text:
SINGAPORE -- According to a new report from McKinsey & Company, smartphones and high speed Internet access are transforming banking habits in Asia where over 700 million people already regularly conduct transactions online.
"Consumers of financial services are turning to computers, smartphones and tablets more often to do business with their banks, while visiting branches and calling service hotlines less frequently," McKinsey reported.
In a survey of 16,000 financial consumers in 13 markets, the multinational consulting firm found a 33% rate of digital banking penetration among urban consumers in emerging economies, including China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, compared to only 10% in the same survey in 2011.
In developed markets - Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan - the penetration figure was 92% in 2014, up 33% from 2011.
Banks see plenty of room for growth in emerging markets, while customers throughout the region are increasingly selecting their banks on the basis of the digital services on offer.
In all markets, the surge in online banking is largely being driven by increasingly sophisticated smartphones and a much stronger digital banking "ecosystem".
In developed markets, 61% of the respondents had experience of mobile banking compared to only 19% in 2011. For emerging Asia, there was a fivefold increase over the same period to 26%.
The report found 72% of respondents in developed economies receptive to the idea of banking fully online without branches, and 44% in emerging markets.
Banks in the region are racing to enhance their online services. Last month in Indonesia, Bank Mandiri and Bank Rakyat Indonesia launched "branchless" banking systems for rural customers who lack access to banks in their localities.
Banks developing such systems typically appoint representatives such as business people and teachers as agents to handle new customers, who can then check balances and make transfers on mobile devices.
Singaporean banks have been working to improve the convenience and security. Last month, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (OCBC) launched biometric authentication on their mobile banking app for Apple devices. Users can check their balances with a touch of the finger rather than keying in access codes and PINs.


text:
At its Computex 2019 keynote in Taipei, American semiconductor company AMD announced the world’s first 7nm desktop CPU with the launch of its third-generation Ryzen CPUs alongside the Radeon RX 5000-series GPUs. The new range of Ryzen CPUs will start for $199 (approx. Rs 13,800).
Third Generation AMD Ryzen CPUs
Built on a 7nm process, the AMD has launched the Ryzen 9 family of processors with the top-end Ryzen 9 3900X features 12 cores and 24 threads with a power rating of 105W TDP. The high-end Ryzen 9 process it will have a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a boost clock of 4.6 GHz. In a Blender demo, AMD says the new 3900x finished about 18 percent more quickly than Intel’s Core i9-9920x.
AMD also showed off the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 7 3800X CPUs, both featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. The 3700X manages to achieve a base speed of 3.6GHz and a boost speed of 4.4GHz while the 3800X comes with base and boost speeds of 3.9GHz and 4.5GHz respectively.
Starting prices for the Ryzen 3700x, Ryzen 3800x and Ryzen 3900x are $329 (approx. Rs 22,850), $399 (approx. Rs 27,700) and $499 (approx. Rs 34,650) respectively. There’s also a low-end Ryzen 3600 with 6 cores and 12 threads which will start selling for $199 (approx. Rs 13,800).
AMD Radeon RX 5000 series Navi GPUs
At the same Computex 2019 event, AMD also took the wrappers off its first 7nm Navi consumer GPU’s which will be labelled under Radeon RX 5000 series cards. The first graphics card to come inside the lineup is the Radeon RX 5700 which is AMD’s take on Nvidia’s mid-range GPUs like the RTX 2070.
The Navi series is powered by a new microarchitecture named as RDNA (or Radeon DNA) which replaces the existing GCN architecture. There’s a new compute engine design with streamlined graphics and multi-level cache hierarchy that offers faster clock speeds at lower powers.
AMD says the Radeon RX 5700 cards are expected to go on sale in July.

domain: news


text:
The LG G3 is already available in Korea, which is LG's homeland, but we still don't have it over here in the US just yet. Although that should change in the next few weeks. We saw a few accessories for the LG G3 which were for wireless charging – qi wireless charging to be specific. But according to The Verge, it appears that the US and Korean variants will not have wireless charging capabilities. Which kind of sucks. Especially for those of us that already have a ton of wireless chargers laying around the house. It makes it much easier to keep our phone charged up.
It appears that the reason why we don't have wireless charging here in the US is due to the carriers. It's evidently part of LG's agreement with the carriers in those countries to not include Qi Wireless charging. Which is bogus, in my opinion. However, LG has gotten around this, kind of like how Samsung has. With the QuickCircle flip-cover case, the LG G3 will get wireless charging. So it's not the end of the world, but for those of us that don't like flip covers, it does suck. However, I'm sure there will be some backs for the G3 that will enable it since it does have a removable back cover to remove the battery, microSD and micro SIM cards.
So while the LG G3 did fail to get another check on the checklist for the best device, it's still fixable, much like how Samsung's devices get wireless charging. And as much grief as we give Samsung about buying an extra back cover for wireless charging, we'll be doing the same for LG. Although we may give more grief to the carriers if this is part of the agreement, as I'm sure that Samsung's agreement is similar.


