text:
Excavating the value in use of new cars can help confront overcapacity in automotive industry, said Chris Dai, chairman and CEO of UXIN (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd., at CBU’s 2014 international conference on April 17. “One of the most important methods of excavating the value in use of new cars is finding ways to produce used cars.”
According to Dai, there are three ways to produce used cars: leasing, government and company vehicles, and staff vehicles. Dealers can sell cars to end users through leasing. OEMs can recycle the cars sold through the three methods after a certain period and then sell them again as used cars. The recycle period and vehicle quantity should be decided by OEM’s inventory.
“OEMs are able to recover nearly 90 percent of MSRP at most through these methods,” said Dai. “This type of distribution process is much more helpful than selling new cars at a discount which will ruin the retail system and brand image of OEMs.”
The process of producing used cars is able to improve utilization of spare capacity, increase street visibility, promote new car sales, save staff benefits and form virtuous cycle of rental and used cars, according to Dai.
“New car consumers who care for car ownership are quite different from used car buyers who focus on car use,” said Dai. “Both new car and certified used car sales keep increasing simultaneously in foreign countries just because of the great difference between the two groups of consumers.”


text:
Come Rongali Bihu and a charade is played out in this State that really fools nobody. Enforcement squads swing into action to seize imported gamosas made in powerlooms. A hue and cry is raised in media, government officials issue warnings, and then nothing. This has been repeated ad useam for years on end, and this year was no different. On the eve of Rongali Bihu, raids were carried out at Guwahati city’s business heart Fancy Bazar and some other areas, and hundreds of imported gamosas were seized from busy showrooms. There is a law which mandates that the gamosa is a ‘reserved article’ that must be woven exclusively in handlooms. Under Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985, trade licenses of violators can be cancelled and they can be jailed. But that does not deter traders here from sourcing powerloom-made gamosas from states like Tamil du, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. So can we assume that seizure of such gamosas this year made a sizeable dent in this illegal activity during Bihu season? Hardly! Recent media reports quoting sources in All Guwahati Traders Association stated that as much as 60 percent of the gamosas sold this Bihu were of the machine-made variety, which could amount to nearly Rs 100 crore flowing out of the State. And this figure does not include powerloom-made mekhela-chadors and various Bihu accessories. In 2013, local artisans and traders in Sualkuchi fought pitched battles with the police, protesting the sale of Barasi silk as Assam silk, following which the Handloom department had conducted raids on outlets to seize the offending silk items. A silk-producer state like Tamil du too is seized with this problem, with powerloom workers demanding that they be allowed to weave pure silk saris. The difference with Assam is that the administration there is far stricter in protecting the interests of handloom weavers, with the police regularly sealing powerlooms flouting the law.
As for Bihu accessories like gamkharus and artificial floral headgear, most of these are Chi-made. During the Puja season too, Chinese lights and decorative items flood the market here. Police teams conduct raids, and thereafter everything settles down as before. But many traders here are adamant that whether it is cheap machine-made gamosas or Chi-made decorations and accessories, they are actually giving a fair deal to consumers in the State. An ‘imported’ gamosa comes at half the price of a local gamosa, they point out. But many in the trade are silent when questioned about the iron grip some Fancy Bazar traders have over the yarn business; they hike yarn prices at will, and local artisans are completely at their mercy. We have seen very little effective steps from the State administration to rein in such price fixers. Rather, there is the suspicion that these fixers pay liberally to keep corrupt elements in the administration happy and looking the other way. The new rulers in Dispur about to complete one year in government need to introspect about both our producers and consumers. Our local producers in various sectors are simply not producing enough; and what they are producing are not only costlier in most cases, but also wanting in terms of quality or that ‘x-factor’ of capturing the market. So when cash-strapped lower and middle class consumers in the State try to economise with commodities brought in from outside, there can be little grounds for complaint, at least on economic terms. The Economic Survey for Assam for 2016-17 brings out this worrisome picture clearly. Even in terms of feeding its people with nutritious food like fish, meat, eggs and milk, Assam is highly dependent on other states. Every year, around 15,000 tonnes of fish have to be imported to Assam; the State produces barely around 8 percent of its requirement for eggs, 12.5 percent of the meat it needs, and just 35.8 percent of the demand for milk. Our youths need to think about at least one item each can produce — in line with an appeal that Prime Minister rendra Modi once made to the entire country’s youth in his very first Independence Day address. And it is for the Sarbanda Sonowal government to really make an inventory of what this State produces, think hard about creating proper conditions to encourage production, and prod the banks and fincing agencies more. Skilling our youths for jobs is the right thing to do, but we need to find sizeable numbers of entrepreneurs in our midst and nurture them well.

