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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump couldn't be clearer why he's upturned the global order with a sprawling trade war, even amid evidence that the gambit is already boomeranging back around on American businesses and consumers.
The U.S. has been “ripped off by the world,” he says, with its workers feeling the pain.
Trump’s strategy of levying tariffs to right that perceived wrong has drawn howls from many lawmakers and economists, particularly among Texans who fear the growing conflict could decimate a state economy that’s deeply tied to trade with Mexico, China and other countries. Just Friday, China threatened to tax an additional $60 billion worth of imports if the U.S. follows through with its planned tariffs.
But amid that pushback is often the key caveat that Trump might sometimes be on to something.
"The president's right to challenge China on unfair trade practices," Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, echoing a sentiment he's made countless times while urging Trump to take a more targeted approach.
That kind of distinction is more than just flattery aimed at swaying a president who’s relished taking his own course on trade.
It signals that even Trump's trade critics agree he can raise legit gripes, albeit ones that are often drowned out by policy mistruths, inaccuracies on how trade works and what many consider to be a foolhardy approach to pursuing better trade deals.
The bottom line is that while most economists and lawmakers say there’s no doubt trade has benefited America with increased prosperity, there are indeed improvements to be made.
The North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico could be modernized after nearly 25 years. China could implement changes to better treat intellectual property rights. The World Trade Organization could be due for a revamp.
“Donald Trump would say, quite correctly, that whatever negotiations they’ve achieved in the past, the WTO is not working anymore,” said Patricia Hansen, an expert in international trade law at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Law.
Here’s a closer look at some of Trump’s main trade theses:
Are trade deficits bad?
No figure drives Trump’s trade agenda more than America’s trade deficits, both in the aggregate and with individual countries.
The president is correct that the U.S. has long had a global trade deficit, with imports outpacing exports last year by $550 billion. He’s also right that America continues to run trade deficits with some of its biggest trading partners, with China topping the list at $335 billion.
“Using the trade deficit as a metric for how well we are doing in trade is really silly,” said Katheryn Russ, a research associate at the Dallas Fed’s Institute for Globalization and Monetary Policy, pointing out that the quickest way to reduce a trade deficit is to have a recession.
Trade deficits or surpluses simply reflect an accounting measure — which can create misperceptions, the Tax Foundation's Erica York explained.
Here’s an extreme example: A Texas business loads $100 million of grain sorghum on a cargo ship that leaves the U.S. for China. The ship then sinks halfway through the trip, leaving the company at a total loss. The U.S. would still show a $100 million trade surplus.
Or consider the issue in more personal, albeit simplistic, terms: Your average Texan — happily — runs an ever-growing trade deficit with Whataburger.
More important than the trade balance, experts said, is that increased trade makes a country’s economy more productive. The U.S. has seen both exports and imports keep growing over time, thanks to decreased trade barriers, better technology and other factors.
Are America’s tariffs the lowest in the world?
The U.S. has one of the world’s lowest average tariff rates at 1.7 percent. America is also less likely than most of its trading partners to have import levies higher than 15 percent, such as Canada’s 270 percent dairy tariffs that Trump often cites.
But Canada and some others actually have lower average rates than the U.S., and the European Union's rate is in the same ballpark. America is also no stranger to imposing nontariff barriers. Ditto for massive tariffs to protect home-country specialties: 350 percent on some tobacco products or 132 percent on peanuts.
“You can’t just say your peaks are unfair and ours aren’t,” said Hansen, the UT law professor.
Then there are developing countries, which tend to have higher tariff rates, especially on agricultural goods. Texas farmers and ranchers have spent years, for instance, working to lower those trade barriers to get more pecans or beef to places like India and China.
Yes, China is considered a developing country for trade purposes.
Trump loathes that fact, since China is the world’s second-largest economy. But the country is still developing in many ways, ranking middle of the pack globally when it comes to gross domestic product per capita, experts said.
Is China guilty of unfair trade practices?
This complaint, which jump-started Trump's tariffs, is where he gets the most backup.
China has no doubt affected global markets, for instance, by creating an oversupply of steel. The Asian powerhouse has also long had issues with piracy and counterfeiting, even after improving intellectual property enforcement in the wake of widespread complaints.
“The problem continues due to its enormous scale and the country's internal complexities and uneven developments,” said Peter Yu, director of the Center for Law and Intellectual Property at Texas A&M University’s School of Law.
These concerns aren’t easily resolved, particularly with the complicating factor that China is a state-driven economy that features many state-owned enterprises.
“The main concern is that China is now competing with the United States for both economic and technological dominance,” Yu said.
Is Trump correct that NAFTA is the ‘worst trade deal ever made’?
Trump delights in trashing the deal. Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk has an anecdote that helps explain why.
The trade ambassador under President Barack Obama is an unabashed free trade supporter. But his wife, Matrice Ellis-Kirk, also hails from the manufacturing hub of Detroit. So all of Kirk’s in-laws — “all, not some,” he said — are retired autoworkers or steelworkers.
"There is no world in which I can convince them that all those closed factories aren't the fault of NAFTA," he said at a recent event in Washington. "Even though most of them closed well before NAFTA went into effect."
Trump has seized upon that kind of discontent in the Rust Belt and elsewhere.
NAFTA is an easy bugaboo, in part because experts agree that status-quo-changing deals can be painful for workers in some segments of the economy. But there’s no denying its importance to places like Texas, which counts Mexico as its biggest trading partner by a wide margin.
More broadly, a multitude of other economic factors make it difficult to assign specific praise or blame to NAFTA.
"NAFTA has neither been the enormous success that its supporters believe, nor the disaster that its detractors claim," Russell Green and Tony Payan wrote last year in a report on the deal for Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Are trade wars, as Trump said, ‘good and easy to win’?
Trump has pledged that short-term pain will lead to a long-term gain. He cites progress made by the U.S. steel industry as an early success. But he last month admitted that the harm is also quite real by unveiling a $12 billion bailout to help farmers in Texas and beyond deal with payback tariffs.
So many lawmakers and experts argue that there are better ways to negotiate.
No matter if the problem is China or someone else, Trump could’ve been more effective on trade by rallying longstanding U.S. allies to jointly address the matter, said Russ, an Obama administration official who now also teaches at the University of California, Davis.
“We’ve made that really difficult to do in the last year,” she said, pointing to Trump’s decision to instead threaten to withdraw from free trade deals, impose tariffs on key allies and pledge to pursue even more levies.
In the end, time will tell.


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Xbox and PlayStation have been dueling companies for years. Both Microsoft and Sony are gunning for the same thing and for the most part have been budding heads. Though the two companies does have a love-hate relationship. Microsoft Xbox boss and head, Phil Spencer commented on Twitter that Sony will be having a great E3 experience this year.
Phil Spencer is the head of the Xbox division within Microsoft. Recently, Phil took to Twitter to comment back to fans asking about their rival Sony during this year’s E3 expo in which Phil was pleased to state that the company will have a strong E3.
“I don’t think Sony is intimidated. Sony is great brand and strong team. Competition is good, they’ll have a good E3.”
That doesn’t mean Phil Spencer believes Microsoft is in trouble this year. Phil also stated that the Microsoft team is in good spirits and a good vibe is going through the company. We’re looking forward in seeing both companies take the stage and make their grand reveals. What are you looking forward in being revealed this E3? Leave a comment below and let us know!

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Safeway recalls burgers due to possible E. coli contamination
Some frozen beef burgers sold by Canada Safeway Ltd. are being recalled because they may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria
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OTTAWA—Some frozen beef burgers sold by Canada Safeway Ltd. are being recalled because they may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
The recall includes the Gourmet Meat Shoppe Big & Juicy Burger and the Gourmet Meat Shoppe Prime Rib Burger with a best before date of Aug. 14.
Also affected are Butcher’s Cut Pure Beef Patties sold in packages of 10, 20 and 40, and also bearing a best before date of Aug. 14.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Canada Safeway say the products were distributed in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.
The CFIA says the recall is the result of E. coli O157:H7 testing related to an ongoing food safety investigation at the facility which produces the meat. Testing will be continue to see if any other products may be affected.
Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled, but it is is potentially deadly. Health officials say it can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in the most severe cases, kidney failure.
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Tesco hails Christmas sales growth 'despite growing cost pressures and supply chain challenges'
Britain's largest retailer says customers are being shielded from the worst of the cost increases it is witnessing as it claims that a focus on value helped it have a strong festive season.
Thursday 13 January 2022 18:27, UK
The UK's largest supermarket chain has reported a strong Christmas for sales in the face of "growing cost pressures and supply chain challenges".
Tesco reported a 2.7% rise in like-for-like sales for its core UK and Ireland grocery business during the six weeks to 8 January compared to the same period last year.
It raised its profit outlook for the second time in four months as a result of the performance, saying it now expected to deliver retail operating profits for the year to February slightly above the top end of its previous £2.5bn-2.6bn range.
It credited a focus on value for claiming its highest share in four years during the festive season - growing share both in stores and online - despite revealing a 1% rise in prices as cost inflation runs at about 5%.
The company said its large stores and convenience outlets did particularly well while it now had its highest share of the home delivery market since the COVID pandemic began with Tesco taking an average 1.2 million orders per week.
Sales rose despite tough comparisons with Christmas 2020 when tighter public health restrictions were in place - a scenario which prompted a rush for groceries as families were forced to stay home.
Tesco had been among businesses to admit hits from supply chain disruption in the run-up to Christmas - particularly over the recruitment of lorry drivers.
But it said on Thursday that the problems had gradually receded.
Chief executive Ken Murphy told investors: "We are delighted that we were able to help our customers have a great Christmas.
"Despite growing cost pressures and supply chain challenges in the industry, we continued to invest to protect availability, doubled down on our commitment to deliver great value and offered our strongest ever festive range."
The discounters see themselves in pole position to eat into the market shares of the biggest players as shoppers' budgets come under pressure this year from surging inflation.
Shares fell by almost 3% at the open, recovering somewhat by the end of the session to finish 0.9% down.
But John Moore, senior investment manager at Brewin Dolphin, said the signs were good for the marker leader.
He wrote: "Tesco has followed Sainsbury's with a strong set of Christmas results against tough comparators from last year.
"All cylinders are firing at the company: the core supermarket is growing its market share, online sales are significantly ahead of where they were pre-pandemic, its wholesale arm Booker is posting good quarterly growth helping to maintain overall performance, and the bank is benefitting from action taken and a favourable backdrop."


