text:
AT&T Opens Up FaceTime Availability (A Little)
November 8, 2012 6:29 PM
comment(s) - last by
(Source: The Verge)
According to AT&T, this availability will reach Cellular customers over the next eight to 10 weeks
AT&T has flip-flopped on its decision to charge iPhone users for FaceTime, and will now expand its availability to users.
Back in August, AT&T announced that it was
limiting FaceTime availability
to customers with Mobile Share data plans (for free). This meant that users with regular 2GB/4GB data plans or grandfathered unlimited plans were left out. They didn't even have the option to pay for it.
FaceTime has always been available to iPhone 4/4S customers over a Wi-Fi network, but Apple offered the ability to use FaceTime over a cellular connection once iOS 6 beta released.
AT&T's decision to limit FaceTime to certain users caught a lot of criticism from users, and even landed it a
FCC net neutrality complaint
Now, AT&T has changed its mind. The carrier will now enable FaceTime over Cellular for iOS 6 users on any tiered data plan -- for free. The user must have an LTE device, though. Users with grandfathered unlimited plans are still left out of the loop.
AT&T customers with Mobile Share data plans will still be able to use FaceTime for free, as will those with Wi-Fi connections.
According to AT&T, this availability will reach cellular customers over the next eight to 10 weeks.
AT&T was further pressured when Verizon and Sprint announced that they
wouldn't charge extra for FaceTime
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
11/9/2012 10:25:35 AM
There is no way Verizon is hitting 100 but doesn't mean hey aren much faster. On my iphone5 for AT&T LTE isn't even an option I only get the fake "4g" here in the San Fernando Valley that hits 2-4Mbps. If I'm in Santa Monica (one of the few rare areas with LTE for AT&T) I get 4-6 Mbps. My friend with the Verizon version of the same phone gets 27Mbps through his LTE standing next to me.
It may not be 100mbps but it still 4-5 times faster than AT&T in the Los Angeles area.
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The State government's cyber security centre of excellence, CySecK, has tied up with IT major Dell Technologies to develop enhanced security practices in the state, especially among...Know More
Dell Technologies has announced a record third quarter (Q3) results, generating revenue of $28.4 billion (up 21 per...Know More
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Every organization, industry and society is going through wrenching change right now. There will be no return to a “normal” state that resembles a prior period in world history. I am observing this first-hand in the health care and film industries, and as a well-informed observer in the industry I left 2 ½ years ago, the mailing industry.
The film industry is particularly going through wrenching change, but, as a recent entrant to the industry, I have seen both the challenges and the new opportunities that change has created. Clearly, the move to digital technology has effectively destroyed the traditional retail DVD rental market, with the limited exception of Red Box kiosks. It has also thrown into confusion the economic model for digital downloads, since Netflix has built an economic model based on fixed monthly rentals, although its founder Reed Hastings recently noted that the low monthly rentals may not work if subscribers want mostly new films, as opposed to a mix or new and old ones.
I experienced the consequence of this complexity with the difficulty my strategic consultant had in describing the new potential economic model for our film From the Rough in preparing our investor memorandum. He found the data and did the analyses we needed, but it took longer and was far more complicated, because any data that was more than a few years old on non-theatrical revenue streams was essentially obsolete.


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Sharing reports of a recent Dell Technologies survey that indicates that India has been leading globally in terms of its industry leaders believing in human-machine partnerships, he says investments in AI, AR and VR will jump significantly in years to come. Excerpts from an email interaction:
Where does India stand in terms of adoption of digital technology/machine learning compared to APJ countries?
It is becoming increasingly important for humans and machines to work together as a cohesive workforce and Indian leaders are better aligned with this concept when compared to their APJ and global counterparts.
According to a recent quantitative survey regarding the future of human-machine partnership by Dell Technologies in collaboration with Vanson Bourne, India leads globally with 38% of Indian leaders agreeing that humans and machines are already working together successfully as an integrated team within their organizations.
This is a testament to the fact that the adoption of digital technologies in India are at an all-time high and Indian businesses are realizing the positive impact that technology, especially emerging technologies, have on providing real-time response to customers.
Indian leaders believe strongly in the importance of providing customer experiences which are holistic and hyper-connected, aided by technology. India leads the global average of learning on the job with Artificial Reality (AR) with 64% of leaders in agreement. India (64%) and China (62%) stand out above the global average of 46%.
In fact, 80% of Indian leaders agree on the appointment of a Chief AI officer will accelerate Digital Transformation.
Within APJ, only 24% leaders in Singapore feel that their workforce and machines are successfully working as integrated teams, 22% in New Zealand and Australia, 17% in China and 12% in Japan. Hence, we can see that Indian businesses are more mature than their global counterparts.
What are the costs of digitization/AI and automation?
As per the findings of the research, only 36% of Indian business leaders have ranked time and money constraints as a barrier to digital transformation and have rated lack of workforce readiness (69%) and lack of digital vision and strategy (64%) as top barriers.
Globally, businesses plan to triple their investments in advanced AI within five years. India too will see the same enthusiasm with investments in AI jumping from 31% to 89% in the same time frame along with the investment in AR / VR which is likely to move from the current 36% to 93%.
In India, where digital is a national agenda and strategic priority and a new generation of digitally-native consumers is taking the reins, the opportunity to transform is unbounded. The nation’s transition to a digital economy is a much larger scale version of enterprise digital transformation.
To manage the pain of this transition, IT, people and security need to transform as well. As the cost of embedding intelligence into a device approaches zero, everything from refrigerators to television sets to industrial lines are talking to each other through pulsing nodes and sensors.
For traditional businesses that didn’t see any of this coming, it’s a question of survival. They must devolve decisions to intelligent systems that can connect, learn, decide and execute, and they must do it now.
Aren’t there anticipations in terms of huge job losses owing to the outsourcing of tasks to machines? How are labor-intensive economies like India looking at that situation?
At Dell Technologies, we believe we’re entering an era of monumental change, rich with opportunity. Every business in every industry will be affected by the human-machine partnership that will follow, to varying degrees depending on their level of preparedness.
The dynamics between man and machine and their impact on our lives is changing. What we need to realize is that these partnerships will enable us to digitally conduct our lives and learn in-the-moment, which, in turn, will reset our expectations for how we spend our time. Here, re-skilling of the workforce or ‘workforce transformation’ is of extreme importance.
64% of Indian leaders believe that we will be more productive by collaborating more in 2030 with 54% believing that we will have more job satisfaction by offloading tasks we don’t want to do to intelligent machines.
55% Indian leaders believe that product design as a task is most likely to be outsourced to machines by 2030, with 40% rooting for administration tasks such as scheduling meetings and diary management.
Other such activities are troubleshooting (44%), financial admin (invoices / PO) – (42%), Inventory management (42%) These are tasks that are mundane, voluminous and repetitive in nature. It means that machines will be able to help us save time on tedious repetitive jobs which will require human supervision and intervention.
On the other side, tasks such as surgery (19%), legal admin (26%), Sales (22%), management of employees (33%) are least likely to be outsourced to machines by 2030 with 53% of business leaders of the opinion that technology will connect the right person to the right task, at the right time.
How does that situation balance out the negative impact in terms of productivity of the economy?
India is advancing towards a new era of technological advancement and the country is on a path of becoming a technological force to be reckoned with by the year 2030. With human-machine partnerships playing a major role, technology will aid in the growth of the Indian economy, helping businesses evolve and succeed.
With 98% of the Indian business leaders surveyed believe that they would have completed their transition into a software-defined business in the next 5 years and see themselves using technology like AI, VR, AR to not only deliver hyper-connected customer experiences but also pre-empt customer demands.
We’re entering a new dawn, with immense possibility on the horizon. Leaders are divided by what this means and are at different stages of progress. They need to act now to transform their IT, workforce, and security in order to play a defining role in the future of the economy.
What were the other insights from the Dell report?
Dell Technologies partnered with Vanson Bourne, a leading market researcher, to explore emerging technologies’ likely impact on society by 2030, through the eyes of business leaders across the world.
3,800 senior business leaders, including 300 Indian leaders were surveyed with an approximate 40:60 split between IT leaders and heads of departments from businesses with over 250 employees (mid-size – enterprise). 12 industries were targeted from across 17 countries.
According to this quantitative research, Indian firms are considered one of the most digitally mature in the world. 38% of Indian leaders believe that humans and machines are already working together successfully as an integrated team.
Indian businesses are confident of operating a successful digital business in 2030, with 97% believing that they will have effective cybersecurity defenses in place with a more cybersecurity savvy workforce. 96% believe that they will be offering their product offering as a service with R&D driving their organization forward through ‘digital expert’ employees.
The key business recommendation from the surveyed leaders for businesses starting on the digitization journey is to secure employee buy-in on a company’s digital transformation vision and values along with empowering lines of business to pursue their own digital strategy both ranking at 94%.
This was followed closely at 92% with advice on making the customer experience/customer journey a boardroom concern and aligning compensation, training, and KPIs to a company’s digital goals and strategy.