text:
|By PR Newswire||
|November 13, 2012 12:01 AM EST||
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Revel Systems, the leader in iPad point-of-sale (POS) solutions, today announced two new retail customers as well as feature updates to its Retail POS solution and the introduction of the new Revel Retail Inventory Module for retail customers. Goodwill Industries has replaced its previous point-of-sale system in 22 Goodwill stores throughout the state of Florida, while iPad accessory giant Belkin (www.Belkin.com) has also installed Revel Systems iPad POS in its retail store located in Los Angeles' Westfield Mall.
"Belkin reached out to Revel for a POS system for our first retail mall store this summer after a less than satisfactory experience with another vendor," said Maureen Lewis, director of retail operations for Belkin. "The personalized service has been stellar and custom solutions really have made running the business effortless. The staff is happy with the ease of the system, and I love the fact that I can check transactions and sales anywhere on my iPad, laptop and (soon) phone."
Goodwill Industries has also purchased Revel Systems' retail POS solution in 23 stores across Florida. The customized solution with detailed inventory control features provides the benefits of a full-scale enterprise POS solution at less than half the cost of Goodwill's previous solution.
Revel Intros Variable Pricing to iPad POS Space
The updated version of Revel's Retail iPad POS solution includes enhanced customization features developed specifically with retail customers in mind. New to this version, Revel Systems has introduced the very first variable pricing and variable weight pricing feature on any iPad POS solution that allows retailers to accommodate multiple-item purchases or multiple weighted items at a discount easier than ever before. At less than half the price of other legacy POS systems, Revel Systems' cloud-based nature also allows for the greatest level of individual customer customization on the market so that retailers can work with exactly the system they need to conduct business at their best without the hassle of dealing with an in-house IT team and back-office server.
Also new to this version is the Revel Retail Inventory Module. The inventory module is compatible with iPhone, iTouch and iPad Mini and allows users to update, change and print labels for inventory in real time. To maintain inventory, the system will also send customizable alerts for low inventory, etc. and allow users to place orders for new inventory directly from the iOS device. As part of the inventory module, Revel Systems has also partnered with Honeywell's Bluetooth barcode scanner for mobile scanning. The Honeywell handheld scanner is compatible with Apple iTouch.
Revel Retail POS also allows customers to:
- Process credits, exchanges and returns
- Track sales summary reports by employee for easy commission management
- Integrate with QuickBooks and other accounting software
- Integrate directly with Bluetooth barcode scanner
- Track customer order history, contact information and house accounts
- Search for items by name, SKU, category, and more
- Manage inventory, product costing and set threshold alerts
- Access the Revel's Marketplace to directly access third party apps and plug-ins like Facebook, Groupon and more straight from the POS system to optimize functionality and increase ROI of the system
For more information about the Revel Systems Retail POS, please visit www.revelsystems.com.
About Revel Systems
Revel Systems seeks to deliver quick, powerful and intuitive solutions that move the point-of-sale industry away from antiquated and overpriced legacy point-of-sale solutions and into the iPad era. Using sleek, cutting-edge technology, Revel Systems is disrupting how point-of-sale systems are developed and utilized by their end customers, restaurant, retail and supermarket establishments. Founded by Stanford graduate CEO Lisa Falzone and CTO Chris Ciabarra, Revel Systems is the leader in iPad point-of-sale technology. For more information visit www.revelsystems.com. Join the REVELution!
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.
SOURCE Revel Systems
IoT is at the core or many Digital Transformation initiatives with the goal of re-inventing a company's business model. We all agree that collecting relevant IoT data will result in massive amounts of data needing to be stored. However, with the rapid development of IoT devices and ongoing business model transformation, we are not able to predict the volume and growth of IoT data. And with the lack of IoT history, traditional methods of IT and infrastructure planning based on the past do not app...
Jan. 20, 2017 10:45 PM EST Reads: 854
WebRTC is bringing significant change to the communications landscape that will bridge the worlds of web and telephony, making the Internet the new standard for communications. Cloud9 took the road less traveled and used WebRTC to create a downloadable enterprise-grade communications platform that is changing the communication dynamic in the financial sector. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Leo Papadopoulos, CTO of Cloud9, discussed the importance of WebRTC and how it enables companies to focus o...
Jan. 20, 2017 08:45 PM EST Reads: 4,363
The Internet of Things can drive efficiency for airlines and airports. In their session at @ThingsExpo, Shyam Varan Nath, Principal Architect with GE, and Sudip Majumder, senior director of development at Oracle, discussed the technical details of the connected airline baggage and related social media solutions. These IoT applications will enhance travelers' journey experience and drive efficiency for the airlines and the airports.
Jan. 20, 2017 05:45 PM EST Reads: 2,094
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing IoT strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @ThingsExpo 2016 in New York. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is as "IoT-Ready" as it can be! Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, is co-located with 20th Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry p...
Jan. 20, 2017 05:15 PM EST Reads: 3,806
"LinearHub provides smart video conferencing, which is the Roundee service, and we archive all the video conferences and we also provide the transcript," stated Sunghyuk Kim, CEO of LinearHub, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 20, 2017 03:00 PM EST Reads: 1,654
Things are changing so quickly in IoT that it would take a wizard to predict which ecosystem will gain the most traction. In order for IoT to reach its potential, smart devices must be able to work together. Today, there are a slew of interoperability standards being promoted by big names to make this happen: HomeKit, Brillo and Alljoyn. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Adam Justice, vice president and general manager of Grid Connect, will review what happens when smart devices don’t work togethe...
Jan. 20, 2017 02:15 PM EST Reads: 626
"There's a growing demand from users for things to be faster. When you think about all the transactions or interactions users will have with your product and everything that is between those transactions and interactions - what drives us at Catchpoint Systems is the idea to measure that and to analyze it," explained Leo Vasiliou, Director of Web Performance Engineering at Catchpoint Systems, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York Ci...
Jan. 20, 2017 01:30 PM EST Reads: 5,734
The 20th International Cloud Expo has announced that its Call for Papers is open. Cloud Expo, to be held June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, brings together Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, DevOps, Containers, Microservices and WebRTC to one location. With cloud computing driving a higher percentage of enterprise IT budgets every year, it becomes increasingly important to plant your flag in this fast-expanding business opportunity. Submit your speaking proposal ...
Jan. 20, 2017 01:30 PM EST Reads: 5,239
Discover top technologies and tools all under one roof at April 24–28, 2017, at the Westin San Diego in San Diego, CA. Explore the Mobile Dev + Test and IoT Dev + Test Expo and enjoy all of these unique opportunities: The latest solutions, technologies, and tools in mobile or IoT software development and testing. Meet one-on-one with representatives from some of today's most innovative organizations
Jan. 20, 2017 12:30 PM EST Reads: 1,657
20th Cloud Expo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy.
Jan. 20, 2017 12:30 PM EST Reads: 4,349
WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web communications world. The 6th WebRTC Summit continues our tradition of delivering the latest and greatest presentations within the world of WebRTC. Topics include voice calling, video chat, P2P file sharing, and use cases that have already leveraged the power and convenience of WebRTC.
Jan. 20, 2017 12:30 PM EST Reads: 3,191
SYS-CON Events announced today that Super Micro Computer, Inc., a global leader in Embedded and IoT solutions, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology, is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions® for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/Big Data, HPC and E...
Jan. 20, 2017 12:15 PM EST Reads: 5,840
WebRTC sits at the intersection between VoIP and the Web. As such, it poses some interesting challenges for those developing services on top of it, but also for those who need to test and monitor these services. In his session at WebRTC Summit, Tsahi Levent-Levi, co-founder of testRTC, reviewed the various challenges posed by WebRTC when it comes to testing and monitoring and on ways to overcome them.
Jan. 20, 2017 10:45 AM EST Reads: 6,094
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place June 6-8, 2017 at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, is co-located with the 20th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. @ThingsExpo New York Call for Papers is now open.
Jan. 20, 2017 10:45 AM EST Reads: 3,709
DevOps is being widely accepted (if not fully adopted) as essential in enterprise IT. But as Enterprise DevOps gains maturity, expands scope, and increases velocity, the need for data-driven decisions across teams becomes more acute. DevOps teams in any modern business must wrangle the ‘digital exhaust’ from the delivery toolchain, "pervasive" and "cognitive" computing, APIs and services, mobile devices and applications, the Internet of Things, and now even blockchain. In this power panel at @...
Jan. 20, 2017 09:45 AM EST Reads: 2,937
WebRTC services have already permeated corporate communications in the form of videoconferencing solutions. However, WebRTC has the potential of going beyond and catalyzing a new class of services providing more than calls with capabilities such as mass-scale real-time media broadcasting, enriched and augmented video, person-to-machine and machine-to-machine communications. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Luis Lopez, CEO of Kurento, introduced the technologies required for implementing these idea...
Jan. 20, 2017 08:30 AM EST Reads: 4,770
Buzzword alert: Microservices and IoT at a DevOps conference? What could possibly go wrong? In this Power Panel at DevOps Summit, moderated by Jason Bloomberg, the leading expert on architecting agility for the enterprise and president of Intellyx, panelists peeled away the buzz and discuss the important architectural principles behind implementing IoT solutions for the enterprise. As remote IoT devices and sensors become increasingly intelligent, they become part of our distributed cloud enviro...
Jan. 20, 2017 08:15 AM EST Reads: 4,964
"A lot of times people will come to us and have a very diverse set of requirements or very customized need and we'll help them to implement it in a fashion that you can't just buy off of the shelf," explained Nick Rose, CTO of Enzu, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jan. 20, 2017 08:15 AM EST Reads: 4,726
The WebRTC Summit New York, to be held June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, announces that its Call for Papers is now open. Topics include all aspects of improving IT delivery by eliminating waste through automated business models leveraging cloud technologies. WebRTC Summit is co-located with 20th International Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo. WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web co...
Jan. 20, 2017 07:15 AM EST Reads: 2,985
In his keynote at @ThingsExpo, Chris Matthieu, Director of IoT Engineering at Citrix and co-founder and CTO of Octoblu, focused on building an IoT platform and company. He provided a behind-the-scenes look at Octoblu’s platform, business, and pivots along the way (including the Citrix acquisition of Octoblu).
Jan. 20, 2017 07:00 AM EST Reads: 9,089


text:
FoodFirst Global Restaurants, Inc., a newly formed restaurant company, announced the launch of an updated Italian Mediterranean-inspired menu at all of its Bravo Cucina Italiana locations.
Shula’s Restaurant Group is celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month by donating 50 cents of each cheesecake slice sold at any Shula’s Steak House or 347 Grille by Coach Shula in October, benefiti
Tupelo Honey, the Asheville, North Carolina-based Southern kitchen and bar with 14 locations across seven states, will continue the expansion of the beloved restaurant with six new locations to ope
To honor the legendary Loretta Lynn for blazing a trail for women in country music, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store named the icon its 2019 Cracker Barrel Country Legend Award recipient.
In honor of National Lobster Day on Wednesday, September 25, Red Lobster is celebrating its namesake by offering guests a 1.25 lb lobster for $19.99.
National Pasta and Pizza Month are one and the same (October) and it’s right around the corner.
110 Grill announces its latest expansion, opening the doors to its 26th location in Wrentham, Massachusetts, on Friday, September 20, 2019.
Pioneering plant-based foods company Follow Your Heart and pizza joint Mellow Mushroom are teaming up for an exciting promotion that celebrates quality, plant-based ingredients and vegan pizza in a
Brinker International announced September 23 that Ellie Doty was named senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Chili's Grill & Bar.


text:
The 2023 Indonesia Jimny Festival (IJF), sponsored by PT Gajah Tunggal Tbk, has made a momentous mark in the Indonesian automotive industry. The event, held at the Sentul Bogor Circuit on June 17-18, 2023, set a new MURI (Indonesian World Record Museum) Track Day Record for the highest number of a single type and brand of car - an impressive 465 units of Suzuki Jimny, spanning from generation 1 to 4.
The record-breaking event was witnessed by the Chairman of Central IMI, Bambang Soesatyo, and Commissioner of the Indomobil Group, Subronto Laras. Both expressed their admiration for the IJF's organization, which managed to gather hundreds of Jimny owners within a month. Interestingly, a number of die-hard Jimny owners are loyalists of GT Radial, using the legendary GT Radial Savero MT and Savero Komodo MT Plus tires. These 465 units took to the Sentul Circuit track, contributing to the new MURI Record. Prior to this, 15 Jimny cars with racing specifications had been exhibited on the race track for three rounds.
The IJF 2023 was also recognized as part of the Offroad Activities with the Founders, a tribute to Syamsir Alam and Askar Kartiwa. Syamsir Alam and Askar Kartiwa are legendary figures in the Indonesian off-road community, known for their significant contributions and passion for the sport. Their dedication has inspired many off-road enthusiasts and has played a crucial role in the growth of the off-road scene in Indonesia.
Supported by the Sentul International Circuit Management, the event attracted hundreds of Suzuki Jimny participants from various regions and their national communities. The festival sparked immense enthusiasm from activists and automotive enthusiasts alike, offering a range of engaging events including entertainment sessions, contests, and display booths for Suzuki Jimny accessories and parts.


