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Get Agile: A New Talent Management Strategy for a New Era
- If agile talent management is the question, we know the answer.
- Crowdfunding is helping those who lack paid maternity leave
- The “age of the freelancer” is changing the nature of business
- An app to help freelancers track tax-deductible expenses
Determining who’s in charge of “agile talent”
In a March 14 post, Harvard Business Review not only makes excellent use of the term “agile talent,” but hits on a key point regarding the use of outside workers and consultants: Whose job should it be to manage freelance talent?
As framed by authors Jon Younger and Rishon Blumberg, even as “organizations in every industry and geography are increasingly indebted to external talent,” those organizations are also learning that managing such workers can have its own particular challenges.
The authors conclude that “business and government leaders have much to learn about designing their organizations” to get the most out of agile talent and benefit all parties.
Younger and Blumberg find room to briefly plug their own business interests (one of which is a book titled, unsurprisingly, Agile Talent), but they also provide some ideas on how to address this challenge, such as creating a specific “external talent manager” role.
An alternative solution – one not yet on Younger’s and Blumberg’s radars – is OneSpace’s talent management platform.
The OneSpace platform, which is currently accepting applications for participation in the beta release (due to hit the market in Q2 2016), is specifically designed to help companies develop and manage workflows, better leverage internal team members’ skillsets, and supplement their workforces with on-demand external talent when needed.
Working moms turn to crowdfunding for time off after childbirth
Many U.S. employers do not include paid maternity leave in their benefits packages. As Cora Lewis reported March 10 on BuzzFeed, this has prompted some new moms to try crowdfunding to bring in extra cash, so they can take additional unpaid time off once their PTO has been exhausted.
Excluding government workers, only 12 percent of Americans have access to paid leave following a child’s birth, Lewis notes. That’s why GoFundMe, one of the top sites for crowdfunding personal finances (as opposed to business ventures), has seen a big upsurge in campaigns to cover maternity-related cash crunches.
Lewis quotes Josh Chapman, CEO of GiveForward, another personal crowdfunding site, as saying there’s less stigma attached to starting such campaigns as participation grows, leading to more adoption of the model.
Are we entering the “age of the freelancer”?
Mashable says so, and if Mashable says so, you can trust – well, you can trust that the story will be viral, at least.
This March 9 post by contributor John Rampton doesn’t really contain any breaking news, but its very existence is indicative of how mainstream this economic shift has become.
As the post notes, people who might never have considered becoming independent contractors before are increasingly aware of its potential as a viable alternative to the pure employee life.
According to Rampton, who founded the online payment company Due, using freelancers is especially beneficial for entrepreneurs such as himself. He says entrepreneurs have “found talent [that] understands what it’s like to start a business and wear many hats – so advantageously, they are both doing the same thing.”
“[M]any freelancers often list themselves as self-employed and end up with higher taxes and insurance costs,” he writes. “They also have concerns about saving for retirement. While entrepreneurs are not responsible for these costs, it is still important to understand … and listen carefully when they propose an increase in their rates over time.”
Helping freelancers track expenses in a flash
In a recent edition of the Insider Report, we reported on Bonsai, a tool designed to help freelancers more easily get paid.
Now there’s also Xero TaxTouch, an iOS tool its developers claim will let freelancers track business expenses with just “the swipe of a finger.” (As with Bonsai, OneSpace has no promotional relationship with Xero TaxTouch.)
Xero, which creates accounting software, announced the mobile-only app March 8 on its website’s blog. Post author Jamie Sutherland says the app is “designed specifically for self-employed individuals like dog walkers, taxi drivers, real estate agents, consultants, yoga instructors and hair stylists.”
Sutherland notes that TaxTouch users can separate business expenses from personal ones by swiping right for business or left for personal on an iPhone.
According to the post, Xero surveyed independent contractors about their experiences with finances and taxes: “Almost 50 percent didn’t know how – or that they could – deduct expenses against their business. It’s a large, underserved market.”
Although the post doesn’t get into these specifics, a quick search shows that the app is only for iOS devices at least for now, but a note on the Xero site says it’s “not yet available on Android phones,” so it sounds like that’s in the works.
A subscription to the app costs $5.99 a month, but some yearly subscription discounts are available, and it also appears to have a free trial. Freelancers who struggle to keep up with deductible expenses might want to check it out.


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IT BEGGARS belief we are even having this debate five years after a banking industry with its cover blown tipped the UK into recession and a chronic cost-of-living squeeze for millions of people.
Should Royal Bank of Scotland be allowed to pay its investment bankers a bonus for 2013 that is only equal to their enviable salaries?
Or should RBS be allowed to play the European banking industry’s get-out-of-jail free card on bonus caps (also known as “The Joker” card), and pay staff bonuses worth twice their salaries provided shareholders approve at the AGM? It really double-caps it all.
Labour has thrown the cat among the pigeons by publicly demanding that the UK government – the bank’s majority shareholder – throws out any such request by RBS’s new chief executive, Ross McEwan.
It is undoubtedly a hot potato for George Osborne. If the Chancellor nods through the enriched gravy, the idea that in navigating tough economic times “we are all in this together” risks being seen as risible.
Some believe it is the case already, that the coalition government, even with Lib-Dem bleeding heart shock absorbers, stands up for the wrong people. The well-off do well: witness the last Budget’s cut in the top rate of income tax, and the buttering up of the “grey” pound via apparently ringfenced pension increases and benefits.
Compare this with a squeezed middle class struggling with rising energy and food bills, and a debt-debilitated younger generation.
But, no doubt, if the Chancellor tells the RBS board the double-your-bonus scheme is a non-runner there will be those who argue he risks the bank haemorrhaging talented money-makers to join rival operations.
At such rivals, those disaffected bankers may find more tolerant, or possibly credulous, shareholders and without the complicating factor of part-taxpayer ownership.
Stephen Hester, ousted as McEwan’s predecessor at the RBS helm after effectively making the bank solvent again, may smile wryly given the bonuses unpinned grenade is not his province any more.
McEwan, by stark contrast, has said he wants to put the consumer at the heart of RBS. But the bankers keep getting in the way.
Game for the market flotation fray once more
IT’S a game-changer. The phoenix-like rise from the ashes of administration of the retailer Game could give one of the more improbable plots of one of its Grand Theft Auto products a run for its money.
Eyeing potential oblivion just two years ago, the electronic games group has vaulted back to retail favour under its new owner, turnaround specialist OpCapita.
The launch of new consoles from Microsoft and Sony helped Game nearly double sales over Christmas. Online sales have tripled as its website has been streamlined, and initiatives such as a trade-in offer and reward scheme have gone down well with the thumb-twiddling punters.
Game made £15 million in underlying profits in the year to end-July 2012 and is expected to double that this year.
Such is the group’s resurgence that it is now said to be having a beauty parade of City advisors for a potential £300 million flotation later in 2014.
That is some switchback ride. From staring down the barrel Black Ops-like in 2011, Game, like some of its fictional heroes, has gone from zero to hero.

