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After years of rumours and hiring, Google finally announced its Stadia streaming platform at GDC last month.
The keynote event focused primarily on the technology side of things, an impressive-sounding combination of Google tech that is great in theory but could well suffer in real-world conditions.
Missing from the announcement were details about what business model Stadia will be using, how developers would be compensated and even how consumers would actually buy games.
Pressed in interviews at GDC about these concerns, Google reps simply said they couldn't talk about these topics at that time. The company is going to be talking about Stadia again in June - but seemingly not at E3.
So the PCGamesInsider.biz team decided to take a look at just who is working on Stadia. Following the GDC keynote, a number of employees changed their LinkedIn info to show that they were working on the tech. This report goes through department-by-department to see what staff is working on this interesting new tech.
This is by no means a comprehensive list - searching 'Stadia' and sorting by LinkedIn members who work at Google and Google Stadia yields 223 results. If there's anyone big missing, be sure to let Alex know.
The top bods
Phil Harrison, VP Google Stadia
For the keynote event at GDC, Phil Harrison was very much the face of Google Stadia.
The exec led the San Francisco presentation, likely brought on board by the tech and search giant for his long history in the games industry. Harrison has in fact worked in games for over 30 years, launching a graphic design services firm called ESD back in 1986.
He joined Sony Computer Entertainment's American branch as VP third-party research and development and worked with the PlayStation firm for until 2008, heading up the firm's Worldwide Studios. He then joined Xbox UK as corporate vice president in 2012, leaving in 2015.
During his time, he has launched several games platforms including the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox One. While there are some true highs in list, there are also several lows that we're sure Harrison would like to forget.
We're sure Harrison is hoping there's much more PlayStation 2 in Stadia than Xbox One.
Jade Raymond - VP and head of Stadia Games and Entertainment
Raymond's hire as a Google vice president was announced in March 2019, with the keynote event revealing that the industry vet was heading up the Big G's first-party studio Stadia Games and Entertainment.
Building studios is something Raymond is something of a specialist in, having founded and headed up Ubisoft's Toronto studio between 2009 and 2014. During this time she grew the developer to a 350-strong outfit. Creating IP is also been a focus of Raymond's career; during her time at Ubisoft Montreal between 2004 and 2009 she led the creation of franchises such as Assassin's Creed and Watch Dog.
It was for this valuable skill set that Raymond was hired by EA in July 2015 as SVP and Group GM for not only EA Motive and PopCap Studios, but also the entire Star Wars portfolio.
John Justice, VP and head of product
A relatively recent hire to Google, VP and head of product John Justice has spent the bulk of his career at Microsoft.
The astonishingly-named exec spent almost 15 years at the Big M, ultimately ending up as the GM of the sales, marketing and supply chain engineering team, changing how the company shipped and sold its products.
Justice's time at Microsoft also included streaming and cloud tech, with the vet working on Azure as well as Xbox game streaming to Android.
As a result he brings an understanding of how to marketing and sell a product, as well as ensuring there's a smooth retail channel experience - something that Google will need. Though the firm has shipped hardware before, including phones, tablets, laptops and various home devices, selling games and hardware - well, its controller.
Rick Osterloh, SVP devices and services
Rick Osterloh has spent most of his career in the tech industry, starting out at Amazon back in 1999. His CV since includes stints Motorola, Skype and ultimately Google. He initially joined the search giant in 2012 as SVP product management looking after Motorola, leaving to join that company back in November 2014 when it was spun out of Google.
He then rejoined the search giant in April 2016 as SVP of devices and services, meaning he was looking after phones, laptops and home devices.
Now, he'll be managing Stadia, too.
Mike Foley, CFO Stadia, AR/VR and wearables
Money man Mike Foley been working around the tech business since 2005 when he joined Microsoft as director of corporate development. That role saw Foley looking after M&A activity and investments. From there he moved to a similar role at EA as SVP strategy and corporate development, a role he held for just over six years.
In 2015 he was hired by middleware specialist Unity Technologies as chief financial officer, helping the company earn close to $800m in primary and secondary capital.
Google snapped Foley up in January 2019 where he now serves as head of finance for the firm's Stadia, AR/VR and wearable tech. While we imagine Foley won't be required to do much in the way of fundraising at the Big G, it's likely his corporate development skills - specifically mergers and acquisitions - will come into play as Google moves to improve the Stadia platform and content line-up.
Dov Zimring, Stadia developer platform lead
If Dov Zimring's LinkedIn bio is correct, he started working on Stadia back in 2013. The product lead initially joined Google in June 2010 as a product manager for the company's Fiber internet infrastructure, moving to Stadia in 2013. There he has been leading the product team for that platform, from infrastructure to working with other developers and publishers.
Unsurprisingly, he was also the product lead on Project Stream, which ran in October 2018 and was an early test of the underlying Stadia tech.
Zimring might not have much games industry experience, but a Google alum with an intimate knowledge of the company's network infrastructure at the head of Stadia seems like a good call.
Josh Feira, chief of staff
Prior to joining Google in 2014, Fiera's CV includes stints at OneSoft, making XML e-commerce sites, designing WAP mobile sites at Openwave Systems and a close-to three-year stint at Lockheed Martin as a technical project manager. From there he moved to IT consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton as a senior associate, a role he held for seven years.
He joined Google in 2014, first working on the firm's Search team, before moving to BizOps and - as of November 2018 - chief of staff for Stadia.
PCGamesInsider.biz has the full who's who of the Google Stadia team.


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Tesla has already released its 2020 net income, and it has disappointed Wall Street to a great extent. After all, it has fallen short of expectations by a mile, but that’s a story of another day. Today, it is about how it makes the income because it is no secret that car sales are not the only thing that generates Tesla’s revenue. This other income-generating venture narrows down to the existing policies.
About 11 states have it that automakers have to sell a certain percentage of clean energy vehicles by the time the calendar clocks 2025. They include Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, Ney York, and New Jersey. The rest are Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Connecticut, Colorado, and California.
However, for various reasons, not all of them can beat the target, and that’s where Tesla comes in. It is the alternative to that since in the event that an automaker can’t reach the minimum percentage, it can alternatively buy regulatory credits from another automaker that has reached the target. The fact that Tesla only sells zero-emission vehicles couple up with its reputation means makes it meet the requirements hence be eligible for selling regulatory credits.
So far, Tesla has made up to $3.3 billion from this particular business. That’s a figure for over the last five years, but the exciting part is that it made almost half of it in 2020. After all, it made $1.6 billion from selling the regulatory credits in 2020. That’s not even the most surprising part but rather the fact that its annual income that year was way lower than that, standing at $721 million. One can only imagine the figures it would have registered if it weren’t for the regulatory credits. However, it is evident that the company could have reported a loss.
GLJ Research’s Gordon Johnson, who also has a significant connection with Tesla, commented on the matter. He acknowledged that credits would soon be a thing of the past. The company’s top executives are reading from the same script, saying that it is not something that Tesla can rely on to make money. According to Zachary Kirkhorn, its Financial Officer, the future of selling regulatory credits is hard to predict since it could go both ways. It would flourish or go down, which a company can’t afford to rely on at all. Gordon also said that the company is losing money from car sales and only making some from the regulatory credits. However, Tesla has other profitability measures. Therefore, I can say that it has a future even when the credit sales are long gone.https://atlanticfinancialmanagement.co.uk/

domain: news


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There are exciting world trends that are happening around the globe that allows growth, development and the chance to make money. There is more to making money than just on the world stock markets; other areas are taking the world by storm.
Cryptocurrency market trends
A great example of this is the popularity of the cryptocurrency market trends; there are a number of great currencies out there that are doing very well, it doesn’t matter if you are mining the currency or just using the currencies to buy and sell goods.
The cryptocurrency markets have had some turmoil with the problems that have overshadowed the markets since the beginning of the year when the ill-fated company, Mt Gox Exchange filed for bankruptcy, after losing millions of dollars of customer’s money, to computer hackers.
Stock market prices
As always, there is movement in the stock markets with prices rising and falling of the various stocks and shares. But the company that has made the biggest news is King Digital Entertainment. They recently floated the company on the stock market with an IPO price of $22.50, unfortunately, the traders and investors didn’t like the stock and prices have fallen sharply.
Many believe this is due to the difficulty in producing great games that are going to go viral. The company has managed this with Candy Crush and Farm Hero’s Saga, but these are just two very popular games from over a 100, that are already out in the world that have very limited popularity compared to the two many games.
How can the company prove, two games that have made the company very rich, but the question is can they continue this winning streak formula?
Indian Stock markets
There has been much speculation for the Indian stock markets to grow and develop if the government moves forward with the current reforms that are set to improve the growth and development of the country, and reduce the current high inflation that is causing many investors to view the Indian stock markets as a too risky investment option. This leads to a stagnant market and doesn’t promote the investment markets around the world.
The Indian government is reducing spending and has increased the interest rates with the aim that will help the confidence to return to these unstable markets.
Many are not convinced that enough is happening to remove the pressure that investors are feeling and demonstrating with their cautious actions.
Therefore, it is evident that there is a lot happening around the world in investing and making or using money. Some areas that you could invest in but are risky options, including the current situation regarding the game company King Digital Entertainment and the whole situation in the Indian stock markets.
What is important to realise, are the changes that happen on a daily basis and how they can have an overall effect on the markets, pushing prices up or making them crash back down. There are no guarantees in the markets and no matter where you put your money there is always a risk that you could potentially lose all the capital that you invested in the first place.


