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By Currency Research
It should come as no surprise that Visa, MasterCard and Citibank, together with the Gates Foundation, are members of the Better than Cash Alliance (BCA). One would be led to believe that membership in the BCA is spurred solely by a humanitarian impulse to “empower people in emerging economies” and expand financial inclusion to all. 146 However, one thing is certain: the world would be a more profitable place for commercial banks and the card payment industry without cash.
In 2011, the commercial banks generated revenue in excess of $1.3 trillion USD from the payments business. According to the Global Payments Map presented in the 2013 McKinsey on Payments report, this revenue is expected to top $1.7 trillion USD by 2016:
GLOBAL PAYMENTS TRENDS: CHALLENGES AMID REBOUNDING REVENUES
Global payments revenue rebounded to $1.34 trillion in 2011, a steep increase from 2009’s $1.1 trillion. According to McKinsey’s Global Payments Map, global payments revenues will grow at a CAGR of 5 percent between 2011 and 2016, with emerging countries in Asia and Latin America contributing more than half of global payments revenue growth. 147
The McKinsey on Payments report also shows that the two major card companies are, of course, forever locked in stiff competition to increase fee and interest revenues and overall profit: 148
The massive earnings reported by both Visa and MasterCard have been well documented, as demonstrated in the two articles below. In the race to the top, both companies have expressed their intent on capturing even more business in new and emerging markets.
In 2013, Reuters reported on MasterCard’s victory as Visa’s profits declined:
MASTERCARD EARNINGS BEAT AS VISA PROFITS DECLINE
MasterCard reported earnings on Thursday that topped analysts expectations, a day after larger rival Visa posted lower profit, mainly due to a tax provision.
MasterCard and larger rival Visa have been trying to capture new business in emerging markets, where cash payments still dominate but use of cards is growing at a fast pace. 149
More recently, Bloomberg reported on Visa’s rebounding and remarkable profits:
VISA PROFIT BEATS ESTIMATES ON HIGHER CARD SPENDING
Visa Inc. (V), the biggest bank-card network, posted fiscal first-quarter profit that beat analysts’ estimates as card spending climbed.
Net income for the three months ended Dec. 31 rose 8.8 percent to $1.41 billion, or $2.20 a share, from $1.29 billion, or $1.93, a year earlier, the Foster City, California-based firm said today in a statement …
Chief Executive Officer Charlie Scharf, 48, is seeking ways to increase business outside the U.S … The firm has returned almost $17 billion to investors since its 2008 initial public offering and last year was the sixth-best performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, gaining 47 percent. 150
It is interesting to note that both companies express an intention to pursue and increase business in emerging markets. What better way to capture more of this profit-boosting business than, as in the case of the Nigerian identity cards cited above, to persuade governments that cash is somehow “bad” and to promote the use of their cards as universally beneficial?
Our conclusion is that the more the major banks and card companies can convince governments and consumers that the myths surrounding cash are true, the faster their profits will grow – mostly for the benefit of investors to the tune of “almost $17 billion” to date.
This article has been posted with permission from Currency Research and is excerpted from The Case for Cash Part 1: Myths Dispelled. To request a copy of the full report or to learn more about Currency Research, please click here.


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Prenatal vitamins are recommended by doctors for pregnant women to help deliver a healthy baby.
But now, women that aren't pregnant are taking them and many claim they are getting stunning results from their use.
Is it a super vitamin with health and beauty benefits? Or is it an unnecessary risk?
19 Action News investigates the Prenatal Pill Mystery.
Copyright 2012 WOIO. All rights reserved.

domain: news


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A wrecked McLaren supercar will go under the hammer after a top-gun global executive crashed it during a test drive on an Auckland motorway.
The black 2015 McLaren 650s coupe will go to auction on June 27 at 10am, with the Herald understanding there has already been interest from as far afield as London and the United Arab Emirates.
Manheim New Zealand national salvage manager Michael Fernandes told the Herald the wreck was being sold by the auto auction company on behalf of the insurer.
He said the auction will be streamed live around the world "to allow the global salvage market to partake in the auction and not miss the opportunity to own this diamond in the rough".
The supercar has a 3.8L petrol engine and its odometer has a total of 901km.
The car was severely damaged after businessman Heng Loon Chee flipped it on April 22.
Chee pleaded guilty to careless driving yesterday at the Auckland District Court and was fined $500 after the car hit a median barrier on the Northwestern Motorway, near Pt Chevalier, and crashed.
Chee was taking the half-million dollar car for a test drive and rounded a corner at up to 120km/h when he lost control, the court heard.
The car went under a safety barrier and rolled down an embankment.
The businessman, who was also ordered to pay $130 in court costs, suffered minor scratches to his hands and cuts to his head. A passenger in the vehicle was uninjured.
Chee's lawyer told the court his client was taking the corner too fast and the tyres were cold.
The 56-year-old is an executive at Massachusetts-based multinational computer company Dell EMC, a subsidiary of Dell Technologies, and lives in Auckland.
Despite McLaren Auckland refusing to comment on whether the car was part of its fleet, witnesses have told the Herald they saw the supercar and heard its unique engine as it drove out of the Great North Rd dealership.
The car was also heard "screaming" on to the motorway.


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AUGUSTA, GA (WFXG) - Rite Aid stores in the Augusta area will sell $1 paper Miracle Balloons to support the Children's Hospital of Georgia, the local Children's Miracle Network Hospital.
Customers who make a donation will receive $9 in coupon offers, good for a variety of products sold at Rite Aid.
Rite Aid has stores in and around Augusta, including Hephzibah and Millen, as well as in North Augusta, Bamberg and Allendale, S.C.
"All funds raised from these stores during the campaign will benefit the more than 90,000 patients treated each year at Children's Hospital of Georgia," said CHOG Children's Miracle Network Development Coordinator Catherine Stewart. "Since 2010, local Rite Aids have raised almost $25,000 to benefit children in our community, and we are pleased that they will continue to support CMN Hospitals this year."


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WHERE TO WATCH
Twitter Shares What's on People's Shopping List This Holiday Season
November 9, 2017
Updated 4mo ago
Matt Derella, Global Vice President of Revenue at Twitter, breaks down the trends and shares how marketers can use this information as leverage. Apparently, kids want fingerlings...and not the potato!
Facebook’s Blockchain Group Is on a Hiring Spree to Reinvent Money
Nov 29, 2018
Etsy's Tips for Sellers
Raina Moskowitz, SVP of people, strategy, and services at Etsy, told Cheddar what the e-commerce company found when it asked shoppers what they look for in a good Etsy experience. Sellers, take note.
Nov 9, 2017
Twitter Shares its Hot Holiday Shopping Trends With Cheddar!
Over $700 billion is going to be spent on gifts this holiday season. Matt Derella, Twitter's Global Vice President of Revenue and Operations, has some ideas on what might be most in-demand.
May 7, 2018
Jet.com Wants Shopping to Be an Experience
E-commerce today exists primarily for speed and convenience. Jet.com wants to change that. "We really want to bring back the positive emotion that came with shopping all along," says David Echegoyen, the online retailer's chief customer officer.


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As the holiday season approaches, many companies are in need of temporary employees. Although these jobs are generally considered temporary, some retailers say jobs positions could lead into permanent positions.
Here is a look at who is hiring:
Electronic retailer Best Buy said it will hire an unspecified number of temporary employees for the holidays. The company will host job fairs in nearly a dozen cities on Oct. 10. Also, the retailer will have on-site job interviews on Oct. 10 and 11 nationwide. To reserve a spot for an interview, click here.
Best Buy said that 30 percent of its full-time employees began as seasonal workers.
Dick's Sporting Goods
Taking a page from the sports world, Dick’s Sporting Goods is hosting a “National Signing Day” on October 16 to fill 8,000 positions nationwide. Dick’s said applicants are encouraged to first apply online at dicks.com/jobs,
Gap has more than 2,000 seasonal positions for this year. To apply, click here.
Kohl's said it plans to hire 90,000 seasonal employees this year. Kohl's said positions are available at 11,000 locations nationwide. For more info, click here.
Macy's said it plans to hire 80,000 seasonal employees this year. Among the more interesting opportunities, the company plans to hire 1,000 people to assist with the company's Thanksgiving Day parade. Macy's also said its hosting on-site interviews on Thursday, October 24, 2019, from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. For more info, click here.
The company said that in 2018, 8,000 seasonal employees became permanent workers.
Looking for a more behind the scenes position? Radial is looking to hire 21,000 seasonal employees for the holidays. Radial provides fulfillment and customer care services for retailers nationwide. For more info, click here.
Target will do two rounds of job fairs for potential employees. The first round of job interviews will be from Oct. 11 to 13 and the second from Nov. 2 to 3. Target plans to hire more than 130,000 seasonal employees.
Target says that minimum pay for employees will be $13. For more information, click here.
UPS said it plans on hiring 100,000 people for the holidays. UPS says that nearly one third of its workforce started as seasonal employees. The majority of positions are for package handlers, drivers and driver-helpers. For more info, click here.
1-800 Flowers said it plans to hire 8,000 seasonal employees. For details, click here.