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The Waymo and Geely driverless car. [credit:
Waymo is now running a robotaxi service in two states, but the vehicles for those services are retrofitted commercial cars. The company rolls around in either the “4th-gen” Waymo vehicles, built on the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, or the “5th-gen” driver, built on the Jaguar I-Pace. That’s all great for enabling Waymo’s service to get up and running, but these vehicles, which are full of controls and dials for human drivers, are driven by a robot that, in the long term, doesn’t actually need a steering wheel or pedals.
So, for the second time now, Waymo is doing a ground-up design of a driverless vehicle, without any of those useless, legacy human controls. The car was originally announced in December, but today Waymo is showing off a bit more detail about the vehicle. Real-life models are actually being built now, with Waymo showing off the car at an LA press event and a camouflaged, sensorless, human-driven test mule recently hitting a test track.
The car is being built with Geely Group’s Zeekr brand and designed as an all-electric “transportation-as-a-service (TaaS)-optimized” vehicle. The car has no steering wheel, pedals, or mirrors, and four automated sliding doors open up like it’s some kind of road-going subway train. Inside, the minivan seats five people, including two in the front, where the dashboard contains nothing but a centrally mounted touchscreen. There are also two seat-back touchscreens for the back seats, where you can play music, pick a destination, or see what the car is currently thinking.
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Taiwan's multichannel operators have collaborated with telcos and the local government to retain their presence despite online video streaming's gaining popularity and the long-standing proliferation of piracy in the market. These topics were discussed at the Asia Video Industry Association's Taiwan in View conference held May 4. The event was the first in-person conference in Taipei, Taiwan, since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Taiwan's pay TV sector had 6.7 million subscribers at year-end 2022 and is forecast to decrease to 6.2 million by 2027, according to Kagan estimates. Multichannel penetration reached 74.9% of households in 2022 and is expected to decline to 67.9% in 2027 as over-the-top services become popular and piracy remains widespread in the market. Cable led the multichannel market with a reported 4.6 million subscribers as of year-end 2022. Over the next five years, our model projects that Taiwan's cable subscriber base will further decline at a negative 2.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to 4.2 million by 2027. Meanwhile, IPTV had 2.0 million subscribers and direct-to-home had an estimated 3,400 subscribers as of year-end 2022. Direct-to-home is projected to phase out over the coming years, given the limited uptake.
Despite facing challenges with over-the-top streaming and a decline of subscribers, Wang Jiang-Jia, commissioner at the National Communications Commission (NCC) sees the cable sector trend remaining "healthy" with more than half of the population of Taiwanese viewers. The government agency provides preventive guidelines and surveillance and enforces market regulation through cable pricing rules that require operators to offer a basic plan, with a certain number of must-carry TV channels, plus an additional package offering per month with more premium channels.
Wang said the NCC plans to draft a policy, the OTT TV Act, that contains trends on internet services, consumers' shifting behavior on video streaming, and insights from different labels and industry experts. The NCC has also planned financial assistance for cable TV operators to transition their services to digital cable and improve quality.
Kbro Co. Ltd. President Steve Wang had optimism that "cable users will come back soon" and still sees a positive outlook for cable TV. The company plans to offer varied types of set-top boxes but did not go into detail. Meanwhile, when asked about competition with mobile broadband (telcos), the executive stressed the intention of collaborating with the local government and telecom carriers, for example Taiwan mobile, in producing local content, showing the history and culture of Taiwan.
Cliff Lai, vice chairman of Homeplus Digital, formerly China Network Systems Co. Ltd., one of the major fixed broadband service providers in Taiwan, recognized the irreversible trend of cable subscription decline. Cable TV players that also provide fixed broadband services negotiate and collaborate with telcos to offer power-content video streaming bundles. Meanwhile, Lai perceived over-the-top, albeit progressively growing, as a "fragmented" platform.
Taiwan's fixed broadband customer base reached 6.6 million as of year-end 2022, translating to a 72.1% household penetration as of year-end 2022. The number of fixed broadband subscribers is expected to increase to 7.2 million by 2027 with a 77.2% household penetration.
Taiwan Optical Platform Co. Ltd. Deputy CEO Kevin Luo said the Taiwanese market still has potential for growth; however, the cable infrastructure and customer experience need to be improved. The executive also appealed to the government to subsidize the improvements necessary for the cable platform to guarantee the affordability of consumer services, recommending considering the young age of most consumers and building out smart infrastructure.
With the rising popularity of OTT services in Taiwan, the television and linear broadcasting sectors have kept up with the trend by investing in streaming — a foreseeable future of pay TV in Taiwan. Sanlih E-Television Senior Vice President of the Creative Marketing Department Jane Lin said the future of television is through the development of online content and broadcasting news over video-sharing websites, such as YouTube. The executive also said the future of TV lies in how the operators use their linear resources effectively.
As digital transformation becomes a challenge in Taiwan, Lin recommended amplifying the use of social media for viewing, re-editing TV programs to engage younger viewers — statistics show that Taiwan has an older viewing audience — and letting pay TV operators obtain multinational licenses in collaboration with other market players, such as cable TV operators, telcos and content providers.
Piracy of online video and the installation of illegal set-top boxes have become a widespread problem, with Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) CEO Louis Boswell reporting its increase from 37% in 2022 to 47% in 2023. Consumers are more critical in terms of content they are willing to pay for, especially when they can find ways to watch content without paying. A survey conducted by YouGov and commissioned by AVIA's Coalition Against Piracy revealed 32% of respondents used social media to watch illegally acquired content. Out of this percentage, nearly half of the viewing population, or 44%, have canceled some or all of their legal pay TV subscriptions.
May Chen, secretary general of the Satellite Television Broadcasting Association, echoed the need for more intensified measures to alleviate piracy in Taiwan. During the conference, Chen publicized the association's recommendations to the government to combat the rampant piracy happening. Chen mentioned reinforcing Domain Name System Respond Policy Zone Technology, an approach ordering service operators to cut off the route to the illegal streaming hideout, making the piracy website inaccessible to all viewers in Taiwan. Chen also called for the government to enact the Digital Platform Law to manage digital platforms and regulate OTT boxes in the same way cable TV set-top boxes are regulated. Lastly, an agency or institutional body for network security should be created.
The dawn of online video streaming and the abundance of online content, backed by improving mobile and fixed broadband technologies, has become a proliferating niche for illegal entities to succeed, making it more challenging for Taiwan's pay TV sector to maintain subscriber and revenue growth in the era of cord cutters. With optimism from Taiwan pay TV operators and the NCC as well as prompt action to eradicate piracy, the multichannel sector could retain its presence in Taiwan's thriving video industry.
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Asia-Pacific multichannel sees opportunity in emerging markets, IPTV innovation
Fiber technology dominates Asia-Pacific broadband growth


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Grants totaling more than $1 million have been awarded to dozens of nonprofit land trusts from Long Island to Buffalo to conserve New York’s agricultural lands and other resources.
The grants will be matched by $1.2 million in private and local funding.[dmc-related-post-wp numitems="3" title="Also read"]
Land trusts in the Hudson Valley are getting the biggest share of the grants, with 22 grants totaling more than $450, 000.
The Washington County-based Agricultural Stewardship Association will receive two grants totaling $30,000. The organization says $10,000 of that amount will enable the completion of the conservation of a 235-year-old farm across the Hudson River from the Saratoga National Historical Park.
More breaking news
- $106M in financing for Garden City Plaza
- The golden age of online television may be in peril
- Mitigating Mayhem
- Long Beach co-op lands $5M in loans
- Private colleges to receive $35M in grants: Cuomo
- LI home sales rise in January
- LI gas prices continue to drop
- Chipotle stores to open later on Monday for worker meeting
- Northwell Health runs Super Bowl ads
- State of flux


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Edge - search results
If you're not happy with the results, please do another search
Microsoft is now publicly testing Microsoft Edge on Chromium for the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and the Xbox One consoles.
Microsoft Edge 89 brings several new tools, including Vertical Tabs, a replacement for the old Hub Experience, and Startup Boost.
Microsoft is rolling out DevTools Tooltips and Focus Mode UI for Microsoft Edge developers through the Canary channel.
Adaptive Notification Requests in Microsoft Edge will monitor user responses to notification requests and silence sites that are regularly blocked.
HoloLens 2 is finally getting the new Microsoft Edge experience, although with some limitations because of version availability.
Password Monitor in Microsoft Edge is currently in preview and allows users to scan to see if their credentials have been leaked.
Early adopters of Microsoft Edge builds on the Canary branch can now start testing a new toolbar for easier access to the Collections feature.
Microsoft says Adrozek is a sophisticated malicious ad campaign that is infiltrating Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Firefox users.
Sleeping Tabs for Microsoft Edge is now in Beta preview, allowing users to sleep inactive tabs to save CPU resources.
Microsoft is using a shortcut in the Windows 10 Settings app to advertise Microsoft Edge and Bing as default services.
Microsoft says extensions are tarting Microsoft Edge by pretending to be legitimate services and redirecting users to other sites.
Microsoft Edge WebView2 is now available to all developers on .NET 5, .NET Core, and .NET Framework for Windows 10.
Microsoft Edge is currently being developed to work with Apple’s M1 chip, the first ARM CPU the company has ever made.
At the moment, Google’s long screenshot feature in Chrome is only on Android 11 but could come to other platforms.
Internet Explorer users wanting to open over 1,500 URLs will see the webpage automatically opened in Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft Edge version 88 is now available on the Dev channel, including Linux support for the first time across four distros.
Microsoft and Verizon are extending their partnership to include Azure-driven 5G connectivity for on-site edge computing.
Microsoft Edge now supports the Manifest V3 API, which has been controversial for preventing ad blockers in browsers.
Web Capture for Microsoft Edge is now available on the Canary and Dev channels, but has limited functionality for the time being.
Microsoft Edge Sleeping Tabs allow users to sleep background browser tabs to boost performance on Windows and Mac.


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Significant Rebound in Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Expected This Year
AAA: Approximately 53.4 million people will travel for the holiday, bringing volumes within 5 percent of 2019's pre-pandemic levels.
NATIONAL REPORT — After a tumultuous 2020 for holiday travel, airports and roads will be more jam-packed this year as travelers make their way to their Thanksgiving destinations.
AAA predicts 53.4 million consumers will travel for the holiday, up from 13 percent in 2020. This brings travel volumes within 5 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019, with air travel almost completely recovering from its dramatic fall during the pandemic over last year (+80 percent).
"This Thanksgiving, travel will look a lot different than last year," said Paula Twidale, senior vice president, AAA Travel. "Now that the borders are open and new health and safety guidelines are in place, travel is once again high on the list for Americans who are ready to reunite with their loved ones for the holiday."
With 6.4 million more people traveling this Thanksgiving coupled with the recent opening of the U.S. borders to fully vaccinated international travelers, consumers should prepare for roads and airports to be noticeably more crowded, Twidale added.
"International travel re-opening will allow people to reconnect with friends and family and explore new places, while also giving a much-needed boost to the economy," she said. "But it also means airports will be busier than we've seen, so travelers must plan for long lines and extra time for TSA checks."
Roads Will Be Bustling
This year's forecast marks the highest single-year increase in Thanksgiving travelers since 2005.
INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts drivers will experience the worst congestion heading into the holiday weekend as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. Major metro areas across the United States could see more than double the delays vs. typical drive times, with drivers in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York likely to experience more than three times the delays.
"Thanksgiving is one of the busiest holidays for road trips and this year will be no different even during the pandemic," noted INRIX Transportation Analyst Bob Pishue. "Drivers around major metros must be prepared for significant delays, especially Wednesday afternoon. Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic."
Despite gas prices being more than $1 per gallon than this time last year, 90 percent of consumers plan to travel by car as their preferred mode of travel. AAA forecasts that 48.3 million will drive to their Thanksgiving destination this year.
While car is still the most popular choice for travelers, a greater share will opt to travel by air (4.2 million) and other modes such as bus, train or cruise (1 million).
Popular Thanksgiving Destinations for 2021
AAA Travel continues to see a strong recovery that began over the summer and will continue into the holiday season. AAA booking data reveals that big cities and tropical destinations are topping travelers' list this Thanksgiving both domestically and abroad.