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Memory app Timehop built an ad server to go from near-death to profitable
Timehop had three months of runway in the bank when it decided its current advertising solution wasn’t going to cut it. The app — a way to reminisce on photos and posts across social media — had raised $14.1 million since its launch in 2010. If it was going to ever return that money to investors, the company had to do something else.
“Millions of people use it every day. We can’t just shut it down. At that point, we had so many ideas of what else to do. Maybe we fail and it still ends but we should not end it here?” said Matt Raoul, CEO of Timehop.
As Twitter knows well, you can just shut apps down. But Raoul, Timehop’s design lead who was promoted to CEO after his predecessor left for Snapchat, decided against a quick demise. Instead, the plan was to boost its programmatic advertising. The 15-person team ended up building its own ad server. A year and a half later, the app’s CPM has grown from $2 to $28. Timehop is currently profitable with 50 percent margins this quarter.
Timehop’s leadership team, seated in a conference room within a Soho office featuring framed photos of the app’s mascot Abe the dinosaur, described a journey of exhausting ad tech solutions from January to October 2017. During that time, Timehop hired David Leviev, who worked in ad tech prior, as director of programmatic and partnerships. They moved from using a bunch of SDKs to trying a third-party ad server, which initially gave them a nine-fold increase in revenue.
“We didn’t really understand our own inventory because all we had was the viewability of these two demand partners. We were kinda content with that $2 [CPM] because we thought we were valued at that,” Leviev said.
But after their third-party ad server was down for a weekend, Leviev began to consider moving it all in-house. He declined to name the company’s previous partners.
“Typically reporting is down, and you wait 24 hours. We sent them an email, another email. Three days worth of revenue down the toilet. We got no reassurance we were a priority so we understood the need to have control and viewability in-house,” Leviev said.
In November, Timehop instructed some of its product engineers to begin building an ad server that focused on its own inventory, mobile-only. Leviev said they also wanted to maximize CPM and fill rate, not just choose one or the other. Currently, the system integrates with about 15 SSPs and DSP, the exact number depending on the day.
On Aug. 28, Timehop’s server was filing 74 percent of its inventory at $14 CPMs. Compared to a year ago, the company’s revenue is up 1,000 percent. About 85 percent of that revenue is programmatic, rest direct sales. The startup’s making close to $1 million per month, said Rick Webb, Timehop’s chief operating officer, who served as a revenue consultant the year prior to his full-time involvement.
Timehop is still perfecting the process. This week, they implemented Moat’s SDK for viewability and verification measurement.
“Our biggest regret is not doing sooner. If you have the resources the best solution is to get rid of the SSP. There’s no low-balling of a $2 CPM, no skimming off the top. Publishers if they have the control themselves can determine how much they’re truly valued,” Leviev said.
As for the future growth of the company the team said they hope to use this new financing to hire more employees, in particular, a marketing team, which they currently don’t have. Part of its future marketing initiatives will include reminding people that while Facebook and Snapchat may have a memory feature, Timehop provides it all within one app.
Timehop’s user base is about 80 percent in the U.S., 80 percent women and 80 percent millennial. In July, the app was hacked, affecting the personal data of more than 21 million of Timehop’s users. The team declined to provide exact user numbers but said it has “millions” of daily active users. Timehop did lose between 10 to 15 percent of those after a redesign at the end of 2016, but it’s also adding users each week.
“We lost some users in the redesign, but we still have the core user base that we want to improve things for, that has stuck with us through thick and thin,” Raoul said.
Marketing Briefing: Marketers and agency execs are hoping for more optimism post-inauguration
As marketers “wait with bated breath for this to pass quickly,” as one media buyer noted, there seems to be the potential for optimism.
Why Adidas treats esports deals like media partnerships, not sponsorship deals
The versatility of esports allows for a much wider demographic than other sports and entertainment.
‘Must be a better way’: Why Mother is getting into the media business with new independent agency
The idea was born out of frustration with the current media agency landscape and more requests for integrated media and creative for new business pitches.
SponsoredThe evolution of shoppable content lies in social media streams
With the physical and social aspects of shopping stripped away due to various lockdown restrictions around the globe, shoppable social media is poised to fill the void. In a recent example, Instagram launched its Reels and Shop tab for users to connect with brands and creators — and to discover products. The social media platform will […]
Fashion brands are abandoning traditional org charts in favor of ‘fluid’ teams
Rather than hiring full-time for specific roles, companies are enlisting workers with expertise in many areas and supplementing them with outside experts.
‘People won’t question our ability’: Why performance marketing agencies want to create their own DTC brands
Agencies like Boomn, Homestead Studios and Freelance Crew, among others, expect to debut new DTC brands during Q1 this year.


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Rail tickets soon can be bought on smartphones
|September 17, 2012||Posted by Overseas Sharing Communication China under Railway News||
THE Ministry of Railways announced yesterday that it plans to launch a new service allowing the public to purchase tickets via smartphones by the end of the month.
The service marks the nation’s railway authority’s latest move to make ticket purchasing more convenient since it opened online ticket-purchasing platform www.12306.cn late last year.
Passengers will be able to book and pay for tickets with smartphones on the iOS or Android systems, a statement on the ministry’s website said.
During a trial period, passengers in Shanghai can make reservations for tickets on certain dates during the upcoming eight-day period covering the National Day holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival that will start on September 30.
The ministry estimates 75.4 million trips will be made via train from September 27 to October 7 – 6.86 million trips each day.
The trial period is to prevent system failures on the ticketing platform when many users log on at the same time. Earlier this year, users complained about the system crashing due to overwhelming demand ahead of the Spring Festival.


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While cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that are managed through advanced encryption techniques, many governments have taken a cautious approach toward them, fearing their lack of central control and the effects they could have on financial security. Regulators in several countries have warned against cryptocurrency and some have taken concrete regulatory measures to dissuade users. Additionally, many banks do not offer services for cryptocurrencies and can refuse to offer services to virtual-currency companies. Gareth Murphy, a senior central banking officer has stated "widespread use [of cryptocurrency] would also make it more difficult for statistical agencies to gather data on economic activity, which are used by governments to steer the economy". He cautioned that virtual currencies pose a new challenge to central banks' control over the important functions of monetary and exchange rate policy. While traditional financial products have strong consumer protections in place, there is no intermediary with the power to limit consumer losses if bitcoins are lost or stolen. One of the features cryptocurrency lacks in comparison to credit cards, for example, is consumer protection against fraud, such as chargebacks.
In Charles Stross' 2013 science fiction novel, Neptune's Brood, the universal interstellar payment system is known as "bitcoin" and operates using cryptography. Stross later blogged that the reference was intentional, saying "I wrote Neptune's Brood in 2011. Bitcoin was obscure back then, and I figured had just enough name recognition to be a useful term for an interstellar currency: it'd clue people in that it was a networked digital currency."
Though each bitcoin transaction is recorded in a public log, names of buyers and sellers are never revealed – only their wallet IDs. While that keeps bitcoin users’ transactions private, it also lets them buy or sell anything without easily tracing it back to them. That’s why it has become the currency of choice for people online buying drugs or other illicit activities.
Hello, Traders! Monfex is at your service. ETH is located near the global support line and is approaching to the resistance level inside the downward channel. RSI is overbought. While the coin is forming a shape, you need to follow the updates under this chart to know what you need to do. The position is neutral. The target for the breakout of the resistance...
Despite bringing a number of benefits, decentralized applications aren’t faultless. Because smart contract code is written by humans, smart contracts are only as good as the people who write them. Code bugs or oversights can lead to unintended adverse actions being taken. If a mistake in the code gets exploited, there is no efficient way in which an attack or exploitation can be stopped other than obtaining a network consensus and rewriting the underlying code. This goes against the essence of the blockchain which is meant to be immutable. Also, any action taken by a central party raises serious questions about the decentralized nature of an application.
While another less aggressive soft fork solution was put forth, the Ethereum community and its founders were placed in a perilous position. If they didn’t retrieve the stolen investor money, confidence in Ethereum could be lost. On the other hand, recovering investor money required actions that went against the core ideas of decentralization and set a dangerous precedent.
Monero is the most prominent example of the CryptoNight algorithm. This algorithm was invented to add the privacy features Bitcoin is missing. If you use Bitcoin, every transaction is documented in the blockchain and the trail of transactions can be followed. With the introduction of a concept called ring-signatures, the CryptoNight algorithm was able to cut through that trail.
Bitcoin prices were negatively affected by several hacks or thefts from cryptocurrency exchanges, including thefts from Coincheck in January 2018, Coinrail and Bithumb in June, and Bancor in July. For the first six months of 2018, $761 million worth of cryptocurrencies was reported stolen from exchanges. Bitcoin's price was affected even though other cryptocurrencies were stolen at Coinrail and Bancor as investors worried about the security of cryptocurrency exchanges.