text:
Italian luxury brand Gucci recently unveiled their latest collection of dandy suits and fancy bags paired with some reeeally familiar-looking sneakers
Here are some close-ups of the sneakers. Just... look at them for a moment:
We don't know about you, but those Gucci sneakers totally look like the not-so-white shoes we used to wear to school...
... And we're certainly not the only ones who think so. Several Malaysians actually pointed out the resemblance in reply to a Twitter post about the new high fashion kicks:
WHERE IS THE LIE THO?
Gucci's new sneakers from the Cruise 2018 collection (left) and, er, unwashed school shoes (right).
The Gucci school shoes are not officially on sale yet, but you can expect it to go for a four-figure price tag, judging from the price range of their current sneakers collection
Would you spend thousands of ringgit on Gucci's new sneakers? Let us know why (or why not) in the comments section below! :p


text:
The Galaxy S8 may not be able to beat the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s in speed tests, but it still delivers remarkable performance. The phone is the first one to offer users new 10nm chips from Qualcomm and Samsung, the same kind of chip technology that will be found in various other flagship handsets this year, including the iPhone 8. But chip manufacturing process is only part of the story. Sure the smaller chips get the more efficient and the faster they become, but these mobile chips are all based on ARM designs. So whenever ARM releases new chip designs, it’s good news for smartphone lovers.
ARM did exactly that at Computex — it announced a couple of new processors that are likely going to power next year’s phones, including the Galaxy S9 that Samsung is already working on.
These chips are the ARM Cortex-A75 that will likely be used by Qualcomm, Samsung, TSMC, and others to create flagship mobile chips, and the Cortex-A55 that will power many of the future mid-range handsets. Finally, there’s also a new Mali-G72 graphics processor for next year’s phones.
As expected, all these chips are more efficient and faster than previous iterations. But ARM’s new silicon is getting ready to embrace the future. That means the company optimized its new chips for machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), which are going to become core technologies for smartphone makers, if they don’t already are.
One interesting evolution of ARM’s chip designs is the new Dynamiq CPU that affects big.Little technology going forward. In the past, device makers would have to pair a similar number of big cores with small cores. That’s how you end up with eight-core designs such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 in the Galaxy S8.
Going forward, Dynamiq will let companies mix and match the big and little cores as they see fit. Future eight-core chips may feature one big core and seven small ones, a design that could offer increased efficiency and reduce costs.
The Cortex-A75 chip offers double-figure performance across the board, according to The Verge. That means 22% better than the A73, 16% higher memory throughput, and a 34% bump in Geekbench scores. The chip is 20% faster in single-core use, and it’s optimized for future Windows-based laptops that will be built on ARM devices.
The A55 will also be faster than its predecessor, with ARM expecting a 10-30% improvement, up to 15% better power efficiency, and up to 18% faster single-thread performance.
Finally, the Mali-G72 is supposed to be 17% better than the G71 in ML benchmarks. The GPU is 25% more energy efficient than its predecessor, and offers 20% better performance density.
The first chip designs based on ARM’s latests innovations are expected to hit the market next year, and we definitely expect the Galaxy S9 to be one of the devices that will make use of ARM’s new chips.


text:
Amazon ties up with Indian Railways to transport essential items via 'COVID-19 Parcel Special Trains'; move likely to boost deliveries during lockdown
Amazon India has tied up with the Indian Railways for the transportation of consignments via 'COVID-19 Parcel Special Trains' across the country during the coronavirus lockdown
Coronavirus Outbreak: Grofers to hire 5,000 people over two weeks; will ramp up capacity to meet spike in orders
Online grocery platform Grofers is looking at hiring 5,000 employees to ramp up its capacity to meet the spike in orders amid the nationwide lockdown
Coronavirus Outbreak: BigBasket to hire 10,000 people for warehouses, delivery to clear pending orders quickly
Online grocery platform BigBasket is looking at hiring 10,000 people for its warehouses and last-mile delivery to clear pending orders quickly and meet the spike in orders on account of the nationwide lockdown
Flipkart onboards 27,000 kirana shops to strengthen last mile delivery ahead of upcoming festive season
Walmart-owned Flipkart on Monday said it has onboarded nearly 27,000 'kirana' shops across 700 cities to strengthen its pan-India supply chain ahead of the upcoming festive season
Woman dies while trying to deliver own baby while watching birthing video in Uttar Pradesh’s Bilandpur
A 25-year-old unmarried woman died while attempting to deliver a baby alone in her rented room at Uttar Pradesh’s Bilandpur, police said
Watch Dr Velumani of Thyrocare talk about what care mothers should take of themselves.
In this episode, author Meghna Pant talks to doctors about labour and delivery, and how the thought of delivery and labour pains gives all women nightmares.
In this episode, author Meghna Pant talks to doctors, who’ve guided thousands of women through labour, about what a woman can expect during delivery, whether C-section is better than natural delivery and the secret to bearing labour pain.
On-demand food delivery, only a publicity tool and no substantial profits say some US restaurant owners
On-demand food delivery has exploded in the last few years, with more than three dozen startups getting initial funding since 2011.
Flipkart has is said to have shut down its customer-to-customer courier service after nine months of its launch.
The CBI on Wednesday said it has registererd a fresh case against seven persons for allegedly cheating digital wallet Paytm to the tune of Rs 3.2 lakh after receiving a complaint from its parent company.
Amazon.com Inc on Thursday said high spending on warehouses and video production would drag on profits in the holiday quarter, disappointing investors who are weary of roller coaster results from the e-commerce giant and sending its shares down 6 percent.
Facebook introduced new features to allow you to order food, request a spa appointment and even book movie tickets with your friends' recommendations.
After three decades running McDonald's Corp restaurants, Tony Plunkett thought he knew everything about flipping burgers for a profit, and last year went out on his own with a start-up franchise in the Australian city of Melbourne.
Flipkart, India's largest e-commerce marketplace has emerged at the top of a recent consumer study conducted by Red Seer Consulting research firm.
The world's cheapest smartphone at Rs 251, Freedom 251 (less than $4) is here, finally. Its makers, the Noida-based startup Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd, say they have made it possible despite allegations from various quarters that such a phone would not see the light of the day.
With e-commerce rapidly growing in India, a survey has said that 94 per cent people want to be part of any initiative for re-cycling of packaging material and contribute to the cleanliness campaign.
Amazon plans to start deliveries of fresh food in Berlin in coming months, a magazine reported on Thursday, as the ecommerce giant extends its foray into groceries beyond its home market.
Snapdeal-backed PepperTap has decided to shut down its cash-burning grocery delivery operations and instead focus on expanding its logistics business.


text:
New research predicts time of use pricing will increase consumer energy costs
National body questions claims that smart meters will reduce energy consumption in peak times
New research by The Australia Institute shows that ‘time of use pricing’ facilitated by smart meters is likely to drive up household energy costs.
Electricity companies and regulators have pushed for higher electricity prices at peak times, as well as higher ‘shoulder’ periods. In theory, this incentivises households to move their energy consumption to times of the day when it is cheaper for companies to provide it.
- An average household of four that cannot adapt its electricity consumption faces, under time of use charging, increased cost of $429 per year.
- Even if the household can move 30% of its peak electricity consumption to shoulder usage it still faces an electricity bill of $231, or 10.2% higher than under the flat rate tariff.
“After adapting to a decade or more of very high price increases many households have exhausted their capacity to cut electricity consumption or change their time of electricity use,’’ says David Richardson, Senior Research Fellow at The Australia Institute.
“Electricity companies pushing for time of use pricing claim it will help reduce electricity use in high-demand periods but analysis of the NEM shows that demand for electricity in Australia is inelastic and, even with a large increase in price, usage won’t go down much.
“Demand response actually pays consumers to shift their consumption, and is widely used in Queensland and overseas. Companies could also subsidise household solar panels and battery storage to reduce peak demand.”


text:
With a slogan “we want bread, not smart city,” over 6,000 street vendors of Ranchi shut their shops on Thursday to participate in a procession against the proposed Smart City in the city and non-rehabilitation of evicted vendors of MG Road, known as Main Road.
“State government faces no difficulty in getting land for the proposed Smart City. But when it comes to identifying vending zone to rehabilitate evicted hawkers, government faces problems,” said National Hawkers Association (NHA) general secretary, Shaktiman Ghosh, who led the procession.
NHF additional general secretary Anita Das said, “The civic body in association with the Ranchi Footpath Dukandaar Sangh identified five locations as temporary vending zone. But not a single hawker was rehabilitated.”


text:
Published March 12, 2018
Ten years ago, Matt, Shawn and Tony Lang established the Lang Restaurant Group to execute restaurant concepts like Steel City Samiches Bar & Grille in Indiana, PA and Pig Iron Public House in Cranberry. This spring, the three brothers will take their restaurant industry knowledge on the road when they open Pittsburgh Food Truck Park along the Allegheny River in Millvale’s Riverfront Park.
“It’s a steady way to approach food trucks, rather than customers stumbling on them at events or chasing down their favorite truck,” says Matt Lang, who co-owns the food truck park — Pittsburgh’s first — with Shawn and Tony.
The park will feature a daily rotation of mobile food vendors, a beer garden showcasing Pennsylvania brews and a bar highlighting local spirits from Wigle Whiskey, Boyd & Blair Vodka and Maggie’s Farm Rum.
It’s set to open on Friday, April 6, for what the trio calls its “construction series” — a soft opening on weekends through April. Extended weekend hours, plus hours on Thursdays, will begin in May. By summer’s end, Lang says, the goal is to open the park four to five days a week with an average of five trucks for each lunch and dinner shift.
The trucks will come from all over Pittsburgh, and they hope the customers will, too. One goal is to attract new people to the Millvale food and drink scene. “We’re from Millvale,” says Lang. “We want to benefit the Millvale community as much as possible.”
He envisions the park as a “large, outdoor hangout space” where people can gather before a night out at destinations like Grist House Craft Brewery and Strange Roots Experimental Ales (formerly Draai Laag Brewing), just blocks away.
But, he adds, everyone is welcome. “This is intended to be a family-friendly experience from start to finish.”
Expect more than food: Live music and outdoor games are among the park’s family-friendly activities, and the owners anticipate partnering with community groups for yoga and biking events, music festivals and more.
“We want to come across as more approachable than the average brewery or bar,” says Lang who adds that the park will also be dog-friendly.
Lang thinks the park will come to represent an “overall taste of Pittsburgh” for locals and out-of-towners alike. Ultimately, he hopes, when people have guests, “The first thought will be to take them to the food park.”
Being top-of-mind is a boon to the food vendors, too, according to Shawn Lang.
“We’ve been to other food truck parks across the country,” he says, “and the truck owners have told us that they do twice as much business in a consistent space than when they’re on their own.”
Vendors are thinking the same way: T. Adam Woods believes a consistent location will provide a predictable income stream for Brisketburgh, the truck he’s owned and operated since October 2017. Along with brisket, his truck serves buttery biscuits and sides, including sesame green beans and mac and cheese made from scratch.
Beyond income, Woods thinks the park will help food truck owners build on their sense of camaraderie.
“One of the surprises of starting this business,” says Woods, “is what a strong community exists among food truck owners and how welcoming and helpful that has been.”
Benjamin Dougherty says his food truck has a devoted following, but he believes having a central, permanent location will make the park a popular destination.
“The people want it,” says Dougherty, who opened the Pittsburgh Po’Boy truck in the spring of 2016, after a stint at the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District. “A lot of other cities have these, and I’m asked all the time: ‘When Pittsburgh?'”
Dougherty’s offerings include a range of Cajun and Creole food, including po’boys and gumbo.
Besides Brisketburgh and Pittsburgh Po’Boy, featured vendors on opening weekend will include Pittsburgh Pierogi Truck, Mac & Gold (a rotating menu of homemade mac and cheese recipes) and Cousins Maine Lobster (luscious lobster rolls and more). Local bands including Sweaty Already String Band and Nameless in August will perform.
“I’m pumped for the new food park,” says Dougherty. “Beer, food trucks and music? It’s a no-brainer.”
Photos courtesy of Benjamin Dougherty.