domain: news


text:
Sotheby’s created an Instagram filter for the crown, estimated to sell for up to $1.5 million.
Faulty pump believed to be cause of Swatch fire
While the investigation into the fire that destroyed part of a Swatch Group factory remains under investigation, a company spokesperson said early results indicate the fire was caused by a “technical deficiency” in one of the pumps in the galvanic workshop.
Biel, Switzerland-- While the investigation into the fire that destroyed part of a Swatch Group factory remains under investigation, a company spokesperson said early results indicate the fire was caused by a “technical deficiency” in one of the pumps in the galvanic workshop.
The blaze broke out around 8:45 a.m. local time on Dec. 29 in the galvanic department of Swatch Group Inc.’s main ETA factory in Grenchen, Switzerland. While the factory never completely closes, there was no activity in this area at the time of the fire, so no workers were injured.
Total damage from the fire, including lost production, reproduction of destroyed components and clean up, is estimated at $44.3 million to $55.4 million.
Swatch Group spokeswoman Béatrice Howald said that because of the fire the company will have a temporary delay in production but, “the management is confident … to catch up with the delays within the first half-year.”
She added that the fire also destroyed already-produced components of standard movements that were mainly for third-party suppliers. Other galvanic workshops within Swatch Group can help with production as the fire-damaged shop is repaired.
Despite production delays caused by the late December blaze, Swatch Group said Friday when releasing sales figures for 2013 that is expects “dynamic growth” in 2014, based on the strong start by all brands in the first few days of January.
Swatch Group reported 9 percent growth in watch and jewelry sales in 2013, with total group sales also reaching a record high.
Sales in its watches and jewelry segment reached $9.45 billion, compared with $8.70 billion in the prior year. The company attributes the positive performance to strong brands and its extensive distribution and retail network.
Gross sales for the group were $9.77 billion, an increase of 8 percent as compared with the full year 2012 and setting a new high.
Despite a poor currency exchange situation, which had a negative effect on the company’s sales in the second half of the year, Swatch said that it still expects good results in terms of operating profit and net income when it publishes all key figures for 2013 next month.
Learn how to increase customer loyalty and revenue by making JM™ Care Plan a cornerstone of your business plan.
Colorful gems enliven a classic celestial motif.
All six styles are priced under $2,000.
After months of pandemic-driven social distancing, restrictions and lock-downs, consumers will be excited to visit your store. Now is the time to ensure you have the right inventory on-hand to capitalize on that excitement!


text:
The BBC's iPlayer is going global today, at least in 11 countries as an iPhone app, according to a report in today's Guardian newspaper.
The successful digital consumption platform had been restricted to users in the U.K.
In November, at the Monaco Media Forum, we spoke with Daniel Heaf, the BBC's Worldwide Digital Director about the success of the iPlayer and the expectation of the BBC to launch it globally.
We have republished that video today.
You can also find this post up at Beet.TV.
The Morning Email helps you start your workday with everything you need to know: breaking news, entertainment and a dash of fun. Learn more


text:
The Current, delivered daily.
Shopify has long been known for helping new and emerging brands get off to a fast start in ecommerce. To kick off 2023, the software company is planting a flag in the enterprise market.
The news: Shopify on Tuesday launched Commerce Components by Shopify (CCS), a product offering that allows larger, more established brands and retailers to access parts of its ecommerce infrastructure. With the new package, Shopify is aiming to provide a modular approach for enterprise retailers that typically require more customized systems to run their digital commerce operations. “Enterprise retailers can take the components they need, and leave what they don’t, and developers are free to build with any front-end framework they choose,” Shopify writes.
What's in it? As part of CCS, Shopify said it is rolling out new back-office management that is designed specifically for enterprise retailers. At launch, the product offerings include:
- Checkout: Shopify’s checkout will be available to enterprise brands. This will also open up access to customers who use Shop Pay, which is Shopify’s checkout service for storing payment info and tracking orders.
- Flexible APIs, which now have no rate limits. These allows brands and retailers to integrate existing services with Shopify components.
- Infrastructure: Shopify says it has over 275 network edge points globally, which enables speed.
- Ecosystem: Shopify has a dedicated account team with solutions architects, specialized support and a network of seasoned agency partners and system integrators like Deloitte, EY, and KPMG.
- Find a full list of the 30+ components here.
Key quote: “Commerce Components by Shopify opens our infrastructure so enterprise retailers don’t have to waste time, engineering power, and money building critical foundations Shopify has already perfected, and instead frees them up to customize, differentiate, and scale,” said Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify, in a statement.
Who is using it? Mattel, for one. The Barbie and Hot Wheels maker is bringing its entire portfolio of toy brands to Shopify. The companies first worked together on a creator platform called Mattel Creations, and are now expanding their work together.
Shopify goes bigger: Tuesday’s launch is a product-level outgrowth of rhetoric that has been emerging from Shopify in recent months. With existing clients like Coty, Spanx and Staples, Finkelstein recently told analysts that growth of enterprise clients using the existing offering Shopify Plus outpaced that of Shopify’s overall GMV in the third quarter. Coupled with recently-launched hardware that powers in-person retail, the strategy reflects an aggressive roadmap for Shopify that sets up the Ottawa, Canada-based company to serve markets beyond the digitally-native, direct-to-consumer brands and small businesses with which it has long been associated.This comes as DTC brands are facing challenges following post-lockdown shifts in shopper behavior, Apple’s App Tracking Transparency changes and a pullback of once-plentiful venture capital. Many in retail are also bracing for a difficult year as a result of inflation and interest rates. Landing larger clients can deliver sizable and stable recurring revenue from brands with established footholds in the market. That’s a good way to ride out the storm.
Let’s be clear: Shopify is not alone here. There is already a big, existing market for enterprise ecommerce, and more platforms are gearing up to make a splash in it. In recent weeks, BigCommerce also shared plans to shift its entire sales and marketing infrastructure toward growing its enterprise account. Both companies conducted layoffs in 2022 as they shifted course.
Trends to watch:
Composable commerce. Remember the term. This launch also points to a trend in ecommerce software: Brands and retailers, especially on the larger side, are increasingly opting to build commerce technology stacks by combining elements from a number of different providers. They want to create their own systems that meet their needs, and they want the different parts to be able to easily work together. This points to an environment where choice is prized, and the best components get selected. With CCS, Shopify is signaling that it believes it can stand out with checkout. In turn, partnerships with consulting firms like Deloitte, EY, and KPMG show it is tuning for how these solutions are sold in the market.
Land and expand: The progression with Mattel shows how enterprise sales presents the opportunity to take a "land and expand" approach, as Finkelstein put it to analysts. Start with one part of a brand's work, delight them and there may be a chance to bring in the whole account.
Trending in Retail Channels
Labor disputes on the West Coast could cause further disruption heading into peak season.
When the first half of 2023 is complete, imports are expected to dip 22% below last year.
That’s according to new data from the Global Port Tracker, which is compiled monthly by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
The decline has been building over the entire year, as imports dipped in the winter. With the spring, volume started to rebound. In April, the major ports handled 1.78 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units. That was an increase of 9.6% from March. Still it was a decline of 21.3% year over year – reflecting the record cargo hauled in over the spike in consumer demand of 2021 and the inventory glut 2022.
In 2023, consumer spending is remaining resilient with in a strong job market, despite the collision of inflation and interest rates. The economy remains different from pre-pandemic days, but shipping volumes are beginning to once again resemble the time before COVID-19.
“Economists and shipping lines increasingly wonder why the decline in container import demand is so much at odds with continuous growth in consumer demand,” said Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett, in a statement. “Import container shipments have returned the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019 and appear likely to stay there for a while.”
Retailers and logistics professionals alike are looking to the second half of the year for a potential upswing. Peak shipping season occurs in the summer, which is in preparation for peak shopping season over the holidays.
Yet disruption could occur on the West Coast if labor issues can’t be settled. This week, ports from Los Angeles to Seattle reported closures and slowdowns as ongoing union disputes boil over, CNBC reported. NRF called on the Biden administration to intervene.
“Cargo volume is lower than last year but retailers are entering the busiest shipping season of the year bringing in holiday merchandise. The last thing retailers and other shippers need is ongoing disruption at the ports,” aid NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “If labor and management can’t reach agreement and operate smoothly and efficiently, retailers will have no choice but to continue to take their cargo to East Coast and Gulf Coast gateways. We continue to urge the administration to step in and help the parties reach an agreement and end the disruptions so operations can return to normal. We’ve had enough unavoidable supply chain issues the past two years. This is not the time for one that can be avoided.”