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The Nigeria Ports Authority’s decision to ban export cargoes has been faulted by stakeholders.
NPA, on Monday, through its official Twitter handle, announced the ban of export cargoes due to backlog of trucks approaching the ports.
But stakeholders argued that the decision was faulty, adding that, normally, exports cargoes should be prioritised.
A Twitter user, who gave his name as Mr. Babalawon Aji, blamed the inability of the AP Muller Terminal to have enough cargo-handling equipment as the major issue.
“It is dumb. Exports shouldn’t be banned, even for a day. Export should be given priority at every point in time. Serious countries prioritise exports. Your major problem is not the truckers, but APMT who don’t have the capacity to manage port operations,” he stated.
Also speaking, Mr. Festus Akin, said that the decision was without prior notice to exporters and truckers who had already loaded their trucks.
He said, “The decision was without prior notice to exporters and transporters who have just loaded their cargoes. How would the transporters, whose only source of livelihood are now grounded for two weeks, survive these days? Kindly rescind your decision for their sake.”
Another stakeholder, Chris Onwuka, urged the Federal Government to open up other ports in other parts of the country to help decongest Lagos ports.
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Nuheara IQbuds are a lot more than just wireless earbuds
Everybody wears headphones or earbuds, and are clamouring for wireless earbuds; that's why so many of these kinds of devices blow through their Kickstarter goals so quickly- there is a pent-up demand for this. (I have written about a few failures on MNN).
Multiple US trials underway for shared 3.5GHz wireless spectrum
Six technology companies, including Google, are working on trial projects in multiple U.S. cities to test out shared 3.5GHz spectrum wireless communications under an innovative model adopted recently by the Federal Communications Commission.
Dem, GOP Conventions Max Out Wireless Chs.
Indoor deployments to be key as 5G bridges wireless and wireline
Just as the term "mobile" generally refers to on-the-go connectivity, discussions about 5G often focus on faster and more reliable services for users as they move from place to place. But speakers at the Wireless Infrastructure Show this week reminded ...
RCR Wireless News
HBO exec: Wireless infrastructure, mobility key to our success
RCR Wireless News
DALLAS — As we enter an era of on-demand TV anywhere, content creators and distributors are only one part of the equation. Without the wireless infrastructure to make that content available over mobile networks, and at a high-quality, a huge potential ...
Europe In-Building Wireless Market by End-User, by System Component & by Geography - Analysis & Forecasts to 2019 - PR Newswire (press release)
Europe In-Building Wireless Market by End-User, by System Component & by Geography - Analysis & Forecasts to 2019
PR Newswire (press release)
LONDON, May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In-building wireless solutions refer to a set of products, services, utilized to build an in-building network for reliable and seamless indoor coverage. The in-building wireless solutions assist in creating a more ...
NEC teams up with Tait on global mission-critical wireless push
NEC's iPASOLINK VR series is a new addition to the iPASOLINK family that the ICT services company says are designed to enable high-speed and high-capacity wireless transmission as well as support current mobile communications such as LTE-Advanced ...
German boffins smash records with 37km wireless spurt at 6Gbps
A team of German scientists has managed to establish a 6Gbps wireless link over a distance of 37 kilometers using newly developed antennas and receivers. The Advanced E Band Satellite Link Studies team established a connection between a base station ...
SAE now has a wireless charging standard: J2954
News of an SAE standard for wireless charging for electric vehicles is not an exciting, sexy topic. But, hear me out. The fact that the J1772 connector was approved way back in 2009 wasn't sexy either. Still, it was a key moment in the development and ...
Wireless charging guidelines issued by SAE standards group
Sony really missed the mark here
Which is why it's such a shame Sony missed the mark with its new MDR-EX750BT h.ear in Wireless headphones. The functionality of the speakers isn't what lets this product down, it's the horrible design — although Sony's product page would have you ...
Wireless study predicts trouble and solution for 5G cellular
However, a new study by Theodore (Ted) S. Rappaport, the Ernst Weber/David Lee professor of electrical engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and founding director of NYU WIRELESS, suggests that the three-parameter "alpha-beta-gamma" ...
Copyright of 1300directory.com.au


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Nigeria ‘s middle-income population is growing, and its urban population is increasing at the same time. In order to seek new markets and profits, more and more food machinery is pouring into Nigeria, and potato slicing machine in Nigeria is welcomed by the public.
Problems in Nigeria’s indigenous food machinery industry
As international food machinery has settled in Africa and wants to replicate their success model here, African entrepreneurs and SMEs are threatened. At present, Nigeria’s domestic food machinery industry is facing a series of problems: loose shelves, narrow aisles, insufficient refrigeration, and backward conditions such as electricity, sanitation, and water supply. In addition, food safety will be the biggest issue.
Why they suffer such a tough situation?
These issues are based on the fact that most food machine suppliers in Nigeria still remain in a small-scale operation, without registration or operating irregularly, especially in the vast rural areas. So far, food processing industry is still relatively backward.
Besides, they lack the funds to improve and correct their operations. For example, few food machine suppliers have access to financing to improve processing technology. This informal production method is also a means of tax avoidance. Formal operations will pay more taxes, which means that food machine producers have no incentive to invest more resources to improve the food machine industry’s infrastructure.
How to deal with the resulting series of challenges has become an important issue in Nigeria’s domestic food industry.
Nigeria’s economy is basically dominated by agriculture. The development of agriculture is listed as the government’s top priority. Preferential agricultural investment policies, a wide range of investment fields, and opportunities exist everywhere. It is an ideal place for Chinese agricultural enterprises to open up African markets. As for the food machinery industry, its market is getting larger and larger, and customer demand is gradually increasing. Technical requirements have also started to become higher and higher, providing opportunities for Chinese food machinery to move to Africa. Among them, potato slicing machine in Nigeria is welcomed there, because the staple food of most African countries is potatoes.
Of course, the rapid growth of potato slicing machine in Nigeria’s market has driven the development of other food machines.


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Following the launch last year of new Game and Makro e-commerce websites, and a Makro shopping App, Massmart has, in partnership with Walmart’s Global Technology Team in Bangalore, now also launched a revamped website for its Builders brand.
The new Builders website offers customers a much quicker and more intuitive online experience resulting from new features that significantly improve the customer journey from sign-up and log-in, to product search, recommendations and checkout.
Practical enhancements have included reducing the number of steps to checkout and also giving customers the option to add Builders’ white glove service that includes delivery, installation and expert service, to their cart at the click of a button.
Commenting about the enhancements, Paris Philippou, Vice President for e-commerce at Builders said, “Each new feature was tested for usability on our live website by a sample of regular online customers. The benefit of this approach is that we were able to evolve and customise the features to ensure the best possible end result for our customers.
“Through this approach, we have seen improvements such as a reduction in payment errors and a higher conversion rate across our customer base. Online customer feedback since the site was relaunched has been excellent which is demonstrated by increased user traffic and sales.”


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Cuddledown to exhibit at Las Vegas Market
January 8, 2007,
Cuddledown will be among the exhibitors at the Las Vegas Market later this month. This is the first time the company has participated in the home furnishings trade show.
According to national sales manager Charles Cilley, exhiiting at the Las Vegas Market will expose the company to a previously untapped market.
"Showing our wholesale line in Las Vegas next month will help us reach retailers in the western part of the country. We're particularly looking forward to introducing Cuddledown comforters, pillows, and featherbed to a new demographic of retailers and buyers," says Cilley.
The company's booth will be located at No. C5618 in the Cashman Center in downtown Las Vegas. The show runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2.
Related Content By Author
Live From New York: Fashion Comes Across the Pond
Home & Textiles Today eDaily


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But, not all protein powders are created equally.
The protein found in Kura products is truly sourced from grass-fed animals, meaning they are feeding on lush grass 365 days a year, unlike other animals who might only be "grass finished" or feed on corn or other grains.
Kelli Rooney, CEO of Kura, says the company believes in high quality ingredients, transparency of sourcing, and high standards of social responsibility.
The company's goal is to produce clean and natural protein that offers creative nutrition possibilities. The end products are born from a pristine environment in New Zealand, yielding protein that is GMO-free hormone-free, and antibiotic-free.
Kelli joins host Lisa Davis to share why Kura products rise above the rest.