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Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the opportunity to examine our nation’s infrastructure investment and its contributions to our future competitive trade advantage with other nations. There is no denying that the level of commitment to our nation’s infrastructure is directly linked to the United States ’ continued place as a world economic leader. Thus, I am pleased, Mr. Chairman, that you have convened this hearing to get us thinking about how decisions we make with regard to transportation will eventually affect our place in the world market place.
Nations like China and India now pose a serious threat to the United States as emerging world economic powers. To put this in perspective, China will be investing $200 billion in its railways over the next 3 years which will lay the groundwork for a sophisticated freight system that far exceeds our own freight movement capabilities. Additionally, China is planning almost 100 new airports and 190,000 miles of new roads, which doesn’t include the 33,000 miles in highways built since 1990. I believe that these growing countries are experiencing an economic renaissance not unlike what our nation went through when President Eisenhower first conceived the National Interstate System over 50 years ago. Our vision of a federal network of highways, once coveted by the world for its innovative planning and connectivity, is now struggling to accommodate the exponential growth in people and goods movement.
As I have said many times before, current funding of our highway program is barely enough to maintain the system, let alone provide for much needed new comprehensive investment in future infrastructure needs. We cannot afford to ignore the consequences of merely “maintaining” our transportation networks while the rest of the world continues to spend heavily on bigger and better ways of competing with our once superior highway system.
As the rest of the world continues to finance new ports, highways, and sophisticated rail networks to attract new commerce, I am concerned about the impact this will have on our own industries. If we fail to provide a free-flowing transportation system to accommodate our “just in time” economy, our manufacturing industries will be forced to export much their operations abroad. Canada and Mexico are committing billions to the construction of new high capacity ports and rail systems of their own in an effort to divert foreign cargo trade away from our heavily congested ports in the Northeast and Southern California . The United States economy cannot afford to be outpaced in infrastructure spending by other rapidly growing countries, eager to attract new commerce to their economies.
As we gear up for re-authorization of the Highway Bill, it is critical that we consider the above mentioned facts. Mr. Chairman, you are in a unique position in that you are not only the Chair of the authorizing subcommittee but also Chairman of the Finance Committee that will find the money to pay for what I hope will be an increased investment in transportation infrastructure. I look forward to working with you to write the authorization language and want to offer my support as you struggle with how we pay for transportation moving forward. As I understand it, the Commission established by SAFETEA designed to solely look at the financing of transportation has yet to issue their recommendations. My hope is they will be able to provide us with some useful and workable ideas.


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Young Entrepreneur To Launch New iPhone 5/5S Case
WAUSAU, Wisconsin (November 18th, 2013) - A new iPhone 5/5S case will launch on the Amazon.com market. The iPhone is the most popular phone on the planet due to the most recent availability of the iPhone 5S. The case will also be announced on the owner’s blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts. The product is expected to hit Amazon.com on 11/22/2013.
The case will have a logo on the back, labeled, “Matz”, which is the name of the company. Instead of the word, “Matt’s”, the owner adds a uniqueness to the brand name. This case is compatible for the iPhone 5 and 5S. An iPhone user has an opportunity to purchase a case like this one, without having to spend the big bucks.
“So extremely lightweight, you don’t even know you have a case on the darn phone,” said Matthew, the owner of Matz.
The case will also feature a slick, thin, plastic design. At this time, Matz will offer the color black to the Amazon buyers. A better look of the iPhone 5/5S case, as well as a demonstration can be found on this YouTube Video.
Matthew is very excited for the opportunity to sell a great product to the millions of users on Amazon. This is just the beginning for Matz as they plan to list more products within the near future.
- Contact Information
- Matthew Kring
- (1) 920-471-9405
This news content may be integrated into any legitimate news gathering and publishing effort. Linking is permitted.
News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.


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Canndescent Brings Its Cannabis Stylus Series to Nevada
MedMen will kick off a month-long distribution exclusive. More retailers to offer Canndescent products starting mid-June.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 16, 2019 — Canndescent, California’s best selling brand of ultra-premium cannabis flower, announced today that it has started to sell its popular cannabis oil concentrate products in Nevada.
Canndescent’s Stylus rechargeable vape pen and ultra-premium oil cartridges are now available in the state, with the Ready-to-Use disposable versions coming soon. The vape pen products can be purchased in the brand’s five signature effects — Calm, Cruise, Create, Connect and Charge. MedMen has secured a one-month exclusive to distribute Canndescent’s Stylus Series products at all three of its locations. Other Nevada based dispensaries are confirmed to carry the Canndescent Stylus Series after the 30 days.
We are thrilled to bring Canndescent to the Nevada market to ensure our retail partners and customers have access to uncompromising, high-quality cannabis products. The sale of our premium oils has exceeded expectations in California and we are positive that connoisseurs and new customers alike will appreciate the experience our products deliver.
Adrian Sedlin, Canndescent’s CEO
Establishing its pioneering luxury brand in 2015, Canndescent has reimagined the vape category by marrying its commitment to innovation, superior cannabis quality and gorgeous product design. The Stylus, a sleek, sophisticated vape series, establishes the standard for luxury vaping. Using natural terpenes, no artificial additives, and essential oils from Canndescent’s renowned cannabis flower, the Stylus Series allows users to optimize each of the brand’s five signature effects with the perfect temperature setting.
The opportunity in Nevada is vast, with 56 million tourists from around the world visiting popular cities such as Reno, Tahoe and Las Vegas. The latter, already known as a world premiere entertainment destination, is poised to become the world’s largest adult-use cannabis tourism destination.
“Unlike all other states, Nevada is unique in that it attracts a discerning, high-spending tourist consumer who comes to Las Vegas to seek relaxation and entertainment – Canndescent’s ideal customer,” said Sedlin. “Moving into the Nevada market provides Canndescent with an opportunity to showcase our brand on an even wider international stage.”
Canndescent empowers adults to turn down the noise, unlock the moment and transform their lives with ultra-premium cannabis products. In 2015, Canndescent became the first cannabis cultivator in the world to abandon traditional strain names and pioneer effects-based cannabis, selling its flowers under the names, Calm, Cruise, Create, Connect and Charge. In 2016, the company opened the first municipally permitted facility in California; in 2017, Canndescent became California’s #1-selling flower brand, and in 2018, the company became the state’s #1-selling brand of luxury flower products. Consumers can purchase select Canndescent products in California and Nevada as well as online at www.canndescent.store.com. You can learn more about the company at www.canndescent.com.


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YIWU, CHINA — A large piece of Chinese calligraphy hangs on the wall behind Lou Zhongping's office desk: Small is Big. That's the motto he has tried to live by in his past 30 years as founder and chairman of Soton Daily Necessities Co. Ltd.
In an interview with Plastics News, he explained that tackling something small has been the key to his company's success. That singular focus and his natural early adopter tendencies have served him well and brought his company to where it is today — the largest manufacturer of drinking straws in the world.
As Lou tells it, he stumbled into straws quite by chance. A native of Yiwu, the small Chinese city famous for its small commodities market (the largest in the world), he grew up poor and remembers always feeling hungry as a child. He was forced to drop out of middle school after just a year and a half in order to accompany his farmer-merchant parents on their trading trips to other provinces. That instability followed him into adulthood. Before founding Soton, he had worked 20 different jobs between the age of 14 and 30.
By the 1990s, he was selling plastic products, including toothbrushes and straws, at Yiwu's small commodities market. He saw the potential in straws and decided to invest in his own operation. When he started Soton in 1994, he embraced a Japanese-style management sense that encouraged simplicity, and since then his company has focused on drinking straws and nothing else.
“When we started, our company was small. [It was] just my wife and I and one machine in a 100 square meter [about 1,000 square foot] space,” he recalled, while showing a small blurry black-and-white photo taken at the time. The original operation was so basic that workers had to use chopsticks to push the straws into packaging by hand.
But 1994 also was the year when Lou first began using a computer, which he describes as a life-changing experience.
“I was one of the first Internet users in China,” he recalls. “We made a website in 1997 and through the Internet our scale increased greatly.”
The company began exporting straws to the Middle East and Africa, and then to the United States.
After 10 years, Lou managed to secure a plot of land in Yiwu to build his factory and he moved to the new space in 2005. It was a big leap from the company's humble beginnings to the current campus, which includes a 10-story 12,000-square-meter [129,000-square-foot] administrative office building and dormitory and 30,000-square-meter [322,000-square-foot] factory.
It was not easy to secure the land, he said, because he lacked government connections, and not being much of a drinker, he was at a distinct disadvantage at building those connections. So when he acquired the land, he said, “I made a decision. I would make the best factory in China, the most sustainable factory in China.”
At that time, environmental sustainability was not a priority for enterprises. The government was encouraging fast development instead. But Lou's self-education and interest in Japanese business methods had gotten him interested in sustainability. He taught himself Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and made detailed plans for the factory himself. They included a water recycling system, a rainwater collection system, a green roof, and dormitories for workers that he proudly describes as equivalent to a three-star hotel, and an outdoor garden.
It wasn't a desire to be environmentally friendly that drove Lou to make these sustainability moves in his factory. He said he was driven instead by the need to save money.