text:
Farming System In Nigeria
▶ Farming business in Nigeria: the most lucrative ones in 2019 ▶ Do you want to start your own farm? Perhaps you already have experience in this field? Check out the most profitable types of farming in the coming year!
▶ Profitability of poultry farming in Nigeria ▶ Are you planning to start a farming business? You should really turn your attention to poultry farming! It will bring you a lot of income if you do it right. Read all about it!
Suspected herdsmen have reportedly killed two farmers at Iorza village in Gaambetiev, Logo local government area in Benue northeast senatorial district. It was reported that the victims included a fish farmer, Henry Zozo.
Knickers, a 1 .94 meters tall giant Friesian from Australia, has proved beef dealers can also be overwhelmed by a cow's size and turn them away for being too big. It is thought to be the biggest cow in Australia.
These are the most loved ★ cow breeds for milk and meat in Nigeria ★ Discover their characteristic from this text and find out why some of them are more suitable for farming in particular regions of the country.
A 61-year-old farmer, Mfana Sithole, took a rundown farm in Mpumalanga and in less than a decade he turned it into a successful and profitable agriculture business. However, now the government wants to take it back.


text:
Today is Black Friday, filling the gap between Thanksgiving and the weekend – for many people a 4-day weekend. More Stores have specials (e.g. Wal-Mart has TVs under $100), some have free delivery, etc.
Unfortunately cheap deals and excitement have led to in-store violence, including shootings, fights, etc. And for some, discounted prices aren’t cheap enough, with some shoplifters taking advantage of the rush. Going further, one shopper was robbed of his TV as he left the store. More
Lloyd says: There was even a bomb threat in a Wal-Mart store in as suburban a place as White Plains NY, where Warren Buffett, Percy Grainger, Mark Zuckerberg, and I lived for a while.
“The holiday season technically starts today with Black Friday. With consumer confidence at the level it’s at now and the market at the level it’s at now, you would expect to see retail sales up 6 or 7 percent from last year, which would be a boon for a lot of retailers.”
Tom Stringfellow, President and Chief Investment Officer, Frost Investment Advisors LLC ($9.3bn) More
Whilst Friday is the official start of the Christmas shopping season, some stores have been moving the start date to Thanksgiving More Macy’s, for example, opened at 8pm on Thanksgiving.
This weekend is followed by Cyber Monday, the online retail day of specials, and often free delivery.
Stock market indices
Black Friday is a short trading day – NYSE and NASDAQ closed at 1pm ET, however after hours trading continued. Our numbers are as of 1pm ET.
“The general mood is that we’re going to have growth this year in terms of holiday season shopping, though probably less than before the crisis. There is an expectation in the market that it has started out on a positive note, so I do think that is definitely driving thoughts today in the marketplace.”
Aaron Izenstark, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Iron Financial LLC’s Iron Strategic Income Fund More
||31 Dec 12
While our USD index is showing a modest gain of 14.62% YTD, our AUD index has now pushed through 30% to 30.72% YTD. Not a great performance compared to the US market, but OK.
||31 Dec 12
|Portfolio Index (USD)
|Valuation Rate: USD/AUD
|Portfolio Index (AUD)
Portfolio stock news
Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reports that Apple accounted for 76% of smartphone sales in Japan in Oct 2013 after NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest carrier, began offering the iPhone. More
Portfolio stock prices
“It’s almost as if people are rotating into the bigger blue-chip names, especially the technology big caps. We wouldn’t be shocked at all to see the small and mid-cap names lag a little bit.”
Ryan Detrick, Senior Technical Strategist, Schaeffer’s Investment Research More
Amazon rose 1.79% to a new record high of $393.62.
||31 Dec 12
BY THE WAY
“Continuing a history of surprising behavior, material from Comet ISON appeared on the other side of the sun on the evening on Nov. 28, 2013, despite not having been seen in observations during its closest approach to the sun.
As ISON appeared to dim and fizzle in several observatories and later could not be seen at all by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory or by ground based solar observatories, many scientists believed it had disintegrated completely. However, a streak of bright material streaming away from the sun appeared in the European Space Agency and NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory later in the evening. The question remains whether it is merely debris from the comet, or if some portion of the comet’s nucleus survived, but late-night analysis from scientists with NASA’s Comet ISON Observing Campaign suggest that there is at least a small nucleus intact.”
NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), 29 NOV 2013 More Video
It appears that ISON has been reduced to cosmic dust after its sun-grazing experience on Thanksgiving. More
Remnants of Comet ISON leaving the Sun (Pic: NASA SPHP)