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October's artist of the month is KADO, Recently signed to Clutch City Records his debut single GRINDxHUSTLE is taking the streets by storm. Born and raised in Houston, Texas he has been blessing the microphone since the early 2000s. Currently working on a mixtape set to drop in August, Media Kings is proud to announce KADO as our artist of the month
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FDI will revolutionise retail sector: GovernmentNovember 27th, 2011 - 7:04 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) Amid growing attacks from the opposition and some of its allies for allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, the United Progressive Alliance government Sunday launched a media campaign saying the decision would revolutionise the country’s retail industry.
In full page advertisements in prominent newspapers, the ministry of commerce and industry said FDI in retail would provide “relieve to consumers”, ensure “better price to farmers” and create “lakhs of new jobs”.
The government Thursday decided to allow up to 51 percent foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and raised the limit in single-brand retail from 51 percent to 100 percent.
Key opposition parties, notably the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left Front, have criticised the government’s decision and threatened to launch a nation-wide campaign against the issue.
Some allies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, especially Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, has also attacked the government on this issue.
Comparing the decision with IT revolution and 1991 economic liberalisation, the government said “now the retail market will witness a revolution with FDI.”
In the advertisement, the commerce and industry ministry has termed the criticisms as myths and countered it with point-to-point arguments and said the realities were different.
“FDI in multi brand retail will generate new employment opportunities, resulting in 1 crore new jobs,” it said.
- FDI will help create 1 crore new jobs in retail: Government - Sep 21, 2012
- States have prerogative not to allow FDI in multi-brand retail: Government - Sep 18, 2012
- No reversing decision on FDI in multi-brand retail: Sharma - Jul 27, 2012
- Sharma seeks Punjab, Haryana's support for FDI in retail - Jul 18, 2012
- India allows FDI in multi-brand retail - Sep 14, 2012
- 'Efforts on to allow FDI in multi-brand retail' - Mar 16, 2012
- Don't roll back reform measures: FICCI - Sep 19, 2012
- FDI in multi-brand retail: German envoy for India resolving issue - Dec 08, 2011
- Set aside petty politics on FDI in retail, urges India Inc (Roundup) - Nov 28, 2011
- Recall of retail FDI regressive, disappointing: India Inc (Roundup) - Dec 07, 2011
- Industry feels let down with recall of FDI in retail - Dec 07, 2011
- Don't roll back reforms under pressure: India Inc (Lead) - Sep 19, 2012
- Ally Trinamool joins BJP, Left in opposing FDI in retail - Nov 24, 2011
- Only 4 states, UTs support FDI in retail: Government - Aug 08, 2012
- FDI pause wins peace in parliament, disappoints India Inc. (Roundup) - Dec 07, 2011
Tags: 1 crore, alliance government, allies, bharatiya janata party, bjp, economic liberalisation, foreign direct investment, industry ministry, lakhs, media campaign, ministry of commerce, New Delhi, new jobs, opposition parties, page advertisements, progressive alliance, realities, retail industry, retail market, retail sector


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What You Should Know About New Google Ad Products and Brands
For the last decade, both small and large companies have depended on the Internet for advertising and marketing, and obviously Google is in the lead. So when Google announces its new products and introduces new brands for its advertising products, we are all ears.
Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform and Google Ad Manager are the new Google brands that incorporate some pillars for the benefit of millions of advertisers.
From the beginning of June to July, Google will introduce brands and easier solutions for advertisers. So if you plan to advertise on Google, read this article first and get your bearings on the changes that are happening in Google’s advertising products.
It is now Google Ads
Google AdWords debuted in 2000 and served as a platform to run text ads on the Google search engine. Eighteen years later, AdWords evolved from a text platform to a platform that can support different ad formats such as videos, apps, purchases, and more.
Now its evolution has reached the point of renaming Google AdWords to Google Ads in order to simplify its complex product line.
With Google Ads, marketers can buy ads on all Google properties as well as partner websites. So if you are a marketer, now you can easily reach people who find answers on search engines, YouTube, Google Maps, among others.
There is hardly a difference between Google AdWords and Google Ads, but the good news is that the platform is more streamlined and becoming an automated interface.
But that is not all.
Google has announced the launch of its new advertising product created exclusively for small businesses.
The smart campaign is a new type of campaign in Google Ads that brings a machine learning technology (which is AI itself) that creates ads. This allows advertisers to identify the actions that they are prioritizing, for example, phone calls, visits to stores or purchases. This will help small businesses focus first on bringing their business to stability without wasting too much effort on online advertising campaigns.
Google Marketing Platform
The following products may not be familiar to small businesses, but if you are an advertiser for large international companies, then look here.
With the explosion of channels, data, and formats, consumers are now highly focused on how they are advertised or identified as a target market.
Remember the privacy scandal that happened a few months ago? That’s how it is. People are now aware that some of their private data is used for advertising purposes.
That is why Google created another tool that puts privacy as the top priority.
They introduced the Google Marketing Platform, a collaboration of the DoubleClick advertiser products and the Google Analytics 360 Suite.
Marketers can do all their tasks in one place. Now they can evaluate their customers ‘experience, measure their optimized digital campaigns and other tasks in one place without compromising their customers’ private data.
On Google Marketing Platform, Google also introduces new products called Display and Video 360. These products combine the functions of DoubleClick Bid Manager, Campaign Manager, Studio, and Audience Center. This means that all departments can now collaborate in real time and run ad campaigns in one place.
Google Ads Manager
Automation continues to move towards ad management on Google. Google Ad Manager is a comprehensive advertising platform that will help you maximize your earnings on booking, private markets, and open auction.
Google Ad Manager also offers a single platform to deliver, measure, and optimize ads, regardless of where your audience is interacting. This includes TV, mobile apps, and other platforms like YouTube or Google Maps.
Ad Manager also helps you select who can access your inventory and other programmatic demands.
Technology is changing and sometimes it’s too fast and we need to take a step back, look at the big picture, and start creating a way to simplify everything. Google is doing a great job on this.
Advertising on Google is so much easier now, and the fact that they are focusing more on the well-being and privacy of consumers is a huge plus.


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Supplier News Breaks
Consumer goods veteran joins Park City Group as senior VP
July 1st, 2013
PARK CITY, Utah – Park City Group has hired Janet Carter Smith as senior vice president of market development.
Janet Carter Smith
The consumer goods supply chain technology provider said that in the role, Smith will be responsible for business solution development, consulting and the expansion of efforts in market development.
Before joining Park City Group, Smith spent more than 17 years at GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, most recently as vice president of corporate development. In that position, she directed customer development across all classes of trade and led all aspects of industry and trade relations, including association management, external communications, and conference planning and execution.
In addition, Smith was the commercial lead and expert for cross-sector collaborations and enterprise initiatives with GSK's pharmaceutical, vaccines and consumer health care businesses. She previously served as director of business development for strategic retail solutions, senior district retail sales manager, regional retail sales manager and senior corporate account manager.
"One of the biggest challenges our industry faces today is we live in a consumer-driven marketplace where the speed of change and the ability to respond to the shopper's expectations is paramount. The strength of the industry rests in our ability to adapt to meet the increasing and changing needs of our consumers," Smith stated. "Park City Group is providing leadership and solutions enabling greater collaboration and more informed decision-making between retailers and suppliers, resulting in increased sales and profitability for both. I am excited to join Park City Group in their efforts to provide technology solutions that help address one component of delivering consumer centricity."
Smith also served as chairperson of the Retail Liaison Committee and sat on the Annual Executive Conference Planning Committee at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), was a Retail Advisory Board member for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS); was a member of the Education Leadership Council for the Global Marketing Development Center (GMDC); and was on the Health, Beauty and Wellness Advisory Committee at the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA). She was also the Network of Executive Women Ambassador for GlaxoSmithKline.
"Janet is an industry-recognized senior leader with a proven track record of driving commercial success in the consumer packaged goods industry. She is uniquely talented at identifying, managing and providing organizational leadership to develop enterprisewide initiatives and strategies," commented Randall Fields, chairman and chief executive officer of Park City Group. "Her extensive industry experience will help expand Park City Group's market development and expand into new channels. We are privileged to have someone of Janet's caliber join our team and are looking forward to utilizing her talent."
More Supplier News Breaks >>


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Dogecoin, a meme-based cryptocurrency common amongst retail buyers, surged on Wednesday, benefiting from information that digital asset change Coinbase will make the crypto unit obtainable to its customers on its buying and selling platform. Coinbase mentioned on Tuesday it’s going to instantly settle for inbound transfers of dogecoin Coinbase Professional, a buying and selling venue for skilled merchants.
Dogecoin rose 31% on Wednesday to $0.41 within the wake of the Coinbase information. That pushed the cryptocurrency’s market capitalization to $54 billion, making it the sixth-largest token, in line with information and market tracker CoinGecko.com.
Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York, mentioned dogecoin was nowhere close to the extent seen main as much as Tesla chief Elon Musk’s look final month on Saturday Night time Reside, a US comedy sketch TV present.
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However this “dogecoin bounce comes throughout a interval the place the cryptoverse is seeing a consolidation of positions, so we shouldn’t be shocked if this latest surge fizzles or if it makes one other try on the moon,” he added.
Dogecoin misplaced greater than a 3rd of its worth after Musk, an enormous supporter of the forex, known as it a “hustle” throughout his guest-host spot on the Saturday Night time Reside.
The token’s rise got here throughout a surge in on-line buying and selling of shares and crypto by retail buyers, caught at house with additional money due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The coin has not seen a lot development in utilization for funds or in commerce.
A increase in utilization of on-line buying and selling apps like Robinhood additionally fueled the social-media pushed rally in GameStop Corp inventory this yr, which pitted retail buyers in opposition to hedge funds.


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Cruising holidays on the River Shannon are on air in Germany right now, courtesy of a Tourism Ireland radio promotion which will reach over 500,000 listeners each day during the month-long campaign. A competition on popular radio station HR1, in association with DERTOUR (a leading German tour operator) is offering six lucky people the chance to win a cruising break on the Shannon. Tourism Ireland adverts are highlighting the relaxed and enjoyable pace of a cruising holiday as well as the many things to see and do for German holidaymakers in this part of Ireland.
Barbara Wood, Tourism Ireland’s Manager for Central Europe, said: “This is a great opportunity to highlight the superb cruising and tourism product of the Shannon and Lakelands Region. Tourism Ireland has an extensive promotional programme in place for 2010 in Germany, to showcase the uniqueness of a holiday in the Lakelands and around the island of Ireland. A range of campaigns is highlighting the tremendous value on offer as well as compelling reasons to visit. The message here in Germany is that there has never been a better time to visit the island of Ireland.”
For further press information:
Sinéad Grace, Tourism Ireland
Tel: 01 476 3493/ 087 685 9027
Note to Editors:
- Tourism Ireland is the organisation responsible for promoting the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination.
- Tourism is the island of Ireland’s largest indigenous industry; responsible for in excess of 4% of GNP in the Republic of Ireland and employing approximately 200,000 people.
7.6 million overseas visitors came to the island of Ireland in 2009, delivering revenue of €3.46 billion. Tourism Ireland’s international website is www.discoverireland.com; there are 41 different websites, providing information in 19 different languages covering every continent. In 2009 discoverireland.com attracted a record 13+ million unique visitors, a +34% increase in visits on 2008.