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|Bid||64.68 x 900|
|Ask||64.69 x 800|
|Day's Range||63.69 - 64.71|
|52 Week Range||43.18 - 67.47|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||10.95|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||1.32 (2.02%)|
|1y Target Est||64.97|
May.11 -- Magna International Chief Executive Officer Don Walker discusses the impact of possible changes to the Nafta pact on automotive parts suppliers. He speaks with Bloomberg's Amanda Lang and Shery Ahn on "Bloomberg Markets."
For automakers, two key customer satisfaction considerations are the feel of a car’s door when opening and closing and the quietness of the cabin. Magna recently developed the Comfort+TM door latch to address both concerns and has secured its first production contract to supply the new type of latch to a European automaker. Comfort+ turns sliding friction into rolling friction within the mechanics of the door latch, which significantly reduces the efforts required to open and close a car door and results in a smooth, consistent feel.
Standard Motor (SMP) announces the addition of 123 new part numbers in its Standard and Intermotor lines to expand its offerings.
Meritor (MTOR) opens fourth North American Distribution Center in Mississauga, Ontario, to simplify business transactions and enhance customer satisfaction.
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Western Digital, Magna International, Nucor, Sony and Caterpillar
Collaboration with China's BAIC Group and Lyft for co-developing futuristic mobility technologies is likely to help Magna (MGA) strengthen and diversify its product portfolio.
Tesla (TSLA) is likely to halt production for six days at its assembly in Fremont, CA. The shutdown is aimed at addressing production bottlenecks and working on the assembly line.
Renesas Electronics Corporation , an industry-leading supplier of automotive semiconductor solutions, and Magna, a mobility technology company and one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, aim to accelerate the mass adoption of advanced driving assistance system features with a new cost-efficient 3D surround view system designed for entry- and mid-range vehicles.
Magna International Inc. (NYSE: MGA ) has growing momentum as a “meaningful player” in emerging auto technologies, according to BMO Capital Markets. The Analyst BMO Capital Markets’ Peter Sklar upgraded ...
Defensive investment strategies are those that maintain holdings in safe assets, which include stocks that meet a certain criteria that avoids losses in market value. To do this successfully, thereRead More...
Magna International Chief Executive Officer Don Walker discusses the impact of possible changes to the Nafta pact on automotive parts suppliers. He speaks with Bloomberg's Amanda Lang and Shery Ahn on ...
AURORA, Ontario, May 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magna International Inc. (TSX:MG) (NYSE:MGA) today announced voting results from its 2018 annual meeting of shareholders. A total of 285,727,820 Common ...
AURORA, Ontario, May 10, 2018-- Magna International Inc. today announced voting results from its 2018 annual meeting of shareholders. A total of 285,727,820 Common Shares or 79.79% of our issued and outstanding ...
Canadian, Mexican and U.S. officials have been locked in intense negotiations for more than eight months to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but rules around automotive industry content have emerged as a key sticking point. To be exempt from duties, the U.S. has argued that autos should be composed of 75 percent North American auto content, up from the current 62.5 percent. While a higher North American content would benefit Magna as the region's largest auto parts supplier, negotiators must also weigh carmakers' needs, CEO Don Walker said.
Magna International's chief executive said on Thursday he was "cautiously optimistic" that talks to renegotiate NAFTA would result in a competitive trade deal, after the Canadian auto parts maker ...
The head of North America’s biggest auto parts supplier says automakers will move more production offshore if changes to Nafta make it too complicated, echoing a similar warning from Canada’s foreign minister. Magna International Inc. Chief Executive Officer Don Walker, speaking Thursday at his company’s annual meeting north of Toronto, said any revised North American Free Trade Agreement has to encourage long-term investment and that the sector favors a “do no harm” approach.
Pour consulter la lettre d'information; cliquez sur le lien: http://share.thomsonreuters.com/assets/newsletters/Morning_News_Call/MNCCA_FR_05102018.pdf PRINCIPAUX INDICATEURS À L’AGENDA 0830 New Housing ...
The Aurora, Ontario-based company said it had profit of $1.83 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.84 per share. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average ...
Canadian auto parts maker Magna International Inc posted a 14.3 percent rise in first-quarter profit on Thursday, helped by higher demand for mirrors and electronic components. Net income attributable ...
Record quarterly sales, up 21% year over year to $10.79 billion Record quarterly diluted earnings per share of $1.83, increased 21% Cash provided from operating activities of $577 million, up 26%, a first ...


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The Big Event Northern Mines Expo
Wednesday, Jun. 6 - Thursday, Jun. 7, 2018
The Big Event Northern Mines Expo which opened Wednesday at the McIntyre Community Building in Timmins is becoming well known as Canada’s largest gold mining show. More than that however it is also becoming known as one of the must-see and must-go industrial trade shows in Canada.
That’s according to several exhibitors who have made the trip to Timmins to put their goods and services on display, because they know that all the major players in the mining and mining supply industries will be looking. Deborah Brideau, of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton said she takes part in about a dozen industrial trade shows every year. She is the Marketing and Sales lead for the UNB Online Occupational Health and Safety Programs.
“The people at the industrial trade shows, we talk to one another. And we were told that the Timmins mining show is one of those shows we should take part in,” said Brideau. She said health and safety programs are in demand across Canada, especially in resources industries such as oil and gas, and now mining. She said UNB is internationally recognized for its health and safety programs and needs to maintains a strong presence in the marketplace. “We’ve been to other mining shows, but the Timmins show is one that people are talking about. Everyone in the mining industry is represented here,” she said.
Brideau added the UNB online courses cater to many health and safety professionals already established in industry, but might need an occasional refresher course, or a specialized course. She said it is critical to keep in touch with that market. Jason Levesque and his partner Denise Coulombe, both of Sudbury, were at the mine expo to showcase Sluice Inc, a business that sells hats and clothing products that feature a mining motif.
“We are here to show off our products and see if miners are interested to show themselves off as miners. That’s what we specialize in,” said Levesque. He said he knows that miners are usually proud of the work they do and so he has a line of goods that fit that scheme. Levesque said he has taken part in the Sudbury mining show but now sees that the Timmins mine expo is larger than he expected. “Yeah, it’s a big event here in Timmins. There’s lot of miners and mining companies in town coming by. I figured it would be a good event for us.”
Levesque is a Sudbury-based artist who is also a hardrock miner. He said he’s confident the products will sell themselves, once the business becomes better known. He said that’s why he signed up for the Timmins show. Selling merchandise is not the only benefit he said. He was also handing out scores of business cards for www.sluice.biz for online marketing. Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren, who is a big fan of the show because of the heavy equipment displays, said he was pleased to see that the show has grown significantly in the past 10 years. He said the mining expo features the latest technology in the mining industry and that in itself will attract more people who want to see what’s new in the marketplace. Along with heavy equipment, the show features every conceivable type of supply from boots, to coveralls, to mining cap-lamps, to shovels, to drill bits, to ventilation tubing to explosives. The expo also features a mining related jackleg drilling competition, which seems to be a crowd-pleasing event, although jackleg drilling is not as common in modern mining as it once was.
“This is not just a Timmins event. This is a regional event,” said Laughren, who referenced the positive financial impact the show has for the hotel and restaurant industry in Timmins.
Laughren said all the hotels rooms in Timmins are booked and some of the trade show participants have booked hotel rooms in such places as Kapuskasing and Temiskaming Shores. Laughren said many of the exhibitors who have been in the Timmins show in the past have returned to Timmins because of the business they contacts they established during the mine expo.
O’Cannabiz Conference & Expo
Friday, Jun. 8 - Saturday, Jun. 9, 2018
Looking at the future of cannabis and the budding Canadian market, O’Cannabiz will explore the latest regulations, industry standards and best practices for medicinal and recreational marijuana. Join this ground-breaking event where patients, physicians, licensed producers (LPs), industry professionals and general public from across the world will gather to learn, network and advocate, while exploring the latest issues in Canada, a country at the vanguard of change in legislation and outlook.
Global Petroleum Show (GPS)
Tuesday, Jun. 12 - Thursday, Jun. 14, 2018
The Global Petroleum Show (GPS) is back in its 50th year. From June 12-14, GPS will give you direct access to the entire supply chain, innovative technologies, products & services and educational seminars within the energy sector.
GPS is an industry leading event where energy professionals from around the world converge for three days to strengthen business relationships, network, and learn about emerging opportunities in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors.
During this pivotal, evolutionary period for the oil & gas sector, it’s never been more vital to re-connect with your global industry.
Grow Up Conference & Expo
Friday, Sep. 7 - Saturday, Sep. 8, 2018
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Grow Up Conference and Expo is focused on the education, collaboration and growth of the cannabis growing industry. Meet licensed producers, suppliers, equipment manufacturers, investors, lawyers, government officials and growing enthusiasts – all in one magnificent location.
Wednesday, Nov. 14 - Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018
Palais de Congres
The Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Expo brings the region’s leading advanced manufacturing events—PACKEX, Expoplast, Automation Technology Expo (ATX), Design & Manufacturing, and Powder and Bulk Solids (PBS)—together under one roof. We’ve kept everything you find valuable about these shows and added more suppliers, products, and networking opportunities to help you take your projects, company, and career to all-new heights.
No matter where you are in your project development lifecycle, find the latest technologies, most advanced solutions, and industry best practices at the Advanced Design and Manufacturing Expo. It’s everything you need to move your business forward. All in one place. Right in your own backyard.


