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The e-commerce boom has accelerated the ways in which brands and retailers appeal to the new and constantly changing consumer needs and values. With strict social distancing rules and stay-at-home measures still in effect across many countries, consumers are spending more and more online, consuming social media and entertainment through various new media channels, which has become an integral part of their daily lives.
This has given rise to a stronger integration of content and commerce. A report by eMarketer states that social commerce sales in China is expected to rise to $474.81 billion by 2023. Unlike traditional e-commerce, social commerce relies heavily on the power of social media to drive a sale, which helps to diversify a brand’s sales funnel. While markets in the West might still be in the early stages of navigating this trend – social media is still primarily a tool for marketing and communications, with the goal of driving conversions largely via third-party platforms – social platforms in China have evolved to a point where the commerce aspect is wholly integrated into the platform experience.
“In China, pretty much all the main social platforms now have commerce functions. While this might have been limited to allowing the insertion of third-party e-commerce links in the past, platforms have now started offering built-in e-commerce functions – for instance, Douyin now has its Douyin Store while Weibo has its Xiaodian,” says Pablo Mauron, Partner & Managing Director China at DLG, a leading independent digital agency for luxury brands. “Because transactions can now happen on almost any platform and are no longer limited to just the brand’s own .cn, WeChat Store, or e-commerce marketplaces (like Tmall and JD.com), this creates an even more diverse and fragmented digital ecosystem in China. Brands need to have specific strategies for each platform and can no longer think of them as mere social channels for awareness, driving users to Tmall or JD.com for purchase.”
With social media at the forefront of everyday interactions, a huge range of channels and an over-abundance of opportunities available in the market, what is the best way for brands to start developing valuable touchpoints between itself and its customers?
“Brands have to first understand their objectives on each platform, before deciding on a strategic course of action. For most brands, resources are not infinite so they will have to pick their battles. When brands are new to the market, the typical approach is to start with Weibo and WeChat. With WeChat’s open API and the flexibility of WeChat Mini Programs, this social platform (also the most ubiquitous one in China) is a good one to start with. Besides e-commerce on the platform (via transactional Mini Programs), brands can also leverage their offline sales force to drive sales online through social selling (powered by WeChat’s enterprise solution, WeCom), making it a very powerful tool. In addition, RED,with its growing importance, offers the alternative of purely developing visibility via KOL/KOC seeding as a first step, if the brand is not able to invest in operating their own content channel.”
The authenticity, trustworthiness, relatability of content has the power to influence a person’s decision-making. Consumers are shunning blatant advertisement, and embracing real-life examples. Can brands drive social commerce with user-generated content (UGC)?
“It depends on the platform. Platforms that are built on UGC like RED, rely on UGC to drive social commerce. While RED had limited capability to drive direct traffic to other platforms, it is now progressively opening up with the possibility to drive to WeChat Mini Programs. That being said, this represents a minor issue as consumers in China are used to navigating through a ‘walled-garden’ digital ecosystem and will naturally jump from one app to the other during their journey. UGC can also be used to help generate awareness and interest in a brand, which will then hopefully fuel the commerce component in the long run. This is applicable for platforms like Douyin, where brands can set up hashtag challenges for users to participate in. Last but not least, UGC, especially on RED, also plays a major factor in confirming purchase intentions as reviews posted from customers will provide reassurance and complement brand communications that focus on building desire.”
Livestreaming is not a new concept in China, but has rapidly evolved and become more sophisticated – especially during the pandemic. How can brands tap into livestreaming to drive conversions?
“Livestreaming, like every other marketing initiative led by a brand, needs to have a clear goal and objective. There are livestreaming formats that are suitable for generating awareness, and others that are more suitable for driving conversions. For campaigns, collection launches, or even events where exposure is the objective, leveraging platforms like YiZhiBo or Weibo is most suitable as they offer great opportunities to capture a broad audience. Brands can also choose to do smaller scale livestreams and host them on WeChat, for instance, and focus on targeting just clients and prospects to drive sales.”
With so much noise in the online space, it’s hard enough getting anyone’s attention. How then can brands keep users on platforms for the entire user journey?
“Platforms have been actively working on expanding their role across the entire user journey – for example WeChat launched WeChat Channels (videos) and Mini Programs to develop the top and the bottom of the funnel respectively. Douyin is now offering the possibility of operating flagship stores, etc. That being said, the ecosystem is fragmented. Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance don’t offer seamless cross-platform integration and operate as ‘walled gardens’. However, Chinese users are used to it and navigate from one app to the other very naturally depending on their intentions. These platforms more or less allow tracking of users within their ecosystem with a common ID, but to reconciliate a user profile between different ecosystems, collecting their phone numbers will be required. This is where Social CRM comes into play.”
Brands have been finding new and innovative ways to remain connected to their customers. How has the pandemic impacted the consumer journey in China and how can brands adapt accordingly?
“Because of the pandemic’s prolonged impact on markets elsewhere, many brands chose to focus on building up their digital activities in China in 2020. At the same time, platforms in China have been continually innovating and rolling out new functions. All of this has resulted in a more mature and sophisticated digital ecosystem for brands in China. So while the consumer journey has not dramatically changed, consumers now have more options and ways in which they can engage with, and purchase from brands. Many luxury brands, for instance, have now set up stores on Tmall – something that was not the case before the pandemic. Brands have also started investing in developing more sophisticated omnichannel sales tactics, such as social selling and clienteling solutions to better leverage their offlinesales force.”
What are you expecting in terms of takeaways from eTail Asia and why this an event not to be missed?
“Social commerce is a booming in China, and is also starting to pick up globally. While social media used to be viewed a as a platform for generating awareness, both brands and platforms are starting to see the benefits of increasing their touch points along the user journey, taking consumers from awareness all the way to loyalty. It will be interesting to see what the other global markets are doing on this front, and how consumer behaviours on social platforms differ across regions.”
How can international brands effectively leverage social commerce in China, and what can the rest of the world learn from this? Join Mauron at the eTail Asia Virtual Summit on 19 May, at as he speaks on a panel about capitalising the rising phenomena of social commerce together with Anil Srinivas Chilla, Chief Digital Officer at L’Oreal India, Jean Thomas, Chief Marketing Officer at Pomelo Fashion, Manvi Kathuria, GM APAC, eCommerce at Luxasia, Shawn Tan Chuan Yang, Head of Singapore & Regional Brand Strategy at TikTok and Alexander Belyakov, Chief Business Development Officer at edna. Register at the link below to secure your seat today.
18 - 20 May | ONLINE (SGT)
For Asia's leaders in e-commerce and digital marketing


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Loan fraud is so widespread in the auto industry that even dealerships owned by a US congressman have been accused of engaging in it. Before coming to Congress, Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) was one of the biggest car dealers in his state. (He has recently started selling off some of his dealerships.) This summer, he was hit with multiple lawsuits filed by former employees alleging that his dealerships routinely engaged in auto fraud, including submitting fraudulent loan applications to lenders.
The driving force behind all of these loan shenanigans is Wall Street. The automakers' finance arms (and banks, too) have made a fortune by packaging the inflated loans made by their dealerships and selling them as securities. It's the same scheme that ultimately brought down the subprime mortgage industry. And just like the mortgage lenders, the automakers and their finance arms must have been well aware that the loans generated by their own dealers were frequently bad ones. That's because consumer lawyers have been successfully suing them over this for years.
Tom Domonoske is a lawyer in Virginia who specializes in auto fraud cases. He says he's had dozens of cases where car dealers have created fictitious tax returns, pay stubs, and other paperwork to push through loans for people who couldn't afford them. But he says that even though the lender is frequently sued in these cases along with the car dealer, he's never once seen an automaker's lending arm cut off a dealership's financing after discovering fraud. "They want dealers to keep moving their products," he says. Rather than clean up the dealerships, the automakers simply started putting mandatory arbitration clauses in the loan documents so that customers who ended up getting screwed couldn't sue.
Until now, the negative impact of car dealers' sleazy credit practices mostly affected consumers. Meanwhile, it prevented GM and Chrysler from having to scale back production. The offers of longer loan terms and easy credit lured in customers who either had no business buying a car or couldn't truly afford the cars sold to them. "They essentially postponed a reckoning," says Joan Claybrook, the president of the nonprofit consumer group Public Citizen. Detroit automakers were warned years ago that these practices would come back to haunt them.
In 2004, major auto analysts noted that the lengthening loan terms and the increasing number of potential car buyers who were upside down on loans would lead to no good end for the auto industry, and GM in particular. Deutsche Bank analyst Rod Lache was prescient when he told Automotive News that the negative equity problem would only get worse if the automakers didn't address it. Observing that the average amount of money owed by someone trading in a car with negative equity had jumped from $2,900 to $4,000 in just a five-month period, he wrote, "The impact on US demand, price and mix from this phenomenon could be devastating, particularly if the impact is compounded by rising rates."
That's exactly what is happening now, a problem exacerbated by the credit crunch that won't be solved by simply giving the automakers taxpayer money. "Ultimately, no matter how much money Congress throws at the automakers, it's car buyers who will rescue them or not," says Rosemary Shahan, head of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety. Just as environmentalists have seen the bailout as an opportunity to change the way American companies make cars, it also offers a unique chance to change the way they sell cars. Shahan and other consumer groups have come up with a short list of things that Congress might do in this regard.
For instance, Congress could cap the amount that car dealers can increase interest rates on auto loans, as California has done. This would be a major step in limiting the growth of negative equity. Lawmakers could also create a restitution fund to help car buyers affected by dealership bankruptcy. This problem is growing as more dealerships go out of business and fail to pay off the original loans of customers who traded in old cars and purchased new ones.
Congress could also roll back a provision auto lenders won in the 2005 bankruptcy reform bill requiring individuals who file bankruptcy to repay the entirety of a car loan, even if they owed substantially more than their car was worth. Previously, someone in bankruptcy would only be required to pay back the loan up to the actual value of the car. Returning to the old system would allow more people to get out from under their debt—some of which was created through dealer fraud—and allow them to eventually rejoin the car market.
Unfortunately, none of these measures is even on the table, says Shahan, who was recently in Washington trying to inject the consumer angle into the bailout debate. Failing to provide meaningful relief to homeowners facing foreclosure has turned the banking bailout into something of a flop. Laura MacCleery, a lawyer who spent many years working on auto issues at Public Citizen before going to work for the Brennan Center for Justice, says she's amazed that Congress hasn't learned anything from the mortgage mess. "Are they going to make the same mistake twice?" she asks. The auto industry may be hoping the answer is "yes."
Photo by flickr user the toe stubber used under a Creative Commons license.

