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Sony is warning customers who use the Playstation Network and/or Sony Online Entertainment to be on the alert for possible spearphishing attacks. The company suffered a data breach and says a hacker may have gained access to over 24 million accounts including email addresses, birthdates, phone numbers, passwords, and more-including credit card numbers, which have been spotted for sale in several cybercrime forums.
“Sony will not contact you in any way, including email, asking for your credit card number, Social Security number or other personal information,” the company said in a letter to customers posted on its Web site. “If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking.”
The breach occurred on April 16th and 17th. Security experts are recommending that all affected customers cancel their credit cards immediately. It’s not clear if this latest breach is related to the Epislon breach that occurred in early April. The company, which handles commercial emailings for Best Buy, Capital One, Chase, Home Shopping Network and other large corporations, had their servers hacked into and millions of email addresses stolen. I was one of the consumers affected by that breach and have yet to see any phishing emails pretending to be from those companies, so it’s not clear what the hackers behind that breach, which didn’t expose any financial data, plan to do with the data they stole. It’s possible it was a practice run for the Sony breach, which did gain millions of credit card numbers.
Sony has so far been good at keeping their affected customers informed but it would be a good move to offer to pay for credit monitoring for those who want it.


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There’s still a lot of uncertainty around Snapchat and the app’s potential to reach and influence large audiences. But one element that’s not in question is its market - various studies have shown that Snapchat, despite slowing growth, is still hugely popular among teens and younger users.
And with those audiences driving significant purchase influence during the holiday season, it makes sense that brands would want to pay attention to Snap’s latest ad offerings, and consider how they can utilize the platform within their broader strategy.
In line with this, Snap Inc. has this week announced a range of new Snapchat ad tools and options, mostly aimed at driving direct response, and guiding Snapchat users through to purchases direct from the app.
First off, Snapchat’s making its shoppable ‘Collection’ ads available to all advertisers via its self-serve ad-buying platform.
As reported by Marketing Land (and demonstrated in the screenshots above), Snapchat’s Collection ads enable brands to showcase relevant products, with tappable thumbnails along the bottom of a Snap ad. When tapped, the viewer’s taken through to a specific product page, with a link to a purchase option, aligning direct with the Snap content.
Snapchat first started testing the option with selected partners back in June, and those initial testers have reported positive results.
As per Marketing Land:
“Online retailer Wish.com earned a 17% higher engagement rate with the Shoppable Snap ads compared to standard Snap ads featuring the same product. eBay saw 5x the engagement rate, and Guess saw 4x the engagement rate with Shoppable Snap ads.”
It’s worth noting too that Instagram – unsurprisingly - has a similar option, also called Collections, which it launched in July.
In addition to this, Snapchat’s also adding a new option which will enable retailers to upload their product catalog feeds, which they’ll then be able to use in Collections and other Snap ads.
Snapchat’s also expanding its pixel targeting capacity to better track specific actions website visitors take (and target your Snap ads accordingly), while it’s also adding more than 30 new agencies into its Snap Partners program, providing more official providers for brands to turn to for Snapchat advertising expertise and assistance.
A noted, it’s a somewhat difficult time for Snap, with sentiment around both the company’s business strategy, and the app more broadly, seeing a decline in recent months – most notably flagged by the company reporting a drop in daily active users in its most recent performance report. Snapchat has long touted its engagement as its strength – it may not offer the scale that Facebook can, but its users are more tied to the app, coming back to it more often, and thereby more likely to be influenced by what they see within it.
Thus far, Snap hasn’t been able to prove that’s the case, which is why new advertising options like this are so important. If Snap can’t show relevant increases in average revenue generated per user, especially over the peak, end of year shopping season, investors will likely grow more wary of the app’s revenue generation potential, and that could lead to even more uncertainty around its future development.
Whether it’s cool among young people or not, Snap needs to prove its value for advertisers. It has done this in varying capacity, but it’ll need to provide a more compelling outlook on performance in order to offset negative market sentiment.