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Frozen food delivered to each Alfamart store is handled by Royale Cold Storage, a Bulacan-based cold chain logistics provider. They have the first and only FSSC 22000-certified cold storage facility in the country, ensuring world-class safety and cleanliness.
The food production and sales industry were, and still are, more challenged with the adjustments. Consumers still need to eat, therefore farms still need to produce. And with more people staying at home and cooking their meals, demand for frozen food (especially meats) also increased, so stores still need to keep their inventories well stocked.
For Alfamart, the first and only Super Minimart chain in the Philippines, it was an opportunity to work better with trusted business partners, as it needed to ensure that the company’s nearly-1000 stores across Luzon had ample stocks to serve their respective communities.
“No matter how tough food logistics is during times like these, there will always be ways to do what must be done, especially with trusted business partners. We just have to be willing to do it,” said Gerry Lugapo, Alfamart AVP for Supply Chain.
Lugapo also emphasized how their partnership with Royale Cold Storage (RCS), their cold chain logistics provider since 2019, made it easier to maintain a stable food supply. “We always want to give the best quality products to our customers, so we knew we could count on [RCS’s] cold storage, delivery facilities, and expertise as the quarantines went on,” he added.
Alfamart only sources its meats from National Meat Inspection Service
(NMIS)-accredited suppliers. These are then loaded onto
vans (or trucks with built-in freezers), which are all NMIS-accredited as well.
Even before the pandemic, RCS always handled Alfamart’s food -- especially meats -- with the most stringent hygiene protocols, and even more so now. According to Joey C. Tongson, CEO of RCS, they had to mobilize all their available manpower to maintain their high quality of service amid the pandemic, “RCS immediately engaged and mobilized its workers to stay full-time inside the plant to serve Alfamart, ensuring that Alfamart operations would be continuous and unhampered,” Tongson said. “In addition, we provided them with everything they needed--food, lodging, and, of course, new protective and safety equipment,” he continued.
Tongson stressed the importance of taking pride in what you do to make customers, clients, and partners both happy and safe.
“Under our ‘New Normal’ protocol, RCS workers will continue wearing masks, using face shields, practicing hand washing and social distancing. RCS will continue to use foot baths and perform temperature checks of all our employees and visitors entering the plant,” he said. “We foresee that these new practices will continue even after we go back to the pre-pandemic levels,” he concluded.
On Alfamart’s side, the biggest challenge was transporting the food through different geographic areas with their own curfews and quarantine guidelines. “We had to plan every route well with RCS,” Lugapo said. “We had to coordinate with each and every LGU, down to the barangay level, so that we would not break any rules regarding curfews, checkpoints, personnel hygiene standards, and paperwork requirements,” he explained.
“Both in business and in serving the communities, everything is made better by a group effort,” Lugapo stressed. “We are so glad that we have partners like RCS and our other collaborators to ensure that our customers, and the communities we serve, are happy,” he concluded.
To know how businesses can work together with Alfamart stores please visit https://www.alfamart.com.ph/do-business-with-us/.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Google aims for PayPal
Google will launch electronic payment services later this year going head-to-head with PayPal which, thanks partly to help from eBay, is currently leading the field.
Google's Wallet service has no official confirmation but has been blamed for a two per cent fall in eBay's share price this morning - eBay owns PayPal. A spokeswoman at Google UK was unable to comment at press time.
The New York Times spoke to a leading online merchant, who insisted on anonymity, who told the paper he'd been appraoched by Google about the new service.
The paper also quoted Scot Wingo, chief exec of ChannelAdvisor, a consultancy for etailers, who said he had heard about the service from clients. A spokeswoman for PayPal told the NYT that she'd heard the rumours too but had no other comment.®


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Get our introductory offer at only
*$0.99/month for first 3 months
$29.90/month for the next 9 months
CONSUMERS are warming to the idea that wearing a computer on their wrists or clothing may not be the fashion faux pas that early clunky prototypes led many to fear, with 2015 poised to be a breakout for the much-hyped trend, a new study has found.
Forrester Research said in...


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Some Facebook users bypass Great Firewall of China
Published 4:00 am, Friday, February 18, 2011
The Great Firewall of China has helped the government block websites from the Falun Gong to Twitter for years in the world's most censored Internet market. He Xin recently discovered how to bypass the restrictions.
"I climbed over the wall," said He, an electrical technology major at China's Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao. "Very few of my classmates and friends can climb over the wall, so I can't add them as friends on Facebook yet."
He uses Ultrasurf, one of the growing number of so-called Virtual Private Network services used in the world's biggest Internet market to circumvent censors. Facebook users in China, blocked in the country since 2009, have more than doubled in the past month to exceed 700,000 after Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg visited the country in December, according to Socialbakers.com, a site dedicated to analyzing Facebook statistics.
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Even with the exponential growth, the number of Facebook users in China will be minuscule relative to the nation's 457 million Internet users, the world's largest, Tang said.
While VPNs are mainly used by companies to give employees secured access to corporate networks, they can also allow individuals to surf the Web anonymously because the services employ private "proxy" servers that encrypt data.
"Proxy servers are a key technology that is at the center of how the Internet works, so it can't simply be indiscriminately banned," said Professor Alvin Chan, who teaches computing at the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong. The way the technology is being used to circumvent Web censors is an "unintended offshoot."
Using VPN servers
For example, a Chinese user seeking to access Facebook would first start an encrypted connection with a VPN service, which would then get on the social-networking website. To Chinese Internet providers, that connection would only show the user as having logged on to the VPN server, not Facebook's. The process also enables VPN users outside of the United States to watch restricted services such as Hulu.
Still, VPNs can slow down data speeds and require additional software and costs.
AnchorFree Inc., a Mountain View startup, said it saw 1.5 million people using its free VPN service in China during January, a 25 percent increase from the previous month.
China, which bans pornography, gambling and content critical of the ruling Communist Party, blocks websites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which don't follow the nation's self-censorship rules. Google pulled its search engine out of China last year after deciding it would stop censoring its content.
"Facebook will continue to be blocked unless they agree to comply to rules set by the Chinese government," Tang said. "Other than that it's not likely to happen."
Spokesmen for Facebook and China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology declined to comment.
Hong Kong office
Last week, Palo Alto's Facebook opened an office in Hong Kong, bringing the company closer to the main Chinese market, where Susquehanna International Group LLP estimates the online advertising market will triple to almost $13 billion by 2014.
The popularity of VPNs aren't sufficient for Facebook to match domestic social-networking sites, said Paul Wuh, a Hong Kong analyst at Samsung Securities Co. Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s Qzone site has about 480 million users, while Renren.com has about 160 million, and Kaixin001.com has more than 93 million.
Facebook has about 621 million users worldwide, with the United States accounting for the most with 149 million, according to Socialbakers.com.
The recent use of social-networking services to organize protests in Egypt won't help the prospect of China granting access to Facebook or Twitter, Wuh said.
"It will be hard to allow any company outside of China so much influence," Wuh said. "When you consider the number of Internet users in China, the number on Facebook is just a blip. It will never be open enough so that most people can use it. It's too risky."


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If you take a quick look around your office, it probably won’t be hard to spot a pair of shoes made by Allbirds, the San Francisco-based footwear company that makes its products using materials like wool and eucalyptus fiber.
The two year-year old company aims to make comfortable, sustainably-made shoes – and they seem to be everywhere. Just last week the company launched a new line of shoes, actually flip-flops, with soles made from sugar-cane instead of petroleum. Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown calls the new material, SweetFoam™, “our biggest sustainable-material innovation moment yet.”
I spoke with Tim to learn more about his approach to design and innovation and to look behind the sustainability curtain at Allbirds.
How did you go from professional soccer player in New Zealand to entering the environmentally friendly footwear market?
I was back in New Zealand playing soccer for the Australian A-League when I noticed a design problem: all of the sponsored footwear I was getting had bright colors, too many logos, and just felt overdone. I saw this opening in the footwear space to do less rather than do more, to create something really simple.
Plus, outside of the fossil-fuel industry the fashion industry’s the largest contributor to carbon emissions. I think that’s a solvable problem if we put our minds to it. How is it that we can send a man to the moon but we can’t work out a way to make a T-shirt in a more sustainable way?
MORE FROM FORBES
When I went into my first footwear factory, I realized that it’s an incredibly antiquated process that hasn’t changed for hundreds of years – it’s also reliant on low-cost labor and a low-cost mentality that leads shoes to largely be made out of synthetics or low-quality leathers.
More than 20 billion pairs of shoes are made each year, so I saw an enormous opportunity to bring in sustainable materials – not just for the environment but also because they could make more comfortable products – comfort is the number one consideration for shoe buyers.
Most start-ups focus solely on staying in businesses, and sustainability takes a back seat. What has your experience been?
My co-founder Joey Zwillinger and I have a deep empathy for this topic, and from day one believed that there was a business opportunity to bring sustainability to the footwear industry. But then we spoke with Eric Ryan, one of the founders of method® products, who said that if you want to incorporate sustainability into a consumer brand, don’t talk about it. People don’t buy sustainability, they buy great products.
That became the first pillar underpinning our approach to launching Allbirds: make a great product, and then work out how to make it as sustainably as possible.
The second pillar is that we believe sustainability should be a non-negotiable for everyone in business today. We all win when we stop talking about this topic, and that evolution is taking place today – though it’s of course a complicated problem to solve. The topic of sustainability is not something that we’re going to solve alone or in the 36 months that we’ve been around. There’s a humility to tackling this topic that’s really important, and fosters a lot of learning.
The third pillar is that we wanted to be part of a new type of brand and business that is serving to explain sustainability. Regardless of consumer support for the environment, empathy often goes completely out the window at the point of purchase because there’s a disconnect between this empathy and buying behavior, in part because of limited options but also because a lack of understanding around what exactly sustainability means. That’s why we’re trying to do our absolute best to try and explain it along the way.
How do you approach the sustainability challenges of a global supply chain?
One of the ways we’re working to understand the impact of our materials is through certifications – they’re incredibly important for us. In the case of wool, we can’t be on every farm to see and understand things like animal welfare and land use – that’s why we…


text: (November 4, 2003) - (Bentonville-AP) -- Bentonville-based Wal-Mart said today that it has received a target letter from the U-S Attorney's Office that the world's largest retailer allegedly violated federal immigration laws. On October 23rd, federal agents arrested about 250 alleged illegal workers in a 21-state sweep of Wal-Mart stores. Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania are handling the case. The company has pledged its full cooperation. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams says the company expects to get a full chance to explain its side before the government decides whether to lodge any charges. The investigation focuses on contract floor cleaning companies that did work at Wal-Mart stores. A raid on October 23rd netted 250 arrests among 60 stores in 21 states. Ten of the people arrested were Wal-Mart employees hired as the company continued a move to bring its floor cleaning in house.


