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In the worst months of the last recession, Valero Energy Corp. actually made a bigger profit selling beer, cigarettes and junk food at its Corner Stores than the San Antonio company did producing gasoline, diesel and other fuels.
That’s because Valero’s retail business is a consistent money-maker, mostly insulated from the convulsions that wrack the oil refining industry whenever the economy turns south.
Yet Valero (NYSE: VLO) announced plans on July 31 to split off its convenience stores and gas stations, either through a sale or spinoff to its shareholders. It hired Credit Suisse Securities LLC as an adviser.
This is a big deal. The company owns 1,027 stores in the United States and 775 in Canada. One estimate values them at more than $3.5 billion.
But why not hang on to the profitable gas stations as a hedge against the bad times in refining?
That’s the question Standard & Poor’s Rating Services seemed to be asking when it downgraded its outlook — but not its rating — on Valero’s corporate debt to negative on Aug. 3.
“While currently a modest component of Valero’s operating cash flow, the retail business is far more stable than Valero’s core refining business and has provided a buffer in previous market troughs,” S&P analysts wrote.
Valero’s answer to the question why separate? Because the stores would be more valuable to investors as a stand-alone business, and because in a decent business climate, refining simply eclipses corner stores in terms of revenue and profits.
“We can unlock value. There’s hidden value in retail,” company spokesman Bill Day says. “It kind of gets forgotten among all the refining, because refining is 90 plus percent of our business. Retail’s about 5 percent in terms of revenue.”
Ethanol production, which is currently reeling from high corn prices, makes up the rest.
“Right now, (retail) is like buried treasure,” Day adds.
For a glimpse of the Corner Stores’ potential, Day says, look at price-earnings ratios. Those are calculated by dividing the market price of a share of stock by a company’s annual earnings per share. For example, a company with a stock price of $20 that earned $2 per share would have a P/E ratio of 10.
A high ratio usually means investors are optimistic about a company’s future earnings.
Indeed, convenience store operators, such as Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores Inc. and Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., tend to have higher P/E ratios than oil refiners. That’s partly because of the refining industry’s volatility.
Casey’s P/E was 18.7 at the close of trading Oct. 2. Valero’s was 11.
“Refining is very cyclical. You can have very good revenue some months, very poor revenue other months,” Day says.
“It’s not like we’re selling because we’re trying to get rid of it,” he adds. “We’re spinning it off because it has value that can’t be unlocked any other way.”
Potential buyers, meanwhile, are eying Valero’s Corner Stores. The company has provided them with financial data on its retail business, and bids could start arriving this month, Reuters reported recently. If sold to a third party, the wire service estimates the assets could bring in more than $3.5 billion — enough to add another oil refinery or two to the 16 Valero already owns, or for a major round of debt cutting.
But there’s good reason to think a spinoff is more likely than a sale. Apart from the potential windfall for existing investors who would be awarded stock in the new company, there would be tax benefits for Valero. The refiner has said it wants a “tax-efficient” split, and spinning off the business would create less of a tax burden for the company than selling to a third party.
Chuck Cerankosky, an equity analyst who covers Casey’s for Northcoast Research in Cleveland, hasn’t followed Valero’s Corner Stores plan closely. If it’s a sale, he doubts Casey’s — which operates mainly in the Midwest — would try to take such a big bite. But he makes a good, if roundabout, case for unloading the stores. It’s about focus.
“One of the things that’s always impressed me about Casey’s is that it’s a retail company,” Cerankosky says. “It isn’t a refiner that wandered into the convenience-store retail business. It’s first and foremost a retailer.
“Dispensing gasoline and beer and pizza are all done through separate segments of the company, and each is approached with a management team that understands the merchandising of those products,” he adds.
That’s similar to the point Valero Chairman and CEO Bill Klesse made about the post-Valero Corner Stores in a July 31 conference call with Wall Street analysts.
After the company off-loads its retail arm, “Valero’s really going to be a refining and wholesale marketing company, with some petrochemical feedstock production, ethanol production, power generation, hydrogen and associated logistics...,” he said, according to a transcript of the call. “And then we’re not going to be selling Twinkies and beer and cigarettes. We’re going to leave that to the retail group.”
Still, the refiner will be giving up a business that’s helped it through some very rough patches in the refining industry.
In the economically dreadful 2008 and 2009, Valero’s retail business showcased its resiliency — and acted as the kind of buffer S&P described. It posted operating income of $369 million and $293 million, respectively, while refining profits sank to $80 million and $247 million.
“Retail, because it’s fairly steady and fairly recession-resistant, is going to do well compared to refining” during an economic downturn, Day says. “But in a good refining-margin environment, like we’re in now, refining income is going to be much, much greater than retail.”
Things are looking up for refiners.
Operating income for Valero’s refining business came in at $1.24 billion in the first half of 2012. Retail? A little less than one-fifth of that amount, or $212 million.
Still, results so far this year would have been considered disappointing in the refining industry’s so-called golden age, before the recession dragged down profit margins. In 2007, Valero’s fuel production brought in $7.4 billion in operating earnings.
Despite the industry’s chronic turbulence, Fitch Ratings isn’t as worried about the coming split as S&P. On the same day S&P dropped its outlook on Valero’s debt to negative, Fitch reaffirmed its stable outlook.
The credit rating agency said the company has several developments coming along to offset the loss of retail income. They include benefits from integrating two refineries acquired last year — one in Wales, the other in Meraux, La. — into Valero’s network, and the expected retirement of $480 million in debt in 2013.


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Alcohol, mainly wine has become cheaper than bottled water in New Zealand, a study showed Friday, with researchers warning there could be major implications for public health. However an independent television news investigation questioned the report.
Otago University researchers found wine cost as little as 62 cents (47 US) per standard drink, compared to 67 cents for 250ml of bottled water and 43 cents for the equivalent amount of milk.
The study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, also found the relative price of alcohol had plummeted over the past decade as average wages increased.
Our analysis suggests alcohol is now probably the cheapest recreational drug in New Zealand and has become increasingly affordable, at the same time as concern about binge drinking culture has grown, associate professor Nick Wilson said.
International scientific evidence strongly indicates that cheap alcohol is a factor in promoting binge drinking by young people, and in increasing the overall size of the health and social harm from alcohol misuse.
Professor Wilson said heavy discounting at supermarkets and liquor stores was exacerbating the problem, making alcohol more readily available.
A grape glut in NZ has driven down the price of wine in recent years as winemakers seek to offload excess stock.
Wilson and co-researcher Fiona Gunasekara said cheap alcohol was taking a toll on New Zealanders' health and placing a burden on the publicly-funded health system.
They argued the government should adopt the same policies that helped curb tobacco consumption -- raising taxes and controlling marketing and sponsorship activities, as well as limiting the opening hours of retailers.
In 1999 a NZ labourer needed 21 minutes to consume the maximum quantity of alcohol allowed when driving (80 milligrams per litre), but in 2009 it was down to 17 minutes. Furthermore if it was cask wine, 7 minutes of work was sufficient.
The researchers also called for a minimum price per unit of alcohol, particularly in cask wine and alcopops.
These policies will have little impact on moderate drinkers and will help curb the down-side of New Zealand’s binge drinking culture, they said.
However an investigation from a NZ television channel showed that the claim was not always the case. TV One News said that at the supermarket the cheapest water it could find came in a three litre container, which cost $2.57.
The cheapest wines in the same quantity on the other hand were priced at $22 and the cheapest beer, in a 12 pack and about five litres in quantity, was $18.40.
Applying the same calculations used in the Otago study, the glass of water cost less at only 21c, while the beer pack cost $1.10 for a glass and the cask of wine cost 71c for a standard drink.
Meanwhile, NZ Independent Liquor said it welcomed the release of the university research paper. General Manager Julian Davidson, of Independent Liquor's NZ operations, called for all alcohol to be regulated in a consistent, common manner.
This University of Otago paper shows that there is insufficient information available to the community regarding the consumption of alcohol and why evidence based reform is vital.
Davidson said the data comparing the prices of wine, beer and spirits highlighted the fact that cask wine was the cheapest way to purchase alcohol in NZ.