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Facebook has announced some major changes to the News Feed. In an announcement made directly by Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg himself, the planned changes have been described as a way of giving us better connections to one another. Of late, the News Feed has become congested with random videos, company posts, news headlines, and sometimes less savoury content too. Zuckerberg has made it clear he would like the News Feed to become front and centre in our personal social media lives once again.
The world of professional social networking hasn't changed that much in the last 10 years. LinkedIn for contacts and companies, Twitter for chat and content, then blogs and forums for niches. Whereas the social media sphere as a whole has constantly evolved, we've seen relatively few newcomers to try to topple LinkedIn in the business space.
With Christmas rapidly approaching, and our agency's 5th birthday right around the corner, it is time to look back over the year gone by and reflect on how it all panned out.
Considering only four years ago we were a company of just one person in an empty co-space hub in Shoreditch, the last 12 months have without doubt been the most formative we've experienced to date. We've invested heavily into our infrastructure in a way that will help us to scale up in 2018, from our new and expanded Battenhall HQ, to new HR and finance systems, and two new technology products developed entirely in-house and used on almost all our clients now. We also took on 12 new team members, and many more have joined our extended team of photographers, linguists, developers and videographers. We said goodbye to some old faces too, inevitably, but that's the way things go.
To end 2017, Facebook is making some changes that will impact the strategy some publishers use to drive engagement. Facebook, as with the other social networks, is constantly tweaking its algorithms to try and improve the experience of using the network. Done right, the algorithms help ensure that you, the user, see content that will interest you the most.
Last Thursday the Pew Research centre published new research about news consumption by U.S. adults through social media. The research shows that social media sites, led by Facebook, are still the primary source of news for a lot of U.S. adults and this trend can be seen across other countries where these social networks are similarly popular.
Update: our 2017 dates are now fully booked, so we have launched new dates for 2018 which are now available to book here.
Since day one, we have tried to do things differently to other PR firms and ad agencies here at Battenhall, in the hope that we can find a new, more relevant working model for the social media age we're in. One of these different things is how we manage our time.
It was award ceremony week this week at Battenhall, with both the PR Week Awards and the UK Social Media Awards falling on the same night. We were fortunate enough to have been shortlisted for a 'best agency' award at both, with PR Week putting us through as finalists for Best Specialist Consultancy, and the UK Social Media Awards naming us as finalists for Best Large Agency.


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Today’s green news round-up holds the secret to a long, healthy life.
- A new seabird was discovered in Hawaii…and it’s a 40-year-old stuffed specimen. (Mongabay)
- Coal shortages are speeding up China’s move toward clean energy. (CleanTechnica)
- A new study says deforestation rates are higher in protected forests. (YaleE360)
- Attention Labor Day travelers: Hurricane Irene might’ve shut down your favorite outdoor recreation spot. (Christian Science Monitor)
- The world’s oldest person (nearly 121! wow!) credits her longevity to her healthy, all-natural Amazon Rainforest lifestyle. (Treehugger)
Tags: Amazon, Amazon rainforest, China, Christian Science Monitor, CleanTechnica, coal, deforestation, Energy, Forests, Hawaii, Hurricane Irene, Labor Day, Mongabay, nature and health, new species, outdoor recreation areas, Protected Areas, seabird, Treehugger, world's oldest person, YaleE360


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Melbourne, Australia — Secos Group Ltd. has leased a facility in Malaysia to start manufacturing bioplastic resin.
The company already has a cast film manufacturing facility in Malaysia.
Secos told the Australian Stock Exchange it had raised A$2.7 million (US$2 million) through a share placement, most of which will be used to fund the new Malaysian facility.
Secos said it has commissioned two compounding lines for the new facility to "help address the existing backlog of customer orders, with resin manufacture and delivery expected by June."
When the new plant is running at full production capacity it will produce 12,000 metric tons a year, which Secos estimates will increase its annual sales by A$40 million (US$30.7 million).
Secos has entered into a two-year lease with an option for another two years at a new 30,000-square-foot facility 12 miles from Port Klang, Malaysia's largest port. Secos-owned Stellar Films (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd operates a cast film manufacturing plant at Port Klang.
Secos Managing Director Stephen Walters said the Malaysian plant will manufacture the company's core product line and supports the company's international growth strategy while leveraging green initiatives set by the Malaysian government.
He said the new production facility opens the potential for innovative new products and guarantees continuity of supply. The facility has sufficient space for significant further expansion to meet ongoing growth in Asian demand for bioplastic resin.
Secos told the ASX demand for compostable resin "is at an all-time high throughout the world, as major corporate brands pursue the benefits of customer acceptance and the boost to loyalty associated with environmental packaging."
Melbourne-based, publicly listed Secos Group Ltd. was formed though the April 2015 merger of Melbourne-based Cardia Bioplastics Ltd. with Melbourne-based privately held Stellar Films Group Pty. Ltd.


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Good Sam Enterprises LLC reported a 5.3% increase in sales for its first quarter, ended March 31, while posting a profit versus a net loss in the previous year.
Revenues totaled $110.1 million for the first quarter, an increase of $5.5 million from the comparable period in 2011. Net income was $4,000 compared to a loss of $2.6 million. The Good Sam report does not include results from its Camping World subsidiary’s rolling stock sales.
Revenue performance among the various sectors included:
• Membership Services revenues of $37.2 million for the first quarter of 2012 increased $2 million, or 5.6%, from the comparable period in 2011. This revenue increase was largely attributable to a $1.6 million increase in member events revenue due to the timing of the Good Sam Club annual rally, which occurred in the first quarter of 2012 versus the third quarter of 2011, an $0.8 million increase in extended vehicle warranty program revenue due to contract price increases, a $0.3 million increase in marketing fee revenue from RV financing, and a $0.2 million increase in emergency road service revenue, partially offset by a $0.6 million decrease in advertising revenue from RV View magazine, which was replaced with Highways magazine in 2011, and a $0.3 million decrease in Coast to Coast and Golf Card Club revenue due to decreased membership and the sale of the Golf Card Club in March 2012.
• Media revenues of $11.8 million for the first quarter of 2012 decreased $3.6 million, or 23.2%, from the comparable period in 2011. This decrease was primarily attributable to a $2.2 million revenue reduction resulting from the sale or closure of non-core media businesses in 2011, a $0.7 million reduction in annual directory revenues due to reduced marketing and phasing out the cd-rom version, a $0.3 million reduction in consumer show revenue, and a $0.4 million reduction in magazine revenue.
• Retail revenues of $61.0 million for the first quarter of 2012 increased by $7.1 million, or 13.2%, from the comparable period in 2011. Store merchandise sales increased $4.7 million from the first quarter of 2011 due to a same store sales increase of $3.7 million, or 9.3%, compared to a 1.4% decrease for the first quarter of 2011, and a $1.4 million increase due to the opening of ten new stores over the last fifteen months, which were partially offset by decreased revenue from discontinued stores of $0.4 million. One store was closed in the last fifteen months in order to consolidate operations within that area. Same store sale calculations for a given period include only those stores that were open both at the end of that period and at the beginning of the preceding fiscal year. Also, mail order and Internet sales increased $3.2 million, installation and service fees decreased $0.5 million, and supplies and other revenue decreased $0.3 million.
Earnings per segment showed:
• Membership services segment profit of $16.0 million for the first quarter of 2012 increased $1.9 million, or 13.4%, from the comparable period in 2011. This increase was attributable to a $0.7 million increase in segment profit from the Good Sam Club primarily due to cost savings resulting from the combination of the President’s Club and the Good Sam Club on January 1, 2012, a $0.7 million increase from Camp Club USA, a $0.5 million gain on sale of Golf Card Club, a $0.3 million improvement in Coast to Coast Club, and a $0.3 million increase from RV financing, partially offset by a decrease in segment profit of $0.6 million from member events.
• Media segment profit of $1.8 million for the first quarter of 2012 increased by $0.1 million, or 3.7%, from the comparable period in 2011 due to $0.4 million of cost savings from the sale or closure of non-core media businesses in 2011, and a $0.3 million increase from the annual directories, partially offset by a reduction in segment profit of $0.6 million from our magazines.
• Retail segment loss of $2.9 million for the first quarter of 2012 favorably decreased $0.4 million from a segment loss of $3.3 million for the first quarter of 2011. This reduction in segment loss resulted from a $1.5 million increase in gross profit and a $0.3 million reduction in depreciation expense partially offset by a $1.4 million increase in selling, general and administrative expenses.
To view the entire report click here.


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In a move rivaled only by the greatest of Fox Broadcasting executives, Sonic Team Producer Takashi Iizuka states in an interview with DigitalSpy.com that “we are currently looking forward to hearing the feedback from the users for Episode 2, but we are currently not planning to release another episode.”
Set to be released on May 16th, 2012, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 was originally intended to be the second installment of a four-part grand adventure released on all major digital download marketplaces. Lukewarm reception of the first installment back in 2010 (that’s two Call of Duties ago in gamer-speak) is most likely to blame for the approach to this installment. It’s a shame though, seeing as this installment truly looks to rectify the issues that many people had with the first, with a whole new engine and very smooth graphics.
Some of the more faithful Sonic fans can look at the positive however, as Iizuka states that “we just want to see how users accept this episode,” so there’s most likely a big chance that future downloadable endeavors are riding on the success of this release. I for one am definitely going to give my support, as I need more games to wear my Sonic hat and plushie while playing. We all have one of those right? right?!