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New Delhi: Ms. Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development and Textiles, Government of India, said today that there are many opportunities for Indian and global companies to invest in the sector toy indian.
Addressing the 2nd virtual edition of the FICCI Seminar on the Value of Gambling? Toys and Games in the New Normal Scenario, Ms. Irani said that we (government and industry), under the umbrella of the FICCI Toys Committee, have to constantly speak out on issues regarding the educational impacts of toys. âOne of the biggest challenges for the local industry is the massive influx of toys from overseas. Based on current industry estimates, between $ 1 billion and $ 1.5 billion, the fact that most of their income comes from imported toys tells us about the huge opportunity we have, âshe said. added.
Highlighting the impact of digital play during the pandemic, Ms. Irani urged the FICCI Toys Committee to help reflect on the impact of digital play, especially on the consumption base in the country.
Ms. Irani said the national education policy also talks about the joy of learning with toys. Children aged 3 to 8 will learn with toys, transform their educational experiences in a way that results are reinforced and better, she said.
India, she said, has a large number of families in the middle-income group, one of the largest consuming sections. We should also explore the prices that can attract these consumers to toys made in India, she added.
Speaking on India Toy Fair 2021, Ms. Irani said that more than 1,000 companies have joined the team, including some of the biggest domestic and international brands. The Department of Education engages with states, schools, councils and institutions for increased participation of toy consumers – parents and children. âThrough this platform, when a parent or child engages with the company to choose a toy, they will also have access to the map of India which has mapped the toy needs and educational impact. of this toy, which is locally available from kindergarten to college. education. This is done first in our country, âshe noted.
Ms. Irani further stated that we have had knowledge systems unique to our country which have never been transformed by cultural creators in the Indian toy industry. “This transformational journey will begin with the India Toy Fair 2021. The FICCI journey which meets the educational needs of over 249 million school children and marries it with the needs of the Indian toy industry, is to be commended.” , she added.
Mr. Uday Shankar, President of FICCI, said COVID-19 has been a major setback for this sector and the industry hopes to see a recovery with measures taken by the government to revive general demand in the industry. economy. âThe FICCI remains committed to providing quality and safe toys to our children. We are happy to bring the world’s best experience in the sector to develop a quality and safe ecosystem for the sector in the country and make it Atmanirbhar, âhe added.
Mr. Anil Agrawal, Additional Secretary, DPIIT said that they plan to support the design of toys based on Indian culture. He urged the industry to look at the specific ease of doing business issues impacting the toy industry. The government is also considering developing toy clusters, he said.
Mr. Vivek Jhangiani, Chairman of the FICCI Toy Sector Committee and Managing Partner, United IC (United Toys) said that we are working closely with DPIIT and presented a roadmap to scale up toy manufacturing in the country and encourage domestic and global manufacturers to make India a sourcing hub. “We in the toy industry are extremely grateful to the government for choosing the toy sector as one of the champion sectors and for providing support at the highest level,” he added.
Mr. Bhavesh Somaya, Co-Chair of the FICCI Toy Sector Committee and Managing Director of Hasbro in South Asia, said modern gaming has become a multi-dimensional and multi-layered experience, where narratives and characters flow easily between different play areas.
Mr. R Ramanan, Mission Director and Additional Secretary, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, said the government and the Atal Innovation Mission are focusing on toys and games as a means of stimulating creativity, innovation and capacities of our young people. The Atal Tinkering Labs are the first step in the National Education Policy which rolls out its program to ensure that toys provide simulation, whether digital play or physical play.
Ms Alka Nangia Arora, MSME Co-Secretary, shared various ministry programs to support the toy sector and also urged the industry to collaborate with the technology centers of the MSME department.


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New research shows that B2B marketers are expecting overall budget increases in 2016 and they predict that more money will be funneled toward demand generation efforts than last year.
In fact, the “2016 Demand Generation Benchmark Report” from Demand Gen Report has revealed that 67 percent of B2B marketers expect their demand generation budgets to rise this year.
About 63 percent of respondents claim that their overall marketing budgets are set to increase, and 39 percent say that they expect to see their demand generation budgets rise 20 percent or more. In 2015, just 21 percent of respondents saw an increase of 20 percent or more.
As the investment in demand generation grows, 83 percent of respondents stated that focusing on lead quality over quantity is one of their top priorities. Additionally, 71 percent are focused on improving campaign results, while 61 percent would like to improve sales and marketing alignment.
Marketing automation (42 percent), multichannel lead nurturing (41 percent) and retargeting (39 percent) are the top three tactics being used by B2B marketers to drive leads.
How B2B Marketers are Meeting Lead Goals
In order to meet revenue and lead goals, B2B marketers continue to fine-tune their strategies. The “2016 Benchmark Study on Understanding B2B Buyers” report found that creating buyer personas is helping many organizations achieve their objectives. About 71 percent who exceed revenue and lead goals have documented personas.
Only 26 percent of organizations with established buyer personas miss their goals. High-performing companies were almost twice as likely to understand the challenges of their buyers compared to their counterparts.


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Photo credit: DiasporaEngager (www.DiasporaEngager.com).
Looking to ensure that Black-owned and -led businesses can become trailblazers in Western New York’s economy, community development nonprofit LISC WNY and General Motors are working together to provide $15,000 and $10,000 grants to more than a dozen under-capitalized Black businesses to help them scale their capital to grow their operations and position themselves as leaders in the region’s in-demand industries.
Coined the “Scale Up WNY” grant program, the initiative, now in its second year, is designed to address inequity facing Black-owned businesses that have historically lacked access to the capital networks needed to scale their operations and expand capacity.
Scale Up WNY – which is supported by funding from General Motors and will be administered by LISC WNY – will provide grants of $10,000 and $15,000 to a group of 13 Black-owned and -led businesses in Western New York who operate in industries where projected demand for services outweighs current supply – allowing these businesses to emerge as key drivers of the region’s economy.
“There is currently pent-up demand for services in several industries in Western New York, and consumers, businesses, contractors, and nonprofit organizations need that demand to be met. If we’re to make progress toward closing the racial wealth gap, then it’s critical that Black-owned businesses are given the resources, tools and networks needed to fill the gaps that exist in the local economy,” said Tyra Johnson Hux, operations director of LISC WNY. Read more.
Source of original article: Black Star News (www.blackstarnews.com).
The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of Global Diaspora News (www.GlobalDiasporaNews.com).
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Creative Cloud Announcements Include New Mobile Apps, Touch in Desktop Tools, Video Assets Coming to Adobe Stock
Uh Oh! North America Runs Out of Internet Addresses
It’s the end of an era, even if it isn’t exactly the end of the Internet.
Sandvine: Canada twitches, steams, streams and snaps
Gartner Says IT Spending in South Africa to Reach $26.6 Billion in 2016, Up 5 Percent from 2015
IT spending in South Africa is forecast to reach $26.6 billion in 2016, an increase of 5.1 percent from 2015, , according to Gartner, Inc.
Days numbered for barcodes as shoppers demand more data
Growing demand for more information about the products we buy could mean the end of the simple barcode - the blocks of black and white stripes that adorn most objects for sale and are scanned five billion times a day.
Mosaic451 Recognized in CRN Next-Gen 250 List
Annual List Features Trailblazing Solution Providers Transforming Business with Emerging Technologies
Industry heavyweights join forces to support UK channel
The channel continues its transformation of doing business as end-users shift towards a pay-as-you-go fee in the consumption model of IT.
Top Workers Buying Businesses from retiring boomer bosses
As retiring baby boomers look to sell the small businesses they have run for years, top employees are often becoming the boss.
Bluestar receives top retail solutions distributor award for third straight year
Canadian Marketer is One of 12 North Americans to Win the Google Search Excellence Award…Again
Toronto-area Digital Marketer Wins Prestigious Award for a Second Time
Canadian hitchBOT creators mull rebuild after beloved robot destroyed in Philly
Gartner Says Retailers Need Advanced Analytic Capabilities to Compete in the Digitalized Marketplace
Retailers Without Advanced Analytic Capabilities Will Struggle to Capitalize on IoT-Driven Revenue Opportunities
Openface connects Montreal to the Internet
Gartner Says Worldwide Device Shipments to Grow 1.5 Percent, to Reach 2.5 Billion Units in 2015
Worldwide combined shipments of devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) are expected to reach 2.5 billion units in 2015, a 1.5 percent increase from 2014 and down from the previous quarter's forecast of 2.8 percent growth, according to Gartner, Inc.
Cuba launches 1st public Wi-Fi hotspots on Havana bustling 23rd Street; cost is $2 an hour
Cuban authorities have launched public Wi-Fi hotspots along a main avenue that is the heart of Havana's cultural and social life, the first step in government promises to gradually roll out such connectivity options on an island that the Internet revolution has largely passed by.
GTSG Named To CRN Solution Provider 500
LIST RANKS NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST 500 TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATORS
Unlocking the potential of the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things—sensors and actuators connected by networks to computing systems—has received enormous attention over the past five years.
Message from Hewlett-Packard
Message from Unitrends
Booking.com to Amend Parity Provisions Throughout Europe