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Canadian cannabis company Ayr Wellness Inc. will purchase Garden State Dispensary – with retail locations in Woodbridge, Eatontown and Union – for $101 million, following a letter of intent previously announced on Dec. 22, 2020.
The companies announced their purchase agreement on March 29. In a deal expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, Ayr will purchase 100% of the equity interests of GSD, one of the 12 existing vertical license holders in New Jersey and one of the state’s original six alternative treatment centers.
Along with GSD’s three dispensaries is a 30,000-square-foot facility that houses existing cultivation and production facilities in operation, with an additional 75,000-square-feet currently under construction. Ayr expects to retain GSD’s current 110 employees.
“With its recent adoption of adult-use, New Jersey will be a leading force in the Northeast cannabis market. We look forward to serving the Garden State’s medical cannabis patients and working with the regulators to ensure a safe and robust roll-out of the adult-use program,” said Ayr Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Jonathan Sandelman in a prepared statement. “We see an incredible opportunity to drive growth at retail with the introduction of our quality cannabis brands, expanded product offerings and exceptional in-store experience. Additionally, we see an excellent opportunity for wholesale growth given our planned cultivation expansion and past success at driving wholesale penetration in supply-constrained markets.”
The price tag includes $41 million in cash, $30 million in stock and $30 million in the form of promissory notes. Earnout payments pursuant to the purchase agreement will be capped at a maximum of $96.75 million and payable in a combination of cash, promissory notes and exchangeable shares.
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.i


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By The Washington Post | June 10, 2019 at 1:25 pm By Damian Paletta | Washington Post WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose large tariffs on $300 billion in imports if Chinese leader Xi Jinping did not meet with him in Japan later this month, showing how he plans to immediately pivot from his trade war with Mexico back to Beijing. Trump, in a wide-ranging and apparently impromptu interview with CNBC, said he was “scheduled to have a meeting” with Xi during the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, but Chinese officials have refused to publicly confirm the gathering. “We do not want a trade war, but we are not afraid of fighting one,” said Geng Shuang, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “If the U.S. is ready to have equal consultations, our door is wide open. But if it insists on escalating trade frictions, we will respond to it with resolution and perseverance.” If Xi doesn’t meet with him, Trump said that he will move forward with tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese imports, which includes numerous consumer products. “China is going to make a deal because they are going to have to make… Read full this story
- Trump hints at car import tariffs in wake of GM job cuts
- World leaders reluctantly bow to Trump on trade at G20 summit
- US Suspends Plans to Hike Tariffs Tuesday on Chinese Imports
- Ukraine dishonesty blitz: Trump made 66 false claims last week
- Trump's Ukraine dishonesty blitz: The most egregious, revealing, and absurd claims
- German auto bosses invited to White House to discuss tariff stalemate
- Apple shares, oil price, and the euro get boost as US and China agree on trade ceasefire
- Trump and China Have a ‘Phase One Deal.’ The World Economy Is Still at Risk.
- U.S. suspends China tariff hike in temporary trade war truce
- China's Secret Weapon: How Beijing Can Wreak Havoc on US Corps in Trade Dispute
Trump issues new tariff threat against China have 311 words, post on www.mercurynews.com at June 10, 2019. This is cached page on Health Breaking News. If you want remove this page, please contact us.


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American consumers are feeling the Postal Service pinch again. With little warning, the U.S. Postal Service announced Sunday that rates for first class letters would rise Monday from 45 cents to 46 cents, and postcards would go up a penny to 33 cents. The postal service's revenue stream is drying ...
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Nathan Neuschwander, the Graphic Designer at the MSU Libraries, recently developed an easy, online way to purchase copies of the current issue of OzarksWatch Magazine.
Please go to http://ozarkswatch.missouristate.edu/current.htm and click on the magazine cover, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete your purchase. The number of copies you purchased will be mailed directly to the mailing address you provide. The cost of a single issue is $12. The cost of an annual subscription — two issues, spring and fall — is $16.


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The Pixel 5a, Google’s next mid-range smartphone, is revealed in a series of stolen photos that have appeared on the web. The phone would be distinguished from previous generations by the presence of a fingerprint reader and a camera for selfies under the screen. Google would therefore ignore the perforated screen of the Pixel 4a.
After the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 4a, Google is logically working on the Pixel 5a. Mid-range oriented, the smartphone is not expected for several months. At the earliest, the Mountain View firm could unveil its new production in the course of May 2021, during a hypothetical Google i / O conference. For now, it is still only conjecture.
Regardless, stolen photos purported to show the Pixel 5a have been posted on SlahLeaks, a platform for internet users to share leaks. We obviously invite you to take the pictures with hindsight. It is impossible to say with certainty that it is indeed a terminal designed by Google.
On the same subject: deemed to be of poor quality, Google is removing the astrophotography function of the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G
Photo sensor and fingerprint reader under the screen?
First of all, it will be noted that the smartphone is not topped with a notch or marked by a hole in the screen. Everything suggests that Google has decided to slide the front camera under the screen or in a retractable mechanism. There is nothing to detect the presence of a retractable drawer. It is therefore not impossible that the brand is based on camera technology under the screen, mirroring ZTE and its Axon 20 5G. We will still be surprised that Google is inaugurating this technology on a mid-range terminal.
One of the stolen photos reveals the presence ofa fingerprint reader hidden under the touch screen. It would be the first time that Google has not bet on a traditional fingerprint sensor on the back. Again, this is rather surprising given the positioning of the smartphone. We imagine that this feature should be found on the future and hypothetical Pixel 6. We tell you more as soon as possible about future Pixels. While waiting for more information, feel free to give your opinion in the comments below.


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Does Taco Bell use horse meat in their food?
Taco Bell has officially joined Club Horse Meat. The fast-food chain and subsidiary of Yum Brands says it has found horse meat in some of the ground beef it sells in the United Kingdom. … Sure, the mastermind behind the Double-Decker Taco Supreme is a fast-food mainstay in the US.
What fast food restaurants use horse meat?
The scandal began when British supermarket chain Tesco discovered it was selling horse meat burgers. Burger King admitted on Thursday that its burger supplier was using horse meat in ground beef. The fast food giant is the latest company to be implicated in a horse meat scandal that has rocked the United Kingdom.
Can restaurants serve horse meat?
Actually eating horse isn’t illegal in the United States, although the government has created enough red tape to lasso anyone who wants to, say, serve it in restaurants. … 2011, Congress decided not to extend a ban on USDA horse meat inspections.
Does Aldi use horse meat?
Aldi said tests on random samples demonstrated that the withdrawn products contained between 30% and 100% horse meat. “This is completely unacceptable and like other affected companies, we feel angry and let down by our supplier. If the label says beef, our customers expect it to be beef.”
What food has horse meat?
For years, there’s been horse meat in hamburgers, lasagnas, raviolis, tortellinis, sausages, prepared spaghetti bolognese, bottled bolognese sauce, chili con carne, shepherd’s pie, moussaka, many other “meat dishes,” frozen and not, cheap and expensive.
Why is horse meat illegal?
The primary reason horse meat is taboo is because horses are considered valuable pets and culturally respected animals. Besides, people fear horse meat might be infected with harmful drugs. Some Christian schools of thought also discourage eating horses.
Why do we not eat horse?
U.S. horse meat is unfit for human consumption because of the uncontrolled administration of hundreds of dangerous drugs and other substances to horses before slaughter. horses (competitions, rodeos and races), or former wild horses who are privately owned. slaughtered horses on a constant basis throughout their lives.
Is Arby’s horse meat?
They confirmed there’s absolutely no truth the story, and said that their roast beef is, in fact, completely beef. They’re well aware of the rumors, and Arby’s Jim Lowder wrote Snopes, “Thank you for doing your part to curb the urban legend about Arby’s Roast Beef.
Is Walmart meat good quality?
Consumers rated Walmart low for quality of meat
While it scored well for pricing — as we might expect from the big-box store — customers had complaints about the quality and lack of variety of the food, and the meat and poultry in particular (via Consumer Reports).


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Asus has silently unveiled the successor of Pegasus X002 dubbed the Pegasus 2 Plus X550 in China. The smartphone was showcased at a Chinese exhibition in Nanjing on Saturday.
The firm had launched the Pegasus series of smartphones last year with the launch of budget 4G LTE smartphone Asus Pegasus X002, priced at CNY 799 (approximately Rs. 8,000). Now, the Asus Pegasus 2 Plus is considered as the successor of the original Pegasus.
The Asus Pegasus 2 Plus features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) display and is powered by the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM. Last year, Pegasus X002 featured a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) display and 64-bit quad-core 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6732 processor coupled with 2GB RAM.
It sports a 13-megapixel camera with LED flash at the rear and an 8-megapixel front facing camera. It is a dual-SIM smartphone that is backed by a 3030mAh battery. It runs latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with latest Zen UI skinned on top.
The Asus Pegasus 2 Plus comes in two colours – Rose Gold and White. Pricing or availability details are unknown as yet.


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AMA Critical of TV Drinking Ad
Apr. 03, 2002
ST. LOUIS (AP) _ A television ad that features a coach urging a team of college mascots to celebrate safely was criticized by the American Medical Association
The 30-second spot was broadcast during the NCAA men's and women's basketball championships.
It was cosponsored by Anheuser-Busch, the nation's largest beer maker, and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.
The AMA's ``A Matter of Degree'' campaign promotes limits on alcohol and alcohol advertising on campuses.
Campaign spokesman Lisa Erk told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the TV spot was a ``tacit endorsement of drinking.''
``A Matter of Degree'' responded with an ad in this week's Chronicle of Higher Education headlined ``This Bud's Not for You.'' It urges the association to immediately end its ``unfortunate, unprecedented and misguided partnership'' with the brewing company.
The brewery and association defended the TV spot as a tough but humorous message against problem drinking on campuses.
The commercial ``delivers a clear message to fans of personal responsibility and respect for the law,'' Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman Francine Katz said.
Cheryl Fields, spokeswoman for the college association, said the ad was test-marketed to ensure that viewers would not perceive it as promoting beer.