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Latin America poised for Economic diplomacy with India. Head of MEA Secretariat in South India D Venkatachalalam Murugan IFS ,with Dr. Senorita Issac and other diplomats in Chennai along with Latin American delegation.
New Delhi (India), March 4: The Latin American Caribbean Federation of India (LACFI) organized the Latin American Conference, which was attended by the Business community in South India. The President of the Indian Economic Trade Organization Dr. Asif Iqbal welcomed the Ambassador of Cuba in India HE Alejandro Simancas Marin and pledged the commitment of support between the two nations for a robust partnership.
On the occasion Dr. Senorita Issac was appointed as the Trade Commissioner –western India region.
There is a huge interest in India for Cuba, a country with great scope for bilateral trading opportunities in Pharma, Medicines, IT development and Industrial development by Indian companies. The Delegation from India headed by the then president Shri Ramnath Kovind has evinced a lot of interest between the two nations. The event was also graced by the officials of the Embassy of Congo in Delhi.
The event was attended by the Head of Secretariat of the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Venkatachalam Murugan IFS who also spoke about accelerating India’s relationship with the Latin American region and welcomed Dr. Senorita to pledge support for the various other island nations around the Caribbean region. India has also in the past extended various credit lines to Cuba through the Exim Bank, a line of credit of USD 75 million (over Rs 500 crore) to Cuba for financing solar parks. An agreement was signed between Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) and Banco Exterior De Cuba in July 2020. India was amongst the first countries to extend recognition to Cuba after the 1959 Revolution.
Ambassador of Cuba said Indo Cuban trade relations were essential and it was gratifying to see the development of trade relations between India and Cuba.
The Latin American Caribbean Federation of India (LACFI) is working on building bilateral trade relations by assisting Indian companies that are looking at various projects coming up in the Latin American region for promoting growth in commerce and trade, especially in Indian Pharma which is likely to increase as the Cuban market expands.
The delegation of the Latin American Caribbean Federation of India is taking a delegation to Cuba and other parts of South America during 2023 to strengthen mechanisms created for enabling these trade opportunities between India and the Latin American region.
If you have any objection to this press release content, kindly contact pr.error.rectification[at]gmail.com to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 24 hours.


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EU regulators will continue their round-up of multinational “outlaws” today, slapping Amazon (-0.22%) with a several hundred million dollar bill for avoiding EU taxes since 2004 (h/t FT).
The European Commission’s head bounty hunter, Margrethe Vestager, alleged Amazon funneled over $3 billion in profits to its Luxembourg-based subsidiaries to protect them from European taxes.
How? Luxembourg supposedly offered a cap on taxable profits to Amazon. In return, Amazon would place its core European operations in Luxembourg.
This isn’t the first de-Luxe treatment
Luxembourg, a tiny nation of 580,000, has cemented itself as the “cool uncle” of the EU, offering lucrative tax breaks to corporations. One Disney subsidiary reported $1.2 billion in pretax profit over four years, but only paid $3.2 million in taxes—that’s a 0.25% tax rate!
Not convinced? Look no further than FedEx, which enjoyed an effective tax rate of less than 1%. Altogether, Luxembourg has lured well over 300 misty-eyed multinationals into its European tax haven heaven.
But the pearly gates are closing fast
The EU has been on high alert, plugging up tax loopholes across the European bloc. Vestager cracked the whip on Apple last August, demanding it cough up $15 billion to Ireland in unpaid taxes. And Starbucks found a ~$35 million ticket on its windshield in the Netherlands for a grande cup of tax evasion.
It begs the question: how will multinationals react? If historically low tax rates and loopholes drove $2.6 trillion overseas in the first place, could a GOP plan for lower U.S. corporate taxes (20% down from 35%) and a one-time tax repatriation holiday bring the cash back?
Truck stops are about American as apple pie…and Buffett’s taking a big slice. Berkshire Hathaway acquired a 38.6% stake ($ amount wasn’t disclosed) in Pilot Flying J., the largest operator of travel centers in North America. Buffett plans to up his interest to 80% by 2023.
And he’s partnering with Midwestern royalty to do so: the founding Haslam family. Jimmy Haslam is Pilot’s CEO, and also the owner of the Cleveland Browns. Jimmy’s lil’ bro? Bill, the Governor of Tennessee.
You’re probably familiar with Pilot’s rest stops from the 40 oz soda and party-sized bag of Doritos you picked up on the way to Yosemite. It operates 750 locations across the U.S. and Canada, doing a healthy $20 billion+ in revenue. That makes it the 15th largest private company in the country.
With the investment, Buffett is going all-in on commercial goods transportation. He already owns BNSF Railway, one of the largest freight railroads in the U.S. with more than 32,000 miles of track across the fruited plain.
Wells Fargo (+0.20%) CEO Tim Sloan faced an angry mob (aka the Senate Banking Committee) scrutinizing the bank’s response to the 2016 revelation that it had opened 3.5 million fake accounts.
Sloan took over last October for former CEO John Stumpf, but some senators feel like he hasn’t made amends for the company’s previous wrongdoings, which include signing up hundreds of thousands of customers for car insurance they didn’t need.
Lawmakers’ biggest issue with Sloan’s mop-up job is that Wells appears to be neglecting its commitment to resolve legal disputes in court—instead, opting for private arbitration.
A fan favorite from the shouting match:“At best, you were incompetent. At worst, you were complicit. Either way, you should be fired.” Compliments of Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Senator and big bank enemy No. 1.
Yahoo clearly couldn’t stand being one-upped by Equifax. Its parent Verizon revealed that the 2013 data breach affected 3 billion accounts—three times more than previously disclosed.
You think Verizon has buyer’s remorse? It placed a bid for Yahoo in the summer of 2016 for $4.5 billion. Then the onslaught began…
September 2016: Yahoo announced that a 2014 hack on its systems had compromised 500 million accounts.
December 2016: The company revealed an earlier hack (2013), where hackers made off with passwords, usernames, phone numbers, and even DOBs associated with 1 billion more accounts.
Now, it turns out the hackers were batting 1.000, compromising every single Yahoo account…bringing the total to 3 billion.
Going forward, Oath (Yahoo’s new media home under Verizon) will email the owners of the 2 billion accounts that somehow got lost in the shuffle. We send out emails for a living…trust us, that’s a lot of work.
What Else Is Happening…
Dara Khosrowshahi met with Transport for London to discuss Uber’s future in the city.
BlackRock’s ETF manager ruled out a digital currency fund.
Uber’s board agreed to limit Travis Kalanick’s power, but it didn’t rule out the possibility of a return.
Question of the Day
Which number doubles when it is divided by itself but halves when it is multiplied by itself?
In yesterday’s Brew, we mentioned that Barcelona-based CaixaBank was the third-largest bank in Spain. In terms of total assets, what’s #1?
Stat of the Day
$110–That’s about how much Samsung will make for each iPhone X sold. If you didn’t know, Apple sources OLED displays, NAND flash, and DRAM chips from its competitor.
More from the community…
We’d love your feedback on our newsletter: please reply and let us know how we’re doing. And while you’re at it, please tell your friends to join the conversation by signing up for the Brew. call to action.


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The South Korean government has published a notice on the banning of food imports made of or containing ruminant meat, such as beef, mutton and sheep, from 36 countries with a history of mad cow disease.
Chinese homegrown plant-based meat firm HERO Protein believes that an emphasis on product taste and versatility is crucial to capturing the local Chinese palate, as it finalises its B2B launch and gears up for B2C product retail launches in Q2 this year.
The Philippines government is currently studying plans to loosen its national COVID-19 lockdown as well as officially hunting down and punishing food product profiteers in an effort to tackle rising rates of food insecurity and poverty in the country.
Only 15 countries worldwide are still implementing import restrictions on food items from Japanese districts that were stricken by the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown disaster in 2011 – but progress with those that remain may be hard to achieve...
Australian researchers have identified bread, cheese and processed meat products as key dietary contributors of salt requiring sodium reformulation in a new study, urging the government to widen its focus on reformulating these foods to achieve positive...
Singapore's first locally-made meat-free brand ALTN, manufactured by Tee Yih Jia (TYJ) Food Manufacturing, is eyeing exports to Asia, EU, Oceania and US by Q2 of this year, as well as launching in its domestic retail market.
Kerry is preparing to ramp-up promotion of its plant-based innovation service to brands in APAC and the Middle East, while also doubling down on emerging taste trends and better-for-you product innovation.
Plant-based firm and social impact venture Green Monday has recently made major strides into the South East Asian market with product and retail debuts in Singapore and Malaysia, and is now eyeing opportunities to reduce its prices in order to sustain...
Thai Union’s head of global innovation reveals why the firm has taken an interest in and invested multiple insect protein firms, as well as the importance of this to diversify and manage its product portfolio for the future.
The Chinese government has issued a series of warnings and directives on the consumption of fermented foods, counterfeit foods and beverages on the back of a deadly mass food poisoning event and the rapid rise of food fraud cases in the past year.


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(Mass Appeal) – Fall weather is coming, so it’s a good time to start shopping for school clothes. Jaimie Tucker from JaimieTucker.com shares her insight into what’s trending for children this season.
While many school districts are not doing a full return to in-person classes, it’s still a good time to stock up on fall clothes. Comfort is trending so think about soft fabrics, socks and shoes that fit, and stretchy leggings. Cold weather is coming so start looking at layering pieces, winter coats and gloves.