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Driving the Online Experience for Auto Insurance
Leaders and Lessons in a Highly Competitive Industry
While the rest of the economy may be languishing or worse, the auto insurance industry is holding its own, and more and more of its sales are coming directly or indirectly from the online channel. While perhaps surprisingly, the majority of auto insurance policies were still bought through a local agent in the six months ending March 2009, that number is down from nearly three-quarters of purchasers who bought five years ago. Conversely, those purchasing online have grown more than six-fold, from just 4 percent five years ago to 30 percent in the six months ending March 2009. 1comScore, “comScore releases 2009 Online Auto Insurance Report,” April 28, 2009
The online channel accounts for a large minority of auto insurance sales, but a resounding majority of buyers are researching and shopping for policies online. The Insurance Information Institute cites a forecast by Celent that “Web influenced” purchases are likely to grow from 70 percent in 2007 to 90 percent by 2011. 2The Insurance Information Institute, “Buying Insurance: Evolving Distribution Channels,” July 2009 Already, nearly two out of three auto insurance shoppers go online to get policy quotes. 3op cit
As the economy has worsened — or perhaps as the hordes of new car buyers who took advantage of the “Cash for Clunkers” program shop for new insurance — traffic to the insurance sites has significantly increased. Page views at Progressive jumped 48.2 percent, and GEICO jumped 40.4 percent in the three months ending August 31, according to Alexa. Reach for these two sites grew 31 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively, in the same period. Of the ten providers studied by Keynote in June 2009, eight experienced a double-digit spike in page views. 4Alexa.com, The Web Information Company, “Site Info”
How effectively are insurance companies competing for online customers? How well do those companies more closely associated with traditional channels fare against those who’ve pushed their brands toward the Internet? What are the key drivers that convert shoppers into buyers? In June, Keynote fielded a panel of 2,000 active online adults — ones who would consider purchasing a new policy — to actively shop and evaluate ten major provider sites. The results of this significant customer experience study provide a current portrait of the online auto insurance industry from the consumer’s point of view.
New Media vs. Traditional Values
The two companies that work the hardest to promote their online channel are also the two that finished at the top of the Keynote Customer Experience rankings. GEICO and Progressive virtually tied for the number one spot for overall customer experience, taking the top two slots for the second year in a row, and locking up the top spots for each of the indices that make up the overall CE index. Nationwide, Farmers, and Liberty Mutual make up a solid second tier in the rankings.
The big gainers in the Keynote study were Nationwide, which moved up from sixth to third place, and Liberty Mutual, which jumped from ninth to fifth place. (Farmers was not included in the 2008 study.) Allstate and State Farm experienced parallel down slides, with Allstate dropping from third to seventh place, and State Farm from fourth to eighth.
It is interesting to note that the biggest advertisers in the industry are GEICO, Progressive, Allstate and State Farm, which together account for more than 70 percent of the category’s nearly US $2 billion ad spend. Messaging for GEICO and Progressive heavily emphasizes direct purchase through the online channel. Allstate and State Farm, on the other hand, take a softer, brand image approach. These differences in approaches could be coming through in their Web sites as well, and possibly influencing Keynote panelists’ perceptions.
While it is not one of the heavyweight spenders, Liberty Mutual started a major play to gain share for its auto line in 2005, stepping up spending to support its carefully researched “Responsibility” campaign. This old-line company — it has been writing auto coverage since 1918 — in 2008 doubled its budget and morphed its ad campaign into a social media effort called “The Responsibility Project,” with its own Web site driven by user-generated content. In nine months of 2008, the site attracted nearly a million and a half unique visitors, and its films were viewed nearly a million times; in July of this year, it was selected as an Adweek magazine media plan of the year. 5Adweek, “The Adweek Media Plan of the Year,” June 14, 2009 Liberty Mutual’s unique synergy of old-line values, traditional advertising, and new media — and corresponding execution on its marketing site — apparently make a difference in brand perception for online insurance shoppers.
Nationwide, too, has refocused its advertising back to its traditional values-based roots, emphasizing comfort and security in these stressful economic times. It moved its $185 million ad account to a new agency this year, and returned to its tried-and-true “on your side” theme. 6Advertising Age, “Nationwide revives classic tagline in bid to show its comforting side; Insurer joins ranks of advertisers seeking to soothe amid recession,” April 13, 2009 At the same time, it is pushing its Web site toward the forward edge; of the ten sites studied by Keynote, only Nationwide and State Farm feature custom iPhone apps on their home pages.
Successfully Supporting Brand Image
Nationwide and Liberty Mutual aren’t just supporting their brand image in advertising; their Web sites are having a significant impact. In the Keynote study, Nationwide enjoyed a 30 percent jump in positive brand perception after panelists explored the site, the highest gain in the study. Liberty Mutual enjoyed the second-highest brand boost, with a 27 percent gain. Progressive was right behind with a 26 percent increase.
Interestingly, those companies with a longstanding, traditional image — Allstate, State Farm, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, Farmers — were most highly associated with the brand adjectives “trustworthy” and “reliable,” and along with MetLife, “ethical.” Those companies that, based on their marketing, would be considered most Web savvy — GEICO and Progressive — were most closely associated with “friendly” and “high value,” and along with Esurance, “innovative.” Virtually across the board, these companies were able to successfully port their general market positioning, whether it’s tried-and-true or new and improved, to their online customer experience.
Farmers in the Market
They don’t have a cave man, or Flo, or good hands, but Farmers Insurance Group has something in its formula that made a positive impression on Keynote panelists. Farmers finished fourth overall in the customer experience index, and enjoyed a 20 percent gain in positive brand perception after panelists visited the site. It placed third overall in brand impact, behind online market leaders GEICO and Progressive. Farmers.com does not feature any television commercials, and it gives equal weight on the home page to “Get a Quote” and “Find an Agent,” a hedging of bets that does not seem to work against it. It holds its own with the market leaders in overall site satisfaction, and places with the leaders in the brand adjectives most associated with more traditional companies, including trustworthy, reliable, helpful, and ethical. The auto section of its site is among the simplest and most straightforward of the studied group. While there is no shortage of information, it is tightly organized. Consequently, panelists spent less time browsing to accomplish their assigned tasks than almost all the other sites.
Farmers would do well to port some of its best practices to the site of 21st Century Insurance, which it bought from the nearly failed American International Group in July. The acquisition made Farmers the third largest U.S. auto insurance provider. 7Los Angeles Times, “Farmers Insurance to slash workforce at 21st Century unit in Woodland Hills,” by Marc Lifsher, August 28, 2009 But in the process, Farmers also acquired a Web property that could qualify for a bailout. 21st Century finished dead last in the overall Customer Experience index, and in all the component indices that make it up.
Product Satisfaction Drives Success
Product satisfaction — policy and pricing — is the number one driver for both brand impact and conversion in online auto insurance marketing. Then, assuming the policy and pricing are right, the research and quote process becomes paramount to driving conversion. Visual design is next in importance for both brand and conversion; contact information is also a tertiary driver for brand impact.
While GEICO and Progressive still keep their lock on the top spots for product satisfaction in the Keynote study, behind them the field shuffles compared to the overall customer experience rankings. Esurance, State Farm, and Allstate move up into the top five, displacing Nationwide, Farmers, and Liberty Mutual. Good value seems to be the key to product satisfaction — the perception that the policy offers good coverage at a competitive price from a reputable company. Panelists called out lower pricing and discounts for the companies they ranked at the top; conversely, the lower-finishing companies were dinged for pricing that was perceived as clearly non-competitive. When the prices are there in plain view, it’s hard to disguise the difference, which is significant: the spread between top-ranked Progressive at 59.5 percent and bottom-ranked Met Life at 25 percent is nearly 35 points, for those who highly agree that the site offers competitive prices and discounts.
Zero to Policy Quote in How Many Minutes?
For the all-important quote and research process, Progressive, Esurance and GEICO finished one-two-three, as they did in last year’s study. Shoppers are very clear in what they want in the quote process, basically listing fundamental best practices:
1. Make the questions easy to answer, with appropriate use of drop-downs.
2. Organize the process in a logical, step-by-step fashion.
3. Offer easily accessible, contextual help, typically in the form of a question mark that activates a pop-out on rollover, adjacent to each item.
4. Offer options to tailor the coverage.
5. Make the page-loads fast.
Progressive’s quote-assist tool — a slider that lets visitors quickly change coverage or name their own price — is unique among the sites, and may contribute to Progressive’s strong performance in this driver.
Old Roots, New Directions
If current trends continue, and there is little reason to believe they will not, in just a few years the majority of auto insurance sales will take place in the online channel. Still, many auto insurance customers are holding onto the old ways. Even as they shop for and buy policies online, two-thirds still consider it highly or extremely important to have an agent in their area, and more than 96 percent consider it of highest importance to deal with an established and reputable company. But the bottom line is the bottom line: nearly 100 percent give high or extreme importance to competitive pricing.
GEICO and Progressive have demonstrated that an aggressive marketing campaign that carries through to a Web site that matches it in character, and that offers an easy-to-use quote process and competitive pricing, is a winning formula for direct online sales. Nationwide, Farmers, and Liberty Mutual are increasing their success using similar formulas, albeit with different messaging — and it is perhaps that softer, less price-driven messaging that keeps them from more aggressively competing for the top spots.