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On May 15, 2020, Campus Rec Magazine hosted the COVID-19 Virtual Roundtable: Reopening and More.
- Daniel Lawrence, the director of Campus Recreation at Utah State University
- Andy Lemons, the director of Campus Recreation at St. Edward’s University
- Steven Trotter, the associate director of Wellness and Fitness at East Carolina University (ECU)
- Tina Villard, the senior associate Athletic Director and the Recreation Center Director at Rice University
Below are some of the top takeaways from the roundtable:
Cleaning and Physical Distancing on Climbing/Bouldering Facilities
Lawrence said at Utah State, one of the more popular areas of the rec center is in fact the climbing wall/bouldering area. With a 53-foot tall climbing wall and 14-foot tall bouldering wall, they have had to take into consideration how to serve students with this popular offering.
As such, the current plan is to close the climbing wall. Lawrence said it’s too hard to keep harnesses and ropes clean. Plus, it’s really difficult to keep social distancing rules.
So, they plan to only offer bouldering. There will be a limit of four patrons at a time in the bouldering area. They will not be allowed to sit down, as the climbing culture typically likes to hang out. The department will also only allow liquid chalk.
Precautions for Employee/Patron Protection Measures
Both Villard and Lawrence said their facilities will be using plexiglass at the front desk. Villard mentioned they are also looking at things like door handles and asking where can they make changes to make the environment even safer.
Trotter noted ECU is looking to decrease physical touchpoints. They are making sure to have enough barcode scanners and are viewing credit card readers to ensure they are all touchless. Plus, they are looking at the flow of staff and patrons through the building.
Lawrence shared the flow at Utah State will be creating “in” and “out” doors with hand sanitizer supplied at each. And only two staff members will be behind the front desk at any given time.
At Rice University, staff will be provided with reusable cloth masks. But Villard said the most important thing when setting guidelines for your staff/patron safety is to pay attention to city and state regulations.
Virtual Program Offerings into the Fall
It can be denied no longer: we are in a digital age.
Lemons said if you aren’t a tech person, you need to become one. A virtual presence is now a must. At St. Edward’s, they are looking at where they can amplify virtual opportunities.
And, it’s key to remember students are connected to your school’s fitness instructors; that community connection is better than any high-end virtual fitness production with fitness trainers students aren’t connected to. Villard said by having instructors connect on Zoom with patrons, it keeps those valuable touchpoints.
Lemons agreed. “We can’t just replace the ECU, Rice and Utah State fitness instructors with an online version, even if we think [a nationally recognized fitness instructor] is better,” he said.
And while before COVID-19 they didn’t have time to build virtual offerings, Lawrence said now they do. Those offerings will go out to the multiple campuses that are part of Utah State, bringing recreation to the larger university audience.
All in all, Trotter said virtual fitness won’t take away from the in-person experience, but it can add to it. As such, it needs to be an option. “It’s just another item on your menu to offer,” he said.
Opening on June 1, Lawrence said Utah State will be proposing to have the locker rooms open. Closing off a number of lockers, they will only sell lockers that will allow them to stay committed to social distancing. After months of lost revenue, it will be a welcomed profit center.
Only seven people would be allowed at a time in the locker rooms, going off of the calculation of one person for every 100 square feet. In order to regulate that number and the cleaning of the space, they will have a locker room bouncer/greeter. Plus, cleaning supplies will be available in hopes patrons do their part to keep the locker room clean.
Thoughts on Air Sanitization
While various options are out there, they can be expensive. Lemons said with the various budget cuts, he along with other schools won’t be able to afford such things.
As such, Lawrence suggested if possible — as it depends on location and humidity — you can open as many windows and doors as possible. This will help promote clean air flowing through the facility.
Using Outdoors Fitness/Equipment
With two outdoor complexes at ECU, Trotter said they have done pop up classes outside in the past. So, when weather allows, they will add such opportunities to existing options.
Lemons shared one of their more popular programs was taking Group X classes to others on campus — think residence halls and such. They will still accomplish this but will do that outside of the spaces they go to host the class.
His biggest concern for outdoor equipment, however, is keeping it clean. That is one deterrent in terms of using outdoor equipment when reopening.
Capacity of Spaces and Patron Flow
Trotter said it helps to view your rec center like a shopping mall. “You don’t want to limit people that want to go do something that 90 percent of the other people in the building aren’t doing and you tell them, ‘we are at capacity so you can’t go in’ and they say ‘I see that there is no one ever there,’” he explained.
As such, Utah State is determining occupancy numbers for each location in the rec center, versus a total capacity number. And Lemons suggested the idea of having a bouncer/greeter for each room or area to keep those numbers in check.


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Inside U.S. Trade – 7/30/2010
The United States and European Union are scheduled to meet Aug. 16 in Washington to try reach agreement on contentious issues that have emerged between the two governments within the Anticounterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations, according to informed sources.
The two governments will attempt to come to an agreement on whether the ACTA should address protection of geographic indications (GIs), patents and industrial design, and if end users would fall under the definition for commercial scale infringement, an informed source said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative confirmed there will be a bilateral ACTA meeting the week of Aug. 16, but a spokeswoman did not say what will be on the agenda.
The scope of the agreement is expected to be a main issue of discussion since both governments have reached a deadlock on whether products with geographic indications (GIs) should be included in the agreement, sources said. The EU wants the infringement of GIs to be protected and enforced the same as infringements of trademarks and copyrights.
For example, in the ACTA border measure section, the EU wants the ACTA to require signatories to empower customs officials in each country to be able to seize goods suspected of infringing GIs protected by that country. The U.S. is opposed to this for fear of U.S. exports being seized abroad at the border in third countries. The EU-proposed text would not require countries to recognize specific GIs, however.
An industry source said other ACTA countries at the end of the June 28 to July 1 round of negotiations in Lucerne, Switzerland called for the EU and U.S. to work on resolving their disagreement over the scope of the agreement. These countries feared that a continued stalemate on the issue could lead to a failed agreement or a much less influential one if either government were not a signatory, this source said.
This source said other countries party to the agreement have indicated that they do not want the ACTA to become a forum for the EU and U.S. to fight over broader recognition of GIs within bilateral trade agreements.
EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht called GIs a “redline” issue when addressing the EU Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on July 13. He questioned the benefit of the ACTA if GIs were not included in the agreement.
Another informed source said Australia, New Zealand and Canada have sided with the U.S. on the GI issue because the EU is attempting to claw back the use of old world terms for meats and cheeses that are produced in these countries under the same term. All three countries have sizable dairy industries that produce cheeses with the same names, sometimes in even greater quantities, as those produced in Europe, this source said.
A Swiss negotiator said parties to the agreement are continuing with the goal of finalizing the agreement by the end of 2010 and was aware of bilateral meetings between the EU and the U.S. in the past.
He said Switzerland is on the side of the EU on GIs but that it was not indicated in the last round of negotiations that such an issue would be a “deal breaker” for the entire agreement.
Negotiators are also debating whether patents should be completely removed from the agreement, although they have already come to a consensus on removing patents from the section on border measures. This was done to avoid situations where customs officials in ACTA signatories would be empowered to seize shipments that contain suspected patent violations, and negotiators in Lucerne admitted this was done to avoid having medications seized in transit.
While it agreed to having patents reomoved from the section on border measures, the EU wants to keep patents in other areas of the agreement because it would bolster efforts currently underway to create a unified patent law within the EU, according to a source in the EU.
The U.S. wants to take patents out of the agreement because enforcement of patent infringement could be detrimental to industrial interests by increasing costs and chilling innovation because many companies enter a “gray area” when developing new products based on other patents, this source said.
In the most recent leaked copy of the ACTA, Japan is pushing for the inclusion of patent infringement in the Internet chapter, while the U.S. supports only the inclusion of infringement of copyright or related rights, and the EU wants the infringement of all intellectual property rights to be included in this section. The inclusion of patents in this section would mean that Internet companies could be held liable when individual Internet users violate patents.
The U.S. and EU are also at odds over whether the definition of commercial scale piracy under the criminal enforcement section of the ACTA should apply to end users. The EU wants to exclude end users within this section while the U.S. wants to allow a country to be able to determine whether acts carried out by end users can be included, according to a leaked copy of the text.
There had been apparent agreement, based on a negotiating text leaked after the Lucerne round, to remove a definition that had been proposed in a previous text by the U.S. This definition from the April draft of the agreement was taken from U.S. free trade agreements, which included “significant willful” infringements that do not have direct or indirect motivation or financial gain and willful infringement for the purposes of financial gain. U.S. right holders favored this definition because it allows criminal enforcement to apply to a range of non-profit activities.
De Gucht had told the EU LIBE Parliament committee that commercial scale would not be defined in the agreement. He said that the national governments of separate member states would be able to apply their own definition of commercial scale because it is not currently defined under EU law.
The ACTA is being negotiated by the U.S., Australia, Canada, the EU, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Switzerland. —


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Monthly Archives: October 2015
The 18 year old dressed in this designer ripped and distressed T-shirt dress as she moved out in LA yesterday. Can you wear this? Advertisements
It’s been recently almost 10 years since I sat down for coffee with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Davos. A former World Bank VP thereafter Nigeria’s finance minister, she was looking for help with what became, 15 months later, a $30 billion … Continue reading
Both are white folks outfitted as blacks for Halloween – and also likely Nigerians since they are carrying a Nigerian flag. Is this really their unique symbol of Nigerians?
Chris Brown’s ex lover Karrueche Tran attended her Halloween night event on Thursday evening in a blue Lil’ Kim-inspired outfit. Tran managed a seasonal bash at The Argyle in Los Angeles, and also showcase her small bum.
Pope Francis took a selfie with Hindu man during his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Wednesday October 28th.
Cozy fashion retail entrepreneur Abisola Kola-Daisi welcomed her 3rd baby 2weeks ago. She just shared a shot of her new child in the biceps and triceps of her man. Congratulations.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed those agitating for the creation of Biafra nation as miscreants. Obasanjo stated this in an interview with Sahara reporters. “This is a fake agitation. You people make a mountain out of a molehill. These … Continue reading


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It is sad and unfortunate how cheap life has become in our world. The most recent tragedy in Bangaldesh on 24th April when a factory building collapsed near Dhaka, where more than 273 poor labourers died. It is reported that hundred of workers are still missing under the debris. The rescue operation is still under way to help out people. Countless injured have already overwhelmed local hospitals.
According to the reports, the owner of the company was warned about the dilapidated conditions of the building but in spite of being made aware of the situation, he kept on scapegoating the poor men, children and women who later became the victims of his negligence, indifference and careless attitude which is a common and sad trait among many employers who are keen on running their billion dollar business at the cost of poor man’s lives.
Many a times such employers do not come under any legal binding when calamities like Dhaka hit them. They slither away by playing blame games. The Government should ensure safety to the lives of poor workers who eke out their living in extreme conditions to avoid any such future tragedy.
The sheer divide between poor and rich is obvious in societies like Bangladesh where strict measures are not taken to ensure health and safety issues. When life of a poor is taken doubled time cheaper than the rich. It would be interesting to find out how is the owner punished who is said to be in hiding.
Bangladesh has one of the most biggest clothing industry in the world. Unfortunately, employers who roll out in money provide very little compensation. The poor is crushed while rich feasts upon their poverty.
Many such like clothing factories supply their clothes to many western giant retail companies. How would you feel if you are wearing a trouser or shirt made by some of these labourers who later became victims of such neglect ?


