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ComplexCon returns to Long Beach Nov. 6 - 7 with hosts J. Balvin and Kristen Noel Crawley, performances by A$AP Rocky and Turnstile, and more shopping and drops.
Secure your spot while tickets last!
New Balance may be one of the only brands that manufactures sneakers in the United States, but it's not seeing eye-to-eye with the U.S. government right now to say the least.
As reported by Boston Globe, New Balance says the Pentagon broke a verbal agreement that would allow the brand to make footwear for the U.S. military. As a result, the Boston-based footwear company says it's going to continue to oppose the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
New Balance finally began to ease up on its criticism of the trade pact last year, but that was only because the Department of Defense said it would give strong consideration to letting New Balance lace the military in its sneakers. This is something that New Balance has been trying to make happen for years now, so that was all it needed to hear to back down. However, things aren't going quite as planned.
"We swallowed the poison pill that is TPP so we could have a chance to bid on these contracts," a New Balance rep said. "We were assured this would be a top-down approach at the Department of Defense if we agreed to either support or remain neutral on TPP. [But] the chances of the Department of Defense buying shoes that are made in the USA are slim to none while Obama is president."
Around this time last year, during President Barack Obama's visit to Nike's world headquarters, New Balance voiced complaints about the president's appearance and the push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. New Balance argued that the trade agreement would jeopardize the jobs of its U.S. employees due to the elimination of Vietnamese import tariffs.


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There is a lot of buzz going on around this new rumor everyone is calling the X-T4. Since everyone is sharing their thoughts and opinions in the community, I wanted to share mine regarding what this camera will be and who for. It seems obvious to me but of course, I could be way off.
When comparing the GoPro Hero5 to the Hero6, on the outside it doesn't look like much has changed. Even looking at the specs, it doesn't seem like there are any huge updates after this one year cycle. Higher frame rate and video stability at 4k are not that big of a deal to a lot of people, especially if you already have a Karma Grip. However, when you get both cameras and put them side-by-side, you'll immediately notice huge improvements with the Hero6! Huge! I'll list just a few.
The Fujifilm X-T2 has finally been announced and will begin shipping September 8. The camera has all the great things we love about the X-Pro 2, except it now includes 4k video, a 3 way tilting screen screen, usb charging, and more AF points, at 325 compared to 273. X-Pro 2 still has a few features the X-T2 does not, including a significantly higher resolution LCD screen at 1.62m - Dots compared to the Fujifilm's XT2's 1.04m, and also a hybrid optical viewfinder.
Sigma announces a new MC-11 Canon EF or Sigma Lens adapter for the Sony E-Mount. This works for both Full Frame and APS-C Sony cameras. The new adapter is priced between the Metabones adapter and the Fotodiox adapter at $249.00. This might just be the product and the company that forces Metabones to lower their prices. A win for everyone!

domain: news


text: It launched the original G Pro at the MWC in 2013, so it's perhaps no surprise to hear about the launch of the LG G Pro 2 at the same event this year.LG made the announcement as part of its latest financial figures, which by the way were quite impressive. Doubling your profits in the last year is certainly something to shout about. In fact, talking of doubling, it sold 50 per cent more smartphones in this period that it did at the same time in 2013, so things are on the up for the Korean giant.Anyway, as a footnote to all the financial crowing, it confirmed that there would be a new G Pro phone (LG G Pro 2) unveiled next month. Now there's really only one place to show off a phone in February, so expect LG to make the headlines in Barcelona in around four weeks time.As for the phone itself, details have been pretty scarce so far. We know it will be a phablet, with rumours of that 2014 essential, a fingerprint scanner, alone with a 6-inch Full HD display, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB RAM, 4G connectivity and Android 4.4 KitKat for the operating system.But LG does love a gimmick and as such, we would expect something else to grab the headlines when this handset gets its official unveil. As soon as it does launch, we will of course get you all the details.


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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. CEO and Chairman Sanjay Jha's compensation more than tripled in 2011 to $47.2 million, including awards tied to the company's split from Motorola Solutions.
The old Motorola Inc. divided into two companies in January 2011, and Google Inc. is now awaiting final approvals for its purchase of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion.
Documents the company filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission show Jha's compensation rose from $13 million in 2010. The actual difference is even greater because the $13 million figure included two bonuses totaling $704,000 that Jha gave up in 2010.
Jha's base salary in 2011 was $1.2 million, up from $900,000 in 2010. He got that raise after he and other top executives agreed to salary cuts for 2009 and 2010.
His biggest gain came from equity awards. He got options worth $34.2 million when they were granted, up from $7 million worth in 2010. That increase was part of the deal splitting the old Motorola Inc. in two. He also got $9.4 million in stock, more than triple the nearly $3 million he received in 2010.
Jha also received a cash incentive of $1.8 million, including benefits set up by Motorola Inc. That was 39 percent more than his $1.3 million incentive in 2010. His 2011 perks, worth $557,992, included personal use of the company aircraft, temporary housing and a car and driver. In 2010, he received perks worth $388,623.
Jha's compensation package was among the largest in 2011 at any publicly held company. New Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook's pay package was worth $378 million. CBS Corp. gave chief executive Leslie Moonves $68.4 million, Google Inc. gave outgoing CEO Eric Schmidt $101 million, and Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman's package was worth $43 million.
Google has chosen an executive to replace Jha in the event the merger goes through.
The Associated Press formula calculates an executive's total compensation during the last fiscal year by adding salary, bonuses, perks, above-market interest the company pays on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock and stock options awarded during the year. The AP formula does not count changes in the present value of pension benefits. That makes the AP total slightly different in most cases from the total reported by companies to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The value that a company assigned to an executive's stock and option awards for 2010 was the present value of what the company expected the awards to be worth to the executive over time. Companies use one of several formulas to calculate that value. However, the number is just an estimate, and what an executive ultimately receives will depend on the performance of the company's stock in the years after the awards are granted. Most stock compensation programs require an executive to wait a specified amount of time to receive shares or exercise options.
Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility is the biggest deal in Google's history. Google's looking for access to Motorola's 17,000-plus patents and more control over the lucrative market for mobile devices. Announced in August, the deal has received U.S. and European regulatory approval but still needs a nod from authorities in China.
Motorola Holdings makes cellphones and cable set-top boxes, while Motorola Solutions makes police radios, bar code scanners and other products for business and government clients.
For 2011, Motorola Mobility posted a loss of $249 million, or 84 cents per share, much more than its loss of $86 million, or 29 cents per share, for 2010. Excluding merger costs, reorganization charges and other one-time items, Motorola Mobility earned 33 cents per share in 2011, versus a loss of 28 cents per share in 2010. Its financial performance has been a concern to Google investors who are worried about it being a drag.
Motorola Mobility's annual revenue jumped 14 percent to $13.1 billion in 2011. The company is based in Libertyville, Ill.


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Last week, Nintendo discontinued the NES Classic, for some reason. This is far from the first questionable business decision they have made and it definitely won't be the last. Find out which one of these decisions you are in this quiz.
Quiz: Which Inscrutable Nintendo Business Decision Are You?
Trending Stories Right Now
Yesterday, Ninja and Drake's Fortnite stream broke all sorts of records and with the battle of the Battle Royales being hotly contested, it was only a matter of time until JB Hi-Fi weighed in (courtesy of Post Malone).
Valve is notorious for a lot of things, but beyond not releasing Half-Life 3, one thing stands out. Its hands-off, often silent approach to running the world's biggest PC gaming platform, Steam. This has landed the company in hot water in the past, but in the face of calls to crack down on user groups that glorify things such as Nazism, white supremacy and school shooters, Valve has yet to speak up.


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With a game like the upcoming Darkfall Online, the opinions can become quite polarized. It is already labeled "The Fantasy EVE", in regards to its hardcore nature, and Massively thinks most people understand that it will be a niche game without wide appeal. But is that such a bad thing?
Over that Keen and Graev's blog, they've compiled a detailed list of the Darkfall features that they're looking forward to the most. This includes everything from the hardcore PvP to the degradable loot to the fact that the game has no levels. Don't forget about the crafting system.


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Colorado Ag Today
Land & Livestock Report
Grain Bin Safety Week
China Promises to Make Good and India Trade Deal
Ag Inspectors Bill Passed and Cattle First Documentary
The Agribusiness UpdateNational Pork Production Council says pork could boost ag economy 6% if Chinese tariffs dropped, and U.S. Composting Council urges composting Salinas, California romaine tied to E. coli.
Fruit Grower ReportWalla Walla-based Vital Wines doing what it can for local wine employees and their healthcare.
The Agribusiness UpdateA nonprofit is launching an effort to deliver donated hay to ranchers hit by flooding in Nebraska, and global dairy prices continue to climb.
Fruit Grower ReportVital Wines is helping with healthcare for wine employees in Walla Walla Valley.
Food ForethoughtThe main source of donated foods to food banks continues to be from growers and processors.
Food ForethoughtAccording to the USDA, in 2012 17.6 million households were food insecure at least some time during the year.
Line on AgricultureFarm Bureau members across the nation are doing their part to help feed the hungry.