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Electronics Production | December 21, 2007
Jabil's profit rises in Q1
Net revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 increased 4.5 percent to $3.4 billion compared to $3.2 billion for the same period of fiscal 2007.
“We are pleased to post a strong quarter with significantly improved financial performance. Cash flow from operations and EBITDA margins were particularly strong and notably higher than last year,” said President and C.E.O. Timothy L. Main. GAAP operating income for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 increased 62 percent to $98.9 million compared to $61.1 million for the same period of fiscal 2007. GAAP net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 increased 50 percent to $62.0 million compared to $41.4 million for the same period in fiscal 2007. GAAP diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 increased 50 percent to $0.30 compared to $0.20 for the same period of fiscal 2007. Jabil's first quarter of fiscal 2008 core operating income increased 44 percent to $122.1 million or 3.6 percent of net revenue compared to $85.0 million or 2.6 percent of net revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2007. Core earnings increased 23 percent to $74.6 million compared to $60.5 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2007. Core earnings per share increased 24 percent to $0.36 per diluted share for the period compared to $0.29 for the first quarter of fiscal 2007. The company expects second fiscal quarter of 2008 net revenue in a range of $3.0 billion to $3.1 billion, with an estimated core operating margin range of 2.2 to 2.4 percent. The guidance is consistent with historical seasonal patterns, particularly prevalent in consumer electronics sectors. Guidance suggests a 25 percent increase in year-over-year core operating income and a 4 percent increase in year-over-year revenue. Jabil said its core earnings per share for its second quarter of fiscal 2008 are anticipated to be in a range of $0.16 to $0.20 per diluted share. GAAP loss per share are estimated to be $(0.03) to $0.01 per diluted share. (Expected GAAP earnings per share for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 are currently estimated to include $0.04 per share for amortization of intangibles, $0.06 per share for stock-based compensation and related charges and $0.09 per share for restructuring and impairment charges.) Jabil said it expects fiscal year 2008 net revenue to range from $13.0 billion to $13.4 billion, with full year core operating income estimated to range from 3.1 percent to 3.6 percent or $400 million to $480 million.
AMTE Power and Britishvolt sign MoU for GigaFactory AMTE Power and Britishvolt plans to investigate collaborating to build the UK’s first full cycle battery cell GigaPlant, servicing the automotive and energy storage markets.
ALLPCB’s new SMT factory has launched production On May 10 2020, ALLPCB’s new – self-operated – SMT factory in Guangde, Anhui Province, China was officially put into production.
Schweizer starts production at its new location in China Following a construction period of one and a half years, production has now started at the company’s new high-tech printed circuit board plant in Jiangsu, China.
Jenoptik supplies generators to a US customer Through its Vincorion investment, Jenoptik received a long-term order for generators that an unnamed US customer is integrating into military vehicles.
Rolls-Royce takes heavy hit from COVID-19 – reduces workforce by 9000 The impact of COVID-19 on Rolls-Royce and the whole of the aviation industry is unprecedented. RR has already taken action to strengthen the financial resilience of its business and to reduce cash expenditure in 2020. However, this will not be enough.
Data Link Solutions to provide MIDS cabinet terminals to US Navy The U.S. Navy has awarded a USD 3.2 million production contract to Data Link Solutions (DLS), a joint venture between BAE Systems and Collins Aerospace, for new Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) cabinet terminals.
Incap restarts production in India In a move to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of India instructed all state governments to introduce a lockdown in March. As a consequence, Incap had to close its factory in Karnataka, India on 23 March.
NAND Flash Revenue Undergoes 8.3% QoQ Growth in 1Q20 NAND Flash bit shipment in 1Q20 was relatively on par with 4Q19, says the DRAMeXchange research division of TrendForce. The overall ASP of NAND Flash products also climbed during the period. As a result, the global NAND Flash revenue for the quarter went up by 8.3% QoQ to USD 13.6 billion.
Gorenje reduces the number of layoffs At the end of April, due to a sharp drop in orders and revenues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hisense Europe Group launched a redundancy program in four companies in Slovenia.
NA semiconductor equipment industry posts April 2020 billings North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted USD 2.26 billion in billings worldwide in April 2020 (three-month average basis), according to SEMI.
AWS Electronics to wear the Incap name Following the acquisition of AWS Electronics Group by Incap Corporation in January 2020, the company's units in the UK and Slovakia will now be trading as Incap Electronics UK Ltd. and Incap Electronics Slovakia s.r.o.
PCB manufacturer SQP invests in new plasma treatment system As part of the continuous upgrade of the PCB manufacturing processes the Slovakian PCB manufacturer SQP International has invested in a new plasma treatment system.
Nordson delivers solid quarter considering COVID-19's impact on global end markets Nordson Corporation reported second quarter sales of USD 529 million, a 4% decrease compared to the prior year’s second quarter sales of USD 551 million.
Cicor expands its clean room set up in Bronschhofen Swiss EMS provider Cicor Group is currently expanding its site in Bronschhofen with a 60 square metre ISO Class 6 clean room.
Senate Dems to Trump: Release details of TSMC plant deal Democratic lawmakers are pressuring the Trump administration to respond to serious questions about Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd’s (TSMC) plans to build a USD 12 billion plant in Arizona, which the company announced last week.
SOS LAB completes series A+, inks MOU with ON Semi LiDAR sensor maker SOS LAB has secured series A+ investment funding of USD 8 million as of April.
Expanded US rules sanctioning Huawei to have little impact on memory industry TrendForce believes that the latest updates to the sanctions will have a relatively low impact, in the short term, on Huawei’s shipment of smartphones, notebook computers, and servers – products for which Huawei is relatively well stocked on components.
PCB Connect expands with new office Due to the PCB suppliers’ successful growth in Denmark, the company has now decided to invest further in the Danish Market.
Panasonic, Tesla discuss beefing up Nevada battery plant Panasonic Corporation this week said strong demand for battery cells from its U.S. partner, Tesla, has led to negotiations on the expansion of their joint plant in Storey County, Nevada.
Flex taps new leadership for automotive business Flex has named Mike Thoeny, president, Automotive Business Group, effective June 1, 2020.
Current pandemic slows down business development in German component distribution German distribution of electronic components (according to FBDi e.V.) continues to decline in the first quarter of 2020. The order situation improves slightly, at a low level. The FBDi calls for future-oriented course-setting and investments in infrastructure.
Progress is being made for BMW’s new plant in Hungary Preparations for the future BMW Group plant in Debrecen, Hungary, have reached important milestone. Following successful preparation of the land by the City, the official handover process has now started.Load more news


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Toyota Announces Accelerator Pedal Fix in Unintended Acceleration Recall
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota has found a solution to prevent future incidents of unintended acceleration on an estimated 3.8 million vehicles. In what has become the company's largest-ever recall, Toyota will reconfigure accelerator pedals, and if needed, the shape of the floor underneath the pedal to prevent the pedals from becoming entangled with installed floor mats. Replacement pedals will be designed for future vehicles, beginning in April 2010, and those with genuine Toyota accessory all-weather floor mats will be provided with redesigned replacements free of charge. Owners who have had their pedals modified will be eligible to have the assembly replaced with the all-new unit that will arrive in April.
The recall affects a healthy portion of the Toyota/Lexus lineup, including: 2007 to 2010 Camry, 2005 to 2010 Avalon, 2004 to 2009 Prius, 2005 to 2010 Tacoma, 2007 to 2010 ES 350, 2006 to 2010 IS 250, and 2006 to 2010 IS 350. Toyota will notify owners by first-class mail of the recall and steps to have repairs made. All owners are advised to continue to drive without floor mats until repairs are performed and new mats are supplied.
"The brake override system would ensure the vehicle would stop if both the brake and the accelerator pedals are simultaneously applied," a NHTSA release said. "NHTSA is particularly pleased that Toyota is taking this additional step."
The Toyota unintended acceleration recall began in October following numerous customer complaints and the death of off-duty California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor and three members of his family, after his service-loaner ES 350 could not slow down. Toyota has said that the recall, while expensive, should not affect its bottom line, as more than 500 billion yen ($5.6 billion) is already sitting aside specifically for recall use.
The entire NHTSA release follows:
Toyota Announces Fix for Accelerator Pedal Entrapment Problem
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced that Toyota has identified a vehicle-based remedy to fix a sudden acceleration safety issue involving floor mats trapping accelerator pedals in various Toyota and Lexus models. Toyota announced the recall of these vehicles in early October and said it would soon develop a vehicle-based remedy to reduce the risk of a crash due to accelerator pedal entrapment.
The models involved in the recall are: 2007 to 2010 MY Camry, 2005 to 2010 MY Avalon, 2004 to 2009 MY Prius, 2005-2010 MY Tacoma, 2007-2010 MY Tundra, 2007-2010 MY ES 350, 2006-2010 MY IS 250, and 2006 to 2010 MY IS 350.
NHTSA said Toyota plans to reconfigure the accelerator pedal, and in some cases the shape of the floor surface under the pedal, to address the risk of pedal entrapment due to floor mat interference, particularly with regard to inappropriate or improperly attached floor mats. At the same time, Toyota will develop replacement pedals for these vehicles, which will become available for some models in April 2010. Toyota will provide owners with the new pedal, when it becomes available, even if the vehicle has already received the modified pedal under the recall.
In addition, vehicles with any genuine Toyota or Lexus accessory all-weather floor mats will be provided with newly-designed replacement driver- and front-passenger side all-weather mats.
NHTSA also said that Toyota will, in addition to these announced vehicle-based remedies, install a brake override system on the involved Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models as an "extra measure of confidence." The brake override system would ensure the vehicle would stop if both the brake and the accelerator pedals are simultaneously applied. NHTSA is particularly pleased that Toyota is taking this additional step.
NHTSA said that Toyota intends to notify vehicle owners on a rolling basis, starting with owners of the ES 350, Camry, and Avalon vehicles. While awaiting Toyota's notification, NHTSA urges owners to remove all removable driver's side floor mats and not replace them until their vehicles have received the remedies being provided by Toyota. Toyota will begin making the necessary fixes to the recalled vehicles beginning early in 2010, perhaps in January. Initially, Toyota dealers will be instructed on how to reshape existing accelerator pedals. Later, replacement accelerator pedals will be available for installation on vehicles not yet remedied or, if the owner so chooses, even to replace the modified pedals.
For more information, consumers are urged to contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236.