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Friends Rival TV As Top Influence For Purchases
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Social media is well-suited to OTC drug marketing, but the industry has been slow to enter that world, says public relations executive Robin Russo.
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FDA extends phytosterol enforcement discretion; Perrigo debuts Claritin-D 12 Hour equivalent; Reckitt sells Indian personal care brands acquired from Paras; Ocean Nutrition Canada gets vertical; more news In Brief.
OTC firms must embrace new marketing strategies more readily to overcome the ebb in recession-driven industry growth, according to industry stakeholders.
Biomic Sciences recalls all lots of ION* Sinus Support and ION* Biome Sinus after FDE testing found microbial contamination causing reasonable probability of life-threatening adverse events for patients or people who recently underwent nasal or sinus surgery.


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Man accused of stealing several items from store
A man has been arrested for stealing a television, beer, toys and wipes among other items from a local store, according to Laredo police.
Luis Fernando Barrera, 25, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with two counts of theft of property.
Police officers responded to a theft report on Aug. 19 at a store in the 2600 block of Northeast Bob Bullock Loop.
Loss prevention personnel stated that two men stole a 32-inch Hisense TV, a 12-pack of Corona beer, a 12-pack of Modelo beer, a 12-pack of Red Bull, an eight-pack of Gatorade, three baby monitors, an EVERSTART battery, a box of Huggies diapers, a box of Huggies wipes and two Paw Patrol toys.
The men placed the items into two shopping carts before exiting the store without paying for the merchandise.
A second theft was reported Aug. 22 at the same location.
One man allegedly exited the store without paying for three iRobot vacuums and a box of diapers. The man then returned to the store where another male had two car batteries and one PJ mask toy. Both exited the store and left in a silver passenger car.
Crimes against persons detectives took over the investigations. In both, Barrera was identified as one of the suspects via surveillance video.


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EBay Inc. is trying to wring more money out of every customer and purge the online auction site of shoddy sellers, a business strategy that executives say has already pumped profits.
The company reported Wednesday that first-quarter profit surged 52 percent, trouncing Wall Street expectations thanks to big-spending shoppers overseas and scorching performance of its PayPal electronic transaction division.
EBay earned $377.2 million, or 27 cents per share, for the three months ended March 31, compared with $248.3 million, or 17 cents per share, in the year-ago period. First-quarter revenue totaled $1.77 billion, up 27 percent from $1.39 billion a year ago.
Excluding charges unrelated to ongoing operations, eBay earned $460.5 million, or 33 cents per share, up 34 percent from the same quarter last year.
On that basis, which does not comply with generally accepted accounting principles, eBay was expected to earn $408.72 million, or 30 cents per share, on sales of $1.72 billion, according to analysts polled by Thomson Financial.
EBay reported the results after markets closed Wednesday. Its shares climbed $1.23, or 3.6 percent, in extended trading after closing down 75 cents to $34.45 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The first-quarter gains came despite lackluster growth in the total number of listings on the world’s largest online auction site. Users posted 588 million listings last quarter, up only 2 percent from the 575 million in the year-ago period — a far smaller growth rate than eBay typically records.
EBay President and Chief Executive Meg Whitman said slower growth was the logical outcome of an ambitious effort to reduce the amount of overpriced commodity items that clog the site. Last year, the site was clogged with thousands of cell phone chargers, chintzy digital cameras, outdated MP3 players and other electronic devices — and they often carried unrealistically high starting bids and reserve prices. Many got zero bids.
“I think we made a couple mistakes in the middle of last year,” Whitman told The Associated Press. “We frankly had too many items on the site.”
The company is tweaking seller fees to encourage smaller starting bids and discourage sellers from listing huge numbers of similar items. Representatives have been calling individual sellers, reminding them to abide by fair-use policies. And eBay is taking a more active role in combating the growing incidence of fraud, identity theft and privacy invasions.
As a result, Whitman said, the site has a higher quality of items, and the prices are more in sync with their market values. During the quarter, 82.9 million active eBay users exchanged $14.28 billion in goods, ranging from pricey real estate and cars to toys and shoes.
“Conversion rates are going back up, so sellers are seeing more success — and if history is any guide, supply follows demand,” Whitman said. “We always anticipated a lag in listings growth. We are not unduly concerned.”
Tepid growth in listings didn’t worry Rick Munarriz, a senior analyst in media, technology and the Internet for The Motley Fool. He said it was a logical consequence of purging shoddy sellers.
“Last year, they were a trailer park, and this year they want to be a luxury condo,” Munarriz said. “The current users are being milked more, but they keep coming back, so the formula is working.”
David M. Garrity, director of research at New York-based Dinosaur Securities LLC, praised the company’s strategy to wring more money from users. But he emphasized that eBay — one of the few dot-coms to survive the shakeout starting in 2000 — needs to attract new users. The Web site should be far more interactive and addictive, lest it become the target of a private-equity takeover, he said.
“Being a social networking site for Web 1.0 was wonderful,” Garrity said. “But it leaves open the question about whether they’ll have that position with web 2.0 or, shall we say, Web N.0.”


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The official beer sponsor of the National Football League is about to make one fan’s dream come true. This year, football fans will have a chance to win Bud Light’s NFL Football Tickets for Life Sweepstakes*, providing one fan a lifetime supply of tickets to his or her favorite NFL team.
Beginning Tuesday, May 8, 2012, fans age 21 and older simply can fill out an online entry form on the Bud Light Facebook page, www.facebook.com/BudLight, or at www.BudLight.com/TicketsForLife. Entries will be accepted through January 11, 2013, with the winner announced before Super Bowl XLVII. The winning fan will receive two season tickets to his or her favorite team’s regular season home games, along with a season parking pass, for up to 50 years beginning with the 2013 season.
“There’s nothing like cheering your favorite team from the stands on game day, and we’re going to make sure one of our fans enjoys that experience for life,” said Mike Sundet, vice president, Bud Light. “We’re giving fans the opportunity to enter throughout the 2012 season because we want every single NFL fan to have the chance to throw their name in the hat.”
In addition to the entry form, adult fans can visit the official rules for the sweepstakes at www.facebook.com/BudLight and www.BudLight.com/TicketsForLife.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.3 percent share of U.S. beer sales to retailers. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer. Anheuser-Busch is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
*Bud Light® NFL Football Tickets for Life Sweepstakes. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Sweepstakes open to residents of the United States (except CA) who are 21 years of age or older. Sweepstakes begins at 03:00:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on 5/8/12 and ends at 2:59:59 p.m. CDT on 1/11/13. Void where prohibited.


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Viva Energy Group, owner of the Shell service station chain in Australia, plans to buy the convenience stores on its sites from Coles Group, giving it a bigger convenience store network than arch rival Ampol.
Viva, which also runs Australia's second-largest oil refinery, will break a long-standing lease agreement and pay the grocer A$300 million ($201 million) for the 710 Coles Express outlets on its property, the companies said in separate statements on Wednesday.
The agreed deal reflects the impact of years of fuel retail disruption on two of Australia's biggest companies. For Viva, it presents an opportunity to broaden customer engagement ahead of an expected demand recovery and transition to electric vehicles, while supermarket operator Coles gets out of a non-core business.
Fuel sales in Australia have dipped since Covid-19 restrictions kept people home, then again in 2022 when war in Ukraine sent energy prices soaring. Coles Express pre-tax profit fell 37.3 per cent to A$42 million in the year to June, Coles reported last month, citing Covid-19 and the war.
"For all fuel operators the last few years, during Covid, have been challenging times with restricted travel, and of course the Ukrainian conflict has led to a surge in energy and oil prices," Coles Chief Executive Steven Cain said in a call with journalists.
Viva, 45 per cent owned by Netherlands-based energy giant Vitol , in a statement said it expected demand for traditional fuels to remain strong "well into the next decade".
Asked about consumers' widely expected transition to electric vehicles, Viva CEO Scott Wyatt on an analyst call said "the opportunity to evolve and transform this business is as strong as ever".
Analysts backed Viva's outlook on the deal and its share price rose 5 per cent against a 1.5 per cent decline in the broader market, while Coles' shares were flat.
"This looks like a very good deal for you," Jefferies analyst Michael Simotas told Viva executives on an analyst call.
Antitrust regulator the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which must approve the deal, told Reuters it would "assess it carefully once we receive a submission".-Reuters


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e-banking in the country loses steam in Aug
The transactions through most of the e-banking channels were poor in August over July in recent months with the increased movement of people.
E-commerce transactions fell by Tk. 1.52 billion in August, 2020 over July last.
Mobile financial service transactions also dropped by more than 34 per cent in the month compared with July, the central bank statistics show.
Transactions through ATMs dropped to Tk 128.3 billion in August against Tk 173.4 billion in July, point of sale or POS dealings stood at Tk 11.8 billion, down by 16 per cent from July 2020, according to the statistics.
Interbank transactions through EFT (electronic fund transfer) and real time gross settlement (RTGS) also fell in August compared with July, 2020.
The EFT transactions fell to Tk 216.4 billion in August from Tk 271.8 billion in July, the RTGS fell to Tk 1.71 trillion in August over Tk 1.76 trillion in July.
Only internet banking transactions surged to Tk 68 billion in August against Tk 62.5 billion in July last.
People familiar with the development both in the central bank and other commercial banks were divided over the reasons behind such a gloomy picture of the financial market.
Some argued the working days were fewer in August than July, while others said many now have switched to traditional products or physical ways instead of e-banking products.
Someone, however, said one month data is not adequate to comment.
An official at the central bank told the FE that August had fewer working days. “At least three working days were fewer than July.”
She said: “Both EFT and RTGS transactions slumped in the Month (August) and fewer working days are the main reason.”
Syed MahbuburRahman, managing director and CEO at Mutual Trust Bank, said that one month’s data does not reflect an accurate picture. “We’ll have to wait for more data for more months to come to analyse the trend.”
Conversely, an official at the privately-owned BRAC Bank told the FE that during July e-commerce transactions were higher as many had opted for virtual shopping, even many had bought cattle for Eid celebrations.
“Now people are buying goods and services physically rather than virtually.”
ShamsudidnHaiderDalim, a spokesperson atbKash, the market leader of the mobile financial system, said that the overall transaction in July was higher.
He said remittance inflow and other types of transactions were higher in July on the grounds of Eid-ul-Azaha especially in late July.
“To my mind, this trend will gradually improve in the coming months.”
The main components of the MFS that saw a spike were talk-time purchase only, others like cash in, cash out, salary disbursement, G2P and utility bills were down in August.


