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Following two rounds of trilogue negotiations, the co-legislators reached a provisional agreement in December 2017. On 13 March 2018, the European Parliament at its plenary session, adopted the Commission proposal to make prices for cross-border parcel delivery services more transparent and affordable, and to increase regulatory oversight of the EU parcel market.
The regulation now must be adopted by the Council. It will then enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU, probably in May 2018. The European Commission needs to also adopt an implementing act to create a form for gathering the information required to be reported under the Regulation and publish guidance for tariffs assessment by the national Regulators.
Through this regulation, the co-legislators ensured greater transparency on workers’ terms and conditions in the parcels sector and introduced provisions to tackle obstacles to e-commerce between EU member states. The regulation also strengthened consumers rights with added information provision requirements about delivery options like pricing, choice and complaints procedures.
UNI Europa Post & Logistics supported the European Parliament negotiator, S&D MEP Lucy Anderson and advocated strongly throughout the legislative process. The agreement enables to shine a light on unfair or illegal terms and conditions for workers in the delivery industry. Parcel delivery companies with 50 or more employees must report yearly to regulators on their employment practices as well as the use of sub-contractors. National regulators can also ask of smaller companies of over 25 employees similar reporting obligations. Parcel delivery providers, and their subsidiaries must provide their national authorities with information on turnover, number of employees (part-time, full-time, temporary workers and self-employed), number of parcels handled, names of their subcontractors and any publicly accessible price list for parcel delivery services.
Dimitris Theodorakis, UNI Europa Post & Logistics Director said :
“This report is welcome as it supports e-Commerce growth on one hand and introduces reporting obligations for parcel delivery service providers on the other. The Commission’s Digital Single Market strategy is in this case accompanied by social and employment measures. The adopted new rules will bring forward more transparency in terms of prices for consumers and SMEs. More importantly for trade unions in the Logistics sector, the regulation will enable us to shed some light on the sector’s working conditions and employment terms. E-Commerce promotion must not come at the expense of decent quality jobs. It will assist in exposing some of the precarious and insecure terms and conditions that are prevalent in the sector notably in the last-mile delivery. It’s time to act to limit over-recourse to flexible and precarious conditions such as self-employment or zero-hour working contracts that fail to give workers decent terms and conditions. The co-legislators acted in favour of consumers, SMEs and workers by significantly ameliorating the regulatory oversight of a sector that has a complex supply chain and which often relies precarious employment models.”
The adopted Regulation text can be found here.


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SEVERN Trent Water bosses were branded a “disgrace” today after it emerged Midland customers would be hit with an above inflation hike in bills this year.
The company, which supplies more than a million homes in Birmingham, said the average water bill would increase by five per cent to £305.
Consumer watchdogs warned the rise will cause problems for householders, especially the elderly, on tight budgets already stretched by the recession.
Unison, the UK’s largest public sector trade union, called the price increase a disgrace.
Andrew Johnson, regional organiser for water, said: “Our members have worked hard to make sure that water companies have increased efficiency and made decent profits. It is a disgrace that many water companies are now planning to cut staff and freeze pay.”
Severn Trent said the increases would fund investment across the West Midlands.
Martin Kane, director of customer services said: “Our prices are set to go up by five per cent or up about 4p per day to bring our average bill to £305 for 2009/10.
“This still offers good value for money and allows us to continue with our extensive investment programme that will enhance the quality and reliability of our service across Birmingham and the West Midlands.”
Regulator Ofwat set the annual prices water and sewerage companies could charge five years ago and the new charges will come into effect on April 1.
Dame Yve Buckland, chairwoman of the Birmingham-based Consumer Council for Water, said: “Any price increase will be a concern for customers in the current economic climate, and we recognise many customers may struggle to keep up with these bill rises.”

domain: news


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Gartner Study: Users Moving to Tablets at Quicker Rate
For many people, their device of choice may no longer be a laptop or desktop. According to a new Gartner study, worldwide tablet shipments are beginning to outpace traditional PCs.
If you’re not already targeting a tablet audience, you may want to start doing so, because in a few short years it’ll be larger than the PC industry.
That’s the message the research company Gartner has underlined in its latest report on the worldwide computer market, which shows a significant slowdown in the traditional PC market but—simultaneously—predicts a major jump in worldwide tablet shipments, coinciding with ongoing mobile growth.
More key points from the report:
An ongoing decline: In 2013, Gartner predicts that PC-based models, such as desktops and notebooks, will decline by 7.6 percent to 315 million units shipped worldwide. At the same time, the tablet market, which was not a major player until 2010, is expected to hit 197 million in 2013 and 468 million by 2017. (And that’s nothing compared to mobile phones: Shipments of devices like smartphones are expected to top the 2 billion mark by 2017.) Emerging markets will play a major role in the growth of worldwide tablet shipments. “Growth in the tablet segment will not be limited to mature markets alone,” Gartner’s Ranjit Atwal noted in a press release. “Users in emerging markets who are looking for a companion to their mobile phone will increasingly choose a tablet as their first computing device and not a PC.”
The most popular OS? You might be surprised. While Windows remains a force in the desktop world, Android was already the world’s most popular operating system in 2012, and its lead is only expected to grow significantly by 2017, to nearly 1.5 billion devices worldwide, based on Gartner estimates. Windows, in comparison, would be installed on 570 million devices by 2017 and iOS on 504 million. “Android is going to get to volumes that are three times those of Windows,” says Gartner researcher Carolina Milanesi, who spoke to The Guardian. “From a consumer perspective, the question becomes: What software do you want to have to get the widest reach on your devices?”
The long-term effects: This could have multiple effects on both usage patterns and the manufacturers themselves. Among other things, margins will decline, consumers will use the cloud more often, and new models will emerge for different segments of the market, such as prepaid models or more targeted applications. “The trend towards smartphones and tablets will have much wider implications than hardware displacement,” Milanesi said, according to the press release. “Software and chipset architecture are also impacted by this shift as consumers embrace apps and personal cloud.”
From responsive design to apps, how has your association adapted to the changing computing climate? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.


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UNITED STATES (OBSERVATORY NEWS) — US authorities accused Chinese company Huawei of stealing trade secrets and of helping Iran to spy on protesters, reports Reuters.
Huawei Technologies Co is accused of conspiring to steal trade secrets from six US technology companies and violating the racketeering law commonly used to combat organized crime. New allegations of theft of trade secrets relate to the source code of the Internet router, cellular antenna technology and robotics.
The indictment also contains new allegations of Huawei’s business with sanctioned countries. In particular, it says that Huawei installed equipment in Iran that was used to monitor, identify, and detain protesters during anti-government demonstrations in Tehran in 2009.
In addition, the indictment states that Huawei provided banks with false information that it had no operations in North Korea.
The indictment is “part of an attempt to irreparably damage Huawei’s reputation and its business for reasons related to competition, not law enforcement,” the Chinese company said in a statement.
Huawei is the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer. The US suspects that the PRC government may use the company for covert espionage. However, Beijing and Huawei deny these allegations.
In May last year, the US Department of Commerce decided to put Huawei and its legal entities on the blacklist, limiting their ability to purchase services and components from US companies.
This article is written and prepared by our foreign editors writing for OBSERVATORY NEWS from different countries around the world – material edited and published by OBSERVATORY staff in our newsroom.
Contact us: [email protected]


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You could be looking at the next iPhone. It's still a prototype, yet it is starting to reveal a few interesting specs.
MacRumors was able to grab leaked photos of what looks to be the next iPhone, reportedly dubbed as the iPhone 5S. Perhaps the most interesting image is the one showing the main chip of the iPhone 5S, which does not have an A-series identification printed on it.
Don't Miss: Win a Free Nintendo NES Classic in our Giveaway
A closer look at the image reveals the APL0698 model number. If we'll compare this number to the iPhone 5's A6 chip (APL0598), you'll notice the slight increment in the second number. MacRumors notes that this could be an A7 chip.
Additionally, date codes on the chip also indicate that it was manufactured in October last year. We're referring to the 1239 date code which represents September 3, 2012. Another interesting code is the K1A0062 identifier.
The folks over at Chipworks are saying that previous Apple chips typically had the letter "N" which refers to Samsung, a long-time chip supplier for Apple. The change from N to K, according to Dick James and Jim Morrison of Chipworks, has something to do with Apple's decision to dump Samsung in favor of TSMC.
This is interesting, considering DigiTimes's report yesterday that Apple and TSMC already tied the knot.


