetration in Europe has overtaken iPhone among European executives for the first time in five years, growing from 35% in 2013 to 50% in 2014. Blackberry usage declined to 15% from 19% in 2013.
A white paper summarising the results of Mobile Elite 2014 is available upon request from email@example.com in CNBC's research department.
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For more information, or infographic, please contact:
Hugo Foulds, Director of Communications, EMEA
D: +44 (0)20 7653 9398
About CNBC's Europe's Mobile Elite 2014
First commissioned in 2010, Mobile Elite 2014 is the fifth wave in a series of surveys among business executives tracking the impact of the mobile revolution on their personal and working lives. In September 2014, CNBC extended the regional coverage to Asia and the US capturing over 600 online interviews across the three regions. Independent research agency T-Poll managed the survey in Europe and the US, and GMI in Asia. Mobile Elite 2014 collates the data into a single global dataset, enabling regional profiling comparisons against a global average.
#MobileElite infographic is available here.