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ThyssenKrupp AG Business Report FY2011
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-The Group's sales in FY2010-11 increased by 15% to 49.1 billion euro year-on-year due to the sales improved in all business areas.
-The Group's posted EBIT loss of 988 million euro due to the adjusted EBIT loss of the new steel plants of Steel Americas in Brazil and the USA, and to necessary impairment charges above all in the Steel Americas and Stainless Global business areas.
-The sales in FY2010-11 increased by 20.7% to 6.9 billion euro year-on-year. This increase was due to global growth in the auto industry, both for cars and trucks, especially in China and Brazil.
-The list of major orders received includes assembled camshafts and electromechanical steering systems, passive and active suspension systems, machined and forged crankshafts and brake components.
Restructuring-The Company announced that its Stainless Global will become an independent entity under the name Inoxum. Inoxum will bring together the production, processing and distribution of stainless steel flat products as well as the production and distribution of high-performance materials such as nickel alloys, titanium and zirconium. Companies with plants in Germany, Italy, Mexico, China and the USA employing roughly 11,300 people are organized in the Inoxum group. Sales in the fiscal year 2009-10 were around 5.9 billion euros. (From a press release on September 30, 2011)
-The Company announced that it will combine the chassis activities of the Bilstein group and Presta Steering, effective October 1, 2011. A holding company structure is planned in Eschen, Liechtenstein. (From a press release on July 29, 2011)
-The Company announced its business plans. They include the sale of ThyssenKrupp Waupaca and ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks, the integration the chassis activities of the Bilstein group and Presta Steering, the sale of the springs and stabilizers business and the Brazilian Automotive Systems business, and the independence of the activities of the Stainless Global business area. (From a press release on May 13, 2011)
Divestitures-The Company announced that the sale of the Metal Forming group to Gestamp Automocion S.L. of Spain has been completed with effect from July 20, 2011. The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial terms. ThyssenKrupp Metal Forming has production plants for chassis and body components in Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Poland, Turkey and China. (From a press release on July 20, 2011)
-The Company has decided to negotiate exclusively with the Spanish Gestamp Automocion S.L. on the sale of the Metal Forming group. This decision is based on the fact that the Group is no longer part of the core business of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe. ThyssenKrupp Metal Forming has production plants for chassis and body components in Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Poland, Turkey and China. The group employs around 5,700 people and in the fiscal year ended September 2010 generated sales of almost 1.1 billion euros. With currently around 18,000 employees, Gestamp develops and produces metal components and structural parts for auto bodies. Active in 18 countries, it achieved sales of around 3 billion euros in 2010. (From a press release on March 1, 2011)
-Uhde, a company in the Plant Technology business area of the ThyssenKrupp Group, announced that the company, Germany-based Evonik Industries AG and the Chinese province of Jilin signed a non-exclusive licence for the construction and operation of an HPPO (hydrogen peroxide propylene oxide) plant at Jilin province. The licensing agreement will allow a joint venture which to be formed between Jilin Shenhua Group and Jilin North Chemical Company (JNCC) to build a plant for the production of 300,000 tonnes of propylene oxide based on a process developed by Uhde and Evonik. Propylene oxide is a raw material for polyurethane foams, which are used for automotive lightweight construction. (From a press release on June 17, 2011)
-Magnesium Flachprodukte GmbH (MgF), a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG, and POSCO, South Korean steelmaker intend to cooperate in the production and supply of magnesium sheet. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support each other in the event of supply bottlenecks. The aim is to guarantee security of supply for the auto industry. (From a press release on October 5, 2010)
|(in millions of JPY)|
R&D Structure-Around 3,000 engineers, technicians and scientists work in research and development.
R&D ActivitiesEco-friendly material for vehicle construction
-The Company have developed a new material with a tensile strength of 1,000 MPa. It is currently the Company's strongest cold-formed steel and is particularly suitable for thin-walled, low-weight parts. Safety-relevant structural parts for automobile bodies can be made up to 20% thinner using this material. This reduces vehicle weight, saves energy and thus lowers CO2 emissions.
|(in million Euros)|
Investment inside Germany-ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG announced that the company is to invest around 300 million euros in its hot strip mills in Bochum and Duisburg, Germany. The hot strip mills now to be modernized produce various products including lightweight steels for the automotive industry and starting material for electrical steel, which is used for example in hybrid engines for cars. (From a press release on May 23, 2011)
-ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG's subsidiary MgF Magnesium Flachprodukte GmbH (MgF) and Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, both are based in Germany, inaugurated a new hot rolling mill for magnesium. Built with 7.5 million euros in funding from the state of Saxony, the mill will be operated by the university's Institute of Metal Forming. (From a press release on November 22, 2010)
Investment Outside Germany<China>
-The Company announced that it will open a new factory in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. Starting in October 2012 the plant will manufacture crankshafts for Chinese truck market. The Company will produce up to 360,000 crankshafts per year. The Company is investing around 190 million USD in the new plant. Set on a 190 hectare site, the factory will extend the production capacities of the ThyssenKrupp Forging Group. (From a press release on April 6, 2011)
-In Chengdu, China, the Company expanded its spring and stabilizer manufacturing operations.
-In Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Company expanded its spring and stabilizer manufacturing operations.