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The Panaca Town Board helds its regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 10.
Town manager Wes Reed reported that the lights which hang down Main Street have been put up, per usual this time of year, and the board commented on how good they look. Also, per usual, the streets and cemetery have been cleaned up in preparation for the holidays.
Reed asked the board about the possibility of selling or moving the spare chairs that have been taking up space in the town hall’s storage area for years. That way, the room could be used for more important things.
The board wasn’t against selling the chairs but mentioned that there is some other storage space that can be used to house the seats in the interim. The board also reminded the manager that he needs to cover the seats while they’re in storage so as to avoid damaging them.
Next, Reed brought up the need for a new battery tender. This piece of machinery keeps the batteries charged during the colder months of the year, and while the board currently has one, the additional equipment at the parks requires two more additional tenders.
Due to the need for such equipment, along with the relatively low price, the board approved the purchase.
Finally, the town manager brought up the possibility of selling the old Christmas lights to help fund the purchase of newer LED lights. The current setup that the town uses takes up too much power and has a much greater upkeep than more modern options. The price difference could be balanced out by selling the older lights. The town could also use more of the newer LEDs due to their lower power usage, brightening the town even more.
The last part of the manager’s report mentioned that the person who ruined the park a few months ago has not yet fulfilled their public service. The board acknowledged this, and one of the members said that he would deliver the person’s time card himself. If no more progress is noted, then more drastic measures will be explored.
The final part of the meeting saw a few small pieces of public comment, including the information that the town’s snow plow needs a new air bar, as well as a new battery. The board also recognized the Boy Scouts who were in attendance in an attempt to earn a merit badge.


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Twitter is being faraway from yet one more large B2B platform. And this time it is one of many largest corporations within the tech business.
Microsoft goes to drop Twitter from its Microsoft Promoting plan subsequent week, in keeping with the corporate.
“Beginning on April 25, 2023, Good Campaigns with Multi-platform will not help Twitter,” Microsoft stated(opens in a brand new tab). An identical e mail has begun to exit to Microsoft Promoting customers stating that “Digital Advertising Heart (DMC) will not help Twitter beginning on April 25, 2023.”
From that date, customers will not be capable to entry their Twitter account by its Digital Advertising Heart’s social media administration instrument, in keeping with Microsoft. Customers can even not be capable to schedule, create, or handle tweets or tweet drafts. As well as, customers will not be capable to view their previous tweets and engagement on the Microsoft Promoting platform.
Microsoft’s announcement comes simply someday after Twitter proprietor Elon Musk appeared(opens in a brand new tab) at a significant advertising and promoting convention. On the occasion, Musk tried to lure manufacturers again to the platform after Twitter misplaced half of its largest advertisers following his takeover of the corporate.
The Microsoft Promoting function beforehand allowed advertisers to handle their social media accounts on numerous platforms in a single place. Customers may reply to tweets and DMs together with messages obtained on Fb, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Whereas Microsoft’s social media service was supplied without spending a dime to advertisers, it was prominently featured in Microsoft Promoting’s Digital Advertising Heart dashboard. It labored alongside the platform’s social and search paid promoting instruments, which helped companies run and handle their paid advert campaigns on platforms like Google Adverts, Fb and Instagram, and Microsoft’s search promoting.
Corporations that use Microsoft Promoting will nonetheless be capable to handle and create content material for Fb, Instagram, and LinkedIn by the platform, simply as they have been in a position to earlier than.
Microsoft made(opens in a brand new tab) greater than $12 billion in digital promoting income final 12 months from advertisements that might be created, managed, and run by its Promoting platform.
The discover of Twitter elimination from Microsoft’s web site.
Credit score: Mashable screenshot
The corporate added the discover(opens in a brand new tab) on a person help web page for its Good Campaigns multi-platform social media administration function, which is one in all two primary options in its Digital Advertising Heart dashboard. As beforehand talked about, emails have additionally begun to exit informing customers of the change.
Mashable reached out to Microsoft for remark. A consultant stated that the corporate had nothing additional to share at the moment.
Twitter’s expensive new API plan continues to alienate the corporate
The elimination of Twitter integrations from its Microsoft Promoting platform comes simply days earlier than Elon Musk’s Twitter plans to shutdown its previous API platform. In keeping with Twitter, it’s totally transitioning to its new paid Twitter API subscription plans on April 29.
Twitter’s new Enterprise plans for API entry have a beginning value of $42,000 monthly.
Since Twitter introduced its exorbitantly excessive API entry pricing, many indie builders have needed to shut down their Twitter-based purposes. Nevertheless, similar to Microsoft, different bigger corporations and organizations have additionally made the choice to go on paying Twitter too.
Intercom, a pacesetter within the on-line customer support area, introduced it was dropping Twitter integrations from its platform final week as a result of new API pricing. The Nationwide Climate Service (NWS), a federal U.S. authorities company, informed Mashable yesterday that Twitter customers ought to not rely upon its emergency alert tweets after it loses Twitter API entry.
The odd factor about Twitter’s stance right here is that each one of those corporations, organizations, and purposes created or helped facilitate the creation of content material for Twitter’s platform. In flip, all of them drove extra eyeballs and site visitors and inspired extra use of Twitter.
Nevertheless, when compelled to make enterprise choices relating to Twitter, it seems some corporations are coming to the identical conclusion as Sweden public radio. The nation’s public broadcaster, Sveriges Radio, introduced(opens in a brand new tab) its choice on Tuesday to “fully cease being lively” Twitter, citing continued adjustments to the platform and Twitter turning into “much less vital” to the outlet and its viewers.


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Freecharge CEO Alok Goel declined to comment on the specifics of his own company's fund-raising. Bengaluru-based Freecharge, is in talks with investors to raise money.
November 26, 2014, 07:38 IST
Freecharge CEO Alok Goel declined to comment on the specifics of his own company's fund-raising. Bengaluru-based Freecharge, a mobile recharge and couponing platform, is in talks with investors to raise money.
Sources with direct knowledge of the development said the round could involve anywhere between $50 million and $100 million ( 300 crore and 600 crore). The company raised $33 million in September from Sequoia Capital, Belgian firm Sofina and Russian Internet and technology investor ru-Net.
In Mumbai, Pepperfry, an online marketplace for furniture and home products, is also in the market to raise a $50-million round, said sources with knowledge of the development.
It last raised $15 million in May from Norwest Venture Partners and Bertelsmann India Investments. Pepperfry founder and CEO Ambareesh Murty did not respond to emailed queries from ET.
Freecharge and Pepperfry are part of the posse of venture capital-backed startups racing to tank up on capital reserves while the going is good. Taking their cues from the US Silicon Valley, the world's largest venture capital market, there are growing concerns, both within the investor and entrepreneur communities, of an imminent investment slowdown. US venture capitalists invested $9.9 billion across 1,023 deals in the third quarter of 2014, down 27% from $13.5 billion across 1,129 deals in the second quarter, according to the National Venture Capital Association. Investors turned cautious with fresh capital commitments on fears of an imminent bubble.
"While no one knows when the fundraising cycle will become tougher, the perception is that at some time it will. We advise our portfolio companies that if they are getting interest from good investors then raise capital," said Rahul Chowdhri, partner at Helion Venture Partners, an investor in companies such as Makemytrip, Babyoye and Taxifosure.
The frenzy underway in the Indian market is borne out by the numbers. Leading the charge, ecommerce startups alone raised $2.96 billion in the first 10 months of 2014, a five-fold jump from $602 million raised in all of 2013, according to data from consulting firm Ernst & Young. Overall, the ecommerce and technology sectors raised $3.97 billion between January and October, more than double of the $1.83 billion raised in 2013.
Over three-fourths of the capital raised in this sector has gone to only three companies online retailers Snapdeal and Flipkart as well as taxi services aggregator Ola, leading to concerns of a concentration of capital.
"In digital platforms you get strong rewards if you grow fast and the bigger you are. For those with a longer term view, it is better to invest in growth now in a fast growing market like India against waiting for profitability," said Pranay Chulet, founder CEO of Mumbai based online classifieds platform Quikr which has raised $150 million across two rounds of financing this year. Others who have raised multiple rounds of funding in the last 12 months include cab rental services providers Ola and Taxiforsure, property search and listings platforms Commonfloor and Housing, and restaurant listings site Zomato.
Global slowdown concern apart, another factor that is driving the frenzy is the availability of more capital. "The available capital pool has swelled and diversified. There is a lot of incoming interest from global investors, both financial and strategic," said Mukul Singhal, principal at early-to-growth stage investor SAIF Partners, which has backed companies such as Justdial, Bookmyshow, Urban Ladder and Zovi.
The pool of incoming global investors includes hedge funds and corporate entities keen on a foothold in the world's fastest growing consumer internet market. India has 278 million Internet subscribers, including mobile Internet subscribers, and the online shopper base has grown from 8 million in 2012 to 35 million in 2014. .
"We are seeing large global investors wanting to bet big on India. They are gravitating towards what they believe are large spaces and a few great entrepreneurs who can give them billion dollar outcomes," said Suvir Sujan, founding partner at Nexus Venture Partners. The early stage investor has bets on startups such as Snapdeal, Housing and Shopclues.
SAIF Partners, Helion and Nexus are part of a breed of investors that bet early on Indian startups here. These investors are now keen to see their investees scale faster as the market becomes intensely competitive. Most Indian startups, especially those in the consumer Internet sector, mimic global business models and many now find themselves competing with global players on home turf.
This is playing out in ecommerce, which is seeing homegrown players such as Flipkart and Snapdeal take on Amazon and eBay in India. The online cab rental services segment is starting to see local players such as Ola and Taxiforsure compete with San Francisco-headquartered Uber. Startups are under pressure to bulk up on reserves and scale their operations and marketing presence at a faster pace than 12 months ago.
Among the more visible manifestations of this is Flipkart's aggressive fundraising campaign. The company plans to raise $2 billion over the next 1-2 years and has been raising successive tranches of capital every 4-5 months to achieve that goal.