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Shortly after teasing a phone with a radically different form factor, Essential is again doing rounds of the internet after it submitted a patent to the US Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO). The new patent is in regards to the front-facing camera, and possibly, belonging to an upcoming Essential phone.
The patent describes the use of a conventional smartphone screen that can overlay a front-facing camera without dedicating a hole-punch for the camera to be usable. According to the patent, it does this with what Essential calls the “variable transparency layer”. With it, the opacity of the display can be controlled. When the camera needs to be used, it dials down the opacity so that the camera can see through the clear glass and vice versa. This function is controlled by a voltage device that is connected to the “variable transparency layer”. Apart from being able to hide the camera, this technology could also be used to “enable the variable transparency layer to act as an electronic aperture for the camera”.
The smartphone shown in the patent doesn’t necessarily point to the design of an upcoming smartphone. This is a utility patent that purely focusses on the technology, rather than design that would be the focus of a design patent. Also, there’s no assurance that the patent will be used in an Essential phone as not all patents make it to final products. But given Essential’s record of not being afraid to experiment, we won’t be surprised if this tech does make it to the ‘Essential Phone 2’.
Essential teased the Project GEM earlier this month that is an absurdly tall take on a smartphone. The tall smartphone, according to Essential, is still in early testing and is unlikely to launch before the end of 2019.


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Meet Petal, the First Disruptive Innovation in Waste Disposal Since 1875
FORT WORTH, Texas, May 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Throughout human history, the disposal of waste has looked pretty much the same. Centuries ago, we tossed our garbage in the street, creating dangerous and unsanitary conditions that encouraged the spread of sickness and stink throughout our communities.
In 1875, we began storing our waste indoors. Almost nothing has changed since. In nearly 150 years.
That all changes today with the official launch of Petal, a high-tech consumer goods company with a revolutionary appliance that will forever supplant traditional waste disposal methods.
"Today, we take the first steps in bringing a truly revolutionary technology and product into the world. This is a category killer," said David M. M. Taffet, Petal's Chief Executive Officer. "By stopping rot, eliminating stink, and halting the spread of germs, Petal's innovative, patent-pending use of freezing technology will supplant traditional disposal methods in the diaper, organic waste, incontinence, feminine hygiene and pet waste verticals, while reducing plastic pollution from single-use trash bags.
"We are on a mission that matters – to solve real problems and address real needs in people's homes, business, and the environment. It has taken two rocket scientists and four years of development to bring this innovation to fruition."
Learn more and sign up for this summer's pre-order event now at PetalClean.com.
You can read more about Petal's launch in this statement of intent from its CEO.
About Petal, LLC
Founded in 2015, Petal is a Fort Worth-based, high-tech consumer goods company with a revolutionary appliance that will forever supplant traditional waste disposal methods. Its first namesake product, the Petal, is the world's first zero-odor, germ-freezing waste bin and the only disposal device on the market that naturally stops rot, eliminates stink, and halts the spread of germs. Uniquely designed to fit into any room of your home, the Petal freezes everything from diapers to food and pet waste, leaving you with a home that feels fresh and clean, because it is.
View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meet-petal-the-first-disruptive-innovation-in-waste-disposal-since-1875-301060206.html
SOURCE Petal, LLC


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Walk around in a retail store and the foods section is sure to have bright banners with the words “Organic”, “Superfood”, “Gourmet” shouting right at you. These are also the counters where there are herds of people all recommending one organic brand to each other and often discussing the authenticity of being a superfood.
Welcome to the craze of diets and healthy living which has taken over the country. People are making a conscious effort to take charge of their food choices and catering to them are numerous brands in the industry who are all selling the idea of healthy living. So it comes as no wonder that the organic food and superfoods market has grown multiple folds in the past few years in India.
This has also paved the way for entrepreneurs to experiment with the food industry. Entrepreneur India spoke to startup founders who have found the “organic” love for business in the sector and how it’s projected to grow.
Growth Over The Years
There was a time when you said organic food or superfoods, it was almost considered to be an alien subject and one thought of only relatives who are going abroad will be able to get back home some goodies. But now, every kiraana store in the country promises an organic food section whereas farmer markets boasting of fresh produce are often held across different parts of the country.
So from a not-so-known segment to today known in every household, how has the industry grown in India? Rishabh Chokhani, CEO & Founder, Naturevibe Botanicals answers that the organic food market in India has witnessed an immense growth over the past decade. He cites an EY report to say that the market has grown from INR 675 crore in 2009- 10 to INR 40,000 million in 2016-17, with an annual growth rate of 25%.
Meanwhile, Aakas Sadasivam, Founder & CEO, Prolgae Spirulina Supplies Pvt. Ltd. said that even as close to 5 years ago, there was no market for spirulina, chia seed, millets etc but now even these products have a good customer base. “There are also many youngsters who have started organic agriculture farming, so this shows the interest in the industry,” he said.
How The Internet Played a Role
Like in everything today, the World Wide Web has played an important role in the growth of this industry. The market found its initial customers in the fitness-savvy technologically conscious millennials. These youngsters turned to the social media to post stories of progress and how these products have resulted in better skin, hair… or even weight-loss. This added to the craze of organic products. Everyone wanted to try these products and then post their own success story.
From celebrities swearing by these superfoods and organic food products, the common man is only more excited to try out these products. Rizwan Thakur, CEO & Founder, Chevon Agrotech said, “Indian consumer is now aware of international trends almost immediately due to connected social media & is willing to try similar products locally.”
At the same time, it was also associated with class, the elite were the first to appear as customers but soon enough, it became a common commodity. Pankaj Agarwal, MD, Just Organik said that the per capita income in India has seen a sharp rise in the last two decades. Earlier, the majority of the organic food brands targeted the upper strata of the society. “However, the middle-class population has now become a major target for us as they are not shying away from spending money on organic food. The middle-class people are aware of the benefits of consuming organic food over regular food in the long run,” said Agarwal.
Having said that it is people’s conscious effort to stay healthy that remains as the number one factor that has pushed the industry’s growth. Chokhani believes that the rise of awareness among people through mass information channels and Internet about the benefits of organic food over conventional food have come to light. “People are being careful and mindful towards their health due to which today’s consumer is choosing the products which are better, safe and convenient,” he said.
A Few Hurdles But The Future is Bright
The market and demand for healthy foods is only set to grow. With more and more diets too coming into the picture that endorse these food products, the conversion rate to healthy living is only increasing for the better. Thakur too said that the demand for healthy foods is growing strongly in urban Sec A/A+ segment & is expected to continue.
However, he believes there are a few hurdles as well. “Organic food segment still needs to build credibility & increase transparency to grow their market consistently, while the superfoods products have an immediate advantage there. This segment needs to shake off the fad label & bring its pricing to a reasonable premium level to truly create impact & take market share,” he said.
Agarwal too agrees. While he says that he definitely believes in the growth of the industry obstacles like the supply-demand disparity, lack of organic inputs and seeds, high-price of organic foods etc. are what players will definitely face. “However, with support from the Government along with a proper supply chain mechanism, the organic food industry can reach its potential and even exceed. After all, consumption of organic food is not only beneficial for one’s health but it is also better for the environment,” he said.
India being the second largest exporter of organic products in Asia after China, the industry of Organic food offers a bright future to all its investors. Chokhani said that the current Indian domestic market has achieved an estimation at INR 40,000 million and as per the annual growth rate, it is expected to increase by INR 100,000 million — INR 120,000 million by 2020.


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New Delhi : FMCG major ITC has entered into an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to acquire its brands, ‘Savlon’ and ‘Shower To Shower’, in India.
This acquisition will be ITC’s first purchase in the personal care segment.
“The company entered into asset purchase agreements with Johnson & Johnson Ltd, India & Johnson & Johnson Pte Ltd, Singapore yesterday for purchase of ‘Savlon’ and ‘Shower To Shower’ trademarks and other intellectual property, respectively, primarily for use in India,” ITC said in a statement.
Savlon is an antiseptic brand while Shower To Shower is a prickly heat powder falling under personal care product brand.
These agreements are subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory permissions as may be necessary, it added.
During the third quarter ended December 2014, ITC reported 10.47 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 2,635 crore as against a net profit of Rs 2,385.34 crore in corresponding quarter a year earlier.
The Kolkata-headquartered firm’s net sales increased by marginal 2.05 per cent to Rs 8,800.22 crore as against Rs 8,623.11 crore in the same period last year.
Earnings from the company’s FMCG business, including cigarettes, increased by 4.23 per cent to Rs 6,456.06 crore, while that from the non-FMCG business grew 0.31 per cent to Rs 9,582.95 crore.
Savlon, a part of Johnson and Johnson’s oral and wound care portfolio, comes in liquid, soap and hand wash forms and is a distant second to market leader Dettol in the antiseptics market.
According to an estimate by Religare Capital Markets Ltd, the two brands together clocked a revenue of Rs.90 crore in 2013-14. Of this, Savlon with its products that included antiseptic soaps and hand washes contributed Rs.65 crore turnover and the balance came from Shower to Shower prickly heat powder.