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Individualised video poised to radically disrupt pay-TV
| 03 September 2014
IDATEAs over-the-top (OTT) options for video continue to proliferate, there have been dramatic changes in viewer behaviour and industry structure, and stakeholders' roles in the equation continue to evolve over time. IDATE predicts that individualisation will be a key driver in future.
"The television industry is having to contend with a major game changer, namely increasingly individualised viewing," said IDATE's deputy CEO, Gilles Fontaine, in a blog. "This change is upending the industry's longstanding mass-media model, but is also paving the way for new business models and a new period of growth."
He said that personalisation in TV viewing represents a dual opportunity: to transform the household market into individual markets, and to capitalise on the shift from mass advertising to more relevant targeted advertising.
However, it remains to be seen how that plays out: younger viewers, for instance, find targeted ads intrusive.
IDATE has developed three scenarios to describe and quantify the potential impact of this tremendous change in video content markets. The first is a growth scenario: the new golden age where the increasing individualisation of video consumption and Internet access leads to the creation of a market for individual subscriptions, and where video – both linear and on-demand – becomes a medium of choice for advertisers.
A second scenario is one of stagnation: it will be business as usual, wherein pay-TV plans remain largely monolithic, where on-demand products hold little appeal and TV's ad revenue suffers from advertisers moving a portion of their spending over to the Web.
And finally, a negative scenario of commoditisation is possible, characterised by an accelerated migration from a paid to a free model, and TV losing its relevance as an advertising medium.
"This growing individualisation is part of the 'cloudification' of the technical chain that makes it possible to better serve multi-network and multi-device behaviours, and of the process of adapting services to find the right interplay between linear and on-demand TV, to re-monetise catch-up TV, and to develop the SVOD and electronic sell-through (EST) markets," said Fontaine.


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Several developments in Kenya are leading to a rise in demand for timber. Kenya’s economy has been rising by 6% per year and is expected to continue to expand rapidly. The population is currently 53 million and the proportion of the population living in cities is growing steadily. The rising middle class wants to buy better houses and furniture.
For example, the demand for furniture has increased by 10% per year. Until now, a substantial proportion of furniture has been imported. Both the Government and the Kenyan private sector are preparing to move a large part of the market for furniture from Chinese manufacturers to Kenyan producers. However, the Kenyan furniture industry is still at a very modest stage and needs substantial investment. Kenya also needs to manufacture and import high-quality wood for the furniture industry.
The Kenyan Government is addressing this problem with the goal of rising forest cover by 10% and improving economic conditions for investors. Currently, the total forest plantation area is 220 000 hectares (ha), of which 138 000 ha are public and 90 000 ha are private. The key plantation species are cypress, oak, eucalyptus and some native species.
The market for furniture-quality wood provides opportunities for Finnish sawmills, which are currently exporting the volumes of furniture-quality spruce sawn wood. There is a building boom in Kenya compared to China. Housing, as well as new offices, hotels, and other commercial buildings, have been rising. While concrete, steel, and glass are dominant structural and surface materials, the use of wood as a building material is becoming more frequent. The demand for prefabricated houses and building parts has been also been steadily rising. This offers immense opportunities to the wood industries from both Kenya and other countries planning to invest in Africa.


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Last week the AMA renewed its call for a sugar tax to combat obesity and chronic disease, launching a new report on the issue.
The AMA relaunched its SicklySweet campaign with calls for Australia to join the growing number of countries putting a sugar tax on sugary drinks.
The AMA’s latest report on the issue, Why tax sugary drinks?, argues the tax is an effective preventative health measure and would reduce Australians’ consumption of sugary drinks, which are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.
It shows an additional 40 countries and jurisdictions globally have adopted a sugar tax since the AMA’s first research report in June 2021 and includes a new focus on oral health. The report details how sugary drinks decay and erode teeth and highlights shocking AIHW findings including a prevalence of dental caries in the baby teeth of 42 per cent (four in ten) of Australian children.
The AMA call for a sugar-sweetened beverages tax follows new evidence from the World Health Organization on the effectiveness of sugar taxes around the world in an implementation guide, that also debunks tactics used by drinks industries seeking to dissuade implementation.
The campaign relaunch kicked off with a bang, with AMA Vice President Dr Danielle McMullen joining Sunrise to discuss why a sugar tax is important and what it can achieve. The story was also covered on Sky News, SBS onlineand at length in The Guardian.
Dr McMullen highlighted the fact that Australians drinks enough sugary drinks to fill 960 Olympic swimming pools each year.
The AMA is recommending the federal government add a tax of 40 cents on every 100g of sugar manufacturers add to drinks ─ that will mean just a 16-cent increase to the price of a regular can of fizzy drink, but the health outcomes will be significant for individuals while reducing future burdens on the health system.


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A California take ruled on Friday that Proposition 22, a measure handed by voters last twelve months allowing Uber, Lyft and other gig corporations to classify crew as honest contractors in keep of workers, violated the thunder’s constitution.
Alameda County Worthwhile Court docket Tell Frank Roesch ruled the regulation improperly crimps the thunder authorities’s potential to position requirements for the keep of job. Declaring the regulation unconstitutional, Roesch wrote that Proposition 22 “limits the energy of a future legislature to account for app-based mostly drivers as crew field to crew’ compensation regulation.”
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The resolution throws into query the fate of Proposition 22, a regulation that changed into once handed last November after Uber, Lyft and other gig financial system corporations poured more $200 million into a advertising and marketing campaign urging voters to attend the measure. The regulation will likely live in stop while expected appeals receive their diagram thru the court system.
Gig corporations initiated Proposition 22 because of treating drivers, transport of us and other gig crew as workers would add big charges to their industry operations. The proposition created one more, leaving gig crew as honest contractors but giving them some advantages, a lot like expense repayment and a health care subsidy.
“This ruling ignores the need of … California voters and defies both good judgment and the regulation,” an Uber spokesperson acknowledged in a snarl. The company will enchantment the ruling, the spokesperson acknowledged.
DoorDash, which also supported the Proposition 22 advertising and marketing campaign, acknowledged its crew had earned more and gotten unique advantages for the reason that regulation handed. Lyft and Instacart, one other supporter, referred inquiries to the Provide protection to App-Basically based totally Drivers & Products and companies Coalition, a neighborhood representing gig corporations. The neighborhood acknowledged it can presumably perhaps perhaps file a correct away enchantment. Postmates, one other proponent, did now not straight away reply to a request for snarl.
The California measure has nationwide implications. Uber and other gig-financial system corporations are currently pushing a identical polleffort in Massachusetts.
The corporations argue their drivers purchase the flexibleness of being their own bosses. Opponents, on the opposite hand, thunder drivers need the roughly pay and protections that diagram with paunchy worker situation, and that this kind of classification doesn’t rule out flexibility.
Within the lawsuit that resulted in Roesch’s ruling, a neighborhood of streak-hail drivers, collectively with the Carrier Workers Global Union, argued Proposition 22 hamstrings California’s potential to offer protection to gig crew thru safeguards a lot like crew’ compensation and the blooming to put collectively.
8 readers, 1 today