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Fontana delivers massive Christmas gains .Wednesday, February 17, 2021
EVEN with COVID-19 reducing the sales of several retailers across the island, pharmaceutical retailing giant Fontana Limited overcame the headwinds of the period to generate a net profit of $293.8 million for the first six months up to December and surpass the $276.5 million earned over the entire 2020 financial year (July 2019 - June 2020).
The company, which operates six locations across the island, saw its second-quarter revenue peak 10 per cent higher at $1.5 billion as its flagship Waterloo Square location drew in packed parking lots full of customers in the Yuletide season. With a year in full operation, the 35,000 square foot location has served as a strong catalyst for sales even as the company's higher-margin products decline while lower-margin products gain traction, particularly in the health department, along with higher transaction volumes. This was evident in the growth of gross profits by 6 per cent to $621.9 million in nominal terms, though amidst a slight decline of 40.3 per cent compared to the 41.8 per cent.
Total expenses declined by 6 per cent to $355.6 million, which the principals credited to successful cost control measures that saw a 27 per cent reduction in selling expenses to $27.3 million and administrative expenses closing at $328.4 million. As a result of these efforts, operating profit grew by 31 per cent to $266.3 million. Due to the lease liability related to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 16, finance costs rose by 42 per cent to $34.7 million based on an additional cost of $11.9 million. With other income flat for the quarter, net profit increased by 28 per cent to $248.6 million, which propelled the company's 6-month net profit by 38 per cent to $293.8 million. This left the six-month earnings per share at $0.24 compared to the prior $0.17 or $0.22 for the full year.
Total assets for the company grew by 3 per cent to $3.41 billion as current assets rose by 15 per cent to $1.7 billion, which was driven by cash and cash equivalents of $822.8 million. Cash flow from operations was up by 23 per cent to $391.7 million, which nearly rivalled the performance of the full year. Total liabilities declined by 9 per cent to $1.7 billion, with shareholders' equity growing by 18 per cent to $1.7 billion.
During the quarter, local investment firm QWI Investments Limited increased its exposure to Fontana by becoming the number 5 shareholder with 5,362,040 shares or 0.43 per cent of the company. This is in contrast to Mayberry Jamaican Equities Limited which disposed of its top 10 stake, firstly to Sagicor Select Funds Limited and then to St Elizabeth International Holdings Limited.
“We are thankful for our dedicated team members who continue to go above and beyond the expectations of our customers in these difficult times. We thank our customers for their continued goodwill and their unwavering support — undoubtedly, without them our sales would not continue to grow as they have during this pandemic. We are committed to remaining resilient, adaptable, and are hopeful for the future. Our balance sheet and significant cash on hand will anchor Fontana through the continued challenges of the current pandemic while allowing us to continue to explore acquisitions and expansion for the brand,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kevin O'Brien and Anne Chang, respectively.
Now you can read the Jamaica Observer ePaper anytime, anywhere. The Jamaica Observer ePaper is available to you at home or at work, and is the same edition as the printed copy available at https://bit.ly/epaper-login


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By Ron Howells • 17 July 2021 • 6:45
The price of electricity in Spain continues to skyrocket despite the VAT reduction
The price of electricity in Spain continues to skyrocket despite the recent VAT reduction imposed by the government.
The average household bill has risen by almost 35% in this first fortnight of July compared to the same month last year.
If prices continue on the current path, the receipt of the regulated tariff (PVPC) would stand at 84.35 euros, an amount even higher than in June, when it was 81.27 euros, according to Facua estimates. With these references, the average user will pay 21.68 euros more than in July 2020, when the bill stood at 62.67 euros.
The consumer association calculates that the reduction in VAT to 10% until December – as well as the suspension of the generation tax, of 7%, paid by companies – has minimized the increase by 8.44 euros. If 21% were still applied, the receipt would have broken all records, reaching 92.79 euros instead of the current price of more than 81 euros.
If prices continue to follow this upward path, July’s bill will be the third most expensive in history for the average consumer.
To carry out its calculations, the association took as a reference the traditional average user profile without hourly discrimination published by the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC).
In the first 15 days of July, the average price was 13.43 cents in off-peak hours, 17.76 cents in flat hours and 28.86 cents in peak hours. The calculation resulted in a summary of that between the three tariffs was 20.02 cents, 68.5% more than a year ago, when it was above 11 cents.
The extreme heat events in recent days have led to an increase in demand, coupled with record gas and CO2 costs since the end of May.
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Ron actually started his working career as an Ophthalmic Technician- things changed when, during a band rehearsal, his amplifier blew up and he couldn’t get it fixed so he took a course at Birmingham University and ended up doing a degree course. He built up a chain of electronics stores and sold them as a franchise over 35 years ago. After five years touring the world Ron decided to move to Spain with his wife and son, a place they had visited over the years, and only bought the villa they live in because it has a guitar-shaped swimming pool!.
Playing the guitar since the age of 7, he can often be seen, (and heard!) at beach bars and clubs along the length of the coast. He has always been interested in the news and constantly thrives to present his articles in an interesting and engaging way.
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In one of the world's most economically unequal regions, a Dutch social enterprise is increasingly using an anti-poverty model aimed at connecting two previously distant, and even antagonistic, Latin American social groups: the business community and the poor.
Although it only begun in 2006, SNV's "inclusive business" initiative has become its "star product" in Latin America. The development model now encompasses 70 initiatives in nine countries across Central America and the Andean region. SNV hopes to expand the initiative to additional Latin American countries in the near future.
Inclusive business seeks to generate profits for small, medium, and large companies operating in Latin America while simultaneously integrating previously excluded or ignored poor communities into businesses' operations. Depending on local circumstances, inclusive business may involve employing low-income workers; targeting development of suppliers and service providers from low-income communities; or providing new and beneficial goods and services to such communities.
From family farmers to multinational corporations
The inclusive business initiative encompasses business enterprises ranging from campesinos with small family plots to multinational corporations with profits in the billions of dollars. Major companies currently using the model include Ecuadorian processed food giant Pronaca and Swiss multinational Nestlé.
The majority of SNV's inclusive business portfolio comprises businesses that sell $1 million to $2 million annually in products and services, and have 50 to 100 employees, according to Christian Marlin, SNV Latin America coordinator for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development-SNV Alliance for Inclusive Business.
In order to gain entry into the business community, SNV partnered with the WBCSD in February 2006.
"They are our principal ally," Marlin said. "In each of the countries where we work, they have helped us to open doors."
The Switzerland-based association provides SNV with the business bona fides needed to strike up partnerships with private sector entities.
"Before our alliance, impresarios saw us as a well-meaning development organization that didn't know anything about business," Marlin said. "Now, we have a lot of credibility."
Target sectors: From agriculture to IT
SNV's inclusive business initiative targets four main economic sectors - agriculture; provision of basic services such as water, electricity and health; tourism; and information technology.
"The agricultural sector is important because a lot of poverty is rural," Marlin said, adding that more than half of the 70 inclusive business ventures currently under way in Latin America are operating in this sector. This includes companies that grow, distribute and sell agricultural products such as coffee, cacao, bananas, rice, dairy products, and meat and poultry.
"This sector, in general, [represents] a major part of low-income people's budgets," Marlin said. "For people that earn less than $2 per day, 80 percent of their budgets go toward buying food."
SNV also works with companies that increase the quality and reduce the costs of basic services for poor communities. Due to inefficiencies in delivering services to low-income consumers, basic service costs in some of Lima's poor neighborhoods can be higher than those in New York or Los Angeles, according to Marlin.
Tourism is another sector that is ripe for the inclusive business model.
"People from the developed countries like to go to beautiful areas in the Andes, Amazon, and to the beaches of the Pacific," Marlin said. "But there's a problem when they stay in luxurious five-star hotels next to people that are living in miserable circumstances. This raises a question about traditional tourism."
Marlin said the inclusive business model for tourism strives to integrate low-income communities into the tourism industry by tapping them as guides, providers of transportation, and creators and retailers of arts and crafts. This model integrates the poor communities that often surround tourist enclaves to share in the wealth generated through the travel industry.
Information technology, meanwhile, has become an increasingly important sector for SNV. According to Marlin, it is one with many opportunities for inclusive business ventures, from using mobile phones for e-learning to electronic money transfers.
Inclusive business is most active in nations such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras and Nicaragua, where SNV has an established presence based on 30 to 40 years of on-the-ground experience.
"In these countries, the business people come to us because we are already well-known," Marlin said.
SNV plays a more active role marketing the inclusive business model to potential partners in countries where its presence is less established, such as Colombia, Panama, Chile and El Salvador.
"[We go] from door to door to identify opportunities." Marlin said.
The largest impact of inclusive business may be in nations that SNV has yet to enter.
"The countries with the biggest potential are where there is already a strong business culture," Marlin said. "We wanted to start in small and medium[-sized economies] and later expand to bigger countries like Mexico or Brazil."
Firms in Latin America seek SNV's advice primarily to address specific business obstacles linked to working with the poor.
In one case, Ecuadorian food giant Pronaca wanted to substitute domestically grown corn feed for the corn it purchased overseas to support its large poultry production operations.
But traditionally in Ecuador, small producers, who cultivate just three or four hectares of land, own 70 to 80 percent of the corn plots.
The larger corn producers with 20 or more hectares of land were already selling their corn to Pronaca. In order to meet all its corn needs domestically, the company was forced to find a way to tap into the corn produced by Ecuador's multitude of small farmers.
Pronaca called on SNV to help it work with small farmers, who, historically, neither knew nor trusted the large processed food company. Furthermore, even if it was able to successfully communicate with small farmers without SNV's assistance, the company was unsure of how to integrate the small-scale producers into its business operations.
Companies also embrace the inclusive business model when businesses realize the potential opportunities of integrating poor communities into their business plans. Such was the case of global food giant Nestlé.
Marlin said that many poor communities surrounding Lima have poor nutritional habits and widespread malnutrition due, in part, to a shortage of milk products. Nestlé saw an opportunity to gain new consumers, while at the same time providing products that would enhance nutrition in the Peruvian capital's poor neighborhoods. Aware of the inclusive business model, Nestlé contacted SNV in order to facilitate its plans.
Staffing inclusive business projects
When it comes to recruiting people for inclusive business projects, SNV looks for applicants, first and foremost, with practical business experience.
Carolien Van Bremen, SNV's regional human resources manager for Latin America, said many of the organization's employees in the region once worked in the corporate world, "when a light bulb went off" and decided to change directions.
"We definitely look at [candidates] maybe not experienced in development work but definitely experienced in the private sector," she said, noting that SNV appreciates applicants who hail from "a very business-like environment" - big companies, consultancies or law firms, for instance.
Marlin and van Bremen said the ideal inclusive business candidate would combine business acumen and experience with traditional development skills and sensibilities.
SNV is seeking "people that have a good understanding of traditional business, but who also have the capability to help adapt a company's processes to work with those in poverty, to convince a CEO or the vice president of a company about what they need to change in their business model in order to work with low-income communities," Marlin said.