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The role of mobile tech in the current "GameStop" investment craze
If you've been reading and watching the news everyday and are tempted to jump into the new investment craze that has captured the attention of many Americans, you need to tread lightly before you end up losing a fortune. Sure, it looks like people are practically printing their own money and just yesterday a fifth-grade student who got 10 shares of GameStop (GME) from his mom two years ago (she paid $6 a share) sold the gift for $320 each or $3,200.
Participating in the latest investment craze could be dangerous to your wealth
There are many stories like that as investors pushed up the stock of the video game chain from $4 this past July to a recent high of $413. What is going on here, you ask? We are happy to clear this up. First of all, thanks to the brokerage app Robinhood (App Store, Google Play Store), small investors can trade through their phone without paying any commissions. Even option traders can place orders through the app without having to pay for brokerage.
The iOS native stock app includes prices and charts
Also involved is the subreddit board Wall Street Bets. This social media site recommended certain stocks like GameStop and BlackBerry (BB) that were sure to rise once buy orders started flooding in for the stock. The stocks selected by WallStreetBets were heavily shorted. Shorting a stock is like buying a stock and selling it at a higher price, but in reverse. Let's say that at $20 you thought that GameStop was overpriced. You borrow the shares from your broker and sell the stock. Hopefully, when the stock drops, you buy back the shares you borrowed and return it to the brokerage firm. But this is a very risky play. When you buy a stock, your loss is limited to the amount you paid for it; when you short a stock, your potential loss is infinite. As a result, shorting a stock is something that only the wealthy and huge hedge funds practice.
To make this as easy to understand as possible, small time investors decided to get back at those billionaires running hedge funds and starting buying shares like GameStop that were heavily shorted by the pros. This created what is known in market lingo as a "short squeeze." But thanks to social media, there were plenty of small investors betting against the hedge funds by buying GameStop and other heavily shorted stocks. As the latter rose in price, the pros started seeing their accounts flow red ink as their bets against GameStop and others started to go against them. More buying by the public led to more buying by the pros to cut their losses. And that is how GameStop ran up to over $400.
On Thursday, Robinhood was on the verge of raising $1 billion of financing. To make sure that it didn't lose this financing by costing its customers their nest eggs, the company banned them from buying GameStop and a number of other stocks that were having similar experiences for the same reason. The only transactions allowed were those that would result in a Robinhood customer exiting his or her position in these stocks. As a result, GameStop plunged 40% on Thursday. But on Friday, Robinhood removed the ban allowing its account holders to buy the stock once again. As a result, on Friday GameStop opened at $379 after closing Thursday at $197.
It seems like easy money as more and more little guys get involved looking for revenge against snooty hedge fund operators. Some of the pros who were short GameStop have had to resort to loans from other hedge funds to stay afloat. But before you install Robinhood on your phone and buy some of the targeted stocks (which also includes AMC Entertainment, American Airlines, and Tootsie Roll), keep in mind that the window of opportunity here could be closing. Once the public runs head first into an investment style, that style usually stops working. When the pros finish covering their short sales, they have no incentive to buy these stocks anymore and the public will be left holding the bag when these stocks drop down to prices more reflective of their current business status.
What is interesting is how mobile technology has its fingerprints all over the short squeeze. You have the Robinhood app offering free trading, the WallStreetBets subredit disseminating the names of companies whose shares are heavily shorted, and apps that provide mobile investors with real time quotes wherever they go. Heck, iOS has a native stock app of its own.
We don't want to be the wet blanket here, but we do want to point out that this investment style is not going to last forever.


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Here are today's top stories from Tech News Today for March 20, 2014:
- Another dual boot Windows-Android project has been killed. Chinese phone maker Huawei announced a dual-boot handset just last week. But now Huawei said they’ve cancelled their plans to launch the phone. Read more at fiercewireless.com.
- Motorola design chief Jim Wicks spilled some details about the Moto 360 smartwatch we reported on Monday. He said Motorola decided to make the watch face round, rather than square, because its a culturally familiar shape for a watch, which he believes will make it more socially acceptable. Read more at youtube.com.
- South Korean schools are using an app-based system to restrict what students have access to during class to prevent distractions and cheating. They’re using an app called iSmartKeeper, which enables teachers to lock down phones in one of six modes, ranging from allowing only emergency calls to merely turning off specific apps. Read more at wired.com.
- Another day, another messaging app. A new app called FireChat for iOS launches today. And this one has a couple of crazy features. Read more at techcrunch.com.
- Steve Jobs’ Luxury super-yacht has been spotted in Portugal. The 256-foot, iMac-controlled super-boat, which Jobs named the Venus, was the late Apple founder’s dream project since 2008. Jobs even commission the designer of Apple stores to make custom glass windows. This is the first Venus sighting in the wild. The yacht had been docked for years in an Amsterdam port because the designer hadn’t been paid yet. Read more at cultofmac.com.
For insight, analysis, and discussion of these topics and more, check out Tech News Today for March 20, 2014.


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Wallenius Wilhelmsen ASA's US subsidiary ARC unsuccessful in updated bid for contract for transportation of household goods with US Transportation Command
Oslo, 4 November 2021 - American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. (ARC) today announced the company was not selected by the United States Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) to provide global relocation services for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Coast Guard, under the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC).
ARC was originally awarded the GHC in April 2020. That award was protested by unsuccessful bidders, following which the Government conducted a re-evaluation. ARC submitted its updated response in December 2020, but was not awarded the contract.
ARC has requested a debrief from the United States Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and will reassess its options to protest the decision. Any further announcements will be made as and when needed.
About American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC) ARC has long experience providing global logistics and shipping services to the U.S. Government. ARC and its U.S. affiliates own and manage the largest U.S.-flag roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) fleet. This includes providing American-owned, managed, and crewed Ro-Ro shipping and logistics services committed to the requirements of the Department of Defense, other U.S. Government departments and agencies, and commercial customers. Read more at ARCshipping.com.
For further information, please contact:
Anette Orsten VP, Global Treasury & IR +47 98067912 firstname.lastname@example.org
Anette Maltun Koefoed VP Corporate Communications +47 975 87 999 email@example.com


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RiseUp Summit 2019, MENA’s leading entrepreneurship event, kicked off its second day at the American University in Cairo (AUC) New Cairo Campus, with a focus on the tech entrepreneurship scene in MENA and the importance of corporate innovation and an internal entrepreneurial mindset. The day hosted speakers from media service provider Spotify, Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA) and Intel. Founder of Emotional Particle Mona Hamdy, Cofounder and CEO of Eventtus Mai Medhat, and Cofounder of Womena Elissa Freiha were among the most prominent women providing their take on the entrepreneurship and tech sectors.
According to a report by the Atlantic Council, there are around 90 million internet users in the Middle East, which is 40.2% of the total population – and the number is steadily growing. While some are worried that technology will take over certain jobs in the future, the advancement of technology gives birth to a multitude of new jobs – which is why having savvy developers is essential. In the entrepreneurship world, technology has become an enabler and having a solid developer onboard is essential to any startup’s growth.
“Developers are among the architects of the future. They build the tools and services that improve our lives and therefore it becomes crucial to underline the importance of developers in today’s global economy,”
Facebook’s Product Partnerships Program Manager Walied ‘Willie’ Elamein says.
“With our initiatives such as ‘Developer Circles from Facebook’, a program designed to create locally organized communities for developers, we’re empowering tech innovators everywhere, supporting them at every stage of their journey towards realizing their goals – whether they’re early on in their developer journey or they’re building a startup.”
Talking about the importance of corporate innovation, Global Innovation Director at Nestlé Gerardo Mazzeo announced that Nestlé is launching a new project in Egypt, looking for a tech partner that can develop a tool to complement its existing automated sales platform which will provide optimized routes for its sales representatives that can take into account the current traffic situation and predicted traffic for rush hours, school times and so on. Interested startups can apply at henri.nestle.com/live-projects.
“Many startups are leading trends and disrupting the food and beverages industry. Major food companies are now increasingly looking to innovate in different ways by collaborating with and investing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups,”
“Egypt is the fastest growing ecosystem in MENA, with incubators on the rise, the government investing in resources, and bootcamps and events making connecting easier.”
Speaking on the MENA ecosystem in general, Hassan Fayed, Acting Head of Innovation at the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA) explained:
“When you look at the MENA region’s ecosystem, a lot of things need to be tailored to the local context, which is very different than what happens abroad. One of the key players that are still missing from the ecosystem and whose entry into it can be crucial is family businesses. The second and third generations of young people who are the owners of these family businesses have seen the startup ecosystems abroad and are more aware that if they do not find a way to disrupt themselves, they themselves will get disrupted.”
During the Summit, MINT by EG Bank announced its Startup Account, tailored to suit young companies’ banking needs. Its benefits include no fees on the account, a competitive interest rate, and the convenient transfer of payroll online.
Additionally, Egyptian startup “Your Parts”, an online marketplace for purchasing car parts, announced a few of its newest features, such as pickup points for ordered spare parts, the listing of truck parts, and a partnership with Mobil.
In other news, video content agency Excuse My Content launched its all-new school for creative learning, from filmmaking to advertising, under the name SYNC. SYNC aims to provide talks, workshops and courses given by professionals in the field.
Today, RiseUp Summit hosted the first day of the African App Launchpad Cup in partnership with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), for which winners will be announced tomorrow. The two-day event saw 15 Egyptian and 13 African startups competing to present the best gaming or app development project for a chance to win upto $60,000.
Moreover and for the first time this year, RiseUp Summit 2019 is featuring an in-summit hackathon powered by Dubai Commercity in which 160 developers will gather at the venue to share their inventive ideas for e-commerce digital inclusion and compete for prizes totaling $15,000. The Dubai Commercity Hackathon will focus on promoting e-commerce accessibility in underpenetrated areas, with developers working on addressing digital awareness and solving delivery and internet access challenges.