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Brush Engineered Materials to Become Materion Corp.
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio, Jan. 20, 2011 — Advanced materials solutions provider Brush Engineered Materials Inc. announced it will change its name to Materion Corp. and unify all of its businesses under the new name, effective March 8, 2011.
The company announced its new name ahead of the formal name change to give its investors, customers, suppliers, partners and media advance notice. Its common stock will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Concurrent with the March 8 name change, it will also unveil a new company website and company-wide brand identity.
The name change is a result of the company’s transformation over the past 20 years from the metals, mining and specialty metals business that it began as.
“As we have grown, our businesses continued to operate under original names and brand identities,” said Richard J. Hipple, chairman, president and CEO. “That has made it difficult to position the company as a single, unified organization. We find that even some long-term customers are not aware of the full scope of our capabilities.”
The unification of all of the company’s businesses under the Materion name is intended to create efficiencies and facilitate synergies. The name is expected to provide customers with better access and recognition to a broader scope of products, technology and value-added services.
For more information, visit: www.beminc.com
MORE FROM PHOTONICS MEDIA


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Uber Boston $20/hr Minimum Salary until February 16th!
Uber has just announced a promotion where Uber drivers in at least Boston will get a $20/hr minimum salary for every hour they drive between now and February 16th. I would expect this to be the case in Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. as well since Lyft has removed what they called the floor (minimum salaries) from these cities.
Also new drivers get $500 for completing 20 rides and they get to keep 100% of all fares for the first 30 days! I just got this email an hour ago:
Have more questions about Uber or Lyft? Head on over to our Rideshare Driver Training Course! Driver Promotions
- New Uber Drivers will get up to a $800 bonus after signing up: Sign up for Uber.
- New Lyft Drivers will get up to $800 if you sign up here using this link.


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In the rare books room at the mammoth store that bears his name, John King reveals a page from the volume that changed the world.
“This put the monks out of business,” King said, with type from the Gutenberg Bible on the desk in front of him.
John K. King Used & Rare Books, in business in Detroit since 1965, houses about 1 million titles in 60,000 square feet of space, and they range from books signed by Ernest Hemingway and Martin Luther King Jr. to the free books in the lobby.
The store survived Detroit’s long economic downturn — and fast-paced downtown resurgence — and the entry of Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN and eBay Inc EBAY into the book market.
King, a witty, knowledgeable bibliophile and businessman who declined to give his age, has an explanation for how his idea became an institution when so many other booksellers disappeared altogether.
“We focused,” he said. “Our mission statement — we didn’t know it existed back then — was to sell good used and rare books. We never really varied from that.”
‘It’s Like Treasure Hunting’
The public building at the bookstore, a former glove factory, has four floors, with hand-picked stock organized into more than 900 subjects. Aproned staff roam the building and communicate by walkie-talkie. Most titles range between $3 and $5 in price.
John K. King Books is a destination, and celebrity visitors are frequent. Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts stopped by the last time he was in town, and Richard Gere filmed scenes for a movie here. King name-checks three former Michigan governors who have been customers: G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams, Jennifer Granholm and John Engler.
“I try not to make anything special for these people,” King said. “We try to treat them like a normal customer so they feel comfortable.”
A second building to the rear, a former elevator factory, houses the rare book room and art annex. King spoke with Benzinga surrounded by rare books, with his dog Sophie joining for the interview.
“It’s like treasure hunting,” King said of the book-buying process. “You go out and find books and they accumulate.”
The collection started in the same way it’s replenished now.
“For every book you buy, you don’t sell that book. It’s not like silver, where you buy at a certain price and you can turn it right over and it’s liquid,” King said. “Books are not liquid. What happens is you get 10 books [and] you sell four or five.”
King’s entrepreneurial journey began with visiting bookstores as a child.
“I had an unconventional childhood, so I ended up in an unconventional business,” he said. “I just started hanging out at used bookstores instead of opium dens, or wherever else people went.”
John King and his dog Sophie in his store's private rare books room. Photo by Dustin Blitchok.
Used Books As A Business
In the time that King’s been in business, Detroit lost about 1 million residents.
“[Due to] us being a destination store, the city’s decline never really affected us,” King said. “We’ve always done — not phenomenal, because it’s a bookstore — [but] people would always come down here.”
In the used book world, eBay’s effect has been to bring prices down, King said.
And Amazon “is just a race to the bottom for prices,” he said. “Everybody’s trying to sell books cheaper than the other guy because there’s so much competition.”
While King lists some scarcer titles on Amazon, his business is almost entirely physical and tactile: Internet sellers can’t offer the browsing experience.
“At a bookstore, when you’re looking at it, you can put the book back if it isn’t talking to you,” he said.
Against the backdrop of e-readers, the struggles of the surrounding city and the bankruptcies of booksellers like Borders, King’s store remains. The answer could be a simple one, he said.
“Books never really went out of style.”
Main image: A floor at John K. King Used & Rare Books in downtown Detroit, housed in a former glove factory. Employees communicate by walkie-talkie in the sprawling space. Photo by Dustin Blitchok.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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By Wyatt Kash. Few issues have been more unifying or brought greater focus to the management of big home builders than the mission to achieve consistently high customer satisfaction.
For an industry that barely measured customer satisfaction a decade ago, the commitment by builders since then to systematically rate their customers' home buying experience has become like a load-bearing wall for home building organizations, supporting performance reviews, compensation plans, work-flow analysis, and a wide range of other internal programs.
In fact, the need for that information has spawned a small industry unto itself that specializes in monitoring and promoting new home buyer satisfaction.
All this buyer feedback has paid many dividends during the past decade. Quality and process improvements have unquestionably made a positive impact not only on the bottom line but also on the industry as a whole.
Still, the biggest payoff has been, and will continue to be, a function of how successfully builders translate customer satisfaction data into new referral business.
How builders can stack the deck in their favor in order to cash in more effectively on all their efforts is the focus of this special edition report of BIG BUILDER magazine. In it, we've tried to provide a strategic roadmap for home builders, highlighting which of dozens of underlying issues offer the greatest chances of improving overall buyer satisfaction and referrals.
For the past six months, we've been working with a company that, this month, unveils a new name, but for the past two decades has been known for its work applying consumer products research techniques to the complex process of buying a new home. The company, National Survey Systems, now known as Eliant, of Irvine, Calif., had already assembled a rich database of what more than 40,000 new home buyers last year felt about their experience buying a new home.
We knew not only how satisfied -- or dissatisfied -- buyers were about everything from their first meeting with builders' sales representatives, to selecting options, to concerns about workmanship, to the final walk-through and move-in experiences. We also knew precisely which concerns had the strongest impact on their satisfaction at each stage of the buying process.
The question was: How well did builders understand the importance of those concerns; and what have builders actually been doing to improve customer satisfaction in those critical areas? So we commissioned Eliant to find out, having them survey some 800 home building executives for this special report.
The results confirmed that while builders have come a long way in improving customer satisfaction, builders clearly underestimate what is really important to customers on certain critical issues, while overestimating (and potentially over-investing in) others. The gaps in perception and the elements that lead most directly to more referrals are broken out by each key phase of the buying process in this report.
To add value to these findings, we also included selected comments from managers who answered our survey on what each is doing to address the issues most critical to buyers' satisfaction. These activities are by their nature localized and may not reflect what each home building company is trying nationally. However, we believe they present an important mosaic of best practices currently in progress. These efforts, together with Eliant's research findings, led us to provide an action plan home builders might consider as they refine their own efforts.
Photo: Katherine Lambert
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Eliant, and its CEO, Bob Mirman, for sharing his insights and his company's data with our readers and for contributing to each of the articles in this issue; and Eliant's Annie Gerard, vice president, and Lauri Christie, director of special projects, for their effort in bringing this research project to fruition. I'd also like to acknowledge the role of Whirlpool Corporation and its continuing efforts to bring actionable research to home building. While Whirlpool had no influence or control over the content of this issue, its sponsorship of this special report made it possible to bring this research to our readers.
We hope this report will indeed provide some useful and actionable steps for all the sales teams and the design center, construction project, and customer care managers among our readers as they continue to aspire to higher levels of customer satisfaction.


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Healthcare risk algorithm had 'significant racial bias'
It reportedly underestimated health needs for black patients.
Hackers make jailbreaking iPhones a thing again
A security researcher released a free public jailbreak for an updated iPhone.
Apple recalls older MacBook Pros for risk of overheating
The company says select 15-inch laptops contain a battery that may pose a safety risk.
Alphabet’s Chronicle finally reveals its cybersecurity moonshot
Backstory will help companies keep on top of huge amounts of security information.
Microsoft's Bitlocker compromised by bad SSD encryption
It defaults to the (nonexistent) passwords of Samsung and Crucial SSDs.
Strava will focus on privacy awareness to address security issues
The app's heatmaps have exposed sensitive military data.
Indiegogo requires campaigns to disclose product status and risk
They're also forced to update backers monthly.
Leaked memo says hackers may have compromised UK power plants
UK energy industry appears to have been targeted by state-sponsored threats.
Watch 'Citizenfour' team's WikiLeaks doc this summer on Showtime
'Risk' will first have a theatrical release, then head to the network.