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Online payments company Stripe will soon allow its customers, who use its payments tools to accept credit card purchases online, to accept bitcoin payments as well, its CEO told Re/code on Wednesday evening. Stripe believes it is the first major online payments platform to support purchases made in bitcoin.
Up to now, Stripe merchants that wanted to accept bitcoin as a payment method would have to integrate with bitcoin-specific processors such as Coinbase or Bitpay.
Stripe will start supporting bitcoin payments through a private beta program that its customers can sign up for. Tarsnap, an online backup service, is the first Stripe customer to integrate the bitcoin payment option.
Stripe co-founder and CEO Patrick Collison said the decision to build an integration for bitcoin payments is more about the company’s mission to increase the amount of commerce transacted online than it is a bet that bitcoin will be a crucial payment method years from now.
“We acknowledge that bitcoin is important today … it may or may not be important in five years,” he said. “No matter what happens,” he added, “multiple payment instruments will be important.”
To that end, Collison said Stripe is also currently building support for ACH, which allows businesses to automatically collect payments from a customer’s bank account. And last month, Stripe said its customers could start accepting payments in 135 new currencies.
Collison said his company has had a “positive disposition to bitcoin” because it is solving “the problems we care about.”
Chief among them is the difficulty for people in one part of the world to buy goods or services from another part of the globe, especially if they don’t have a credit card.
“Universality is the big one for me,” he said. “Bitcoin is something that anyone can get ahold of.”
Merchants who decide to use Stripe to accept bitcoin payments will automatically be paid out in the local currency of their choice. They set the price for their product or service in a local currency and Stripe automatically calculates for their customers what that will cost in bitcoin.
Payments will arrive in their bank accounts in seven days or fewer. Neither Stripe nor its customers will hold onto the bitcoin, meaning the businesses that accept bitcoin will not be subject to the volatility of its price. Collison said his company is working with a variety of undisclosed partners to exchange the bitcoin into local currency in near real time.
Stripe hasn’t yet decided what it will charge its customers for bitcoin transactions, but will do so before it completes the beta program, according to Collison. Stripe usually charges its customers a 2.9 percent fee plus 30 cents on each credit card transaction it processes. Bitcoin processors typically charge around one percent.
Stripe, which has raised $120 million in investments, counts popular startups such as Instacart and Lyft among its thousands of customers. Collison said he believes there is “pretty significant demand” among its customer base for bitcoin acceptance.
While Stripe’s big-name competitors PayPal, Braintree and Authorize.net do not currently offer native support for bitcoin payments, a smaller competitor called Balanced has launched a beta integration with Coinbase to allow its customers to accept bitcoin.


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Warner Bros. Consumer Products is injecting new life in its iconic Tweety property with a new fashion collection by celebrity designer and Hilton heiress Nicky Hilton.
The collection, called Tweety Designed By Nicky Hilton, includes stationery, personal care, home décor and pet couture branded with the wide-eyed yellow bird. The line is scheduled to debut in select U.S. markets and dedicated retail pop-up shops in the spring of 2007. The pop-up shops will operate for six-week runs in select U.S. locations.
At a media conference yesterday at the Licensing Show, Brad Globe, president, Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products, said the brand wants to build on its successful launch of the Tweety brand at top retailers, including Kitson in Los Angeles and SCOOP in New York. The effort marked the first time Tweety joined the upscale fashion scene.
“We are taking Tweety to the next level,” Globe said yesterday.
(Globe used the occasion to mark his official succession to the post of president. He had joined Warner Bros. Consumer Products in February 2005 as EVP and general manager. He now replaces Dan Romanelli, founder and former president of Warner Bros. Consumer Products. In this post, Globe will oversee all business functions, including domestic and international licensing, worldwide marketing, business and legal affairs, finance and retail business development for the group.)
To add to the excitement around the launch, Hilton, dressed in black with yellow spike-heel shoes and Tweety jewelry, perched on a Tweety-branded motorcycle clutching a Tweety-handbag for photographers. The motorcycle will appear in pop-up shops as part of the Tweety Designed by Nicky Hilton collection.
Hilton said her designs would include “apparel, accessories and some really neat stuff” based on the Warner Bros. canary.
The Tweety brand has been around for more than 50 years. Adults like it for its nostalgic appeal, while know that famous canary for its fashion sense.
“People want to go back and embrace what they love as kids,” said Karen McTier, executive VP of domestic licensing and worldwide marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, in a previous interview. “People want to sort of revisit when times were… simpler and when things weren’t so complicated. Being nostalgic about things has become very fashionable and very trendy.”
Rather than focusing on the brand in the toy aisle, Warner Bros. Consumer Products is keeping the brand fresh apparel and fashion.
“People want to wear trendy clothes,” she said. “They are much more fashion conscious than they have ever been.”


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As of the turn of the century, the demand for new innovative forms of technology has skyrocketed, giving everyone the desire to want the next generation of several products. This, however, comes at a price since more, and more devices have to be made more precious metals are slowly becoming very scarce, and difficult to find.
Due to this scarcity of precious metals such as tin, silver, and gold researchers have been trying to find other/cheaper alternatives as a substitute for these precious metals to be used in electronics. A new finding by Rickard Arvidsson and BjÃ¶rn SandÃ©n at the Chalmers University of Technology shows the application of using carbon nanomaterials- mainly graphene- as the best substitute for the future of internal electronic hardware.
The research shows, that these Graphene nanomaterials have similar properties such as â€œconductivity and strengthâ€, and will be able to â€œreplace up to fourteen different metalsâ€ found in electronics. Such metals that are being looked at to be replaced are:
Which are widely used in â€œcapacitors, cables, thin-screens, etc.â€
Impact on the environment:
By replacing rare earth metals with nanomaterials, the impact on the environment will also be greatly reduced. Even though nanomaterials are very new, and there is little research done on their effects on the environment; the use nanomaterials look to have less of an impact on the environment, since the method of extracting rare earth metals would be eliminated to a certain degree.
Impact on the Market:
Carbon is one of the most commonly available materials to find on earth. By replacing metals such as gold and silver to carbon the price of creating devices such as capacitors, and cables would begin to decline. As demand for these types of hardware continues to increase because the materials are more readily available the cost will begin drop at an incredible pace. This will result in future technologies to cost a fraction of what they currently cost.
The more nanomaterials are researched, the more possibility of them replacing every aspect of technology that we currently have becomes reality. This new frontier, regarding the substitute of precious metals, will undoubtedly become a boon to the future of every society on earth by satisfying both the market and environment.
Author: Angel Veloz, Sabre88 LLC
Editor’s note:Â Original Sources


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- Author By Miva |
- Posted on
- • July 24, 2020
- Work Together 2020
Ecommerce is now the primary way to buy & sell cloth face masks…and the industry is perfectly suited to the challenge.
New Dragonproof Ecommerce Podcast available now.
While face masks are now widely understood to be the key personal defense against COVID-19, traditional retail sources dried up early. Coupled with local lockdowns and store closures in late February/early March of this year, the public turned immediately to online options, kicking off a new online “face mask economy” across every type of ecommerce platform.
Ecommerce was ready for this challenge–in fact it was built for it–data-driven, easily adaptable to changes in supply, demand, and shopping habits, and able to empower small teams to serve massive audiences.
When Amazon’s mask supply was besieged by fraud, DIY sellers took publicly available mask sewing patterns and transformed them into a 133-million-dollar/month business. As the upper limits of scale were reached by Etsy sellers, established brands like Adidas stepped in with spectacular results, with thousands of other brands following since.
For consumers, the overwhelming access, choice, and affordability of ecommerce face masks has made it easier to comply with public safety orders, and keep family safe.
On this week’s Dragonproof Podcast, Rick Wilson breaks down the journey of the online mask economy from the early shortages, to the shopping experience and technical innovations that have flowered since.
Listen now to learn some of the pitfalls facing online mask vendors, and find out how to bridge the gap between public service, satisfying customer needs, and running a healthy, sustainable business in all seasons.
Work Together: A collection of industry updates, insights, and resources designed to help independent sellers scale and support our community during the coronavirus pandemic.


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Independent travel buying network CT Partners has appointed House of Travel CEO Joe Araullo as the new Chair of its board of directors. He takes over from David Greenland after the former Chair resigned from Reed & Mackay, a CT Partners member.
The changeover occurs as the company celebrates 20 years of operation as Australia’s largest independently owned and member-centric travel buying network.
CT Partners recently welcomed Traveltrust to its 31-member portfolio of corporate travel management companies (TMCs) and premium leisure agencies.
Of his appointment, the House of Travel & TravelManagers CEO said: “I am honoured to assume the role of Chair in this landmark 20th year.”
“This milestone anniversary celebrates two decades of our success and innovation in the Australian travel industry. It’s a privilege to be part of a network that embodies such a strong ethos of independence and member success,” Mr Aruallo said.
Outgoing Chair and former Reed & Mackay Managing Director Australia David Greenland will be thanked at the 20th Anniversary dinner on 6 March 2024 in Sydney.
CT Partners CEO Matt Masson said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure working alongside David with the board benefiting from his extensive industry experience and guidance.”
“It’s reassuring to know the Chair’s position is being passed to another high-calibre individual with Joe’s strong experience and influence within the travel industry aligning perfectly with CT Partners’ vision for the future.”
Find out more at ctpartners.com.au