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Confederate flags won't be sold by New Stanton company and others
The flags of the Confederacy flew again over Charlottesville, Va., at last weekend's violent white-supremacist rallies, alongside the banners of neo-Nazis, pro-fascists and other organizations.
Confederate battle flags are a little harder to come by now than they were before 2015, when Dylann Roof killed nine black worshippers at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C., and started a backlash against symbols of the Confederacy and the Civil War he reportedly wanted to reignite.
New Stanton-based Online Stores LLC is now removing Confederate flag merchandise from its offerings in response to the Charlottesville violence, its CEO said.
“We don't want to be associated in any way with white supremacists,” said co-founder and CEO Kevin Hickey.
The company, which bills itself as the second-largest flag retailer in the U nited States, resumed selling the Confederate battle flag after a brief pause post-Charleston, when Hickey said he had gotten 10 times as many complaints that they had stopped selling the flag than those calling for its removal from the online store.
Confederate flags were a small fraction of overall flag sales, Hickey said. There had been no apparent change in the sales of the flags lately with no jump or decline he was aware of, although other retailers, including Amazon, eBay and Wal-Mart, stopped selling them after the Charleston massacre.
A man answering the phone at the Flag Factory in Castle Shannon said the store no longer carries the Confederate battle flag. He declined to give his name or elaborate.
Their supplier, New Jersey-based Annin Flagmakers, stopped making the flags in July 2015, spokeswoman Mary Repke said.
“We only made a few a year and sold them to Civil War re-enactors,” Repke said. “Annin, Valley Forge, Flag Zone and Flag Source — none of us make them anymore.”
They still make and sell some flags historically used by the Confederacy and state flags that incorporate the former Confederate flag.
The U.S. Flag Depot Inc. in Waukegan, Ill., states on its website that Confederate flags are currently unavailable.
Owner Duane Streufert said his vendor also stopped supplying them after the Charleston shooting.
“It was a decision made by a whole group of flag producers ... that went on to include all the Civil War-era battle flags, including the Bonnie Blue flag,” he said. “I understand why they made that decision.
“I didn't sell them with the idea of promoting a viewpoint. My interest was more historical,” Streufert said.
Confederate flags can still enter the market through smaller manufacturers, custom-print vendors or importers, Repke said.
AmericanFlags.com was one of a few retailers that still had a page for the Confederate flag as of Wednesday afternoon, with the declaration that they were “recognizing that the Confederate flag, the rebel flag, the stars and bars and other civil war flags mean different things to different people.”
But by Wednesday night, that page had disappeared and redirected to a search page.
“Like other manufacturers and retailers, we have discontinued sales of the Confederate flag,” said Marketing Coordinator Susan Rogers in an email.
Repke said Annin's policy is to not print custom flags with symbols of hate groups, and the company occasionally sends its representatives and retailers information about which symbols to reject.
“Our departments are well-trained; we will not make flags with signs of hatred,” she said. “We can say, ‘If you see something like this, we'll not make it.' ... If (retailers) want to sell it, they'll have to go through someone else.”
In New Stanton, Hickey said custom-flag orders from his company are vetted by customer-service representatives to filter out copyrighted or trademarked images. The company prints Nazi flags only if given a compelling reason, like one they made for a production of “The Sound of Music,” and rejected an order for a flag of the Islamic State.
But he admitted some of the more esoteric symbols associated with hate groups might slip through if staff members aren't familiar with them.
“We sell every different type of flag there is. ... We make no real judgments,” Hickey said.
Staff writer Stephen Huba contributed. Matthew Santoni is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724 836 6660, firstname.lastname@example.org or via Twitter @msantoni.