domain: news


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The digital advertising world is big--and growing in importance to the consumer packaged goods brands and retailer community every day. For some advertisers, throwing money behind campaigns can be a shot in the dark without any real data around the success or failure.
That’s why the Association of National Advertisers wants to investigate where dollars in digital ad spending really go--and how they pay off.
Specifically, automated digital ad-buying is the root of the issue, and without transparency, advertisers are potentially losing billions of dollars and having trouble planning their advertising investments, according to Bob Liodice, chief executive of the ANA, who spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the investigation.
Brands and other advertisers have also expressed a rising need for greater transparency across retail media platforms as well, with better insights and real-time data that can be viewed and leveraged through self-service portals. As more retail media networks come on board, increasing competition for digital ad space, those with transparent and self-service dashboards are likely to emerge as favorites.
The effort for more transparency is a decade in the making, with advertiser concerns growing as digital ad spending ramped up. Five years ago, ANA did a deep dive into the issue and uncovered unethical business practices, including “undisclosed rebates for agencies and other nontransparent practices were pervasive in the U.S.,” WSJ reported. Instead of looking for bad business practices, ANA is investigating the flow of money in automated ad buying by examining the processes, and the companies that support ad buying, and the social media and digital video companies with their own networks.
This issue continues to rise in complexity as more data points are tracked and targeting becomes more sophisticated. Within automated ad buying, about 15% of spending can’t be accounted for, while the rest makes it to agencies, ad tech vendors and digital publishers, ANA said.
“We are saying the way the ecosystem was constructed is not optimal for marketers to make decisions,” Liodice said. “We require that next level of understanding to see if we can get greater productivity out of the ecosystem.”
The study is expected to be a year long, with ANA seeking consultants to conduct the investigation. Request-for-proposals are due in June.


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Apple posts $46 million profitApple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2004 second quarter ended March 27, 2004. For the quarter, the Company posted a net profit of $46 million, or $.12 per diluted share. These results compare to a net profit of $14 million, or $.04 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue for the quarter was $1.909 billion, up 29 percent from the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 27.8 percent, down from 28.3 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 43 percent of the quarters revenue.
The quarters results include an after-tax restructuring charge of $7 million. Excluding this charge, the Companys net profit for the quarter would have been $53 million, or $.14 per diluted share.
Apple shipped 749 thousand Macintosh® units and 807 thousand iPods during the quarter, representing a 5 percent increase in CPU units and a 909 percent increase in iPods over the year-ago quarter.
A financial conference call will take place at approximately 5pm EST. Details will be published at the conclusion of the call.
On Topic: General
- This week on AppleInsider: Apple's blockbuster Q2, 'tattoo-gate,' Apple Watch review, more
- Samsung takes Apple obsession to next level with new Galaxy ad
- Apple bringing back personal shopping for controversial new Madison Avenue store in NYC
- AppleInsider podcast discusses our Apple Watch review, Apple's record Q2 and more
- Amid rumors of an Apple buyout, Nokia's maps business shines in otherwise disappointing quarter


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A. Charles Thomas, VP Research & Analytics, USAA Corporate Services, discussed how USAA has transformed their corporate strategy to customer centricity by utilizing their data warehouse and leveraging customer evaluations.
Adrian Parker, group marketing manager, Social, Mobile, and Emerging Media at Intuit, discussed four keys to driving growth and creating authentic connections: brand DNA, organic conversations, reciprocity, and integration.
Andrea Fairchild, vice president, brand marketing, Gatorade, discussed the launch of the G Series Fit product line by Gatorade.
Sopan Shah, group manager of Marketing Procurement at Nestle USA, discussed a number of traditional procurement metrics and evaluated a growing trend of new measures also known as "procurement beyond savings."
Jillian Gibbs, CEO and founder, APR, and Gaytana Carrino, tax incentive subject matter expert, APR, discussed the key drivers to production costs and highlighted ways brand can better manage your production costs with production incentives.
Brian Cusack, activation director, Global Video Solutions, Google, and Joanne Yun, video advertising solutions, Google, discussed how to create an online video action plan to establish an engaging brand presence, amplify the brand’s message to the right audience, and measure results.
Jim Low, senior marketing director, Kraft Foods, Inc., discussed the strategy behind Wheat Thins' integration of digital and social media with more traditional marketing and the behind-the-scenes of the execution of "The Crunch is Calling" campaign.
Alex Ferrer, director, Procurement and Analytics Solution, A.T. Kearney, and Rosanna Yang, director, Procurement and Analytics Solution, A.T. Kearney, discussed A.T. Kearney's 2011 Assessment of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) study, which finds that procurement has greater stature, more influence, and a wider reach than ever before.
John Marshall, senior partner, Lippincott, shared a new perspective on how to build brands that will create breakthrough economic value in the future.
comScore chairman and co-founder Gian Fulgoni examined the prevailing trends across the digital landscape to highlight the leading stories that are defining the future of digital consumption.
Melissa Lavigne-Delville, vice president, trends and strategic insights, NBCUniversal Integrated Media, presented findings from a recent study about the modern family that reveal eight unique mom segments and specific generational differences.
David Cooperstein, vice president, research director, Forrester Research, Inc., discussed the results of the latest ANA/Forrester survey on TV and video.
Roberto Orci, chair of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), discussed how marketers can sway any executive reluctant to make Hispanic marketing a business priority. He also shared results of a recent AHAA study that marks the first time that a direct correlation between overall Hispanic ad spending and a company's overall revenue has been found.
Diane Gibbons, director, Agency Management Global Procurement and Operations, Pfizer, Inc., and Richard Benyon, CEO, Decideware, discussed Pfizer’s best-in-class scope of work program and offered best practices in this area.
Simon Lowden, chief marketing officer, Pepsi Bottling Company, PepsiCo, Inc., Javier Farfan, senior director, cultural branding, PepsiCo, Inc., and Salvador Padron, cultural insights, PepsiCo, Inc., discussed how Pepsi is moving from multicultural marketing to cultural branding to target the new mainstream consumer.
Alice Wilson, social marketing, associate manager, Southwest Airlines, and Anne Murray, senior director, marketing communications, Southwest Airlines, discussed how Southwest has continued to grow as an airline, during tough economic times, by inspiring consumer loyalty.
Brett Colbert, CPO, MDC Partners, discussed how shopping for agencies on the basis of price alone may be a big mistake and how the most important thing is for clients to find an agency that is the perfect fit.
Tom Daly, group manager, interactive marketing, The Coca-Cola Company shared the brand’s global approach to mobile marketing, mobile best practices, key learnings, and trends within the mobile space.
Amanda Goodspeed, digital subject matter expert, APR, walked through the production process for social media and discussed the different types of social media productions, timing, and budgetary guidelines.
Chris Miles, senior director, advertising, Kraft Foods North America, and Noelle O'Mara, senior brand manager, Kraft Foods North America, discussed Kraft’s decision to create a new branding campaign for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.