text:
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EAS Consulting Group, LLC (EAS), a leading consulting, training and auditing firm that specializes in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory matters is now offering a new strategic consulting service to the food industry as they struggle to develop new foods and dietary supplements that meet the demands of today's health conscious consumers.
EAS Chairman & CEO, Edward A. Steele is excited to announce this new service to coincide with the company's exhibition at the Institute of Food Technologist's (IFT) Annual Meeting & Expo held in Chicago, July 16-19, 2106. Company representatives will be available at the EAS exhibit booth (#4728) to discuss the details of the service. Bruce Silverglade has recently joined EAS and will be serving as the nucleus of its new strategic consulting service for product development and labeling. Silverglade is a celebrated food attorney with many years of experience, particularly in the area of food law, nutrition labeling, and claims.
The new service is being offered as food firms are faced with heavy decisions in light of vague or non-existent regulatory guidance and regulation. EAS and its predecessor companies from which it was formed, have been providing guidance on how to comply with established regulations for over 55 years. According to Steele, "this service will take it one step further by working with R&D, regulatory and marketing managers who have to navigate in the absence of clear regulation."
It will be staffed primarily with experts that have worked in or support of the world's largest global food companies. This will include attorneys, and former regulatory, quality and R&D managers who have spent much of their careers working in these areas prior to becoming consultants. These industry-oriented consultants will have the full support of EAS's network of over 150 regulatory consultants, many of which have more than 30 years of FDA experience.
These consultants will be able to help address questions such as: Should your company disclose GMO ingredients, create a "non-GMO" product line, or stay the course? What are the risks of self-defining "natural" foods including the risk of class action litigation challenging such claims? How can your company make undefined claims such as "Handcrafted" while minimizing risk from federal and state regulatory authorities? How can your company prevent an FDA warning letter from triggering "pile on" actions by state attorney generals and plaintiff class action attorneys? When does compliance with FDA labeling regulations for structure/function and other claims constitute compliance with FTC enforcement policy regarding food and dietary supplement advertising? What are trending claims and how to make them while minimizing regulatory risk.
The new EAS strategic consulting service will provide solutions to companies confronting daunting product development and labeling issues by taking a holistic approach that considers a company's marketing objectives and the current regulatory, compliance, and enforcement environment at the federal, state and local levels.
Clients will be guided through the various regulatory processes at each level of government. EAS will advise senior management on government affairs strategy, contacting agencies directly to effectuate policy changes and filing official comments as necessary. EAS will also use its extensive network of contacts to inform departments and agencies through third party outreach efforts and build alliances to help achieve a company's objectives.
When problems arise, the EAS strategic consulting group will mobilize as a government and public affairs "S.W.A.T." team and provide real time response to crisis management situations. Our team will prepare and deliver persuasive, data-driven counter messaging in both traditional media and social media forums. EAS will utilize relationships with today's opinion leaders including health professionals, academics, and journalists to deliver positive messages to create a fact-based dialog and bring a crisis situation under control.
Once a crisis is under control, EAS's product development and labeling consultants can carefully develop a long-term communications and strategic regulatory compliance plan designed to shift the tide of public opinion and protect a company's reputation and brands.
The new EAS group would also be available to write custom reports detailing how new FDA rules affect claims made by a company for specific brands.
EAS will be adding additional food industry veterans in support of this new service as needed. It sees a growing demand for highly experienced thought leaders to help executives in the food business market their products to meet the demands of the consumer while navigating the increasing complexities of the ever changing regulatory environment.
Headquarters 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 750 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (571) 447-5500 Fax: (703) 548-3270 www.easconsultinggroup.com


text:
PITTSBURGH — Church leaders of Saints Martha and Mary Parish are telling parishioners to ignore any text messages asking for gift cards for the pastor.
“I think if they would use those talents and intelligence for good, the world would certainly be a better place,” said Mary Jordan, pastoral associate with the parish.
Jordan said scammers are sending text messages to her members, asking them to buy the gift cards for Pastor Robert Vular.
“We count on our technology, our email, our YouTube channel, all these things to try to reach folks. And so when something like this is used for bad, it definitely puts a damper on things,” Jordan said.
She said nobody has fallen for the scam yet, and it’s not the first time it’s happened.
Caitlin Driscoll with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Better Business Bureau said people need to verify the source anytime a financial payment is involved, even if it appears to come from someone you know. Also, anytime someone wants the payment in a gift card form, 9 times out of 10, it’s a scam.
“Because they don’t carry the same protections as other methods of payment and can’t be easily tracked, gift cards are really attractive payment options for scammers,” Driscoll said.
Cox Media Group