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Residents of neighborhoods in California and other states around the country are pushing back against the increasing development of industrial and warehouse facilities near their homes. The rapid rise of e-commerce over the last few years has led to more distribution facilities being built across the country, and in many cases, built within or close […]
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Bill S.* was 50 years old when he filed for bankruptcy for the second time, driven by $300,000 in credit card debt. He was also on his second marriage, which was near collapse. "It occurred to me I had a problem," he says ruefully. After years of spending lavishly on designer clothes, rented yachts, the best restaurants, and expensive alcohol "to make me feel good," Bill, who is now 66, hit bottom.
Susan B.,* 55, spent differently. She "binged" at discount stores such as Target and Goodwill when her emotions felt out of control. "I shopped to avoid feeling," she explains. At her worst, she rang up $7,000 in debt, but it was the intense guilt, shame, and secrecy of her spending -- "it was like I was in another zone, and I would hide my purchases from my husband in the trunk of my car" -- that led her to seek help.
Many Americans hit the mall on Saturday afternoons or during the holidays, and it means nothing more than new clothes for work or a gift for a friend. But for people like Bill and Susan, shopping is a real and destructive addiction that can turn into a financial disaster.
"Compulsive shopping and spending are defined as inappropriate, excessive, and out of control," says Donald Black, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City. "Like other addictions, it basically has to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one's impulses. In America, shopping is embedded in our culture; so often, the impulsiveness comes out as excessive shopping."
A shopping addiction can wreak havoc on a person's life, family, and finances. When a friend or family member recognizes a shopping addiction, start by getting professional help. "Help can occur at different levels," says Rick Zehr, vice president of addiction and behavioral sciences at Proctor Hospital at the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery in Peoria. "For the spouse, family member, or friend who is concerned, an intervention is always a good idea. Also, find the closest Debtors Anonymous, a 12-step program important for ongoing maintenance and support. And get credit counseling, as many of the people who seek treatment at our facility have an average debt as a result of their addiction of around $70,000."
Recognize, as well, that treating a shopping addiction requires a multifaceted approach.
"There are no standard treatments for shopping addiction," Black says. "Medications have been used, generally antidepressants that treat, in some cases, the underlying issue of depression in someone with an addiction, but with mixed results. Therapists also focus on cognitive behavioral treatment programs, and credit or debt counseling can be very helpful to some people, as well."
Most of us blow too much cash from time to time. But if any of these behaviors describe your consistent spending habits, you may have crossed the line into a full-blown shopping addiction.
- Spending over budget
- Shopping as a result of feeling angry, depressed, or lonely
- Feeling a rush or a feeling of euphoria with spending
- Feeling guilty, embarrassed, or trying to hide the problem
- Negative impact on relationships
- Juggling bills to accommodate the problem
* Names have been changed.
Published July 2005.


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Amazon says it will pay for college tuition, books, and other fees for more than 750,000 of its hourly employees.
“Amazon is now the largest job creator in the U.S., and we know that investing in free skills training for our teams can have a huge impact for hundreds of thousands of families across the country,” said Dave Clark, CEO of Worldwide Consumer at Amazon.
In addition to providing funding for higher education, Amazon says it will also fund high school completion programs, GEDs, and ESL proficiency certifications.
Amazon emphasizes that this is not a reimbursement program.
It says it will pay tuition and fees in advance to ensure “employees don’t need existing funds to start accessing the education options they want.”
Starting in 2022, workers can begin utilizing the benefit 90 days after joining the company, Amazon stated.


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Inbound Logistics honors Syfan for the fourth straight year
GAINESVILLE, Ga. – For the 4th year in a row, Syfan Logistics has been named one of the Top 100 third-party logistics companies in America by Inbound Logistics magazine, a national trade publication covering the transportation industry.
“We are excited to be selected as one of the Top 100 3PL for the fourth consecutive year,” said Syfan Logistics CEO Jim Syfan. “Our team prides itself on the service it provides our customers. We thank our professional staff and all of our loyal customers for this award.”
Inbound Logistics is the transportation industry’s leading trade magazine targeted toward business logistics and supply chain managers.
“Every year, leading third-party logistics providers of all shapes and sizes submit their credentials, hoping to match their solutions with our readers’ business logistics needs,” said Felecia Stratton, the editor of Inbound Logistics. “It remains an increasingly difficult task for the Inbound Logistics editorial team to narrow down the list to only 100 top 3PL providers. Syfan Logistics was selected as a Top 100 3PL Provider because its solutions solve specific logistics challenges, improve processes, and create a ripple effect of efficiencies for our readers across their entire value chain.”
Syfan Logistics and its fleet of Syfan Transport trucks are based in Gainesville, Ga., just north of Atlanta. Syfan serves the most demanding shipping needs for temperature-controlled, dry or ﬂatbed loads with on-time pickup and delivery throughout the continental United States, Mexico and Canada. For more information call 855-287-8485 or visit www.syfanlogistics.com.


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In a number of high-stakes antitrust actions, the US government is battling some of the biggest digital corporations in the nation. One thing we’ve learned from previous battles is that even if the government loses, these lawsuits may open the door for a new generation of businesses.
Think about Microsoft (MSFT). The 1969 federal prosecution against IBM (IBM), which the government finally withdrew after 13 years owing to what an assistant attorney general called “flimsy” evidence, helped the Seattle software and cloud computing giant.
In the legal dispute, it was claimed that IBM had unfairly monopolized the market for commercial computers.
Later, between 1998 and 2001, Microsoft came to be constrained by its own protracted antitrust dispute with the Justice Department. This dispute led to a settlement that allowed for greater competition in the market for internet browser software, but Microsoft was nevertheless hampered by it.
Tech Titans Under Fire
This scenario may be ripe to repeat itself with a new set of federal and state lawsuits that seek to break up Google, Facebook-owned Meta (META), and possibly Amazon (AMZN).
The settlement, which required Microsoft to design its Windows operating system to interoperate with competing browsers, email clients, media players, and instant messaging software, created an opportunity for Google (GOOG, GOOGL), then a startup, to start its period of meteoric growth in the 2000s.
According to former FCC Chief of Staff Blair Levin, there is a chance that new digital goliaths may arise as a result of the lawsuits, but there is no clear way. Levin, who is currently a fellow at the Brookings Institution, stated that “these things are highly unpredictable.”
I’m pretty sure nobody would have predicted that the government’s antitrust case against IBM would have produced Microsoft or that the government’s antitrust case against Microsoft would have produced Google, but they did,” said Levin. Google wasn’t a direct rival of Microsoft, and neither was Microsoft in a direct battle with IBM.


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The price connected with bitcoin improved greatly in this year 2017. Coinbase, among the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, was in the appropriate place on the right time to capitalize on the spike in interest. However, Coinbase isn’t interested in getting it is crypto gains without any consideration. To stay ahead throughout Asset management company , the company can be plowing money back into their very own get better at plan. Up till 2017, you�re able to send revenue was reported with $1 billion and over $150 thousand of assets were exchanged across 20 million clients.
Coinbase, the San Francisco centered company, is regarded as the leading cryptocurrency trading program in typically the United States sufficient reason for the continued success, ended up on the No. 10 just right the CNBC Disruptor listing in 2018 after faltering to make the listing the previous 2 many years.
On their path to be able to good results, Coinbase has left no gemstone unturned throughout poaching essential executives coming from New York Stock Exchange, Tweets, Facebook, and LinkedIn. In the modern yr, the dimension of it has the full-time design team has pretty much bending.
Earn. com was acquired by Coinbase this specific Apr for $100 thousand. This kind of platform permits the users for you to send out and receive a digital forex while replying in order to mass market messages and even completing micro tasks. At the moment, the company is planning to bring a former Andreessen Horowitz business capitalist, Makes founder and CEO as it has the first-ever main technology official.
According to current value, Coinbase valued themselves with about $8 billion mainly because it set out to get Earn. Junto de. This benefit is much higher than the particular appraisal of $1. 6th billion which was approximated in the last game associated with venture capital loans in the summer of 2017.
Coinbase declines for you to comment on its appraisal despite the fact the fact that this has more compared to $225 million in funding from top VC’s which include Union Square Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and also coming from the New York Stock Exchange.
To fulfill the needs of institutional investors, the New York Stock Exchange is planning for you to start a unique cryptocurrency alternate. Nasdaq, a rival regarding NYSE is usually contemplating some sort of similar move.
� Opposition is Coming
As fighting organizations look to take a mouthful out associated with the Coinbase’s company, Coinbase is looking to some other venture capital opportunities inside an attempt to construct a moat close to often the company.
Dan Dolev, a good Nomura instant expert, mentioned that Square, a new company run by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey could eat in Coinbase’s exchange business since it commenced trading cryptocurrency about it is Square Cash app in January.
According to help the reports by Dolev, Coinbase’s average trading costs have been about 1. eight per cent throughout 2017. Charges this high could commute the users to less costly exchanges.
Coinbase is looking to be able to become a one-stop purchase for the particular institutional investors while hedge the change business. To be able to lure around that white glove trader class, the company has announced a fleet of new items. This category of investors has recently been especially diligent to jump into this volatile cryptocurrency sector.
Coinbase Prime, The Coinbase Institutional Coverage Group, Coinbase Custody of the children and Coinbase Areas will be the items launched with the company.
Coinbase feels there exists billions of money within institutional money which can easily be invested in this digital currency. That by now has the custody of the children of $9 billion in client assets.
Institutional option traders are usually concerned about security regardless of knowing Coinbase has never endured a hack such as some other global cryptocurrency trades. Coinbase president and COO said that the popularity associated with launching the Coinbase guardianship last November seemed to be the not enough trusted custodian to safeguard their very own crypto assets.
� Presently Walls Neighborhood Shifts via Whacking Bit to Cryptocurrency Backer
According to latest information accessible from Autonomous Subsequent Wall Street’s, interest throughout cryptocurrency seems to always be increasing. At present, you will find 287 crypto hedge finances, while in 2016, now there were solely 20 cryptocurrency hedge means that persisted. Goldman Sachs has actually opened a good cryptocurrency trading desk.
Coinbase has as well introduced Coinbase Ventures, which usually is an incubator pay for for early-stage new venture being employed in the cryptocurrency in addition to blockchain space. Coinbase Efforts has already accumulated $15 million for further ventures. Its initially investment has been announced in a very start-up named Compound which will permits a single to borrow as well as provide cryptocurrency while making an interest rate.
At this beginning of 2018, this company launched Coinbase The business sector, which allows vendors to help accept main cryptocurrencies to get payment. One more bitcoin startup company was BitPlay, which just lately raised $40 million inside venture dollars. Last calendar year BitPlay processed much more than $1 billion in bitcoin obligations.
The supporters of blockchain technology believe that in the future, cryptocurrency will be equipped to remove the need regarding central banking professionals. Throughout the process, it will certainly lower costs and create a new decentralized economic solution.
� Regulatory Safety measures Remains Powerful
To keep accessibility limited to four cryptocurrencies, Coinbase has drawn a whole lot of critique. But these people must tread meticulously while the U. S. government bodies deliberate on how to be able to police specific uses involving the technology.
To get cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase, the matter of concern is whether or maybe not cryptocurrencies are investments which would certainly be subject to Investments and Exchange Commission legislation. Coinbase is admittedly sluggish to add new coins as the SEC announced within Mar that it would certainly employ protection laws to help all cryptocurrency exchanges.
Wall Street Journal claimed of which Coinbase met this SEC officials to register itself as a licensed brokerage firm in addition to electronic trading site. A wonderful scenario, it might become less difficult for Coinbase to support even more money and also to abide with security regulations.