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The Zimbabwean government has launched the Zimbabwe Motor Industry Development Policy 2018-2030 (ZMIDP) as part of efforts to promote growth of the local motor industry and increase capacity utilisation by over 90 percentage points in the next 12 years.
Successful implementation of the policy should see capacity utilisation for local car assemblers improve from the current rate, which is under 10 percent to full capacity by 2030 while simultaneously creating employment for the sector and other downstream industries.
The local motor industry has been battling cheap imports, low capacity utilisation and low demand. Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development Minister Dr Mike Bimha said the ZMIDP should bring a positive out-turn for the industry and is also expected to employ at least 20 000 by 2030.
“The ZMIDP is to spearhead the revival of the motor industry sector in Zimbabwe,” said Dr Bimha at the launch of the policy last week.
“The sector should be developed to a level where it would be used to benchmark with other sectors of the economy. The objective of the policy is to promote utilisation of available local raw materials and components in the vehicle assembling process,” he said.
The motor industry in the country has historically proven to be a significant contributor towards employment creation, value addition as well as gross domestic product (GDP).
In light of the policy, Government departments and all parastatals will be compelled to purchase locally assembled vehicles for their departments.
Dr Bimha added Government was cognisant of the need to support the development of the sector by offering services such as investment finance at affordable rates, exports incentives to vehicle assemblers and proffering customer funding to stimulate demand.


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from the avoiding-cognitive-dissonance dept.
Kilrah_il writes "After HP bought Palm a few weeks ago, many rumors emerged regarding the new parent company's plans to further expand the scope of devices running WebOS. Now it appears that at least one of the rumors is true: The Slate will be running WebOS. 'Today an HP exec has confirmed that the company is developing a WebOS tablet which should be available by October.'"
"For a male and female to live continuously together is... biologically
speaking, an extremely unnatural condition."
-- Robert Briffault


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New Renault Twingo vs classic Renault 5
We get exclusive access to new Renault Twingo as it meets the legendary Renault 5
The new Renault Twingo is a real mix of classic French small car thinking and cutting-edge tech, according to the company’s exterior design boss Csaba Wittinger. We caught up with the Hungarian designer to find out how it’s the classic Renault 5, not previous Twingos, that have inspired the new rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive city car.
Wittinger is the senior exterior designer for the new Twingo, which has been a long time in the making, and even longer in the inspiration.
He told us: “I joined the project in 2010, but it already had some pre-work on the architecture, and at that point we knew the car would be rear-engined and rear-wheel drive.” Renault has an illustrious history of filling its city cars’ back seats with an engine: there was the mid-engined Clio V6, and the wild Renault 5 Turbo before it.
And it’s the latter car – not the ‘one box’ original Twingo, which was never sold in right-hand drive – that’s inspired the new Twingo, due in UK showrooms later in the summer.
Wittinger points to the angle of the tailgate and the shape of the C-pillar as classic 5 cues, plus the tiny overhangs and space-efficient cabin, allowed by the Twingo’s rear-engined layout.
There are more subtle cues, hinting at the car’s rear-drive set-up. “We have the wider rear ‘hips’, which on the 5 Turbo were flat [to cover the wider track]. At first there were [engine air] intakes in the rear like a sports car, but the engineers worked on the cooling so they were not needed,” said Wittinger. Instead, cosmetic ‘vents’ around the rear number plate have survived.
There’s a hint of negative rear camber around the wider back tyres, too. “Engineering requires it, but I say it looks like a race car,” Wittinger told us. “I tried to design a car which is neither masculine nor feminine. Too many small cars have aggressive faces – it was a requirement that the Twingo look friendly.”
Before the Twingo, Wittinger was responsible for Renault’s budget sub-brand, Dacia. So, was this a chance to express himself? “Sure, [Renault] has more heritage, plus this car has to be more chic and lead the trend,” he said.
In the metal, the Twingo looks fantastic, and if you want an extra style hint, its designer assures us that it suits white paint best.