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Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (NYSE:RCL) are getting pushed higher today after the company released first-quarter earnings that showed a nice bump in both cruise passengers and profitability. The stock rose 10% in early trading today.
Royal Caribbean posted sales of nearly $2 billion for the quarter, in line with analyst estimates and up about 5% year over year. However, earnings beat analyst expectations at $0.99 per share, more than double earnings per share (EPS) in the first quarter of 2016. Management also announced a newly approved $500 million stock buyback plan.
Royal Caribbean has tried to set itself apart in its industry with more interesting cruise experiences, which seems to be important now as onboard revenue growth outpaced ticket revenue growth. Royal Caribbean CFO Jason Liberty said in the release, "With consumers making the choice to spend more on experiences, our innovative hardware and superb onboard delivery is thriving."
Royal Caribbean management announced an ambitious goal in 2014 -- to double its EPS and return on invested capital (ROIC) by the end of 2017 in a plan it called "Double Double." To reach that goal, Royal Caribbean needs to post EPS of $6.80 this year. After this strong first-quarter performance, management raised full-year EPS guidance to between $7.00 and $7.20 per share.
After a strong Q4 and full-year report in February as well, Royal Caribbean stock is now up around 34% so far in 2017, but it could still have plenty of room to grow since it is trading at less than 14 times forward earnings estimates.
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The 100th issue of City Press iMagazine will hit the shelves in this Sunday’s edition of South Africa’s thought-leading weekend newspaper. To celebrate this important milestone the special issue’s cover features an eye-catching collage of every cover to date.
“It’s a visually striking representation of the diverse, dynamic content on which iMagazine has built its success.” New Media Publishing produces iMagazine on behalf of City Press,” says Bridget McCarney, managing director of New Media Publishing.
Inside, the focus is on three previous cover stars who got people talking – albino fashion muse Thando Hopa, community-minded rapper HHP and Jozi’s favourite It-Girl, Bonang Matheba.
Editor-in-Chief Elmari Rautenbach says this 100th issue is a celebration not just of the publication, but also of those who read it. “The initial inspiration behind the creation of iMagazine was to provide City Press readers with a lifestyle publication that truly speaks to their interests, who they are and who the aspire to be. The creative brief has been easy to follow – keep it interesting, relevant and stylish – because it’s how we approach the content conception of all of the lifestyle magazines we publish for various clients,” says Rautenbach.
Want to continue this conversation on The Media Online platforms? Comment on Twitter @MediaTMO or on our Facebook page. Send us your suggestions, comments, contributions or tip-offs via e-mail to email@example.com.


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The new owner of eBay Korea, the third-largest e-commerce operator in the country, is expected to be announced this week after a monthslong bidding process draws to a close, industry sources said.
The race is between two retail giants Shinsegae and Lotte Shopping. Both operate a wide range of businesses in the retail sector, including supermarkets and department stores, and have submitted their letters of intent for the Korean unit of eBay during the final round of bidding on June 7.
Whoever wins the race, the deal is sure to shake up the dynamics of the Korean e-commerce sector.
EBay Korea, which operates some of the country’s major online shopping platforms including Gmarket, Auction and G9, accounted for a near 12 percent market share last year by transaction volume, according to data from Statistics Korea. It is the third largest operator in the industry following Naver and Coupang, each accounting for an estimated 18 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
Lotte’s share of the market -- via its online shopping arm Lotte On -- is 5 percent while Shinsegae controls 3 percent via SSG.com.
The announcement is set to be made this week after eBay Korea’s annual board meeting on Tuesday, Yonhap reported on Sunday.
Though the amount Lotte and Shinsegae had offered to pay has not been disclosed, the report said the deal is likely to fetch less than 5 trillion won ($4.5 billion) -- falling short of eBay’s expectations.
Yogigyo, the second largest food delivery app in Korea whose value is estimated at up to 2 trillion won, will also seek a new buyer during the final round of bidding on Thursday with its sales adviser Morgan Stanley, according to industry sources.
Bidders who took part in the preliminary bidding include Shinsegae Group’s SSG.com and several private equity partners including MBK Partners, Affinity Equity Partners, Permira and Bain Capital Credit.
With Shinsegae involved in both acquisition battles, it could put a financial strain on the retail giant.
The move comes after German-based online food delivery service Delivery Hero decided to buy Woowa Brothers, who operates the country’s top food delivery app Baemin, on the condition that it would sell off Yogiyo.
According to Global Bigdata Research, Baemin remained the most popular food delivery app in Korea, with Yogiyo coming second, followed by Coupang Eats.
The gap between the second and third largest operators is shrinking, however, the industry tracker noted.
Coupang Eats’ surge in popularity comes after its “one order per delivery” policy to speed up delivery has been warmly received in recent months, prompting rivals like Baemin to follow suit.
By Yim Hyun-su (email@example.com