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The Town Centre is expected to see one of its busiest days yet on Saturday 19 September, as the annual Mardi Gras returns but to celebrate this year’s 1945 theme it will be joined by a Vintage Market.
The recently re-developed Market Place, home to Eastleigh’s bustling Thursday and Saturday markets is for the first time to play host to something a little different to the traditional market. Over 40 vintage themed stalls will pack the area from 10am to 7pm offering a range of clothing, jewellery, homeware and gifts.
The Vintage Market is being organised in partnership with Yellow Vintage who are renowned around the South for their popular vintage fairs regularly held at prestigious locations such as the Ageas Bowl. This day is proving to be the place to be for vintage-lovers as the Vintage Market will be situated next to Leigh Road Recreation Ground where the Mardi Gras will have vintage vehicles, live music and entertainment in full swing!
To find out more about Eastleigh’s markets “like” the Facebook page www.facebook.com./eastleighmarket or contact Jade Moses on 02380 688 033.


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According to China's top economic planning body, some local companies are cutting back on their efforts to hire new university graduates.China Economyread more
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has presided over a tumultuous recent period, which for many, has left Europe on the brink.Commentaryread more
Tensions between China and the U.S. are threatening to slow global trade further, threatening some Asian economies.Asia Economyread more
U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was transferred to a detention facility in Manhattan on Monday ahead of an expected arraignment on state...White Houseread more
Airbus recorded orders and options for 123 planes, according to the aviation consulting firm IBA.iQ.Paris Air Showread more
Markets in Asia were mostly higher on Tuesday as investors awaited the start of a closely-watched meeting by the U.S. Federal Reserve, set to kick off later stateside.Asia Marketsread more
Wall Street analysts think Facebook's cryptocurrency payments project will give the company a big boost.Marketsread more
Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea this week for a two-day visit, ahead of a possible meeting between Xi and President Donald Trump at next week's G-20...Politicsread more
The Pentagon said that the crew of one of the tankers, the Japanese Kokuka Courageous, found an unexploded limpet mine on its hull following an initial explosion.Politicsread more
China's Alibaba Group on Tuesday said its chief financial officer, Maggie Wu, will oversee the firm's strategic acquisitions and investments unit, as part of a business and...Technologyread more
Despite the popularity of companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, meat consumption around the world continues to rise.Food & Beverageread more
The plunge shaved more than $10 billion from the company's market cap, bringing it to $84.3 billion.
U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh sided with the Federal Trade Commission. She granted an injunction that orders Qualcomm to renegotiate license terms with customers "free from the threat of lack of access to or discriminatory provision of modem chip supply or associated technical support or access to software," among other provisions. The company must also report to the FTC annually for seven years to ensure compliance with the injunction, according to the ruling in the Northern District of California.
In a statement, Qualcomm said it will seek a stay of Koh's judgment as it pursues an "expedited appeal."
"We strongly disagree with the judge's conclusions, her interpretation of the facts and her application of the law," Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm's executive vice president and general counsel, said in the statement.
The ruling is the latest development in a fight over Qualcomm's licensing practices. The FTC's 2017 lawsuit accused the company of anti-competitive behavior aided by its dominant market position. Qualcomm recently settled a separate legal battle with Apple just a day after the companies began court proceedings in San Diego, where each sought billions in damages. Like the FTC, Apple argued Qualcomm abused its dominant market position to impose unfair prices and licensing provisions. Qualcomm had gone after Apple in courts worldwide, accusing the company of violating its patents.
This most recent ruling does not come as a surprise to analysts at Bernstein.
"Anyone following the manner and tone coming out of the trial in January could see that the judge did not appear hugely disposed toward Qualcomm's point of view, and she granted a partial summary judgement, before the trial even started, stating that Qualcomm had an obligation to grant SEP licenses to chipset competitors," the analysts said in a note Wednesday. "However, we do believe that, post the AAPL settlement (and given the increasing delay around hearing a decision) some investors might have hoped that the judge might have softened her views in the wake of AAPL´s recent capitulation. Apparently not."
The analysts, who rated Qualcomm's stock at market perform, said the order that Qualcomm must renegotiate licenses would be "onerous" but suggested it may be able to "be contained" among its larger customers who already have good deals.
"In practice, we don't know what will happen next," the analysts wrote.
Raymond James analysts said Qualcomm's appeals process is likely to create "uncertainty."
"If the ruling were to stand, it would have the potential to upend Qualcomm's licensing model, forcing them to renegotiate agreements with existing licensees, ostensibly at lower rates, and potentially license technology as a percentage of the much lower chipset price rather than the handset price," the analysts said in a note Wednesday. They also speculated whether the company's settlement with Apple could be reopened as a result, but said it's likely the companies considered this in signing the agreement.
—CNBC's Jon Fortt contributed to this report.


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No, that won't happen overnight. By breaking the rule that Microsoft will defer to its partners (even though it didn't always play nice as a partner), Ballmer has announced the beginning of the end of the old business model -- and not a minute too soon. "There has been no real innovation from [PC makers] for the past 15 years. Microsoft's OEM partners have been an impediment, not an asset," says Chowdhry. "Microsoft should have done this years ago."
As a PC user, I always liked the fact that my new computers ran nearly all of the old software I had around my office and that existing peripherals would continue to work on new machines. Contrast that to Apple, which hardly ever gives a thought to backward compatibility. When Apple decides a technology is a drag, it jettisons it and pushes customers to the next thing.
It's true that keeping compatibility in Windows led to bloated code and its attendant problems, but from a user and business point of view, it made perfect sense, as did keeping the UI more or less the same for generations of Windows. But Microsoft is bending those rules with Windows 8 and breaking them with Windows Phone 8.
In case you missed it, here's what Microsoft said about Window Phone 8: "Some of you have been wondering, 'Will we also get Windows Phone 8 as an update?' The answer, unfortunately, is no. Windows Phone 8 is a generation shift in technology, which means that it will not run on existing hardware."
That's certainly breaking a rule, especially given the high-profile launches of Nokia's bet-the-farm Windows Phone smartphones in the United States this spring. But because Microsoft's share of the mobile OS market is tiny -- 1.9 percent according to Gartner -- what does Microsoft have to lose by shaking up its struggling platform? I don't know if this strategy will work, but there's no doubt that nearly everything Microsoft had been doing in that market has flat-out failed. Breaking the rules is the smart move, even though it's likely to anger the installed base, such as it is.
Similarly, the Windows Phone-derived Metro UI in Windows 8 is a radical break with the look that started with Windows 95, although it will run on existing hardware. Along with many other reviewers, I didn't like the Windows 8 public beta when I installed it on a conventional PC. But I suspect that Microsoft will make some serious fixes and could even fork the OS: one version for the tablet, another for the PC. Nonetheless, copying Apple's model of bringing the desktop (OS X) and the mobile (iOS) operating systems much closer together is a move that had to be made.
It is, of course, very difficult for a company that has dominated a global market and earned billions and billions of dollars to make a radical course correction. But Ballmer is taking that on -- and he deserves our respect for doing so.
Here's to the rule breakers!
This article, "Blow it up, Ballmer: Give away the Surface for free," was originally published by InfoWorld.com. Read more of Bill Snyder's Tech's Bottom Line blog and follow the latest technology business developments at InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.


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Microsoft Groups has added a brand new function aimed to assist communication between frontline employees. The app has now added a brand new Walkie Talkie function that allows you to talk with members of your staff with simply the push of a button.
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Introduced in a weblog put up this week, Microsoft Groups has partnered with Zebra Applied sciences to convey its Walkie Talkie function to dozens of the corporate’s Android gadgets. Along with that partnership, Microsoft has made the function out there on all iOS and Android cell gadgets.
This new function allows you to talk with any of your contacts with simply the push of a button. This might assist make communication in at present’s advanced work environments a lot simpler.
Microsoft says that the Groups app has seen an unimaginable 400 % enhance in utilization amongst frontline employees over the course of the COVID pandemic. With this new function, the corporate hopes to ease a number of the stress of frontline employees with a easy and simple new solution to talk together with your staff.
In fact, a walkie-talkie-like function isn’t a brand new idea amongst cell merchandise. Each the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and the Apple Watch have walkie-talkie options.
However Microsoft hopes that bringing the function to the Groups app will assist employees talk with their colleagues in a more practical and environment friendly manner.
I’m positive some individuals will make the most of the brand new Walkie Talkie function on their iOS or Android gadgets, however it will likely be attention-grabbing to see simply how standard the function finally ends up changing into.