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College students drawn to Spotify because of its education discount can now consider Apple Music as a viable option too.
Apple will begin offering college students a reduced price membership to its streaming music app, TechCrunch reports. The discounted membership will cost $4.99 per month in the U.S. instead of $9.99. That’s the same amount Spotify charges students for access to its ad-free Premium service.
Students must be enrolled in an eligible college or university to get the discount. The reduced rate will apply for up to four years following sign-up. Those four years don’t have to be continuous — if a student takes a year off, he or she can sign up for the student discount again when they return to school. Graduate students are eligible for the half-price plan as well.
The Apple Music student discount is said to be available in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The option is already live in Australia and New Zealand, and will be arriving in the other mentioned regions later on May 6, according to Engadget.
The change comes just ahead of June’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple is expected to unveil a refreshed version of Apple Music. Apple’s decision to add a cheaper tier aimed at students could help it compete against Spotify, which boasts 30 million paid subscribers compared to Apple Music’s 11 million.
- The Fall of Roe and the Failure of the Feminist Industrial Complex
- The Ocean Is Climate Change’s First Victim and Last Resort
- Column: 6 Proven Ways to Reduce Gun Violence
- Ads Are Officially Coming to Netflix. Here's What That Means for You
- Jenny Slate on the Unifying Power of a Well-Heeled Shell Named Marcel
- Column: The FDA's Juul Ban May Not be a Pure Public Health Triumph
- What the Supreme Court’s Abortion Decision Means for Your State


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Toy makers bet on retro, creative playthings
NEW YORK -- A digital Barbie vanity mirror that allows makeup experimentation without the mess. Customizable figurines mounted on spinning tops that battle in a portable arena. New Play Doh Plus that's fluffier and more malleable.
The hippest new toys showcased at the American International Toy Fair this week are interactive, adaptable and, often, more than a bit familiar.
Read more of this story and more!
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- Jobless rates fall in less than half the states
- Surge in home construction likely to continue
- Overcharged batteries eyed in Boeing 787 fires
- Online startups offer incentives for good financial habits
- Affluent couples will see taxes rise
- College graduates' salaries rose 3 percent in 2012
- Former Hostess workers scramble after job loss
- McDonald's settles Michigan lawsuit over Islamic diet
- Boeing investigation turns to maker of lithium ion batteries
- Should worst-hit areas in superstorm be left to nature?


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Huawei makes an artificial intelligence chip for Level 10
Huawei has a chip made that artificial intelligence supports. It comes to the Kirin 970, which is in the Huawei Mate 10 must appear.
That said, Richard Yu, the head of consumer products of Huawei, compared to Reuters.
The chip is the first Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for smartphones. That means that the artificial intelligence into the chip itself, instead of in a cloud where the phone connects. “Users get faster performance, longer battery life, and a more compact design,” said Yu.
In addition, would the phone more personal, and the actions and interests of the user to better predict. Artificial intelligence can be, for example, real-time translation is possible. Yu says that the chip, the Huawei Mate 10 a better phone than the devices of Apple and Samsung.
The Huawei Mate 10 on 16 October revealed, as was the smartphonefabrikant during the weekend, know. The phone, according to rumors, the voice assistant Amazon Alexa included.