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MMI’s 2022 State of the Industry report: Next-gen Materials highlighted that 2022 represented a more “challenging” investment atmosphere for the next-gen materials industry compared to 2021. However, its examination of investments between 2013 and 2022 indicated an upward momentum in terms of both the capital invested and number of deals.
The report also revealed an expansion in the innovator landscape, noting the number of companies exclusively focused on developing next-gen materials has risen to 102 from 97 in 2021 and only 33 in 2013.
Notable funding in the next-gen materials space in 2022
- MycoWorks’ $125m Series C round closed in August, followed by a Series C2 round that closed in October 2022, estimated at $63m
- Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) closed $83m Series B in April, followed by a debt financing of $19.97m in December 2022
- AlgiKnit closed a $15.46m Series A funding round led by Collaborative Fund (also an investor in BOLT, NFW, and Modern Synthesis), which launched a new $200m climate-solution-focused fund with Stella McCartney this year.
- Cultivated leather startup VitroLabs secured Series A funding of $47.40m in May 2022 with investors including global luxury fashion group Kering
- Save the Duck was also acquired for an undisclosed amount.
Industry partnerships for next-gen materials in 2022
Data from the report suggests that in 2022, more established material companies, fashion houses, and automotive manufacturers announced their next-gen material offerings or their in-house R&D to create next-gen materials.
The report shared that partnerships between industry brands and material innovators continued to accelerate in 2022.
- In September, Allbirds released the Plant Pacer, a sneaker made with Natural Fiber Welding’s (NFW) next-gen leather Mirium.
- In November, tannery Ecco Leather — a company from Ecco Shoes, started working with Ecovative to create new leather-like alternatives.
Material Innovation Initiative (MII)’s chief innovation officer Elaine Siu believes it to be an encouraging sign that the next-gen materials industry has grown beyond the innovators disrupting the incumbents.
Siu said: “Technologies and innovation can drastically revolutionise the business by developing environmentally preferred and animal-free materials that match brands’ and customers’ aesthetic, performance, and pricing requirements. Established industry titans are also coming together to build a better materials industry for everyone.”
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The report emphasised the urgent need for multi-stakeholder coalition that can develop collaborative solutions for evaluating environmental impacts of next-gen materials, help implementation of these solutions, and preempt incomplete or negative conclusions made by media sources.
The authors of the report noted that as the next-generation materials industry advances, investors and consumers are keen to scale, go to market and establish price parity.
The report added that for this to happen, next-generation materials will need to be high-performance, animal-free, and environmentally preferable.
MMI’s ‘Next-gen materials: A 2023 assessment of the potential for U.S .consumer adoption‘ that was published last June found that 78% of consumers were willing to pay the same or more for next-gen materials compared to conventional options.


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The company announced today that it’s partnering with VMWare to bring Windows to Chrome OS with VMWare’s Horizon Desktop as a Service program. The partnership will allow businesses to set users up with a virtual Windows desktop that they can access from a Chromebook to use Windows-only apps without having to buy a Windows PC. Google is hoping that will cause businesses to start heavily considering its cheaper portables.
“Google Chromebooks can save businesses about $5,000 per computer when compared to traditional PCs,” Amit Singh, the President of Google Enterprise, said in a press release. “Chromebooks are designed for the way people use computers today and are a secure, easy and cost-effective solution to help organizations embrace a new way of doing business. Through our partnership with VMware, businesses can now capitalize on these advantages with access to legacy applications, data and desktops they need to keep employees productive.”
The news is a potential problem for Microsoft, which is counting on its enterprise business to keep the company moving. Windows 8 hasn’t been the major hit with customers that the company has been hoping for, while Google’s platform has seen a surge in popularity, making up 21 percent of commercial channel notebook sales last year, according to NPD.
While Microsoft has taken aim at Chrome OS with a number of critical advertisements, Google is forging ahead. Computer manufacturers have turned to making Chromebooks as a way to try and bolster flagging PC sales, while consumers made them some of Amazon’s best-selling products during the holidays.
One of the major drawbacks to Chrome OS in a business setting has been an inability to run Windows-only programs. While setting up a virtual desktop system has its own challenges, it means that Chrome has cleared a hurdle to enterprise adoption.


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The Abington selectmen have decided to take no action on a proposed .75 percent local meals tax.
Business owners had said the tax would be unfair.
Selectmen did not want to put Abington restaurants at a competitive disadvantage, Chairman Thomas Corbett said.
A tax of just .75 percent “may not seem like a lot, but what it says is Abington has a meals tax,” Corbett said. “We don’t want to do that to our restaurant owners.”
The board heard from a number of business owners at their meeting Monday night.
“All echoed the same thing: It would be unfair to our town if the other towns aren’t doing it,” Corbett said.
Interim Town Manager Dori Jamieson said the local meals tax would generate about $114,000 a year for Abington.
The tax also would need town meeting approval.


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What Red Bull Can Teach Content Marketers
The marketing world woke up today with Red Bull envy. At a time when brands talk of being publishers, Red Bull showed how this can be done on a grand scale: enabling Felix Baumgartner to complete a historic (and awfully cool) skydive from “the edge of space.”
The Red Bull Stratos spectacle drew millions to Red Bull’s site, with YouTube serving over 9 million streams of the leap. The Austrian energy drink brand cemented itself as the Coke of the sharable content era, willing to spend freely to produce content so good that it is indistinguishable from non-marketing content. Red Bull truly is a media company that happens to sell soft drinks.
You can imagine how many brands will look at Stratos and ask their agencies to “get me one of those.” Easier said than done. Red Bull has spent many years building up a powerhouse media arm that’s central to the company. Yes, there are lessons a GE can draw from Stratos, but there are just as many risks.
“They’re the Apple of content marketing. In a way, they’re not a useful example to look at because they’re so far ahead from where everyone is,” said Noah Brier, the CEO of content-marketing tech firm Percolate. “They’re a giant private company run by an individual with a penchant for being insane.”
With that in mind, here are some of the key lessons that Red Bull showed as brands try to figure out just how to create the type of content that makes people want it. Thanks to Noah for his help in sussing them out.
Content at the Center: In many ways, Red Bull Stratos wasn’t anything all that new. After all, Evel Knievel’s failed 1970 jump in Yakima, Wash., was sponsored by Pepsi. Brands have long pulled off stunts. What’s unique about Red Bull is that it always looks to what content it can get from its activities. The lead-up to Stratos was documented copiously, with the production of more than 15 videos. In all, Red Bull Stratos got 366 million content views on YouTube alone. There are still too many instances when brand don’t fully capitalize on events by always making content the end goal, not a sidelight.
Stay on Brand: It can be easy for brands to stray from their core message when they start to create content. If they make the content all about the brand, they’ll won’t attract much of an audience. But then they can at times create content that has nothing to do with the brand at all. Red Bull strikes the right balance because it has a clear point of view: Red Bull Gives You Wings. Put another way, Red Bull just takes something special inside of you and adds to it. Red Bull didn’t create Baumgartner’s quest; it helped supply the support to make it happen. And let’s face it, skydiving from 23 miles fits pretty well with the “gives you wings” message.
Take Risks: Brands like to talk about taking risks, but the things they consider risks aren’t all that risky. Allstate bragged at the recent ANA meeting that it took a major risk in not focus-group testing its “Mayhem” ad campaign. Ok, that’s a bit of a wager. It pales when you consider the real risks of associating a brand with a daredevil feat that could end up in unmitigated disaster. On a smaller scale, there were innumerable mechanical problems that could scuttle the launch and make it a failure. The fact that it was delayed four days because of weather shows just how variable the effort was. If brands want to play in the real-time content game, they’re going to have to get comfortable with things not always going according to plan.
Member ExclusiveMarketing Briefing: Ad execs and marketers say this Olympics has ‘lost its luster’
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Member ExclusiveCMO Summit Recap: How marketers are adjusting to the delayed phase-out of third-party cookies
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Facebook said that they are developing new apps to work with the Oculus virtual reality headsets. Speaking at the Re/Code’s Code/Media conference Chris Cox, Facebook Chief Product Officer said that the company is working to integrate the virtual reality environment and the social media website.
“I mean, virtual reality is pretty cool. We’re working on apps for VR,” Cox said. “You realize, when you’re in it, that you’re looking at the future, and it’s going to be awesome. When you’re in Facebook, you’re just sending around these bits of experience — a photo, a video, a thought.”
Oculus was acquired by Facebook last year for nearly $2 Bn and at the time of acquisition, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company is going take the virtual reality beyond media, gaming, education and medicine. When Facebook acquired it, most of the experts were supposing it as a waste of money.
However, with new reports coming out regarding the VR reality development, that opinion seems to fade away. Cox also discussed how engineers are working hard to develop apps, and about their implementation with the VR headsets. Currently, Oculus offers only the developer edition and is yet not ready to release for people in general.
Even though, Facebook builds the application that can be used with this innovative wrap around, the reach of it will be very limited. There isn’t a huge demand for these types of products, neither they are available as an end user product. “We’re a long way away from everyone having those headsets,” Cox said.
Other companies have also started exploring the VR territory, and recently Apple Inc also surfaced in the news for a grant of a VR headset patent that slides in an iPhone. The concept is very similar to the Samsung Gear VR.