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Bitcoin costs are holding above $6,000 on Friday after a 24-hour selloff noticed the value of the world’s largest digital forex commerce perilously near the essential assist stage.
A single bitcoin
was final going for $6,234.10, up zero.1% since Thursday at 5 p.m. Jap Time on the Kraken cryptocurrency change.
Yesterday’s decline took the full worth of all cryptocurrencies beneath $200 billion for the primary time since Sept. 20, in response to information from CoinMarketCap.
With international fairness markets in the midst of a brutal selloff, trade onlookers are watching intently for strikes in digital forex costs, with some proponents speculating bitcoin may act as a haven commerce—digital gold some hypothesized.
However yesterday’s transfer put that notion to mattress, for now. “There’s a story that the crypto market was merely falling in lockstep with the fairness markets, that are slowly getting into into correction zones. We imagine this transfer in cryptocurrencies had nothing to do with the inventory market,” wrote Thejas Nalval, Factor Digital Asset Administration portfolio director, and Kevin Lu, the agency’s director of quantitative analysis.
“Proof has proven that there have been little correlation between international inventory indexes and the value of bitcoin. Nor does bitcoin transfer on financial information.”
Cash aside from bitcoin, sometimes called altcoins, are largely greater Friday. Bitcoin Money
was up zero.1% to $441.20, Litecoin
was buying and selling zero.three% greater at $52.02 and XRP
is the most effective performing main altcoin, buying and selling up four.9% at 42 cents.
Bucking the pattern was Ether,
the coin that runs on the ethereum community, which is buying and selling down 2% to $193.60.
Bitcoin futures try to finish the week on a constructive observe. The Cboe International Markets October contract
was up zero.6% at $6,185 and the CME Group October contract
was up zero.three% at $6,200.
Offering important data for the U.S. buying and selling day. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Have to Know e-newsletter. Sign up here.


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Nine has hired programmatic and video product specialist Jordan King to be its new Head of Audience and Automation.
King will join Nine’s digital sales specialists team, reporting to Nine’s Director of Sales – Digital Product Nathan Powell. He joins from News Corp Australia, where he was Head of Programmatic and Partnerships for its social viral video company Unruly.
The new position will be tasked with focusing on Nine’s programmatic video offering and ensuring the publisher has the future channel planning necessary to meet the demands of the evolving digital market.
“One of the reasons we hired Jordan is because of his experience and knowledge of the programmatic world, particularly in the video space,” said Pippa Leary, Nine’s Commercial Director – Digital Sales. “We have experienced phenomenal growth in our video handheld sales, almost doubling our video revenue in the past 12 months. Jordan will focus on preparing our business for the shift towards greater automation in the space over the coming years.”
King’s role will see him work closely with Grant Bingham, Nine’s Director of Sales – Programmatic, who joined Nine from AOL back in May of 2017.
“I’m thrilled with the strength of the digital sales team we have put together over the past 12 months,” said Michael Stephenson, Nine’s Chief Sales Officer. “They are putting real, tangible runs on the board and driving sales growth across our key digital properties.”


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Most Internet stocks surged Monday amid speculation that Broadcast.com is in play and on positive analyst comments about America Online.
The Goldman Sachs Internet Index $gin jumped 3.8 percent.
"Content providers or content aggregators are the flavor of the week," said Dan King, Internet analyst at LaSalle Street Securities. "Of course, when there's takeover speculation, that also drives these stocks higher."
Audio and video over the Web
Broadcast.com (BCST) bcst rocketed 31 1/2, or 37 percent, to 116 1/2.Yahoo (YHOO) yhoo lost 5 to 165. Yahoo is in talks to acquire Broadcast.com, according to a BusinessWeek Online report. Broadcast.com is the leading aggregator and broadcaster of streaming media -- in other words, audio and video programming on the Net. See full story
Intervu (ITVU) ITVU , another provider of so-called streaming media services, saw its stock surge as well. Shares of Intervu catapulted13 5/8, or 41 percent, to 47. Unlike Broadcast.com, the company provides outsourced streaming services and is not a content aggregator. It provides all streaming capabilities for NBC's entertainment content, according to a company spokesperson. GE-owned NBC holds a 9 percent stake in Intervu.
Shares of Audiohighway.com (AHWY) ahwy rose 1 7/8, or 17 percent, to 12 3/4 after the Internet company said it will provide audio content for Microsoft Network's Web Events site.Audiohighway.com said it will combine its free audio library content through headlines on that newly launched MSN site (www.webevents.msn.com). See full story.
Shares of CNET (CNET) CNET, -0.66% surged 5 3/8 to 93 1/4. The media company and partner NBC Monday said their Snap online network had launched its Cyclone broadband Internet service. The service will be available from the Snap.com site.
Snap also announced new content providers, including A&E Television Networks, Birdhouse Projects, Honkworm, House of Blues Digital, Launch Media, the Mountain Zone, Pseudo Programs and the World Wrestling Federation.
In addition, Snap said it has developed a "new rich media" search technology with Inktomi (INKT) INKT , an Internet software company.Shares of Inktomi, though, fell 1 1/4 to 72 3/4.
Shares of America Online (AOL) aol rose 10 3/4 to 130. ING Baring Furman Selz analysts raised their price target and profit forecasts for AOL. This year's price target was raised to $180 from $100. Both revenue and profit forecasts for fiscal 1999 and 2000 were upped. ING Baring Internet analyst David Levy said he expects AOL to add a record number of new subscribers in its March quarter. He pegged the global number at 1.8 million.
AboveNet Communications (ABOV) abov jumped 14 11/16, or 25 percent, to 74 7/16. The provider of Internet connectivity services inked a deal with Raiffeisen Rechenzentrum to create a regional Internet service exchange in Vienna. See full story.
Cambridge Technology Partners (CATP) CATP, +0.00% edged up 11/16 to 12 1/16 after plunging 9 5/8, or 46 percent, Friday after the provider of information technology and consulting services said slow sales growth would result in lower-than-expected quarterly earnings.
Preview Travel (PTVL) PTVL, +0.00% added 5/16 to 18. It lost 3 5/8, or 17 percent, on Friday after PaineWebber Internet analyst James Preissler downgraded the online travel service firm's stock to "neutral" from "buy."
AtHome (ATHM) ATHM, -0.30% gained 6 3/16 to 140. AtHome delivers broadband cable Internet access.
Shares of FiNet Holdings (FNHC) FNHC, +0.61% rose 1 1/2, or 49 percent, to 4 9/16. FiNet provides mortgages over the Web. The company Monday appointed Gary Palmer as chief financial officer. FiNet President Dan Rawitch suspects that a number of online mortgage providers, such as E-Loan, are set to file for public offerings as early as this week.
Giving up some ground
DoubleClick (DCLK) DCLK lost 2 3/4 to close at 177. The Net advertising company shot up 22 1/8, or 14 percent, on Friday. The company has set a 2-for-1 stock split that's payable to shareholders of record on April 1.
Shares of Exodus (EXDS) EXDS fell 9 to 132. A 2-for-1 split set by that company is to take effect on or about April 12.
IVillage(IVIL) ivil lost 8 3/8, or 12 percent, to 70 3/4. On Friday, its first day on Wall Street, the dot-com debutante rose as high as 100.


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Uber is now hoping to raise $2.5bn for its China unit. This would double the amount the company has already raised. They are locked, at the moment, in a fierce fight with their Chinese rival, Didi Kuaidi. They have already raised $3bn in a round that closed recently. The race for the market between the two companies will be determined by who can raise the most money. Uber’s Chinese investors include Baidu, while Didi’s include Tencent and Alibaba.
Uber has said it plans to invest $1bn this year in China. Chief Executive Travis Kalanick described it as “one of the largest untapped opportunities for Uber, potentially larger than the US”.
Uber just announced a new carpooling service in Chengdu, Southwest China. This is the first time that they have launched a brand new service outside of the US. The service is being called “UberCommute” and it will enable long-haul commuters to pick up other passengers for a free who are going in the same direction.


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Finance ministers from the 19 countries that use the Euro are meeting in Luxembourg to discuss the slowing economic growth in the region. However, the Eurozone states disagree on whether an intervention is necessary.
Facebook's Libra, billed as an alternative to traditional banking, has sparked concerns from central bankers and regulators around the world. The currency has been criticized as a threat to sovereignty and stability.
The new government is determined to go on with its reconstruction of Poland's political economy. But without a Senate majority and economic downturn looming, will it be able to keep its show on the road?
Central and eastern European economies are said to be decoupling from western Europe as consumption-led growth replaces the export-driven model. But will domestic spending suffice to fend off a slowdown in the eurozone?
Cheese, wine, olives and many other European goods are now subject to fresh US tariffs in a row over EU subsidies to Airbus. As Brussels threatens retaliation, Germany urges progress in talks for a US-EU trade deal.
© 2019 Deutsche Welle |
Legal notice |
| Mobile version


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That's because every car sold in America is at least partly imported.
The Commerce Department is considering tariffs on cars assembled at foreign plants and on foreign-made auto parts. Every car assembled in the United States contains a significant percentage of foreign parts, according to government data.
"There are no purely American vehicles," said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at AutoTrader. "These are global automakers who use global sources for all types of parts."