text:
The top U.S. technology companies were once a rare combination of big, fast-growing and ferociously innovative.
Now, they are mostly just big. Their growth has ebbed and their innovations have been underwhelming. Some now see artificial intelligence as the next catalyst for growth. But it remains to be seen whether AI produces a genuinely new product, or serves mainly to entrench these companies in markets they already dominate.
The pandemic supercharged sales and profits at Apple Inc., Google parent
- Advertisement -
Meta Platforms Inc.,
- Advertisement -
In 2022, they returned to earth: profits at all declined even as they rose for the S&P 500 stock index as a whole. Revenue growth at all five lagged behind the overall market. Some of this reflects transitory hiccups from exchange rates and supply-chain problems. Some is more-deeply seated. Active worldwide users at Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Google’s YouTube, and Twitter Inc. grew just 1% to 3% last year, Sensor Tower estimates.
At times in the past year, some big tech shares have been valued like mature companies with price-to-earnings ratios not far above the overall market’s. Fittingly, the companies have ratified those valuations with strategies once the preserve of mature businesses: cost cutting and layoffs to boost margins, buying back stock to raise per-share earnings, and in Microsoft’s case, pursuing the largest acquisition in its history, a $75 billion bid for videogame maker
Activision Blizzard Inc.
- Advertisement -
They all still spend heavily on research and development and all still innovate: Amazon’s delivery times are getting faster, Google’s search engine gets more efficient. Microsoft filled 12 pages with the product enhancements and releases in the fourth quarter alone. But these aren’t new, transformative products; they are incremental enhancements to existing products.
They have made big bets, it is just that those bets have yet to pay off. Meta’s virtual reality division, Reality Labs, generated just $2.2 billion in revenue last year, less than 2% of Meta’s total, while losing $13.7 billion. Alphabet’s “other bets” such as Waymo in autonomous driving and Calico in health yielded $1 billion in revenue and $6 billion in losses. Amazon is curtailing its expansion into physical stores and Apple’s self-driving car project shows no sign of being near to producing a car.
Shareholders have pressured many to pull back on those bets. They value these companies for the same reason regulators are scrutinizing them: they control the dominant platforms in markets with high barriers to entry. Such a franchise can print money and shareholders want that money returned to them, not frittered away on head count and blue sky bets. “Meta’s core business is one of the largest and most profitable in the world” but needs to get “fit and focused,” Altimeter Capital complained in a letter to the company last October. In a November letter TCI Fund Management Ltd. said Alphabet has too many employees. Two-thirds of the company’s revenue comes from search, it noted, a business with “high underlying margins” that isn’t labor-intensive.
A similar logic underlay
‘s leveraged buyout of Twitter: he appeared to believe he could slash costs and head count without denting the platform’s appeal to users. Mr. Musk paid too much and his content-moderation decisions have cost the company advertisers. Yet visits to Twitter are roughly where they were in the months before Mr. Musk’s takeover despite cost cuts and other turmoil, according to estimates by
Indeed, all the big tech companies’ market positions look pretty durable. Google and Meta took in 48% of all digital ad dollars last year, according to Insider Intelligence, a share that has changed little in years. Decades after it was introduced, Microsoft Office still commands a sizable share of the desktop software market and Microsoft’s profit.
Apple’s business model increasingly resembles Alphabet’s and Meta’s: a franchise built around a single product with high barriers to entry. In Apple’s latest quarter, the iPhone accounted for 56% of sales.
“The iPhone has become so integral into people’s lives,” Apple Chief Executive
told analysts. “It contains their contacts and their health information and their banking information and their smart home and so many different parts of their lives, their payment vehicle.” Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring estimates each of Apple’s 1.2 billion iPhone users generates about $69 a year in services revenue, such as from Apple Music, the app store, and iCloud.
Big Tech is now pouring resources into artificial intelligence. The surprise success of ChatGPT, a “large language model” that answers questions by mimicking human language, suggests it could be the new hit product that has eluded big tech in recent years, like search, social media or the smartphone.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
What is your outlook for Big Tech for 2023? Join the conversation below.
Or rather than a stand-alone product, large language models could be most important as a technology that makes those other products better, like a faster semiconductor. With their deep pockets, ubiquitous platforms and vast databases, big tech companies are uniquely positioned to exploit AI’s capabilities. Indeed, when Microsoft first invested in OpenAI, ChatGPT’s creator, it was to improve its cloud computing business. Alphabet just reclassified DeepMind, its AI project, as a corporate expense supporting existing products rather than a stand-alone venture.
This week brought concrete signs of how they plan to deploy AI: Microsoft debuted a new version of its Bing search engine using OpenAI. The plan: chip away at Google’s near monopoly in search. To defend that near monopoly, Google responded by rolling out its own AI application, Bard.
It is too early to predict exactly what impact AI will have, except, perhaps, this: It will keep big tech big.
Write to Greg Ip at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8