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Midwestern restaurant group Heart of America Restaurants & Inns hopes for a lot of steak as well as sizzle with the recently dropped summer issue of The Machine Shed catalog.
The book offers top cuts of meat and cooking accessories from the Moline, IL-based restaurant group to the farmer-inspired home chef. This is year two for its Machine Shed catalog.
“We are sending the summer catalog to target the Fourth of July audience,” said Carmen Darland, vice president of marketing for Heart of America. “Last year we had a surprising amount of sales around Father’s Day, and we were hoping to tap into these sales and touch on both holidays.”
The 24-page catalog is 5 by 11 inches and made on lightweight glossy paper. Products featured include steaks, burgers, hams and turkeys, along with spices, kitchen accessories and dishes.
Also in the book are fashions for farm enthusiasts of all ages including men’s button-down cotton shirts printed with either stalks of corn or groups of cattle. Babies can be outfitted in Old McDonald-inspired sleepers and overalls.
The cover shows a close-up of a juicy tenderloin filet. The headline is folksy: “Fine fixins’ from the farm for 27 years!” A toll-free number is listed at the bottom. Tempting images of products feature on every page with the telephone number and Web address at www.machineshed.com to place orders.
Interestingly, the company’s call center reps place all orders through machineshed.com and not via an alternative system.
Ms. Darland declined to disclose the size of the recent drop. But she said the catalog went to names on in-house and rented lists.
The Machine Shed catalog first dropped in May 2005 after Heart of America formed a deal with Neesvig of Windsor, WI, the largest industrial distributor of foods in the Midwest. This deal extended Heart of America — previously only a restaurant and hotel group — into direct marketing through catalog and e-commerce sales. Catalog sales now are a complementary feature to Heart of America’s hospitality business.
Though the group’s sales come mainly from restaurants and clientele in the Midwest, most of the catalog sales now come from the South and the West and East coasts, all new demographics for the group. Marketing efforts include print ads in alumni graduate magazines in the Midwest.
The firm issued four catalogs last year and plans five or more this year.
“Brand enhancement and other fancy business terms like that are important, but it is more than that,” Ms. Darlan said. “Having a catalog is like putting something special on the menu in a restaurant that will only get ordered once a week, but it is still just a cool thing to have.”


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More and more Americans have been vaccinated against COVID-19. As a result of that, what is safe and what isn’t safe to do for healthy, vaccinated adults has shifted. And now, for better or for worse, stores are updating their policies.
Add that to the fact that the CDC authorized the Pfizer vaccine for kids 12 and up and recently revised their mask guidances for vaccinated adults (though they left kids out of it), and stores across the country are now revising their COVID-19 operating guidelines, including their mask guidelines.
Many stores, including Starbucks, Walmart, CVS, Target, and more, have held policies like one-way aisles, social distancing, temperature checks, and mask-wearing to keep customers safe while shopping. Now, these stores are changing some of their policies.
Still, it’s important to note that it’s not a universal decision across the board and that each chain has a different policy. Here’s what to know.
Starbucks is now making face coverings and masks optional for customers who are fully vaccinated. However, they note that face coverings will still be required at the locations where the state or local regulations still mandate mask-wearing.
“Facial coverings will be optional for vaccinated customers beginning Monday, May 17, unless local regulations require them by law,” Starbucks said on its website. “As we continue to ensure the health and well-being of our partners and customers, our restrooms generally remain temporarily closed to the public in stores where the café or café seating is unavailable.”
Walmart And Sam’s Club
Walmart and Sam’s Club are also relaxing their face mask requirements for employees and customers who are fully vaccinated. A memo was sent to Sam’s Club and U.S Walmart employees who are vaccinated, saying they can work without the mask.
“Beginning today, vaccinated customers and members are welcome to shop without a mask, and we will continue to request that non-vaccinated customers and members wear face coverings in our stores and clubs,” the letter to employees said, according to U.S. Today. “We will update the signage in our facilities to reflect this.”
The company also notes that if there are local or state mandates for mask-wearing, customers and employees will need to follow that.
CVS updated its policy posting on the website saying vaccinated customers are “no longer required to wear face coverings inside our stores unless it is mandated by state or local regulations.”
The statement continued, “Customers who are not fully vaccinated are asked to continue wearing face coverings, and employees are required to do so while at work.”
Target updated its mask policy for employees and customers saying it’s no longer required for people who are fully vaccinated to wear masks, again noting that unless it’s mandated by local or state ordinances.
“Face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated,” the company wrote, “and we’ll continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores.”
Costo has also updated the face masks policy in its locations across the country. “In Costco locations where the state or local jurisdiction does not have a mask mandate, we will allow members and guests who are fully vaccinated to enter Costco without a face mask or face shield,” CEO Craig Jelinek wrote in a letter to members Friday.
“Face coverings will still be required in healthcare settings, including Pharmacy, Optical, Hearing Aid,” the company clarifies. “Costco continues to recommend that all members and guests, especially those who are at higher risk, wear a mask or shield.”
As of today, Uber has held its mask policy unchanging after the CDC’s new guidelines. “We all play a role in helping keep each other safe,” the company wrote. “That’s why as part of our Door-to-Door Safety Standard, riders and drivers are required to wear a face cover or mask, even when vaccinated.”
Trader Joe’s has updated its mask policy and will not require fully vaccinated customers to wear a mask inside the stores any longer. Trader Joe’s was the first major national retailer to make the chances to its mask policy following the new guidelines by the CDC.
Of course, like every other retailer, customers and employees will still need to follow any local or state mask requirements above store policy.