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As one of the few women to head up a UK manufacturing company, Joanna Robinson, Managing Director of air management specialists Mansfield Pollard, shares her plans to promote the career opportunities available in the industry ahead of International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June.
In the UK, engineering has an image problem. In Europe’s league table of women participating in engineering, Britain comes rock bottom. Just 9% of engineers are women and we must address this imbalance now. The extreme shortage of women engineers in the UK shows that engineering is still a male-dominated career with little diversity.
When developers demanded very low sound limits for two new apartment building in London, Cool-Therm worked with contractors to come up with the answer.
Cool-Therm has supplied an ultra-low sound, high efficiency 1.8MW air conditioning solution for a prestigious development of luxury apartments in London’s Westminster.
Leading research bodies agree that refurbishment of buildings has a lower environmental impact than new build. Even so, it is still all too common for consultants and contractors to propose a comparatively straight-forward new build project over a complex refurbishment and still parade their ‘green’ credentials.
So, when a major retailer needed more capacity for its frozen products, it was presented with the usual two choices: build a new warehouse from scratch, or repurpose an existing building. Like all businesses facing these choices, the decision requires careful consideration and understanding of a number of factors.
Franklin Electric acquired the brand in 2006 when it bought the Little Giant Pump Company of Oklahoma City.
Little Giant traces its origins to 1939 when a couple of enterprising Oklahoma City inventors received a patent for their design of a small, submersible motor used for commercial evaporative coolers. Popular at the time, the pump provided cooling in cinemas and other buildings during the hot Oklahoma summers. The submersible motor was a success. In 1941, Little Giant Vaporizer Company began making and marketing the product.
The name Little Giant is an antonym referring to the fact that the product is LITTLE (compared to other similar products at the time) but delivered GIANT performance and benefit to the user.
Global air conditioning giant Gree is set to challenge the status quo in the UK air conditioning market with the launch of Gree UK Limited.
Part of the London-based Calibre Services Group, Gree UK will supply the manufacturer’s full range of splits, VRF, heat pumps, chillers and award-winning photovoltaic-powered systems across the UK.
The company has already secured orders with national air conditioning specialists and has many active enquiries in the pipeline for major projects.
Gree is the world’s largest air conditioning manufacturer, with sales of more than £16bn and employing more than 8,000 research and development engineers in 570 laboratories and five research institutes across the world.
With the recent news that industrial and commercial cooling experts EJM had bought Derby-based Cryotech, ACR Journal editor, Will Hawkins, spent some time with the company's top team, Matt Morton, Paul Cable and Ron Mearns to learn more about their business while shooting in the grounds of Ripley Castle.
Before Christmas, Matt Morton, chairman of EJM Engineered Systems announced that, after talks over a number of years with Cryotech majority shareholder, Ron Mearns, they had agreed terms for Matt to buy Cryotech’s business. The fit was natural. Both companies have extensive and varied experience in the refrigeration industry, and each business needed to find a better way of growing their enterprises and serving their customers.
Chemours is the new name in refrigerants.
Although the name is new, the company itself has over 80 years of history in the refrigeration market, stretching back to the days of Freon™. Chemours was formed in July 2015 when DuPont spun off its performance chemicals business. Under its new name, Chemours has continued to lead in the development and commercialisation of new refrigerants to meet the latest challenges.
The Opteon™ range of refrigerants is based on the groundbreaking HFO (hydro-fluoro-olefin) technology that is set to revolutionise the refrigerants market. These new HFO building blocks have a global warming potential (GWP) lower than that of CO2. These materials also retain many of the favourable properties of HFCs (hydro fluoro carbons) that made them excellent refrigerants, but without the drawback of the high GWPs of products such as R-404A.
Bosch is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heating products. In the UK, Bosch Commercial and Industrial, along with Worcester Bosch Group, is part of Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd., a company that specialises in providing complete heating and cooling system solutions for the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors.
New for 2016, Bosch has entered the UK air conditioning market with the launch of a new and extensive Variant Refrigerant Flow (VRF) range.
Will Hawkins flew out to Seoul, South Korea, to visit Samsung at the launch of its new air conditioning products.
Samsung had a big week, recently. The South Korean company kicked off its global campaign to introduce four new air conditioning solutions for the domestic and light commercial markets. They flew out the international ACR press and several hundred partners and customers to learn about products which Samsung hopes will help them reach further into new and existing markets.
Samsung arranged a slick round of 5-minute presentations on each product and a launch on stage reminiscent of another, USA-based technology company's product launches. It was delivered with a punch and focused on performance and style from the new products.
When the manufacturers have products made in a similar ways using similar components, what can Samsung do to make their solutions stand out?
(See the Samsung AC Forum Gallery)
Toshiba Air Conditioning recently revealed ambitious plans to double sales by 2020, as part of a five year growth strategy.
It is supporting the initiative with the launch of innovative new air conditioning products, such as its latest SMMS-e VRF system, increased UK stocking levels, a major expansion in worldwide production capacity, plus its roll-out of a UK network of training centres and a new global training facility.
Stock levels at the company’s Plymouth site are being increased dramatically with the addition of a further 44,000 sq ft of racking space, ensuring immediate availability across all popular ranges of Toshiba split and VRF air conditioning.
Will Hawkins visits the air movement specialist, Fläkt Woods, at its factory in Colchester to hear how the business is developing.
I met Ian Morehouse, the UK Managing Director, Operational Marketing Managers, James Griffiths and Andy Cardy who gave me a detailed insight into how they are adapting to a competitive market.
Fläkt Woods has been in Colchester since 1909 producing fans. It now turns over £66 million in the UK, with around 350 employees, and makes about 7,000 fans a month. The global business specialises in two market sectors, namely 'air comfort' and 'fire safety'. Their solutions go into all types of buildings including offices, factories, shops, schools, power plants and hospitals. One fact about Fläkt Woods is that about 85,000 buildings in the UK contains one of their fire safety or ventilation fans.
Will Hawkins visits bespoke air conditioning and air handling systems manufacturer, Weatherite, to see what makes this company so successful.
It must be good being a Weatherite customer. The 'Black Country Welcome' is probably one of the warmest in the industry. And that comes right from the top of the business from Weatherite's chairman, John Whitehouse.
John explained how he started the business in 1972 from 'humble beginnings' and how it evolved into the group today, which is designing, making, installing and maintaining heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for retail and industrial customers. Weatherite has no products on its shelves. Everything it produces is bespoke.
PACAIR - The Air Conditioning Experts
PACAIR has a proven record in providing multi-disciplinary Air Conditioning solutions attained through years of excellence in the Design, Application and supply of Air Conditioning systems. As an Air Conditioning Supplier, PACAIR has successfully evolved its range of expertise.
Through continual development and improvement we keep ourselves at the forefront of the industry, always striving to maintain our knowledge of Current regulations, new procurement routes and innovative products.
We operate a Quality Management System that has gained BS EN ISO 9001:2008 certification including aspects specific to the design, supply and distribution of air conditioning systems and we aim to provide defect free goods and services to our clients on time and within specified budgets.


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- The ink is barely dry on Sam Bankman-Fried’s conviction, and bitcoin is already rising like a fresh divorcee.
- It’s not just bitcoin enjoying a bit of a boon. Ether’s price surged as well.
- JPMorgan analysts dismissed bullish arguments for crypto in a note Wednesday,
Bitcoin hit a new high for 2023, nearly touching $38,000 at one point on Thursday. It marked the highest price for the cryptocurrency since early May 2022, adding to what has quietly been a strong year for bitcoin, writes Insider’s Phil Rosen.
After a dreadful 2022 culminating in the downfall of FTX and the aforementioned SBF, bitcoin has been on the up. While there was plenty of fallout from FTX’s bankruptcy, the price of bitcoin has steadily climbed this year. Year-to-day, it’s up more than 110%.
If you're surprised by those numbers, I wouldn't blame you. The crypto community, or at least what's left of it, hasn't been as vocal about its gains this time. It appears the market had its fill of humble pie in 2022 and isn't looking for more.
It's not just bitcoin enjoying a bit of a boon. Ether's price surged after reports circulated about BlackRock filing paperwork in Delaware that indicates plans for an ether ETF.
But the best example of crypto's comeback might be the U-turn one of its biggest critics just made. Nouriel Roubini — aka "Dr. Doom" — has previously called crypto "totally corrupt" and the "biggest criminal heist in human history."
Now he wants in.
His asset management firm, Atlas Capital, is launching a blockchain-based stablecoin pegged to "a carefully chosen portfolio of liquid real world assets."
Foto: Noah Sheildlower/Insider
That's not to say everyone is buying into the crypto hype
JPMorgan analysts dismissed bullish arguments for crypto in a note Wednesday, calling the recent rally "rather overdone." The bank also downplayed the potential for the industry to grow off the back of the SEC approving a bitcoin ETF, suggesting it would mostly be used by players already in the space.
And SEC's approval of a bitcoin ETF doesn't translate into Gary Gensler and co. taking a softer approach to crypto, the bank added.
Of course, even JPMorgan has some interest in the space. While not an apples-to-apples comparison, the bank has launched ventures with blockchain technology. It now reportedly handles $1 billion worth of transactions every day via its digital token JPM Coin.
It seems doubtful we'll ever get back to the days of crypto skyrocketing overnight, but maybe that's a good thing. Now that it's dropped its toxic ex, crypto is ready to move on.
Consider this crypto's growing up era.


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Enquire about a stand
Find the right stand for you by getting in touch with a member of the Jewellery & Watch Birmingham team. Simply fill out this short form.
Showcase your collections to the UK's most influential and powerful watch and jewellery buyers.
Experience the beautiful collections, gorgeous catwalks and stunning stands all over again with our highlight videos and image galleries.
Winners of the Buyers Power List
We are proud to announce the winners of the prestigious Buyers Power List Awards 2015.
Bursary awarded to graduate Sophie Lomax
Sophie Lomax, a recent graduate from the Birmingham School of Jewellery, has been awarded with the £5,000 bursary for 2015, launched in conjunction with this year’s show
Jewellery & Watch in the press
See where Jewellery & Watch Birmingham has featured in the press recently and read the full stories.