text:
The next generation of the Ford Mustang has recently leaked in what appear to be some clay models, revealing part of their final design.
We have recently spoken about the engine lineup which will make its way under the hood of the next generation Ford Mustang, but nothing about its exterior design, just yet. The North American based automaker has mentioned that the muscle car will get a more global design but judging by the images posted below, it seems that the company won’t go too far from its roots, with this model. The images in question have been taken at Ford’s design studio recently, but keep in mind that the final production version might be quite different.
Initial rumors are saying that the next generation of the Ford Mustang will get an EcoBoost engine under its hood, on its two main markets, the United States and Europe, which should help future owners pay cheaper taxes. Fuel consumption will also be severely improved thanks to these changes, along with the CO2 emissions. The EcoBoost engine in question is expected to be the same one from the Focus ST, which will get an increased displacement, from 2.0 to 2.3 liters, along with more power, to a total of 300 HP (220 kW). The next generation of the Ford Mustang should make its way onto the market next year.


text:
Microsoft is getting ready to launch a new version of its Internet search engine. The software giant will roll out its latest effort next week, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Microsoft plans to offer its first public demonstration of the new search engine at the D: All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, Calif. The Journal organizes that annual conference.
"Microsoft will demo the new engine and the new brand will be known by the D conference," confirmed Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence. "But the engine probably won't be live for the public until somewhat later, perhaps the first week of June. This is my speculation, not official timing notification."
Taking Kumo Live
The Journal reports Microsoft has been testing the new search engine, code-named Kumo, internally for months. It aims to organize search results better so consumers can spend less time clicking around Web pages looking for answers.
Details about Kumo emerged in an internal memo that was leaked in March. Satya Nadella, head of research at Microsoft's online services division, sent the memo via e-mail with the subject line "Internal Search Test Experience."
Nadella's memo contained with some compelling statistics. According to his research, in spite of the progress made by search engines, 40 percent of queries go unanswered. What's more, he reported, half of queries are about searchers returning to previous tasks and 46 percent of search sessions are longer than 20 minutes. His conclusion: Customers often don't find what they need from search.
"We believe we can provide a better and more useful search experience that helps you not just search but accomplish tasks. During the test, features will vary by country, but you'll see results organized in a way that saves you more time," Nadella wrote. "An explorer pane on the left side of results pages will give you access to tools that help you with your tasks. Other features like single-session history and hover preview help accomplish more in search sessions."
Microsoft ranks a distant third in the search-engine wars. Nearly 65 percent of the searches conducted in April were on Google, according to comScore. Yahoo placed second in the monthly rankings at 20.4 percent, while Microsoft came in third with 8.2 percent. Beyond the top three, IAC/Interactive's Ask.com and Time Warner's AOL ranked fourth and fifth with under five percent of the total searches in April.
With no Yahoo search-engine deal in place as the second quarter nears an end, Microsoft is hoping Kumo helps it gain some ground from the competition. Sterling is watching to see how the market will respond to Microsoft's latest innovation.
"I've been using the engine, and it's definitely an improvement over Live Search. What will be as interesting as the launch itself will be to see how Microsoft tries to position and market the search engine," Sterling said. "There's a fascinating challenge there for the company in going up against Google. It's a little like Pepsi vs Coke."


text:
Police are looking for the five people in this Preston “Rogues Gallery” after three brazen thefts in the city.
The most audacious crime saw an Asian woman in flowing robes and a hijab steal one of the latest all-in-one computers worth almost £1,000 from a store by hiding it under her clothing.
Accompanied by another female and a male, both also described as Asian and “well-dressed,” the woman calmly placed the 23-inch touchscreen in a special harness under her robes before walking out of PC World in Blackpool Road, Deepdale. The theft happened on April 2.
A police spokesman said: “An Asian male was seen to enter the store and unplug the stolen display monitor.
Then the three people in the picture enter the shop and walk around for a while.
The male then picked the monitor up and the larger of the two ladies pulled up her robes and placed it in some form of adapted harness. The younger female was seen to be assisting her and keeping her covered.”
The stolen computer is an HP Pavilion TouchSmart 23-F311EA All-In-One which has a 23-inch display.
It normally retails at £949.99.
In the second incident a man in a checked shirt got away with cash from the Tesco Express store in Tulketh Mill, Blackpool Road, after deceiving two members of staff into giving him both change and his original £20 note.
The third theft happened when a teenage boy left a bag with an X-Box in the upstairs of McDonald’s restaurant in Friargate.
When he returned minutes later the bag had gone.
Cameras identified a young heavily-built male leaving the premises with the bag.
Anyone who recognises any of the people in the “Rogues Gallery” or has any information can contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or on www.crimestoppers-uk.org.


text:
COVID-19 is one of the worst pandemics that the world has witnessed. The situation has forced people to stay indoors and business to bring down shutters, reducing savings and huge losses. A few companies sensed that they need to take action, with immediate effect. The most popular choice was picking a digital transformation company that could help them conduct business even during lockdown times.
As offices were closed for an indefinite period and the staff moved to a remote location, companies started looking for digital transformation services, much more than ever. As many businesses started operating digitally, the employees are looking towards working from home permanently. Lockdown has forced people to access the required services and products through apps, websites and other latest technologies. As people start realizing that their selective decision works in their favour, they prefer to stick with it, even after easing out COVID-19 restrictions.
Repercussions of Digital Transformation
‘McKinsey Global Survey of executives’ share that a few companies have enhanced the use of technology for customer and supply-chain interactions, and other internal operations. The demand for digital and digitally-enabled products has seen a surge, which people expected to happen somewhere the past five years. Companies further share that even temporary solutions have excelled well to meet new demands, much faster than expectations. It has also forced organizations to invest in product design and development that would ensure long-lasting results. They could bring in more sales.
Changes Brought In By COVID-19
Customer’s shift towards online channels exorbitantly is the one of the significant change brought by the world pandemic. The encouraging thing is that most companies have accepted the change positively. The SME digital transformation to interact with customers has aided in reducing face-to-face interactions. Such measures safeguard customer and employee health and well-being. Consumer-facing applications such as grocery and food delivery services, business-to-business e-commerce applications, and applications related to video-conferencing has helped the consumer and business worlds. The accelerated adoption of digital technologies has brought in several changes in the post COVID periods.
How are businesses embracing digital transformation?
Innovations are happening at a faster pace than ever. A few examples of businesses adapting the new norm include:
• Restaurants partner with tech companies for digital product development, to increase their online order capabilities. They make sure that the customers have full access to the menu and the placed order is delivered at the earliest, with no hassle to the customer.
• Gyms and fitness centres are making the best use of the internet to serve their clients, placed at different physical locations. People can stay fit by attending online sessions.
• Schools are proffering online classes. Teachers can deliver quality study material and best coaching to students, from the safe confinement of homes.
• Tech companies are organizing online meetings to provide all desired services for different clients.
• Grocery stores are accepting online orders from customers. Many brick and mortar stores are delivering daily supplies to the front door of many customers.
• Doctors are also proffering treatments for minor issues. /they are keeping patients safe, by keeping them at home and not exposing them to any form of inspection.
• Medical stores are accepting a doctor’s prescription to deliver medicines to homes or offices.
In short, almost all businesses can espouse the technology to serve more customers, with enhanced efficiency.
How can businesses embrace digital transformation?
Many business owners are too busy or unaware of how the latest technology can help their business. The few concepts are:
• Switch to customer-focused business:
The shift from focusing on product or service features to customer experiences should be the business’s priority. Meeting customer’s need and expectations would help companies retain customers and reach several new target audiences effectively. For example, the restaurant owner should concentrate on prompt and timely deliver rather than the menu.
• Scale-up innovative digital experiences:
Consumers are looking for digital designs, collaborations and content production to keep the visitors engaged. For example, the furniture dealer can launch online magazines or pamphlets to attract more target audience.
• Reduction of dependence on technical teams:
Businesses can look for code-free platforms to lessen dependence on the technical team. Many platforms proffer various technologies which help businesses to launch an app or website that represents their business. For example, the grocery stores can launch an app that would allow them to take orders and deliver them at the right address, without having significant technical support or experience.
• Enable remote operations:
Employees no longer need to work from a specific place at all times. Robots can take over some jobs. Remote workforces can stay connected through proper project management tools, with the help of virtual conference platforms. For example, In-store robots can handle transactional tasks, such as inventory in stores and delivering remote order.
• Time for digital transformations:
Change is tough to accept. COVID-19 has forced entrepreneurs to embrace the change. The latest adaptation would help traditional businesses to survive the cut-throat competition and enjoy success consistently.
Social media a reliable tool
Use of social media was restricted to entrainment before COVID-19 period. Very few used to conduct business on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram etc. During post-COVID, small and large brands are in touch with their customers through social media, informing them about the latest launches and other attractive offers. It is helping in expanding the business frontier, even during challenging times.
Every organization or commercial setup needs to prepare, plan and invest for an uncertain future. Man-made and natural emergencies would surely put stress on financial conditions. Preparedness like digital transformation would help continue with business operations and get rid of a panic situation.
Many companies, organizations and industries are using technology to operate most of the activities, with the minimum workforce. The change helped attain greater productivity, and provide better services; thus, resulting in better economic condition and improving the employee’s lives. As employees return to work, companies plan to focus on digital transformation would continue, as a measure for preparing for the unforeseen future.