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Fasebonus who previously brought us the fantastic Mega Drive homebrew Oh Mummy are back with yet another physical cartridge release. Instead of turning to developers to provide an all new experience, the Spanish retro-publishers have turned to the back catalogue of pirate booty with the aim of re-releasing the unlicensed shooter Magic Girl.
This obscure scrolling shmup also known as Xiao Monv: Magic Girl first arrived on the Mega Drive back in 1993 in China. Although copies of this unlicensed release have found their way into collector’s hands, actually locating this game today is rather difficult - something Fasebonus aim to remedy.
The homebrew publisher has released a picture of the game’s box, manual and cartridge which sports the visual style of the earlier Mega Drive releases, all with the aim of gathering interest in a physical release. Fasebonus have asked that anyone hoping to pick up this title send them an email at the address listed in their latest update and await further news.
Magic Girl (Mega Drive Unlicensed) Gameplay
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Business associations and companies here have welcomed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), saying it will create new opportunities and boost trade in the region.
But they also warned that ratification of the treaty by member states will be the more difficult step and is by no means a done deal.
The TPP is a far-reaching agreement involving 12 countries which make up 40 per cent of the world economy.
The deal was finally struck in the US city of Atlanta on Monday after five years of intense negotiations and must now be signed formally by the leaders of the 12 nations - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam - and ratified by their parliaments.
The TPP agreement could open up new opportunities, strengthen trade and investment rules, and improve business conditions in the region, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) said.
Winners and losers
Here's a look at some of those who stand to win or lose from the Trans-Pacific Partnership:
Japanese car and vehicle-parts makers may be the biggest winners, as they get cheaper access to the United States, the industry's biggest export market.
Australia will gain access to the US sugar market while Japan will also reduce levies on the product. The cut in the beef tariff will help Australian ranchers, while tariffs will be dropped for seafood and most horticultural products. Preferential quota access will be created for grains and cereals.
New Zealand, along with Australia, successfully pressured the US to curb protectionism for new biotech drugs from the minimum of 12 years to five years. That could lead to cheaper drugs and more competition.The dairy industry, which accounts for about a quarter of the country's exports, will see savings of about NZ$102 million (S$94 million) a year. Tariffs will be eliminated on 93 per cent of the country's trade, including on beef exports, seafood, fruit and wine.
Reduced import duties in the US and Japan will benefit the country's apparel makers, while its fishing industry will benefit from the elimination of import tax on shrimp, squid and tuna, now averaging at 6.4 to 7.2 per cent.
Its electronics, chemical products, palm oil and rubber exporters are among the beneficiaries.
Japanese rice farmers will lose some of their protections with a non-tariff import quota of 1 per cent of total rice consumption.
Eliminating import taxes on pharmaceutical products from the current average of about 2.5 per cent will lead to tougher competition between domestic companies and foreign players.
Its state-owned enterprises may suffer from the deal, which calls for equal access to government procurement.
The second-biggest economy may be among the biggest losers as it failed to join the TPP, allowing the US to tighten trade ties across the region and advance the Obama administration's so-called pivot to Asia. Chinese exporters may lose some market share in the US and Japan to developing countries such as Vietnam.
SBF chief executive Ho Meng Kit told The Straits Times that it is still too early to identify specific areas of concern for the business community as the details are not yet available. The top priority now is to get the deal ratified in key economies such as the United States, he said.
Singapore International Chamber of Commerce chief executive Victor Mills agreed, noting that the deal accomplishes the key strategic imperative of anchoring the US to the Asia-Pacific region.
"This strategic imperative has always been Singapore policy and even more so in recent years to balance the rise of China and Chinese maritime ambitions," he said.
Business chambers also lauded the TPP's special provisions that aim to help smaller enterprises integrate into the global supply chain and expand overseas.
"What's most important is for SMEs to put in place an actionable plan to expand into the region. If our SMEs are slow to move, they will lose out," said Association of Small and Medium Enterprises president Kurt Wee.
Besides opening up trade between member countries, however, the TPP also contains rules on a range of controversial issues, some of which could affect Singapore.
For instance, the pact includes a mechanism that will allow foreign investors to bring TPP governments to arbitration. Critics fear that this will undermine the ability of governments to regulate multinational firms.
The agreement also addresses issues such as the development of the digital economy, and the role of state-owned enterprises in the global economy.
Singapore already has free trade agreements with all of the TPP countries except Canada and Mexico.
But the TPP will do more than broaden Singapore's access to freer trade in new markets, said DBS economist Irvin Seah. The agreement will also deepen the Republic's existing trade relationships by including components which were left out of previous agreements.
For instance, the pact will allow Singapore companies to participate in government procurement projects in TPP member countries.
HSBC economist Frederic Neumann noted that the details of the agreement have so far been sketchy, with consumers unclear of the benefits or costs of the deal.
But with more information on the deal likely to be released, there could be fierce opposition, especially in South-east Asian countries where "suspicion over foreign involvement in local economies remains strong", he noted.
For at least one company, the benefits of the trade deal are clear.
Mr Gary Lee, deputy general manager for export sales and marketing at food and beverage group Tee Yih Jia, said the company hopes to ramp up exports to South American markets such as Chile and Peru, which are part of the TPP.