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On Wednesday, October 27, PlayStation fans can look forward to the reveal of the free PS Plus games for November 2021 (which miraculously haven’t been leaked yet), as well as a new PlayStation State of Play event. Needless to say, Wednesday, October 27 should be an especially exciting day for Playstation gamers and should ensure that they end October 2021 off with a bang.
Free PS Plus game announcements and PlayStation State of Play events are always exciting for PS4 and PS5 gamers, which is why October 27 is an especially exciting day for PlayStation fans.
The next PlayStation State of Play event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 27 at 2:00pm PT. Sony has confirmed that the State of Play will be about 20 minutes long and focus primarily on third-party games. Little Devil Inside has been confirmed as one of the games that will be featured at the State of Play event, but otherwise it’s a guessing game as to what other titles will be at the show.
Sony’s PlayStation State of Play events have earned a reputation for having big game reveals and announcements, so there’s quite a bit of hype for the next one, even though it won’t have any first-party PlayStation games on display.
It can’t be said definitively what other PS4 and PS5 games will be featured at the State of Play on October 27. First-party Sony games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok can be ruled out, but high profile third-party games on the horizon are a distinct possibility. Leaks have suggested that fans may get fresh looks at the open world Harry Potter action-RPG Hogwarts Legacy as well as Final Fantasy 16, but it may be better for anyone looking forward to those games to keep their expectations in check just in case they’re no-shows.
Another big reason why PlayStation fans should be excited for October 27 is that it will likely feature the reveal of the free PS Plus games for November 2021. Typically, Sony reveals the free PS Plus games on the last Wednesday of any given month, with the titles added to the service on the following Tuesday. Unless Sony breaks from this pattern, it seems fans can count on the free PS Plus games for November 2021 reveal to happen on October 27.
The only question is when the free PS Plus games will be revealed on October 27. It’s possible that Sony will announce them earlier in the day, as it usually does, but it’s also possible that the announcement won’t come until the State of Play presentation. Sony has used State of Play events to reveal free PS Plus games in the past, and so it’s entirely possible that it will do so with the November 2021 free games as well.
As for what the free PS Plus games for November 2021 will be, that remains to be seen. The free PS Plus games usually leak by now, but there haven’t been any legitimate leaks for the free PS Plus games for November 2021 just yet. And usually fans are able to predict at least one of the next month’s free PS Plus games, but there aren’t any clues as to what can be expected from the November lineup.
Sony has established a clear pattern of offering new PS5 games as free PS Plus titles. It’s done so for nearly every month that the PlayStation Plus program has included PS5 games, with only a couple of exceptions. However, the free PS Plus games for November 2021 will be available starting Tuesday, November 2, and there are no new PS5 games currently announced for that date. This leaves PS Plus subscribers with two possibilities to consider. On one hand, it’s possible that the free PS5 PS Plus game for November 2021 is going to be an older title instead of a brand new game. On the other hand, it’s possible that the free PS5 PS Plus game will get revealed at the State of Play on October 27, though that seems somewhat unlikely.


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At the CABSAT 2017 event, Canon Middle East, one of the biggest leaders in digital imaging solutions, promoted their latest equipment and solutions that are cost effective with good cinema quality. The company is still committed by announcing breakthrough solutions designed for the industry and collaborate with filmmakers, and providing them with an opportunity to interact with new and latest technologies from Canon.
Canon invited its brand ambassador Nayla Al Khaja, UAE’s first woman film producer to share her views on the role of film making technology via an interactive workshop, which further acknowledged and reiterated Canon`s commitment to support women filmmakers in the industry.
Canon has also announced its new anticipated cinema camera – it’s the EOS C700 that’s regarded as the company’s flagship product in the region. The C700 Digital Cinema Camera incorporates the best of Canon’s learnings based on professional feedback from across the world and even the Middle East over the last five years, since the original Cinema EOS C300 was announced.
Anurag Agrawal, Managing Director, Canon Middle East, said: “Our engagement with the film-making industry is a journey which we started many years ago and now gives all of us an opportunity to highlight our support to women. It is a great sign of optimism and encouragement for all women in the region which coincides with our corporate philosophy of ‘Kyosei’ that lies at the heart of our brand, philosophy and brand awareness. We will continue to provide support to the filmmaking industry and introduce our latest products.”
Venkatasubramanian (Subbu) Hariharan, the Business Unit Director of B2C Canon Middle East added, “I would also like to extend my thanks to Nayla Al Khaja who accepted our invitation and familiarised our guests at CABSAT about the art of creativity and innovation in filmmaking. We always look forward to taking part in such events and continue to build our brand equity and provide the public with all the updated solutions and services. The DSLR technology pioneered by Canon has changed the motion picture industry and has made it possible for the average person to shoot video with a tight budget. In addition, by using Canon DSLR cameras, independent filmmakers will only need a smaller crew when producing a film.”
Nayla Al Khaja will join a discussion with fellow female filmmakers on March 22nd, on the topic of “Women Filmmakers in the Arab World.” Hosted by Canon, together with The Scene Club, the discussion will focus on challenges and opportunities for women from the region in the film industry, and how they can take their ambitions to the big screen.
Additionally, Nayla Al Khaja said: “The Middle East region is recognized for its thriving creativity, and the availability of Canon’s flagship camera, the EOS C700, will bring to life films that appeal to the world. Filmmakers in the region realize the potential of combining creativity with technology, and this camera does just that, right from feature films to documentaries and TV series. The demand for 4K quality requires uncompromising quality and with the EOS C700, we are setting the stage for a giant leap forward for the film fraternity.”
With an all-new modular design aimed at high-end cinema production, the C700 brings an all new power and flexibility expected in the A-Camera market. Featuring a Super35mm sensor that shoots up-to 4.5K, numerous recording options, and an upcoming RAW update, the C700 promises superb image and build quality.


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Back in the dark ages, there was no Cyber Monday. Anyone who wanted to take advantage of Black Friday deals had to wake up at 3 a.m. and camp in front of the store until they opened their doors. And then they had to dodge the sharp elbows of their fellow shoppers as they rushed for the holy grail of sales — a limited discount while supplies last. Now things are completely different, and deal-hungry shoppers have it easy thanks to FinTech. They don’t even have to leave the comfort of their couch cushions to snag the biggest Thanksgiving weekend deals.
The frontline has moved from in-store to online:
E-commerce has totally changed the Thanksgiving weekend. In 2017, USA Today ran a story called, “Black Friday isn’t dead, but it’s dying”. This hyperbolic language doesn’t mean the tradition of shopping sales on the Friday following Thanksgiving is ending soon, but it is changing. Trends suggest it’s no longer just one day when shoppers can find discounted items, but an entire week—and sometimes even a full month.
A recent survey suggests how shoppers are snagging these deals are changing, too. According to Accenture’s Holiday Shopping Survey, 52 percent of respondents admitted they were less inclined to shop on Black Friday. While 64 percent of this group said it was because they didn’t want to brave the crowds, another 44 percent said they believed they could find the same sales, if not better, online.
Last year, e-commerce sales hit a new record. Shoppers spent $2.87 billion over the Thanksgiving weekend, rising nearly 20 percent from 2016 sales.
FinTech has simplified the payment process:
FinTech is a portmanteau combining the words Financial and Technology. It describes any data-driven process that facilitates financial services and products. FinTech is built into the foundations of the digital payment that e-commerce sites use on Cyber Monday, and the latest advancements have helped retailers create an easy online version of Black Friday, too.
An Adobe survey shows 46 percent of Thanksgiving shoppers are using their smartphones to research and claim deals. Another survey shows some consumers even use their phones to buy an item while in-store, and they use their mobile wallet to complete the transaction.
FinTech has streamlined the digital payment experience both online and in-store. It lets e-commerce sites facilitate fast and secure methods of online payments, while it powers physical POS that accept contactless payment methods like Google Pay or Apple Pay.
FinTech streamlines other aspects of holiday shopping:
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season—a time of year when people are expected to spend, spend, spend. The National Retail Federation estimates the average shopper will drop nearly $1,000 on gifts, decorations, and food. This figure doesn’t include the other holiday expenses, like drinks, travel, and winter bills and repairs. It’s easy to lose sight of your financial limits when you’re curating the best holiday season ever. Many shoppers end up draining their savings account to celebrate the festivities.
This puts your finances in a difficult position. If an unexpected bill (like penalties for using your cell phone while roaming) or repair (like fixing your broken furnace) comes along, your depleted savings won’t help. Luckily, FinTech offers an alternative way to cover responsibilities by facilitating easy online payday loans. Their online service makes it possible for companies like GoDay to process applications in five minutes and issue payday loans in just one hour after approval. They’re even a potential cash flow solution for those shoppers living outside of the US.
In the past, Black Friday was a location-specific sale. Now, e-commerce catapults the Thanksgiving weekend sales into a global market. International shoppers living in Canada can access cyber deals as easily as their American counterparts, meaning they might accidentally overspend like their neighbors, too. That’s why the best payday loans Canada has to offer involves the same fast online processes as other FinTech borrowing experiences.
The online borrowing experience is simple—as is the week-long Cyber Monday event. And it’s all thanks to FinTech. FinTech makes it easier than ever to shop the biggest sales without ever leaving your house. As long as you have a device that connects to the Internet, you have access to any online Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale.