text:
Tiffany & Co. Taps Lady Gaga for Local Super Bowl Ad
Tiffany & Co. will return to TV for the first time in two decades with a local commercial during Super Bowl LI, tapping Lady Gaga for an unscripted message on femininity, rebellion and power.
The jeweler will air a 60-second spot in 10 local markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston that will mark the launch of its new fashion jewelry collection, Tiffany HardWear. In the spot, Lady Gaga speaks completely unscripted about her passion for the brand and her own creative journey toward self-expression and empowerment.
Tiffany released a 30-second teaser of the spot on Tuesday revealing the pop star, who will also headline the Super Bowl halftime show, as the new face of its Legendary Style campaign.
Tiffany didn't originally set out to make a Super Bowl spot. After tapping Gaga for the film, they decided the results warranted Super Bowl-level exposure, Caroline Naggiar, chief brand officer, Tiffany & Co, said via email. It is important to note this will not run as a national ad.
The new Tiffany HardWear collection will be available on April 18 and is inspired by a unisex bracelet from 1971.
"For more than 180 years, the world's chicest women have chosen Tiffany jewelry as a powerful expression of who they are," Ms. Naggiar said in a statement. "This campaign celebrates Tiffany's rich legacy and the modernity of Tiffany style. Lady Gaga, and her originality, creativity and courage, reflects the spirit of the collection."
The first Super Bowl spot for the company was created by Tiffany's in-house team in partnership with Grace Coddington and shot by David Sims.
In 2015, Tiffany made headlines for an ad campaign to feature a same-sex couple.


text:
A wholly new type of memory technology has just been revealed that uses very different silicon chip tech to store data. Why should you care about this innovation? Easy: The new Crossbar tech could mean your 2015 smartphone packs a terabyte of memory and, particularly if combined with other smartphone innovations, will run for much much longer on a single charge.
Chip startup Crossbar is named after the design of its new resistive RAM technology, which is built up of thick bars of conductors stacked up in a complex crossed pattern on a tiny sliver of silicon. The actual way the memory works is very different from the flash RAM tech that’s humming away in your smartphone now. And even though flash tech is the pinnacle of decades of research and development, it’s easily beaten by Crossbar’s system. Its RRAM tech can pack a terabyte of nonvolatile storage onto a slice of semiconductor that’s about half the size of equivalent flash storage chips–meaning that much storage is just about compatible with chip dimensions on current smartphones. RRAM can also access stored data 20 times faster than flash, and is said to last 10 times longer than its rival, which can actually slow down over time as the circuits “wear out” with repeated use. It also is said to consume 20 times less power to perform reading and writing functions.
And this is no flight of fancy, or a research innovation that’s years from being production-grade: Crossbar says it can produce working devices using current generation un-modified chip fab systems. Recent innovations in screen design, mobile CPU and wireless design, battery tech, and possibly transparent solar cell technology could easily be combined with RRAM systems to make future smartphones much more energy efficient. While the average smartphone has only about a day of full use before needing a charge, it seems likely that in a few years, the tech will have advanced so they’ll be lasting many days on a single charge.
[Image: Flickr user Martin Abegglen]


text:
The automotive industry’s transition to electric powertrains will generate waves of change, including “very large consolidation,” as investments and experience lower production costs and new technology-driven revenue models take hold, Ford Motor Co. President and CEO Jim Farley said June 1.
“There’s a shakeout coming and I feel like that shakeout is going to favor many of the Chinese new players,” Farley said at AllianceBernstein’s 38th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference. “The old OEMs absolutely will get consolidated. There will be some big winners, some people that transition. Some won’t; many of the small players cannot afford to make this transition. Many of them are not investing in embedded software and electric architectures, which is the heart of this transition.”
Farley, who has led Ford since October 2020 and early this year announced the company will split into separate but co-dependent divisions focused on internal-combustion and electric engines, said the auto sector’s supplier universe will face similar consolidation pressures and see new players emerge in coming years. Many startup EV manufacturers, he added without naming names, will soon run into the hard fact that the market they’re looking to address isn’t large enough to justify their capital spending or valuations. The recent change in financial markets will speed up the realization, he said.
“There are new constraints that will make the new players better. But some of them won’t be able to afford to fulfill their ambition because they can’t raise capital,” Farley told the AB event. “So they’ll look for partnerships and other ways to raise capital. This is going be a very interesting time the next three, four years as capital gets constrained – and I believe it’ll be the best thing for some of these EV startups. They will be forced to solve tough problems.”
Farley’s consolidation comments echo ideas expressed last month by Lightning eMotors Inc. CEO Tim Reeser, whose team electrifies chassis of various OEMs. Speaking after Lightning reported its first-quarter results, Reeser said he is seeing a lot more opportunities than before for joint ventures and other deals.
“My personal opinion, consolidation is going to happen quicker than most people think, and it's going to be […] much broader in this space than most people think,” Reeser told analysts. “There are a lot of very traditional commercial vehicle players in the space that add a lot of value and so [there’s] a lot of supply chain, a lot of vertical integration opportunity.”
Elaborating June 1 on why he thinks Chinese EV companies have an edge in the upcoming consolidation wave, Farley said they are ahead of Ford and other American and European manufacturers in anticipating how the second generation of EVs will differ from today’s first wave—and have thus been able to sell their vehicles at much lower prices. Part of that is relying more on lithium iron phosphate batteries and designing more holistic digital systems.
“The elegance of their engineering is something that I’m very taken with,” he said, while also acknowledging that China’s state-owned enterprises face fewer cost concerns than their peers based elsewhere.
The broader point, Farley noted, is that manufacturers will quickly get their arms around what it will take to significantly lower costs for future generations of EVs as their capacity investments come on line. In Ford’s case, he said, there’s about $2,000 apiece in savings from streamlining distribution models and battery chemistry. The biggest lever, though, will be “a radical simplification” of Ford’s manufacturing process, which will require fewer parts, processes and people hours as the company overhauls its engineering models to use the smallest possible battery.
“This is where the auto companies are very uncompetitive. This is like Apollo 13; we’ve got to get back from the moon. Every watt, every amp matters,” Farley said, using as an example the idea that improving the aerodynamic features of a full-size truck would extend battery range enough to save $3,000 per vehicle. “Re-engineering for the vehicle to minimize the size of the batteries, because they’re so expensive, is going to be game changer for these second-generation products.”
Right around the time Farley was speaking, Ford rival General Motors Corp. said it is lowering the price of its Chevrolet Bolt for 2023 by about $6,000. GM officials said the move reflects high demand for EVs—although Bolt sales have struggled, hurt in part by a large recall—and their desire to show that “affordability has always been a priority for these vehicles.”
Other topics touched on by Farley at the AB conference included:
• As a number of his peers have said—Stellantis’ Carlos Tavares is eyeing more than $20 billion in software sales by 2030—advanced driver assistance systems and other technologies are a massive sales opportunity, “the biggest, most exciting land grab of revenue in our industry since the Model T.” Farley compared where the auto industry is now to where mobile phone makers were about 25 years ago.
“When I see the pricing power for ADAS–not just at Tesla but all of us–[…] it feels like that’s the first shippable software that we can send to a car that customers are really willing to pay a lot of money for,” Farley said. “We’re about to change the ride just like Apple and all the smartphone companies changed the call. And I believe, when that happens—when you can ship a lot of software to the car and you have great sensors [and you can] really change that experience and be a lot more productive—there will be a large revenue expansion.”
• Auto advertising as we’ve known it for decades could soon fade into the history books. Farley said that model “is messed up” and suggested Ford will shift its spending on post-purchase customer services and updates.
“We should be doing stuff like that instead of doing Super Bowl ads,” he said.
• While predicting a big consolidation wave, Farley also said a cohort of technology companies could enter the transportation market—particularly on the commercial side, where the addressable market is 10 times that of personal transportation—once autonomous-driving platforms prove their viability and value.
“When autonomy becomes democratized, […] they will use their very powerful consumer brands to integrate into their digital experience […] and we will have a new wave of competition,” he said. “If anything, that’s what keeps me up at night. How do I compete with them?”
Shares of Ford (Ticker: F) fell about 1% to $13.55 June 1, in line with the broader market. Year to date, they are down about 35%, shrinking the company’s market capitalization to about $55 billion.