text:
SoftBank Group-owned UK chip designer Arm and its Chinese joint venture issued contradicting statements on Wednesday over the removal of the local unit’s CEO, a rare sign of tension at a key player in the semiconductor industry.
Arm Limited initially said in a short statement on Tuesday that the board of Arm China appointed two interim co-CEOs to replace Allen Wu as chairman and CEO.
On Wednesday, Arm China posted on Chinese social media platforms that Wu would continue to lead the company, directly contradicting the British company. “Arm China is an independent entity and legally registered in China. According to all the laws and regulations, Allen Wu will continue his responsibility and role as Chairman and CEO,” it said.
The company is operating normally and continues to serve customers, the post said.
Arm Limited then issued a lengthier joint statement with Hopu, another major shareholder in Arm China. It said Wu was removed after a whistleblower complaint triggered an investigation, which found “serious irregularities, including failing to disclose conflicts of interest and violations of the employee handbook.”
“The Board believes that removing Mr. Wu is the most ethical and responsible decision to ensure Arm China’s long-term stability and business prospects,” Arm and Hopu said.
The contradicting statements suggest disagreement between the two entities after Arm spun off its Chinese business.
SoftBank acquired Arm, the leading designer for chips that power smartphones, in 2016 for about USD 31 billion. In 2018, Arm sold a 51% stake in its Chinese unit, based in Shenzhen, to a consortium of investors. They include state-backed entities such as the Silk Road Fund, sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation and Shenzhen government-owned conglomerate Shum Yip Group.
Since the acquisition, SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son has pushed Arm to ramp up spending on research and development in an effort to expand the range of devices using Arm-designed chips. In mid-May, he said shipment of Arm-designed chips are “continuing to grow at an exponential rate.”
But the effort has yet to deliver financial results — Arm posted USD 1.89 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ended in March, only a 3% increase from the previous year, according to accounts published by SoftBank.
Arm is viewed as one of the world’s most important chip design blueprint providers as its intellectual property is needed in more than 90% of global smartphones and mobile devices. Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Qualcomm, and Mediatek all need Arm IP licenses to develop their core mobile processors.
For example, all of Huawei’s in-house design high-end mobile processors for its premium phones, from its own chip unit HiSilicon Technologies, are based on Arm’s chip blueprint infrastructure and IP.
Softbank’s move in 2018 to cede control of its Chinese operation was viewed as a victory and a major breakthrough for Beijing to secure a crucial source of semiconductor technology. The Chinese government has long hoped to boost its own chip industry, and slash reliance on foreign suppliers.


text:
After months of speculation, FromSoftware has finally revealed its Elden Ring DLC trailer later today (Wednesday 21st February 2024).
The Elden Ring DLC, titled Shadow of the Erdtree, was announced quite a while ago with very little detail provided.
That all changed today with the trailer — which even confirmed a release date of 21st June, putting all that speculation to bed.
If you want to see the Elden Ring DLC trailer as soon as possible, keep on reading for all the key details!
When is the Elden Ring DLC trailer launching in UK time?
The Elden Ring DLC trailer launched on Wednesday 21st February 2024 at 3pm UK time, just as the developers at FromSoftware promised.
More like this
It’s been two years (almost to the day) since Elden Ring originally came out, and fans were eager to know more about this expansion ever since it was first promised.
And now, we have finally had a better look at the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Colour us excited to say the least.
How to watch the Elden Ring DLC trailer
The Elden Ring DLC trailer was first shown on the official Bandai Namco Europe YouTube account, with the game’s publisher on hosting duties this time.
Of course, the trailer has since been pored over and republished all over the shop. We’d be surprised if it hadn’t popped up on your feed already.
If you do need a hand finding it, now that the trailer is out, you should be able to watch it below and get yourself hyped. June can’t come quick enough!
Read more on Elden Ring:
Listen to our One More Life podcast and subscribe to our gaming newsletter for all the latest intel.
Looking for something to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.


text:
A year ago, a court agreed to put a temporary halt to an alleged pyramid scheme that made its money by convincing college students they could make big bucks shilling energy drinks — but only paying up for recruiting more sales friends instead. Today, the FTC has announced a settlement with the Vemma Nutrition Company that puts a halt to those practices for good. [More]
stop doing that
There’s nothing like being ordered to pay $185 million in refunds and penalties to get a big bank to change some of its business practices. After its employees allegedly created millions of bogus accounts in an effort to meet sales quotas and earn bonuses, Wells Fargo is putting an end to these controversial goals. [More]
About 15 months after getting slapped around by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to the tune of $112.5 million for a variety of bad business practices, the CFPB put another huge lump of coal in American Express’s Christmas stocking, spanking the credit card company for nearly $70 million, including $59.5 million in refunds to customers. [More]
The FDA has issued warning letters to eight surgical centers in California and a marketing firm behind the 1-800-GET-THIN number for misleading advertising of the Lap-Band, an implanted device intended to promote weight loss in severely obese individuals.
We know, because you’ve told us, that a number of you prefer to get your movies and premium TV via less-than-legal internet sources. We’re not going to judge you for that, but you may soon begin seeing notices from the new Copyright Alert System to let you know that they are aware of your dirty downloads and would you kindly stop.