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How Vladimir Putin explains Ayn Rand
The New York Times’ Andrew Kramer has a front-pager today on Vladimir Putin’s crazy idea to boost the Russian economy that just might work: A business owner in Russia has a better chance of ending up in the penal colony system once known as the gulag than a common burglar does. More than 110,000 people ...
The New York Times' Andrew Kramer has a front-pager today on Vladimir Putin's crazy idea to boost the Russian economy that just might work:
The New York Times’ Andrew Kramer has a front-pager today on Vladimir Putin’s crazy idea to boost the Russian economy that just might work:
A business owner in Russia has a better chance of ending up in the penal colony system once known as the gulag than a common burglar does.
More than 110,000 people are serving time for what Russia calls “economic crimes,” out of a population of about three million self-employed people and owners of small and medium-size businesses. An additional 2,500 are in jails awaiting trial for this class of crimes that includes fraud, but can also include embezzlement, counterfeiting and tax evasion.
But with the Russian economy languishing, President Vladimir V. Putin has devised a plan for turning things around: offer amnesty to some of the imprisoned business people.
“This can be understood in the Russian context,” Boris Titov, Mr. Putin’s ombudsman for entrepreneurs’ rights, said of what is, even by the standards of the global recession, a highly unusual stimulus effort.
The amnesty is needed, he said, because the government had “overreacted” to the threat of organized crime and the inequities of privatization and over-prosecuted entrepreneurs during Mr. Putin’s first 12 years in power as president and prime minister.
Russia’s economy does need help. In the first quarter, growth fell to a rate of 1.6 percent because oil prices are level. And in that economic climate, few Russians seem willing to risk opening a new business that might create jobs and tax revenue for the government (emphasis added).
Gosh, you think? Why oh why would jailed Russian entrepreneurs be at all risk-averse in embracing Putin’s New Economic Policy?
The amazing thing is that, if Putin was able to successfully crack down on the police cracking down on entrepreneurs for profit, there likely would be a revival of entrepreneurial activity. Here’s one of the stories in Kramer’s piece about an arrested entrepreneur:
Ruslan V. Tyelkov, whose short arc from businessman to inmate illustrates both the entrepreneurial spirit that still simmers in Russia and the risks. Mr. Tyelkov, a strapping 32-year-old from Moscow, invested nearly his last ruble to open a wholesale upholstery business that could hardly have gone wrong in Russia: selling leopard-print fabrics.
In 2010, Mr. Tyelkov spent the equivalent of $31,000 for 25,000 yards of Chinese-made leopard-print fabric suitable for chairs and sofas. “It’s very popular here, not only for furniture but cloths, wallpaper, sheets, shoes, bags, everything.”
With no warning, the police arrived at his warehouses and removed every roll on six flatbed trucks, handing it over to a competitor, ostensibly for storage, though it was later sold. Then they arrested Mr. Tyelkov, who spent a year in pretrial detention.
The crime? The police said they suspected copyright infringement of the leopard design. “It was funny at first,” recalled Mr. Tyelkov of his initial meeting with the police. “I asked, ‘Who owns the copyright, a leopard?’ ”
Mr. Titov’s later investigation confirmed the police had colluded with a competitor to seize the merchandise under the pretext of a criminal case, so it could be sold for a profit.
While his business was ruined, Mr. Tyelkov said he did manage to apply his skills to the small challenges of life in jail. He rose to become the informal leader of the cell he shared with a killer, a militant and several drug addicts.
One business owner, the founder of a chain of computer stores, ran his legal operation for nine years from prison, Mr. Titov said, much as some drug kingpins do.
I have no doubt that, if left alone by the policy, Mr. Tyelkov will survive and thrive.
And it’s stories like these that help to explain why Ayn Rand valorized entrepreneurs so much. Putin’s Russia strongly echoes the environment Rand grew up in. And in this kind of rent-seeking society, there really is something pretty damn heroic about an entrepreneur trying to make a profit without seeking the succor of the state.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and the author of The Ideas Industry. Twitter: @dandrezner
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NOTTINGHAM-based First Enterprise Business Agency (FEBA) has been shortlisted in two categories at the first Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards taking place in February.
The awards, which are held in association with the Community Development Finance Association, celebrate excellence in community finance, recognising the impact that entrepreneurs and organisations, such as FEBA – which provides loan funding to start-ups and growth businesses – have on the local economy.
FEBA has been shortlisted in the "micro entrepreneur" category and in the "communities in partnership" category which marks the outstanding achievements of community development finance institutions.
These are social enterprises providing affordable finance to individuals who may struggle to secure funding through traditional means. Winners receive £20,000 to reinvest in a community project.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Nintendo's Q3 income falls 43%
Not selling enough GameCubes and DS games
Nintendo's earnings slumped during the Christmas quarter, the videogame pioneer revealed today, despite a small year-on-year increase in sales.
For the three months to 31 December - Nintendo's third quarter of FY2005 - the company's sales reached ¥231.4bn ($2.22bn), up 1.4 per cent on the year-ago quarter's figure, ¥228.2bn ($2.19bn).
However, net income fell over 43 per cent from the ¥37.4bn ($359.3m) reported this time last year to ¥21.3bn ($204.6m), a figure calculated by subtracting the company's published first-half earnings from the nine-month total it reported today.
Nintendo blamed the decline on slow sales of its Nintendo DS titles, falling demand for the ageing GameCube and the strength of the yen over the US dollar.
DS software may be proving hard to shift but the handheld console itself has proved something of a success. Nintendo said it had shipped 2.84m of the machines to the US and Japan since its late November launch. It also upped its forecast for the number of units it will have shipped by 31 March, the end of its current fiscal year, from 5m to 6m.
However, it now expects to ship 10m copies of DS games by the same date - well down on the 15m it forecast in November 2004. To date it has shipped 5.01m copies, Nintendo said. In the first nine months of FY2005, it shipped 72.6m GameBoy Advance SP titles, up from 61.5m this time last year. GBA unit shipments were up too: from 13.2m last year to 13.6m.
However, GameCube shipments slumped. Some 3.5m consoles shipped in the nine months to 31 December 2004, down 20 per cent on the same period last year. Analysts attribute the decline to a lack of popular games.
Nintendo said it now expects to sell 4m GameCubes in the year to 31 March, down from its previous forecast of 4.5m units.
It also cut is full-year income forecast to ¥70bn ($672.5m) from ¥90bn ($864.6m), a reduction of just over 22 per cent, and its sales forecast from ¥540bn ($5.19bn) down 3.7 per cent to ¥520bn ($5bn). ®
Sony PSP outships Nintendo DS
Electronic Arts' sales, profits slide
Sony PSP ship total hits 800,000
'EA leak' yields late 2005 Xbox 2 ship date
Nintendo sets DS date down under
Nintendo ships 2m DS consoles worldwide
Nintendo preps DS media module
Nintendo lauds 500,000 first-week DS sales
Nintendo to spill Euro DS plans in January