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Dealer lot inventory is on the rise, but where are the deals at?! As we move further into 2023, many potential car buyers are wondering, “is now a good time to buy a car?” and “will car prices go down in 2023?” The good news is that recent market trends indicate that the tide is starting to turn, with car prices slowly beginning to decrease and negotiability on the rise. However, there are big differences between the new and used car markets today. Let’s take a closer look at the details.
Patience, Fellow Car Buyers
According to CarEdge’s Ray Shefska, recent trends suggest that there’s good news for car buyers, with prices gradually decreasing and more room for negotiation on the horizon.
Ray notes that “March broke a string of 20 straight months where the average new car prices transacted at above MSRP, in March the average price paid was $171 below MSRP.”
“Although this drop might not seem significant, it’s a noteworthy development, indicating that dealerships are becoming more open to selling cars at lower prices,” he explained. Car manufacturers are increasing incentives to attract more buyers to the market, ultimately benefiting car shoppers.
CarEdge’s Car Coaches note that patience will be rewarded as we head into the summer 2023 car buying season. “Consumers who are patient will find themselves in a much better position as negotiability should increase as we get into the summer months.”
Used Car Prices Are a Different Story
It’s important to note that there are considerable differences between the new and used car markets. New car transaction prices are steadily dropping as dealers try to move more inventory after years of nearly vacant lots. On the other hand, used car prices are increasing as of spring 2023. The latest used car price data from Black Book shows that after 30 weeks of wholesale price declines, used car prices have actually increased for the past several weeks. In April, used car prices increased at the retail level too.
CarEdge’s Car Coaches don’t expect rising used car prices to become a new long-term trend like we saw in 2021 and early 2022. However, there could be a month or two of additional slight price hikes.
High Interest Rates Motivate Dealers
How do rising interest rates affect car buying? Of course, buyers who finance are going to pay more in interest, no matter their credit score. But other things change too. Despite higher APRs, there can be benefits for buyers. Car dealers pay interest on lot inventory until it is sold. Think of dealer floor plan financing almost like a credit card made solely for purchasing vehicle inventory. When the federal reserve raises the cost of borrowing money, all kinds of credit will become more expensive, and that includes car lot floor-planning.
With higher floor plan costs, rising lot inventories and incentive spending on the rise, dealers will be motivated to negotiate. Therefore, the longer you can wait to buy a car in 2023, the more likely you’ll be able to negotiate thousands off of your deal.
Furthermore, Ray predicts that it will be a lot easier to secure a deal below MSRP as we get deeper into summer. In fact, the latest data from Kelly Blue Book shows that for the first time in two years, new-vehicle transaction prices fell below MSRP in March. The CarEdge Coaches expect that trend to continue.
Sadly, you and I are well aware that cars are far from cheap these days. The average price paid for a new car is still around $48,000. If you’re looking to go electric, expect to pay 20% more. Even in this market, our Coaches have proven even the toughest new and used cars are negotiable. Check out these success stories from happy drivers around the nation. CarEdge Coaches have even negotiated thousands of dollars off of EV prices in 2023.
Expert Car Buying Help Is Here!
We’re real people empowering you to save real money on your next auto. How can we help? Check out hundreds of 100% free resources, great YouTube videos, and the fastest-growing online auto forum today, the CarEdge Community. We just launched Dealer Reviews, where you can see nearly 3,000 crowdsourced car dealer and deal reviews.
Looking for behind-the-scenes auto market data to inform your buying decisions? That’s exactly why we created CarEdge Data. Unlock the Black Book car valuations that dealers use, CarEdge negotiation scores, official recommendations, and local market data for every car on CarEdge Car Search with CarEdge Data.
Ready for expert 1:1 help with your deal? Our Car Coaches are ready to work with you to secure the best deal on out-the-door prices, financing, and more. Learn more about our CarEdge Coach unlimited access plan. We look forward to meeting you.


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This Week In Techdirt History: December 29th – January 4th
from the the-year-ticks-over dept
Five Years Ago
This week in 2014/15, we reveled in the tradition of governments dropping news on Christmas Eve in the hopes that nobody will pay attention to it — employed by the NSA in releasing details on its illegal surveillance of Americans and by the French government to enact a controversial surveillance law of its own. Sony was caught infringing in copyright in a stark example of how broken the system is, while we used the notion of a movie about the big Sony hack to explore the unnecessary licensing of news stories. Comcast and Time Warner Cable were doing their darnedest to convince people their merger would be just fine, even though they were in fact the least-liked companies in any industry. And we took another look at how copyright makes culture disappear.
Ten Years Ago
This week in 2009/10, Amazon announced that Kindle ebooks outsold physical books for Christmas, but we noted that “sold” isn’t exactly the right word for DRM-laden licensed rentals, which change the equation on the value of a Kindle and were already forcing customers to stick with bad products — and the distinction was also becoming important in the music world with questions about licenses stopping at the border. We also looked at how automakers were abusing anti-circumvention laws to force people to pay more for car repairs, and how the UK’s Digital Economy Bill was projected to cost more than the highest estimates on the cost of piracy. Zynga was making copyright threats over a script for auto-playing Mafia Wars, and the Viacom/YouTube fight was hit with the embarrassing revelation that Viacom uploaded many of the videos it was suing over.
Fifteen Years Ago
This week in 2004/05, the popular technopanic was blaming wireless technology for everything under the sun — though at least one study was putting to bed the idea that it would interfere with pacemakers. Among the biggest sources of tech excitement was “nanotechnology”, which we were beginning to realize was often just a rebranding of existing fields. Meanwhile, Wired took a detailed look at just how big and organized the file-sharing community was, while one anti-piracy group was caught hiding spyware and adware in Windows Media files.


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KEY IDEA: We live in a post-truth world. The institutions that were once trusted sources of truths are now regarded with deep skepticism by citizens and consumers alike. That’s changing the face of advertising.
Dave Trott, a legendary ad-world guru and the author of Predatory Thinking, estimates that just 4 percent of the average ad is remembered positively. Another 7 percent is remembered negatively, and a whopping 89 percent is forgotten entirely.
Pharma, especially, hasn’t escaped the growth of distrust in established institutions. A recent Gallup Poll found that the trust in pharma companies is at an all-time low. But according to the Ipsos MORI Veracity Index, nurses and doctors are the most trusted professions.
Today, consumers regard ads as a bothersome distraction at best and a hostile act of information warfare at worst. No wonder, then, that the marketing sector is delivering low single-digit growth, despite investing around $800 billion per year!
So here’s the all-important question for pharma brands: How are they supposed to reach their target audiences to drive new Rxs?
More and more companies are abandoning the old-fashioned approach of exaggerating the potential benefits of various products. That worked well back when consumers trusted brands and the institutions around them. These days, though, people can’t be taken for granted – pharma brands have to work at generating meaningful connections with patients and caregivers.
The old DTC model of throwing money at TV and just putting up a website are dated and ineffective. Pharma needs to work harder to earn the trust of skeptical patients who are more cost-conscious. Then they need to do more to keep them on therapy and educate them on why it’s important for their overall health.
Right now the media is portraying pharma as corporate America who only cares about profit. While there is some truth behind that Americans are reliant on pharma to help them stay healthy as they continue to gain weight and limit exercise. It’s become easier to take a pill to eliminate high blood pressure than to limit salt intake or exercise.
DTC ads are great at generating awareness for new products but the idea that someone is going to see an ad and ask for an Rx is myopic. Today, people who are interested in new pharma products go online to learn the pros and cons of asking for or changing to a new Rx. More and more pharma is NOT part of that conversation and money is being wasted because TV still makes a nice bullet point on someone’s resume.


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By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Apple took to the newly-built Steve Jobs Theatre in Apple Park in Cupertino to unveil three new iPhone models including the ‘futuristic’ iPhone X, which the company believes to be the future of smartphone technology. Apple also unveiled a new Apple Watch Series 3, now with LTE functionality that further separates it from iPhones and allows it to take calls independently as well as stream music from Apple Music. A much anticipated Apple TV 4K model, along with 4K content partnerships, rounded up the announcements for the day.
Kicking off with a nod to founder Steve Jobs, the keynote dove straight into how Apple is redefining its retail stores. Now called Town Squares. the new Apple Retail experiences will host more educational events as well as continue being the conduit between Apple and its customers.
Apple Watch, which CEO Tim Cook stated was the, “no. 1 best-selling watch in the world,” even as no actual sales figures for the wearable have ever been disclosed, was next on stage. Apple’s Jeff Williams spoke about how Apple Watch was always intended to have LTE connectivity. Originally seen as an adjunct to the iPhone, the Apple Watch has since evolved in functionality as a fitness device and, in this next iteration, a replacement for the iPod music player since it will now be able to stream ’40 million songs’ for Apple Music streaming subscribers. When Apple first announced the original iPod, its catchphrase was ‘1,ooo songs in your pocket,’ through LTE technology and the cloud, it is now possible to access any song in your library right on your wrist.
Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) starts at $519 (CAD) and Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS) starts at $429 (CAD), both featuring new upgrades like a faster dual-core processor and wireless chip, along with a barometric altimeter. Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) also debuts a special red Digital Crown and exclusive “Explorer” watch face that shows cellular connectivity through a unique design. Series 1 will be available at a new starting price of $329 (CAD), making it more affordable than ever.
Apple also revealed the Apple TV 4K, an updated version of its set-top box. Apple TV was one of the first products to hit the market but has since been overtaken by rivals like Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast and others which have been offering 4K content to take advantage of today’s most modern HDTVs. Now with 4K and HDR capability as well as various content partnerships from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV 4K has truly caught up to market standards.
Also catching up to market standards is the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, this year’s model iPhones now take wireless charging through the Qi standard which has been around for years (this writer first saw it on the Palm Pre from 2008). The key features of the iPhone 8 are improved cameras for AR (Augmented Reality) as well as a new in-phone photo editing features called Portrait Lighting which simulates photos shot in a studio by professional photographers.
According to Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have new glass and aluminum designs, new Retina HD displays and A11 Bionic — the smartest chip ever in a smartphone. Packed with more advanced cameras with Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting, and the highest quality video capture in a smartphone, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus enable the freedom of wireless charging, all with AR optimization like no phone ever before.”
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be available in space grey, silver and an all-new gold finish in increased 64GB and 256GB capacity models starting at $929 (CAD) from Apple.com/ca and Apple Stores and is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary)
Canadian customers will be able to order iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus beginning Friday, September 15, with availability beginning Friday, September 22
The big announcement, and one that has been leaked in various forums and forms (no thanks to Apple’s own iOS 11 firmware, which spilled the beans on the look as well as various features), was the iPhone X or iPhone Ten. Using a new OLED display with an edge-to-edge display, iPhone X is the culmination of 10 years of Apple innovation in the segment it defined. iPhone X meets competitors like the LG G6, Samsung Galaxy Note8, and S8 as well as the Essential Phone by offering a similar edge-to-edge display and an all new OLED panel.
Because of the new display and the difficulty of integrating a fingerprint Touch ID sensor, Apple introduced Face ID, a way to unlock the iPhone X and make Apple Pay payments securely. Facial recognition has been around almost as long as wireless charging but it has been awful. Windows Hello on Windows devices as well as Samsung’s own implementation left a lot to be desired. Apple says its solution is far better and can replace fingerprint readers.
For consumers who are just getting started in trusting mobile phone to pay and have slowly adopted fingerprint solutions, switching to Face ID might be another hurdle.
iPhone X comes in silver and space grey colours with 64GB and 256GB variants starting at $1319,00 CAD, making this the most expensive smartphone Apple has shipped. Pre-orders start on Friday October 27 for a November 3 launch.