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Study Shows That 1 Honda Hatchback Is the Cheapest Car to Run In the U.S.
The cost of owning a car goes beyond the price you pay when you buy it. The cost of gas, car insurance, and vehicle taxes can easily add up. Let’s not forget that global supply chain issues have made car prices shoot up in the past couple of years. Fortunately, used car prices are dropping. But if you’re looking to get ahead of the game, then there’s one hatchback from Honda that has the cheapest running costs.
Which Honda model has the cheapest ownership costs?
If you’re looking for the cheapest model to own, then the 2018 Honda Fit is what you seek. The Fit is a small hatchback that seats five passengers with plenty of space for all of their stuff. It’s also super cheap to own, with an average fuel cost of $3,817.20 and a yearly insurance premium of $1,186, according to Zutobi.
Additionally, the 2018 Fit received a 4.5 out of 5 for reliability from Repair Pal. The site also reports that it can cost an average of $311 for annual repairs and maintenance. Considering the car can easily get around 40 mpg on the highway, we can see why the Fit is the cheapest car to own.
The car with the second-cheapest ownership cost is a discontinued Toyota
The Toyota Yaris is the car with the second-cheapest ownership costs. The Yaris was discontinued in 2020, but it can still be purchased for a relatively low price on the used market. The data that Zutobi found shows that it can cost an average of $3,944.44 to fuel up a Yaris every year and an average of $1,310 to insure it.
A Hyundai hatchback is the third-cheapest car to own
Considering the two cheapest cars to own are hatchbacks, it should be no surprise that the third cheapest car is a Hyundai Accent. The 2021 Hyundai Accent was voted the “Best Subcompact Car for the Money” by U.S. News, so we’re not surprised that it’s cheap to run.
According to Zutobi, the Hyundai Accent has the cheapest annual fuel cost at an average of $3,817, based on an average driving range of 12,000 miles per year. As for the annual insurance costs, buyers can expect to pay an average of $1,536.
Check out the rest of the cars and their annual average ownership costs below:
The most expensive vehicles to own are two trucks and an SUV
In case you’re wondering, the three most expensive vehicles to own every year are trucks. The most expensive truck is the 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor, which costs an average of $5,853 to fuel up and $1749 to insure every year. The second most expensive truck is the GMC Sierra 5.3, with an average of $5,216.84 for fuel and $1,774 for insurance, and the third most expensive vehicle is the Toyota 4Runner. The midsize Toyota SUV costs an average of $5,344.08 to fuel up and around $1,585 to insure.
Check out the list of the most expensive cars to own below:
In conclusion, the overall cost of owning a car goes beyond the price you’ll pay for the car itself. If you’re looking for the cheapest cars to own, it’s best to go for a small hatchback. However, trucks and SUVs are still the most popular vehicles in America, so many drivers can expect to pay a lot more every year.


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Local salon offering discounts for donations
The owner of Beauty and Barber salon in Browne’s Addition is offering a great deal this month in exchange for helping stock the shelves of local food banks.
For the entire month of October, you can bring in a donations of non-perishable food and receive a $5 credit towards any service of $20 or more.
Donations are dropped off at the end of each week to a different food bank in Spokane.
Beaty and Barber Salon is located at 1601 W. Pacific Avenue.
COPYRIGHT 2020 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.


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No business wants to become the next data breach poster child. And companies are right to be concerned: in 2018, data breaches cost American businesses an average of $7.91 million – significantly higher than any other country.
5 Reasons Why CFO’s Should Outsource Their Finance Operations
4/10/19 12:40 PM
How migrating back office tasks delivers a competitive edge in today’s business environment
The stability and success of a company rests on proper management of its finances. From closing the books to applying cash to processing invoices, finance and accounting operations are integral to keeping organizations running and painting an accurate picture of their financial health.


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Right now at Lenovo, you can get up to $2,164 off the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 range — starting from just $1,505.84.
Right now, you can get the Gigabyte Aorus 15P gaming laptop for $1,199 at Adorama. That's $500 off $1,699 and $30 shy of its all time low price.
For a limited time, Lenovo is cutting $200 off the Yoga C740 2-in-1 — starting from just $769.99 with a coupon code.
TCL Tab 10s brings an impressively affordable LTE tablet option to the market with a 10.1-inch screen and stylus support.
TCL took a big step forward in its smartphone efforts with last year's 10 series and it looks to take another leap with the TCL 20 series this year.
Microsoft just announced the Surface Pro 7 Plus (or Pro 7+), a business version of its popular detachable. It will be available starting January 15 for $899.
Gotham Knights is already set to be one of the most anticipated games of 2021, and WB Games Montreal has given more insight into its cooperative bat-fueled combat system.
At CES 2021, we’re still getting plenty of laptop and tech announcements, including many refreshes in HP’s commercial line-up. However, one stands out in particular: the HP Elite Folio.
Meet the new HP Envy 14, which boasts an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU. The HP ENVY 14 is slated to launch sometime this month starting at $999.
HP's doubling up for CES 2021, announcing two new members to the line, the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 and the Elite Dragonfly Max.
Lenovo has unveiled a new pair of sleek, smart spectacles that hopes to thrive in our new work-from-home world.
The iPad mini, everyone's favorite bite-sized Apple tablet, is reportedly headed our way in two months. It will also feature a large display and slimmer bezels.
This potential leak regarding the Nintendo Switch Pro could be fake, but if it's true, we have a lot to look forward to.
We tested all of the latest MacBooks — the MacBook Air, two 13-inch MacBook Pro models and the 16-inch MacBook Pro — to help you find the right Apple laptop for you.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tango Gameworks’ upcoming action-horror title, Ghostwire: Tokyo, including details on its release date, setting, gameplay and more.
Windows Insiders have received a new Windows 10 update this week that includes a useful new taskbar tool for staying on top of things without too many distractions.