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Published Wednesday, 23 April, 2014 by Darrin Michael.
The Dave Arbogast Van Depot has become one of the nation's leading Class B motorhome dealers through the past years. The trend continued recently when the store was honored as the top Class B motorhome dealer in Ohio.
Believe it or not, these days there are still quite a few travelers who may not be familiar with the Class B motorhome.
Class B motorhomes are a popular choice for customers who want the benefits...


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Follow Us on Google News
KARACHI: The closure of CNG stations for a longer duration has proved to be a great burden on the pockets of consumers as rickshaw and taxi drivers.
The current week also saw a huge rush of people at bus stops waiting for public transport vehicles as buses were taking too long to reach their designated stops because of being a few in numbers.
READ MORE: CNG stations reopen across Sindh after four days
A number of transporters had also parked their vehicles in parking areas owing to non-availability of gas. Due to prolonged gas load shedding, people are facing a lot of problems in finding seats in three-wheeler rickshaws, usually called qingqi.
Some qingqi operators are seen demanding Rs25-30 instead of the actual fare of Rs20 for a ride. Due to non-availability of public transport.
Due to the peak factor, the fare of ride-hailing service becomes more expensive than the fares being charged by private rickshaws.
For a distance of 12km, rickshaw owners, after a long bargain, demand Rs350-450 while rickshaws and cars of Uber and Careem charge around Rs600-800 during the peak factor.
Private CNG rickshaw owners have placed a 1.5-litre bottle of petrol to show customers that they are using petrol, which justifies high transportation charges.
The Chairman of CNG Dealers Association Abdul Sami Khan said that “we will block the main roads in case of gas supply to stations is closed for more than three days next week against the schedule of SSGCL.”
READ ALSO: Business friendly changes made to curb under-invoicing: FBR
He said CNG sales were badly hit in the current week due to longer duration of station closures coupled with switching over of consumers to petrol.
The SSGCL has been undertaking load shedding due to low pressure of gas in the system. As a result, domestic consumers, as well as industrial units, are facing serious problems of low gas pressure.
Even on the closure of CNG pumps, domestic consumers and industries in SITE were getting low pressure.


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In this abridged preview of one of the key articles in our February edition, distributed in print and digital formats towards the end of January, Kevin Hilton reports that although supply chains and installations were disrupted in 2020, some technological changes already underway were accelerated as the market adapted to a new way of working.
At the beginning of 2020, there was optimism that digital signage (DS) was consolidating its position and seeing improvements in the sector compared to 2019. New technologies were starting to have more influence and competition was increasing as newcomers began to take business from more established companies. In his introduction to the Digital Signage Summit (DSS) during ISE last February, Florian Rotberg, managing director of invidis consulting, observed: “The market is still growing and there are a lot of opportunities.”
Even as the DSS was taking place, the impact of Covid-19 was already being felt in the West. For the DS sector this potentially meant shortages in component supplies due to the shutdown of manufacturing plants in China, although most companies had stockpiled to cover the expected closure of factories over the Chinese New Year. Rotberg warned that the situation could disrupt display production and “cascade” through 2020.
This prediction appears to be borne out by research by Futuresource, showing that quarter three of 2020 was 24 percent down on the same period in 2019. “The DS market is undeniably under pressure and was suppressed in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19,” explains Martin Cooke, market analyst for displays. “The market saw a slight recovery in quarter 2 when countries opened up after the first lockdown and projects that had been delayed or postponed because integrators could not get to site could be fulfilled. However, there are few new projects being signed off at this time, so the future remains uncertain.”
The forecast is even starker from AV and integrated systems trade body AVIXA. Its 2020 Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis expects digital signage revenues to decline by approximately 11 percent to $31bn. “The pandemic is the overall cause,” comments senior director of market intelligence, Sean Wargo. “Both hospitality and retail, the core markets for signage, have faced major declines in business. But we do expect growth to return in earnest in 2021 as revenues rise by seven percent.”
However, although the coronavirus pandemic has affected manufacturing and installations, it has provided a new role for signage, which, through the application of emerging technologies, can only become smarter and even more a part of everyday life.
“The DS market hasn’t grown as much as expected but it’s stable and advancing steadily,” says Tom Fenton, senior business development manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at display mount and kiosk specialist Peerless-AV. “The pandemic and necessity to work remotely has had a positive impact on technology that has been trying to get into the market for some time. Most notably this applies to video conferencing. Covid has forced us to test and implement the technology quicker and under more strain but platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and WebEx have proved themselves invaluable for continued business collaboration, which had led to a growth in peripherals.”
The full version of this article will appear in our February edition.


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Henry Repeating Arms Named One of Gunbroker.com’s Top-Selling Brands
Posted on: Feb 13, 2024
RICE LAKE, Wis., Jan. 31, 2024 –
Henry Repeating Arms, one of America’s leading firearms manufacturers and a world leader in the lever action category, is proud to announce its naming as the fifth best-selling brand
on Gunbroker.com in 2023. The company also produces two of the top three best-selling rifles on the platform. The achievement is a testament to Henry Repeating Arms’ commitment to quality, innovation, and its customers.
[caption id="attachment_48647" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Henry Repeating Arms was named the fifth best-selling brand by Gunbroker.com. The online marketplace also listed the Henry Big Boy (pictured here) as the second best-selling rifle. (Photo/Max Jacobsen)[/caption]
Gunbroker.com, the world’s largest online marketplace for firearms, ammunition, and accessories, has become a key barometer of industry trends and consumer preferences.
“We are privileged to count ourselves among Gunbroker.com’s best-selling brands, and we owe it to a lot of hard work,” said Anthony Imperato, Founder and CEO of Henry Repeating Arms. “To our more than 800 employees in Wisconsin and New Jersey, our stellar customer service team, and every one of our dealers and customers, we thank you. None of this is possible without their dedication and continued support.”
Since Henry Repeating Arms introduced its first offering in 1996, the Classic Lever Action .22
, the company has become synonymous with American craftsmanship, exemplary customer service, and a deep appreciation for America’s shooting sports and hunting heritage. The company’s diverse product line, including shotguns and revolvers, is known for its reliability, accuracy, iconic designs, and smooth action.
As the firearms industry continues to evolve, Henry Repeating Arms remains committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation while staying true to its roots, and it looks forward to building on its success for years to come by delivering products that exemplify its core values.
For Media Inquiries:
Vice President of Communications
About Henry Repeating Arms:
Henry Repeating Arms is one of the leading firearm manufacturers in the United States and a world leader in the lever action category. The company’s motto is “Made in America, Or Not Made At All,”
and every Henry firearm comes with a Lifetime Warranty and 100% Satisfaction Guarantee backed by award-winning customer service. Henry Repeating Arms employs over 800 people and has over 350,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space in its Wisconsin and New Jersey facilities. The company is also known for its Guns for Great Causes charitable program, which focuses on assisting the families of sick children, children’s hospitals, military veteran organizations, law enforcement and first responder groups, Second Amendment advocacy groups, and wildlife conservation organizations. The company is named in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry, who invented and patented the Henry lever action rifle in 1860 – the first practical repeating rifle and America’s unique contribution to the international stage of firearms design. Visit Henry Repeating Arms online at henryusa.com
, on Facebook at facebook.com/HenryRepeating
on Twitter, and @henry_rifles


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DEERFIELD – More than 40 years after unveiling a radical new bulldozer design that re-imagined a critical drive system, Caterpillar Inc. is introducing an unprecedented element that won’t be as noticeable on the outside but should be seen in dramatically reduced fuel consumption.
The decades-old redesign debuted the elevated sprocket – elevating the system that drives the tracks, resulting in the now ubiquitous triangular outline – while one model of a new line introduced Tuesday adds an electric drive to that elevated system.
The company calls the D6 XE the world’s first high drive electric drive dozer and claims an improvement in fuel efficiency of up to 35 percent over the model it replaces.
Cat estimated the additional cost for the electric drive over a regular D6 would pay for itself in fuel savings in less than 2 years, based on dozer use of 1,500 hours per year for typical construction activity.
The baseline D6, however, also features significantly improved fuel efficiency, compared with the predecessor D6T.
The new model, with a fully automatic four-speed power shift transmission, can achieve 20 percent better fuel efficiency vs. the three-speed transmission in the D6T, according to the company.
The new D6 dozers also feature several other technology upgrades and options, with custom configurations available for a variety of applications. The factory integrated system designed to assist with grading applications additionally includes the ability to automate certain blade functions.


text: On December 22, the CFPB released its monthly complaint report, which focuses on money transfer complaints. According to the report, as of December 1, the CFPB has handled approximately 5,100 money transfer complaints, domestically and internationally. The most complained-about issues include difficulties with the safe and efficient transfer of money, as well as fraud allegations. Additional complaints include inadequate customer service and issues resolving refund errors. Similar to previous complaint snapshots, the report identifies the most-complained-about companies. The CFPB identified the District of Columbia and Delaware as having the highest complaint volume per capita in the country, and placed Georgia as its geographic spotlight, noting that as of December 1, consumers submitted more than 31,000 complaints, with mortgage-related complaints taking the lead.