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The Greek nursery Farm Hellas has put a lot of effort into the promotion of their flagship product: the organic pear variety Sissy. Sissy pears have found their way to the Greek retail market, where they met with a great response.
“Our Sissy pears have had great sales, to the point where consumers are directly asking for them by name. The success has been so great, that some retail chains had to temporarily remove them from the shelves, as other pear varieties remained unsold,” says Farm Hellas’ agricultural engineer Sofia Kepapidou.
As Sissy pears are an organic variety, the production volumes are rather modest, with only 50 tons per season. According to Kepapidou, this volume should last about two months. Farm Hellas is mostly involved with conventional production. While the company uses 80 hectares for conventional production, about 6 or 7 hectares are used for organic products. “We hope that more Greek farmers are going to switch over to organic, especially as the EU is handing out subsidies aimed at organic production,” says Kepapidou.
Farm Hellas is going to use these subsidies to create its own packaging facility. The company is also negotiating with local farmers who would like to operate under the umbrella of Farm Hellas. Another target for 2017 is to acquire GlobalGAP certificates in order to boost European trade. However, the most important project for this year has to do with promoting Sissy pears in the European agricultural sector. For Farm Hellas, Italy is of especial importance, as Italy has traditionally always been a large consumer of pears.
“We’ve introduced the Sissy pear to Italian growers, and they were very positive. This goes especially for the Bolzano area. There are a lot of apple growers in Bolzano, who’ve become disenchanted with their sector. Growing apples has become too expensive and they’re looking for more lucrative options. Pear cultivation could be a great alternative for this region,” says Kebapidou.
One of the strong points of the Sissy pear variety is its resistance to frost. Greece has had to deal a lot with adverse weather circumstances. The main production area of Larissa was hit by a cold front in March 2016. Because of this, about 70% to 80% of the total pear production was destroyed. However, the sissy pear production remained unscathed. Research by scientists of the universities of Thessaloniki and Volos, in cooperation with the Greek department of agriculture, confirms this characteristic of the Sissy pear.
The Sissy pear season started a bit earlier in 2016 due to warm weather. While the season typically commences on the first week of August, this year it kicked off in the last week of July. Volumes will last until January or February by use of cold storage or even until April when processed with Smartfresh. “We’ve been working like this for years, storing half of our volumes to stretch the season. We usually end the season during the Greek Easter in April, as from May onwards other Greek fruits, like strawberries, hit the market,” says Kebapidou.
For the first time ever, Farm Hellas will be present at Fruit Logistica 2017. The company aims to promote Sissy pears, while also working with other companies to support the Greek agricultural sector as a whole.


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“Makers in the iPhone supply chain will start delivering parts and components for production of the next-generation iPhone series later in the first quarter of 2017, earlier than the schedule in previous years,” Cage Chao and Jessie Shen report for DigiTimes citing “industry sources.”
“KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple’s upcoming iPhone range will include two iPhone 7S models and an iPhone 8 with OLED display,” Chao and Shen report. “The devices are slated for launch in September 2017.”
“In addition to an OLED screen, the iPhone 8 will come with wireless charging and iris scanning technology, industry sources disclosed,” Chao and Shen report. “Makers in the supply chain are generally optimistic about the popularity of the device, the sources said.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We hereby nominate that last line as the Understatement of the Year, so far.
Hopefully, this will be true wirelsss charging, as in Energous, not like Samsung’s kludgey “wireless” charging which, of course, requires a wire.
KGI’s Ming Chi Kuo predicts wireless charging for all three new iPhones – February 9, 2017
More evidence suggests Apple tie-up with true wireless charging firm Energous – December 21, 2016
Apple supplier Dialog partners with wireless charging company Energous – December 15, 2016
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple’s next-gen iPhone to feature all-glass case for wireless charging – November 23, 2016
Two major ‘iPhone 8’ leaks reveal groundbreaking new features – November 23, 2016
Evidence suggests Apple is working on the biggest mobile game-changer since the original iPhone – November 8, 2016
Apple possibly working with Energous on extended range wireless charging for future iPhones – February 5, 2016
Apple developing cutting-edge long-range wirelessly-charged iPhones and iPads – January 29, 2016
iPhone 7 and the potential for wireless charging – January 19, 2016
Apple will drop headphone jack to make the iPhone 7 super slim, source confirms; wireless charging and waterproof, too – January 7, 2016
Apple looks to patent inductive charging system that could power an Apple Pencil or even a future kitchen appliance – January 7, 2016
Apple files 5th wireless inductive charging patent application since Late September – November 5, 2015\
Apple patent application reveals iPhone inductive charging sans extra hardware – October 8, 2015
Patent application reveals Apple working on wireless charging systems focused on rapid power delivery – August 27, 2015
Apple invents inductive charging interfaces for mobile devices – April 2, 2015
Apple ‘iPhone 7’ models likely to offer wireless charging – April 2, 2015


text: DURBAN Metro’s commercial fibre-optic cable system is being muscled out of its own backyard by national operators, says an industry analyst. Rolf Schmidt, a former telecommunications adviser to the metro, said the metro’s MetroConnect fibre-optic cable network is being slowly pushed out of the arena by aggressive commercial players, red-tape and slow decision making. What makes this so significant is that the primary reason MetroConnect was launched in 2008 was to offer affordable data services to city-run businesses and to drive local economic development. According to the city, they are “reacting” to the changing market dynamics and are currently working on a new selling model to compete in what is becoming a crowded space that includes names such as Darkfibre Africa, Telkom and Neotel. “MetroConnect is reactive rather than proactive and it needs to become organised in order to not lose its own market to foreign-based firms. Their system was not originally built for the purpose of commercial use and can be found anywhere there is water or electricity. Commercial enterprises build their networks on commercial demand focusing on business and industrial nodes. Bureaucracy is slowing it down,” said Schmidt. The city’s ICT senior manager in networks and telecoms, Emmanuel Pillay, said MetroConnect will change its direction next year to meet the changing competitive landscape. “We are in the process of developing a new model on how to package MetroConnect. This should be finalised by next year,” said Pillay. He said their primary objective is not profit, but economic development. In the early 2000s, the council embarked on a strategy to turn Durban into a smart city. As availability and quality of ICT infrastructure was the prerequisite for achieving this goal, the city started laying a next-generation fibre-optic cable network throughout the municipal area. In October 2008, the city launched MetroConnect, an initiative aimed at selling the excess capacity on its network to Internet service providers (ISPs) at a wholesale price.


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Burger King has expanded its BK Delivers program to the Detroit market. This is BK Delivers' 17th city. The program is also available in Boston; New York; Miami; Tucson, Ariz.; Houston; Los Angeles; Chicago; the San Francisco Bay Area; Las Vegas; Sacramento, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Denver; Minneapolis; and Spokane, Wash.
According to the company, the delivery program is being expanded to meet customer demand.
"BK Delivers is already performing well in many cities across the country, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. As its popularity has grown, we have seen an increasing demand for the program in other markets," said Petru Pusta, director, retail innovation and non-traditional channels, Burger King Worldwide Inc. "The Metro Detroit area has some of our most loyal guests, and the brand is excited to offer them the opportunity to enjoy the food they love, delivered to them in the comfort of their home, dorm or office."
BK Delivers allows guests in the delivery zone to customize and order their food through BKDelivers.com or toll free at 1-855-Order-BK. Burger King's proprietary thermal packaging technology was created to keep hot food hot and cold food cold on the delivery.
There is currently one live delivery restaurant in the northern suburbs of Detroit serving Royal Oak, Birmingham, Madison Heights, Clawson, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Ferndale and Hazel Park. This initial location will serve as a training ground, allowing operators to understand the system and to train their crew members prior to expanding the offering to other locations in the DMA.
Read more about operations management.


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eToro to Offer Visa Debit Card in the UK
On Thursday, eToro, an Israel-based investment platform, launched its eToro Money program in the United Kingdom, including distributing a VISA debit card to clients.
The broker gives its investment accounts instant deposit and withdrawal cash users under the revised program. In addition, they may keep and manage fiat and cryptocurrency funds in one account.
“I’m excited that eToro Money is now accessible to all of our UK customers,” Doron Rosenblum, vice president of business solutions at eToro, said in a statement.
Only in the UK
All UK members of the eToro Club program will be entitled to the eToro Money VISA debit card, which will come with no additional or recurring monthly expenses.
The introduction of these new services was not a surprise. eToro previously stated its intentions to provide a debit card after acquiring Marq Millions Ltd. eToro Money is a Visa Principal Member and is offering the new service with an FCA license obtained.
Although the debit card is only available to clients in the United Kingdom, the firm has ambitions to expand internationally.
“We discovered from our beta testing that eToro Money significantly improves the user experience by allowing for fast cash-in and -out. We’re excited to see what else eToro can offer us, and we’re looking forward to expanding the user base outside of the UK,” Rosenblum said.
Meanwhile, eToro is merging with an American blank-check firm to list its stock on a US-based stock exchange.
Other eToro rivals are expanding their services by entering the payments market. NAGA, known for its social trading offerings, launched a payments platform last month and provided a Visa debit card.
- Trading Instrument
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JAMMU, JULY 27: Fisheries Department is going to conduct e-auction of 50 wholesale cum retail shops to be allotted to the bidders situated at Narwal Mandi, Jammu.
IN PUBLIC INTEREST
*Cover your face with masks to prevent transmission of droplets carrying coronavirus
*Exercise social distancing
*Wash your hands frequently
*Sanitize your hands
STAY HOME & STAY SAFE!
Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Navin Choudhary, today chaired a meeting to discuss modalities for procedure to be adopted during e-auction of the fish shops.
Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation, Avny Lavasa; Director, Fisheries, Bashir Ahmad Bhat; Joint Director, Fisheries, Manzoor Ahmed Wani; Chief Project Officer, Marketing Narwal Jammu, Masood Ahmed Wani and concerned fish wholesaler and retailer shopkeepers attended the meeting.
Commissioner JMC gave details of fish wholesalers and retailers in the municipal jurisdiction and also briefed about the existing fish markets in the JMC limit.
Director Fisheries apprised the Principal Secretary about the detailed report of auction process being adopted normally by the fisheries department during conduct of such auctions.
Navin Choudhary directed the officers to complete the process of e-auction of 10 shops for whole sale market with in stipulated time frame. He also directed them to ensure that priority should be given to those whole sellers who have received the notice from JMC.
Principal Secretary stressed upon the officers to conduct the process for allotment of 40 retail fish shops on the same lines through e-bidding.
Navin said that this is the first such fish market in Jammu and Kashmir which has been established as a pilot project and it is envisaged that many more such markets shall be developed in the UT.
He said that the purpose of development of such markets is to provide neat and hygienic environment to customers as well as fish retailers and wholesalers who had been operating from dingy and unorganized areas earlier.