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5/14/2012 5:39 PM ET|
What to know about Facebook's IPO
The company's rise is one of the great business stories of our time. But just how valuable is social media? We'll get an indication this week.
Facebook is set to go public Thursday in what's expected to be a monster initial public offering. The cash haul for Wall Street will likely be huge -- a whopping 33 underwriters are supporting the IPO -- and investors are taking a hard look at the company and its potential on the markets.
Let's get one thing out of the way first: Unless you have plenty of zeroes in your bank account, you probably can't get in on the IPO. There are a bunch of cooks in this kitchen already, and they're going to grab as much of the meal as they can for themselves and their friends.
Facebook is trying to open up the IPO to smaller investors, but in all likelihood most of us won't get a chance to buy until the first day of trading, which will probably be Friday.
With that said, here's what you need to know about the initial public offering:
Facebook officially is supposed to price at between $28 and $35 a share. Late Monday, The Wall Street Journal said the price range has been raised to $34 to $38 a share, the richest valuation even for an American company going public. That could make the company worth as much as $104 billion. The actual price won't be set until late Thursday, and it depends on several factors, including investor enthusiasm. If we go with the midpoint of that range and assume the price is $31.50 a share, the IPO will raise about $5.6 billion for Facebook (or $5.8 billion if the underwriters exercise their right to buy more shares to cover over-allotments). If the price range is $34 to $38, the cash raised jumps to $11.5 billion to $12.8 billion.
What's being offered
Facebook is offering 180 million shares. The selling stockholders are offering 157.4 million shares for a total of about 337.4 million shares of Class A common stock. Each Class A share gets one vote. A separate class, Class B, gets 10 votes per share.
Common shareholders will have pretty much zero say in the direction of the company. That's because the people who hold Class B shares -- co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and other honchos -- will wield 96% of the voting power. Zuckerberg alone will have 57% of the voting power. So whatever he says goes -- common shareholders just are along for the ride.
What's Facebook worth?
Keep in mind that many investors are not buying Facebook because of where it is today, but where it's expected to go in the future. And there's much room for growth: The company already has more than 900 million users and is fast expanding into large markets, including Brazil, India, Japan and South Korea. In Brazil, for example, Facebook saw a 180% increase in monthly active users in the past year. The downside of some of these emerging markets, however, is that they don't contribute as much revenue per user as more developed markets.
What do the numbers say?
Plenty. The good news is that the company is profitable and growing. Revenue hit $3.7 billion last year, up from $1.9 billion the year before. And profit rose to $1 billion last year from $606 million the year before. The average revenue per user was $1.21 in the first quarter, 6% more than a year earlier.
The downside is that the numbers are slowing. Revenue growth fell from 154% to 88% to 45% over three consecutive years. Profit is falling as well. First-quarter profit was $205 million, down 32% from the preceding quarter and 12% from a year earlier.
What are the risks?
There are plenty. Facebook relies too much on advertising; 85% of its revenue comes from advertising, in fact. And Facebook still doesn't have a good way of making money from the fast-growing user base connecting through smartphones. Facebook doesn't really have any mobile ads or mobile revenue.
It relies too much on one customer, Zynga (ZNGA), for revenue. In fact, 15% of its revenue in the first quarter was related to the online gaming company. Finally, Facebook has no plans to offer a dividend, which means shareholders can count on only share price appreciation for any gains.
How can I buy?
This is a little tricky. Facebook seems to be trying to open up the IPO to smaller investors. What else would explain its last-minute decision to allow E-Trade Financial to underwrite the offering (along with more than 30 others)? E-Trade has set up a website for customers to participate in the offering, and customers will reportedly be asked how many shares they want to purchase and how much they're willing to pay. There's no guarantee that the customers will get what they want, however.
Other brokerages will likely offer Facebook shares to only the most well-heeled and active customers. Fidelity Investments, for example, opens up IPOs to customers with at least $500,000 in its accounts and who have made at least 36 trades in the last year, CNN reports.
Another option for small investors is to find a mutual fund that holds Facebook shares. Many mutual funds already own private Facebook shares. It stands to reason that they will be holders after the IPO as well.
Some funds holding private Facebook shares include Morgan Stanley Focus Growth A (AMOAX) and Fidelity Contrafund (FCNTX), as well as the smaller Pax World Balanced Individual Investor (PAXWX) and Tocqueville Opportunity (TOPPX), the Associated Press reports.
What's the bottom line?
Facebook's IPO is expected to be the largest Internet offering in quite some time. As with any IPO, you just never know how the markets will respond. Some Groupon (GRPN) investors thought they were getting a great deal, but the stock price has been halved since the IPO. On the other hand, Google (GOOG) priced its IPO at $85 a share, and now the stock sells for more than $600.
There are many question marks around Facebook, a young company that has grown so far so fast. There's risk in the shares, and IPO investors could find themselves richly rewarded -- or tremendously disappointed.
Yeah, Occupy Wall Street people, here is your chance to make a statement. Since us little guys and small time 401k investors cannot play in this game, and that means 80 - 90% of all Facebook users, ALL of us in that category should close our Facebook accounts and boycott Facebook forever. That would serve the exclusive club of fat cats on Wall Street that are the ones that will benefit most from this IPO, right.
Don't be a fool and make those assho;es richer. Get off Facebook, now! I am and will not miss anything!
Spread this word, it is a time when we can really control this play.
Facebook?? where is the value. No dividends for shareholders. I guess that we are just going to go ahead and make Zuckerburg infinitely wealthy. Where are the assets of this company. What is left to cash out if they go under. Lastly if they decide to charge users, another free social network site will come along ....Myspace....Facebook... whats next . i would not buy this stock!
this just goes to show how really dumb people in america are....if you are going to invest, invest in something that will help with economical growth, jobs etc...
facebook, I cant believe people are falling into this trap.
Where's the BEEF:
Investors are selling off good stocks to buy Facebook, they must be outta their minds. All others have some kind of tangible product to sell and make money!
Facebook only has a website with nothing else is a website worth 100 Billion, anyone can answer that question and get it right.
Zuck is giving up nothing he will still have 100% control and will be paid Billions. The banks and the stock brokers stand to make a fortune and without that happening it would only be another web site. This is all hype and unbelievable that we the public are that naieve.
facebook already added 100 million more shares to the 350 million already available.
this is what we need to jump start our economy, more billions thrown to a junk company which doesn't benefit us at all. instead of investing in companies that produce jobs in sections we need more jobs, the billionares are investing in facebook, apple, and google. God bless America, and the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer.
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Morningstar Inc. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Morningstar Inc. Quotes delayed by up to 15 minutes, except where indicated otherwise. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by Morningstar Inc.
Start investing in technology companies with help from financial writers and experts who know the industry best. Learn what to look for in a technology company to make the right investment decisions.
Forget Facebook: DataCoup allows users to sell their private data directly to businesses. But will consumers feel comfortable taking them up on the offer?
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BACKGROUND IMAGE: iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Interest in cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) has been growing among manufacturers in recent years, as companies have attempted to downsize their IT operations and budgets. While most of the buzz has been around SaaS, manufacturers that want to explore the cloud should know that this movement isn’t just about software -- it’s about infrastructure, too. Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers low-cost cloud infrastructure options that are increasingly customizable.
PaaS refers to the virtual renting of servers, hardware, storage, operating systems and other data storage capacities. If SaaS is the hosted version of a software package, then PaaS is the hosted version of the hardware that would run that software package in an internal environment. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is similar to PaaS, but deals more with the components needed to run virtual environments, such as Internet connectivity and virtual desktops. All three of these hosted services make up what is known as cloud computing.
According to a recent report from Framingham, Mass.-based IDC Manufacturing Insights, 43% of manufacturers are implementing or evaluating cloud deployments, while more than 20% have already implemented cloud. The growth rate is especially significant given that manufacturing tends to be slower to adopt new technology than other business segments, according to Bob Parker, group vice president at IDC Manufacturing Insights.“Manufacturers are actually adopting cloud at a faster rate than other industries,” Parker said. “There’s more interest around the public cloud rather than private, with the exception of the private outsourced cloud.”
Low-cost infrastructure and SaaS growth drive PaaS adoption
One of the main selling points of PaaS -- and cloud computing in general -- is its price. “A lot of companies have been doing outsourcing of infrastructure for a while, and cloud computing will accelerate that,” said Steve Phillips, ERP industry expert and author of the Street Smart ERP blog. “I think the biggest thing right now is the cost side of it. [Competition among vendors] is driving down the cost of PaaS.”
The influx of SaaS services is also increasing interest in PaaS adoption, according to Parker. “It’s going to become difficult to handle a bunch of SaaS options,” he said. “To get the benefits of the SaaS world and the Infrastructure as a Service world without the management costs, PaaS will be the pivotal part of the market.”
Although cloud adoption is on the rise, concerns about data security and access to information still persist in manufacturing organizations. “There are a lot of cultural barriers in IT as far as giving up control of infrastructure and applications goes,” Phillips said. “For a lot of IT directors, having something out there in the cloud where they can’t touch it, feel it, or walk into the data centers -- that will spook them. But I think like any technological change, in time people will accept it.”
PaaS vendors offering more customization for manufacturers
While many manufacturers are exploring PaaS, there aren’t many manufacturing-specific PaaS options out there. According to Ray Wang, principal analyst and CEO at Constellation Research, NetSuite and SAP’s Business ByDesign software are the PaaS services that come the closest to targeting the industry, but others are likely to follow. “I'd expect Plex Systems to eventually open up their model and Microsoft Azure to mature into a platform manufacturers will use,” Wang said.
Short of designing packages specifically for manufacturing, do PaaS vendors have anything to offer manufacturers? Customization and development may hold the answers. “PaaS makes sense for manufacturers who are used to having their own custom developments and strong app development shops,” Wang said. “If you customize and build your own apps, [doing this through PaaS] will be the approach for the next 10 years.”
Phillips advises manufacturers to approach PaaS with the awareness that, while the infrastructure may initially be inexpensive, customized configurations could lead to steeper support prices. This is especially true for small or midmarket manufacturers that are expanding their businesses. “You may rent the infrastructure fairly cheaply, but if your business changes and you need it to be configured different, that can be costly,” he said.
The days of procuring hardware, manning the data center, tuning the database and installing the hardware so you can use it three months from now after spending millions are over.
Ray Wang, Constellation Research
“The key for the platform vendors now is to attract the developers,” Parker said. “Everybody wants to be the app store. They want to get people to develop for their platform.” With a customer base that has become accustomed to instant access to a variety of applications on smartphones and tablets, the differentiation between PaaS vendors in the future will be the number of apps they can offer and host.
Wang agrees. “The future is PaaS for development,” he said. “The days of procuring hardware, manning the data center, tuning the database and installing the hardware so you can use it three months from now after spending millions are over.”
Manufacturers that are still hesitant to move onto a PaaS model or step into the cloud in general, may eventually find themselves left in the technological dust.“I think 10 years from now, anybody hosting software internally might be considered a dinosaur,” Phillips said.
“The movement out onto cloud computing is coming. I don’t see that as a pie-in-the-sky event. I think eventually a great majority of companies will be moving to a service model.”


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The release of MediaWorks’ financial figures this week showed that radio remains the healthiest and most important part of the business.
Monthly Archives: May, 2017
Colmar Brunton has announced the brand ads that had the most impact in April and while there’s usually an overall winner of the Ad Impact Award, this time, Sanitarium, Youi and 2degrees share the recognition.
With an endless library of overseas programming on offer online, where can New Zealanders go to get a fix of content that’s relevant and familiar to them? Freeview’s free-to-air TV offering is the answer and advertisers that understand the cultural connection local broadcasters have with New Zealand audiences stand to benefit.
Update: Auckland Council has released an official statement regarding its pitch process, confirming that Clemenger Group, Federation, and Ogilvy & Mather will be providing its advertising and media services from 1 July. PLUS: MBM and OMD will be taking over the media side.
Last year, Vodafone and FCB set out with an experiment that saw Red Bull driver Mad Mike whiz around a race track in a blacked out car, surviving only by the grace of Vodafone’s 4G network. Now, the ad has been recreated in seven different countries around the world, including one that puts actor Patrick Dempsey in the driving seat.
In the past week, both Adshel and APN Outdoor have announced another phase in their digital expansion.
When confirming news that ASB was parting ways with Saatchi & Saatchi after five years, the bank’s general manager of marketing and communications Roger Beaumont said his team was finalising details with an agency to take over digital, direct and data-based responsibilities for the business. This agency has now been revealed to be Aussie shop With Collective, which will be expanding into New Zealand as a new arm of the Dentsu Aegis Network.
June is set to be a big month for New Zealand sports stars and fans with the Americas Cup and the Lions Tour, and joining in the festivities with a song is Moa Brewing Co, which has launched an epic campaign that shows its support and encourages others to do the same.
Chemistry Interaction’s Susan Young recounts her experience judging the 2017 Caples Awards, and says that while the direct and digital space is more challenging than ever to work in, great ideas are still possible, even in an environment as fast-moving and cramped as New York.
While the Ad Contrarian, Bob Hoffman, is often on the mark, Pead PR content director Konrad Kasiske reckons the blogger missteps by imploring the industry to “call content shit”. To Kasiske, this is too broad and it overlooks the fact that Shakespearean sonnet should never be dumped in the same category as a cat’s arse.
The leaves are turning and time is running out to show your thinking at the TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards – entries close Friday 2 June at 5pm. Enter now to showcase your skills in one of the new categories.
As Ferndale was rocked by an unlikely volcanic eruption for its 25th anniversary edition, thousands of New Zealanders tuned into Shortland Street as TVNZ reports a bumper audience of 630,000 for the interminable soap.
It’s been just over a year since NZME launched the NZ Herald Focus brand and now, it’s celebrating a win at the International News Media Association (INMA) World Congress in New York. With the award recognising how the new brand has tapped into a new audience for NZ Herald, we speak to managing editor Shayne Currie about how it’s managed to do that and why news video is so important.
GroupM chief executive Mark Lollback has confirmed the disestablishment of the joint managing director roles, currently occupied by Emma Bolser and Linus Hjoberg, at Ikon.
Last night, the best of New Zealand’s PR practitioners were recognised at the PRINZ Awards Gala Dinner where Campbell Squared Communications and Resolve Communications shared the Supreme Award for work that’s had a positive impact on their respective communities.
Last night, among the historical aeroplanes on display at the Motat Aviation Hall, the digital advertising specialists of our industry were acknowledged at the inaugural IAB Awards dinner.
Ipsos takes a look at digital’s value in the fragmented media environment to see how it could be used more effectively.
Globelet’s mission from five years ago remains unchanged: To rid the world of disposable cups and drink bottles. But the ambitions of founder, Ryan Everton, span beyond being just that ‘cup company’ that supplies festivals with reusables: he wants to create a system in New Zealand cities that will change the way consumers consume; a revolution of sorts.
Whittaker’s is getting in on the Lions Tour action by releasing ‘The Full Eighty’—a new chocolate flavour that pays tribute to the staying-power of the All Blacks.
Think Kiwis and Australians are the same? Think again, according to new research by Kantar TNS, which identifies the differences marketers should be aware of when running trans-Tasman campaigns.