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Canadian discount store chain Dollarama Inc beat market expectations for quarterly sales on Wednesday, benefiting from strong demand for its cheaper groceries and household supplies.
With surging prices of groceries and gasoline hammering consumer spending power, cost-conscious buyers have been thronging to dollar stores to snap up on affordable goods, boosting sales at Dollarama.
The company’s U.S. counterpart Dollar Tree Inc, however, trimmed its annual profit forecast in May, while Dollar General Corp cut its annual profit and sales forecast, both citing slowing demand for discretionary goods.
Last month, retail bellwether Walmart Inc said it saw strong demand for its low-priced groceries and other essentials, and is expecting this trend to continue in the back half of the year.
Dollarama on Wednesday reaffirmed its fiscal 2024 same store sales forecast and gross margin at 5.0 per cent to 6.0 per cent and 43.5 per cent to 44.5 per cent, respectively.
The company’s sales rose to $1.29 billion in the first quarter, from $1.07 billion a year earlier, compared with analysts’ average estimate of $1.25 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum and Aatrayee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)


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A new Oracle Communications survey shows that while 73% of communications service providers plan to launch 5G networks by 2022, 94% have challenges with their existing charging systems.
As these CSPs look to monetise everything from streaming videos and network slicing to eHealth and virtual gaming, they worry their outdated charging systems will hinder customer experience, performance, and the ability to get new offerings to market quickly.
"CSPs are making significant investments in their 5G networks and need to be able to quickly and effectively monetise new services to get a return, as well as deliver on customer expectations," says Jason Rutherford, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Communications, Applications.
"The survey shows that CSPs recognise they need to rethink current charging systems to fully capitalise on the revenue potential of 5G."
The Oracle Communications survey, 5G Readiness Report: CSP Perceptions on Charging and Monetisation for the 5G Era, was conducted by OvationMR in May 2021 and included responses from 303 decision makers from the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Australia.
Charging challenges could hinder innovation and experience
CSPs noted the top challenges they currently face when it comes to charging are the cost of managing their existing systems (38%) and the lengthy time-to-market for new offers (34%). They also feel ill-equipped to meet the performance and monetisation needs of 5G and are concerned how their dated technology will impact customer experience.
On average, CSPs plan to launch three new 5G-enabled services, ranging from enhanced mobile broadband to smart home, mobile gaming, retail, and live entertainment offers. CSPs also expect to monetise 5G differently, using an average of three pricing levers such as data security, latency, and energy efficiency. To support these new business requirements, 86% of CSPs plan to upgrade charging systems over the next 18 months.
CSPs also have clear ideas on the features they need from their next charging system. The survey found that cross-network convergence (55%), flexible rating and charging schemas (37%), and cloud-native capabilities (32%) topped the list. CSPs top priorities also include using solution providers with cross-industry expertise, an innovative product roadmap, and robust software capabilities.
"CSPs realise the need for scalable, converged charging systems that will enable them to monetise any business model and complex 5G pricing levers, such as speed, latency and quality of experience," says Rutherford.
"This survey highlights the innovative service types and pricing methods that CSPs want to pursue in the 5G era and the importance of a full-featured solution to deliver those capabilities."


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Deborah Levy's Real Estate was named the Hay Festival Book of the Year 2021, for which hundreds of book lovers nominated their favorite titles of the year online. The announcement came on the eve of Hay Festival Winter Weekend, which is running November 24-28 as the festival's first ticketed, in-person events in the U.K. for two years.
Gareth Howell-Jones, bookshop manager at Hay Festival, said: "Blending personal history, gender politics, philosophy, and literary theory, Real Estate is a compulsively readable narrative and a favorite among festivalgoers this year. The book was a bestseller at our spring event and we are delighted to celebrate it as our title of 2021."
Shortlists in five categories have been announced for the 2021 Costa Book Awards, recognizing some of the most enjoyable books published in the last year by authors living in the U.K. and Ireland. Category winners, who each receive £5,000 (about $6,715), will be announced January 4, and the £30,000 ($40,300) overall winner of the Costa Book of the Year will be named February 1. See the complete Costa Book Awards shortlists here.