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Parents: If you’re wondering what your kid wants for Christmas this year, the latest data from Nielsen provides a fairly clear answer: Most kids want Apple products, and in particular, iPads. Big surprise there, right? Just like pretty much every other year!
Out of the top 5 most wanted Christmas presents among kids aged 6 to 12, four are Apple products, including all of Apple’s iOS devices. Apple devices even outweigh dedicated game consoles, such as the XBox 360, or even portable gaming devices such as the PlayStation Vita.
[…] Apple’s popularity leading up to the holiday season continues a trend seen over the last couple of years, with American kids aged 6-12 generally more interested in the latest iOS offerings than other consumer electronics and gaming devices.
Approximately half the children surveyed expressed interest in the full-sized iPad (up from 44% last year), and 36 percent in the new iPad Mini. The iPod Touch and iPhone are also coveted devices among these young consumers (36% and 33%, respectively).
Meanwhile, with kids 13 and older, tablets and notebooks/netbooks top the list, with 24 percent saying they want an iPad, and 18 percent saying they want some tablet other than the iPad.


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Medical Pot Growers in Maryland Are Multiplying the Number of Cannabis Plants
Not taking into account the initial difficulties, the medical weed industry in Maryland is enlarging now. State’s cultivators are striving to meet the needs of numerous patients demanding their plant remedy. By the end of the cannabis market’s first year, vendors’ gross sales surpassed $96 million. After that, lawmakers authorized the sale of edible cannabis products.
More and more growers are setting up shops as they obtain cultivating licenses. Meanwhile, responsible politicians are trying to decide what a regulated adult-use market should look like and function.
There’s also a high probability of recreational marijuana legalization that could help to finance the state’s landmark education plan.
Additionally, regulators are developing a strategy on how to organize the recreational cannabis industry that would supersede the black market, lead to sufficient tax revenue to make it worthwhile, help communities that were inappropriately influenced by marijuana-related arrests, and would not provoke growth in underage use.
Matt Darin, Grassroots Cannabis chief operating officer and co-founder, said people in Maryland have welcomed the use of marijuana for medical purposes more swiftly than residents from the 10 other states company works in. He thinks that Marylanders have become more comfortable asking for plant medicine and doctors with recommending it. There is also a patient-friendly program created in the state, Darin said, which has a more profuse list of conditions that qualify for treatment comparing to any other state.
Regulators reported that the medical cannabis market in Maryland still has a lot of space to develop itself, taking into account a fact that there are 82 dispensaries that have been opened in the state in the last 2 years.
In many U.S. states, patients who use weed for medical purposes represent 1-4% of the population. In Maryland, the 70,000 registered users account for a little more than 1%, which theoretically means that the cannabis market could increase 4 times.


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[FEATURING] GCash expands services, apps
Financial app GCash broadened its platform as it introduced new products and services geared towards lifestyle, entrepreneurship, financial services and social impact.
In a virtual briefing on Wednesday, GCash President and Chief Executive Officer Martha Sazon said the e-wallet saw an almost doubled user base from more than 20 million in January last year to over 40 million to date.
She also noted that active users currently use the app more than two times daily.
“We want to break the existing boundaries to enable financial freedom. We envision a Philippines where people have equal access to financial opportunities and lifestyle choices where everyone, whether rich or poor, have an equal chance to achieve their dreams,” Sazon said.
One of the new financial services that GCash offers is GInvest, which allows users to invest in professionally managed local and global funds for as low as P50.
GCash likewise has a money management feature through its fully digital savings account,
GSave, built in partnership with CIMB Bank.
GInsure, on the other hand, provides insurance services for medical emergencies and accidents. It also offers financial assistance through Cash For Medical Costs and Cash For Income Loss.
GCash also has a personal credit line available within the app through GCredit.
“We aim to break down barriers of entry for Fillipinos and make them realize that saving, investing or even insuring one’s finances can be accessible to all,” GCash head of Financial Services and Advanced Analytics JF Darre said.
The e-wallet also launched an e-commerce feature, GLife, which currently features more than 25 brands across retail, food, gaming, entertainment and transport.
As a bid to enhance security and mitigate the risk of wrongly sending money, GCash also introduced GCash QR on Demand for entrepreneurs.
GCash said they are also set to launch the GPadala service to enable overseas Filipino workers to send money to non-GCash users for cash pick up anywhere nationwide.


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Beauty brand expansions, extensions, and consolidations all make up the biggest headlines this morning, Wednesday, September 6th. Ayurvedic-inspired skin-care brand Aavrani is partnering with a major influencer for its first move into the hair category, The Lip Bar bets big on CVS by entering into more doors, while investment firm Hoziane decides to consolidate its three hair-tool brands — InStyler, Flower by Drew Barrymore, and Harry Josh Hair Tools — into a single entity. You can read these stories and more in the links below.
The High Cost of Low Maintenance Hair. Consumers are showing an appetite for targeted, science-backed hair-care products, with the luxury hair-care category seeing double-digit sales growth in the 12-month period ending in May 2023. In this report, we look at the key trends driving growth in this booming category. (CEW)
Aavrani, Lilly Singh Join Forces on Hair Care Range. Ayurvedic-inspired skin-care brand, Aavrani, is teaming up with influencer Lilly Singh on a hair-care range, set to debut at Sephora next spring. (WWD)
The Lip Bar Makes Its Largest Retail Expansion with CVS. In an effort to tap into consumers who live in big cities, the 11-year-old brand expanded to 3,300 CVS locations, doubling its current number of brick-and-mortar doors. (Glossy)
New Owner Combines InStyler With Flower and Harry Josh Hair Tools to Create Instyler Brands. Dan Fugardi has joined InStyler Brands as CEO to help spearhead the company’s reorganization and help improve profitability. Here, he speaks about his strategy. (Beauty Independent)
Facebook’s Unloved ‘News’ Tab is Going Away in Europe. Meta plans to remove the News tab in Facebook’s bookmarks section in the UK, France, and Germany in order to focus on other priorities, like short-form video — the most recent step the social media platform has taken to make news a lower priority for its users. (The Verge)
Body Shop Removes Men’s Section in its Shops to Make Them More Gender-Neutral Following Complaints From Workers. The brand’s UK managing director explains why the brand chose to remove the mens’ bay from its stores. (The Daily Mail)


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Apple Succumbs To China’s Demands To Remove User Privacy Apps From Store
China appears to have received help on Saturday from an unlikely source in its fight against tools that help users evade its Great Firewall of internet censorship: Apple.
Software made by foreign companies to help users skirt the country’s system of internet filters has vanished from Apple’s app store on the mainland.
One company, ExpressVPN, posted a letter it had received from Apple saying that its app had been taken down “because it includes content that is illegal in China.”
Another tweeted from its official account that its app had been removed.
A search on Saturday showed that a number of the most popular foreign virtual-private networks, also known as VPNs, which give users access to the unfiltered internet in China, were no longer accessible on the company’s app store there.
ExpressVPN wrote in its blog that the removal was “surprising and unfortunate.”
It added, “We’re disappointed in this development, as it represents the most drastic measure the Chinese government has taken to block the use of VPNs to date, and we are troubled to see Apple aiding China’s censorship efforts.”
Sunday Yokubaitis, president of Golden Frog, a company that makes privacy and security software including VyprVPN, said its software, too, had been taken down from the app store. “We gladly filed an amicus brief in support of Apple in their backdoor encryption battle with the F.B.I.,” he said, “so we are extremely disappointed that Apple has bowed to pressure from China to remove VPN apps without citing any Chinese law or regulation that makes VPN illegal.”
He added, “We view access to Internet in China as a human rights issue, and I would expect Apple to value human rights over profits.”
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment about the removals, which appear to affect only users in Apple’s China app store — generally those who have indicated a billing address in mainland China.
This is not the first time that Apple has removed apps at the request of the Chinese government, but it is a new reminder of how deeply beholden the tech giant has become to Beijing at a moment when the leadership has been pushing to tighten its control over the internet.
The removals signal a new push by China to control the internet. In the past, the Great Firewall has used technology to disrupt VPNs, and Beijing has shut down Chinese VPNs and even aimed a huge cyberattack at a well-known foreign site hosting code that circumvented the filters.
But they also mark the first time China has successfully used its influence with a major foreign tech platform, like Apple, to push back against the software makers.


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Apple will reportedly be incorporating the next generation iPhone with SLR like interchangeable lenses.
Bangalore, India: Apple will reportedly be incorporating the next generation iPhone with SLR like interchangeable lenses. This move will also reportedly bridge the gap between removable lenses and photography.
Sources say that with these interchangeable lenses, iPhone users will find it easy to change optical lenses present in the iPhone as per their requirements. These sources further state that this interchangeable lens incorporation by Apple is a bid by the leading I.T company to retain its top slot in the mobile-camera sector.
With this, users will no doubt be provided varied optical options which give users freedom to arrange the optical settings ( including hardware) according to their requirements.
Apple has also filed a patent to confirm the above design mechanism in its iPhones. There is every chance of the patent getting approved soon. If it is approved at the earliest and if Apple manages to incorporate this design in its new iPhone versions, then users' smartphone experience is sure to become more enriching and fulfilling.
What's your say on this?