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Hyundai is the subject of a class action lawsuit involving a potential fire hazard, with sister brand Kia also set to face a similar suit.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers lodged the class action against Hyundai with the Supreme Court of Victoria, seeking compensation payments for owners of vehicles with defective anti-lock braking systems.
Vehicles with this issue have already been the subject of recalls by the company, with Hyundai saying in its recall notices the ABS module’s circuit board may short-circuit when its components are exposed to moisture.
This can in turn lead to a fire, even when the vehicle is off, though it doesn’t affect the functioning of the brake system.
In its recall notices, Hyundai advised owners to park their vehicles outside in an open space and away from flammable materials and structures until the recall action could be performed.
Lead plaintiff Anne-Maree Johnston’s vehicle caught fire in her garage, situated directly below her bedroom. She was able to extinguish the fire before it engulfed her home.
“It could have been a fatal disaster. We were very lucky to have noticed smoke coming into the house from the garage. Had we not caught it early, it’s almost certain the whole house would have gone up,” said Ms Johnston.
The class action involves the following vehicles:
The law firm also notes 124 vehicles affected across the Genesis G70 and G80 lines, while its proposed Kia class action involves almost 58,000 Sportage and Stinger models manufactured between 2016 and 2019.
“This is a serious defect impacting hundreds of thousands of vehicles with potentially catastrophic consequences for vehicle owners and bystanders,” said Andrew Watson, national head of class actions for Maurice Blackburn.
“Consumers expect that the vehicles they purchase will be safe to drive, safe to park in their garage, and free from defects which could result in the loss of life.
“Hyundai and Kia have failed to meet those expectations and must be held to account for putting unsafe vehicles on the road.”
We’ve contacted Hyundai Australia for a statement.
“We are aware of a proposed class action by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers. However, we have not received any official notification on the matter and as such we will not be making any further comment at this time,” said a spokesperson for Kia Australia.
Hyundai and Kia owners can register for the class action at ABSDefect@mauriceblackburn.com.au
Last July, another law firm announced it was considering a class action against Hyundai and Kia.
Bannister Law asked owners of Hyundai and Kia vehicles with 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engines produced between 2009 and 2019 to get in contact if they experienced a separate mechanical issue.
The issue centres around premature wear and tear to the connecting rod bearings, caused by lingering metal debris generated by factory machining. The rough surface restricts oil flow, causing engine damage and symptoms such as engine knocking and seizing, and even fire.


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A report from ExactTarget found that nearly half of consumers have Liked businesses on Facebook and a similarly large portion have converted after receiving email marketing material. Small businesses looking to improve their presence on the web can leverage these channels to improve visibility and sales.
More than ever, prospects expect businesses of all sizes to provide information on products and services. Creating content that can be included in email campaigns and shared on social networks can help SMBs compete for customers on the web.
Overall, web marketing campaigns present countless opportunities for engagement, which can help drive prospects through a conversion funnel. Lacking a presence on any of these web channels can handicap an SMB looking to drive conversions from their websites.
“Agile (small business owners) who can drive interaction across online channels and build consumer engagement have a clear advantage, and our subscribers, fans and followers research provides the insight they need to understand what consumers expect,” Tim Kopp, chief marketing officer for ExactTarget, said in a release.
Small businesses that have been especially active in their web marketing, especially with social, have successfully improved both lead generation and sales. ContentLEAD recently reported that 37 percent of small businesses with social marketing campaigns in place believe their ability to draw and convert prospects has grown as a result.


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A Malaysian drugmaker has bulked up its manufacturing capacity as it faces drugmakers from other countries building plants there to grab a piece of a market that is seeing the kind of growth hard to come by in other parts of the world.
After several years of working on a deal, CCM Duopharma Biotech has bought 6 manufacturing units from its parent company, Chemical Company of Malaysia, for 245.1 million Malaysian ringgit ($66.3 million). The company says with completion of the deal, which has been several years in the making, CCMD became Malaysia's largest domestic drugmaker.
"The acquisition would give us greater manufacturing capacity and flexibility to cater to the growing demand for generic medicines, allowing us to bid for larger contracts," CCMD CEO Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar said in a statement.
With generous tax laws, incentives and a location ideal for servicing Southeast Asia, Malaysia is drawing new plants from manufacturers looking to expand in those markets. Drugmakers from India, which sits just across the Bay of Bengal from Malaysia, have been particularly aggressive there. Cipla Medpro, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Biocon and Ranbaxy Laboratories all have plants in the country.
Actavis ($ACT), which is now Allergan after completing the buyout of that company, picked up a plant there from a unit of Strides Arcolab in 2012. But Strides likes the market enough that late last year, it announced a subsidiary had begun construction of a $60 million biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Nusajaya. The 140,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed in the next two years and have about 180 employees. The company has said that it will be designed with "next-generation" single-use bioprocessing technology with both mammalian and microbial capabilities.
- here's the announcement


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Apple, Qualcomm settle bitter dispute over iPhone technology
Apple and mobile chip maker Qualcomm have settled a bitter financial dispute centered on some of the technology that enables iPhones to connect to the internet.
The surprise truce announced Tuesday came just as the former allies turned antagonists were facing off in a federal court trial that was supposed to unfold over the next month in San Diego. The resolution abruptly ended that trial, which also involved Apple's key iPhone suppliers.
The deal requires Apple to pay Qualcomm an undisclosed amount. It also includes a six-year licensing agreement that likely involves recurring payments to the mobile chip maker.
Investors reacted as if it were a resounding victory for Qualcomm. The San Diego company's stock soared 23% to close Tuesday at $70.45. Apple shares edged up 2 cents to $199.25.
Neither Apple nor Qualcomm would comment beyond a brief statement announcing they had resolved their differences. Details about how much Apple and its iPhone suppliers will be paying Qualcomm could emerge in court documents or when the companies announce their latest financial results. Apple is due to report its quarterly results on April 30 while Qualcomm is scheduled to release its numbers on May 1.
Apple had been seeking at least $1 billion for money that Qualcomm was supposed to rebate as part of an earlier licensing agreement. Apple had begun to have misgivings about that deal as it added more features to its increasingly popular line-up of iPhones.
Qualcomm was seeking $7 billion for unpaid royalties it contended it was owed for its patented technology in the iPhone. Apple's iPhone suppliers, including Foxconn and Pegatron, wanted another $27 billion from Qualcomm.
The dispute was clearly beginning to hurt all parties involved, motivating them to settle, said technology industry analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy.
"Both Apple and Qualcomm got deeper into this than they wanted to," Moorhead said.
Qualcomm also held another bargaining chip: It makes the modem chips needed for future smartphones to work with the next generation of high-speed wireless networks known as "5G." Two of Apple's biggest rivals, Samsung and Huawei, are already getting ready to introduce 5G models. The iPhone would have been at a disadvantage if it didn't have a pipeline to Qualcomm's chips.
Falling behind the competition isn't something Apple can afford with its iPhone sales already falling .
"Ultimately, Apple realized this was more about two kids fighting in the sandbox and they have bigger issues ahead with 5G and iPhone softness versus battling Qualcomm in court," Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives wrote in Tuesday research note.
Apple had already lost an earlier battle with Qualcomm last month when a federal court jury in San Diego decided the iPhone maker owed Qualcomm $31 million for infringing on three of its patents.
Qualcomm still faces other potential fallout from its demands to be paid royalties in addition to the fees it charges for its mobile chips. The Federal Trade Commission has accused the company of using its royalty system to stifle competition in the mobile chip market in another case in which Apple played a central role.
A trial about the FTC's lawsuit wrapped up in a San Jose, California, court in January, but the judge still hasn't issued a ruling.
© 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


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PHILADELPHIA — ProChile, the institution in charge of promoting Chilean exports, set up a partnership with Giant Eagle, a leading food, fuel, and pharmacy retailer, to boost seafood consumption in the Northeast and Midwest regions.
The “Chile on Board” campaign will run until November 9th in Giant Eagle stores throughout Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The initiative will focus on two of the most relevant Chilean products at the international level: salmon and mussels.
“Seafood is a common product on both coasts of the United States, but not so much in the hinterland of the country. With this campaign, we want the consumers unfamiliar with these foods to get to know those that Chile can offer and their benefits,” said Alexander Grabois, representative of the ProChile commercial office in Philadelphia.
Grabois explained that “thanks to Chile’s geography and vast water from the Pacific Ocean, the Chilean seafood industry offers a great variety of food that is remarkable in terms of freshness and quality.”
“Giant Eagle is proud to partner with ProChile,” said Giant Eagle Director of Seafood Rich Castle. “We will be running a sales contest sponsored by ProChile, with the winning Team Members earning an educational and fun trip to Chile salmon and mussel farms. The winning Seafood Team Leaders will experience the pristine marine environment and sustainable efforts that will allow them to educate our guests about salmon and mussel farming in Chile.”
The U.S., the leading market for salmon
Grabois explained that, in the case of salmon, Chile is the second-largest exporter in the world and that the United States is the leading market for this product. “Given the conditions of the southernmost sea in the world, the Chilean salmon has unparallel characteristics in terms of freshness,” he said.
According to him, “Chilean salmon is a food with a high content of protein and unique flavor that provides a highly nutritious, healthy, and sustainable diet. Besides, it is easy to cook and quite versatile.”
Food innocuousness and sustainability are other features of this product. “More than 70% of the salmon companies in Chile are certified for their good practices,” he added.
The ProChile representative stressed that “this industry plays a key role in the development of the South of Chile, not only due to the jobs that are created —70 thousand people work in this sector— but also due to the innovations of the goods and services that are exported to the rest of the world.”
Meanwhile, the Chilean mussel is a high-quality product that is 100% natural, hatched in the cleanest and coldest South Pacific waters that come from Antarctica. “It is a healthy, nutritious, and delicious product that represents the best of the Chilean shellfish,” said Pedro Ovalle, president of the Commercial Committee at AmiChile, the mussel farmers association.
“Just like salmon, most companies that produce mussels have innocuousness and sustainability certification,” added Ovalle. He also highlighted that “the U.S. market leads the industry’s export growth, with a 3.7% annual rise between January and July of 2022, compared with a 12.7% drop in global terms.”
Grabois invited people who live in Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to visit the nearest Giant Eagle to learn about the more than 30 available products, among them fresh salmon, frozen salmon, Coho salmon, ready-to-eat salmon, dressed salmon, stuffed salmon, and mussels.
“Both salmon and mussels can be cooked and eaten with other Chilean products that are very well-known worldwide, such as olive oil, wine, and fruits,” said the ProChile representative.About ProChile:
ProChile is an institution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that promotes the sale of Chilean goods and services worldwide.
Through a network of more than 50 international offices and 16 offices in different regions of Chile, teams of specialized professionals work to strengthen the country’s position in international markets, spread opportunities to invest in Chile, and promote tourism. ProChile has 11 offices in North America that provide top-level information to Chilean importers and exporters to generate ties and detect new opportunities.
For more information: www.prochile.gob.cl
About Giant Eagle:
Giant Eagle, Inc., ranked among the top 40 on Forbes magazine’s largest private corporations list, is one of the nation’s largest food retailers and distributors with approximately $10 billion in annual sales. Founded in 1931, Giant Eagle, Inc. has grown to be a leading food, fuel, and pharmacy retailer in the region with more than 470 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana.