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Silicon Valley EV Battery Developer QuantumScape Debuts on Wall Street After its Merger with Kensington Capital
【Summary】Silicon Valley-based solid state battery developer QuantumScape is now officially a publicly traded company after its debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Friday. QuantumScape is also backed by automaker Volkswagen and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates via his venture capital firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which Gates founded in 2015 to help accelerate innovations in sustainable energy.
Silicon Valley-based solid state battery developer QuantumScape is now officially a publicly traded company after its debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Friday.
The company, which is headquartered in San Jose, California, is the latest company tuning to Wall Street to raise capital this year, after it completed a reverse merger deal with Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp.(NYSE: KCAC), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
The deal, which was first announced in September, resulted in QuantumScape becoming a publicly listed company, which aims for an enterprise value of over $3 billion.
The company's stock is trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol "QS".
The transaction will result in net proceeds of approximately $680 million to QuantumScape, including through a $500 million fully committed private investment in public equity (PIPE). Funds from the transaction are expected to fully support the new company through the start of production in the second half of 2024.
"Today marks a big step in the evolution of our company," said Jagdeep Singh, Founder and CEO of QuantumScape. "This transaction allows QuantumScape to fund development and commercialization of our OEM-validated battery technology as we look forward to playing our part in the electrification of the automotive powertrain, helping transform one of the world's largest industries and fostering a cleaner future for all."
QuantumScape has been working on solid state EV batteries for the past decade. The company was founded in 2011 and holds around 200 patents and patent applications related to solid-state battery technology. The company's mission is to revolutionize energy storage to enable a sustainable future.
In June 2018, German automaker Volkswagen invested $100 million in a joint venture with QuantumScape for the industrial-level production of solid-state batteries. At the time, the investment made Volkswagen QuantumScape's largest automotive shareholder.
Volkswagen followed up its initial investment in June of this year when the automaker announced an additional investment of up to $200 million, just two months before QuantumScape announced its intent to go public in a merger with Kensington Capital.
The goal of the investment was to further develop solid-state batteries for Volkswagen's future electric vehicles. Two years ago, Volkswagen successfully tested QuantumScape's early-stage solid-state battery sample cells running at automotive rates of power, which the company said was an "industry first" achievement.
"The solid-state battery will mark a turning point for e-mobility", said Axel Heinrich, Head of Volkswagen Group Research in June.
QuantumScape's solid-state lithium-metal batteries are designed to be safer, and to deliver greater range, faster charge times and improved cycle life, than today's conventional lithium-ion battery technology.
A solid-state battery of roughly the same size as a standard EV battery can achieve a range comparable to that of a combustion engine vehicle. However, developments in solid state battery technology have moved at a slow pace. To date, no other battery maker has been able to achieve the level of performance sufficient for mass-production. But the technology does show promise.
"We are making technological progress with our partner QuantumScape," said Thomas Schmall, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group Components in June, the unit responsible for developing EV batteries for the automaker. Volkswagen says that solid-state batteries would more than double the range of its electric vehicles.
QuantumScape's deal with Kensington Capital follows other high-profile reverse mergers this year to raise new capital, including hydrogen fuel cell truck startup Nikola Motor Company, electric truck maker Lordstown Motors and lidar manufacturer Velodyne. The three companies all went public in reverse merger deals with SPACs.
QuantumScape is also backed by Microsoft founded Bill Gates, both personally and through his company Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a venture capital firm that Gates founded in 2015 to help accelerate innovations in sustainable energy.
Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.
San Francisco Startup Ample Develops an EV Battery Swap Station that Can Replace Any Electric Vehicle Battery in Under 10 Minutes
General Motors is Looking to Build a Second Electric Vehicle Battery Plant in the U.S.
China’s Tesla Challenger Xpeng Launches 3 New EV Variants Powered by Cobalt-free, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Batteries
Volkswagen’s New ID. Family of EVs Will Receive Over-the-Air Updates Every Three Months
China’s Tech Giant Baidu Registers a New ‘Intelligent EV Company’ with Automaker Geely
Volvo Cars Announces it Will Only Offer Fully-Electric Vehicles by 2030
Electric-Performance Brand Polestar to Open 15 New U.S. Retail Showrooms in 2021
Nissan Announces a 'Major Breakthrough' in Thermal Efficiency With its New e-POWER Hybrid Technology
- Volkswagen is Rapidly Expanding its EV Charging Infrastructure in Germany
- China’s EV Startup Xpeng Unveils the Beta Version of its Advanced Self-Driving Feature Called ‘Navigation Guided Pilot’
- Volkswagen Begins Series Production of the ID.3 Electric Car at its ‘Transparent Factory’ in Germany
- Amazon-owned Self-driving Startup Zoox Reveals its Compact 4-Passenger Robotaxi
- Nexteer & Continental Joint Venture Company Develops ‘Brake-to-Steer’ Technology for Autonomous Vehicles
- Hyundai Announces its Updated ‘Strategy 2025’, a Bold Plan Which Includes Supplying Up to 10% of the World’s EVs
- Kia Gains a New Logo, Teases Upcoming Electric Vehicles
- Tesla Delivers Nearly 500,000 Vehicles in 2020, Breaks Record
- Tactile Mobility Announces the First-of-its-Kind ‘Virtual’ Tire Tread Depth Measurement Solution
- NHTSA Issues New Rules for Autonomous Cars to Skip Some Safety Standards


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A few months ago, we eased our bearish stance on Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) following an NFL deal which we felt was a step in the right direction for the struggling social media platform. Since then, the company has expanded its live streaming footprint. Although we remain largely cautious on the company long-term against growing competition, we agree directionally with how the company is attempting to distinguish itself. We think the upside from streaming is still speculative, but acknowledge successful early results could pave the way for a brighter future for this stock.
While TWTR has expanded its streaming footprint to include all sorts of content, the company is primarily focused on acquiring sports content. We like this direct focus, and agree directionally with the plan of mastering sports content before branching into other forms of content. Moreover, considering recent ESPN sub churn, we believe there exists a growing market for live sports delivered directly to the consumer. Most of these cord-cutters are millennials, and TWTR is particularly popular among that crowd.
TWTR is also a marketplace for discussing sports, likely fueled by professional athlete engagement on the platform. Upwards of 70% of NBA players have a TWTR account, and this is largely a result of TWTR's inherent chat-oriented structure which is naturally conducive to quick-fire opinion posting. It's a natural sounding board for all users, amateur fans and professional athletes alike. When Kevin Durant announced he was going to the Golden State Warriors, the NBA superstar tweeted about it. In the minutes and hours following Durant's tweets, fans and fellow professional athletes alike took to TWTR to post their responses.
From multiple aspects, TWTR is particularly leveraged to deliver sports content direct to the consumer. Its target demographic has heavy overlap with the 25 million or so cord-cutters in the US, and is also a natural marketplace for sports discussion. Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) is likewise leveraged to deliver streaming sports content, but for whatever reason, has not been making the same moves TWTR has been making in this space. FB has made some minor moves here, such as its Olympic Basketball deal, but it overwhelmingly feels like FB has turned its attention elsewhere. FB even reportedly backed out of an NFL streaming deal (which TWTR subsequently won) because the company wanted more flexibility than the league was willing to give.
Nonetheless, FB's relative dormancy in acquiring streaming sports content has given TWTR an opportunity to carve a niche for itself as a hub for streaming content. The upside right now is largely speculative (it really all depends on how much consumers gravitate towards watching sports online), but the line-up of new sports content TWTR will feature this upcoming sports season is exciting. The line-up includes:
- 1 MLB game per week that is not otherwise nationally televised
- 1 NHL game per week that is not otherwise nationally televised
- 2 new weekly NBA shows exclusive to TWTR
- 10 Thursday Night NFL games
- 150+ games from Pac-12, though no football or basketball yet
- A nightly sports show called "The Rally"
TWTR has not really proven this side of its business yet. Wimbledon was a sneak preview, but an "incomplete test experience" according to management. We are cautiously optimistic about the platform's ability to re-invigorate user growth behind all of this new streaming content.
Disclosure: I am/we are long FB.
I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


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HARTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- Sonoco Products Co. said Thursday that its fourth-quarter profit fell on weaker demand for its paper and industrial products, and the packaging materials company cut its forecast for the year.
The company reported net income of $29.5 million, or 29 cents per share, for the quarter that ended Dec. 31. That's down from $34.5 million, or 33 cents per share, the year before. After adjusting for costs related to restructuring, acquisitions and other items, it earned 46 cents per share versus 59 cents per share the prior year.
Sonoco's revenue was flat at $1.13 billion, despite added revenue from a recent acquisition.
The quarter fell short of analyst expectations of 47 cents per share on revenue of $1.15 billion, according to data from FactSet.
The company earned $217.5 million, or $2.13 per share, for the full year versus $201.1 million, or $1.96 per share, in 2010. Revenue rose 9 percent to $4.5 billion.
Sonoco said that it doesn't expect an improvement in demand, while changes in the value of foreign currencies and a higher tax rate will pressure on its earnings this year. Companies that sell products internationally get dinged when the dollar strengthens in value against foreign currencies. Their products are priced less competitively, and the company loses some revenue when it's translated back into dollars.
Sonoco now expects to earn $2.32 to $2.42 per share in 2012, down from its earlier forecast of $2.47 to $2.57 per share. Analysts forecast full-year earnings $2.38 per share.
The company predicted earnings of 45 cents to 50 cents per share for the first quarter, which it said is typically its weakest quarter. Analysts were expecting 54 cents per share.
Shares of the company, which is based in Hartsville, S.C., fell 44 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $32.416 in midday trading.