text:
The Carphone Warehouse seems to be coming out as favourite to buy Tiscali's UK broadband business. If the deal were to go through, it would be a significant step for Carphone because it would acquire an IPTV business and the right to call itself the biggest broadband service provider in the UK.
Ovum does not normally comment on rumours and industry speculation. Indeed, this deal might never get off the ground as, according to reports, Carphone is only interested in Tiscali's UK business, and Tiscali has stated it is not interested in splitting its operations up. However, we felt this one was worth commenting on given the importance of such a development if it were to go ahead.
Acquiring Tiscali's UK business would make Carphone the biggest broadband service provider in the UK, leapfrogging both Virgin Media and BT (the UK incumbent operator). Not bad, given that Carphone didn't launch its broadband business until 2006.
However, this will not be the only reason for Carphone's interest. In August 2006 Tiscali acquired Homechoice, a small but innovative IPTV player. For sometime Carphone has been wondering what to do about IPTV, wondering if it were to launch how it should go about it. Although buying Tiscali would not be an instant solution - a lot of work around marketing, brand and content strategy would still need to be done - it would certainly provide Carphone with an IPTV platform and technical expertise.
If Tiscali decides that selling is the best option, it may have little choice but to split up the business as the number of potential suitors wishing to take on both the UK and Italian parts of the business is likely to be limited. Tiscali may seek a premium to do this, but Carphone and other potential buyers will only be prepared to pay so much - so it may be a case of like it or lump it.
It would be a shame for the UK market to lose Tiscali. Although it is perhaps not as exciting and dynamic as some of the other big players, Tiscali has maintained good value, simple consumer offerings, which UK customers have come to appreciate. Over the past couple of years Tiscali has been one of the few players to see continued organic growth of its subscriber base and market share.
It is most likely to be bought by one of the big four players, putting will put 85% of the UK broadband market in the control of just four providers: BT, Virgin, Carphone and Sky.


text: U.S consumer confidence jumped to a 14-month high in April following a strong pickup in March. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index rose to 121.7 in April from a revised 109.0 in March. The increase was led by a strongly positive assessment of current conditions as more Americans get vaccinated and businesses reopen. The second round of stimulus payments also contributed to the favorable sentiments. The expectations index, which monitors short-term outlook increased moderately as more consumers expect their incomes to increase.


text:
- Studios and box office experts have long used a film's opening weekend as a gauge of its initial success.
- With restrictions on capacity and general unease around the country, that metric may not be as effective during the coronavirus pandemic.
- How moviegoers rate their experience while watching the film could be a stronger indicator not only of a film's success, but of the theatrical industry as a whole.
For decades, studios and moviegoers have measured the success of a movie based on how much it makes during its opening weekend. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that metric may be less helpful.
As movie theaters prepare to reopen their doors to the public, safety measures are being put in place to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19. This includes decreasing the number of people allowed in each theater and how close they can be to each other, increased sanitation and, in some cases, making masks mandatory for employees and consumers.
Even with these tactics, it's unclear if moviegoers are going to return to theaters in droves or if they will trickle back slowly over the course of several weeks or even months.
Some theaters have opted to open in June, hoping to use legacy titles like "Jurassic Park," "Star Wars" and "Back to the Future" to lure folks back before new titles like "Tenet" and "Mulan" arrive in July. Opening weeks ahead of these launches give theaters a chance to prove to customers that their locations are safe and clean and that the experience of going to the movies hasn't changed completely.
Still, there are states that haven't allowed theaters to reopen yet and there are people who are wary of confining themselves in a room for two hours with a group of strangers.
Opening weekend ticket sales "represent popularity. It's a financial popularity contest, in a way," Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, said.
Studios often use those opening weekend figures to aid a film's marketing campaign. Touting those numbers can often inspire more moviegoers to head out to see a film during its second or third week in theaters.
With that in mind, analysts and studios, who typically use opening weekend sales numbers to determine how popular a film was with audiences, will now have to figure out new signals for success.
Warner Bros. "Tenet," which opens July 17, will be the first big indicator of consumer demand. While two movies are slated for release before Christopher Nolan's newest thriller, "Tenet" is the first true blockbuster feature to return to cinemas.
Under normal circumstances, "Tenet" might have been estimated to make between $50 million and $60 million during its opening weekend, Dergarabedian said. This figure is on par with Nolan's non-Batman films like "Inception" and "Dunkirk."
With "Tenet" expected to be a twisty spy drama, it's likely it could have neared the $63 million mark reached by "Inception" in 2010.
"Nolan is one of the few directors, and there are only a handful, where the name alone brings people to the movies," Dergarabedian said.
Estimates for what "Tenet" could achieve in its opening weekend run the gambit from $10 million to $30 million, depending on which analyst you ask. Some are placing their bets on a lower estimate with the hopes that the film will outperform expectations. Others, are assuming that half capacity means half the box office.
Ultimately, experts in the field have agreed that there are too many factors — from consumer fears and capacity restrictions to the possibility of another wave of outbreaks — to nail down an estimate a month in advance of the film's release.
"I think this isn't a capacity issue, but a demand issue," Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, said. "My gut feeling is that there are a lot of people concerned, especially in New York and LA, about going out and other parts of the country are eager to get back out. Whatever is lost from those major markets [could be] made up for overall in aggregate across the rest of the country."
"Tenet" could be the first time that many moviegoers venture out to cinemas and their response could be a more important measurement for studios and movie theaters than ticket sales.
After all, just because a movie has a strong opening weekend doesn't mean it will ultimately have a strong run in theaters. Vice versa, a movie that had a soft opening could go on to run for weeks and weeks, making more money over the long-term.
"Social media is going to be important," Dergarabedian said, noting that how people perceive the theatrical experience and express that to their peers could have a big impact on the box office.
If consumers have a good experience in theaters, then they could convince other people to head to movies. If they have a bad experience, then that could deter other potential moviegoers.
"This could be a case where the second weekend could be better than the first," he said.


text:
What America Orders for Delivery
One would think that stereotypical “delivery dishes” like lo mein and pizza would be an overwhelming favorite with Americans summoning dinner to their door, but with the pervasiveness of smartphones and the rise of food delivery apps, favorite delivery menus are becoming more diverse. Americans placed nearly one billion online orders in 2015, according to Quartz and marketing research company NPD Group, up 125 percent from 2010. That means top online food-ordering companies like GrubHub and DoorDash are collecting tons of data that can give insight into what kinds of food people get sent to their homes.
So we asked


text:
Nissan introduces 2018 GT-R in Detroit
At the 2018 North American International Auto Show, current being held in the U.S., Nissan unveiled its 2018 GT-R.
All 2018 models come standard with Nissan Connect SM, Nissan’s latest infotainment system featuring an eight-inch display and a navigation and audio system with voice recognition. Nissan Connect also allows hands-free operation through your smartphone via Bluetooth, and is compatible with Apple’s CarPlay.
In addition, the 2018 lineup features the addition of the new Pure trim, which can be driven away at the price of US$99,990 (approx. 11,060,000 yen).
Priced at $10,500 less than the Premium trim, the Pure excludes the BOSE 11-speaker audio system, Active Noise Cancellation/Active Sound Enhancement and titanium exhausts featured on the higher end model.