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The rapid rise of values for Porsche 911s has brought many of them out of hiding and onto the auction stage, with the earlier model-year cars still commanding unheard-of prices.
The latest Porsche collection to hit the bidding circuit is being offered in an online auction with 27 cars from a private enthusiast ranging from a 1974 911 Carrera coupe to several low-mileage 2013 911s. Pre-auction value estimates range from the low $30,000s to $166,000, with all the cars carrying reserve prices.
The live auction will be held April 14 starting at 3 p,m. EST (noon Pacific) and presented by Last Chance by LiveAuctioneers.com.
“The entire collection was assembled by a Porsche enthusiast who – like his father – has collected the luxury sports car marque for years,” Live Auctioneers said of the unidentified seller in a news release. “The owner learned the ropes from his father and, for years, has been handpicking Porsches for numerous dealers across the country.”
The first car up is the oldest of the group, the 1974 Carrera, and carries the highest estimated value of $158,987–$166,486. Other highlights include a 2009 911 Turbo coupe with just 13,742 miles on its odometer, a 1990 Carrera Cabriolet valued at just $42,400-$44,400, and a 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera S with 27,653 original miles.
For more information and the full list of Porsches, visit the auction website.


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PARIS — Some PPR shareholders entering the firm’s annual meeting were pelted with eggs Thursday, as about 100 employees out front voiced anger against planned job cuts at the group’s La Redoute, Fnac and Conforama chains.
Hoisting placards, one depicting a cartoon businessman grinding workers into cash, union members urged shareholders to forfeit at least some of their dividends to preserve about 1,900 jobs.
However, shareholders were unmoved and overwhelmingly approved a dividend of 3.30 euros, or $4.39 at current exchange, a share, which was 4.3 percent less than a year ago, reflecting how the economic crisis stifled consumption and bit into profits last year.
Shareholders also welcomed Aditya Mittal, the 33-year-old son of billionaire steel titan Lakshmi Mittal and president and chief financial officer of Arcelor Mittal, to the firm’s board of directors.
PPR’s first-quarter sales, published last month, declined 2.6 percent to 4.78 billion euros, or $6.25 billion. Business was down 4.5 percent at Fnac, 5.4 percent at Redcats group, which includes La Redoute, and 10 percent at furniture chain Conforama.
During the meeting, PPR chief executive François-Henri Pinault flashed slides showing how 2008 profits declined at the three retailers, contrasting with gains at Gucci Group, Puma and the African trading company CFAO.
He said PPR would continue to be vigilant about costs this year in the face of the economic crisis, and defended the job cuts, out of a total workforce of some 88,000, as a necessary step at the first signs of slowdown in order to avoid “more radical measures” later.
He cited the closure of five Sergio Rossi stores in the U.S., and of several Conforama furniture stores in Italy and Spain, as examples of other tactics to streamline operations.
However, questioned about the retail chain’s lower profitability, he defended PPR’s diverse holdings, saying the “alchemy” of both mass and luxury business is needed to build a strong group.
Last month, PPR said it requested France’s market authorities to investigate “unfounded rumors and diffusion of false information” relating to the possible sale of Gucci Group. At the meeting, a PPR spokeswoman reiterated it categorically denies the rumor.
PPR employees demonstrated in front of the firm’s Avenue Hoche headquarters last month, and some went on strike to protest the job cuts. And in March, protesting workers blocked Pinault in a taxi for just under an hour before he was freed by police.
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)
As one of the most recognizable models in the world, Christy Turlington Burns has an insider’s view of the fashion industry and the allegations of sexual harassment swirling around it. “I can say that harassment and mistreatment have always been widely known and tolerated in the industry. The industry is surrounded by predators who thrive on the constant rejection and loneliness so many of us have experiences at some point in our careers,” Turlington told WWD, along with her suggestions for how the modeling world should protect younger women and men. Read more on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: Tony Palmieri) #wwdnews
@asics America has tapped a new brand ambassador: famed DJ/record producer @steveaoki. This initiative is intended to set the tone for the new brand identity and philosophy and will include partnerships with influencers and in-store and off-line activations that will continue into next year. This is Asics’ most significant marketing effort in two decades, and is expected to attract younger consumers to the brand. #wwdfashion
24-year-old Jean Prounis is redefining the rules of jewelry. Formerly a studio assistant to Jemima Kirke and a design apprentice at Ghuran, she focuses on handcrafted subtleties and ancient goldsmithing techniques. “There was a really sterile feel in the environment and I wanted to have jewelry with character that shapes how you wear it everyday,” Prounis said. Each piece is hand made in New York, either by Prounis or three other jewelers in the district. #wwdfashion
“These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering differently abled adults to express themselves through fashion,” said @tommyhilfiger of his line of adaptive apparel, which launches today. The line consists of 37 men’s and 34 women’s styles based upon the pieces from the spring Tommy Hilfiger sportswear collection. #wwdnews


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Two measurement platforms will announce a partnership Thursday that gives marketers a new option for measuring advertising campaigns.
Survata will announce a collaboration with Oracle Data Cloud to integrate attention data from its ad viewability platform Moat Analytics with brand-impact data from the Survata Ad Measurement platform.
Moat measures the attention span of viewers, or the quality of that attention, as well as how long the ad remained in view on the screen. Survata measures persuasion, meaning whether the ad influences the consumer to make the purchase.
Mark Kopera, head of product for Moat Analytics at Oracle Data Cloud, said the partnership ties attention analytics with the impact the campaign has on the consumer viewing the ad.
The biggest challenge will be the integration of the two tags.
Advertisers have been asking both companies to form a partnership because “if Survata’s system is blind to whether consumers see the ad, we found that the persuasion measurement isn’t nearly as accurate,” said Chris Kelly, founder and CEO of Survata.
The two companies worked with dozens of major brands to help them understand how “attention” correlates to the impact on the brand and campaign. “We didn’t want to scare off advertisers by making this complicated,” Kelly said.
The bigger challenge came with deciding what to measure and educating advertisers about which questions to ask to achieve their goals. For example, what type of attention drove the purchase?
It turns out that as consumers increase their adoption of mobile devices, attention spans shorten.
A report from Integral Ad Science, released early in 2018, suggests that the average time a viewable display ad was in view on desktop was 10.58 seconds, compared with mobile web display at 7.43 seconds. The data is based on hundreds of billions of ad impressions for a device type, ad format, and buy type.
The metrics are viewable separately in each of the platforms, but in the future the two will include the metrics in each other’s dashboard.


text: Neilson’s chocolate milk in the 4 liter bags with the best before date of June 1 due to a possible Listeria contamination. There have been several illnesses that may be linked to the milk. Head company Saputo says further testing is underway. Some Presidents Choice Trail Mix products containing sunflower seeds, are also on the list of being contaminated with Listeria. Also Kashi trail mix Whole Grain Bars, sold in packs of six with best before dates of January and February 2017 and 18 Packs with dates between September and November 2016. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the products should not be consumed.


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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
Two of America’s best-selling cars could be at risk of reduced production as inventories for the Toyota Camry and the Honda Civic are on the rise.
Back in January, Honda targeted 1.02 million in vehicle sales for the 2012 year in the US, but the Japanese automaker is now optimistic that it’ll sell almost 1.3 million units this year.


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Tune in on Dec. 16 to a webinar on the 2020 Market Measure Report presented by Dan Tratensek, NHPA executive vice president and executive editor of Hardware Retailing.
In this webinar, Tratensek will break down the economic trends and events that impacted the independent home improvement channel in 2020 and will offer important takeaways retailers can use to prepare for 2021.
The webinar is sponsored by Epicor as part of the ongoing NHPA Strategic Series of webinars. The event is free to attend and open to all members of the home improvement channel. Visit nrha.org/webinars to reserve your seat for the December webinar and to catch up on past NHPA webinars.


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Riva Technology and Entertainment (RTE), the leading gaming and technology investment group, together with its sister company, Galaxy Racer (GXR), the largest esports, gaming, and lifestyle organization in the world, has announced its acquisition of VY Esports.
The VY Esports platform POPC Lounge enables creators to connect with their superfans through monetized digital experiences involving live streams, 1:1 live video chats, merchandise sales, and other unique online engagements. The company also services the live events industry by creating a hybrid model, adding a new revenue stream so viewers from around the world can access selected live content and interact with talents through digital activations.
The POPC Lounge platform will serve as the virtual arm for the upcoming ‘POPC Live!’ mega event in Dubai that is beginning in March 2022.
Founder and CEO of Riva Technology and Entertainment, Founder and CEO of Galaxy Racer, Paul Roy said: “We are excited to announce Riva Technology and Entertainment and Galaxy Racer’s acquisition of VY Esports, which we absolutely believe will bring amazing synergy to our group of companies. We are delighted to work with our new board member from VY Esports and advisory board member from Raine Ventures, as we leverage their expertise to grow the business.”
Founder and CEO of VY Esports, Oleg Butenko, said: “We are thrilled to be part of Riva Technology and Entertainment and Galaxy Racer, as we strongly believe in Paul Roy’s vision. With the POPC Lounge platform, we will push hyper-growth across the vast RTE and Galaxy Racer influencer network. ”
VY Esports was founded by CEO and founder Oleg Butenko, a digital entrepreneur who has founded businesses focused on music, telecom, and esports. As part of the acquisition, Oleg Butenko, Founder and CEO of VY Esports will be joining the board of Riva Technology and Entertainment.
Additionally, Gordon Rubenstein, Managing Partner of Raine Ventures will be joining the advisory boards of both Riva Technology and Entertainment and Galaxy Racer.
Riva Technology and Entertainment (RTE) was founded in 2002 with a global presence stretching from the USA to East Asia. RTE has successfully been delivering the “vision of tomorrow”. RTE’s group of companies hold an industry advantage in their ability to successfully take every project from concept to execution; all housed under one roof. The complementary companies cover location-based entertainment, brand and Intellectual Property licensing, content development, consumer products, gaming, and esports.
RTE has a 20-year history of dealing with partners in multiple sectors of the gaming industry, evidenced by its highly experienced core team.
Galaxy Racer (GXR) was founded in 2019 and is the largest esports, gaming and lifestyle organization in the world, with over 100 content creators across Middle East North Africa (MENA) and Southeast Asia (SEA), amassing over 500 million followers and generating over 2.5 billion monthly views.