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General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) has revealed that it is already testing its self-driving technology in Arizona.
The company is carrying out the testing through a startup called Cruise Automation that it acquired a few months ago. The acquisition has expanded the testing for its autonomous system to Arizona. Scottsdale residents should expect to see the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles used in the project passing through the streets.
The company’s plan is to increase the number of testing locations so that vehicles can be subjected to different conditions. The company has been testing the technology in San Francisco since May. Cruise Automation announced the new changes via Twitter.
GM expected to commence the mass production of the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt later on this year. Though its autonomous vehicle testing is not as comprehensive as that of Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), the firm believes that its autonomous technology has a bright future. Google has been testing its self-driving cars in Washington, Kirkland, Austin, and throughout California. It recently started testing the technology in Phoenix, Arizona. However, Google is yet to reveal its plans for the technology as opposed to GM’s intentions which are clearer.
GM recently announced that it was working together with ride-sharing firm Lyft through its Maven Mobility brand. The idea is to use the driverless technology for ride-sharing services in the future. General Motors has also announced a job opening for an automated vehicle instructor in Scottsdale. The person who will qualify for the position will assist in testing and improving the performance of the autonomous vehicles.
There were earlier reports that Cruise Automation had taken up new facilities in Phoenix. However, GM had not revealed any details regarding the plans for the facility. Phoenix has recently become one of the most preferred testing sites for autonomous technology. This is because of the low operating costs in the state as well as the availability of skilled individuals from local universities.


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Google’s latest tool aims to help retailers find new customers
By Zak Stambor - May 5th 2017, 15:59
Google recently rolled out similar audiences for search and Google Shopping, which enable merchants to find consumers similar to their existing customers.
Google is looking to make it easier for retailers and other advertisers to find customers who share interests with their existing customers by rolling out similar audiences for its Google Shopping ads, as well as search ads.
Google draws the similar audiences based on past visitors to a retailer’s website, which it gathers via its remarketing lists for search ads (RLSA) tool. Google also announced that its Customer Match targeting tool for Shopping campaigns is available to advertisers around the globe.
When a retailer uses similar audiences for search, Google targets users who are searching the same terms as users recently added to the merchant’s RLSA lists. That means it uses information such as the searches users performed when they landed on or bought from, a retailer’s site.
For instance, if a sporting goods retailer creates a remarketing list of consumers who bought running shoes, that merchant can use similar audiences to determine if the shoppers tended to search for “triathlon training” or “buy lightweight running shoes” before coming to the site and making a purchase. Based on that information, Google’s similar audiences will then find other consumers who use similar search terms, such as those who search for “buy lightweight running shoes.”
In testing similar audiences for Shopping ads, GameStop Corp., No. 45 in the Internet Retailer 2017 Top 1000, found new customers who were “just as enthusiastic as the gamers who regularly visit our site,” says Matthew Gordon, the retailer’s multichannel acquisition manager. Since the retailer began using similar audiences with its Shopping ads, its conversion rate on those ads has increased roughly 30%.
Google also rolled out customer match for shopping campaigns globally. The tool enables a retailer to upload its email lists to find its customers when they search shopping ads on Google.
The tool enables an online apparel retailer, for example, to connect with its rewards members by using its “rewards members” customer email list to show them relevant shopping ads featuring the latest spring styles.
Ulta Beauty (No. 153) has used customer match for shopping to improve its engagement with online shoppers, says Dominic Manna, the retailer’s senior manager of digital marketing.
“With customer match for shopping, we could connect with our high-value email list subscribers, resulting in a higher click-through and conversion rate with these shoppers,” he says.digitalcommerce360
Converse opens its first Cape Town store
19/07/2018 - 16:12
One of the most recognised sneaker brands, Converse Inc. announced the opening of their sixth specialty retail store in South Africa.
David Jones impairment to send Woolworths into the red
19/07/2018 - 13:44
Woolworths will report a loss due to the impairment of its Australian department store chain David Jones.
Dis-Chem says pricing is behind its increase in market share
19/07/2018 - 11:05
Healthcare retailer Dis-Chem says its "everyday low price" strategy held it in good stead, as the group was winning market share in all key categories.
Angolan hyperinflation shock hits Shoprite
19/07/2018 - 08:36
Hyperinflation in Angola dragged down Shoprite’s full-year revenue, sending the share price down as much as 6.5% on Wednesday.
528 000 meals & counting - SA unites this Mandela Day
18/07/2018 - 13:33
South Africans united this Mandela Day and together raised enough food to provide over 500 000 meals to those who go hungry every day. This number is expected to climb through the week.


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Nintendo’s Mario character is coming to the iPhone and iPad in a new game called Mario Run. It’s coming in time for the holidays, but pricing hasn’t yet been announced. You can play the game one-handed and engage in a new battle mode called Toad Battle.
According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, over 140 billion apps have been downloaded from the Apple App Store. He says that users’ love affair with iPhone and iPad apps are as strong as ever. Cook says that the store generates 2x more global revenue than the closest competitor.
“The iPhone and iPad are the most popular gaming devices in the world,” he adds. “Gaming is the biggest and most popular category on the Apple App Store: there are over 500,000 games there.”


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Wednesday, 07 August 2019
Gold Jewellery Demand Was Up Slightly In the Second Quarter, Aided By the United States and Middle East
Gold jewellery demand was up slightly in the second quarter, aided by the United States and Middle East while the June price increase curtailed demand elsewhere, the World Gold Council said.
London—Gold jewellery demand was up slightly in the second quarter, aided by the United States and Middle East while the June price increase curtailed demand elsewhere, the World Gold Council said.
According to its latest Gold Demand Trends report, the global appetite for gold jewelry reached 531.7 tons in Q2, a 2 percent year-over-year increase.
In the first half of the year, it totaled 1,061.9 tons, a four-year high and a 1 percent increase on last year’s 1,048.2 tons.
The U.S. recorded its 10th consecutive quarter of growth in gold jewelry demand in Q2, lifting first-half demand to a 10-year high of 53.4 tons.
The market recovered from the effect of the late 2018/early 2019 government shutdown, the World Gold Council said, and consumer confidence rose again in the first two months of the quarter before slipping in June as concerns grew over the country’s trade war with China.
In India, meanwhile, gold jewelry demand had its best quarter of year-over-year growth since Q2 2017. Demand was up 12 percent to 168.6 tons, compared with 149.9 tons in the same period in 2018.
WGC attributed the growth to two factors: a higher number of auspicious wedding days when compared with Q2 2018 (37 versus 21) and local gold prices decreasing from the levels seen in February and March.
China’s gold jewelry market, meanwhile, saw its third consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline.
Demand in the second quarter dropped 4 percent to 137.8 tons, which, when combined with Q1’s relatively soft number, resulted in a 3 percent decline in H1 demand to 321.4 tons.
In other Asian markets, Q2 brought a mixed bag.
Relatively weak economic growth, political instability and stricter controls on high-value transactions contributed to jewellery demand in Thailand declining 12 percent to just 2.2 tons, its lowest for almost six years.
Meanwhile, despite a sharp rise in gold price, consumers in Indonesia bought 11.8 tons of jewelry in the second quarter, its highest quarterly rate since Q1 2015.
Europe saw “marginal” losses in Q2, with demand declining to 14.3 tons.
Modest improvements in France and Germany failed to match losses in the U.K. and Italy as Brexit concerns in the former and a slumping consumer confidence in the latter dragged the markets down.
Middle Eastern demand grew “fractionally,” with several markets across the region improving. Egypt led the region with an 8 percent uptick, its sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth amid continued improvement in its economy.
Overall demand for gold, for jewelry as well as other uses, totaled 1,123 tons in the second quarter, an 8 percent increase year-over-year.
Demand in the first half jumped to a three-year high of 2,181.7 tons, according to the World Gold Council, due largely to record-breaking central bank purchases.
Global mine production grew 2 percent year-over-year in Q2, reaching 882.6 tons. This is a record level of global output for a second quarter, WGC said, and follows a Q1 record of 847.5 tons.
Total H1 mine production now stands at 1,730.2 tons, 1 percent higher than the prior-year period.
Recycled gold supply totaled 314.6 tons in Q2, a 9 percent year-over-year increase; higher gold prices encouraged a “wave of selling,” according to the WGC.
In H1, recycled gold totaled 602 tons, 7 percent higher than the same period in 2018 and the highest first half since 2016.