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Don’t miss the Prime Day deals: subscribe to our daily newsletter Today’s Best Deals and have them sent straight to your inbox.
At the end of last year, Amazon revealed that it had over 150 million Prime members worldwide — 50 million of those added during the pandemic. For better or worse, the giant online retailer has drastically reshaped the face of retail and the internet in the past decade.
There is no denying the convenience factor of a Prime account: free one-day delivery, access to Prime Video, discounts at Whole Foods, etc. Another one of those membership benefits is getting access to Amazon Prime Day. Similar to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Prime Day is a chance to save tons of money on a plethora of products — oftentimes at the best prices of the year. This year, it's happening again on June 21 and 22.
There are so many deals on Prime Day that it’s tough for one person to sift through them all. So bookmark this page and get ready to save — we'll continue updating this post when we know more information to share about Prime Day 2021. Until then, here's everything you need to know about scoring the best deals of Prime Day this year.
Early Prime Day Deals
What Is Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day has been a yearly fixture since July 2015. It was initially schemed up to clear out Amazon's warehouse by way of one-day mega deals for Amazon Prime members. That eventually morphed into a two-day event that sees many prices marked down to their lowest prices of the year.
In 2020, Prime members saved $1.4 billion in their purchases over the two days it ran in October, which is just a rough gauge of the type of savings that can be had.
When Is Prime Day?
Traditionally, Prime Day has been in the middle of summer. Thanks to the pandemic, last year's Prime Day was shifted to October 13 and 14 because of massive supply chain issues. Amazon Prime Day 2021 is returning to its typical summertime occurrence though, with the announcement that it will take place on June 21 and 22.
What Kinds of Deals Will There Be?
Last year's deals were a bit more sparse than in years past. We're chalking that up to the supply chain issues that Amazon dealt with in 2020, just like the rest of the retail world. Some of the best deals were items like Sony's WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones, Kershaw and Gerber pocket knives, Apple AirPods Pro, protein powders and more. One thing you can always bet that will be on sale will be all of Amazon's tech products and we'd put money on that being the case again this year. That's already evident in the fact that Fire TVs are currently marked down, starting at just $99.
Prime Day has become such a shopping holiday that in recent years Amazon's biggest competitors have offered up their own two-day sales events. Dyson ran some incredible deals last year during Prime Day. Retailers like Walmart and Wayfair typically oblige as well. The best part about other online retailers recognizing the magnitude of the shopping holiday is that they don't require Amazon Prime accounts — they're essentially free to shop, unlike Prime Day. You can count on Gear Patrol to bring you the best non-Amazon Prime Day deals this year again.
How to Shop Prime Day and Get the Best Deals
First off, you need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of Prime Day. Currently, a Prime membership will cost you $12.99/month. If you want, you can opt for a one-time payment of $119/year which will save you $36.88 (after a free 30-day trial). For what it's worth, there is also a strictly Prime Video account that costs $8.99/month.
One thing to understand about Prime Day though is that there are a lot of deals that no one should be shopping. As we mentioned, Prime Day is one of the tools Amazon uses to get rid of the junk no one wants to buy and they employ the tactic of can't-resist-pricing to get shoppers to buy those things. With that said, it is important to ignore the onslaught and truly just shop what you're in the market for. Sometimes Lightning Deals can be worth it, but you can't really predict those. Make a list and try your best to stick to it.
Once you have your list, price alerts come in handy. CamelCamelCamel, a free-to-use program, is great for giving you an alert on any item you want anytime the price drops on Amazon. It will also show you price history so you know how good of a deal you're getting.


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Companies looking to align strategy and innovation
Companies are increasingly looking to align their internal processes with innovation in order to drive greater investment in new products and services, according to new research from consulting firm Strategy&.
The company’s 10th annual survey into innovation reported that there is an increasing shift towards risky innovations as companies look to build a competitive advantage over other companies. Businesses are expecting future research and development (R&D) spending to shift considerably, away from incremental improvements and towards breakthrough innovations.
At the same time, there is a growing recognition among the companies that took part in this survey that strategic processes need to be more clearly aligned with efforts to develop new products and services. Among the respondents, 20 per cent felt that aligning business strategy with their innovation efforts was going to be the biggest challenge they face over the next few years.
Another 18 per cent reported that building their innovation capabilities was going to be the major challenge, while 14 per cent cited the need to align their business needs with company culture.
What’s more, 50 per cent of respondents feel they have not done enough to address the area of innovation they feel is the most important for their business.
As the need to align strategy with innovation becomes more pronounced in coming years, companies will need to ensure they have the right tools in place to handle this shift. One option is integrating technology like strategy management software into their business. This makes it easy to align an organisation’s operations with its strategic goals – like boosting innovative processes.
With an increasing number of companies looking to position their innovative processes with broader company strategy, companies that can’t unite these processes are going to face an even more competitive environment in the future.