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With the proportion of foreign visitors going upto 75 per cent, Interzum – the world’s leading trade fair for furniture production and interior design, held in Cologne every alternate year and organised by Koelnmesse GmbH, was more international than ever. The fair was held from May 21-24, 2019. For four full days, Interzum served as a source of inspiration for the design of future living spaces and presented the technical, haptic and visual refinements for tomorrow’s furniture standards.
With 1,805 exhibitors from 60 countries (2017: 1,732 exhibitors from 59 countries), more companies than ever before showcased their innovations across an exhibition area covering approximately 190,000 square meters. Out of a total audience of 74,000 visitors, over 55,000 came from outside Germany.
‘We significantly exceeded our goal of topping the 70,000-visitor mark. This has been an almost magical anniversary event in every respect and one that we will all remember. The industry demonstrated its immense capacity for innovation in truly impressive style.’, said a delightful Mr.Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH.
Alongside visitors from Germany, the most strongly represented European nations were Italy, France, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Significant increases were seen in visitors from Asia (+22 per cent), with particularly strong growth from China (+48 per cent), as well as increases from Central and South America (+24 per cent), Eastern Europe (+21 per cent) and North America (+7 per cent). In its anniversary year, Interzum mastered the balancing act of being an industry meeting place for trade visitors on the one hand and a hotspot for the creative professions on the other. A large number of inspiring presentations by companies contributed to this.
This year interzum demonstrated particularly impressively that it is not only a trade fair for the supplier industry, but also a 360-degree event that presents visions of how we will live in the future. By addressing this issue, it takes up a place alongside IMM Cologne/LivingKitchen and ORGATEC. In addition to familiarising themselves with the product ranges of suppliers to the furniture industry, manufacturers, architects and designers were able to discover a host of innovative materials and production processes.
With a diverse range of special event areas, talk and discussion areas, piazzas and workshops on disruptive materials, surface design, digital printing, digital products and materials, smart systems, mobile living spaces and new technologies, Interzum 2019 linked a broad spectrum of future issues and product innovations for tomorrow’s homes. The standout themes this year that will set the direction of future developments were the continuing rise of individualisation, energy efficiency and sustainability, light (LED), digitalisation (including voice control), micro living and ‘slide and hide’.
The next Interzum will take place from 4 to 7 May 2021 in Cologne.


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Microsoft completed its $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia today, bringing on board Nokia's smartphones, its not-so-smart feature phones and a Windows RT tablet.
- Intel warns against using Spectre patch due to higher reboots
- Up to 40,000 credit cards affected by OnePlus hack that happened two months ago
- 6 ways hackers will use machine learning to launch attacks
- Week in review: Winter (Olympics) is coming, and cybercriminals are also in training
- UK’s NCSC catches Turla’s new in-memory ‘Neuron’ malware for attacking Windows


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This weekend only, get our new Marketplace zip up hoodie when you donate $8/month instead of $16/month. Don’t wait — this offer ends at midnight Sunday!
The vice president of the company likened policing Amazon for fakes to "a game of whack-a-mole."
The café at a Home Depot in Kansas City is the first of its kind.
Ever wondered where your online returns go? They may be fueling new resale businesses.
Although holding onto the name for customer nostalgia, stores will be fewer and smaller with more of an emphasis on show cases and play spaces.
One Philadelphia-based company has decided to step in and prevent those suits.
The move is aimed at rural online shoppers.
Between the tendency to spend what’s recouped and the surrender of personal data, it’s worth thinking about the quid pro quo.
Why is your in-box already overflowing with sale alerts and discount codes?
About 70 percent of sales die before consumers hit "buy."
Big chains like Toys R Us are having a harder time competing with Amazon than mom-and-pop shops that do their own thing.


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The TVS Akukla 310 is expected to be launched in February 2017. It is the second product from the BMW-TVS alliance after the G310R. It will be manufactured at the automaker’s facility in Hosur alongside the G310R.
TVS Akula 310, which created a lot of buzz at the Auto Expo is expected to launch in February 2017. The Akula is based on the G310R and is the second product in the BMW-TVS alliance. The Akula 310 has been developed with the technical know-how of BMW Motorrard and taking inputs from the TVS factory race riders.
The engine powering the flagship TVS bike is the 313cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder mill which develops 34 HP at 9500 RPM and 28 Nm of torque at 7500 RPM on the BMW. It is mated to a 6-speed transmission. The tuning could be different for the Akula. The full-faired sibling is expected to share a lot of parts with the G310R.
The motorcycle will be manufactured at the Hosur plant of the automaker where the G310R is also manufactured. The bike has also been spotted testing fully camouflaged on Indian roads. The motorcycle when launched will not carry forward the Akula name. It is expected to be renamed as the RTR300.
As seen in the recent spy shots, the production version is expected to get USD forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear. It will also come equipped with dual projector headlamps, clip-on handlebars, petal disc brake at the front and an LED tail lamp.
TVS will price the bike very aggressively in the Rs. 1.5-1.8 lakh bracket. The bike could go up against the KTM RC200 which is priced similarly. It will stir up the whole small capacity performance motorcycle segment. Let’s see how far the BMW-TVS alliance can penetrate the market.
TVS Akula 310 Launch
– To be powered by the same engine as the G310R with different tuning
– To come with projector headlamps, USD forks, petal disc brakes, etc.
– Will be priced aggressively in the Rs. 1.5-1.8 lakh bracket