text:
Volvo AB, the world’s second-largest truckmaker, reported first-quarter profit that beat analysts’ estimates as vehicle sales jumped in North America.
Net income fell 1.8 percent to 4.01 billion kronor ($597 million) from 4.09 billion kronor a year earlier, Gothenburg, Sweden-based Volvo said today in a statement. Profit exceeded the 3.53 billion-krona average of 13 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Revenue rose 10 percent to 78.8 billion kronor.
Chief Executive Officer Olof Persson, who took his post in September after running Volvo’s construction-equipment unit for almost three years, is targeting operating margins at the top of the heavy-equipment industry, shifting focus to profitability from sales growth. Volvo raised its forecast for Europe’s truck market by 4.5 percent and posted a 46 percent surge in deliveries in North America, where it makes Mack Trucks.
“The European market has stabilized a bit for Volvo and with their exposure to North America, where they’re growing like a rocket at the moment, they have a very nice geographical mix that will help them in 2012,” Morten Imsgard, an analyst at Sydbank A/S in Aabenraa, Denmark, with an “overweight” recommendation on Volvo’s stock, said by phone.
Volvo rose as much as 6 percent to 95 kronor, the biggest intraday jump since Nov. 30, and was trading up 2.8 percent at 9:15 a.m. in Stockholm. The stock has gained 22 percent this year, valuing the company at 196 billion kronor.
The manufacturer increased the forecast for European industrywide sales this year to 230,000 trucks from a prediction in February of 220,000 deliveries. That would amount to a 5.1 percent decline from 2011. Volvo, which is among truckmakers predicting a contraction of Europe’s market because of the sovereign-debt crisis, posted a 13 percent first-quarter drop in deliveries in the region to 19,996 vehicles.
The company reiterated a forecast of a 250,000-truck market in North America, a 16 percent gain from 2011. Volvo’s first-quarter sales in the region rose to 12,848 vehicles.
First-quarter earnings before interest and taxes fell 4.3 percent to 6.24 billion kronor. Operating profit beat the 5.59 billion-kronor average of 14 estimates. The operating margin narrowed to 7.9 percent of sales from 9.1 percent, a decline that Volvo attributed to “a changed market mix.”
Scania AB, the Swedish competitor controlled by carmaker Volkswagen AG, reported first-quarter net income of 1.79 billion kronor on April 24, beating analysts’ estimates after it eliminated jobs to prepare for slowing demand and raised some truck prices. Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler AG, the world’s largest truckmaker, plans to publish figures tomorrow. Munich-based MAN SE is scheduled to report results on May 3.


text:
Leap Motion will open its developer portal this week, allowing anyone interested in designing tools for its 3D gesture control system to get an advanced look at how to work with the technology.
The startup is also opening up its beta to more than 10,000 early-access developers who have been waiting for the opportunity to build applications for the system.
On, Leap Motion will ship its first product, a thumb-drive-sized device that plugs into a USB port on either Macs or Windows PCs, giving users a way to control their computer by making hand gestures. The technology is designed to be accurate to a hundredth of a millimeter.
Developers who are part of the beta, or those who access the developer portal, will see that the company is offering two APIs that it had not previously disclosed publicly, one that tracks users' palms, even when they turn their hands over, and another designed to track users when they grip with their hands. Developers who were already working with Leap Motion had previously been alerted to the two APIs.
In a briefing last week, Leap Motion explained that it has broken its Windows 8 and Mac OS X functionality into two sets of operations that developers can build around. First, there is core functionality, CEO Michael Buckwald said, which includes basic tools like pointing and clicking, scrolling, and zooming. Advanced, or expert, controls will allow users to do anything they can do with a Windows 8 touch screen, or a track pad on a Mac.
The company also said that there will be around 100 apps available in its app store, Airspace, at launch. That number, however, is divided about evenly among tools that have been built for Windows and Mac operating systems.
Tens of thousands of developers have expressed an interest in designing for the Leap system, with genres like games, music, architecture, medical, and others topping the list of most popular tools.
Some of those developers are likely to benefit from the new, a $25 million pool of money being offered by Highland Capital Partners to those working in the Leap Motion ecosystem.
Leap Motion has said that it has received hundreds of thousands of pre-orders for its device. It has also struck bundling deals withand .


text:
Yet another hint that Just Cause 3 is in development
A former employee of Chinese outsourcing development studio Virtuos has recently revealed that he had worked on Just Cause 3, earlier this year. According to his LinkedIn profile, said employee left the studio in March 2014, but until then, he had been working on titles like Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and Just Cause 3. For reference, Virtuos is usually hired by many publishers and developers to help them on their respective games. For example, the firm was hired by Square Enix earlier this year for the remastered PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD.
Just Cause 3 has yet to be officially announced, though rumours have been flying around the internet for quite a while now. For example, the LinkedIn profile of Avalanche Studios Boss Christofer Sundberg stated last year that he was working on a “unannounced sandbox action game… in a very well-known game series” for publisher Square Enix (which is honestly a dead give-away). Additionally, said description had also mentioned that the “unannounced sandbox” is “scheduled for completion in June 2015 for next generation console platforms”. Earlier this year, Avalanche mentioned “several surprises planned” for 2015, while also adding that next year is “set to be the biggest year since the inception of Avalanche Studios more than a decade ago”.
While the first Just Cause had received mixed reviews, its sequel fared way better, with praise being directed at the game’s open-ended nature, world design, soundtrack, and gameplay mechanics, as well for being an improvement over its predecessor. On the flip-side, criticism was directed at the game’s story and voice acting. Just Cause 2 was also a commercial success, selling over six million copies as of September 2013. Just Cause 2 is available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, while the first one on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, the original Xbox, and PC.