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RALEIGH, N.C. (August 7, 2009)—Pharmaceutical Institute, a leading provider of specialized training solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, today announced that Garry O’Grady has been appointed Senior Vice President and General Manager of Pharmaceutical Institute. In his new role, Mr. O’Grady will manage the day-to-day operations of the business, as well as lead the efforts of the content development and sales teams.
Mr. O’Grady has over 18 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He has held sales positions with leading pharmaceutical and medical device companies and worked as a management consultant for the pharmaceutical industry for the past 10 years. Prior to joining the Pharmaceutical Institute, Mr. O’Grady led the Sales Practice at Campbell Alliance, the leading management consulting firm serving the pharmaceutical and biotech industry and the parent company of the Pharmaceutical Institute. Mr. O’Grady joined Campbell Alliance in 1999 and shortly thereafter, established Campbell’s Sales Practice, which has been highly successful.
“With Garry’s strong background in sales and consulting, he brings an in-depth understanding of the training environment for pharmaceutical and biotech companies to this leadership role,” says John Campbell, Founder and CEO of Campbell Alliance. “Garry’s experience and industry knowledge will help the Pharmaceutical Institute continue to develop specialized training programs that meet the needs of pharmaceutical and biotech professionals.”
Before joining Campbell Alliance, Mr. O’Grady was a member of the Surgical Products Division of Olympus America, Inc., where he sold capital products used in minimally invasive surgery. He was a member of the Urology Products Marketing Team, and was a member of Olympus’s top sales group. Mr. O’Grady also served as a sales representative for Ciba-Geigy and was a member of Ciba’s Circle of Excellence. Prior to his pharma positions, Mr. O’Grady was an officer in the United States Army from 1987 to 1992. Mr. O’Grady received his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned his BS from the United States Military Academy, West Point.
About the Pharmaceutical Institute
Pharmaceutical Institute is a leading provider of specialized training programs for the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. We partner with subject matter experts from our parent company, Campbell Alliance, to develop highly-impactful distance learning solutions for professionals within all major pharmaceutical company functions including Brand Management, Business Development, Clinical Development, Managed Markets, Medical Affairs, Sales, and Trade and Distribution. The Pharmaceutical Institute is based in Raleigh, N.C. For more information, please visit www.pharmainstitute.com.
Director, Public and Media Relations
Please call 919-844-5650, extension 7195
or by email at email@example.com


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Efficiency is a good thing!
Google improved its Chrome browser for iOS devices on Wednesday with new features and stability improvements. After updating the app to version 28 on an iPod(s aapl) touch, iPhone or iPad, it’s easier to use Google’s(s goog) other apps and services on Apple devices thanks to better app interoperability. Apple’s iPad also gains a full-screen browsing experience.
Many of the changes are meant for iOS users to stay within Google’s app and services ecosystem. For example, clicking an address link in a Chrome web search can open the Google Maps application instead of Apple’s own Maps software.
The iOS apps for YouTube, Google+ and Google Drive can also be opened through Chrome browser links with this version, and Google says more Google app support through Chrome is in the works. By first signing into Chrome, users will be able to sign into these other Google apps with a single click.
View original post 136 more words


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Celebrity Cruises will launch a second ship from Florida this summer, with the Celebrity Equinox setting sail from Fort Lauderdale on July 25.
The CDC approved the Equinox to sail with a threshold of 95% vaccinated passengers. The ship will follow the Celebrity Edge, launching June 26, also from Fort Lauderdale.
The ship will sail seven-day cruises to Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, as well as Nassau, Bahamas. The Equinox was recently upgraded as part of the line's $500 million fleetwide modernization program.
Celebrity Millennium milestone
With the Equinox, Celebrity now has plans to return nine of its 14 ships to service by September. The Millennium this week became the first large ship to operate a cruise in North America in more than a year, departing St. Maarten on June 5 on a seven-day sailing.
The Celebrity Apex will launch from Athens on June 19; the Celebrity Silhouette from the U. K. on July 3; three ships from the Galapagos (Celebrity Flora on July 3, Celebrity Xpedition on July 24 and Celebrity Xploration on Sept. 18); and the Celebrity Summit to Alaska from Seattle on July 23.