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States across the country are floating privacy-related legislation in many forms, and California continues to consider many potential amendments to the landmark California Consumer Privacy Act (Cal. Civ. Code 1798.100 et seq., “CCPA”), which goes into effect on January 1, 2020. On May 30, a law of significance to sellers of consumer personal information was signed into law in Nevada, and it will become effective October 1, 2019, three months prior to the CCPA.
Senate Bill 220 (SB 220) is significant because, similar to CCPA, it requires sellers of consumer personal information to provide consumers with an option to opt-out of the sale of their information. SB 220 is an amendment to existing provisions of Chapter 603A of the Nevada Revised Statutes that will “prohibit an operator of an Internet website or online service which collects certain information from consumers in this State from making any sale of certain information about a consumer if so directed by the consumer.”
SB 220 establishes that an operator must provide a “designated request address through which a consumer may submit a verified request” (Sec. 2.1) and requires that upon receiving such a request, the operator “shall not make any sale of any covered information the operator has collected or will collect about that consumer” (Sec. 2.3.). While the CCPA defines selling as exchanging for “monetary or other valuable consideration” (Cal. Civ. Code 1798.140(t)(1)), SB 220 is narrower in restricting the definition to an exchange for “monetary considerations” (Sec. 1.6.). Also, despite the original bill having a private right of action, that option was removed in an amendment prior to the final approved bill. Therefore, enforcement of this provision will be by the Nevada attorney general who can seek fines or injunction for non-compliance.
Businesses that sell consumer information need to take heed to this changing landscape and consider these new deadlines in their implementation strategies. This Nevada law will be in effect in under three months, and for many companies a broad right for consumers to opt-out of the sale of their information is a significant operational and business change that the business has not previously had to contemplate. It is imperative that companies take the steps now to understand what data they collect, how it is used, and with whom it is shared or exchanged for value. As privacy laws continue to evolve, it is likely that legislatures will provide companies with shorter compliance timelines, as companies may be expected to be on notice of this focus on privacy as a core consumer protection. This Nevada law will likely be the first such change, but it is highly likely more will follow even beyond the CCPA.


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NCR realty market coming out of slump, shows report | Gurgaon News – Times of India Online Courses – Learn Anything, On Your Schedule | Udemy – Udemy is an online learning and teaching marketplace with over 100,000 courses and 24 million students. Learn programming, marketing, data science and more.
CanWel Building Materials Announces Acquisition of Lignum Forest Products LLP – VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 27. the risk that the existing and acquired business from the Acquisition will not be integrated successfully or that there is an unexpected disruption from, or.
Starting a Business in Massachusetts: The Business Plan – Ecompanies USA How to Start a Successful Moving Company Business in 2019 – Writing a business plan for starting a moving company is necessary, just like when starting any other business. A business plan will help you answer the question how to start a small moving company. A business plan is vital for running a successful business.
Flipboard: Betwixt and between: farmers deserve support. – Tariffs. Betwixt and between: Farmers deserve support during trade war. post-gazette.com – By the Editorial Board. The tariffs would have caused great financial harm to farmers if the federal aid wasn’t provided Soybean farmers across the United States are caught.
The CEO of Columbia Sportswear has called the trade war between the US and China "very disruptive to business" adding it is forcing apparel and footwear brands to focus on sourcing instead of selling. just-style gives you the widest apparel and textile market coverage. Paid just-style members have.
New EFF legislator and musician Ringo Madlingozi reveals what he is going to do in Parliament South African Soldiers have been. – South Africa Latest. – South African Soldiers have been Training Ever Since I Was Born, But They Never Had any War I Think They Must Organize A Friendly War with Boko haram or.What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 3rd, 2019 – Matt Goeglein What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 24th, 2019 – What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 24th, 2019 Posted by: babak moghaddam Last week’s economic reports included monthly readings on housing market conditions, housing starts and building permits issued.
Columbia Sportswear CEO on Business Disruption From Tariffs – Tariffs. Columbia Sportswear CEO on Business Disruption From tariffs. bloomberg. tim boyle, chief executive officer at Columbia Sportswear, discusses the disruption to his company’s business from trade uncertainty as he says.
Cramer Remix: This market is telling you its next victim – Cramer spoke with columbia sportswear colm President and CEO Tim Boyle, who issued a warning on Trump’s latest proposal to place tariffs on all Chinese imports. "I think it would hurt our Chinese.
Triggering Monday’s sell-off was China’s announcement that it would retaliate with new tariffs of 5% to 25% on $60 billion of U.S. imports. The move came only one business day after. J.C. Penney.
Further, the company stated that it expects about 2-3 cents impact on earnings per share even if the new tariffs are not imposed. It also remains committed to increased use of airfreight to hedge.
Columbia Sportswear CEO calls tariffs disruptive – Columbia. – Columbia Sportswear (COLM +0.3%) is the latest consumer products giant that says it will pass on the costs of tariffs to consumers. Though not directly in the line of the tariffs already enacted.
Ugg Parent, Dick’s & Shoe Carnival Are the Latest Retailers to Tackle Trump’s Tariffs – “We will pass on the prices if we have to,” Columbia Sportswear Co. CEO Tom Boyle said in an interview yesterday on Bloomberg TV. “This is a very disruptive event for us. The big issue is really the.
On May 20, more than 170 shoe companies came together to pen a letter urging President Donald Trump to remove footwear from his latest tranche of tariffs. entire business, we are taking nothing for.
Columbia Sportswear Is Ready to Pass Trump Tariffs on to Consumers The Trump administration’s latest tariff proposal on goods imported from China has forced the outdoor gear and apparel maker to spend more time managing its supply chain than its sales operations.


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Thomas Cook sees strong demand for Turkey
British tour operator Thomas Cook said it was seeing strong demand across most of its markets, including a recovery in holiday bookings for Turkey and Egypt. Tour operators raced to boost capacity in the western Mediterranean last year after security concerns hit travel to Egypt and Turkey. That makes last year’s growth spike tough to match as rivals have also boosted their Spanish capacity. “We don’t have growth in Spain, but we are shifting capacity into Greece and Turkey following customer demand,” Thomas Cook Chief Executive Peter Fankhauser said.


text: FXStreet (Córdoba) - According to analysts from Wells Fargo today’s decline in the data of November’s consumer confidence is a caution flag for the Federal Reserve. Key Quotes: “Consumer confidence fell hard in November, with the overall index declining 8.7 points to its lowest level since July 2014. The drop was evident in both the present situation index, which fell 6.5 points, and the expectations series, which tumbled 10.1 points to 78.6, marking the lowest level since February 2014. The decline appears to have been driven by economic concerns.” “November’s drop in consumer confidence is a caution flag for the Fed. Consumer confidence is fickle on a monthly basis and 90.4 still represents a level that is consistent with solid gains in consumer spending and overall growth. The deterioration in the employment conditions, which account for 40 percent of the Consumer Confidence index, are concerning. “The jobs are hard to get series has a fairly strong correlation with the unemployment rate and the most recent increase would suggest that the slide in the jobless rate may slow a bit or even possibly reverse a notch or two. That is totally inconsistent with the weekly unemployment claims data, however, including the data for the November survey week.” For more information, read our latest forex news.