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CEO Sharon Price John says Build-A-Bear’s old e-commerce system is a big reason for disappointing online sales in December.
More conversions helped drive sales, the retail chain says.
John Lewis Partnership—one of Britain’s largest retailers—is reporting a 43.5% rise in online sales over the past year. “We managed to achieve growth in both shops and online,” says Andy Street, managing director of the company, adding that e-commerce is its fastest-growing channel.
“The trailblazing performance throughout the year was by JohnLewis.com, where sales leapt by over 40%,” Street says. “All product categories thrived, but most encouraging is the increase in our rate of conversion, a testament to our operation.”
John Lewis, No. 16 in the in Internet Retailer Top 400 Europe Guide, did not break out its web sales. However, according to Internet Retailer estimates, the department store’s 2011 web sales totaled $1.2 billion. Annual web and store sales combined totaled 9 billion pounds (US$14 billion) in 2011, the company says.
Street says streamlining the company’s delivery systems and working more closely with subsidiary companies, such as the grocery chain Waitrose, contributed to the company’s strong online performance. “Improvements in fulfillment have helped and the stand-out result was the doubling of click and collect business, thanks largely to the collaboration with Waitrose,” Street says.
What in the U.S. is typically called order online, pick up in store, goes by the snappier name of click and collect in the U.K. And U.K. consumers increasingly are choosing the option of picking up online orders in stores, instead of waiting for home deliveries that might not show up.
U.K shoppers spent 34.9 billion pounds ($54.2 billion) online in the first half of the year, up 12.6% from 31 billion pounds ($48.1 billion) in the first six months of 2011, The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index finds. That double-digit growth in online sales is remarkable given that the U.K.'s gross domestic product has fallen in five of the last seven quarters. Total retail sales were up only 1.6% year over year in June, and the country's economy shrunk by 0.7% in the second quarter, according to the U.K. Office of National Statistics.
But U.K. consumers continue to spend more online, meaning they're moving more of their purchases from stores to the web. In June, online shoppers spent an estimated 6 billion pounds ($9.3 billion)–an average of 117 pounds ($181) per person—up 13% from June 2011.
John Lewis was founded by John Spedan Lewis as a small shop on Oxford Street, London, in 1864. Each of the retailer’s 81,000 employees owns part of the company and earns a share of its profits.


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In its first year, CCHIT certified 33 ambulatory electronic health records (EHRs) — about 80 percent of all that were tested, says CCHIT Chairman Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D. In January 2007, it announced that 18 more products received certification, bringing the total to 55, representing about 25 percent of all companies in the market.
In 2007, CCHIT will roll out more rigorous standards for ambulatory EHRs and begin certification of the first components of inpatient EHRs.
CCHIT's strategy with ambulatory EHRs has been to start with moderate expectations of features and functions and build from there. The major additions for 2007 are e-prescribing and transmission of lab data.
"We have developed a roadmap to signal to vendors what lies ahead," Leavitt says. For instance, in 2007 products just have to be able to receive lab results, but in 2008 they have to be able to share results as well. In 2007 they don't have to be able to accept imaging results, but in 2008 they will. In 2009 they will have to be able to interact with state public health agencies' immunization registries. "We are ramping up the functionality gradually, so vendors don't have to swallow the whole thing at once."
Not all roses
CCHIT has drawn criticism from some vendors and consultants who argue that the $28,000 fee charged to test products will drive some smaller vendors out of business. Leavitt responds that it was never the intention of CCHIT to hurt small companies, and he claims the diversity of certified vendors refutes the claim about harming smaller companies.
He notes that a survey of certified vendors found 65 percent have revenue of less than $10 million and 40 percent say they sell primarily to one-doctor offices.
Although CCHIT will meet its goal of launching inpatient EHR certification in 2007, Leavitt admits that developing the critieria has proved much more difficult than anticipated, forcing the organization to scale back its first-year expectations. "It is so much more complicated than the ambulatory EHR," Leavitt says. "A hospital may have 1,000 employees, whereas a doctor's office may have only five. We decided not to take on the full soup-to-nuts comprehensive EHR this year."
Instead, the group chose to concentrate on CPOE (computer-based provider order entry) and eMAR (electronic medication administration record) modules. "We chose these because they are closely tied to patient safety and the penetration is low, so the potential benefit is huge," he says.
CCHIT also is scheduled to begin certifying healthcare IT networks such as regional health information organizations in 2008, but because many are still being formed, it's unclear whether they'll be mature enough to certify by then. "We're keeping our eye on it," Leavitt says. "We haven't formed any workgroups yet."
Sights on specialties
CCHIT is also getting ready to expand its mission to certify EHR specialty modules. Its expansion roadmap calls for beginning development of certification requirements for cardiovascular medicine EHRs in the first half of 2007.
Also to begin this spring are focuses on products geared toward emergency department settings and child health populations.
Of course, the overall goal of certifying EHRs is to help physicians make more knowledgeable purchasing decisions and to boost health IT adoption. But while Leavitt says it's difficult to measure the impact of certification on the market, he has noticed an increase in awareness about the process.
"In the last three to six months, there has been a real upswing in physician understanding of what we do," he says. Professional societies like the American College of Physicians have been very helpful in spreading the word, he says. "Uptake by the vendors is another important signal of certification's validity."Author Information:David Raths is a contributing writer based in Philadelphia.


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Don’t have time to read this full post? Here are three things you can do to make sure your organization’s content continues to appear on the screens of your target audience:
- Produce and post video. “Pivoting to video” didn’t become a catch phrase for no reason. People love watching videos on Facebook — but remember the context. Facebook isn’t a place for you to post the video of your two-hour long committee meeting. Videos should be short, punchy, and include on-screen text for the majority of people who will see the video without sound.
- Whatever you’re posting on Facebook, write an accompanying caption that solicits a response. Social media is a two-way communication, not broadcast medium. People want to share their opinions and, the more they do, the more the Facebook algorithm will share your content with others who might want to share their thoughts.
- Take an audience-first approach. More than anything, don’t think of Facebook as a place where you can post the content that you want your audience to see. Think of it as a place where you produce the content that your audience wants to see. Take a look at the posts that have performed the best in the past, identify what it was that your audience liked most about them, and do more of that!
On January 12th, CEO Mark Zuckerberg pulled back the curtain on a sweeping change to a central element of Facebook’s platform: the News Feed. He announced that the News Feed prioritizes posts that friends and family interact with while de-emphasizing content posted organically by brands, publishers, and media companies.
Why all these changes? Survey data revealed complaints that feeds have “shifted too far away from friends and family-related content,” crowded out by branded posts. Is that so bad? Facebook and the outside research they cite say that passive consumption on the platform leads to worse moods and mental health outcomes, while people who interact actively through messages, comments, and posts reported improvements in social support, depression, and loneliness. Facebook contends that “it’s about how you use social media that matters when it comes to your well-being.” So, they are changing how we all use Facebook.
Zuckerberg has predicted that these changes will likely reduce the time spent on Facebook, working against its immediate business interests. The day after the public announcement, his personal fortune fell $3.3 billion dollars. But he is confident that the time that is spent on Facebook will be more valuable, and that the change will prove a savvy business decision in the long run.
This is not a welcome change for brands that rely on Facebook for organic marketing or publishers who depend on Facebook as a primary means of content distribution. Pages will see metrics such as reach, video watch time, and referral traffic decrease dramatically, as their posts are shown less frequently and to fewer users. For example, organic Facebook views per video declined by 8% in the third quarter of 2017, and another 15% in the fourth.
This “mass deprioritization” has publishers rethinking their distribution strategies. NowThis, a producer of short-form video content published their content exclusively to Facebook until recently. However, as these changes dramatically reduce their ability to reach users, NowThis has recently reinstated their website. Buzzfeed, a publisher which also relies on Facebook for a hefty share of its readership, has responded to this change by running ads promoting their Buzzfeed mobile app in hopes of expanding the platforms on which their content is consumed. In a series of prescient moves over the past year, Slate has worked to reduce its dependence on the platform, revamping its newsletter, and investing in podcasts. It worked — Facebook has gone from providing 30% of Slate’s monthly traffic, to less than 10%.
And it’s not just content publishers which are taking note of how this change will shift strategy. For example, it has implications too for how political campaigns reach voters. Seasoned experts in the political campaign space are voicing the need for outreach that extends past a phone call or knock on the door. While meeting voters where they are and developing personal connections have always been at the core of the progressive campaign gospel, translating this engagement to Facebook — whether that means commenting on politically focused social media posts with ways to get involved or maintaining an active presence in local Facebook groups — will now likely prove more effective than ever.
Some publishers have gone to extreme measures to outsmart the algorithm. When Facebook announced the elevation of video content over still image posts, publishers without the capacity for video production had to get creative. Last July, one publisher posted what appeared to be a live video stream of a huge electrical storm. The stream lasted over 3 hours, driving 22 million views during that time. The catch? The video wasn’t a live stream at all, but rather a 5-second GIF repeating itself over and over for 3 hours. Other publishers have attempted to game the system by posting still images, largely memes, as videos. Facebook inevitably took note, and responded with a tweak to its algorithm to recognize still images posted as videos by flagging those that did not contain any moving elements. In the wake of this change, users started to notice what appear to be floating translucent triangles or arrows on top of the still image videos. These moving shapes represent the latest attempt to trick Facebook’s algorithm into treating these still images as videos and drive a higher reach.
Tricks like those will inevitably only work for a short time. Rather than playing cat and mouse with Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm, we recommend taking a longer view on how to earn the attention of your audience and maximize the reach of organic content. Post content that encourages active engagement from users, such as comments and shares. Skip a repost of a relevant long form article, and opt instead for posting authentic new photos, video content, or a live-streamed video. Put testimonials and comments from real people front and center to boost the human face of a page. Instead of a statement, integrate language that asks questions of those who see it, that sparks conversation.
In short, we’ll all need to work harder to develop an audience-first mentality when creating social media content. Ultimately, it has always been true that good content is content that makes people think, react, and engage. What is new is the penalty publishers will pay for failing to meet that criteria. Strategic changes can help publishers maximize organic reach in the face of this shift, but Facebook has made clear that no matter what, publisher content is no longer king.
Branded content, however, will continue to reign supreme in one area: Facebook’s digital advertising platform. The changes that Facebook has and will continue to make to the News Feed does not affect the process through which digital ads reach its users. In order to make up for lost reach of organic content, publishers should focus their efforts and their dollars on brand awareness and video views campaigns which most effectively drive up reach.
At Precision, our digital strategy and advertising teams work in close collaboration to strike the right balance between growing an organization’s audience and reach while meaningfully engaging those supporters online. This is surely not the last time that a seemingly minor shift in a social platform’s algorithm sends publishers and organizations spiraling into panic. It has become more important than ever that content distribution and digital strategy be dynamic, coordinated, and diverse.