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Starbreeze acquired publishing rights for the game in 2017 and invested at least $12 million toward its development. The company expects to fully recoup all of the costs, it said.
The original “System Shock” is a first-person action-adventure title originally developed by Looking Glass Technologies in the 1990s. Widely considered one of the greatest PC games of all time, it helped birth the “immersive sim” genre and produced a truly memorable villain, the malevolent artificial intelligence SHODAN. It was produced by famed game designer Warren Spector, who’s also known for his work on the “Ultima,” “Thief,” and “Deus Ex” franchises.
Spector joined OtherSide Entertainment in 2016 and is currently helping the studio with “System Shock 3” and a spiritual successor to “Ultima Underworld” called “Ultima Ascendant.”
Starbreeze is currently focusing on its core business of internal games development and publishing after a recent restructuring. Sales of its most recent title, “Overkill’s The Walking Dead,” were lower than expected. It’s now trying to lower costs and sharpen its focus.
“I believe this is the best solution for us, although it is sad that we cannot complete the project with OtherSide. ‘System Shock 3’ is a fantastic title developed in cooperation with the industry legend Warren Spector and I am looking forward to seeing the game released,” said Mikael Nermark, acting CEO of Starbreeze AB.
Starbreeze still holds publishing rights for Double Fine Productions’ anticipated platformer “Psychonauts 2” and Mohawk Games’ strategy title “Ten Crowns.”


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The Kingdom Rush series is one of the most popular tower defense games available on mobile.
With three medieval-fantasy titles — Kingdom Rush, Kingdom Rush Frontiers and Kingdom Rush Origins — currently under its belt, developer Ironhide Games is now heading into space.
Simply called Iron Marines, the next game from the studio will feature classic sci-fi elements such as space marines, mechas, space colonies and aliens. Think StarCraft and Starship Troopers but on a smaller mobile platform.
Similarly users will be able to choose from a number of heroes with unique skills and abilities.
Among the heroes revealed include Taggins, a space marine; Kara, an artillery-equipped soldier; and Ajax, a mecha-riding pilot.
According to the developer, the game is set to feature over 50 upgrades for units and bases for users to power through the stages and perfect their scores.
Based on the previous Kingdom Rush games, users might be able to expect more heroes to be added to the game moving forward.
The game will be released on Sept 14 on both Android and iOS.


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WATERLOO, Ont. – BlackBerry Ltd. reported a fourth-quarter loss of US$423 million as its revenue for the three-month period dropped below $1 billion.
The smartphone maker, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says the loss amounted to 80 cents per share compared with a profit of $98 million or 19 cents per share a year ago.
However, excluding several one-time items BlackBerry says it reported an adjusted loss from continuing operations of $42 million or eight cents per share for the quarter.
Revenue fell to $976 million for the three months ended March 1 compared with $2.68 billion a year ago.
The revenue breakdown for the quarter included about 37 per cent from hardware, 56 per cent for services and seven per cent for software and other revenue.
In its outlook, BlackBerry says it is targeting break even cash flow results by the end of its 2015 financial year.


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Tens of thousands of hospitality workers across the nation are expected to retain a modest income and stay on their employer’s books as a result of the Australian Government’s new fortnightly wage subsidy announced yesterday.
The latest round of government economic stimulus in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19 saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison commit a fortnightly wage of $1,500 per person to be paid to workers via their businesses in an effort to avoid continued mass redundancies.
Overall, the government plan, which will last for six months, is expected to help to keep more than six million Australians in work and away from unemployment queues. The subsidy applies to full-time, part-time, sole traders and casual employees who have been on their employer’s books for at least one year.
Workers stood down since 1 March will be able to access the payment on a back-dated basis, with the first monies set to flow from the beginning of May.
Accommodation Association CEO, Dean Long, said the government’s health measures to contain the pandemic had hit the hospitality and tourism sector hard, with forward occupancies lucky to reach 10% and revenues down by more than half. He added the Association welcomed the latest stimulus and that employers would feel a sense of relief and certainty during periods of no demand.
“This wage subsidy provides essential support for employers as they seek to retain jobs and ensure their businesses are operational once Australia emerges from this pandemic.
“In particular, we welcome the application to all employees and business, irrespective of turnover. The key criteria is the loss of turnover.”
Long added the subsidy would benefit an industry which directly employs more than 86,100 people.
Tourism Accommodation Australia National CEO, Michael Johnson, commended the government for the bold move which will help many retain their skilled workforces.
“At present, our industry is on its knees with current occupancy rates falling below 10 per cent, and many hotels being forced to close indefinitely. This new package will allow hotels to keep valuable employees engaged, off the Centrelink queues and preparing for recovery later this year.”
Australian Tourism Export Council MD, Peter Shelley, added his plaudits for the government’s plan, saying this was about keeping the knowledge and the skills of the tourism industry connected to ensure the economy’s recovery can be maximised.
“The Prime Minister’s program to ‘get us to the other side’ won’t protect every tourism job, but it will help support some of the businesses who can get our export industry back on its feet,” he said.