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T-Mobile US announced in the coming weeks it will sell the new Windows 10 Fierce XL smartphone built by Alcatel OneTouch, the handset brand of Chinese electronics maker TCL. T-Mobile will sell the phone for $139.99, or for $5.67 per month for 24 months.
T-Mobile joins AT&T in selling Windows 10 phones. AT&T currently sells the Lumia 950, which Microsoft released late last year alongside the Lumia 950 XL as its first flagship Windows 10 phones. The full retail price for AT&T's Lumia 950 is $598.99.
A Verizon spokesperson said the carrier does not sell any Windows 10 phones. A Sprint spokesperson didn't respond to questions from FierceWireless about whether the carrier sells Windows 10 phones, but the carrier's website does not offer any Windows phones.
"We strive to provide our customers a wide selection of price points, operating systems and capabilities when it comes to choosing a smartphone, so adding the Fierce XL to our hardware line-up was a no-brainer," said Roger Brown, T-Mobile's VP of marketing, in a release. "This will be our first Windows 10 device to hit T-Mobile stores nationwide, and since the Fierce XL is coming from Alcatel, our customers know the build quality and feature set will be top notch."
Alcatel OneTouch boasted that its new Fierce XL Windows 10 phone runs the voice-activated personal assistant Cortana and can access Microsoft Office Mobile productivity applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. The phone sports a 5.5-inch HD display, 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-Core processor, a 2500mAH battery and band 2, 4 and 12 Cat 4 LTE connections. Notably, the phone also supports T-Mobile's VoLTE service and Wi-Fi calling compatibility.
Microsoft released Windows 10 last year on tablets and laptops, and more recently has begun allowing some existing Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 users to upgrade to the new operating system. The company earlier this week boasted that it now counts more than 200 million "monthly active devices around the world" running Windows 10, a figure that includes phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
"In fact, Windows 10 continues to be on the fastest growth trajectory of any version of Windows -- ever -- outpacing Windows 7 by nearly 140% and Windows 8 by nearly 400%," Microsoft said in a blog post.
But the company didn't provide any sales figures or activation numbers for Windows 10 phones specifically. "The first Windows 10 phones, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are now available worldwide and off to a great start, with initial demand outstripping our supply," Microsoft said. "We're working actively to resupply the many stores which ran out of initial stock."
Microsoft's Windows platform continues to trail Apple's iOS and Google's Android in the United States. According to eMarketer, there were roughly 190 million smartphone users in the United States last year, and 51.7 percent of those used Android smartphones. The firm said 43.3 percent of those smartphone owners used iPhones, while just 2.8 percent (or around 5.3 million people) used Windows phones. Not surprisingly, only 1.1 percent of American smartphone users were BlackBerry phone owners.
Sprint and Microsoft launch carrier billing for Windows 10 users
Microsoft unveils Lumia 950 and 950 XL phones, but puts focus on larger Windows 10 ecosystem
Microsoft preps new Lumia smartphones, but phone ambitions have dimmed
Article updated Jan. 6 with pricing information for the Fierce XL.


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Tesla has long been known for promoting innovation and efficiency in its automobile manufacturing plant. However, the German union IG Metall recently raised concerns that the culture of working long hours at Tesla has made it difficult for workers to balance their work and family life. In this article, we will explore IG Metall’s claims about Tesla’s long hours and how the company is responding. We’ll also take a look at some of the potential implications of this issue on both Tesla’s current workers as well as potential future employees.
Tesla’s long hours limit family and free time
Tesla’s long hours limit family and free time, according to a new report from German trade union IG Metall.
The report, based on a survey of workers at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, found that workers put in an average of 60 hours per week, and some worked as many as 80 hours.
Workers also reported that they were not given enough time off to spend with their families or pursue other interests.
“The working conditions at Tesla are unacceptable,” said Oliver Burkhard, head of IG Metall’s automotive sector. “The company is putting profits before people.”
Tesla has denied the allegations in the report, saying that it does not require its employees to work excessive hours.
The German union says Tesla is violating labor laws
In a recent blog post, the German Union said that Tesla is violating labor laws by requiring workers to put in long hours. The Union said that Tesla’s long hours limit family and free time, and that the company should be required to give workers more time off.
The Union said that Tesla’s workers are required to work 12-hour shifts, which is longer than the legal limit of 10 hours per day. Furthermore, the Union said that workers are often not given proper breaks, and are not given enough time to rest between shifts.
The Union called on Tesla to change its policies, and to give workers more time off. The Union said that if Tesla does not change its policies, it will file a complaint with the government.
What does this mean for workers at Tesla?
The German union is concerned that Tesla’s long hours will limit workers’ ability to spend time with their families and pursue other interests outside of work. It is also worried that the demanding schedule could lead to worker fatigue and safety issues. The union has called on Tesla to reduce the hours its employees work, and to provide more breaks and time off to allow them to rest and recharge.
Tesla has responded by saying that it is committed to ensuring its employees have a good work-life balance, and that it offers a variety of benefits to help them do so. These include flexible working hours, paid time off, and parental leave. Tesla also says it is constantly reviewing its policies and procedures to make sure they are effective and fair.
It remains to be seen whether the German union’s concerns will be addressed by Tesla. In the meantime, workers at Tesla should be aware of the potential risks of working long hours and take steps to ensure they are getting enough rest and relaxation outside of work.


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RIVIERA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ —Transform Materials, a sustainable chemical company that uses microwave plasma technology to convert natural gas into acetylene and hydrogen, has signed a global licensing agreement with DSM Nutritional Products Ltd. Under this agreement, DSM will use the patented Transform technology to produce certain vitamins, carotenoids, and nutritional ingredients, with Transform providing technical support to ensure success of the integration.
Transform has developed a highly selective, cost-effective, net-carbon-negative process that converts the methane in natural gas into high-value products suitable for direct use or downstream reactions.
“We transform methane into acetylene and hydrogen, critical precursors for the synthesis of high-value chemical end products, without using traditional techniques that form carbon dioxide. That means we can meet important future needs of the chemical industry without creating harmful greenhouse gases,” said David Soane Ph.D., CEO of Transform Materials. “An important benefit of our technology


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Latest additions to Kia’s line-up recognized for their design quality, workmanship, innovation, eco-friendliness, ergonomics and safety.
Kia Motors has emerged as a double winner following the announcement of the iF product design awards for 2011, receiving the prestigious design prize for the all-new Sportage compact CUV and the all-new Optima D-segment sedan. In addition to design quality, the jury also recognizes a number of other criteria, including workmanship, level of innovativeness, eco-friendliness, ergonomics and safety. One of the main focuses in this year’s awards was on the participants’ brand image.
Since its launch in 1953, the annual iF product design award has been one of the world’s most important prizes for excellence in design. The award has its origins in the product show “Die gute Industrieform” (Good Industrial Design) initiated by the Hanover trade show and is now one of the world’s largest design competitions. For the iF product design award 2011, the organizers received 2,756 submissions from 43 countries for products registered in 16 categories. Kia Sportage and Kia Optima won in the category “Transportation Design.”
The dynamic and stylish Kia Optima, which celebrated its European debut at the Paris Motor Show 2010, has emerged as a top-seller in several countries. In the domestic Korean market the sporty sedan went straight to the top position in the D-segment, and is the very first Kia to have achieved this while the award-winning third generation of the Kia Sportage marks a dramatic shift in design direction for the compact SUV. Embodying Kia's newfound visual dynamism, the new Sportage successfully blends the key features of an SUV — the commanding driving position, heightened sense of security and raised ground clearance — and all of this is contained in a sleek and urban-friendly design with global appeal. The key design element of new Sportage’s purposeful stance is the relationship between its high shoulders and narrow glasshouse.


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Netherlands confident after World Cup qualifiers
The Netherlands have had an unbeaten qualifying campaign and are one of the favourites to win the World Cup in South Africa.
Source: 7pm TV News NSW | Duration: 2min 39sec
A huge tornado rips through Oklahoma City, killing scores and flattening buildings.
Find out about some of the largest and most destructive storms to batter America's tornado belt.
Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of The Doors, has died at the age of 74.
Ben Knight tours the heart of US retail to see how department stores are combating online shopping.


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Oppo, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, has just announced its latest flagship in India. This smartphone is Oppo’s F11 Pro which is a successor to its F9 Pro. Also, it is interesting to see that the Oppo F11 Pro is power-packed with features. In India, Oppo F11 Pro falls in the upper mid-range category of smartphone. The company has priced this device for Rs. 24,999. It will be available for pre-order from March 5 in India and its sales will begin from March 15.
Now, we shall have a look at the specifications of Oppo F11 Pro. First up is the display of Oppo F11 Pro which is a fully bezel-less one. Due to the fact that Oppo F11 Pro’s front camera is in the form of a pop-up camera. Oppo calls this pop-up camera as a ‘Rising’ camera. The device has a 6.5-inch FHD+ display panel which has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Oppo claims that F11 Pro has a 90.9% screen-to-body ratio.
On the inside, Oppo F11 Pro is powered by a slightly-weaker Helio P70 SoC from MediaTek. But this chip coupled with 6GB of RAM should provide smooth performance. In terms of storage, the device has an option of 64GB internal storage capacity. However, you cannot expand the storage of this device further.
The camera department is also termed as Oppo F11 Pro’s USP. The device has a dual camera setup on the rear. This setup has a 48MP primary camera at the back and a 5MP depth-sensor too. The front pop-up ‘Rising’ camera of this device is a 16MP one. Apart from that, it has a 4000 mAh battery. Also, Oppo has bundled VOOC 3.0 fast charging on this device which is much faster than VOOC 2.0. Moreover, you get a gradient finish on the back of this device which looks really good and gives the device a premium look.


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Gardaland has teamed up with Enel X to provide eight charging points for electric vehicles, as part of the theme park’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
Gardaland is promoting sustainable mobility with the new charging points, which are Enel X’s 22 kW pole stations, each with a Mennekes socket.
This allows for the simultaneous charging of eight electric vehicles. The charging points are for public use, visible and bookable through the Juicepass app.
“We are very happy that our park now has a charging system for electric vehicles,” said Aldo Maria Vigevani, managing director of Gardaland.
“Many visitors have decided to choose environmentally sustainable mobility and now, thanks to this service, they can have fun enjoying the park’s attractions while their car recharges.
“Gardaland has always been very environmentally conscious and the installation of these columns is a further step towards an increasingly green future.”
Gardaland Resort is part of Merlin Entertainments, which operates more than 130 facilities, 19 hotels and 6 holiday villages across 25 countries.
Green initiatives at Gardaland in Italy
The resort is expanding with Legoland Water Park Gardaland, which was scheduled to launch earlier this year but is now postponed until 2021.
Legoland Water Park Gardaland will feature waterslides, rafts, swimming pools, and Duplo and Lego bricks, as well as a themed refreshment area called the Harbour Restaurant.
“We are protagonists of the electric mobility revolution in Italy, and we have a national plan that aims to reach 28,000 charging points by 2023,” said Elisa Tosoni, Enel X manager of e-mobility for Triveneto.
Tosoni said the charging points are made with technology entirely developed by Enel X. They ensure the highest standards of reliability and safety.
She added that the charging stations “have great symbolic value in stimulating younger generations and their families, who are already very sensitive to climate and environmental issues, towards growing awareness of increasingly sustainable lifestyles”.
As concern over the effects of climate change increases around the world, attractions are developing green agendas, whether they are reducing plastic, going solar, or offering vegan options.