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Supply chain oversight
Department of Defense Issues Solicitation for Supply Chain Management Software
According to a solicitation from the Defense Innovation Unit, the offering should be able to create alternate pathways for critical supplies, identify and manage risks within the supply chain and manage risks in a scaleable manner. The software should also feature analytic techniques that allow DOD users to ingest commercially available, publicly available, proprietary and government-furnished data to populate computational representations of supply chains.
The deadline for responses is Sept. 16, C4ISRNET reported.
The software must also allow users to search for or create computational representations of supply chains for specific use-cases, flag risks within the computational representation, create models and simulations within a specific value chain and identify important nodes across supply chain representations.
The Pentagon wants the software to enable automated data fusion, pre-built risk models and configurable and user-defined visualizations, among others.
The DIU said in its solicitation that threats to the defense industrial base are evolving. Reliance on foreign-owned products and services could also negatively impact availability, the trustworthiness of systems and other related matters.
The models created by the software would allow the DOD to make cost estimations, digital representations and risk identification and mitigation solutions.
The Pentagon is ramping up efforts to protect the supply chain from disruptions. Bill La Plante, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment, said during a Defense News event on Sept. 7 that he is working on new guidance to help alleviate some of the impacts that COVID-19 and inflation have had on supply chains.
The U.S. Congress has also introduced the CHIPS Act to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign sources for semiconductor technology.
Category: Digital Modernization
Tags: Bill LaPlante C4ISRNET Defense Innovation Unit Department of Defense digital modernization software solution supply chain security


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Thursday evening I had the pleasure of attending the Organic Trade Association’s annual award dinner, held at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD. An evening designed to celebrate industry leaders and kick off Expo East, the event touted an impressive mix of farmers, activists and businesspeople (frequently in the same individual!). It was a multitasking crowd for a multi-varied movement.
At the table, I met a group of passionate, informed, and dedicated people- from research house NMI, Annie’s, Ancient Harvest, as well as a woman involved with FoodForward, coming soon to PBS. Each was generous in sharing their hard-earned knowledge, and I freely admit I took avid notes throughout the conversation. We talked industry trends, issues of capacity, and the challenges of finding enough certified organic land to meet the growing demand for organic products.
As the dinner began, an organizer alerted us to the long standing, non-denominational tradition of taking a moment to thank the farmers who worked to provide us the with the feast of organic meats, fruits, veggies and grains on offer. The room was silent for a moment as each offered up their appreciation. Then it was time to dig in.
The awards were given between courses, beginning with the Organic Farmer of the Year Award. Doug Crabtree of Vilicus Farms, this year’s recipient, spoke of “the number one challenge to organic farming is to grow more organic farmers…or, as we prefer to call them, land-stewards.” (Vilicus, as it happens, is Latin for “steward”). He then invited us online casino all to join him in discussing the issue further at a seminar the next morning at Expo East.
Next up, receiving the Rising Star Award, was founder of Naturepedic Organic Mattresses Barry A. Cik. Cik shared his inspiration in beginning the company, describing the experience of mattress shopping for his first grandchild- faced with the toxic materials used seemingly unilaterally, he said he had no choice but to come up with something better on his own.
Lastly was the OTA’s own Marty Mesh, receiving the Growing the Organic Industry Award. Mesh, a more than 40 year veteran of the organic movement, spoke at length about his commitment to bringing the principles of social justice to every stop along the supply chain. He took a moment to thank a lost friend, who passed away due to the health complications that arise from long-term exposure to the toxic chemicals used in conventional agriculture. He described his aha! Moment while engaged in conventional agriculture himself, having sprayed an apple orchard, saying- “and then it hit me- I had just applied poison to every single apple in that orchard.”
Mesh talked about how far the industry had come, joking that “we have infiltrated the USDA, and can no longer just stand outside and throw rocks, because we are they and they are we.” About current challenges, he pointed to “policies that do not support a change to organic (but) merely tolerate organic.” There a ripple of assent through the crowd. He included with a rallying cry meant to echo beyond the museum walls, “We need to ask eaters to be not just consumers, but food citizens, who take responsibility for their choices,” as well as a challenge to the crowd- “to celebrate tonight and then get back to work tomorrow.”
It was a pleasure and a privilege to be in the room when each guest unanimously answered that challenge with pride… and a standing ovation.


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At the end of last month, advertising executives strolled around Sydney’s iconic Luna Park for Advertising Week APAC, attending workshops and seminars from global industry leaders on topics ranging from mental health to the future of media. Georgina Harris attended the annual conference where Facebook’s vice president of partnerships, Ime Archibong, spoke about social responsibility, the danger of a single story and the power of technology.
At the end of last month advertising executives strolled around Sydney’s iconic Luna Park for Advertising Week APAC, attending workshops and seminars from global industry leaders on topics ranging from mental health to the future of media. Georgina Harris attended the annual conference and heard from Facebook’s global marketing officer Antonio Lucio about diversity, regulation and rebuilding its reputation.
After widespread condemnation for Facebook’s role in the Christchurch terror attacks – along with Mark Zuckerberg’s placid response – the social media giant has finally responded to public scrutiny. It has banned users from its live streaming services if they “violate our most serious policies”, plus it has put 7.5 million into research to improve video analysis technology. To make sense of the new changes, we ask local social media experts and technologists whether the world’s most powerful company could have done more to prevent social media hate crimes, featuring The Warehouse Group's Cassie Roma, Springload's Bron Thomson, Spacetime's Alex Bartley Catt and ocial and digital media communication strategist Troy Rawhiti-Connell.
As the world's biggest digital companies grapple with a raft of issues – such as Facebook and dealing with the recent fall out of the livestreaming of murders in Christchurch –the values creeping into business language will increasingly be human, like kindness, warmth, authenticity, generosity. Anthem’s executive director Vincent Heeringa shares his thoughts and insights on what was the key takeaways from SXSW were, including why more tech companies need to join "Team Human".
It was 10 April, 2018. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook appeared in front of the United States Congress to talk data, privacy and how we should police the internet. 44 senators asked tough questions around privacy policies, business models and consumer protection. Zuckerburg answered honestly and robustly, facing up to criticism, owning up to failures, arguing for net neutrality and outlining plans to “do better”. For a nerd like me, it was fascinating. But what will it actually mean?
Arguably the most influential social media platform of our time, Facebook, has had its days in the sun. But now as the platform falls on hard times, it may be easy to dismiss it as useful in your personal life. But does the platform still hold appeal from a business standpoint?
To be honest, I didn’t quit Facebook in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. I just gradually lost interest, and realised around June last year that I should really get around to switching out the lights for good before my little-used profile got hacked.


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Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, was “very annoyed” when he refused to meet with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. It’s the latest development in the never-ending feud between Bezos and the Trump administration. Since 2016, they have been on Twitter for their ongoing attacks on The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon and Bezos.
According to the Washington Post, Navarro offered to hold a meeting with Bezos last month at a lavish alfalfa club dinner in Washington, D.C., to discuss counterfeit products on his platform. The company has long struggled with counterfeit goods and has worked with U.S. Customs to remove them when they are found.
Bezos reportedly replied: ‘Call Jay Carney and tell him we’ll meet. Carney, a former press secretary to Obama, now works in Amazon’s communications division. In the past few weeks, amazon executives have held several meetings with Navarro, which Bezos himself did not attend.
And that infuriated Bezos. He told The Washington Post on Tuesday that the main reason he wanted to meet Bezos was because he could “stop the fakes (on Amazon) completely in the blink of an eye.” Navarro continued: “It’s a rare situation where a person can have a huge impact on the problem – but so far it’s still being ‘turned a blind eye’. “
Bezos chose to respond to Navarro’s comments on Instagram.
Suppose you’re having a big cocktail party and someone you don’t know is talking to your father and girlfriend and asking for a meeting. And this person is the kind of person who actually uses the word “minions” to describe your employees. “
Emily Birnbaum of The Hill interviewed Navarro on Thursday and asked how he felt about Bezos’s message about him on Instagram, to which he responded:
This may be a mediocre and passive lying and offensive post by the author of “Zen and Counterfeit Trafficking Art.” It would be more constructive to simply meet with White House representatives to discuss a very serious issue.
This isn’t the first time Bezos has been dogged by controversy among Trump administration officials. Mr. Trump himself has frequently attacked Mr. Bezos for owning the Washington Post and cursed the billionaire on Twitter. Amazon is also in the midst of a huge federal lawsuit challenging the government’s decision to award Microsoft a $10 billion contract.
An Amazon spokesman told The Verge: “Amazon executives have met with government officials, including Mr. Navarro, on several occasions to discuss our common goal of combating counterfeit goods. We are eager to continue this cooperation and will give our executives enough time to meet to solve the problem effectively. “