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Florida Treasure Coast Developer Drops Oceanfront Condo Prices 43% to Generate Sales
According to Condo Vultures, a Florida developer has slashed the asking price on the remaining 100 units in a new, oceanfront condo project by 43 percent to ignite sales in the luxury complex located in Florida's Treasure Coast.
Prices have slipped below $200 per square foot on some unsold developer units at the two-tower Oceanique condominium located on the barrier island just south of Vero Beach.
When the project first opened in 2007, the average sales price in the 144-unit project was $336 per square foot, according to the report based on St. Lucie County records.
"This veteran developer has finally come to grips with the new world order of pricing for Florida condos, even for oceanfront projects," said Peter Zalewski of Bal Harbour, Fla.-based Condo Vultures, LLC. "Vero Beach is located about three hours north of Miami Beach and two hours southeast of Orlando. The Oceanique does not have a South Beach or Walt Disney World type of location but the new pricing scheme for this oceanfront project may allow the developer to finally overcome that hurdle.
"The reason being, new oceanfront condo units sell for a minimum of $415 per square foot in Greater Miami and nearly $350 per square foot in Fort Lauderdale."
The developer, Oceanique Development Co. with principals Maurice, Michael, and Robert Kodsi of Cocoa Beach, Fla., has sold 41 units at an average price of $277 per square foot through August 2010, according to Florida Secretary of State records.
Boca Raton developer Daniel Kodsi, who is related to the developers of the Oceanique, constructed the 346-unit Paramount Bay condominium in Greater Downtown Miami. In March 2010, a $216-million foreclosure action was initiated against the 47-story tower with more than 610,500 square feet by the project's lead construction lender iStar Financial, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
Starwood Residential is a co-lender on the project that fronts Greater Downtown Miami's Biscayne Bay as a result of acquiring the $3 billion portfolio of the failed condominium construction lender Corus Bank from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Sales have been slow at the Oceanique project from the onset.
In 2007, the developer of the Oceanique sold 12 units in 2007 at an average of $336 per square foot. An additional three units sold in 2008 at an average price of $323 per square foot. By 2009, prices were cut to $251 per square foot, resulting in 17 sales. In the first eight months of 2010, there have been nine transactions at an average price of $230 per square foot, according to St. Lucie County records.
The new prices for the ready-to-move-in units start at $209 per square foot although there appears to be flexibility as three units transacted during the summer between $193 and $198 per square foot, according to Condo Vultures.
At the end of August, Oceanique had more than 103 units remaining with more than 260,000 square feet of saleable space located in two 13-story towers.
The South Tower has 71 units with nearly 180,000 square feet of saleable space and the North Tower features 32 units with more than 80,000 square feet, according to Condo Vultures.


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Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp. posted net income of 12.12 billion yen ($114.4 million) in its second quarter ended Sept. 30, down from last year's 12.43 billion yen because of rising costs and a stronger yen eroding overseas earnings, the company said.
Suzuki’s second quarter sales rose 12% to 572 billion yen from almost 511 billion yen during the same period last year. Second-quarter figures were calculated by subtracting first- quarter profit from first-half results.
Suzuki's first-half net income in the six months ended Sept. 30 rose 15% to 28.7 billion yen while first-half sales rose 7.1% to 1.16 trillion yen.
First-half operating profit, or sales minus the cost of goods sold and expenses, gained 13% to 54.2 billion yen. Current profit, or pretax profit from operations, rose 19% to 54.1 billion yen in the period.
Suzuki is the world's third-largest maker of motorcycles, after Honda Motor Co. and Yamaha Motor Co. The company’s first-half North American motorcycle sales rose 5.5% to 95,000 units. In Europe, sales fell 1.2% to 80,000 units; fell 23% in Japan to 64,000 units; and surged 34% to 582,000 units in Asia outside of Japan.
First-half auto sales in North America were up 16.2% to 43,000 units.
Copyright 2004 Powersports Business