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Many are predicting the Enjin Coin price in 2023. Enjin Coin (ENJ) launched as a cryptocurrency in 2017 and has gained popularity. Enjin Coin will cost $0.2587 in 2023, allowing clever investors to buy in early.
Enjin Coin is a blockchain-based platform for creating custom coins on Ethereum. These tokens can be used on the Enjin platform, a “unified platform” for building and trading virtual objects. Developers and users can own, trade, and experiment with blockchain-secured assets across numerous networks.
Due to Enjin Coin’s decentralization and immutability, experts expect its continued growth. Enjin Coin’s popularity should boost ENJ tokens’ value. By 2023, Enjin Coin’s demand and value should reflect its status as a dominant cryptocurrency.
ENJ’s price depends on its incorporation into games, apps, retailers, and websites. Enjin Coin’s price may rise as more companies use blockchain technology and use ENJ tokens.
By 2023, EJ projects may cost $0.50. Enjin Coin’s value could double by 2023 if usage increases. Adoption and use of blockchain technology in gaming could raise demand for ENJ tokens, driving up prices.
2024: Enjin Coin Price Prediction
As 2023 ends, investors are interested in Enjin Coin price forecasts for 2024. Enjin Coin’s value should increase by 2024, yet we can’t be sure.
Enjin Coin’s future prospects are bright in the cryptocurrency industry. The company is one of the most popular blockchain coins and continues to grow in popularity among developers, gamers, and businesses worldwide. Enjin Coin’s interaction with video gaming platforms, developers, and other apps has also increased.
Enjin Coin might hit $1 by 2024, according to experts. This prediction is based on the increasing use of ENJ tokens in gaming and technology applications. Uncertain if this forecast will come true and if the markets will remain calm, Enjin Coin should witness a huge price increase this year.
Experts expect a price of $1 by 2024, but it’s unknown how high it will rise. If the market continues to develop and stabilize and Enjin Coin demand increases, prices could reach $1 by the end of the year.
2025: Enjin Coin Price Prediction
As 2025 approaches, anticipation over Enjin Coin’s (ENJ) future price is considerable. Since 2017, Enjin Coin has been one of the top cryptocurrencies. Enjin Coin’s use in gaming, digital assets, and the Ethereum ecosystem draw investors.
In 2025, experts anticipate ENJ might cost $2. This optimistic projection is based on probable circumstances. Enjin Coin’s ongoing incorporation into major gaming systems and applications, along rising demand, should drive up its price.
Next-generation systems like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are expected to boost the gaming sector. Next-gen consoles are likely to embrace blockchain and enable further integration with ENJ tokens, enhancing Enjin Coin’s gaming uses.
The optimistic price projection for Enjin Coin by 2025 is $2. If markets remain steady and ENJ coins gain traction, prices might reach $3 by 2025.
2026: Enjin Coin Price Prediction
Enjin Coin (ENJ) might reach $3 to $4 by 2026, say analysts. This is based on the increased adoption and usage of Enjin Coin and its integration with major gaming platforms and applications.
Enjin Coin is popular in the gaming industry since it enables for the production of customisable virtual assets. Many developers have turned to Enjin Coin to produce these digital assets in the past year.
Enjin Coin’s value will climb as its popularity grows. With blockchain technology’s rising use in the gaming industry, offering developers and gamers with a secure and immutable record, demand for ENJ tokens is projected to rise. While $3 to $4 is a reasonable prediction of Enjin Coin’s worth in 2026, its value could reach even higher.
2027: Enjin Coin Price Prediction
2027 Enjin Coin (ENJ) price predictions are already circulating. Enjin Coin’s future may be closer than you think in 2027.
Enjin Coin has become one of the most popular cryptocurrencies since its 2017 inception. Its integration with gaming systems and platforms has contributed to its popularity. Enjin Coin uses blockchain technology to create secure virtual products and track ownership and transactions. This makes Enjin Coin an interesting cryptocurrency for investors, and its future prospects are good.
Enjin Coin might reach $5 in 2027, according to experts. Enjin Coin’s continuous success in the gaming industry and increased integration should lead to a price increase. More companies could use ENJ tokens if they adopt blockchain technology.
2028: Enjin Coin Price Prediction
As 2028 approaches, more investors are considering Enjin Coin’s future (ENJ). This is due to the cryptocurrency’s continued adoption and use throughout the past year.
Since its 2017 inception, Enjin Coin has earned a good name in blockchain and the gaming business. Its connection with major systems and applications gives gamers and developers secure, immutable virtual products, and its use as game currency has increased demand.
Based on last year’s momentum, experts think Enjin Coin might reach $7 by 2028. Enjin Coin prices could increase by 2028 if more businesses, developers, and gamers adopt blockchain technology and use ENJ coins.
2029: Enjin Coin Price Prediction
As 2029 approaches, some analysts forecast ENJ’s future. Enjin Coin has grown rapidly since its 2017 introduction and is currently a top blockchain coin.
ENJ tokens’ integration with gaming systems and apps has raised demand in recent years. Businesses, developers, and gamers around the world have embraced the secure and irreversible nature of these integrations.
Enjin Coin’s popularity should enhance demand. Enjin Coin price forecasts for 2029 look good. Experts think Enjin Coin could reach $9 by year’s end.
Enjin Coin could become a prominent participant in the crypto market if this forecast comes true.
2030: Enjin Coin Price Prediction
Enjin Coin (ENJ) could hit $10 by 2030, according to analysts. This would be a considerable gain from the token’s 2017 price, making it a successful cryptocurrency investment.
Continued blockchain use in gaming and greater demand for ENJ tokens should fuel this price gain. Enjin Coin is one of the top tokens in the space, and its incorporation into major gaming systems and apps boosts its popularity.
Predictions for Enjin Coin’s future price are high. Enjin Coin could be a good investment if these forecasts hold. Enjin Coin has a lot of promise and could boost investor portfolios in the next years.
Enjin Coin (ENJ) enables true digital ownership and promotes a digital asset economy. It allows developers, gamers, and content creators to effortlessly incorporate blockchain technology into creative and business applications. This allows developers to create their own tokens and trade digital assets across platforms.
Users gain from Enjin Coin (ENJ). By providing a trading platform, it lets developers monetise their work. It’s an immutable record of asset ownership and history. This helps prevent fraud and theft. Blockchain infrastructure and smart contracts enable tokenized assets for buying in-game things using ENJ.
By 2023, Enjin Coin (ENJ) should be widely accepted in the gaming, creative, and development industries. This might boost the platform’s users, trade volumes, and liquidity. This could boost the coin’s value and price.
ENJ might be an important digital asset by 2030. It could become a viable e-commerce payment method. Blockchain technology might become the standard for secure digital asset ownership and a trustworthy value store. Best case, its value might soar.


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House approves bill to increase tax on alcoholic drinks again
The House of Representatives plans to put a P5-increase on alcoholic drinks
Aug 15, 2019
Drinking alcohol to celebrate occasions has always been a part of our culture, and while bonds are formed through these beverages, overconsumption can also pose threats to our health.
According to the 2015 Clinical and Health survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), a majority of Filipinos aged 20 to 49 engage in harmful use of alcohol in the form of binge drinking, or drinking excessively in one sitting. It was also stated in the same survey that the youth are at risk for the adverse health effects of alcohol consumption where it is highest in the urban areas.
In the record stated on the DOH Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS), a total of 10,372 fatal and non-fatal accidents have occurred from 2016-2018 which are all alcohol-attributed road and traffic accidents. With this, the House of Representatives approves the bill seeking an increase of excise taxes on various alcohol products as presented by committee chair and Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda, the bill’s author.
It was just last year when the ad valorem tax was imposed on alcoholic drinks putting an increase of 22 percent on the net retail price with a specific tax of P30 per proof liter. With the new bill approved by the House, the tax per proof liter will now increase to P35 by 2020.
House Bill 1026 proposes to specifically increase the tax and indexation rate by 10 percent. A P5-increase will then be imposed every year until it reaches P45 per liter by 2022 and from 2023 onwards, the tax for alcohol will then climb again by 7 percent each year.
The increase will affect standard retail prices (SRP) including popular drinks such as Ginebra San Miguel gin, Emperador Light, San Miguel Pale Pilsen, and Red Horse beer.
“I commend the House of Representatives, specifically the Committee on Ways and Means chaired by Congressman Joey Salceda of Albay, for sponsoring this bill. The continuing partnership between DOH and the House of Representatives is certainly a positive proof that we are united in protecting the health of the Filipino people,” said Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.
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When Sony announced its joint venture with NEC over a year ago (resulting in a company called Optiarc), the company said it would be creating Blu-ray and DVD drives, and may produce HD DVD drives. CeBIT was another story, where the company rolled out no less than five Blu-ray burners at the big euro-show. Will the company also offer HD DVD burners, or, heaven forbid, combo devices that can handle both HD DVD and Blu-ray? Maybe.
Kinja is in read-only mode. We are working to restore service.


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??It received a lukewarm welcome last year, but according to Counterpoint Research, the Tizen device has promise in emerging markets, becoming the??top selling device in Bangladesh in the first quarter of 2015. more Roy Krzywosinski Managing Director of Chevron Australia Pty Ltd Roy Krzywosinski is a member of the US Studies Centre Council of Advisors. Tue Jul 27 18:42:12 OMGI can't get this song out of my head Sexy New Video By Futureshow Sat Oct 31 21:59:12 Woke up 2 my dog licking my boner.
The attacks coincided with a visit to Iraq by a Republican Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain, who declared at a news conference that the new American security plan was making progress and that there was cause for very cautious optimism. Read the full story Legal challenge Issue 10 2010 Michael Darowski, a senior associate with Hogan Lovells International LLP, considers the legal issues arising in connection with the developing shale. Formulated using the most powerful and highest quality ingredients available, Grenade products help increase energy and strength, boost metabolism, burn fat and enhance mental focus.
Nutrients in lentilsPacked with health benefits, lentils are full of protein which is good for muscle repair and increasing your metabolism. The theme is the changing identities of Dali: from Salvador the child to Dali the eccentric artist who became the darling of the world's media. OTHER STUFFAny Exhibition It is not easy to find an hour or two of free time during the shows, but if I do, then some sort of photography, fashion or art exhibition is a must.