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Couple Pleads Guilty In $2.5 MILLION Fraud Scheme Involving Trucking Company
Honolulu, Hawaii – A husband and wife have each pleaded guilty for their part in carrying out an investment fraud scheme that lasted more than 5 years.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Neil Kauhi, 51, engaged in an investment scheme whereby promising 20 victims he would invest their money, but instead used the money for personal use.
He pleaded guilty last week in federal court to one count of wire fraud.
According to court documents, Kauhi told victims he was investing their money in a trucking company, along with other investments such as real estate, precious metals and a solar energy company.
Neil Kauhi took in more than $2.5 million, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji M. Price.
Kauhi diverted most of the money to his and his family’s own personal use, according to Price.
Such expenditures included: travel, rent and utilities, restaurants, vehicles, retail purchases, entertainment, and a daughter’s wedding, as well as into other unauthorized investments.
TRUCKING COMPANY EXEC FACES 20 YEARS IN PRISON FOR NOT PAYING DRIVERS WHAT HE CLAIMED
ALLEGED “TOW TRUCK SCAMMERS” SUED FOR EXTORTING TRUCKERS
CALIFORNIA TRUCK DRIVER ADMITS WORKERS’ COMPENSATION FRAUD
TRUCKING COMPANY OWNER PLEADS GUILTY TO FRAUD AFTER BUSTED IN TAX SCHEME
Kauhi’s wife, Lyndie, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony.
U.S. Prosecutors say Lyndie was both aware of the her husband’s scheme and made “misleading statements and material omissions” to FBI investigators about her activities to conceal the couple’s plot.
Further, investigators say Lyndie participated in the fraud scheme and personally deposited and transferred victims’ money into the couple’s personal accounts.
Neil Kauhi faces a maximum prison term of 20 years, while Lyndie faces a maximum prison term of 3 years.
As part of their plea agreement, both Lyndie and Neil Kauhi have agreed to pay restitution for the fraud losses to victims.
Neil Kauhi has also agreed to a forfeiture money judgment of $2,981,191.64.
Federal authorities have already seized approximately $581,618.51 in funds in connection with the sale of real property associated with Neil Kauhi.
Both Lyndie and Neil Kauhi are detained without bail until their sentencings on October 17, 2019.
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Fake antivirus programs are slowly but surely invading mobile app stores, according to security vendor Kaspersky Lab - after it found at least two apps imitating its products.
“The story of paid fake AV for mobiles started with the appearance of Virus Shield in the Google Play store. Now we are seeing how one successful scam spawns numerous clones. Scammers who want to make a quick buck from inattentive users are selling dozens of fake apps, copying the design, but not the functionality of the original,” said Roman Unuchek, Senior Malware Analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
Unuchek added it is now "quite possible" that more of such fake apps will start appearing.
"One thing is for sure, the security mechanisms put in place by the official stores cannot cope with these kinds of scams,” Unuchek said.
Kaspersky said the first fake app was found in the Windows Phone Store - a giveaway of sorts, since Kaspersky does not make AV apps for the Microsoft platform.
But the fake app can hurt users' pockets as it required users to pay for it.
"This meant its creators immediately started making money without having to devise additional scams such as demanding payments to remove 'malware' that had supposedly been detected on users’ computers," Unuchek said.
Meanwhile, a second fake Kaspersky Lab app dubbed "Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2014" was posted for sale on Google Play, the app store for Android devices.
For the fake Android app, Kaspersky said the creators "didn’t even bother to add a simulation of a scanner – the functionality was limited to random series of statements appearing on top of an 'official' logo." -- Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News


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Data Privacy Day was January 28, an internationally recognized day whose purpose is to raise awareness of data privacy and promote data privacy education. It currently is held in the U.S., Canada, and 27 European countries.
In light of this effort, let’s examine the topic of data privacy: Why it’s important, what consumers aren’t doing right, and what businesses must start doing better.
Recently another seven new breaches were made public (1). A recent study places lost personal records at over 806 million between 2005 and 2010 (2), and another 32.3 million since then (1).
What does this mean for consumers? What does this mean for businesses? The much over-quoted, then Sun co-founder and CEO Scott McNealy opines: “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.”
Consumers are desensitized to breaches, as evidenced by the meager response rate of consumers applying for free credit monitoring services after a company breaches their personal information. If you analyze the data that was breached, sometimes you have to ask, “Why are they even collecting all of that data?”
The types of data collected often are articulated in corporate privacy policies, but few consumers bother to read Privacy Policies to better understand what companies collect. If consumers don’t demand better safeguarding of their personal information, businesses have little incentive to invest resources in protecting it!
As businesses decide how to leverage their information assets, including the terabytes of consumer data, the privacy trend is growing increasingly unfavorable! Google, for example, is combining some 60 Privacy Policies.
A paradigm shift is needed. Businesses must do three things:
• Collect less personal information
• Do a better job securing that information
• Better explain, in plain English, what they collect and what they do with the data collected
But consumers are not devoid of responsibility. Consumers need to read privacy policies and make cognitive decisions as to which companies they wish to do business with.
We all need to take an active role in privacy, ot last Saturday was just an oxymoron and just wishful thinking. Maybe Scott McNealy was right.
Brian Dean is a former Senior Vice President, Chief Privacy Officer, HIPAA Officer, and GLBA Officer for one of the nation’s largest financial institutions. He now is the Privacy Officer for SecureState and provides consulting services to the banking, healthcare, and other industries in the area of privacy. For more information contact Brian at www.SecureState.com
2.The Leaking Vault 2011, Six Years of Data Breaches, Suzanne Widup, August 2011


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If New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg gets his way, and he often does, electric vehicle range issues like those reported in the New York Times' Tesla road test may soon be a thing of the past, at least in The Big Apple. Bloomberg is calling for the city to install 10,000 curbside EV charging stations by 2020, and he wants to implemement a change in building codes to require chargers at a minimum of 20% of spaces in new parking garages. Also, since most people don't park at public street spaces for very long, so he wants the curbside chargers to be the high capacity double charger type that can juice up your battery in just 30 minutes.
This move marks a shift for Bloomberg, who has often tried to make life tougher for NYC drivers by gobbling up car lanes to put in bike lanes, along with his failed plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan. I guess he makes an exception for greener electric cars, although I wonder how many regular parking spaces will be turned into 'EV only' spots.
Bloomberg will be out of office in less than a year, so it looks like he's pushing out his final round of pet projects. It'll be interesting to see how much of it lasts once he's no longer there to move it along.


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Accelerated growth fuelled by cloud-based solutions
Esker’s 2019 half-year sales revenue grew 18% over the same period of the previous year (15% based on a constant exchange rate). Esker’s cloud-based process automation solutions increased by more than 19% to 44.8 million euros, representing nearly 90% of total company revenue. For the SaaS-based business, recurring revenue from traffic (not including consulting services) increased by more than 21% in 2019 (compared to 19.7% in the first half of 2018) to reach 36.6 million euros. The consulting business modestly grew by 7%, primarily due to investments made to integrate new internal and external resources (partners).
The first half of 2019 was also marked by a sharp rise in the value of new contracts signed. The cumulative value amounted to more than 11 million euros, up 52% compared to the first half of 2018, fuelled by a successful sales performance coupled with a positive base effect on the U.S. markets.
Strengthened financial performance allows investment for future growth
For the first half of 2019, Esker’s operating income increased 8.8% to reach 7.3 million euros (14.6% of sales revenue). Taking into account non-operating items and a conservative effective tax rate, the net income increased more significantly to 5.5 million euros (an increase of 11% compared to the first half of 2018). The net margin is therefore close to 11% for the half year. Esker’s results were achieved in a financial context slightly favourable to the company’s business, particularly as a result of changes in the exchange rate between the euro and the U.S. dollar. The overall impact of currency fluctuations on operating income is estimated at 0.5 million euros, 7% of the half-year EBIT.
The profitability of Esker’s business model and the increase in new contracts have enabled the company to finance its growth investments. In the first half of 2019, average company headcount increased by more than 17% over the same period in 2018. Jobs related to the implementation of the company’s solutions remain the leading investment sector and increased by 29%. This number includes the creation of a dedicated customer experience department. Marketing and sales teams were also reinforced (+23%) with the goal of sustaining Esker’s growth over the coming years. Esker will continue its recruitment efforts at a pace consistent with its growth while ensuring strong profitability.
A healthy financial structure
As of June 30, 2019, company cash net of financial debt rests at 15 million euros1 compared to 16.4 million euros at the of December 2018. Esker paid dividends to its shareholders in the first half of the year and invested close to 6 million euros in product innovations and infrastructures enabling the company to continue its development. Esker’s shareholders’ equity amounts to 51.7 million euros with 7.2 million euros in financial debt.
Outlook for 2019: optimism reaffirmed
The first half of 2019 confirms the growing success of Esker’s solutions and the recurring nature of its business model. Esker anticipates a second half that will confirm the trends observed in the first half of the year and be consistent with the performance achieved in recent years. Esker generated 47% of its sales revenue outside the euro zone (37% of which in the Americas) and therefore remains exposed to currency fluctuations. Recent currency developments do not currently jeopardise the company’s outlook for 2019.


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Netflix has never overplayed secret key sharing, yet another test recommends the organization might be rethinking.
Netflix is evaluating another strategy for certain clients, inciting certain individuals to pursue a different record on the off chance that they aren’t watching with the supporter.
The message peruses: “On the off chance that you don’t live with the proprietor of this record, you need your own record to continue to watch.” The Streamable first announced about the preliminary.
As indicated by a representative, Netflix attempts “hundreds” of tests a year with select clients.
“This test is intended to help guarantee that individuals utilizing Netflix accounts are approved to do as such,” Netflix said in an explanation.