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Before they ship PCs to retailers like Best Buy, computer makers get paid hundreds of millions of dollars to load them up with free software. For $30, Best Buy will get rid of it for you. (From The New York Times)
That simple cleanup service is threatening the precarious economics of the personal computer industry.
Software companies pay hundreds of millions of dollars to PC makers like Hewlett-Packard to install their photo tools, financial programs, and other products, usually with some tie-in to a paid service or upgrade. With margins growing thinner than most laptops, this critical revenue can make the difference between profit and loss for the computer makers, industry analysts say.
If the programs are removed, the software makers gain no value out of the $2 to $10 they typically pay HP and others to install them on each PC--and PC makers miss out on their cut from revenue-sharing deals. But Best Buy, the nation's largest electronics retailer, tells computer buyers that the preinstalled software, also known as bloatware, can clutter their machines and slow them down.
"You'd be surprised how often consumers tell us to get rid of it," said Robert Stephens, the head of Geek Squad, the technical support division of Best Buy that removes the software. He declined to say how many people were paying for the service, but said that "it's going to increase in popularity."
The demand for the service, along with similar offers from Circuit City and other chains, reflects an outpouring of consumer frustration with the way that a brand-new computer can feel as if it is full of digital infomercials--even if those come-ons knock a few dollars off the PC's price tag. The Web has dozens of do-it-yourself guides to removing such software, which, as one tutorial puts it, "turns your computer into a messy battleground." Stephens said the personal computer makers should be worried about the demand for less cluttered computers.
"No matter what manufacturers want, we'll give consumers what they want," he said. But he added that he believed computer makers would find different ways to profit: "While they may be scared by these trends, they'll be OK."
As it turns out, HP, the world's largest technology company, is already working on a fundamental change in the way it packages software on its new computers, and thus how its business model works.
Stephen DeWitt, who oversees
DeWitt said the change would
DeWitt said this was happening because consumers were demanding something different, but also because the technology was now in place to allow downloading of software on demand.
For now, he said, the benefits to consumers of the free software far outweigh whatever small slowdown it might cause. And he said Best Buy's cleanup service was not pressuring HP to move to a new model. "There's no tension coming from Best Buy on this--none," he said.
But in Best Buy stores in Northern California, there is clear evidence of the different agendas of Best Buy and the computer makers. The stores display two HP computers, identical except that one desktop is cluttered with software icons from eBay, Quicken, AOL, Yahoo and others, while the other is entirely cleaned up. Best Buy workers use the display to promote the company's $30 "optimization" service.
Industry analysts said that the planned change in HP's approach could well reflect Best Buy's growing influence--and its ability to exact new concessions from computer makers. They said Best Buy has benefited from two key changes: the declining fortunes of competing retailers like CompUSA and some large regional chains, and the addition to its shelves in the last year of ="9733201">computers made by Dell and Apple.
Bob Kaufman, a spokesman for Dell, said, "This is an evolving story and Dell is evaluating how it can best deliver software to its customers." Best Buy's offer to remove software began in 2006. But recently the toll its policies are taking has heightened considerably, analysts and industry executives say.
"Best Buy's sway is definitely growing," said Matt Fassler, an industry analyst who covers Best Buy for Goldman Sachs. He said the company had good relationships with computer makers, and, while it wouldn't seek to harm those relationships, "if they have a strong competitive position, it is incumbent on them to use it."
Fassler estimates Best Buy will have sales of $44 billion this year. Of that, $1.5 billion to $2 billion will be from the sale of HP computers, analysts estimated.
One important question is whether the new model being developed by HP will be as profitable as the current one. DeWitt said he expected it to be more profitable. But A. M. Sacconaghi Jr., an industry analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, said the change could imperil HP's profitability, in part because there is no guarantee that consumers will buy software offered through HP instead of another site.
As software buying moves online, Sacconaghi asked, "what makes a consumer go to HP.com over Google?" He also says the challenge for personal computer makers is that they are losing control of what shows up on PC screens--a form of real estate that they have used to sell billboard advertising for software.
"They no longer have that real estate advantage," he said. "There's a substantial profit pool at risk."
And there can be little profit to begin with, analysts said.
The profit margin on many personal computers can be 5 percent or lower, depending on the model. The margins are slim in part because of intense competition that has driven down prices. In some cases, the computers are profitable only because their makers earn $30 or more for each computer for preinstalling the software, according to Shaw Wu, an industry analyst with American Technology Research.
And J. P. Gownder, an analyst at Forrester Research, said, "For the average PC, that could be the entire margin." Without the preloaded software, Gownder said, "it could put them in the red. That's why they've become so addicted to it."
Stephens of Geek Squad says he agrees with HP that the future is in allowing computer buyers to choose and download what they want. But he said he believes Best Buy, not HP, is in the best position to help people choose what works for them because, he argued, the in-store technicians are in closest contact with them.
"Geek Squad agents have one thing over Apple and Microsoft engineers. We spend most of the day talking to people," he said.
Entire contents, Copyright © 2008 The New York Times. All rights reserved.


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Deadly Attacks in Israel Drive Shoppers Out of StoresBy
A manager of a fashion shop in Jerusalem’s largest shopping mall hadn’t seen her store this quiet in more than a decade. Now, as then, fear of being the next victim of Israeli-Palestinian violence is keeping consumers at home.
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Small businesses are the backbone of Canadian society. According to Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, up to 60 per cent of Canada’s jobs are created by small and medium-sized enterprises.
So their forced closure in this time of COVID-19 has affected every corner of our population. While bigger businesses and chain stores can afford to pack up shop for a couple of months, the pause in business for these smaller enterprises, many of which do not have the resources to move to delivery systems, could be detrimental.
Data from CFIB reveals some frightening statistics. Up to three per cent of small business owners are certain that their business won’t survive if they cannot reopen by the end of May. This might not sound like a huge number, but a mere three per cent equals the loss of 30,000 local businesses. Then there are the 35 per cent of business owners who believe their chances of survival are slim, and the 38 per cent who believe that long-term shutting down is inevitable.
To some, the phrase “small businesses” sounds impersonal, a distant and pitiful group fighting for their survival. But each of these small businesses is an entire ecosystem, where the existence of everyone is inextricably linked — employers who have spent every last dime on their new business, employees who rely on their income, landlords who rent out their space, customers who have come to know and love their product.
Most, if not all, of us are part of this ecosystem, in one way or another. My husband, a forestry worker, lost his job even before the global pandemic hit, when Northern Pulp was forced into closure. Since then, my daughter has been helping us get back on our feet … that is, until she lost her job at one of these “small businesses.” So, to me, this matter could not be more personal. My family is part of this ecosystem.
Despite the aid given to small businesses from the government, many are deciding to close for good rather than wait out imposed shutdowns. This is a clear sign of the long-term economic damage that will occur as a side-effect of measures to halt the spread of the virus.
Could it be time for the Canadian government to put more trust in these small but vital businesses? To have faith that these entrepreneurs will enforce social distancing measures and scheduled cleaning of their workplaces, as they have been doing with essential services?
Considering the slow easing of restrictions worldwide, the critical role small businesses play in our economy and the newfound understanding society has of social distancing and the importance of hygiene, I would say indeed it is.
Brenda James lives in New Glasgow.


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Jim Nolan blogs on EDN's Waveforms
InterDigital, in its role as a wireless R&D company, touches on issues across the entire industry. As a result, we thought it would be great for our Executive Vice President of Research and Development, Jim Nolan, to share his views on current industry topics on an ongoing basis. Thanks to the folks at EDN, a premier site for electronic design and engineering, Jim will now be authoring a blog called Waveforms on the EDN website.
Read the first contribution, on Wi-Fi integration and Hotspot 2.0, and make sure to register and follow Jim for subsequent posts.