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The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro (first impressions) stole the limelight at the company’s big launch event in Paris, but smartphones weren’t the only devices announced. Huawei also took the opportunity to unveil two new Watch GT variants, FreeLace earbuds, FreeBuds Lite wireless earbuds, a 40W SuperCharge Power bank, and in a surprise move, smart eyewear in collaboration with Korean sunglass brand Gentle Monster. The FreeBuds Lite weren’t displayed at the event, but I got a chance to check out all the other accessories launched by the brand.
Starting with the Watch GT variants, the new ‘Active’ edition is the same 46mm Watch GT smartwatch with a new triathlon mode, and new orange and dark green fluoroelastomer straps. The Elegant edition on the other hand, is targeted at women, and comes in a new 42mm ceramic bezel, one-week battery life (as opposed to two weeks for the other Watch GT variants), triathlon mode and Magic Pearl White and Tahitian Black colour options.
The ‘smart’ in Huawei’s new Eyewear is basically a Bluetooth headphone functionality, but this again wasn’t available to demo. I did try on the glasses though, which come in a variety of styles (including sunglasses), and look and feel just like regular glasses. They ship with their own wireless charging case so there aren’t even any ports on the device.
The FreeLace wired earphones feature a USB Type-C port which is revealed by separating the right earbud and its cable from the volume buttons, and can be easily paired with Huawei smartphones by plugging them in. They can also be charged by plugging them into the Type-C port of the smartphone directly. The sound quality wasn’t available to demo, unfortunately.
The aforementioned 40W power bank comes in blue and white options, and with a 12,000mAh capacity, looks ideal for the P30 Pro users. Huawei hasn’t said when these accessories will be available in India, but I expect most of them (barring the smart eyewear) will be launched at some point this year.
Disclaimer: This writer attended the P30 series launch event in Paris on Huawei’s invitation


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Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. on Friday raised its outlook for the year as it reported that its first-quarter profit more than tripled thanks in part to higher rates.
The hotel operator's results for the period exceeded expectations.
Hilton's top line has been buoyed by rising rates in the industry, and the company expects more growth soon. On Friday, the company said it expected a key metric--revenue per available room, or RevPAR--to grow 5.5% to 7% this year, raising the lower end of its guidance by 0.5%.
In the most recent period, RevPAR grew 6.6%, topping the company's projection of 4.5% to 6.5% growth.
"We had a strong first quarter that significantly exceeded our expectations," Chief Executive Chris Nassetta said, adding that the company is "very optimistic" about the rest of 2014..
Hilton said it now expects full-year adjusted earnings of 64 cents to 67 cents a share, above its February call of 57 cents to 61 cents a share.
For the current quarter, the company said it expected adjusted per-share earnings of 18 cents to 20 cents a share, compared with the 17 cents a share projected by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. The company also expects RevPAR growth of 5.5% to 6.5% in the period.
Hilton Worldwide reported a profit of $123 million, or 12 cents a share, up from $34 million, or three cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding gains related to debt-extinguishment, certain general, administrative and other expenses and other items, earnings were 11 cents a share, up from 10 cents.
The company had projected adjusted earnings of eight cents to 10 cents a share.
Revenue rose 4.4% to $2.36 billion, above analysts' expectations of $2.35 billion.
Expenses rose less than 1% to $2.03 billion.
Systemwide occupancy for the period was 69.8%, up 1.9 percentage points higher than the year-ago rate. Average daily rates were 3.6% higher, at $139.13.
The report marked the company's second quarterly earnings release since its $2.35 billion initial public offering in December, which was the biggest-ever hotel IPO by proceeds.
Write to Michael Calia at email@example.com
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The AMC cinema chain on Friday started selling tickets for Disney’s 3D "Alice in Wonderland."
AMC’s waiting until a week before "Alice’s" planned March 5 bow had created speculation that the U.S.’ second-largest theater chain was following the lead of British exhibitors, who had threatened a boycott to protest Disney’s plan to shrink the window between theatrical and DVD release on the movie.
However, the big three exhibitors in the U.K. did eventually agree to show the movie, and so did AMC.
In a statement, AMC president-CEO Gerry Lopez said: "’Alice’ looks terrific, and it promises to be the next 3D blockbuster. It is sure to please our guests — many of whom have called and emailed — and help us maintain box office momentum in 2010. As business models evolve for exhibitors as well as distributors such as Disney, it makes sense to focus on the many opportunities we have to improve our economics, so we can continue to invest in technology our guests want and, ultimately, the guest experience in our theatres."
"Alice in Wonderland," directed by Tim Burton, stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter.


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International outsourcing giant Webhelp launches Israeli startup program
Webhelp's The Nest program is designed to support startups and scale-ups around the globe
International BPO (business process outsourcing) company Webhelp is launching The Nest in Israel, a program designed to support startups and scale-ups around the globe to scale-up their teams internationally and improve their customer experience operations. The program has experienced a massive growth of 400% from 2021 to 2022.
Established in 2000, Webhelp is a private French company that for the past three years has been the largest BPO company in Europe and among the four largest in the world. It launched its program dedicated to startups and scale-ups when many young companies faced multiple challenges due to the pandemic.
The Nest has worked with many companies such as Ankorstore, Lydia, Swile, Dream Games on all their customer experience (CX) needs and in over 80 languages. It offers a variety of services including omnichannel customer engagement services, recruitment, B2B and B2C sales support, KYC and payment services and more.
"In a world where profitability is the main indicator of startups' operational quality, it is very important to minimize operational risk,” says Kobi Shmerler, who heads the Israeli branch of The Nest by Webhelp. “Proper outsourcing greatly reduces the financial and operational risks of setting up local operations and opening new international markets."
Shmerler adds: “The underlying idea of the program is to be the 'outsourcing partner ' for growth-stage startups and scale-ups, leveraging Webhelp's extensive international experience in customer engagement, support, sales, digital content, and payments."
Webhelp's branch in Israel was founded a year ago by Einat Benjamini. Benjamini previously established and managed Golan Telecom's service and human-resources division in Israel and served as the public inquiries officer at Cellcom.


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Tresoldi - a popular Honda dealership near Milan, Italy - has released a couple of interesting limited edition of the Integra, the recent scooter from the Japanese manufacturer: the Army Edition and the Carbon Look.
The Honda Integra Army Edition uses a military green livery, black rims and exhaust as well as a few mild modification that make for a menacing and captivating look. The Honda Integra Carbon Look instead comes with gold painted wheels, Akrapovic end-can, diamond-shaped wing mirrors, sporty number plate holder and a lower windscreen. Check them both out in the videoclip above.
After showing the first version of Mid Concept scooter at last year’s EICMA, Honda has released the first picture and details of their new engine and maxi scooter concept dubbed Integra (did Honda run out of original names?) that we’ll be seeing in November.
It’s a brand new 700cc parallel twin cylinder engine designed to work with a new and lighter-weight version of the VFR1200’s DCT dual-clutch gearbox, in addition to a six speed manual transmission.
Honda is also boasting that this new engine will get you around with 27 km/l, the best in its class and about 40% better than any of its competition in the same displacement range.
Besides the Integra, Honda will also be debuting at the EICMA, other different concepts with this new engine and we’ll have to wait and see if one of these concepts will be a mid-range motorcycle.
Honda press release after the jump


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- This event has passed.
How Small Businesses are Coping: A Pandemic Panel Discussion
Small businesses are the heart blood of the economy, and they remain in peril due to COVID-19. A recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank found that 3 out of 10 small businesses in the U.S. say they likely won’t survive 2021 without additional government assistance. That’s 9 million small businesses at risk. And 80% of minority-owned businesses told the Fed their company is in poor financial condition.
BizHack is convening five leading small business-support organizations for a report from the trenches of small business survival. Join Ascendus, Florida SBDC, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, Miami Bayside Foundation, and The Idea Center at Miami Dade College in a fast-paced discussion of how small businesses are adapting to COVID-19. We’ll share case studies, best practices and resources in a rapid fire Q&A led by BizHack Founder and CEO Dan Grech.
The panelists will include:
- Brian Van Hook, Regional Director of Florida SBDC at Florida International University College of Business
- Fabiana Estrada, Director of Lending SE at Ascendus
- Gustavo Grande, Director of Programs at The Idea Center at Miami Dade College
- Michael S. Sellinger, Director of Loan Programs at Miami Bayside Foundation
- Pamela Fuertes, Executive Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program at Miami-Dade College
Cost: Free and open to the community