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• Yahoo Lifestyle will more closely mirror the look and feel of the global Yahoo Lifestyle brand.
CEO Ed Harrison, CFO Penny Diamantakiou, CTO Paul Russell, and director of product Mark Robinson will leave Yahoo7.
'We knew parenting content really resonated and recognised a new commercial opportunity for our clients.'
The company flagged there would be a reduction in locally produced bespoke platforms
Rudduck and Page will report directly to Paul Sigaloff
There was no change to the top four news entities' rankings
Yahoo7 will be able to target consumers based on basket-level purchase data
Judges selected three of the winners at the throwdown finals last night
Yahoo7 director of content Simon Wheeler talks strategy
Page brings nearly two decades of cross-channel leadership experience
Nine young guns represent the ones-to-watch from across the media agency landscape
The Yahoo7 Digital Stars program is now in its sixth year
Canberra-born sports industry executive named president of Eurosport
Swift Media Appoints Pippa Leary as CEO
Starcom Melbourne hires new strategy & client services directors
Fox Sports covers Wimbledon from opening round to quarter finals
Foxtel’s newest hit: Aussie Inventions That Changed The World
TV Guide: Watch The Championships live on FTA with Seven


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Most everyone knows that they can enlist a REALTOR® to help sell their existing home and find a “new” resale home.
However, what some consumers don’t know is that a select group of REALTORS® can simultaneously help them sell their home and get them into a new one, too. That’s because they, in addition to selling resale properties, also act as sales representatives for various builders.
Consequently, REALTORS® who work both sides of the real estate market — they’ll also be working various 2015 Fall Parade of Homes show homes until October 4 — can help first-time home owners, those looking to move up to a new dream home, and even empty-nesters looking to downsize, acquire a new home that perfectly suits their individual needs.
REALTOR® Rob Hutchison, who represents A & S Homes, said his combined experience can be a real help to buyers looking to move from an older home into one that features a more contemporary design.
“Whether it’s myself or another REALTOR® who works both the resale and new homes sides of the market, I think the first thing we do is get people to realize what they want, so we can do the best possible job of finding them the (new home) design that suits their needs,” he said.
As important as identifying the proper new home design is, there’s an even more important detail to attend to, said Hutchison. “As REALTORS®, it’s our job to educate people. In the case of someone going from an older home to a new one, we have to educate them so that they can make a practical decision. People can get lost in the excitement of purchasing a new home, so we need to educate them so they don’t just make the decision based on a whim. It’s our job to make sure the home they’re buying fits their needs – and budget.”
Long-time REALTOR® Lori Thorsteinson, who represents Parkhill Homes, said it’s a REALTOR®’s job to help people make sense out of a situation that’s exciting and often quite overwhelming.
“When a client finds out I can not only work with to them design their new home and help them sell their existing home, they find that very comforting,” she said. “By marketing their existing home and working with them on the design, co-ordination and timing of getting into their new home, I can simplify the process for them. It can take a lot of stress out of what can be a very stressful situation.”
REALTOR® Paul Saltel (Ventura Custom Homes) said REALTORS®, who work both sides of the market, can markedly reduce that stress by guiding clients through the host of details associated with selling their present home, and purchasing a new one.
“First of all, we can get your home appraised so that you know how much equity you have to put into your new home,” he explained. “We can also assist you with financing. In some cases, banks won’t give a home owner another mortgage unless their home is sold. If necessary, we can guarantee the sale of their home so that they can move forward with the purchase of the new home.”
A REALTOR®’s assistance doesn’t end there, he added. “We can also co-ordinate the possession date by arranging a guaranteed possession date with the builder. And, of course, we can work with clients to modify their new home’s design to meet all their needs.”
REALTOR® Josh Nekrep (Odessy Homes) said helping clients make the transition from the old home into their new one is a major asset. “I think being able to co-ordinate timing from the old home into the new home is one of the biggest added values of using a REALTOR® who can sell your home and work with you on a new home,” he said. “Having an agent who has experience in both areas just makes life easier on everyone.”
Like Hutchison, Nekrep said that it’s a REALTOR®’s job to educate their clients. In this case, on the fact that many REALTORS® can co-ordinate the sale of their existing home so that it meshes perfectly with the move-in date of their new abode.
“We’re more than happy — and ready — to work with people to sell their existing home, and work with them on their new one,” he said. “Many people just see us as new homes sales representatives, but the truth is that people can use us to function as one single point of contact who can take their hand, walk them through the selling and buying process, and make it as easy as possible.”


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By George Day • 28 February 2020 • 12:02
The company that owns Corona beer is facing it’s worst quarter in a decade following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world’s largest brewing company and owns some of the most famous beers, including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Beck’s and Corona.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus two months ago in China, the company have suffered a £132 million loss of earnings in the country. They would usually expect sales to rise during this period of the year due to the Lunar New Year festivities.
The losses have resulted in the chief executive having their bonus cut and predicts on of the steepest declines in it’s quarterly profits.
They believe that decrease in profits is due to fewer people venturing into public areas in China to avoid catching the virus. Therefore, locations such as bars and restaurants will be experiencing a dramatic decrease in traffic.
CEO Carlos Brito has said: “Our business is all about going to restaurants, to nightlife, going out with friends, it’s really about to go back to normal, we’re preparing for the surge when things return to normal.
“As we look to the future, we are determined to lead growth through consumer-centricity, operational excellence and innovation.”
Brito added: “Our performance in 2019 was below our expectations, and we are not satisfied with these results.”
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This Start-up is Building a Hip Office Culture
The 32 employee strength company wants to make sure that they focus on the right things and not just expand mindlessly
Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox
1 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.Picking up an officially classified 'heritage building in Connaught Place, doctor turned entrepreneur Malik wanted to establish his foothold into starting a co-working space. This simple idea was sown as Malik experienced lack of a community led office spaces in the city. "Growing at a steady rate of 30 per cent month on month, the demand of co-working spaces have been on a higher spurge than we could ever imagine," believes Ritesh. Funded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm), and Rajan Anandan (Google), Ritesh believes that building a brand doesn't require a huge marketing budget, but instead it reaps fruitful results if an extensive product research is put in place. "Aisa product banao, ke log deewane hojaye (Start something that can make people go crazy)," Ritesh says. Create massive amounts of value for your customers, the rest will follow. The 32 employee strength company wants to make sure that they focus on the right things and not just expand mindlessly.


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Code of Princess will release next week in Europe has part Nintendo’s weekly update. So, come March 28, you can nab the Agatsuma RPG through the eShop for €29.99 on 3DS. Thanks Nintendo Life.
Destiny is coming to an end – but some things are eternal.
Like Overwatch, Hearthstone is making card packs a better time for everyone by ditching Legendary duplicates
Hearthstone changes suggest Blizzard is taking a company-wide look at RNG-based rewards.
Switch hardware shortages "definitely not intentional, we're making it as fast as we can", says Nintendo boss
Switch is not being stockpiled somewhere to drum consumers into a frenzy, Nintendo says.
Code Of Princess
Nintendo has updated the North American end of the eShop with a sale on Code of Princess, Etrian Odyssey 4, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, and more. There’s are few new releases this week, but surely something will tempt you. Full update is below.
Nintendo has updated its eShop offerings for North America with a demo for Bravely Default, Super Punch-Out!!, EDGE, Dr. Luigi and more. Full update is below.


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Two posts already this week about Agyness Deyn.
This time a video has been released of the model modeling the latest line by American designer, Rebecca Minkoff.
The video shows sees her ‘auditioning’ for a role and the model frolicking around, fresh-faced and super-girly in floral at the beach.
The pieces by Rebecca Minkoff are bright, eye catching, with some stunning accessories.
Watch the video below.
What do you think?


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Toyota in April revealed a fuel cell-powered semi-trailer truck as part of its Project Portal program which aims to determine whether there’s a viable future for the zero-emission technology when it comes to heavy-duty applications.
On Thursday, the automaker announced that the truck is currently being used for short routes, known as drayage, at ports in California. An initial trial has seen the truck haul goods from select Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach terminals to surrounding rail yards and warehouses for distribution.
Toyota says these short, frequent route patterns are designed to test the demanding drayage duty-cycle capabilities of the fuel cell powertrain while capturing real world performance data. As the study progresses, longer haul routes will be introduced.
As previously reported, Toyota’s fuel cell truck weighs 80,000 pounds and features two Toyota Mirai fuel cell stacks generating enough energy for the truck’s electric drive system to deliver 670 horsepower and 1,325 pound-feet of torque. With its hydrogen tanks filled, the truck has a range of 200 miles. The truck also has a 12-kilowatt-hour battery though this is too small to provide any usable range on its own.
The latest announcement comes just days after General Motors unveiled a modular platform for fuel cell trucks. Dubbed the Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure, or SURUS for short, the platform holds enough hydrogen to cover roughly 400 miles.
While neither GM nor Toyota are yet to announce production plans for their respective fuel cell trucks, American startup Nikola has announced a fuel cell truck for production. However, Nikola’s design, which was shown in December 2016 and targeted for production in 2020, also has a sizeable battery allowing for a decent electric range before the fuel cell needs to kick in. With a full charge of its battery and its hydrogen tanks topped up, Nikola’s truck, known as the One, should be able to cover between 800 and 1,200 miles.