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The company announced the initiative on Wednesday, noting that its primary objective will be to facilitate research on blockchain technology and to develop projects in collaboration with private and public sector organizations.
“The center underscores Fujitsu’s commitment to blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies as a means to revolutionize the way consumers and enterprises buy, sell and exchange goods and services and for organizations to transform their commercial and operational models,” the firm said.
Yves de Beauregard, head of Fujitsu Benelux, cited increased customer interest in blockchain technology as the impetus for the creation of the center, and noted that Belgium’s geographical location, among other factors, made it a desirable place in which to launch the initiative.
The company also revealed that the center would focus on projects relating to smart cities.
Frederik De Breuck, pre-sales and business assurance director at Fujitsu Benelux, explained that the proportion of the world population inhabiting urban areas is set to increase rapidly over the next thirty years, and that as such, it would be necessary to develop services that “combine ICT with infrastructure and architecture to address social, economic and environmental problems.” […]


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The March surplus came in at 4.9 billion yen ($45.5 million), less than 1% of the year-before figure of 517 billion yen, according to the finance ministry.
“Exports to the United States and Europe as well as to China fell as the global spread of virus infections hit demand,” said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.
“I’d say this is only the beginning,” he told Agence France-Presse, predicting exports would come under further pressure.
Shipments of automobiles and auto parts fell, while prospects are gloomy for semiconductors even though they managed to log growth in March, Minami said.
“Production activities have stalled with sales of durable goods slack and corporate investment in plants and equipment halted,” he said, adding it was difficult to find good export demand.
Overall exports fell 11.7%, a drop for the 16th consecutive month, with US-bound shipments tumbling 16.5% and shipments to China falling 8.7%. Exports to the European Union (EU) fell 11.1%.
“Exports fell sharply in March and are set to plummet this quarter as economic activity in most of Japan’s major trading partners has collapsed,” said Tom Learmouth, Japan economist at Capital Economics.
Thanks to a gradual recovery in its activity, “China is likely to be a rare bright spot for external demand in Q2,” he added in a note.
Japan’s imports from the rest of the world fell 5% as imports from China declined 4.5% and those from the EU fell 9.7%.
Imports from the United States rose 1.3%, supported by purchases of aircraft, medical supplies, and liquefied natural gas. – Rappler.com


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NEW YORK — Retailers are reporting steep sales declines for November as a surge of shopping after Thanksgiving that was fueled by deep discounts wasn’t enough to save a dreary month.
As merchants report their November sales figures today, it’s clear that shoppers are still slashing their spending as they worry about layoffs and their shrinking retirement funds. Costco Wholesale Corp., usually a strong performer, reported a bigger-than expected drops in same-store sales. Other retailers that saw declines in same-store sales are Bon-Ton Stores Inc., Limited Brands Inc. and Pacific Sunwear of California Inc.
Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, are considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health.


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Cattaruzzi has been with the technology firm for 13 years, leading the MENA business and operations since 2016.
Google has announced that Lino Cattaruzzi, its managing director for the Middle East and North Africa, will be leaving the region to take on a company leadership role as a global customer partner.
Anthony Nakache, who will take over as MD for Google MENA based in Dubai, joined the business 13 years ago and most recently headed the online partnerships group responsible for scaling Google’s monetisation solutions for publishers and developers throughout Europe, and the MENA.
Before moving to Google, Nakache worked in IT consulting and gained a master’s degree in business administration from INSEAD, and an engineering degree in telecommunications.
With a 13-year tenure at Google, Lino led the business and operations in MENA since 2016, during which he helped businesses in the region grow with the help of Google’s products and programmes, and accelerated the company’s growth and presence through regional office expansions.


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A fan has discovered a feature in one of the new FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) kits in FIFA 18 that might not be well seen for young gamers who might be using these suits while playing the EA Sports video game.
Through a video of Twitter, a user has discovered that in one of the official kits new in FUT an image “rise of tone” in the part of the arm of the uniform, showing it in camera stopped to see it in detail.
It turns out that the image if it is real and official, which would have no problem if FIFA 18 was not qualified by PEGI, the European qualification system, as suitable for all, when clearly the image added in the arm of this kit is not.
In the following Twitt we can find the image in question:
Uniform with FIFA 18 #FUT mutual straw 😆
* Yes, it’s official and based on an album by Catfish and the Bottlemen pic.twitter.com/Gkvx1PvPIW
What is it about? It turns out that this kit is part of virtual skins for players based on music bands. One of them is called Catfish and the Bottlemen, which plays rock and its characteristic image in the following one, the same one that is seen in the video.
With this the qualification of PEGI in FIFA 18 could vary, unless EA Sports withdraws the specific image. This band has been included for participating in the soundtrack of FIFA 15 and with a song inside in FIFA 17.
Do you think that this simple, harmless and minuscule image is worth the PEGI classification? Leave a comment please. And next time we will offer tips of FIFA 18 Ultimate Team coins tips for you. Stay tuned.


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NEW government rules for ticket selling websites will make it easier for consumers to see if they are being ripped off.
From April 2018 sellers will be required to give more detailed information, including the locations of sites, restrictions and the original price of the ticket.
The government is also taking steps to crackdown on touts who use computer bots to bulk buy tickets for reseale.
Under the new rules, ticket resellers must:
- identify the location of the ticket
- disclose any restrictions (eg, buyer must be present with ID to attend the gig)
- disclose the original price of the ticket
- reveal the connection that the reseller has with the original ticket seller, or the event for which the ticket is being sold
For the first time, resellers will also have to supply the unique ticket number (UTN) to the buyer if the event or primary seller specifies one.
Consumer Minister Andrew Griffiths said: "All too often people are left feeling ripped off when buying tickets from resale websites.
"Whether it’s a major music festival or a stadium concert, people want to know they’re paying a fair price for tickets to see the events they love."
Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, said: "We want real fans to get the chance to see their favourite stars at a fair price.
"That is why we are clamping down on touts using bots to buy huge numbers of tickets, only to sell them on at rip-off prices."
How to buy and resell tickets at face value
MUSIC fans who miss out on tickets don't have to pay rip off prices.
- Websites like Twickets allow fans to resell tickets at face value.
- The principle is simple - prices on the website are capped at price value.
- This means that sellers can’t add more than 15 per cent to the price of the ticket to cover booking fees and they can also reduce the price if the seats are not selling.
- Buyers, meanwhile, pay a 10 per cent fee on top of the asking price plus postage. They can also meet up with sellers - either before or at the event or download of e-tickets free of charge.
- Delivery is agreed between the buyer and the seller, so Twickets can see who is responsible should a ticket not be delivered on time.
- Another alternative is VibeTickets, which allows fans to connect so that they can exchange tickets at face value or less.
- The website has PayPayl powered checkout – meaning all transactions are secure and protected by PayPal's buyers guarantee.
Last week, Google announced a crackdown on secondary ticketing websites making it easier for consumers to find tickets on the primary market.
Secondary ticketing websites have attracted controversy over the last few years.
Concert goers and music and sports fans have been furious about how quickly tickets for gigs and events appear on secondary sites at hugely-inflated prices, with some branding the sites legal ticket touts.
In October, Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher sold out within two hours - but tickets were being re-sold for as much as £1,000 each on StubHub.
MOST READ IN MONEY
It was a similar story when Mike Skinner of The Streets announced his first tour for seven years, with tickets being listed on GetMeIn for up to £275.
Ed Sheeran this summer also launched a war on touts by cancelling 10,000 tour tickets that were snapped up and minutes later put up for sale online for as much as £1,000.
Meanwhile, one woman fought back.
Claire Turnham has helped get back more than £115,000 for fans who say they were mis-sold tickets by Viagogo.
We previously revealed how you can buy tickets for sold out gigs and events at face value.


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Spotlight on SharePoint as Microsoft Snaps up Yammer
Updated · Jun 26, 2012
It’s official. In an announcement that surprised no one, Microsoft confirmed that it is acquiring Yammer, a social enterprise startup based in San Francisco, for $1.2 billion in an all-cash deal.
Yammer creates private, cloud-based social networks for businesses, primarily by using activity streams to promote collaboration among workforces. The company boasts a user base of 5 million and a customer roster that includes 85 percent of the Fortune 500.
The firm, founded in 2008 by former PayPal COO David Sacks, has attracted over $140 million in funding from venture capital firms that include Charles River Ventures, Emergence Capital Partners, Founders Fund, US Venture Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
Plans call for Yammer to become part of Microsoft’s Office division. The team will still report to current Yammer CEO David Sacks.
Microsoft’s Big Plans for Yammer
In a statement announcing the buy, Steve Ballmer offered some clues as to how the software giant will integrate Yammer into its portfolio of products. “Yammer adds a best-in-class enterprise social networking service to Microsoft’s growing portfolio of complementary cloud services,” said Microsoft’s CEO. An infographic from Microsoft’s pixelsmiths paints a more complete picture.
Joining the Microsoft and Yammer logos are Office 365, Dynamics, SharePoint and Skype, a hint that Microsoft has big plans for Yammer that cross several disciplines and communications platforms.
The most immediate plans, however, involve SharePoint, Microsoft’s enterprise collaboration software suite. Customers of both can already embed Yammer feeds into SharePoint sites.
Drawing parallels between SharePoint and Yammer, Microsoft points out that 80 percent of the Fortune 500 have purchased SharePoint. It indicates that both platforms enjoy overlap among big corporations, and said both are also “growing like crazy.” Yammer is adding 250,000 new users each month while SharePoint blasted to a $1 billion business in record time, according to Microsoft.
As eWEEK reports, some industry observers believe Microsoft’s purchase of Yammer marks the software giant’s recognition that it needs to shore up SharePoint’s social collaboration capabilities. The eWEEK piece cites a blog post written by software developer Oudi Antebi, a former Microsoft employee, in which Antebi said “… I think Microsoft is acknowledging internally that the current version of SharePoint – as well as the next-generation ‘Wave 15’ version, which is around the corner – doesn’t provide real social capabilities. The company is probably looking at Yammer as a way to close the gap.”
Rush to ‘Socialize’ the Enterprise
Microsoft isn’t the only IT company paying huge sums to socialize its software platform.
Earlier this month, Salesforce acquired social media marketing firm Buddy Media for $689 million. Last year, Salesforce took Radian6, a social CRM provider, off the market for $326 million.
Oracle made waves this month by purchasing Collective Intellect, a social intelligence specialist that combines Big Data analytics and the cloud to extract relevant insights from the mountains of unstructured data generated by social networks. In May, Oracle spent a reported $300 million for cloud-based social marketing services provider Vitrue.
Pedro Hernandez contributes to Enterprise Apps Today, and 11Press, the technology network. He was previously the managing editor of Internet.com, an IT-related website network. He has expertise in Smart Tech, CRM, and Mobile Tech, Helping Banks and Fintechs, Telcos and Automotive OEMs, and Healthcare and Identity Service Providers to Protect Mobile Apps.