text:
Imagine pitching investors on a retail concept a decade ago: Men’s suits and business wear for millennials, sold both online and in-store. Then picture walking out empty-handed after receiving a lecture about how men under 40 don’t wear suits anymore. But they are. “Guys are wearing suits. They just don’t want suits that make them look like their fathers,” says Nick Botter, manager of marketing technology for Suitsupply, based in The Netherlands. “There is a strong market for suits today.”
Sales statistics seem to prove Botter correct. While suit and sport coat sales lagged during the Great Recession — and the tech industry and other fields chose a “Casual Friday” ethos five days a week — sales of fine menswear jumped an average of 11 percent per year between 2009 and 2013, according to researcher Bain & Company.
And a recent study by HSBC points to the rise of the “Yummy” — young urban males with money and a taste for good clothing.
Suitsupply, founded in 2000 by Dutch businessman Fokke de Jong, has focused on capturing that emerging demographic. The company has made some high-profile moves, outfitting The Netherlands’ teams for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics and creating some provocative ads in Europe, all designed to separate itself from the stodgy and sometimes intimidating image of a traditional suit store.
“Our customers are sophisticated and looking for something different,” Botter says. “They want to stand out.”
A plan was formulated early on by de Jong and his team to make omnichannel a reality. Suitsupply has some 75 bricks-and-mortar outlets open or planned around the globe, mainly in fashionable areas such as the five-star Shanghai Mansion hotel or on Los Angeles’ trendy Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
“If we see consistent online sales in a certain postal code, we know we need to have a store there.”Nick Botter
“Our philosophy is to look at online sales to see where we need a bricks-and-mortar presence,” Botter says. “If we see consistent sales in a certain postal code, we know we need to have a store there. And when we build a store, what’s interesting is it doesn’t take away from the online purchases from that area. We generally see them improve.”
In early 2012, Suitsupply began working with Demandware to expand its online footprint and create an ecommerce platform that could seamlessly reach across international borders.
“What’s interesting about Suitsupply is their vision of bringing digital into the store,” says Elana Anderson, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Demandware. “By combining the digital and in-store experience, they get a 360-degree view of the consumer, and their success shows.”
Creating a free-flowing experience, whether consumers are in-store or online, is considered the ultimate customer relationship management goal for most retailers, and Suitsupply goes deep into building it. The company actively uses Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and email and video chat to connect with customers, powered by its Salesforce software.
“It’s really essential in this area of men’s clothing to engage with customers through various channels,” Botter says. “Most people aren’t going to order a suit from simply a webpage. It’s an investment they need advice on for the proper fit and look, and we can remotely deliver that.” Suitsupply’s stylists learn about customers’ tastes and needs, he says, and create a “product center” that contains a variety of items. The products are shipped to customers, who can pay directly from social media with a payment link generated through Salesforce.
“It’s a real challenge to take a product that’s been more successfully sold in bricks-and-mortar stores to one that’s sold equally well online, but that’s what they’ve done,” says Shelley Bransten, senior vice president for retail at Salesforce. “They’ve had a digital-first philosophy from the beginning and it’s paid off as technology has caught up with their vision.”
Digitizing the suit sales experience works best with someone who’s aware of their current chest, sleeve and waist sizes, and who has bought a suit recently. That’s not always the case, though, which is why Suitsupply turned its customer service department into a stylist department. All employees are required to attend “Suit School,” a three-day intensive workshop on suit design, fabrics and styles.
Botter describes a sale at the Shanghai store, where a customer visited and bought a belt. “He then went home and looked at several suits on our site, then communicated with a stylist through WeChat who made some recommendations, and he went ahead and purchased six suits. He knew the sizes he wanted and just used the website to make his purchase because it was convenient to order via one of our stylists.”
Suitsupply has customer service centers in Amsterdam, Dallas and Shanghai. Through them, a customer can communicate via video chat with a stylist who will guide him through the measurements. Aided by usage data and smart learning systems, the stylist can also offer recommendations. Alterations can be made at a Suitsupply outlet; if one is not close by, the stylist can recommend a local tailor.
To emphasize the company’s digital connections, the company uses Salesforce’s Heroku platform to power video walls in each store.
Video walls in stores show social media posts and real-time customer feedback.
“Our customers are interested in what’s in style and what people are buying. The video walls show real-time sales of various products worldwide,” Botter says. “They’ll also show our latest social media posts and real-time feedback we received from our customers about their experience at Suitsupply. It helps connect the customer with others around the world who are buying our products.”
The company studies how customers from different nations and cultures buy menswear and tries to adjust to those preferences. European customers, according to Botter, are interested in getting information upfront about how the company sells its products and what they can expect. American customers expect that Suitsupply knows all about what they want after they make a purchase.
“I was in our Dallas service center recently and watched as a stylist took a customer’s call,” he says. “He had five suits in his online basket and just had a question about sizing. She looked him up and knew the sizes he wanted, and helped him make the purchase.”
The Suitsupply approach may be a sign of progress in e-commerce. “It used to be that retailers were worried about showrooming consumers, but companies like Suitsupply are embracing that approach,” Anderson says. “They’re telling people, ‘Connect with us in the store, online or both. We know what other people are selling: take a look at what we can do for you.’”


text:
Abta has urged agents to review supplier agreements after some were left thousands of pounds out of pocket over hotel-only bookings in the wake of Super Break’s collapse last week.
Many agents were shocked to discover accommodation-only bookings they had made with the operator were not protected by Abta, with some accusing the association of allowing misleading information in Super Break’s brochures.
But the association’s financial protection chief, John de Vial, said such bookings have not required protection for more than 10 years after members voted against it in 2007 (see below).
De Vial said members had wanted the “commercial freedom” to choose what was protected and that Super Break’s agency agreements made clear that only packages were protected.
However, he said: “Clarity on this is important. Has Super Break set out to mislead? I’m not sure. Should the trade be compelled to make proactive statements about what is not protected? That is a question. The more important thing is clarity of understanding and ensuring you know the terms you are working on.”
In its brochures, Super Break said it was Abta-bonded and Atol-protected. At the bottom of a page featuring hotels, it stated ‘Peace of mind with Abta and Atol protection’.
Simon Morgan, chief executive of 18-branch Tailor Made Travel, which could face a £20,000 bill, said: “If you pick up a brochure that says Abta all over, you feel like you are doing the right thing [for customers]. We know now that accommodation-only bookings are not protected, but that wasn’t clear.”
Peter Cookson, group managing director of miniple Spear Travels, said: “Would any Abta member have booked with Super Break if they had known that the hotel bookings were not covered? No, they wouldn’t. It’s commercial suicide. Abta are culpable in this.”
Graeme Brett, owner of Westoe Travel, said: “Abta is saying Super Break chose only to protect packages, but that was never made clear by Super Break. On page five of the brochure it had the Abta logo and there is a lot of hotel-only product.”
De Vial argued: “All of that product could have been booked as a package and have protection.”
He added that Abta ensured advertising was as clear as possible, but it could not police all brochures.
“One of the learnings [from the failure] is the importance of understanding the terms that you sign up to,” said De Vial.
“It’s no different to flight‑only. This is about commercial freedom and all of those members in the trade having the freedom to negotiate their own terms and making conscious decisions.”
Members voted against protection
In 2007, Abta consulted members on the future of financial protection for single elements of a holiday that sat outside a package.
Members voted to choose whether or not to protect products that did not have to be protected by law. Abta said this came at a time when agents and operators were coming under competition from online players.
“Agents said they needed the freedom to be able to acquire accommodation or car hire in the way they chose, on the terms they chose, including whether they are protected or not,” said Abta director of financial protecion John de Vial.
“They said if they were compelled to choose premium products – that is, only protected packages – they couldn’t be competitive.”
This is a community-moderated forum.
All post are the individual views of the respective commenter and are not the expressed views of Travel Weekly.
By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms & Conditions.


text:
Africa’s output grew by 3.4 per cent between 2017 and 2018 despite the slowdown in global growth during that period.
A new report by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) shows that Africa’s total merchandise trade in 2018 had a value of over USD997.9 billion.
On the same note, the continent remained one of the fastest growing regions in the world during that time.
The African Trade Report 2019: African Trade in a Digital World was launched in Moscow last week during the 26th Afreximbank Annual Meetings.
Trade wars and tariffs between the United States, China
Global merchandise trade grew by 3 per cent in 2018, down from 4.6 per cent in 2017 according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) estimates.
According to The African Trade Report 2019, the findings highlight the resilience of Africa’s economies to global volatility at a time of rising uncertainty, escalating trade wars and tariffs between the United States, China and others.
The resilience reflects the diversification of Africa’s trading partners in the context of South-South trade, growing fixed investment and public and private consumption, boosted by expanding urban populations and softening inflation.
These factors reduce Africa’s exposure to the business cycles associated with individual countries and regions.
African trade with the South grew significantly over the last decade to account for more than 35 per cent of the continent’s total trade in 2018.
The report notes that the European Union remained Africa’s main continental trading partner in 2018 accounting for 29.8 per cent of total trade.
China and India further consolidated their positions as Africa’s first and second single largest trading partners, accounting for over 21 per cent of total African trade in 2018.
Intra-African trade also increased steadily in 2018, growing by 17 per cent to reach $159 billion.
The report highlights that Africa has the potential to do more, noting that its contribution to global trade remains marginal at 2.6 per cent, up from 2.4 per cent in 2017.
Digitalisation paving way for a new African economy
Noteworthy is that while intra-African trade rose to 16 per cent in 2018 from 5 per cent in 1980, it remains low compared to intra-regional trade in Europe and Asia.
The report states that ongoing digitalisation is paving the way for a new African economy, with e-commerce platforms and internet penetration expediting transactions, reducing costs and leading to a new generation of transnational digital consumers.
The report urges African governments to further capitalise on the opportunities associated with digitalisation, by bolstering regulatory environments and supporting the development of digital ecosystems.
Afreximbank President Prof Benedict Oramah said: “It is vital that Africa grasps the economic growth opportunities flowing from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA), growing domestic demand and population and our ever-closer investment and trading links with emerging partners in the South.”
“We must exert concerted action to ensure that we develop, industrialize and diversify our industries and supporting infrastructure to foster regional integration and participate fully in regional and global value chains,” he added.
Digitalization, the reports states, can unlock Africa’s potential in driving economic development and the integration of African countries into the world economy. It can also reduce the region’s dependency on raw commodities and natural resources by helping economies diversify into more value-added products that can enhance extra-and intra-African trade.
Chief Economist and report author, Dr Hippolyte Fofack, said, “Intra-African trade, which grew by 17 per cent in 2018, more than three times the rate of growth of extra-African trade, was the major driver of Africa’s total merchandise trade in 2018.”
Afreximbank banking on Africa
Riding on future prospects for the continent, Afreximbank has laid out plans to provide seed capital to African companies by rolling out the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA).
FEDA will implement the Bank’s Equity Investment Programme by providing seed capital to companies in Afreximbank’s key focus sectors.
These sectors include agri-business, manufacturing, consumer and retail, financial services, technology, travel and tourism, transport and logistics and industrial parks.
It will invest across all market segments but will have its greatest focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.
Last year, Afreximbank established its USD29 million regional headquarters in Uganda after it failed to set up shop in Kenya.
The bank has served other parts of Africa with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria and Cairo Egypt.
Its branch in Abidjan, Ivory Coast was opened around the same period they would have opened their East African branch in Kenya.
Its presence in the diverse economies has been recording great performances with their vast array of services.