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Continuing its dominance in search, Google saw 61% of mobile searches in the first quarter of 2008, according to data released by Nielsen Mobile. Yahoo came in second at 18%, while MSN lagged behind at third with 5%.
65% of Google searchers were male while 63% of Yahoo searchers were male.
When it comes to what mobile searchers are looking for, Google and Yahoo users are alike:
Local listings 29%
Local listings 24%
But finding satisfactory results is still a bit of a challenge when it comes to mobile search. Only 44% of Google searchers and 40% of Yahoo searchers rated their experience in the 8-10 range on a scale of 10.
Last week, Google announced that it updated its mobile search offering to make it faster for searchers on the go.
Meet Your Favorite Search Engine Watch Contributors
Many of SEW's leading expert contributors will be at ClickZ Live, the new online and digital marketing event kicking off in New York (March 31-April 3). Hear from the likes of: Thom Craver, Josh Braaten, Lisa Barone, Simon Heseltine, Josh McCoy, Lisa Raehsler, Greg Jarboe, Dan Cristo, Joseph Kerschbaum, John Gagnon, Eric Enge and more!


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San Francisco, Aug. 28: Hewlett-Packard Co. said Tuesday it lost $ 2.02 billion in the quarter since buying Compaq Computer Corp. in the largest technology merger in history, as sales fell in most of its product lines.
H-P’s loss amounted to 67 cents a share in its fiscal third quarter. The “pro forma” per-share profit—excluding $ 2.4 billion in merger costs, investment losses, litigation expenses and other write-downs—came to 14 cents, matching analyst predictions.
“We’ve kept our eye on the ball,” CEO Carly Fiorina told investors and analysts on a conference call. “We did well.”
Revenue in the three months ended July 31 fell from $ 18.6 billion at the two companies a year earlier, to $ 16.5 billion together in the fiscal third quarter, shy of the $ 16.7 billion consensus sales estimates from Wall Street.
Fiorina and other executives said H-P was meeting a variety of internal goals set before the controversial acquisition of Compaq, which narrowly survived a shareholder vote.
They said the sales shortfall resulted from continued weakness in technology spending, rather than execution problems or excessive optimism about the merits of the Compaq acquisition.
Delayed purchases and economic conditions, especially overseas, “puts the information technology sector under enormous pressure,” Fiorina said. “The shift in buying behavior will continue.”
H-P stock fell 64 cents to $ 14.21 in regular NYSE trading, then regained most of that ground following the earnings report, moving to $ 14.70 in after-hours activity.
The Palo Alto-based company said it was on track to meet earlier sales and profit forecasts for the year’s remaining quarter, and it said profit margins would improve as it chops more costs. The executives declined to give a sales forecast for the next fiscal year.
Sales of printing systems, the most profitable piece of the company, increased 10 per cent to $ 4.7 billion.
But the rest of the quarter’s results were grim.
Sales dropped 19 per cent from a year earlier at the H-P division handling personal computers for consumers and business, to $ 4.8 billion.
Revenue from big computer systems sold to large business enterprises fell 22 per cent, to $ 3.8 billion.
The two segments lost more than $ 600 million combined. And technology services, touted before as a key rationale for the merger, fell 7 per cent to $ 3 billion.
“The down-side surprise was the enterprise computing,” said Merrill Lynch analyst Steven Milunovich.
“The revenue number was a little light, which suggests that even since June, the environment has deteriorated a bit,” Milunovich said. He doesn’t own any H-P shares and recommends the stock. Merrill Lynch provides investment banking services to HP.
H-P president Michael Capellas called the big-computer division’s $ 422 million operating loss “unacceptable” and promised to speed up cost-cutting moves, including layoffs. The company has already eliminated 4,740 jobs and plans to cut a total of 15,000 by the end of next fiscal year.
“We know we have a lot of work to do, particularly in our PC and business enterprise systems,” Capellas said. He predicted the personal computer division would return to profitability in first half of next fiscal year.
The big-computer unit suffered the most from overlapping product lines between H-P and Compaq, but other parts of H-P also are under attack by competitors.


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Westheimer Crossing Shopping Center changes hands
Houston — Grubb & Ellis Co. said Wednesday that it represented Gulf Coast Commercial Group in the sale of Westheimer Crossing Shopping Center, a 94,053-sq.-ft. retail center in Houston.
Delta Troy Interests Ltd. purchased the property for an undisclosed price. The property was approximately 90% occupied at the time of sale to multiple tenants, including DSW, REI and Michaels Stores.
TJ Maxx opens at Lagniappe Village
New Iberia, La. — Centro Properties Group announced that T.J. Maxx recently opened a new 24,035-sq.-ft. store at Lagniappe Village, located in New Iberia, La.
New York City-based Centro owns the shopping center.
Cypress Equities hires leasing manager
Dallas — Cypress Equities Cos. said it has expanded its leasing team with the addition of Giancarlo “GC” Carriero, who joins the firm as leasing manager.
Carriero is responsible for developing and leveraging relationships with potential tenants and facilitating leasing solutions for Cypress’ nationwide retail and mixed-use projects.
He was previously leasing representative for General Growth Properties.


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Tinker Hatfield broke the news that the Nike Air Zoom Talaria will retro. Shared on NikeLab’s Twitter account, the brand gave a preview of the sole along with a number to call which Hatfield dropped the news. US residents can call 1-800-250-2652 or if you’re in the UK, use 800-023-4844.
Upon calling, Tinker Hatfield answered and said the following:
“Back in 1997, I designed a shoe for runners rather than people who merely run—big difference,” Hatfield says. “It was a hard shoe to develop and my original design ended up not being technically possible. It did however introduce full-length, bottom-loaded Zoom technology and flex grooves. I’m happy to say it went on to be regarded as one of the best rides in road running. So I’m both excited and proud to be the first to announce that NikeLab will bring back some from fast from the past.”
Towards the end of the message, Hatfield reports that the Nike Air Zoom Talaria Retro will once again release on March 31st, 2016. As of now, a full image has yet to be unveiled but stay tuned as we bring you more info.
Update: Although a release date for the Nike Air Zoom Talaria has been set for March 31st, one informant via NT has said that 21 Mercer is selling the shoes early. In addition to the OG color scheme, they also have a Black/White and Blue/White available. While the store could just be displaying them, this does give us a first look at the 2016 retro release.


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Bayer saved at least $10 million after taking programmatic in-house
This article is part of a five-part series dedicated to the challenges and opportunities in content marketing. Join us at our Content Marketing Forum in New York on Wednesday, June 5th to hear more about the challenges and opportunities in content marketing.
Two years after Bayer began to bring programmatic buying in-house, the pharmaceutical marketer isn’t looking back.
After stripping out the GroupM agency in the past year, Bayer was able to reduce its programmatic buying costs by $10 to $11 million within the first six weeks, according to Paul Gelb, head of programmatic and social at Bayer. “It is really hard to provide a significant amount of value in an agency today in a programmatic biddable medium,” Gelb said on stage at the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit in Austin, Texas, on May 29.
The role of media agencies has been questioned as brands such as Bayer have taken programmatic buying in-house. Typically, because agencies are able to strike deals with platforms and publishers that span multiple clients, they are believed to be able to fetch lower rates through these bulk buys than a brand going it alone.
Agencies “can get rates that are incredibly low compared to what we’d get,” said one marketer in attendance. Whatever money their brand would save from in-housing would not be enough to offset the higher fees they would face without an agency, this person said.
However, that has not been the case for Bayer. With the exception of one unnamed ad tech vendor, the brand has been able to negotiate better pricing with every vendor that it works with compared to what Bayer paid when it had an agency, Gelb said.
While Bayer still works with an agency for its TV buying and continues to work with a creative agency, it is not working with any agencies in digital, other than MightyHive, which Gelb described as the brand’s “transition agency” as Bayer looks to bring all digital media buying in-house by 2020.
At the same time as Bayer has taken programmatic in-house, the brand has seen its overall spending shift pretty dramatically. In 2015, 80% to 90% of Bayer’s advertising budget went to TV. Fast-forward to today: the brand is on the verge of spending more money on programmatic and social advertising than on TV ads, and when Amazon is added to the mix, Bayer is already spending more money on digital than TV, Gelb said.
The money that Bayer has saved by taking programmatic buying in-house can be a tough look for its former media agency. However, MediaCom’s chief digital officer for North America, Steve Carbone, made a case for the agency’s continued role when a brand goes in-house. “We’re not the ones pulling the levers, but we’re still the ones advising,” he said on stage the day after Gelb’s talk. MediaCom clients that have taken programmatic buying in-house “keep our best programmatic people on retainer,” Carbone said without naming any clients in particular.
Agencies’ programmatic talent continues to be their raison d’être as more clients’ look to move programmatic buying in-house and struggle to find employees experienced enough in programmatic. Some marketers that have brought programmatic buying in-house “couldn’t get people to move to their headquarters,” said Oleg Korenfeld, global chief platforms officer at Wavemaker, who joined Carbone on stage.
Recruiting programmatic talent was not a huge challenge for Bayer because its programmatic buying had set up shop in New Jersey where it was easier to recruit veteran executives who had worked for ad tech firms that had been acquired and were looking for positions that offered more work-life balance without a need to commute into New York City, said Gelb. “I don’t see any brand in a major metropolitan area that can’t [successfully bring programmatic buying in-house] if they are willing to hire and well compensate people,” said Gelb.
However, for brands like SafeAuto, convincing such execs to move to Columbus, Ohio, can be more of a challenge. The brand’s in-house programmatic team currently has three open positions and is in search of “people who really want to wear a lot of hats, people who don’t necessarily want that cookie-cutter role,” said Claudia Beale, digital media supervisor at SafeAuto, during a separate session on stage.
This article has been updated to reflect that Bayer saved $10 to $11 million within the first six weeks of stripping out its agency and taking programmatic buying in-house.
More in Marketing
TikTok has officially launched its new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, earlier this month on August 1. Using the new e-commerce platform, brands and creators can sell products directly on the platform, potentially creating new revenue streams, and tap into the short-form video platform’s growing popularity.
‘The influencer industry can be really vile’: Confessions of an influencer marketer on the industry’s unfair hiring practices
While the influencer industry might sound exciting and like it’s full of opportunities, one marketer can vouch for the horrific scenarios that still take place behind the scenes.
After a tumultuous 12 months, marketers are getting a clear picture of how they really did during a time of true uncertainty. And, as it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad.
Ad position: web_bfu