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By KATHRYN KRANHOLD and ERIN WHITE
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The nadir of a corporate crisis may be when the crisis-management
counselor walks away in frustration.
Although neither side will publicly discuss why
Omnicom Group Inc.'s Fleishman-Hillard quit the
Bridgestone/Firestone account this past
Sunday, those familiar with the situation say the
giant public-relations firm grew disturbed with
Firestone's refusal to communicate the breadth and seriousness of its
Now Firestone is looking for a new crisis manager, and at least one firm
the tire maker has approached declined the job. Bob Druckenmiller, chief
executive of Porter Novelli, also owned by Omnicom, says his company
talked with Firestone over Labor Day weekend about possibly taking on
the account but ultimately declined. "The feeling was that we couldn't
get in there and be helpful under the circumstances," says Mr.
Still, a number of other firms are interested in succeeding Fleishman.
Part of the attraction: According to one crisis manager, the Firestone
account could easily generate $1 million of fees a month.
For an incoming agency, the situation could be a no-lose proposition --
just as the debacle quickly became a no-win proposition for Fleishman,
some industry insiders say. If the new agency is able to polish
Firestone's tarnished image, it will be perceived as savvy, even heroic. If
its efforts fall short, there won't be much fallout because Firestone is
already in such serious trouble.
Fleishman, according to people familiar with the situation, was unaware
that a tire problem loomed that would put Firestone, a unit of Japan's
Bridgestone Corp., in crisis mode only two weeks after the agency was
hired. Firestone's announcement that it was recalling 6.5 million tires
effectively put the company under siege.
As the crisis unfolded, Fleishman executives concluded they were
receiving incomplete and questionable information from Firestone
executives in the U.S. This made it difficult to give good advice or to
effectively represent the company, say individuals familiar with the
Christine Karbowiak, Firestone's vice president of public affairs, says
the best of our ability, we provided information." She says the
"integrity" of the information provided to Fleishman executives "has
never been an issue."
In any case, Firestone didn't follow most of Fleishman's advice, relying
instead on the cautious counsel of its lawyers, individuals familiar with
the matter say. The agency, for example, is said to have urged
Firestone to move forward with a proactive plan of action to restore
consumer confidence. This included issuing an immediate apology for
the faulty tires and quickly recalling and replacing those tires.
Instead, Firestone was either slow to respond or waffled, according to
individuals familiar with the situation. Ms. Karbowiak says "everyone's
advice is considered and acted upon as appropriate."
Last Friday, after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
issued a consumer advisory saying an additional 1.4 million tires should
be inspected, Bridgestone/Firestone issued a statement saying few of
those tires were still on the road. Nonetheless, it offered to replace
those tires if owners were concerned about them.
Then, the very next day, Bridgestone/Firestone issued a statement
from Masatoshi Ono, its chairman and chief executive, retracting the
Friday offer. Instead, Mr. Ono equivocated, saying: "If the tires are
subject to our Bridgestone/Firestone warranty program, the tires will be
adjusted and processed accordingly."
Ms. Karbowiak says the second statement was a clarification. Although
the company wasn't offering to outright replace customers' tires not
under warranty, she says, Firestone has had a store policy that
customers can return tires and receive a discount if they replace them
with Firestone tires. The discount is based upon how used the tire is. If
a customer has used up 50% of the tire, the customer will receive 50%
off the price of a replacement Firestone tire.
But a frustrated Fleishman resigned the next day. (Fleishman provides
public-relations advice to Dow Jones & Co., which publishes The Wall
Street Journal and WSJ.com.)
In fact, Fleishman was the second agency to part ways with Firestone.
Burson-Marsteller, the world's biggest public-relations agency, worked
for both Ford Motor Co. and Firestone in the months before the tire
recall was announced. Individuals familiar with the situation say Burson
learned about the tire problem and the possibility of a recall not long
before it became public. The firm feared a conflict in PR strategy
between its two clients in what would become one of the biggest
product recalls since Perrier cleared store shelves of its bottled mineral
water in 1990.
Burson alerted Firestone that it was also working with Ford, and the
two companies decided to part ways, agency people familiar with the
matter say. Firestone's Ms. Karbowiak said Burson stopped doing
strategy work for Firestone in late May but continued to help the agency
until shortly before it hired Fleishman in mid-July.
Burson continues to work with Ford, which is parent Young & Rubicam's
biggest client, but it isn't providing the auto maker with advice on the
tire recall. Ford is handling the crisis internally using its own staff,
industry executives say.
Firestone's Ms. Karbowiak declined to discuss the public-relations firms
that the company has contacted or is considering hiring to replace
But the tire maker or its representatives have already contacted
Ketchum, another Omnicom unit. David Drobis, Ketchum's chairman,
says the firm is considering taking on Firestone, and is planning to meet
with the company within a week.
Robbie Vorhaus, chief executive of the New York firm Vorhaus & Co.,
says he was also approached this week by a Firestone "intermediary."
"We told them what Vorhaus is known for -- helping companies tell the
truth," says Mr. Vorhaus. "If they want help in telling it, we'd be happy
to help them."
In addition, Shandwick International's Rowan & Blewitt, which worked
with Exxon Corp. following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, has been
contacted by a Firestone intermediary, says a person familiar with the
situation. The firm, a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos., declines to say
whether it is pursuing the account.
Other firms that could be candidates for the job include Edelman Public
Relations Worldwide, and GCI Group, a unit of Grey Global Group. Larry
Kamer, who heads the crisis practice at GCI Group, says he would
welcome the business, noting that parent Grey has long been a major
ad agency for Firestone. Mr. Kamer declined to comment on whether his
firm has been contacted.
Most observers say that Fleishman made the right call in resigning and
doubt the decision will affect its crisis-management business -- or scare
away future clients. "They had to resign the business. It would do more
damage to their reputation than anything else out there," says Allen
Adamson, a managing partner at the brand consulting firm Landor
Associates, a unit of Young & Rubicam.
Indeed, Fleishman's actions have put a spotlight on the
crisis-management industry, one of the hottest areas of corporate
consulting. Some date the industry back to the 1960s, when companies
encountered civil-rights and environmental challenges to products like
the pesticide DDT.
Back then, Burson-Marsteller, for one, conducted seminars with plant
managers on how to deal with protests or explosions for its
manufacturing client Owens Corning, says Harold Burson, the founder
and chairman of Burson-Marsteller. The firm counseled Dow Corning on
how to deal with groups protesting its manufacture of deadly chemicals
during the Vietnam War. And it advised Johnson & Johnson during the
poisoned Tylenol episode, a major early success for crisis management.
More than 60 firms nationwide now counsel corporations involved in
product recalls, labor disputes and environmental disasters, among
other issues. In 1999, public-relations revenue grew about 30% from
the prior year to nearly $3 billion, according to the Council of Public
Relations Firms, a trade group. Crisis management accounted for
slightly less than 4% of the total, or roughly $100 million.
In the last five years, the biggest advertising and marketing
corporations, including Omnicom and Interpublic, have bought leading
public-relations agencies that boast crisis-management units. Omnicom
bought Fleishman-Hillard, now the largest public-relations firm in the
U.S., in 1997. And a year later, Interpublic acquired Shandwick
International, which owns the crisis firm Rowan & Blewitt.
Restoring Public Trust
Professional crisis-managers recommend these steps when a company
is under stage:
Recognize that speed is crucial. "If you don't have an answer or
a solution to the problem, you better be able to tell your
audiences that you're working on one," says Rich Blewitt,
president of Rowan & Blewitt.
Place customers' interests above your own. A company must
"seem to want to come to the aid of the people in the crisis first,
and their own corporate interests last," says Larry Kramer,
managing director at GCI Group.
Take a long-term view. As the massive Tylenol recall showed,
sacrificing a product's image in the short-term can demonstrate
responsibility in the long haul.
Hide what you know. Being one step behind when evidence of
wrongdoing surfaces not only damages your credibility, but also
hinders your ability to control the spin, says Victor Kamber, CEO
of The Kambler Group.
Get tied down in the day-to-day details of running the
company; make the crisis No. 1 priority. "You've got to have a
bunch of people who drop everything and just deal with this,"
says Mark Braverman, principal, CMG Associates Inc.
Forget that public perception is more important than reality.
Even if you've done nothing wrong but consumers think you have,
their view is what matters, says Steven Fink, president of Lexicon