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CinemaNext — the largest cinema exhibition services company in Europe, Middle East, and Africa — announced Thursday the appointment of Patrick von Sychowski as its new Digital Marketing and Communications Manager.
Patrick brings over two decades of experience in the cinema sector, most recently as Editor of Celluloid Junkie. In addition, he is a board member of CTC [Cinema Technology Community], EDCF [European Digital Cinema Forum], and founder of the annual Top Women in Global Cinema list.
In the role, he will be responsible for spearheading CinemaNext’s digital marketing and communications strategies, driving brand visibility, and ensuring effective communication across all channels, both internally and externally.
He will be based in London, reporting to Alexandra Body, Marketing and Communications Director at CinemaNext.
“We are delighted to welcome Patrick to CinemaNext as our Digital Marketing and Communications Manager. His remarkable expertise in the cinema industry, combined with his unparalleled network of connections, makes him the ideal candidate for this role,” CinemaNext CEO Georges Garic said in a press release. “We believe Patrick’s vision and leadership will undoubtedly take our marketing efforts to new heights and reinforce our position as a leading global innovator in the cinema technology and services domain.”
“I am genuinely excited to be joining CinemaNext, having followed and written about it for many years, because it is a truly global operation. CinemaNext is quite literally building cinema and helping to create the future of the greatest entertainment medium ever invented,” von Sychowski said in the same press release. “I look forward to leveraging my industry knowledge and connections to amplify CinemaNext’s presence on the digital frontier and engage with CinemaNext’s partners and clients in innovative and meaningful ways.”


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Investors, keep away from these 3 spaces: Deepak Jasani, HDFC Securities
“Within mid-caps, Ahluwalia Contracts has not fallen as much as others, is looking interesting.”
For the last three days, the one thing that stood out in the markets is pharmaceuticals. Are you getting more client inquiries on how to look at the pharma story? Is there a rebound in the works and is it actually a sustainable move given the news flow?
Pharma has performed well over the last five-six sessions. So, the doubt naturally comes to mind whether the sector itself has bottomed out over the medium or long term. Individual stocks had fallen due to various issues at company levels whether it was FDA approvals or approvals of their ANDAs.
Most of the bad news seems to be in the price. In the near term, they may not move down from here. A lot of these companies have implemented cost control measures. R&D spends have also now been controlled. Their models have been tweaked in terms of the drugs that they want to launch in the US and other countries.
Net-net, it seems that we have made a bottom. Trading is possible but we will have to wait and see whether investment is possible in these stocks. Let more positive news flows come in from the sector as well as from the individual stocks only then we will have that kind of a confidence to ride over these stocks over the next three to four quarters. Till that time, probably you will get your chances to trade in these stocks, earn your 6% to 10%, maybe these are very high levels so you could wait for a small correction and then probably ride the next up move.
But for investment I think one should wait and be stock specific.
Is it a foregone conclusion to avoid telecom or do you find value at these levels?
It has been very tempting to call a bottom in telecom all this while. One has been hoping that the RJio led competition will come to an end at some point of time. They will start raising rates directly-indirectly, so that the incumbents get breathing space and some flexibility to raise their data revenues. But so far that has not happened.
Now one is waiting for the merger to happen between Vodafone and Idea and the kind of impact that will have operationally as well as business wise will have to be watched closely. Till this competitive intensity reduces, one month from now, one quarter from now or two quarters from now, nobody knows. Jio has gained revenue market share over Q4 FY18 and after attaining the revenue market share they are aiming for, they may go slow on competitive intensity. Till that time, taking an investment call or a bottom formation call on telecom maybe a little premature.
You have identified a lot of quality mid-caps over a period of time. This space has gone through a turmoil in the last couple of months or so. Even quality names have corrected. Identify two or three quality names which have corrected and are now more compelling buy according to you?
That is a tough one, basically, mid-caps have sort of bounced up over the last few days and one does not know whether the space as a whole will make a lower top or it has already made a bottom.
That is a question which is not yet answered. So, whether after a few days continuation of the upmove, we will see one more round of down move, is not yet known.
Within mid-caps, Ahluwalia Contracts which is into EPC and has not fallen as much as other mid-caps, is looking interesting. Apart from that, the whole infra and EPC space is looking good because there is revenue visibility and visibility on margins.
You may have your own views about valuations but as far as revenue and margin visibility is there, you can sort of look at that space particularly.
Would you find value in PSU banks or is that a space you would still stay away from?
We have been maintaining that PSU banks are good trading plays based on the policy announcements because after every rise, we run into some negative news which takes the stocks down.
Our broad belief has been that unless we see governance changes in the banks and some consolidation among them, it may be a little too early to get too excited on the PSU banks as a theme. One or two larger ones may be still looked at a little prematurely but otherwise, as these two three things fall into place, it is better to stay away from an investment perspective.
In the NBFC space, where are you keeping your focus -- finding value or booking profits?
In the NBFC space, we have been comfortable with insurance as a sector and have a buy on all the three insurance companies except our group company. There we see some potential based on under penetration and the growth potential that the sector promises.
Since we are in a rising interest rate scenario, do you think the margin performance of these businesses impact the loan growth cycle which just seems to be turning around?
Broadly we have believed that the cost of funds in a country like India is less important than the availability of funds, especially if the economy is doing well. If the economy is not doing well, then the higher cost creates a sentimentally negative impact on borrowing more. Otherwise, the cost of funds is less important. I do not think that marginal rise in the cost of funds is going to impact the growth rate too much unless we have some other negative trigger which impacts the economic growth.
Do you think the TCS buyback is going to be as big a success for the retail participants?
Last time when TCS came out with a buyback, that was the first time that under the new SEBI regulations, retails up to 2 lakh were given a separate quota and the retailers made a good amount of percentage return as well as annualised return on that.
But post that, a lot of other companies have also come out with buybacks, Infosys, HCL Technology and a host of other companies. Now the awareness about participating in buyback is much higher but at the same time, it will be interesting to watch what kind of premium the companies are willing to pay for the buyback.
In case the premium is not very high, then probably retailers will not have that good an opportunity to participate in them. The existing shareholders, of course, can participate but new people coming in just to participate in the buyback may be limited from that perspective.


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It may be six months away, but the ever-popular Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) conference will now feature Kent Business School academic, George Saridakis, as the chair of the Business Creation Track.
This year’s ISBE conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Birmingham on November 7 and 8, and represents the 41st such event in the institute’s history. For the first time, Kent Business School’s Professor of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, George Saridakis, will undertake the role of chair of the ‘Business Creation, Early Stage Development and Business Closure’ track of the conference.
Professor Saridakis has been a supporter of this particular track for many years owing to his complementary research interests as part of his position as Professor of Entrepreneurship and Small Business at Kent Business School. He has contributed to and presented at the ISBE conference on a number of occasions in the past.
As track chair he will oversee the submission and review of the latest academic research papers in the field of business creation and help choose those to be presented at the conference.
The ISBE conference is one of the major events in the global sphere of small business and entrepreneurship, with the research presented there regularly directly influencing policy and in-the-field practice. An international event, this year the conference organisers are anticipating over 400 attendees from more than 40 countries. Across its 17 tracks over 250 presentations of the latest research across a diverse range of topics will be delivered as well as high-profile keynote speakers and round-table discussions.
George Saridakis is the director of the centre for Employment, Competitiveness and Growth which currently has 19 core research members and has attracted over £1m in funding since its inception.


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Morning traffic runs along a freeway on September 19, 2019, in Los Angeles, California.
Mike Blake | Reuters
California clean-air regulators unveiled a plan this week that would boost sales of electric and zero-emission vehicles and eventually shut down new gasoline-fueled vehicles by 2035, in a bid to combat the state’s greenhouse gas pollution.
The proposal, if enacted by the California Air Resources Board, would require 35% of new passenger car sales by 2026 to be battery-powered or hydrogen-powered, and 100% of sales to be net-zero emissions in less than a decade. It added that zero-emission sales must increase by 68% by 2030.
Transforming the transportation sector into clean energy is a key component of California’s plan to combat climate change, as cars, trucks and other vehicles represent about 40% of the state’s pollution.
Electric vehicle sales in the state grew 12.4% of total sales last year, a jump from 7.8% in the previous year.
The board is expected to vote on the proposal in August. At least 15 states, including New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, have adopted car standards under the previous Clean-Car rule in California.
The plan is to govt. Gavin followed Newsom’s executive order to sell cars with internal combustion engines within 15 years to produce all new car sales zero emissions by 2035.
This rule does not prohibit people from owning or selling gas vehicles in the used market.
“Californians are still experiencing the harmful effects of smog emissions and the effects of climate change, which is expected to worsen in the coming decades. It is important and necessary to adopt the proposed ACC II regulations,” the state plan said.
Newsom, signing the executive order, said the plan could reduce state emissions from cars by more than 35% and that zero-emissions vehicles would “almost certainly” be cheaper than gas-powered vehicles when regulations began.
“Based on 30 years of work to electrify light-duty vehicles in California, the market is clearly ready for a massive transformation,” the plan says.
California, which is battling increasing wildfires and droughts as temperatures rise, aims to become 100% renewable energy by 2045.
Some environmental groups have called on the board to set more stringent targets for advancing the transition to electric vehicles, arguing that the state should impose a rule to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030, five years before the current proposal.
Scott Hochberg, attorney for the Center for Transportation at the Institute for Climate Law on Biodiversity, said in a statement: “Time is running out in front of the Earth because we know it disappears in the rear view mirror.
“To protect humans and the planet, California needs to rid our roads of tailpipe pollution as soon as possible,” Hochberg said.


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The Grand Rapids Parking Commission has affirmed that it will offer its 60 minutes of free holiday parking program again this year. The coupon-based program runs from Friday, Nov. 23, through Monday, Dec. 31, and includes merchants that are selling a product or a service, which includes retail shops, bars and restaurants, hair salons and museum gift shops. Read More