text:
China Palace restaurant had long been a fixture in Queen Street in the town, but owners Vivian and Jack Xue, sold the eatery and moved to number nine High Street after commissioning local firm - WPF Development - to turn a former furniture store on the site into a newly refurbished takeaway bearing the same name.
As a thank you to its loyal customers and also for our readers, the couple have agreed to offer a spring roll worth £2.10 on orders of £5 or more in exchange for the coupon you’ll find on page q14 of the January 19 edition of the Epworth Bells.
Simply go into the takeaway anytime after 5pm until late and exchange your coupon for your tasty treat when you order.
Co-owner, Vivian Xue, said: “This is our way of giving something back to customers. Everyone is welcome to come along and try our food with the added bonus that they can get a spring roll on orders over £5.
“We had a lot of loyal customers who used to visit us in Queen Street and we would like to welcome them back along with new customers. The food is the same and will be cooked in our brand new kitchen.”
Food includes such mouthwatering treats as crispy duck, spare ribs, dim sum and rice mix.
The offer lasts from Thursday, January 19, to Wednesday, January 26.
Following a major refurbishment project on the listed building by development firm WPF Developments, of Sandtoft, China Palace takeaway opened its doors to welcome everyone from the community.
WPF Development managing director Wayne Stead, said the building - which had been empty for 18 months - was turned into a modern fast food outlet while adhering to stringent listed building guidelines imposed by North Lincolnshire Council’s Conservation Department.
He added: “This is a really nice building. We have had to put back the original windows, but we have put on a new roof and built a 1.5 metre extension.”
Vivian, who runs the takeaway along with her husband, added: “We urge people to visit us. Everything’s built to the highest standards and we’re sure the food will reflect our new home.” ¶


text:
Consultants predict that this wave of decentralized finance (DeFi) will grow to be extra prevalent in banking. That could possibly be nice information for ether, in addition to solana, one other crypto that has blockchain expertise utilized in DeFi purposes.
Ether, which now has a complete worth of about $575 billion for all its cash in circulations, has additionally narrowed the market cap hole with bitcoin, which is value about $1.3 trillion. The 2 cryptos now make up nearly two-thirds of the practically $3 trillion cryptocurrency market.
“We’re seeing a shift within the trade the place bitcoin went from being 75 p.c of the general cryptocurrency market cap to about 50 p.c,” Michael Pinsker, founder and president of wealth administration tech agency Docupace, mentioned in regards to the drop in bitcoin’s market share since 2017. “That proportion ought to come down even additional.”
Extra buyers flocking to ether
In its newest earnings report after the closing bell Tuesday, Coinbase mentioned that 22% of its third quarter buying and selling quantity was for ether, in comparison with 19% for bitcoin. That is the second straight quarter that ether buying and selling was greater than bitcoin.
There might even be a so-called “flippening” within the subsequent decade, the place the worth of ethereum winds up topping bitcoin, mentioned Jared Madfes, a accomplice with Tribe Capital.
“Inflation will not be going away. Central banks printing cash is a chasm that may’t be crossed,” mentioned Dylan LeClair, head of market analysis at Bitcoin Journal.
The rise of bitcoin ETFs additionally could possibly be excellent news for ethereum, as a result of consultants predict that comparable ether ETFs might quickly launch. That can make it even simpler for common buyers and massive cash administration corporations to purchase into the crypto.
“Establishments need extra publicity to cryptocurrencies, so I anticipate there can be ether ETFs,” Tribe Capital’s Madfes mentioned.
Consultants say stick with ether and bitcoin and keep away from meme cash
Nonetheless, buyers have to be cautious when shopping for cryptocurrencies. Not all of them have sensible makes use of.
“There are an entire lot of crypto belongings on the market. However there can be loads of roadkill. Buyers must proceed with warning,” Satz mentioned, including that he recommends buyers have a crypto portfolio that is made up principally of bitcoin, ether and solana.
Ray Youssef, co-founder and CEO of Paxful, a crypto buying and selling platform, has an much more cautious take. Crypto buyers shouldn’t maintain dogecoin, shiba inu or any of the opposite extra speculative cryptos, he mentioned, as a result of massive corrections lie forward.
“Ether and bitcoin versus meme cash are just like the distinction between blue chips and penny shares you get a name about from a man in a boiler room,” Youssef mentioned.


text:
According to business research firm Gartner, the global logistics software market is growing at a faster rate with each passing year.
From 2012 to 2013, for example, the supply chain management (SCM) software market grew by 7.3% to $8.96 billion. In 2014, it grew by 10.8% to $9.92 billion. By the end of 2017, the SCM software market is expected to be worth over $13 billion—an 11% jump from 2016.
This growth shows no signs of stopping. Gartner expects that the SCM software market will be worth more than $19 billion by 2021. That’s an average annual growth of 11.5% over the next four years.
Silicon Valley takes an interest
The increasing role of software in logistics has drawn more investment from Silicon Valley venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and New Enterprise Associates. As a result, more than 90% of global investments in logistics start-ups are made in the U.S. and Asia, with only 5% are made in Europe.
Streamlining the industry
The growth of the software market is just one part of the overall trend toward automation in the logistics industry.
Logistics software now handles organizational tasks that were once planned with pen and paper. In warehouses, human pickers are being replaced by robots. On the road, human drivers will soon be replaced by autonomous vehicles.
It’s easy to see why these changes are taking place. Software doesn’t make data entry errors. Robots don’t get tired and slow down after working in a warehouse for a few hours. Autonomous vehicles don’t stop at a coffee shop for a snack when they should be working.
Software and automation will continue to make the logistics industry more efficient as a whole. There will be fewer miscommunications, fewer deadlines missed, fewer mistakes that slow things down and cost people money.
Knowledge is power
In addition to improving efficiency, logistics software provides businesses with more insight about their operations. For example, GPS tracking technology collects information about a driver’s behavior. Businesses can use this information to determine whether a particular gas saving technique is working or not.
GPS tracking data is also useful for evaluating employee performance. Before, drivers had a lot of freedom once they were on the road and out of sight. They might be taking unsanctioned breaks or even running personal errands when they’re supposed to be working. You can’t see them, so how do you know?
Such waste was incredibly expensive. It forced logistics companies to pay more for fuel and wages. But now, companies can use tracking tools to confirm that their drivers are sticking to their routes and staying on schedule. You can squeeze more value out of every gallon of gas pumped and hour logged.
The beauty of GPS technology is that you don’t even need to look at tracking data for it to have an effect on your drivers. When drivers know they’re being watching, they’re automatically more productive.
Customers no longer in the dark
Before the logistics software boom, customers were in the dark. They had to wait for their orders to arrive. In most cases, they wouldn’t even know if there was going to be a delay until the arrival date had already passed.
GPS tracking data doesn’t just benefit businesses. This data can be shared with customers, so they can see where their orders are in real-time. If there’s going to be a delay, they usually know about it immediately. Tracking software takes the mystery out of shipping.
From blue collar to high tech
The rise of logistics software is changing the educational demographics of workers in the industry. Manual labor is less needed, while tech skills are becoming an absolute necessity. Those without a college degree are finding it harder to get a job.
Logistics software also allows businesses to save money by using fewer employees to run their operations. For example, Route4Me, the route optimization program, provides companies with more efficient routes so that businesses don’t need to hire as many drivers to service their customers. That gives them more funds to dedicate to other areas of their organization.


text:
U.S. Government Repeals Country-of-Origin Labels for Beef and Pork; Orders EPA to not Monitor Pollution Caused by Meat Industry
Some very meaty decisions out of Washington appear to be unhealthy for consumers and the environment.
First, Congress and President Barack Obama teamed up to repeal mandatory country-of-origin labeling for pork and beef products. The labeling requirements were eliminated through an attachment to the omnibus budget bill passed by Congress and signed by Obama earlier this month.
The move was prompted by threats from the World Trade Organization (WTO), which threatened to allow Mexico and Canada to hit the U.S. with more than $1 billion in tariffs if it continued to require beef and pork labeling for foreign producers. The WTO said the labels discriminate against meat from animals raised and slaughtered outside the United States.
The labeling repeal wasn’t the only action by Congress affecting the beef industry. Lawmakers renewed a provision that prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring greenhouse gas emission reports from livestock producers, which are one of the country’s largest sources of methane and carbon dioxide. Livestock producers account for about 15% of the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases, more than come from automobiles.
The legislation means the U.S. government has no way of keeping track how much cattle and dairy farms are contributing to global warming. The government does collect reports from 41 other sectors of the economy, “making the meat industry the only major source of greenhouse gases in the country excluded from filing annual reports,” according to Reveal News.
To Learn More:
Country-of-Origin Labels Repealed for Beef, Pork (Courthouse News Service)
U.S. Gives Meat Producers a Pass on Climate Change Emissions (by Nathan Halverson, Center for Investigative Reporting)
World Trade Organization Overrules U.S. Country-of-Origin Rules for Meat Products (by Noel Brinkerhoff and Steve Straehley, AllGov)
Beef Production Far Worse for the Environment than other Animal Products (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
- Top Stories
- Unusual News
- Where is the Money Going?
- U.S. and the World
- Appointments and Resignations
- Latest News
- Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration: Who Is Scott Gottlieb?
- Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims: Who Is Robert N. Davis?
- Chair of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: Who Is Thomas Nides?
- Bears Under Fire in Florida
- Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden: Who Is Ari Novy?