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This Labor Day, American Workers Can Say: The Economy is Strong
For the first time in years, Americans will celebrate Labor Day knowing we finally have the economic wind in our sails. Despite what liberal pundits on TV might try and spin you, President Trump’s economic policies have paved the way for lower unemployment, a return of quality American jobs, and a confident American consumer with strong purchasing power.
In July of this year, U.S. unemployment fell to 3.9 percent. This drop means more Americans are finding jobs that will allow them to support their families and contribute to our growing economy. To illustrate just how far we’ve come, in July of 2008 the national unemployment rate was 5.8 percent. By July of 2012, just 7 months into Obama’s second term in the White House, the rate had jumped to 8.2 percent.
In the 2nd quarter of 2018, the U.S. economy grew at 4.2 percent, up from the original estimate of 4.1 percent. The U.S. economy is the strongest it has been in four years. Strong consumer and business spending, spurred on by the Trump tax cuts, are helping to drive the economy forward.
And with our stronger economy comes an increase in consumer confidence. The month of August saw consumer confidence rise to the highest it has been in nearly two decades. That means more Americans are working and able to purchase those big ticket items like automobiles and new homes.
While we have much to celebrate this Labor Day, we must continue to build on the fruits of our success. This means staying committed to growing our economy and removing and preventing harmful regulations. Red tape and regulatory roadblocks can still be found throughout our government — such as at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
It takes strong leadership to reign in rogue agencies, political careerists and excess regulation. For example, prior to Mick Mulvaney’s arrival at the CFPB, the Bureau had been used to advance the liberal agenda of Senator Elizabeth Warren and to prepare former Director Richard Cordray for a run for Ohio Governor. Thankfully, Mulvaney has brought about reforms to end the waste, fraud, and abuse that occurred for nearly a decade on Cordray’s watch. Hopefully soon, the Senate will continue to demand accountability of the CFPB by confirming Kathy Kraninger, Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau.
Ms. Kraninger is an experienced and capable leader who has demonstrated a commitment to efficient and limited government. My hope is that she can continue Mulvaney’s work, leading the CFPB to once again abide by our Constitution and serve consumers well by ensuring that they have access to financial services and products to make wise money choices. This would lead to personal financial success and bolsters economic growth.
As citizens across this great nation take time this weekend to celebrate the fruits of their labors, we must continue to be vigilant against enemies and barriers to this success. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” policies are working. Now we must continue to, as the President frequently proclaims, “Keep America Great.”
Ken Blackwell is an adviser to the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. He was a member of the Domestic Policy Team of the Trump Presidential Transition Operations.


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Huawei P50 series is expected to become official by the end of this month. The lineup will include Huawei P50, P50 Pro, and P50 Pro+ and rumor has it that most of these units will be 4G only.
The Huawei P50 LTE has just made rounds at the 3C certification authority, revealing new details on the handset.
The handset was spotted with the model number JAD-AL50 and it could either be the vanilla Huawei P50 or the Huawei P50 Pro. It could also be the Huawei Nova 9 since there is no solid proof.
In any case, the 3C certification mentions that the device will have 66W fast charging support, the same as the Huawei Mate 40 lineup. It is worth mentioning that 66W fast charging is probably too high-end for the Nova lineup.
The JAD-AL50 has previously been seen on the TENAA website as well, revealing HarmonyOS instead of Android. This hardly comes as a surprise since the P50 series was officially teased at the HarmonyOS event.
These handsets are also expected to feature the 5nm Kirin 9000 SoC and upper-end models may even have 5G support.
As for other details, the Huawei P50 is likely going to be very similar to the Honor 50 lineup including the humungous camera setup. This setup will have a 1-inch Sony IMX800 sensor as its main camera, a telephoto sensor, and a slew of other lenses as well.


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The collector’s edition of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has been unveiled this week at Tokyo Game Show.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was rumored to be in development early on in 2019, and then officially announced around E3. TGS has given Bandai Namco a chance to finally reveal many of the major details surrounding the game; including confirming the Buu arc would be part of the game and the release date.
The Buu arc trailer also shows off what the collector’s edition of the game will have in store for fans. Besides the full game for the purchaser’s system of choice, there’s a collectible steelbook, 10×12 hardcover game artbook, and an exclusive diorama figure that portrays Goku riding a Flying Nimbus with Gohan. The figure’s dimensions are 8x8x8. The collector’s edition will retail for $199.95 and more bonuses are available now if one were to pre-order either the collector’s edition or even just the base game.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the latest video game retelling of Goku’s life. It’s a story that’s been told many times before, but this time developer CyberConnect2 wants to show it to gamers in an action-RPG format. CyberConnect2 is likely best known for their years working on the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series.
To help show off what CyberConnect2 is doing with DBZ, Bandai Namco also released a Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot gameplay trailer at TGS. This newest gameplay shows off Vegeta in both combat and free roam and helps depict the game’s immense scale.
Even with Goku’s story being told countless times before, delivering it to gamers via an action-RPG gameplay mechanic could be enough of a difference to entice DBZ fans to experience the story one more time. It’s also a fascinating change considering Dragon Ball Z’s history with fighting games, including just last year’s surprise success with Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Changing the format to that of an action-RPG could also entice a new crop of DBZ fans to give the game a go, though. After all, fighting games often are seen as having a high barrier of entry that could deter certain players.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is set to release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on January 17th, 2020.
Yakuza 7 Has Final Fantasy-Like Summons and They Are Hilarious


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IRVINE, Calif. — As fitness clubs seek to reclaim pandemic losses, a new entrant is looking to seize vacated territory.
STRIDE, fitness chain founded in Pasadena in 2017, has been signing studio owners to take its in-studio running concept to neighboring cities. With seven locations so far, a new Irvine franchisee is eyeing even further expansion.
Betsy Scannell, co-owner of a studio located at Irvine’s Spectrum Center, said business has been tricky, but after opening in August, she hopes to open three more locations in the San Diego area.
“When COVID hit, it got really risky, but we had already signed a lease, so we went for it,” Scannell said.
The concept pairs running with weightlifting and core workouts offering customers of all ages and fitness levels a program that can fit their goals. Each franchisee leases Woodway treadmills, to-off-the-line equipment that provides a low-impact running experience. The treadmills can sync with Apple Watches, and coaches encourage customers to purchase a heart rate monitor, which can feed real-time data to in-studio monitors. That offers instructors another tool to help them push a client or advise another to pull back.
The workouts can vary, but often fall into the HIIT category, or high-intensity interval training, which asks students to dig deep for sharp, limited duration bursts.
STRIDE brings its concept to market as the industry finds itself in recovery. Fitness clubs were among the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic, with national chains like LA Fitness forced to shut down and freeze membership payments.
In 2019, before the nationwide closures, worldwide revenues were $96.7 billion supported by 184 million members spread amongst nearly 210,000 fitness clubs.
Once fitness clubs were forced to close, home gym equipment became hard to come by. Stock prices from popular home bicycle Peloton, which can come with a subscription to fitness videos, skyrocketed. Share prices quadrupled from $30 to more than $160 over the span of 2020 before tumbling back to the $80 range in 2021.
Prominent brands like Gold’s Gym and 24-Hour Fitness had to file for bankruptcy protection as customers canceled memberships and sought alternatives.
Other disrupted industries like restaurants and movie theaters were forced to adapt, searching out slivers of business where they could succeed.
STRIDE is new and is still finding its feet as established competitors look to regain their purchase in a loaded market. The fitness company uses a nucleus of trainers to write fitnesses routines each month, which are then customized in-house by coaches of the various franchisees.
Memberships start at $144 per month for a lifetime membership, or $179 without the promotional discount.
“It’s not a big box gym where you go in and figure out your own workout then leave,” Scannell said. “You have a coach to push you.
Lessons can pair running with core and weightlifting for those interested in strength training.
STRIDE Irvine’s coach Donovan Stewart said even classes with 50 minutes of running vary in pace and intensity, so attendees can run again the next day if they want to.
Stewart brings his experience as a former collegiate runner and classroom chops in nutrition and exercises science. Having competed in sprints, Stewart took up the challenge of coaching marathon runners after college in his first job at a New York fitness club.
“I was the only runner in the gym so they automatically assumed I could train people for marathons,” Stewart said, who developed a running club and training routines. “I’m a sucker for learning.”
Stewart’s broad running resume strikes at the heart of the kind of specialized variety STRIDE has endeavored to create to go along with the monthly price tag.
Customers have trickled in, but as running events around the county resume, Scannell said gym representatives would be out recruiting new students.
The studio is planning a booth for Sunday’s OC half-marathon.
“It’s hard to get people into the studio,” Scannell said. “I think they’re still scared.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the name of the treadmills. The name is Woodway. The story also incorrectly stated where the chain is based. It was founded in Pasadena, not based there. (Nov. 5, 2021)