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Centsoft AP Automation has published a whitepaper entitled “6 Ways to Reduce Employee Fraud in a Booming Economy” that outlines proactive steps companies can take to avoid fraudulent payments – a growing problem that will only accelerate in economic good times.
Despite organizations recognizing the threat and actively implementing controls to reduce payments fraud, tactics are becoming more sophisticated and success more frequent.
Industry reports show that over 80 percent of financial professionals said their organizations were subject to fraudulent activity in the last few years.
Unsurprisingly, one of the reasons fraud has hit new heights may be that the economy is booming. As rapid growth boosts the number of transactions a company handles, new opportunities to commit fraud arise.
Controls are often bypassed or overridden as current staff struggle to manage increased workloads, while new hires take advantage of lax recruitment practices put in place to fill positions quickly. While only four percent of perpetrators have a prior fraud conviction, businesses may be infiltrated for the express purpose of conducting fraudulent activities.
“Organizations can be proactive in this area,” said Michael Cichy, Centsoft, “by controlling indirect spending, automating data capture, implementing approval workflows, enhancing the audit process and using data analytics to detect patterns.”
The whitepaper shows how occupational fraud (using one’s occupation for personal gain) cost businesses over $7 billion in just 21 months. At an average of $130,000 per case and an elapsed time of 16 months before a scheme is discovered, an estimated 50% of fraud cases can be directly attributed to a lack of internal controls.
Indirect spend, generally accounting for 15-27% of a company’s total revenue, is where the majority of occupational fraud takes place. The paper outlines six controls to reduce indirect procurement and payments fraud from going undetected.
The whitepaper, 6 Ways To Reduce Employee Fraud In A Booming Economy, is available for download:
Centsoft, a subsidiary of Palette Software, offers robust and cloud-based software to streamline all of the steps in the accounts payable process. Centsoft’s AI learns and proactively suggests the best way to record and process invoices for fast and easy approval. Centsoft is a leading provider of SaaS solutions that automates the management of supplier invoices for over 3,000 companies. Centsoft quickly integrates with Quickbooks and Quickbooks Online.
Release ID: 88944133


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End of Bahrain trade deal would ripple through Florida
WASHINGTON — The looming expiration of a U.S. trade deal with Bahrain in the Middle East is reverberating thousands of miles away in a tiny Florida Panhandle town.
WestPoint Home operates a textile plant in the rural Washington County hamlet of Chipley, employing about 250 workers who make comforters, quilts and other home furnishings. The company warns it may have to close the facility if forced to pay higher tariffs for the raw materials it imports from the small island nation in the Persian Gulf.
Chipley Mayor Lee Dell Kennedy said losing the region's largest employer would devastate hundreds of families living in and around the railroad town of about 3,500 between Tallahassee and Pensacola.
"This is a small town and we need all the jobs we can get, trust me," Kennedy said. "WestPoint has been here a long time and it means a lot to us."
The trade deal, which removes tariffs on certain goods traded between Bahrain and the U.S., expires next year.
Invoking the potential plight of Chipley, Florida lawmakers, including Reps. Gwen Graham, D-Tallahassee, and Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, are pushing to extend the "trade preference level" arrangement through 2026.
Those efforts took a hit Wednesday when the Senate Finance Committee rejected Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson's attempt to attach the extension to a larger trade bill. Nelson's proposal failed on a mostly party-line 10-16 vote, with most Republicans opposed.
Nelson said there are national security as well as economic reasons to extend the trade agreement, because Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.
"There are going to be consequences if we don't (extend) it, " Nelson warned his committee colleagues before the vote. "You know all of our activities and how much Bahrain has been an ally of ours in that war that we're pursuing over there against the terrorists. I'm afraid this is going to be big news in Bahrain, that the United States has turned on its heel."
He got no sympathy from North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, whose state was the epicenter of the U.S. textile industry until cheaper foreign competition prompted many manufacturers to close.
Trade deals like the one with Bahrain are killing what's left of the industry in the U.S., Burr told Nelson.
"I'd just as soon fight for the ones that are left and fight for the opportunity for the United States textile industry to be as lucrative and forceful as anybody else in the rest of the world," he said. "And you don't do that by extending trade preference levels."
Nelson's office said Thursday it was "unclear" what the next step would be.
WestPoint Home officials didn't respond to requests for comment Thursday.
The firm operates a textile facility in Bahrain that produces yarn used for what Nelson called the "stuffing" in comforters and other home textiles sold by major retailers including Target, Dillard's and Costco. The fabric is then shipped, duty-free, to the Chipley facility, where it's assembled into finished products ready for distribution.
Without preferential trade agreement, WestPoint Home's plant in Bahrain couldn't compete with textile manufacturers in India and China, officials said.
Graham last month introduced a bill, co-sponsored by Miller, that would extend the trade preference level with Bahrain. The Northwest Florida Jobs Certainty Act has been referred to the Ways and Means Committee but no hearing has been set.
Earlier this month, Graham spent a day meeting workers and stuffing comforters as part of a "workday" program she conducts in parts of her district to get acquainted with constituents.
"The textile industry in America, like all manufacturing, has faced extraordinary challenges over the last 20 years," Graham said after meeting with workers. "WestPoint Home is the only remaining major home-textile company in the country, and the factory in North Florida is their last with open doors. We need to do everything we can to level the playing field (and) protect these jobs."
Contact Ledyard King at email@example.com; Twitter: @ledgeking


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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Surging fuel and food prices will cause British inflation to soar well above the government's 2% annual target in the months ahead, requiring slower growth to bring price pressures back in line over the next two years, Bank of England Governor Mervyn King said Tuesday.
But King's warning over inflation was couched in terms that prompted traders to scale back ideas the Bank of England will embark on a series of rate hikes later this year to control inflation, economists said.
The slowdown has already begun, King noted. And interest-rate decisions can't be determined in advance, King told the U.K. Treasury in an explanatory letter required after the Office for National Statistics reported consumer inflation rose an annual 3.3% in May.
"The path of the Bank Rate that will be necessary to meet the 2% target is uncertain," King wrote.
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee "will continue to make its judgment about the appropriate level of Bank Rate month by month," he added.
Also, "there are good reasons to expect the period of above-target inflation we are experiencing now to be temporary," King said.
Economists said the tone of King's letter was less hawkish than had been anticipated and undercut expectations for aggressive rate hikes aimed at squeezing out inflationary pressures.
"We think his reference to the likelihood that the rise in inflation would be temporary, and his re-statement of the potentially adverse consequences of tighter policy for growth and employment, argue against the market pricing of rate hikes over the coming months," wrote Simon Hayes, an economist at Barclays Capital.
Ben Read, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Business Research, said the bank's reputation is likely to be bruised in coming months as headline inflation moves higher. But policymakers would be wise to sit tight, he said.
With consumers "being squeezed at both ends by a slowing economy, a tight credit market and falling house price equity, the elements of inflation that the BoE can claim to have some influence on look set to ease without any base rate hikes," he wrote.
The British pound fell and U.K. government bonds rallied Tuesday, with yields slipping on reduced rate-hike expectations. See Currencies.
Equities gained ground in London, with the FTSE 100 stock index rising nearly 2% by late afternoon. See related story.
While the Bank of England cut its key interest rate three times between December and April, trimming it from 5.75% to 5%, markets recently factored in expectations for rate hikes by the end of the year despite fears that a falling housing market, rising unemployment, tightening credit conditions and other woes could lead to a significant economic downturn.
The governor of the Bank of England is required to write an open letter when annual inflation exceeds or undershoots the 2% target by more than a full percentage point. King noted that the letter, sent to Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling on Monday and published Tuesday, would likely be the first in a sequence.
In reply, Darling said the government would "continue to support the MPC in the forward-looking decisions it takes, consistent with the government's monetary-policy objectives."
King laid the blame for the inflation rise on surging prices for food, fuel, gas and electricity, which together have contributed 1.1 percentage points of the 1.2-point increase in the annual CPI inflation rate seen since last December.
Consumer prices registered a monthly increase of 0.6% in May, the Office for National Statistics said. This put the annual rate at 3.3% -- the highest since the statistical series began in January 1997.
Consensus expectations called for increases of 0.4% and 3.1%, respectively, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey of economists. Prices saw a 0.8% monthly increase in April that left annual CPI at 3%.
King warned that the inflation outlook had worsened since the release of the Bank of England's quarterly inflation report in May, which called for CPI to rise over 3.5% later this year. CPI now looks likely to rise above 4% in the second half of the year amid sharp jumps in oil and gas futures prices, King said.
King reiterated that the central bank is aiming to bring inflation back to target over two years, adding that ratcheting down the rate to 2% within a year would result in "unnecessary volatility in output and employment."
Nevertheless, King said the central bank's worried about the impact of inflation expectations, noting it's crucial that price rises other than those for commodities, energy and imports don't start to accelerate.
"That would happen if those making decisions about prices and pay began to expect higher inflation in the future and acted on that," King wrote. "It could also happen if employees respond to the loss of real spending power that results from higher commodity prices by bidding for more substantial pay increases."
Although pay growth has remained moderate, surveys show inflation expectations have risen, King wrote. That will require growth to slow in 2008 in order to return inflation to target, he said, noting that a slowdown "is already in train."
Also, the squeeze on real incomes fostered by rising inflation, along with tighter credit conditions, will likely lead to a further slowdown in activity this year, reducing pressure on the economy's supply capacity and dampening increases in prices and wages, King wrote.
Indeed, headline U.K. wage inflation actually fell marginally in April to 3.8%, just below the 4% rate considered consistent with the bank's inflation target, noted Andrew McLaughlin, chief economist at Royal Bank of Scotland, in a weekly research brief.
The Bank of England "can also take some comfort from the fact that since the early 1990s, U.K. workers have dutifully taken price rises on the chin with limited pass-through to wages," he wrote.
Different this time?
King was forced to break out the pen and pad once before, in April 2007.
He told the Gordon Brown, then the chancellor of the exchequer and now U.K. prime minister, that a March spike in annual inflation to 3.1% was a temporary result of surging food and energy prices and that inflation would calm down in subsequent months.
But the bank has seen a renewed pick-up in inflation pressures this year.