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The warnings kept coming at midday Friday; Razorfish, Marimba, Veeco and Hyperion led the decliners. The Nasdaq tumbled 77.91 to 3,394.19 and the Dow Jones industrial average shed 83.61to 10,641.31.
The Inter@ctive Week @Net Index fell 13 to 471.46.
Razorfish (Nasdaq: RAZF) dipped 4 to 4.75, or 46 percent after it warned that, like a growing list of Internet consultants, it would report disappointing results for the upcoming quarter.
Shares of Marimba (Nasdaq: MRBA) plunged 6.09 to 5.03 in morning trading, after warning investors that third quarter sales and earnings would miss expectations.
Hyperion Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: HYSL) said Friday it will miss expectations for the quarter ending Sept. 30. Shares tumbled 7.94 to 11.44, or 41 percent.
Veeco Instruments Inc. (Nasdaq: VECO) tumbled 31.5 to 71.03, or 31 percent after it announced preliminary results for the third quarter, and downwardly revised fourth quarter expectations. Its COO is also leaving.
In order to fend off sellers, Internet investment firm CMGI (Nasdaq: CMGI), unchanged at 21.5, said Friday that it has enough cash on hand to last for two years.
An upbeat pre-announcement from MetaSolv Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSLV) boosted shares 5.38 to 25, or 27 percent after it announced earnings for its third quarter would be on target with analysts' expectations.
Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) fell 3 to 30.56, AOL (NYSE: AOL) dropped 2.45 to 59.05 and Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) dropped 3.88 to 80.81.
Among other leading tech issues: Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO)fell 1.19 to 56.38, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) dropped 0.31 to 40.69, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) rose 0.31 to 55.688 and Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) rose 1.25 to 69.56.


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Japan car firms hope young hearts race for new sports cars
JAPANESE automakers are releasing new sports-car models hoping to attract young people who are said to be less interested in cars than the middle-aged and older customers.
By introducing more models, the automakers expect sales in Japan, which have been sluggish, to increase.
Toyota announced that it will begin selling an upgraded model of its 86 sports car.
The model, which was jointly developed with Fuji Heavy Industries, will go on sale starting Aug 1.
The new 86 model has higher-level performance and lower air resistance, and utilises racing technology.
Prices, including consumption tax, will range from about 2.62 million yen (S$35,000) to about 3.25 million yen.
Fuji Heavy Industries will begin selling the same model under its own Subaru brand as the BRZ, also starting on Aug 1.
Prices will be from about 2.43 million yen to about 3.02 million yen.
The original 86 model was released in 2012 as Toyota's first sports-car series in five years.
According to Toyota, 86 models initially sold well to middle-aged and elderly people, and younger generations, including those in their 20s, have been increasingly buying the car.
Last year, Honda released the S660, a sports-car-type mini-vehicle.
Meanwhile, foreign automakers operating in Japan are focusing on selling sports cars to wealthy consumers.
Prices of these foreign models exceed 10 million yen.
On Tuesday, Audi Japan released its R8 luxury sports car with a price range of about 24.56 million yen to about 29.06 million yen.
THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/
ASIA NEWS NETWORK


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India is ahead of every other country in 2011, in sales of commercial vehicles (CV), as the world’s fastest growing truck and bus market for the second successive year in a row.
China posted a 10% dip in the net sales while the worlds largest markets for CV’s posted a 13% increase in the sales. Japan on the other hand witnessed a 6% dip in the sales compared to previous year.
China has an advantage of infrastructure compared to India. The average daily movement is around 550 km/day (for China) against India’s 300 km/day.
China still holds dominant position in the global market with close to 4-million units sold last year and almost five times the size of the Indian market where only 8.8 lakh units were sold.
While India’s surge in passenger cars makes it the fifth largest producer, its tally in commercial vehicles still comes at a laggard seventh in the global even after smaller countries like Mexico and Thailand.


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Seahawks.com Content Manager
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Seahawks fans contribute to glassybaby's 'two million thank yous'
photo via glassybaby.com
Seattle-based company glassybaby, makers of the popular hand-blown, colorful candleholders that donate 10 percent of their sales to assisting people with life-threatening illnesses, achieved a milestone last month with the help of several Seahawks fans.
With purchases of the "Spirit of 12" and "Seahawks Pride" glassybaby models, 12s gave more than $45,000 to women and children in need throughout the Seattle area in the three weeks prior to Super Bowl XLVIII.


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Not every star got it right on the fashion front this week!
From the glitz and glamour of the hottest Hollywood events and movie premieres to the city streets… READ MORE
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Bigscreen bombshells faced off on the fashion front Tuesday, hitting the red carpet across the world in the best and worst duds and RadarOnline.com has all … READ MORE
Women’s Wear Daily celebrated their 100th birthday at a fashion-packed Anniversary Gala in NYC on Tuesday night, which attracted everyone from the Devil… READ MORE


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GOOD THUNDER, Minn. (WCCO) — It’s been a cold, rainy spring but finally, Minnesota farmers have most of their crops in the ground. The success of Minnesota’s soybean season is being watched very closely half a world away.
Holding soybeans in his hands, farmer Earl Ziegler says, “That’s the protein for the world, right here.”
But all the soybeans on Ziegler’s farm wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the growing need in China.
“As the developing nations have an extra dollar in their pocket, the first thing they’re going to spend it on is food,” he said.
As the Chinese economy booms, so has their appetite for meat. In fact, it’s doubled in the past 20 years.
Chef Allen Li said in the past, Chinese ate more pork and chicken. But the Chinese diet is diversifying. Now at Chef Li’s steakhouse in Beijing, he says people “especially eat high-quality beef.”
A lot of that quality beef is being grown on Minnesota soybeans.
“Half of the beans that we export are going to China now,” said farmer Jim Call who has 3,000 acres near Madison, Minn.
He’s been involved in trade missions with China and said Minnesota farmers have to think about the bigger picture.
“Now we’re in such a global society that when something happens in China, it directly affects my farm,” Call said. “I don’t think your average consumer realizes how much is going over to China and how important that market is for the U.S. economy.”
At a recent meeting in Mankato, farmers are talking about how to market Minnesota soybeans to the growing world market. Increased demand will mean higher prices. The USDA estimates soybeans could sell for up to $14 a bushel this year; that’s $3 more than last year.
At the Ziegler’s farm in Good Thunder, Minn., he thinks about his grandfather who started this farm a century ago and the fact that one out of every four rows that he plants will go half-way around the world — helping to feed a growing nation.
“I think he would really be proud to think that it went this far,” Ziegler said. “I think the future with China looks excellent.”
Soybeans are Minnesota’s number one agricultural export. Only two other states grow more soybeans than Minnesota farmers — Iowa and Illinois.
Joan Gilbertson, Producer


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Along with announcing a new expansion pack for Hearts of Iron IV at PDXcon today, a new physical collector's edition was also announced in part for the anniversary of its release on June 6, 2017 and also for celebrating the one million sales mark. The Anniversary Edition, which will come with the new expansion Man the Guns, is quite the doozy, but I do question the way they are releasing it.
The base Anniversary Edition will run you $169.99 and comes with the base Hearts of Iron IV game, the Man the Guns expansion, and a beautiful alternate history statue of the Italian Empire toppling Big Ben. Yes in some alternate universe the Italians decided to not go into battle with horses and actually managed to not get crushed by 1943. For just $10 more, you can get the Anniversary Edition Plus that will include every expansion released up until now as well as the statue.


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- 23 Mar 2021
Amazon is reportedly telling delivery drivers they must give 'biometric consent' so the company can track them as a condition of the job
Amazon delivery drivers will lose their jobs if they don’t give permission for the company to collect their biometric data, per a Motherboard report.
- 20 Mar 2021
Apple, Amazon, and Google don't pay to integrate Wikipedia articles into their search products. The non-profit now hopes to use contracts with Big Tech to help fund 'knowledge equity' around the world.
Enterprise contracts would transform Wikipedia’s relationship with corporations and level the playing field with tech giants like Apple and Amazon.
- 19 Mar 2021
The Justice Department is reportedly investigating whether Visa's debit-card business is anticompetitive
The DOJ is looking into whether the company has kept merchants from routing debit-card transactions over less expensive networks, The Journal said.
- 17 Mar 2021
Leaked code all but confirms that new M-series iMacs could launch soon
Thanks to some leaked code, there’s a chance that an unreleased Apple iMac with an ARM-based processor could already be in the wild somewhere.
- 17 Mar 2021
Report: Morgan Stanley will let wealthy clients access bitcoin funds, due to popular demand
It’s the latest Wall Street stalwart to warm up to cryptocurrency.
- 16 Mar 2021
SpaceX targets this summer for first Starship orbital flight
SpaceX reportedly has a plan to send its Starship and Super Heavy rocket system on its first orbital flight by July 1, 2021.
- 15 Mar 2021
Watch Tesla’s all-electric Semi hum around a test track
Tesla has offered a sneak peek of its all-electric Class 8 Semi truck humming around a test track at the automaker’s facility in California.
- 14 Mar 2021
Netflix Tests a Clampdown on Password Sharing
The company said a feature was being tested with a limited number of users, a move that might signal a broader crackdown on the common practice of password sharing among family and friends.
- 13 Mar 2021
This weird exoplanet is regrowing its atmosphere
Researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a very odd planet that seems to be regrowing its atmosphere after having lost it in the past.