text:
German Automotive Manufacturing Company ThyssenKrupp continues to expand in the North America growth region.
ThyssenKrupp CEO Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, Dr. Rafael Moreno Valle, Governor of the State of Puebla, Mexico and the German ambassador to Mexico Viktor Elbling inaugurated on Friday April 24 a new components plant in Huejotzingo, Puebla, which will manufacture steering systems for the automotive industry. The new facility in Mexico has the capacity to produce over one million steering columns, more than seven million steering shafts and over 45 million cold-forged steering parts per year for the North American market. ThyssenKrupp has invested around 90 million euros in the new production facility.
Dr. Karsten Kroos, CEO of the Components Technology business area at ThyssenKrupp: “Our order books are full so we are constantly expanding our production capacities in Mexico and the USA. In the past three fiscal years we have invested around 185 million euros here. Now we want to raise the tempo even more. To fulfil new orders we are planning further investment in North America averaging around 80 million euros a year up to 2020. Around half of this will go into expanding and building new plants in Mexico.”
These investments will focus on expanding production capacities for chassis and engine components. In February this year ThyssenKrupp opened a new front axle assembly facility in Puebla. The company is also currently building a further axle assembly plant 70 kilometers away in San Jose Chiapa to supply Audi beginning in 2016. In the coming year, work is expected to start on the construction of a production line for cylinder head covers at a new engine components plant in the Bajio region.
With this new steering plant, ThyssenKrupp now produces components for the automotive industry at four sites in Mexico. The product portfolio ranges from engine and steering components to springs and stabilizers to the assembly of axle modules.
The ThyssenKrupp components technology division currently employs around 4,500 people at 11 locations in North America, with Mexico accounting for almost half this figure. The construction of new plants is set to increase the number of employees in Mexico by approximately 40 percent in the next five years.
At the end of April, ThyssenKrupp also launched a broad-based marketing campaign for new materials and components for the automotive industry in the USA. In the coming weeks the company will present its “InCar plus” research and development platform to customers in the USA for the top American and Japanese auto manufacturers. The platform focuses on eco-friendly solutions for energy efficiency, electromobility and lightweighting. The “InCar plus” innovations can be used in the body, chassis, steering and powertrain.
ThyssenKrupp in the automotive industry
ThyssenKrupp is one of the world’s leading suppliers of materials and components to the auto industry. Nine out of ten premium class cars are fitted with components made by the company. One in three trucks feature drive components from ThyssenKrupp. In the 2013/2014 fiscal year ThyssenKrupp’s sales in the automotive sector came to around 9.5 billion euros. Customers include practically all the big auto manufacturers. In the past three years ThyssenKrupp has invested around one billion euros in its components business. Around 70 percent of this went into the global expansion of its auto components business in China, the North America region, Europe and Brazil.
ThyssenKrupp Components Technology business area
Employing around 29,000 people ThyssenKrupp produces high-tech components worldwide for the automotive and machinery sectors. In the auto sector the product range includes assembled camshafts, cylinder head modules with integrated camshafts, crankshafts, steering and damping systems, springs and stabilizers as well as the assembly of axle modules. In the machinery sector ThyssenKrupp supplies components for construction equipment, wind turbines and numerous general engineering applications. In fiscal year 2013/2014 the Components Technology business area achieved sales of 6.2 billion euros.
Director, Media and Communications
ThyssenKrupp North America, Inc.
Phone: 1 (312) 525-2790
more recommended stories
Migrant drowns while crossing US-Mexico border canal amid stormy weather
A migrant drowned in a California.
Check out the Best Travel Sites for 2019
The best travel site should be.
The Best Winter Cruise Deals 2018/2019
Winter isn’t officially here until December.
Riviera Maya Jazz Festival closed last week a record-breaking 16th edition
The 16th edition of Riviera Maya.
Yucatecan woman accused of animal cruelty against her own Chihuahua dog
A Yucatecan woman who painted her.
Migrants in Tijuana trickling over and under border wall
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — A steady.
Noche Blanca a city full of Culture
As every year since 2013, the.
More than 2 million people went to the Yucatan Fair at Xmatkuil this year
Merida, Yuc. (Notimex).- A massive influx.
Yucatán participates in protocol for prophylactic HIV treatment
Mexico, Dec. 7 (Notimex).- Several countries.
Get a knee replacement in Mexico and save enough money to live on for a year
“Typically, a knee replacement costs $35,000.


text:
In his latest article for Brandingmag, our Director of Consulting Nick Liddell calls for brands to be emotionally honest:
"the more sadness, boredom or fear we admit into the emotional landscape of brands, the more opportunity we allow for happiness, love, adventure and humour to flourish"
The point is, we know this matters. Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation estimated that depression and anxiety costs the global economy $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. Yet we're faced with a relentlessly positive view of our existence, whether it's Facebook bringing the world closer, Coca-Cola refreshing our minds or Starbucks nurturing the human spirit.
Perhaps not-for-profit brands are the ones to learn from. We've seen how many of our charity brand clients lead the way in emotional honesty, most recently with the Brain Tumour Charity establishing an emotional balance through blending positive advice with humour. Or maybe we should follow British artist Grayson Perry's advice and create an 'emotional contact patch', allowing ourselves to be softer and establish an emotional grip between ourselves and the world around us.
Read Nick's full article on Brandingmag.


text:
From the online world to the streets.
Amidst the digital era, and the vast growth in the e-commerce market, popular online retailer Amazon has taken a daring move, and announced the arrival of its first store.
Set to open sometime before Christmas, it will only be a pop-up store with limited inventory, and only in New York; this is most likely a trial run during the busiest time of year, to see if they will sink or swim. Customers will be able to collect orders purchased online, and also receive a same day delivery service.
With so many companies hitting administration over the last few years, companies such as Amazon could be considered partly responsible for this happening. Online retailers, and other high street companies who have merged markets in recent time have become competition for those companies who, at that time were the only sellers in their market.
However, we can only hope that it’s the beginning of something I think most of us have been waiting for. This begs the questions, ‘What’s next for Amazon?’ and ‘What does this mean for the high street?’
Words: Stephen Paul


text:
Auto News: Volkswagen Set to Oust CEO04/10/2018
Volkswagen Set to Oust Matthias Müller as C.E.O. After Diesel Scandal
Volkswagen was set on Tuesday to oust Matthias Müller as chief executive as it grapples with a long-running diesel emissions scandal that has cost it billions of dollars, led to the imprisonment of two executives, and scarred the German carmaker’s reputation.
Mr. Müller, who took over after the company admitted in September 2015 that it had cheated on diesel emissions tests, has steadfastly denied any knowledge of the deception. The cheating involved the installation of illegal software in 11 million Volkswagen diesel vehicles. read more »