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Honda Rebel 500
Kia Sonet Kia QYI
2020 Hyundai i20
Royal Enfield Meteor 350
India key market in GM's global plans
05/07/2010 - 17:00
India is one of the key markets in GM's worldwide plans. The company after having emerged from bankruptcy, has been on a roll and has drawn up aggressive plans to launch new models in international..
Hyundai increases manpower to cope with i20 sales
30/01/2009 - 19:06
100 Trainees called back into the company Hyundai i20 has been on sale for just a month, the company says the i20 has given Hyundai a wonderful new year, amidst the economic crisis. The i20 which..
Special Report- Honda and Bajaj Superbikes in India shortly
06/01/2009 - 22:06
Eying a big potential for luxury bikes in India, where tastes are changing from mass-market machines to high-end bikes, Honda and Bajaj are looking at launching new sportsbikes in the country in the..
Chevrolet Cruze Indian launch by December 2009
16/12/2008 - 14:14
GM has already launched its Chevrolet Cruze in the Korean market but still has a long wait until it sees the shores of North America. The car was scheduled to go on sale in North America by mid 2010..
Tata to bring Compressed Air Engine technology to India
08/11/2008 - 00:22
Air Car Video Tata and a US based company is developing a green engine that would require only air to run. According the Environmental News Network (ENN), Zero Pollution Motors is developing a..
Force Motors Finally Hints At A Launch Timeline For The New Gurkha
Skoda Kushaq - Trims, Colors, Features and Specs Detailed
Hyundai Alcazar First Walkaround Video Is Out!
Hyundai Alcazar Launched In India; Price Starts From INR 16.30 Lakh
Hyundai Creta to Gain SX Executive Trim - INR 79,000 Cheaper Than SX Model


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GHM recently installed a Samsung OS7400 with expansion cab at the Edmundsons Electrical headquarters in knutsford. The 140 user site had to be switched over with no downtime and...
GHM provide for police rehab centre
The Police Rehabilitation Centre Goring-on-Thames is one of two purpose built sites in the country which used by all the police forces in the UK. GHM installed a Samsung OS7400 ...
GHM Communications awarded top Samsung Business Partner Level
GHM Communications has been awarded Samsung Business Partner Platinum Status, the top level of recognition for channel partners in the Samsung Channel Partner Programme. The awa...
Aidan McManus Joins GHM
As part of their continued growth, Oxford based telecoms specialist GHM Communications has appointed Aidan McManus as Implementation Manager. Aidan will manage projects right th...
GHM Winners of National Comms Award
Oxford based telecoms specialist GHM Communications has won the SME Vertical Solution category at the Comms National Awards 2011. The coveted award was presented to GHM last nig...
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9/23/2013 4:48 PM
by Joe Hellriegel
BEAVER - Sunday Operation Underdog was raising money to send a foster dog to New York City for a special tv program but on Monday they are helping raise money for the other animals.
They hosted a hot dog and baked goods sale at the Erma C. Byrd Center for Higher Education in Beaver. Students at the center were able to purchase hot dogs, sodas, chips and more to benefit the animal advocacy group. Organizers say the last minute decision to hold the sale paid off.
"Yesterday we had a great event at tractor supply and the community really came out and supported us and what we're doing today is we just brought stuff what we had leftover today to the Erma Byrd Center to sell to our students who come here. You know for a last minute sales event we've done absolutely great, we've a lot of support and a lot of people talk about how it's great to have an organization like operation underdog in our community."
Wallace also said Operation Underdog cannot stress enough how important it is to spay and neuter your animals.


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Frito-Lay has launched “My Joy,” a campaign that stands as a testament to the company’s ongoing commitment to promoting diversity among creative talents. This initiative aligns with the current consumer demand for greater representation, a trend strongly favored by diverse demographics, including Gen Z, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian communities, as per Numerator’s data analysis.
The 60-second commercial features an array of diverse creators and entrepreneurs from various fields. The spotlight shines on Color Me Courtney, a fashion venture; DJ Lex, a Filipino-American artist; Forsyth Fire Escape, a Chinese-Thai-Dominican fusion restaurant; Briana Green, a basketball player; and Michelle Santana, a Colombian tattoo artist. Throughout the ad, Frito-Lay’s array of brands, including Cheetos, Doritos, Ruffles, and Funyuns, are interwoven, showcasing the company’s products in a multicultural context.
This campaign was brought to life in collaboration with Obsidianworks, a media and marketing agency co-founded by actor-director Michael B. Jordan and former Nike marketer Chad Easterling. Easterling highlights the campaign as a celebration of the featured creators’ diverse and multifaceted journeys. He emphasizes that the campaign is more than an individual celebration; it’s a beacon that shines on the collective power and inspiration drawn from narratives that have historically been sidelined.
Frito-Lay’s initiative comes at a time when diverse marketing strategies have faced scrutiny amidst broader cultural debates. Yet, their steadfast approach to honoring diversity and inclusion stands as a crucial move in the marketing world, especially given the evolving expectations of today’s consumers.
Frito-Lay’s “My Joy” campaign is a strategic and timely move, resonating deeply with the current market’s desire for inclusivity and representation. For marketers, this underscores the importance of understanding and reflecting societal values in branding efforts. The campaign not only showcases Frito-Lay’s commitment to diversity but also serves as an inspiration for marketers to embrace and celebrate multicultural narratives in their strategies, thus fostering a more inclusive and representative marketing landscape.


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Bangladeshi technology company Gadget & Gear, has recently opened fifteenth outlet in Tokyo Square, Mohammadpur, in the capital.
The outlet was recently launched in Tokyo Square considering the needs of buyers from Mohammadpur, Adabar and Shyamoli, said a news release.Like other gadgets and gear outlets consumers will get Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, Huawei, Motorola, One Plus brand smartphones, tabs and laptops at Tokyo Square outlet.
The products of these brands have the convenience of buying monthly installments with a 1-year official warranty. Apart from this, all the accessories needed for mobile phones, tabs and laptops are also available at the outlet.
Gadget & Gear has already launched a 'Membership Card' for the convenience of consumers, so that consumers can enjoy special discounts through rewards points after purchasing something.


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The Digital Voice ad tech PR agency grows team by eight
- Thursday, August 4th, 2022
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Having recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, B2B ad tech specialist PR agency The Digital Voice has now appointed eight new starters, including a leading marketing operations specialist from the fashion industry; bringing its team to 26 across the UK and Europe.
Camealia Xavier-Chihota joins as Marketing Lead, having spent many years in marketing operations at leading brands such as River Island, working her way up as a Fashion Buyer before diversifying her skill set in various roles within eCommerce, sales, events, marketing and management.
Meanwhile Akinyi Odhiambo joins the events team as Senior Events Executive; expert writer, storyteller and blog specialist, Jelena Zoric will join the 8-strong writing team as Brand Storyteller; Rosie Hutchinson has been appointed as Events and Content Executive; Noor Sheikh as Social Media Executive; Ren Bowman as Tech Social Media Copywriter; Faith Ilori as Junior Marketing Executive; and Rowan Lee-Foyster as Junior Graphic Designer, bringing illustration expertise and even more passion for graphic design to the team.
A number of staff members have also been promoted in recent weeks, with Maryum Sheikh now Press and SEO Lead and Nicole Kotseva having been promoted to Social Media Lead. Team members include leading journalists and content writers, social media specialists, press officers, event managers, podcast producers and graphic designers; with the agency’s offering spanning PR, marketing automation, SEO, social media management, event management, design, podcast and website production, and with consultants on the ground across the UK and Europe.
“These new starters bring experience, creativity, passion and our signature can-do attitude to our team as we continue to act as a mouthpiece for companies with a lot to say but who need a helping hand to get heard,” said The Digital Voice Founder and MD, Julia Linehan. “We are proud of the relationships we build, as an outputs-driven agency which overdelivers for clients. Were only just getting started and have huge plans to bring in more tech, more content, more partners, more experts and above all, more heart and soul into all that we do for our loyal partners.”
Indeed, the agency prides itself on becoming an extension of client teams on a long-term basis, with businesses such as impact.com now approaching its ninth year of partnership with the boutique agency.
The Digital Voice also operates a virtual working model, which enables its team to support clients in a range of geographies and to embrace a huge pool of talent. For instance, the award-winning boutique PR agency recently added podcast production and website management to its growing offering. In addition, it recently launched a new website and Instagram channel.
The ad tech specialist agency’s client roster includes 15 innovative businesses, including long term clients Adnami, Adverty, Brand Metrics, Cavai, Exit Bee, GumGum, impact.com, Lumen Research, multilocal, Optable, Passendo, Playground XYZ, Tailify, Verasity and WhiteBullet, with a number of others on its waiting list.
More details on The Digital Voice’s growing team can be found here.