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Wexford Lions Club joins Tesco in Christmas appeal
Wexford Lions Clubs and Tesco Ireland are asking shoppers to make a big difference to someone's Christmas by donating a food item during a two-day Christmas Food Appeal, which will take place on Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28, in Tesco Gorey, New Ross and Wexford.
More than 960 meals were donated by Wexford shoppers in 2014, and this year the appeal is hoping to build on this success and support as many families in need as possible by providing hampers of non-perishable food items in the run-up to Christmas.
During the two day appeal, a 'shopping list' with suggested non-perishable food items will be available to all customers as they enter their local Tesco store. Top of the list are tea bags, biscuits, breakfast cereals and tinned goods, with shoppers urged to add an item to their shopping basket and pop it in to the Lions Club trolley at the front of the store on their way out.
Lions Food Appeal Co-ordinator, Joe Smith said, 'the generosity we saw last year was wonderful, especially considering the pressure people are under at this time of year. 'Having seen the difference these food hampers can make to families, we are determined to collect even more this year so that we can reach as many people as possible and give them a little help this Christmas.'


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4 Exciting Tech Trends for 2017
Technology, specifically information technology (IT), is advancing rapidly. The latest developments offer companies capabilities they never thought possible, which is why a majority of companies plan to expand their IT/tech budgets in the coming year. In fact, according to Gartner, global IT spending is projected to reach $3.5 trillion in 2017. So, where is that money going? Based on insights and data gathered from our upcoming report, Tech Trends & Talent 2017, businesses are investing in the most exciting tech trends for the new year.
Here’s a look at the top four trends your company should start investing or developing for to stay competitive:
4 Exciting Tech Trends for 2017:
– Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Computing:
2017 will revolve heavily around artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing, which includes machine learning. The future of tech is all about efficiency and that’s exactly what AI-driven technologies and products offer. With the help of machine learning systems, employers will require fewer employees, yet be able to boost productivity and effectively access and analyze mass amounts of data to gather insights and solutions that previously would’ve been unreachable. With IBM’s Watson leading the way, the future of tech has never looked more promising.
Businesses looking to take advantage of this technology and develop internal systems capable of learning will need to hire Machine Learning Engineers. Professionals in this role are familiar with designing and creating systems or robotics that are capable of integrating new data and responding to their surroundings to improve their productivity.
– Virtual & Augmented Reality:
Another exciting tech trend that will really take off in 2017 is virtual and augmented reality. Think these technologies are still years away from being perfected? Think again. It’s projected that augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will hit $150 billion in revenue by 2020. And it’s more than just gaming that landed this trend on our list. The possible uses of both VR and AR are so expansive; they have yet to be fully realized. However, innovative businesses see the potential this tech has for business uses, along with consumer uses.
VR and AR open the door for virtual offices, products, and environments. These technologies can be used by businesses to drastically improve training, enhance and elevate marketing efforts, improve remote collaboration, and provide the ability to visualize products firsthand before production begins. VR Engineers, VR Developers, and Augmented Reality Engineers will be in high demand throughout 2017 as more companies start to develop their own VR/AR offerings for internal and consumer use.
– Virtual Assistants:
Virtual assistants have gotten a much-needed refresh in 2016. While everyone is now familiar with virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Amazon’s Alexa, what you don’t know is that their capabilities are expanding. A majority of Apple users may have forgotten about Siri, but Apple hasn’t. They’ve been hard at work improving the virtual assistant’s capabilities and opening it up to third-party developers, as have Microsoft and Amazon on their respective products.
Which means Siri can now make Venmo payments to your friends. And no, she won’t ask you to repeat that, she’ll understand the first time. Why? Because as AI invades the marketplace, it’s helping other technologies become more intelligent as well, including virtual assistants. In 2017, we’ll be formally introduced to Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVA) that can do much more than what we’ve seen in the past. As the demand for these types of technologies grows, it will be interesting to see how businesses begin to use them. Will an IVA come standard with every C-level tech executive’s office? Only 2017 will tell.
– Adaptive Security Architecture:
Cybersecurity has been a buzzword throughout 2016, especially following a series of massive data breaches from some of the world’s largest or most secure names, like the U.S. Government and even Yahoo. It will continue to be a primary concern for all tech businesses since their data is their most valuable yet vulnerable asset. However, tech experts are beginning to develop the fundamentals for what’s being called adaptive security architecture.
Remember the internet outage last week? It was caused by various unsecured IoT devices owned by consumers. What adaptive security architecture hopes to do is enable these devices through AI to learn, adapt, and better protect themselves from threats autonomously to prevent massive outages or hacks. It also incorporates enhanced AI-driven tools that cybersecurity professionals will be developing and using to fend off new and emerging cyber threats. Qualified Cybersecurity Engineers, Information Security Analysts, and Security Architects will be developing and implementing adaptive security architecture at various companies in the coming year as AI technology continues to evolve and enhance.
For 2017, the most exciting tech trends revolve around AI and cognitive computing, VR and AR, virtual assistants, and adaptive security architecture. Tech businesses looking to innovate in the coming year must hire for these trends now to be able to take full advantage of everything these tech developments can offer.
If you lack the cybersecurity, machine learning, or VR/AR talent your business needs to remain competitive, contact Mondo today. We’ll match you with the qualified tech talent you’re missing so your business can reap the rewards these tech trends have to offer in 2017.


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Launch first Dutch iPhone app to compare and book flight tickets
Utrecht, 19 March 2012 – Thanks to the new iPhone app Cheaptickets launched recently customers can now compare and book their flights with their mobile phone. This is unique in the Netherlands. Extra feature is the flight notification service offered to customers for free. The app is free downloadable from the Dutch App store.
More than 6 million people in the Netherlands use a smartphone. 29% of them have downloaded at least one shopping app (source: Frankwatching, Deloitte). Lieke Fransen, brand manager CheapTickets.nl: “The number of people using their smart phone or tablet for shopping is growing rapidly. We find that 90% of all mobile traffic comes from iPad or iPhone users. Developing an iPhone app fits our strategy to focus on new media to distribute flight tickets as well as making it easier for customers to book their flights through these new channels.”
All airlines, including low cost, are presented in the app. In 5 simple steps a booking is made. Confirmation and e-tickets are sent by e-mail. Payments can be done through iDEAL, credit card, or PayPal. Customers are automatically subscribed for the free flight notification service. The CheapTickets app is free from 4 March 2012 in the Dutch App store.
CheapTickets, one of the largest online travel companies in the Netherlands selling flight tickets, is part of Travix International, based in the Netherlands. The company manages an extensive portfolio of travel-focused websites operating under the brand names CheapTickets, BudgetAir, EasyToBook, Vayama, Vliewinkel and Flugladen. Travix operates its six brands in 17 countries, employs 500 staff and had combined sales of US$ 1,2 Billion in 2011. Travix is part of BCD Holdings N.V.
Note for editors, not for publication
For more information please contact:
Krista van Beelen, Director of Corporate Communications Travix
+31 6 2922 0458


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Rumor: Dead Space Getting an FPS and a Flying Game
So this is interesting. Kotaku has another tipster, this one at EA, who is telling them all about plans for all sorts of strange new Dead Space games. Seriously, there are three of them.
Aside from Dead Space 3, we can look forward to a Dead Space first-person shooter, a Dead Space flying game and a Dead Space game that is “like Uncharted,” whatever that means.
I would, of course, be most excited about this flying game, seeing as how there aren’t nearly enough scifi flight simulators out there these days. We need some new ones.
The tipster says EA is doing this because they want to try to expand the audience for the series beyond what a regular horror game will give them. What I find interesting about this story is that the tipster doesn’t say if these other games will be horror games at all. Indeed, it seems impractical to think a flight sim would also be a horror game.
But we’ll see. I’m looking forward to seeing what the deal is with all this.
Follow Phil on Twitter: @philrowen


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Elliott Advisors (UK), the fund manager that ARYZTA said yesterday (7 December) had made a “conditional offer” to take over the struggling European bakery business, has laid out the requirements of its bid.
The unit of the New York-based fund Elliott Management said it is seeking to satisfy two conditions. Firstly, that the Aryzta board “recommends or takes a neutral position on Elliott’s offer”, and secondly, that the bakery firm “enters into a transaction agreement with Elliott, as is standard in such transactions”.
Despite earlier talks between the two parties being called off in October without any deal being made, Elliott said in a statement the transaction agreement was negotiated at the time, and “is in near-final form”. It added that any postponement of Aryzta’s annual general meeting, slated for 15 December, “is not a condition to the offer”.
Zurich-headquartered Aryzta, which is listed in both Switzerland and Ireland, said yesterday its board would “carefully consider the offer in accordance with its fiduciary duties and processes in due time”.
The offer has been made at CHF0.80 per share (89 US cents), and, according to a report in the Irish media, would value the company at EUR734m (US$887.9m).
Aryzta has seen its sales and profits dwindle in the last few years, and has also accumulated a substantial debt pile, with former CEO Kevin Toland, who left the company in November for no specified reason, instigating the disposal of non-core assets. In the meantime, its two largest investors – Cobas Asset Management and Veraison Capital – had been calling for more disposals, and have pressed for a simplified business model to turnaround the company.
Yesterday, Aryzta said it was selling its take-and-bake pizza business in North America to US-based private-equity firm Brynwood Partners. The region has been a key area where the bakery firm has struggled of late.
Elliott Advisors (UK) added in its statement: “The public tender offer for all publicly held shares in Aryzta would be subject to customary offer conditions which were also negotiated with Aryzta in October. Elliott looks forward to receiving a response from Aryzta’s board of directors.”