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Theatrical, video-assisted presentations like the rollout of Apple Inc.’s new iPhones this month have captured the imagination of corporate managers as well as consumers.
With the increasing sophistication of computers and electronics, companies holding special events, off-site gatherings or executive retreats involving meetings, are increasingly looking to add a digital flair to the proceedings.
That’s opened up new opportunities and challenges for professional planners who help organize these events and the audio-visual companies that rent, set up and operate equipment.
“As technology advances, there is more out there and it’s more affordable,” said Ann Gardner, co-founder of Fancy Pants Event Planning, in South Kingstown, which does a range of corporate events, including annual meetings, golf outings, groundbreaking ceremonies and holiday parties.
Specifically, Gardner said clients are asking about bringing in iPads for interactive entertainment, LED devices for decoration or digital projection for videos.
“Companies are looking to have fun and it is getting more affordable to do creative brand messaging and interaction,” Gardner said.
As an example of the kinds of things companies can do, Gardner suggested a photo image of a city skyline projected against a wall in an event space with the location of a new office pinpointed within the right building.
Or she’s seen a nonprofit bring in iPads for an event where attendees tried to solve a safe-cracking game and their progress was plotted on another large screen.
As an event planner, Gardner doesn’t have 100 iPads or digital-projection equipment ready to lend clients, so she works with theatrical-production firms like High Output Inc., a Providence production company that can bring its theatrical capabilities to more complex events.
Jess Klarnet, director of theater events for High Output, said a wide range of events are being influenced by how much time employees spend watching screens at work and home.
“Clients are looking for much more immersive environments,” Klarnet said. “People are used to watching TV and you need to give them something better. They also want some control over what they are watching.”
Like flat-screen before it, video presented in a wide-screen format is now the preferred medium through which to provide that immersive video experience, which can include picture-in-picture, Powerpoint, camera and computer-image magnification elements, Klarnet said.


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I’ve worn some pretty risqué things. One Halloween I once wore a catholic priest rob and had bloody babies and a coat hanger hanging of my belt saying I was homemade abortionist. Yes that may have be seen as a little inappropriate, but when a company mass produces an article of clothing that that shows complete obliviousness to world history you can’t help but ask what the hell were they thinking???
Take the case of retailer Zara who recently released a children’s striped shirt with a yellow star on the front looking a bit too holocaust-esque inspiring many a twitter user to point out the pyjama top’s similarities the concentration camp uniforms worn by Jewish prisoners during World War II.
Okay, so one has the stripes horizontal while the other has theirs vertical, but needless to say shit hit the fan on full blast. “Zara designers/management show a shocking lack of historical awareness with ‘Juden’ star on striped shirt for kids” tweeted one user. A spokesperson for Zara’s parent company Inditex said “The item in question has now been removed from all Zara stores and Zara.com. The garment was inspired by the classic Western films, but we now recognise that the design could be seen as insensitive and apologise sincerely for any offence caused to our customers.”
However this isn’t the first time Zara has been faced with an unfortunate design choice, back in 2007 the retailer had to withdraw a handbag from its stores after one customer out the designed featured swastikas… oh and then there was also this…
Seriously these guys really have to look at who’s designing their stuff.
I think this .gif of Captain Jean-Luc Picard says it all…
So did you think the the top was a little inappropriate?