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Poor customer service in the business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce sector threatens to undermine trust in the fast-growing industry, according to a study released Wednesday by Jupiter Media Metrix (Nasdaq: JMXI).
Much like their consumer counterparts, B2B customers expect rapid response to their e-mail inquiries but few get it, the study found.
Forty-one percent of B2B companies respond to customer e-mails within six hours, and only half of those responses provided satisfactory resolutions. About 65 percent answered e-mails within 24 hours, and 29 percent never responded.
“Slow and non-responsive companies are further eroding the opportunity to build trust in online relationships,” Jupiter analyst David Daniels said. “Businesses must realize that e-mail responsiveness forms perceptions of how committed a business is to customer service, which can be the distinguishing characteristic of how a buyer selects a supplier.”
Lack of Trust
However, Daniels noted that nearly half of all B2B buyers still do not use the Internet for purchasing, because they do not trust that the channel can deliver crucial goods and services on time.
Over time, sluggish e-mail answers will further “lower confidence in e-mail as a customer service channel,” Daniels said.
Jupiter said that two-thirds of B2B companies have toll-free customer support telephone numbers posted on their sites in case an e-mail response is not fast enough. Only 4 percent offer interactive chat options, such as instant messaging.
Find and Buy
Jupiter also found that 2 percent of B2B companies have sites that include search engines that make it easier for customers to find exactly what they want quickly.
Instead, most B2B companies employ static “frequently asked questions” links that provide lengthy lists of responses. Jupiter said that 70 percent of Web users will leave a site for good if they cannot find the information they want.
Daniels said that one innovative option would be to offer a customer-to-customer network, using customers who know a site well to answer other customers’ questions.
Jupiter recently issued a similar report on the quality of e-mail customer service in the business-to-consumer (B2C) or retail sector of e-commerce.
According to Jupiter, 38 percent of e-tailers respond to e-mail questions within six hours, which is how long the average customer now expects an answer to take.


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Press release | 11th July 2007
IDBS Renews Participation in SAFE-BioPharma Association's Vendor Partner Program
Guildford, UK, July 11, 2007 – IDBS, a leading Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) provider, today announced it has renewed its participation in the SAFE-BioPharma Association Vendor Partner Program. SAFE creates and manages the SAFE™ digital identity and digital signature standard used within the pharmaceutical industry.
IDBS was the first Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) vendor to join the SAFE Vendor Partner Program when it adopted the SAFE standard in 2006 as part of its E-WorkBook Suite. The company integrated the SAFE standard into its E-WorkBook Suite allowing scientists and others in the life science industry to capture, protect and exchange research data in a secure and compliant environment.
“IDBS is proud to be working with SAFE to provide an industry-leading ELN solution,” commented Neil Kipling, founder and CEO of IDBS. “Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly demanding robust, externally validated systems to deliver regulatory compliance and IP protection. IDBS has taken the lead in meeting this need through the implementation of the SAFE standard into the E-WorkBook Suite.”
“We are delighted that IDBS is reaffirming its commitment to the SAFE Vendor Partner Program,” said Mollie Shields-Uehling, president and CEO of SAFE-BioPharma Association. “IDBS is a valued participant in the expanding SAFE community, and will continue to play a key role in providing companies with a reliable method of IP protection and regulatory compliance.”
About SAFE-BioPharma Association
SAFE-BioPharma Association is the non-profit association that created and manages the SAFE™ digital identity and digital signature standard for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Through the SAFE standard, the association promotes interoperability and integration among researchers, vendors, regulators, clinicians and other pharmaceutical and healthcare stakeholders. The SAFE standard provides a secure, enforceable, and regulatory compliant way to verify the identities of parties involved in business-to-business and business-to-regulator electronic transactions. SAFE stands for “Signatures and Authentication For Everyone.” The Association’s founder-members include AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, and Sanofi-Aventis.
For more information, visit http://www.safe-biopharma.org.
SAFE™ is a trademark of SAFE-BioPharma Association. Any use of this trademark requires approval from SAFE-BioPharma Association.


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Apple has gained universal acclamation via a number of its products that have re-defined the world of mobile and handhelds in a dynamic way. And one of those devices surely have to Apple's own iPad offering, alongside the iPhones also arrving via the company. Now it seems like the iPad is set to become more affordable for Indian customers than ever.
According to reports, online retailer Amazon has currently listed the previously released Apple iPad 4 on its site. The site has listed the 64 GB WiFi version of the device for a mere Rs. 29,995, with the offer being fulfilled by Chroma chain of electronics.
And if you still consider the newly revamped price as too much, take note that the new price tag has been lowered from the device's original price which comes with a price tag of Rs. 40,000 and above.
The iPad 4, which was launched back in September 2012, is currently more than 18 months old, but due to the popularity of both Apple and the iPad range of devices in the market, the tablet still sells for a hefty price tag.
As far as the specifications for the iPad 4 are concerned, it is needed to be said that the device, although old, still offers some top notch specifications. The device comes with the Apple A6X processor with quad core PowerVR GPU.
The display size of the device is 9.7inches and it has a Retina display with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels, and likewise a pixel density of 264ppi. It also has a 5MP rear iSight camera along with a 1.2MP HD Facetime camera on the front for video calls.
Note that the deal is currently live, although there are massive chances that the deal might be over soon. Interested customers can head over to the product listing page on Amazon to grab the deal.


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Ford Motorexecutives told CNBC that the company is not considering bankruptcy protection as an option, and the decline in its stock price won't hurt its business plan.
These people, who wished to not be identified, said bankruptcy is not even under discussion, and the company has sufficient liquidity.
General Motors earlier in the day issued a statement denying it is considering a bankruptcy filing.
Ford said on Friday that Chief Financial Officer Don Leclair will retire effective November 1 and be replaced by the executive credited with leading the turnaround of its European operations.
The retirement comes at a time when Ford's stock is trading at a 26-year low and marks the first major leadership change at the company since it announced that it would step up the pace of its cost-cutting plans.
Leclair, 56, has served as CFO since 2003 and leaves Ford after 32 years. He will be succeeded by Lewis Booth, 59, who has been leading Ford's European operations and is seen as a potential successor to Chief Executive Alan Mulally.
Leclair was also the architect of Ford's $23 billion-plus borrowing initiative in late 2006 that executives and analysts have credited as giving it an important cash infusion at a time when U.S. auto industry sales have plunged to a 15-year low.
Ford pledged essentially all of its remaining assets to complete the loan, including its familiar blue oval logo.
Booth was named to lead Ford of Europe in 2005 and had served as leader of the company's former premier auto group that included the Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover brands that were sold off as well as its current Volvo brand.
(Ford CEO rules out bankruptcy. Watch the accompanying video for more...)
Ford also named John Fleming, 57, executive vice president, chairman and CEO of Ford Europe to succeed Booth. Fleming will report directly to Mulally.
—CNBC's Phil LeBeau and Reuters contributed to this story.


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It seems the UK is also experiencing similar issues with iCloud as the US, though in the UK, it’s likely that fewer users would be impacted since it’s after business hours. For anyone trying to get some personal work done, however, the outage is likely to be just as frustrating.
The major services that appear to be hit are iCloud mail, which Apple reports as a total outage, with some partial outages being reported for other apps.
Ok, who broke iCloud? https://t.co/xDlfldtKpL pic.twitter.com/nzRTtPzftOJanuary 30, 2024
Users have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express their frustration with the iCloud outage, with Downdetector reporting at least 1,499 reports of trouble as of 4:06PM EST.
Anyone else having trouble with @apple #iCloud mail? 😕 sos I’m unreachable 😏January 30, 2024
Apple iCloud services are down for at least some of TechRadar’s US staff, with widespread reports online from frustrated users who cannot access Apple’s iCloud email server.