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AJ Brustein was out spending time with a member of his merchandising team when a nearby store ran out of stock of some goods — but there was no one on staff responsible for that location. Fortunately, the employee he was with had already showed him how to restock the shelves, and he offered to peel off and do it himself.
But that gap in the workforce may have just continued, leading directly to potential lost revenue for companies that sell products in those stores. That’s why Brustein and Yong Kim started Wonolo, a tool to connect companies with temporary workers in order to fill the unexpected demand those companies might face in those same out-of-stock situations. Wonolo employees sign up for the platform, and the companies that partner with the startup have an opportunity to grab the necessary workers they need on a more flexible basis. Wonolo today said it has raised $13 million in a new financing round led by Sequoia Capital, including existing investors PivotNorth and Crunchfund, and new investor Base10. Sequoia Capital’s Jess Lee is joining the company’s board of directors as part of the financing.
“There’s a big opportunity helping people fill in their schedule with shifts,” Brustein said. “We really found there’s this huge untapped market of people who are looking for work who are underemployed. Let’s say Mary is a great worker and has a great job at the Home Depot, but no matter how good she, is she can only get 29 hours of work. It’s hard to manage schedules between different employers that want you to work the same hours. That’s the market we’ve really focused on, the underemployed market, which is a growing unfortunate trend in the U.S. That’s changed a little bit about the types of jobs we have on the platform.”
Wonolo is essentially looking to replace the typical temp agency experience, which helps workers find positions with companies that need a more limited amount of time. Meanwhile, those workers get an opportunity to fill in extra shifts that they might need for additional income on a more flexible schedule. Once a company posts a job to Wonolo, employees will get notified that it’s available and then get a chance to pick up those shifts, and when the job is approved those workers get paid right away.
While the jobs that Wonolo is suited for are more along the lines of merchandising, events staff, or more general labor, the hope is that the service will also expose those employees to a variety of companies who may actually end up wanting to hire them at some point. It allows them to get a good snapshot of all the work that’s available, and theoretically would help offer them an additional step on a career path that could get them to a direct full-time job with any of the companies from which they might end up accepting jobs.
“We thought we could address [the idea of being able to deal with unpredictability] better than temp staffing, and we realized the antidote was flexibility on the worker side,” Brustein said. “We could match them with these jobs that would unpredictably pop up. When we dug into it, we realized flexibility was something that was just completely lacking for workers. We took a very different approach to the way that people will often recruit talent for staffing agencies or their own employees. We are looking at character traits.”
Wonolo was born out of Brustein and Kim’s experience at Coca-Cola, where they had an opportunity to work with a major brand for a number of years. After a while, they got an opportunity to start working on a more entrepreneurial project, and that’s when that whole merchandising scenario played out and prompted them to start working on Wonolo. That part about character traits is an important part for Wonolo, Brustein said — because as long as someone can complete a job, they don’t have to be an absolute expert, as long as they are there ready and good to go.
There are, of course, companies trying to create platforms for temporary workers, like TrueBlue, and Brustein said Wonolo will inevitably have to compete with more local players as it looks to expand. But the hope is that aiming to tap the same kind of flexibility that made Uber so popular for temporary staffers — and potentially that pathway to a big career opportunity — will be one that attracts them to their service.


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The pace and challenges of life seem to move at more and more frenetic speed each week so we seem to turn more to mobile apps to help us do everything from ordering food to hiring a car to finding a housekeeper for the day all in a flash. But a new strain of apps seems to reflect a more nurturing aspect that many are seeking in their rather than that of simple utility, and they are growing in popularity.
Call it, perhaps, a by-product of the "slow movement" - a collective of thought that encourages a more smell-the-roses or more mindful approach to life. While not too many years ago, the trend of beauty expert/blow-out on-demand apps was the big narrative, now we are starting to see more movement toward a new crop of wellness and fitness apps that are steadily gaining traction. It's well-timed play for these ventures within a culture that is desperately seeking new ways to balance life but still using technology to do so.
"The shift we have seen in the market is two-fold," explains Colin Szopa, Co-Founder and CEO of the Los-Angeles-based startup Plankk, a new streaming service gives anyone access to on-the-go workouts with the world’s most elite fitness trainers from any screen. "First, people are consistently becoming more and more health conscious and prioritizing it in their life. Secondly, people are moving towards efficiency in their lives."
Szopa says that the explosion in the popularity of boutique group fitness brands such as Soul Cycle, Barry’s Boot Camp and others made fitness fun again. "But not everyone has two hours a day to attend a class when you factor in the door to door time," he adds. Thus, Plankk Studio was born and now helps its community of users actually attend a boutique-quality class led by his or her favorite creators, live or on-demand, from the comfort of their home, thereby eliminating the need for the rush and dash to make a class.
This is about taking fitness and one's own pace and customizing time of day to do so. The app offers over 1,000 live and on-demand workout videos from the fitness world’s biggest influencers. But this is no one-way-only scenario. Users can also interact with their favorite trainers by asking questions, sharing their progress and more.
But the real draw of this app may be in how it has also connected with another key cultural narrative in addition to that of a slow-go, and that is democratization. Plankk Studio gives anyone access to some of the world’s most-recognized trainers that have traditionally only been available to those with the budget to do so. The company has quietly spent the past couple years building customized apps for elite trainers, helping them scale their businesses and monetize their audiences. Through Plankk’s influencer partnerships, the company says that it currently reaches 110 million people worldwide on social media.
Part of the secret sauce lies in the app's tech backend. "Plankk Studio uses class category tagging to highlight on-demand classes to users based on their viewing behavior. Each on-demand class also has 'suggested classes' where user data helps determine what additional classes a user may be interested in," reveals Szopa. Primarily, the company's business model rests in connecting fitness influencers with their audiences. The app not only creates an additional revenue stream for Plankk's partners but can also be used as a platform to further promote their own apps.
From Fitness to Wellness, There's An App For That Now
However, Moaz Hamid, Managing Director for REME, a mobile app that provides mindful health & wellness services and education, gives additional insight into the growing trend in this particular category of apps. Hamid says, "Before the Internet and connected devices ruled our lives, there was a clear distinction between home and work. Now, with our devices and the 'on-the-go' culture we live in, work comes home with us so we are much more connected than ever before."
He believes that such behavior sets a dangerous pace encouraging us to stay up late and wake up early. Hamid says that there is a growing awareness about the importance of practicing self-care yet the lack of time to often drive to an appointment to actually access the service, or worse yet, finally having made the appointment only to cancel it due to unforeseen meetings or family emergencies.
"People suffer from a shortage of time, and when there's a shortage of time, the ability to address self-care and be our best selves takes a back seat so we're seeing more and more of a need for on-demand health and wellness services," reveals Hamid.
Thus REME was created in order to have wellness experts come to the client. Whether one is at home, the office, or even a hotel room, health and wellness can be delivered via the app. But there's an interesting twist with Reme.
"Many service-oriented, on-demand apps are just that: service-oriented," explains Hamid. "They aren’t solving the root of the problem, which is helping individuals uncover why they were in need of the service to begin with. So in addition to providing on-demand services, we've created a community that actually teaches people how to manage their time properly in order to best practice self-care, which includes enlightening them with tools for relaxation from everyday stress."
REME has developed educational programs with the goal of restoring everyone’s well-being through on-demand IV therapy, stretch and massage, where vetted experts bring personalized relaxation and mindfulness to the user.
The app's goal is to serve a business traveler who may be in need of rehydration after a 24-hour flight to the mother who is also an entrepreneur and needs to order stretch therapy on-demand so that it fits into her schedule. "But we're not just a temporary fix or masking of the problem, we go above and beyond by fostering healthy and sustainable wellness habits," explains Hamid.
Indeed, the company had a strong presence at a number of high-profile events and most recently at Sundance Film Festival at one of the VIP lounges Reme offered attendees with their choice of B12 shots, Energy Boost IV drips and Hangover IV drips intended as support during the demanding Festival pace.
During the regular day-to-day usage of the app, REME relies heavily on algorithms that live within the product in order to access the location and time period the user will most likely request services. "This helps us increase our pool of experts as well as understanding our users' needs. We also take into consideration the type of services that are most relevant to the services our users request in order for us to make suggestions and recommendations," shares Hamid.
He also says that strong customer service is key to the app's growing word-of-mouth because the REME concierge team regularly communicates with the company's clients in order to better understand specifics issues such as where the pain may be located in the body and/or overall goals so that the most appropriate choices and matches can be made.
But no matter what the cultural trends, success continues to challenge both of these startups.
"The fitness app space is definitely becoming more and more crowded," says Szopa. He says that they are constantly working to edge out competition via the variety of influencers which the company selects.
"A challenge that we often face," says Hamid. "is wondering if the services and the habits we’re fostering within the community are relevant. Are they accessible to the community? Are we including everybody? Will it work for everyone? As a company, we're learning as we go."
There is also the specter of consumer fickleness that always looms large whether it may be new trends that arise or simply new and better apps with more customized offerings, perhaps incorporating AI in the near future.
But these companies are undaunted for the time being. "We see a lot of future opportunities which include bringing more exclusive media partnerships onto Plankk Studio, as well as continuously adding more of our influencer partners to the app as well, " says Szopa.
Hamid concurs, "We see a great opportunity in corporate wellness. Our research shows that the U.S. economy takes a hit of over $300 billion a year because of work-related stress, leading to sick days and lost productivity in the workplace. This is where the next big opportunity for growth."


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According to the Direct Marketing Association, email provided $39.40 in sales per dollar of advertising this year, followed by $22.38 through Web search, $19.71 from Internet display ads and $12.90 from social networks.
Email is the “killer app”. It’s not sexy, and it’s really not cool, but it makes money. That’s cool.
Smart retailers are sending more tailored email to their customers driving even more sales. If you can close the loop with your data you will find email drives a lot of ‘in store’ sales too. People research online, find what they want and then hit the stores to buy. Thinking your online store is the only place they will buy and that bricks and mortar is dead is most definitely a fallacy.
In our opinion, it’s time to clean up your database and start building a list of buyers, not just a list.
To read the full article, with original figures, click here.