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PIG HATING BIRD THROWERS have been given one more platform on which to vent their frustrations, a version of Angry Birds for the Chrome web browser.
Google and Rovio have excitedly announced the deal and explained that the release includes touches like Google bombs and colour schemes, as well as the Mighty Eagle feature that can be invoked to clear troublesome levels.
This feature will appear later, however, once Google changes the way that Android applications are paid for, or at least elements within them.
In the first of the day's keynotes at the Google I/O event, the firm said that it is readying a new in-app charging feature that will let developers offer users the ability to buy items without leaving what they are doing.
This process is expected to be exceptionally smooth, and can be added to apps with just one line of code.
Perhaps most exciting for developers is the fact that Google will charge only five per cent when payments are made, meaning that developers who make sales to Chrome users will realise 95 per cent of revenues as opposed to the 70 per cent they might get from other firms.
Google also revealed that Chrome has some 160 million users, more than double the number it had at the event last year. µ
Now you can watch documentaries about horribly disfigured people whenever you like
Brad to the bone
Being in a minority of one doesn't make you right
WeWork needs a rework


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Here is part three of Frank Vargo’s daily update–from the front lines–in Hong Kong for the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference:
Strange day. It isn’t every day you open the newspaper and see an ad placed by the United Nations urging WTO trade ministers not to cut food aid to devastated nations. This set off a round of shots between the European Union (EU), which told the UN to mind its own business, and the United States — which criticized the EU for not doing enough in food aid.
The EU, you see, views U.S. donations of food to starving countries as a form of trade distortion — and says that rather than giving food, the U.S. should give cash, which the local authorities could use to buy food — presumably much of it from the EU. The EU complaint is part of a continuing effort to divert attention from the fact that everyone is saying the EU has to make a much better offer to allow market access to its own domestic agricultural market.
The EU, in turn, criticized the United States for being unwilling to offer duty-free and quota-free access to its markets for all products made or grown in the world’s poorest countries. And both the EU and the U.S. announced a doubling in their financial aid to the world’s poorest countries.
All this is part of the development focus of the Doha Round. The Round is actually called “the Doha Development Agenda” and is intended to result in a set of trade rules that helps the poorest countries develop more rapidly. There is no question that the best thing the WTO could do for them would be to end rich-country agricultural trade barriers and subsidies. The U.S. has put a strong offer on the table to cut subsidies and offer access to the U.S. market, but can’t hold to that unless the EU ends the stranglehold on its own market. You can’t tell American farmers that they have to compete on their own, but then tell them that the largest market in the world for them will stay off limits.
Much of the EU’s maneuvering is clearly aimed at deflecting criticism of the fact that it won’t move further on agriculture. And the acrimony is heating up. The EU, though, is right on one point. If it is going to do more on agriculture, it has to have access to other markets for manufactured goods and for services. The U.S. agrees, and has put suggestions on the table for ways that the trade rules can both benefit development and increase world trade.
I participated today in two discussions with representatives of India, international organizations advising developing countries, and other groups — and listened to speaker after speaker explain why continued protectionism was the only way for poor developing countries to grow. Without high tariffs, they explained, there is no way poor countries can develop their own industries. It was wrong, therefore, for the U.S. and Europe to expect them to cut their tariffs. How, they demanded to know, does the U.S. proposal for tariff cuts help development?
How ironic, I thought, to be here in Hong Kong — the most open market in the world, an economy that owes its wealth and prosperity to the free market — and listen to all the reasons why markets allegedly don’t work.
How does the U.S. tariff-cutting proposal help the poorest countries? Simple, really. The U.S. approach is to turn to the 15-20 advanced developing countries — countries like China, Brazil, Korea and India — and seek significant cuts in their manufactured goods tariffs and obtain genuine access to their markets for services. These are the countries with which the United States has about 60 percent of its trade deficit. And these are the countries with the highest tariffs — tariffs, which limit the trade of other poor countries as well. In fact, about 70 percent of the tariffs paid by poor countries are paid to these 15-20 advanced developing countries. If those countries opened their markets, that would allow the poorest countries to be able to sell more to them.
The U.S. proposal would not only help level the playing field for U.S. companies but also would promote faster global economic growth and more opportunities for the poorest countries. And the U.S. is not seeking to have the poorest countries cut their tariffs at all. We want the commercially-meaningful countries that are already well established global traders to make significant cuts, not the 50 or so poorest who only account for about 1 percent of world trade.
This is a good proposal, and one strongly supported by the NAM. But why would the developing countries oppose this proposal? Two reasons — a bargain in return for getting the agricultural market access to rich markets, and a public recognition that they themselves would benefit from tariff cuts rather than continued protectionism. We’re not there yet. We are now in the posturing and deflecting stage of the wash cycle. We’ll see if we can get beyond that tomorrow.
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International Franchise Association Cheers Launch of Congressional Franchise Caucus
Bipartisan Members of Congress to promote contributions of local franchise businesses
WASHINGTON, DC – The International Franchise Association (IFA) today applauded the establishment of the Congressional Franchise Caucus, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress formed to promote and educate about the community contributions of local franchise businesses across the country. The Franchise Caucus is co-chaired by U.S. Reps. Kevin Hern (R-OK), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), and Tony Cárdenas (D-CA).
“The franchise business format democratizes the American Dream of business ownership more than any other business model,” said Michael Layman, IFA’s Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs. “Franchising opens doors for people from all backgrounds to start a small business and serve their communities, and we are grateful to the leadership of Reps. Hern, Gottheimer, Van Duyne, and Cárdenas for helping to educate their colleagues on how franchising improves lives for so many entrepreneurs, workers and customers.”
“As a former franchise owner, I know how important it is to have government leaders who understand what it’s like to live on the other side of the policies and regulations coming from DC,” said Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK. “I’m excited for the opportunity to co-chair the Franchise Caucus and help advance the priorities of franchisees around the country!”
"In New Jersey, we're proud to have nearly 20,000 local franchise establishments supporting more than 200,000 jobs and contributing billions in economic output," said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). "I'm proud to help relaunch the bipartisan Franchise Caucus this Congress to ensure we're supporting franchise small businesses, franchise owners, and employees, to work with both Democrats and Republicans on policies that grow and improve our economy, and to make sure our communities and businesses can reach their full potential."
“Contributing more than $1 trillion annually and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in our communities, small and franchise businesses are a vital part of economic growth and opportunity for our country,” said Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX). “I continue to hear from North Texan franchise small businesses about the many challenges they face – from workforce issues to regulatory troubles – and am working to get the federal government out of the way for our job creators. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to deliver solutions that help our nation’s franchise small businesses continue to operate through the challenges they face.”
“As a former franchise and small business owner, I am proud to join my colleagues in serving as a co-chair of the Congressional Franchise Caucus,” said Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA). “The franchise model offers an avenue for new business owners to build generational wealth while removing some of the uncertainty that comes with starting a business from square one. Many of these businesses are minority, woman and veteran-owned and play an important role in our economy. I look forward to working through the caucus to ensure their voices are heard in Congress.”
The Congressional Franchise Caucus was first established in 2016 to promote the franchise business model in the United States. Today there are approximately 790,492 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.4 million direct jobs, provide $825.4 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and contribute almost 3 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The franchise model opens doors for people from all backgrounds to start a small business – around 26% of franchises are owned by people of color, while 14% are owned by veterans. Franchising also provides greater opportunity for employees to earn competitive wages and benefits. Franchise businesses span 300 sectors of the American economy, from hotels to in-home health care to quick service restaurants to early childhood development programs. One-third of franchise owners say they wouldn’t own a small business without the franchise business format.
More information on the economic footprint of franchising in each state is available here.
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Celebrating over 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association (IFA) is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the approximately 790,492 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.4 million direct jobs, $825.4 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and almost 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.


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Judith Kerr was forced to flee Berlin with her family in 1933 when she was just 9 years old. 80 years later, on May 17 2013 she was honored at a ceremony in the city's town hall. The renowned and much loved children's author will be celebrating her 90th birthday in June this year.
What makes food kosher? Are all Jews religious? Is a German allowed to criticize Israel? Just some of the questions being asked of visitors to the Jewish Museum's latest exhibition in Berlin.
Anti-Semitism is tenacious, compared to dramatist and theater director, Tuvia Tenenbom, who insists on delivering ill-informed theatrical wisecracks to his audiences
It is his 200 birthday this year and never before has Richard Wagner or his operas been so controversial. Nike Wagner discusses his work and contemporary reception
Berlin once was a glamorous hub for international style and Jews were part of a thriving business. But the Nazis have almost destroyed fashion and tailoring tradition. Today Berlin ranks again among the top international fashion locations. More people earn their living in the fashion business in Berlin than in any other German city


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"folklore" has never sounded so good.
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Spotify Free on Sonos lets listeners shuffle Spotify's catalog and access personalized playlists including Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Daily Mix
“Old Town Road” skyrocketed to fame on TikTok. Now, its parent company could be launching a music streaming service.


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The Riley County Police Department is seeking the public’s help identifying a man wanted for questioning about a theft of nearly $2,800 in merchandise from a Manhattan retailer.
Surveillance photos shared on RCPD’s Facebook page show an older white man and what appears to be a red Chevrolet Silverado in the Menards parking lot. According to police, the suspect loaded the stolen items into a cart then into the truck.
Several big ticket items were reported stolen Sunday, including Snapper and Generac generators, a vinyl sliding window, a Bosch impact wrench and a WaterBoss water softener.
Anyone who can help identify the person pictured should contact RCPD or Crime Stoppers.