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Billionaires, startups team up to fix broken Indian health care
Shocking videos of coronavirus patients lying next to corpses in overrun hospitals and ambulances with critically-ill driving around in search of hospital beds have conferred fresh impetus to the task of rescuing Indian health care.
The doctor will see you now – virtually
Bringing relief to patients seeking doctors’ visit amidst a pandemic, telemedicine startups are not o...
Mphasis appoints Manish Dugar as new CFO
Duggar is a chartered accountant and has served as Managing Partner at Agnus Capital LLP. He was ear...
Tencent’s becomes the Alibaba of Indian startup scene
This comes at a time when India is emerging as the next frontier of growth given that fewer Chinese startups are going public due to the uncertainty caused by the country’s ongoing trade war with the US and overall sobering of valuations.
For deep-tech hires, firms cast net wide in shallow talent pool
Hackathons, training platforms help startups fill some gaps in candidate-driven market.
How regional language technology became flavour of the season
There are a clutch of homegrown companies which are trying to understand what Indian language speakers want to talk about and how to encourage them to do it.
Women participation, improved stock option offers light up Startupland
The paucity of quality tech talent in India is seeing startups offer significantly better pay packages for engineers, compared to other critical functions.
Healthcare app mfine in talks to raise $17 million
The company primarily earns money through commissions from customer consultation, lead-generation fees from hospitals and corporate tie-ups.
Online marketing solutions provider, Benddit, raises $250,000 in seed capital
Companies of all sizes need outsourced expertise at the right price, which are innovative and flexible, and comes with high service standards.
PolicyBazaar to enter healthcare tech and services space
The Gurgaon-based company, which was valued at $500 million post the closure of its last round of funding in October 2017, has earmarked about $100 million towards the new venture, according to a senior executive of the firm.
Big data to help online pharmacies stay in shape
The idea is to diversify and offer more to customers. Such experimentation is gaining ground among ehealth players, who are venturing into new territories such as insurance and private label medicines by making use of data like never before.
Practo, ICICI Lombard team up for an app
The application works in sync with Practo’s ‘Trinity’ technology to offer users cashless consultancy.
Rs 80 crore stake in Practo may be up for grabs
It is unclear whether the selling stakeholders include Practo's early backers, a list that includes now-defunct startup accelerator, The Morpheus, or its employees loo king to vest their stock options.
1mg Technologies close to getting $10 million in equity financing round
The latest instance of capital raising comes about a year after the Gurugram-based company raised an undisclosed sum from global healthcare-focused fund HBM Healthcare.
Practo Technologies sacks 150 employees as part of annual performance cycle
The company has about 1,500 employees. Practo had raised $55 million in a Series D funding led by Chinese internet conglomerate Tencent, in January.


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Global agreements on trade and transfer pricing are good news for growing businesses
5 October 2015 was a good day for companies operating across borders, with agreements on global transfer pricing rules (Base Erosion Profit Sharing or BEPS) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). With TPP there are finer details to iron out, not least ratification in the US congress. And with BEPS it is now all about implementation. As my colleague Francesca Lagerberg points out: the OECD doesn’t implement tax policy, national governments do.
If both deals are substantially implemented in a number of countries there will still be major improvements to the regulatory landscape. The EU and the US might even seal a meaningful trade deal in 2016 (the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP), a deal which could help turn the global economy around at a time of heightened uncertainty and stuttering growth.
Global tax reform
BEPS is a set of recommendations from the OECD which will have a profound impact on the taxation of businesses trading across borders. The OECD and the G20 deserve much credit for the progress they have made in the past two years. It is the biggest shake-up in international tax rules in a generation.
BEPS matters because tax is a cost of doing business. Inconsistent and/or incoherent tax rules across borders impair export opportunities and therefore impair economic growth.
Boost to global trade
TPP is the largest trade pact agreed in two decades. It covers 40% of the global economy including Australia, Japan, the US and some of the more outward-looking Latin American and ASEAN economies. Asian giants such as China and India are not currently party to TPP but Mike Froman, the US Trade Representative who negotiated the deal, recently referred to the indirect influence such deals have on neighbouring countries. And TPP may well attract more signatories in the future.
Trade agreements seek to address inconsistent rules and thereby open up access to more markets. We know from our Beyond Borders campaign around international expansion this year that conforming to local legislation and regulatory requirements are the number one challenge business leaders face when operating overseas. Just think about the TPP member countries, and the scope for different approaches to workers' rights, tariffs, protection of certain cherished sectors, regulation and environmental protection.
There is a side benefit to global agreements too: if you are talking to countries about trade, you are building diplomatic relationships, understanding and common good. As we see in the EU, that reduces the chance of conflict.
In the coming weeks and months the TPP details will enter the public domain. In each country there will likely be winners and losers. There will be scrutiny of quality safeguards. On BEPS some governments have already taken unilateral action, and there will be some who are tempted to tinker with the BEPS recommendations as they get implemented. Before we criticise elements of TPP or BEPS, we should first consider the whole.
Benefits for all companies, large and small
BEPS does not just benefit multinational companies. And TPP does not just suit 'big pharma' or 'mega agri'. Those companies are already trading successfully across borders, and are resourced to cope with regulatory complexity. TPP and BEPS will be of greatest benefit to those companies which are seeking to expand and invest across borders from a zero or small base – it is these companies that will be the engine of global growth.
However, as much as these are game-changing agreements, we should not expect too much too soon from business leaders. Psychology plays a key role in business expansion decisions. Data from our International Business Report reveals that the number one reason businesses choose a specific market is simply because it ‘feels right’. But global agreements boost business confidence. They are a signal that governments are getting together to make it easier for them to operate across borders; that politicians are trying to mitigate the complexities facing business leaders.
By their nature, negotiation and consensus require give and take. You give up some things for the greater good. The BEPS recommendations and TPP are rare moments of international collaboration where the negotiators have kept their eyes on the big prize. We should all celebrate.


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American mobile operator T-Mobile has suffered a security breach that may have exposed call records and phone numbers for some of its customers.
T-Mobile said the data breach did not expose customers’ names, physical addresses, email addresses, financial data, credit card information, social security numbers, tax IDs, passwords or PINs.
T-Mobile, which is owned by Deutsche Telekom of Germany, said the breach exposed customers’ proprietary network information (CPNI), including phone numbers and call records.
T-Mobile in a security update said customer proprietary network information (CPNI) as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules was accessed.
The CPNI accessed may have included phone number, number of lines subscribed to on your account and, in some cases, call-related information collected as part of the normal operation of your wireless service.
Earlier breaches at T-Mobile exposed customers’ information in 2018, prepaid customers’ information in 2019 and exposed customer and financial data in March last year.
T-Mobile said the fresh breach affected less than 0.2 percent of its customers. T-Mobile competes with AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
T-Mobile has approximately 100 million customers, which equates to around 200,000 people affected by this breach.
The fastest growing telecom service provider was alerting affected customers that a security incident exposed their account’s information.


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#OneLess, launched in 2016, is working to reduce the number of single-use plastic water bottles used in London from entering, and polluting, the ocean. It has announced that that Londoners are receiving the its message and are showing signs of abandoning plastic water bottles in favour of filling else bottles with tap water.
By taking a systems-change approach, the campaign champions London’s growing refill culture in a bid to stop people’s reliance on single-use plastic water bottles.
Londoners drink more bottled water than anyone in the UK. The average Londoner buys 3.37 plastic bottles of water every week, that’s 175 plastic bottles a year.
Plastic bottles account for 10% of all litter (plastic and non plastic) found in the Thames.
#OneLess is fostering a culture where using a refillable water bottle is the new social norm. The campaign is working to ensure that systems and infrastructure will be available across the city to support this.


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Airbnb is learning to play by cities' rules
One of Airbnb's biggest challenges is staying in the good graces of city governments. After high-profile scuffles with city officials, the home-sharing company is learning that it has to play by the rules: Today, it's releasing a progress update on its policy framework for collaborating with municipalities.
"We're obviously blessed with tremendous growth, but with that growth comes responsibility," Airbnb head of policy (and former political advisor to Bill Clinton) Chris Lehane told Axios. This is a notable departure from Airbnb's days of combative behavior toward cities, such as refusing to share host data and insisting its just an online marketplace that shouldn't be regulated like other property-rental companies.
Lessons learned: In recent months, Airbnb has mostly resolved lawsuits it filed against two of its most important markets: San Francisco and New York. In San Francisco, Airbnb recently proposed a settlement which would include a plan for Airbnb to help build an easy system for hosts to register with the city at the same time, pending approval from the mayor and Board of Supervisors. In December, Airbnb dropped its lawsuit against NYC after it was assured that the new laws imposing steep fines would focus on hosts with illegal listings, not the company.
"Ultimately that does require partners—us and cities—working together," said Lehane, adding it's hard for city officials to regulate and enforce activity through digital services because they have limited visibility into it. "We, as a platform, have to be responsible for building some of these tools," he said, referring to the registration systems Airbnb has begun to build to work with certain cities like Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
On the flip side, cities should be more open to Airbnb's suggestions when it comes to designing these tools and processes. For example, a registration process for hosts that takes 30 days doesn't align with the expectations of people signing up to use Airbnb, he said.
Making progress: Airbnb says it's made a lot of progress since publishing its initial policy framework for working with municipalities in December. Some proof points:
- Tax collection: Airbnb has agreements with 275 jurisdictions as of May 15, and has collected $240 million in hotel taxes. This is up from about 200 jurisdictions and $110 million as of December 2016. In the U.S., more than half of listings are in an area where Airbnb has a tax collection agreement.
- Working with landlords: To date, about 8,000 units have been enrolled in the Airbnb Friendly Buildings program, which lets landlords sign up to allow tenants to be Airbnb hosts in exchange for more visibility into their home-sharing activities.
- Instant Bookings: Today, there are 1.4 million Instant Book listings available, and 60% of all reservations are now booked this way. Airbnb pushed for more Instant Book listings as one way to help fight discrimination on its service as hosts don't get to approve guests before they make a reservation.