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No Green Zebra Grocery for Woodstock
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Green Zebra Grocery won't head to Woodstock after all.
Lisa Sedlar announced the news via the new chain's Facebook page today (and too late to pull a mention of the pending store on my reporter page in Friday's paper).
Sedlar, former president of New Seasons Market, initially hoped to open versions of her healthy-oriented Green Zebra stores in Kenton, Woodstock and Division.
Thursday, she said the decision of her old employer to open a store in the Southeast Portland neighborhood caused her to reconsider. Here's the full Facebook post:
"We are happy to report that we are off to a fantastic start at our first location in the Kenton neighborhood — thanks for supporting us, Kenton neighbors! Also, we have news to share about our previously announced plan for a store in the Woodstock neighborhood. We originally chose the Woodstock neighborhood to open a Green Zebra Grocery because it was underserved with regard to natural, organic and local foods and because we love the Woodstock community. However, our friends at New Seasons Market recently announced their intention to open a 25,000-square-foot store in downtown Woodstock. We are thrilled for the neighborhood to be getting their very own New Seasons Market (long overdue), and we don't think there is a need for a store our size when there will be a New Seasons Market just a few blocks away. Our Division and 50th store is planned for late summer/early fall this year. We invite you to come check us out. Stay tuned for other upcoming Green Zebra locations. Thanks again for all of your interest and support."
Wendy Culverwell covers sustainable business, manufacturing and law.
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Just a few weeks after Menlo Park, Calif.-based Aggregate Knowledge scooped up $5 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Seattle-based competitor CleverSet has landed its own round of new funding and added a heavyweight to its board.
Today, the 17-person company plans to announce $2 million in angel funding and that Barry Gilbert — the former chief executive of Smith & Hawken and Miadora — is joining the board. CleverSet has already attracted some notable technologists as advisors, namely Peter Norvig, director of research at Google, and Andreas Weigend, former chief scientist at Amazon.com. But Gilbert adds retail experience to the startup.
Both CleverSet and Aggregate Knowledge are attacking a lucrative area of e-commerce, helping online retailers recommend products and services to customers based on shopping patterns. The technology has been popularized by companies such as Amazon.com and Netflix, which use it to recommend additional products and thus enhance sales.
Another emerging player is Cambridge, Mass.-based ChoiceStream, which is backed with $20 million in venture funding and provides recommendation services to Blockbuster, AOL, Yahoo and others.
Created by Oregon State University professor Dr. Bruce D’Ambrosio, CleverSet says it has 60 retail customers that include Overstock.com, Alpineer.com and Paradise Pen Company. Here’s more on how CleverSet works from my October 2005 story and a good overview on the science of online recommendation services from Fortune magazine last fall.
UPDATE: In an e-mail, Humphrey explains how CleverSet’s technology is different from the collaborative filtering technology used by Aggregate Knowledge and Amazon.com.
The major shortcoming in (the collaborative filtering) approach is that the rules only reflect what you’ve done in the past on the site. They don’t take into account what you are interested in at the moment, or what you might be interested in next (our predictive ability accounts for this in a significant way). For example if you were looking for a gift for your two-year old two weeks ago and then return to the site to find a book on corporate strategy, with sites that use collaborative filtering to deliver recommendations you’re going to get a lot of recommendations for Barney toys and Bob the Builder books rather than books by Clayton Christensen and Geoffrey Moore.


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Are We Ready to Deliver the COVID-19 Vaccine?
In March 2020, as the dynamics of a pandemic arrested American healthcare systems both in their capacity to deliver care and sustain supply availability, health systems around the world enacted their emergency preparedness protocols. Very quickly, medical, pharmaceutical and health organizations became aware of how effectively they had planned for these most extreme conditions. A vast number of them are now re-evaluating those plans.
“Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.” Dwight Eisenhower wasn’t referring to healthcare supply chain management, but his words hit home for anyone in this space, reeling from the emergency preparedness death knell we call COVID-19.
Underpinning the logistics of these operations is a software stack that helps turn all those cogs and dials. And what’s particularly challenging in the timing of this pandemic is that most health systems are somewhere in the middle of a multi-year modernization of this software stack, slowly shedding their Y2K-era legacy systems and migrating to more agile solutions engineered for today’s healthcare data and traceability requirements. In what was already a period rife with resistance to change and technological incertitude, Covid-19 thudded in and sat in the middle of the room.
The role of healthcare delivery networks in the management and administration of a Covid-19 vaccine will require efficient and effective operations. Some health systems have already undergone consolidated service center transformations and are in a better position to flex to this type of logistical demand. Others are still managing their supply chains in a more siloed manner, which may create visibility bottlenecks when the vaccine influx is in full tilt. Should hospitals and health systems lack that level of operational agility, they may consider how to set up a standalone emergency operation.
Panning out further, and as with other public health crises, the military stands at the ready to operationalize relief efforts. Paul Mango, the deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services, typified the role of the military for Operation Warp Speed as that of “the best logisticians in the world at the Department of Defense, working in conjunction with the CDC [in order to oversee] every logistical detail you could possibly think of.”
Mango then alluded to the immense importance of supply chain visibility: “We will have an operation center that will tell us at any given time exactly where every dose of vaccine is. […] If a vaccine dose is at risk of expiring, they will guide the movement of that to someplace else.”
Technology is needed to do some heavy lifting as the nation undertakes one of the most massive coordinated supply chain efforts in its history. Vaccine distribution requires lifecycle tracking and monitoring throughout the entire distribution process, inclusive of chain of custody waypoints, secure storage and full cold chain visibility, failure of which could negate the vaccine’s success. Real-time analytics will be needed to track and report on what has been processed, what is on route, and how supply is stacking up against dynamic demand.
Equally critical is orchestrating the ebbs and flows of availability across the broader market in today’s economy, as detailed in Bloomberg: “The infrastructure powering the global economy is scaling down for a protracted downturn just as pharmaceutical companies need to scale up for the biggest and most consequential product launch in modern history.”
The capacity to execute against this degree of healthcare supply chain strategy does not happen with general resource planning software. The exceptional resources and organization of the military demands an equally capable supply chain execution software designed for the unique logistical challenges of high-volume healthcare distribution.
There are only a handful of supply chain execution software providers that specialize in the healthcare distribution industry. Watercooler stories (which take a different form these days) of healthcare customers who are using such systems to circumvent shortages and supply regional competitors are energizing; for example, a recent go-live that included an 8-week signature-to-operation project to equip a healthcare customer with a new temporary distribution center for PPE; or the work being done at NYC Health to manage and distribute dwindling supply while building up reserves; these are the reasons why the healthcare supply chain is a different beast, and one that is a fulfilling professional focus.
In 2009, when supply chain provider Tecsys was contracted to power the CDC’s distribution of 125 million H1N1 vaccine doses across the United States, the system’s scalability and company’s deep healthcare industry domain knowledge played a central role; in collaboration with McKesson, Tecsys powered four distribution centers and in just two months, distributed over one hundred million vaccine doses with 99.99% order accuracy. The vaccine distribution effort included the centralized distribution of the H1N1 flu vaccine to as many as 150,000 sites across the country, making it the largest public health initiative in the CDC’s history. This was a magnificent public health feat. The brain trust combined with reliable and proven healthcare supply chain technology empowered military, public and private stakeholders to execute an unprecedented supply chain challenge.
A decade later, and while the scale is different, the logistical challenges are the same. Equitable, safe and expedient delivery of upwards of one billion vaccines demands impeccable coordination, a top-tier technology stack that is ready to roll with minimal notice, and supply chain experts who understand how a large-scale multimodal distribution operation can go sideways without proper planning.
Change takes time and energy—two things that stay-at-home orders ought to afford—but with businesses busy patching leaks, it’s hard to plan for the coming surge. And alas, as freight companies are pushing capacity to make up for lost time, last mile delivery companies are stretched meeting their SLAs, and digital commerce is shuffling how businesses fulfill their consumers’ orders, healthcare logistics are also being thrust into rethinking their operational strategies.
Are we ready? Well, the supporting supply chain execution technology exists; the resources are in place. Now that the vaccine is available, it is up to the logisticians to connect those dots from end to end.
Cory Turner, CMRP, leads Healthcare Strategy for Tecsys, one of the largest supply chain IT organizations in the healthcare industry. He has two decades of experience in healthcare supply chain operations and solutioning, having earned his credentials at Greenville Health System, (now PRISMA Health), the largest IDN in South Carolina. He has since built his career with experience with Infor, Omnicell and Workday solutions. Cory’s insights into the healthcare supply chain market are distinctively informed by his tenure as both an operator and provider of SCE software.


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If you are an iPhone user, you must be familiar with the official Apple application dubbed as “Find My iPhone” that helps users locate and remotely wipe their device in case it’s misplaced or stolen. Until now, Android users had …
WhatsApp, the cross-platform instant messaging application for smartphones, is reportedly rumored to be Google’s next Big Buy.
Google Glass has been Google’s most intriguing projects so far and also one of the most secretive projects till date. Google has released a video showing what it will be like to use and wear their new Google Project Glass eyewear,…
Ever Since Google Released the LG Nexus 4, they had trouble keeping up with the demand for their Nexus 4 Smartphone, which is manufactured by LG for Google.
The Year 2012 had some pretty impressive treats for the fans of Tech and Gadgets but it was also the year when many Tech Giants took great gambles… and lost. Below is a list of Tech Biggest Flops of 2012.
Google has released a new advert just in time for the holiday season, demonstrating their new Photo Sphere Features on a Nexus 4 Smartphone. Watch the video below and see it in action.
According to recent reports by IDC, Google’s Android Platform has acquired 75% of the smartphone market for the Third Quarter of 2012.
Last Week we heard about the Google’s Event that will be held on 29th October and also a couple of rumors that the next version of Google’s mobile OS, Android 4.2 Key Lime Pie would be announced. Now according to The…
Google has sent out invites regarding an Android Event to be held in New York on October 29th at 10AM. The Invite features the Tagline “The Playground is Open”.
Google’s Eric Schmidt has talked about what he thinks on the various lawsuits between Apple and Android manufacturers, like Samsung and HTC, at a press conference for the launch of the Nexus 7 in Korea.


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Bush Mob treks to be run more often to meet demand
Coordinator Chris Wallace says the treks have been so popular they will now be run monthly instead of yearly.
Source: ABC Rural | Duration: 4min 12sec
Horticulture trade review recommends a new code of conduct with greater power for the consumer watchdog.
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