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The NLRB Targets the American Dream
Summary: The National Labor Relations Board is poised to scrap the long-held legal definition of a joint employer, which has allowed business sectors—including the franchise industry—not only to thrive in recent decades but also to bounce back more quickly from the Great Recession than other segments of the economy. Given the employee turnover in many franchises, unions see aggressive action by the NLRB as a chance to expand membership rolls and generate revenues from dues that will support unions’ activist political agendas. But an array of business groups warn that changing the meaning of joint employer could bankrupt many small businesses and imperil the creation of the very jobs that represent an entry point for millions of the country’s workers.
If you’ve taken your car to Jiffy Lube, stayed at a Choice Hotel, or ordered a pizza from Papa John’s, you’ve most likely patronized a business built on the franchise model. From KFC, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Dairy Queen, to Planet Fitness, Ace Hardware, Supercuts, RE/MAX, and H&R Block, franchises are at the heart of small business in America.
Despite the strong national brand identification associated with these names, they are actually part of the small business mosaic of America. Franchisees are independent business people, running their own shops under the marquee of a brand customers that know and trust, often actually located on Main Streets across the country.
Franchises give small businesses, many of them family businesses—literally “mom-and-pop operations”—the opportunity to take advantage of national brand-name recognition and advertising, supply networks, business expertise, and other advantages that would otherwise be available only to the big guys. Many franchise operators are the first in their families to run businesses, and many are immigrants or members of minority groups.
Labor Relations Board putting a roadblock in front of small-business entrepreneurs?
There’s a world of difference between a local franchise business and a multinational corporation. The point seems so obvious it should hardly need to be made.
Yet a series of developments in federal labor law is lumping these two classes of businesses together in a way that could imperil some of the 8.9 million jobs the franchise industry provides in this country. In addition, the new rules could lump subcontractors in with the companies that hire them to perform such services as waste disposal and recycling, office cleaning, clothes cleaning, security, parking services, and photocopying.
What’s a “joint employer”?
The definition of “joint employer” is at the heart of separate-but-related rulings that have been issued, or are expected to be issued, regarding union-backed actions against the world’s largest restaurant chain (McDonald’s USA) and a Houston-based waste disposal company (Browning-Ferris). In the McDonald’s case, a majority of the five-member National Labor Relations Board is poised to comingle independently owned franchises with their corporate brands, linking them together as joint employers. In the Browning-Ferris case, the NLRB would apply that idea to subcontractors, linking them to the businesses that hire them.
Franchise owners say the NLRB’s action ignores the fact that the corporate brands have almost no influence or oversight on the locally owned franchise businesses’ day-today operations. They contend that initiatives by the NLRB and its General Counsel fly in the face of decades of laws, regulations, and court rulings on the definition of joint employer.
If those novel actions are upheld, it would be a great victory for unions, because it would make it easier for them to recruit millions of new members, to rake in badly needed fees and dues revenue to support their political agendas, and to facilitate organizing activities nationwide. Additionally, if the meaning of joint employer is changed, local franchise businesses could be treated as guilty-by association, as unions disrupt local businesses across the country in retribution for actions at a single, unrelated, independently operated franchise. This would also slow the growth of the franchise sector, possibly shutter existing locally owned franchisees, and eliminate many jobs.
Common law (the basic law we inherit from centuries of custom and precedent), statutory law, and regulations and legal rulings over the last-half century have clearly established who is an employer and when a so-called joint employer relationship exists. With regard to franchised businesses, the locally owned franchise business, not the corporate franchise brand, is deemed the employer.
In 1968, the NLRB issued a decision in a case involving the Southland Corporation, the parent company for 7-Eleven. In that case, the NLRB carefully considered whether the franchisee’s use of the trade name or operational system made the franchisor (the big national or international company) the joint employer. It held that a franchisor could be considered a joint employer only if it controlled labor relations and employment decisions by the franchisee. Because such decisions belong to the franchisee in the franchise model, franchisors were ruled to not be joint employers.
Over the past three decades, a number of subsequent cases related specifically to the franchise model have upheld this understanding.
The current standard was articulated in two cases from 1984, TLI, Inc. and Laerco Transportation. In a recent analysis on the website of Inside Counsel magazine, labor lawyer Marilyn A. Pearson explained that, in those two cases, the NLRB held that legally separate entities are joint employers only when they actually share the ability to control or co-determine the essential terms and conditions of employment (such as hiring, firing, discipline, supervision, and direction of employees). In order to qualify as a joint employer, the brand company’s control over these employment matters must be direct and immediate.
Most recently, the California Supreme Court declined to hold Domino’s Pizza LLC, the national company, liable in a sexual harassment case involving the employees of a Domino’s franchisee. The court ruled: A franchisor, which can have thousands of stores located far apart, imposes comprehensive and meticulous standards for marketing its trademarked brand and operating its franchises in a uniform way. To this extent, the franchisor controls the enterprise. However, the franchisee retains autonomy as a manager and employer. It is the franchisee who implements the operational standards on a day-to-day basis, hires and fires store employees, and regulates workplace behavior. Analysis of the franchise relationship for vicarious liability purposes must accommodate these contemporary realities.
These cases illustrate why the franchise industry, the National Restaurant Association, the National Retail Federation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and a whole host of other employer groups are alarmed and dismayed by the NLRB’s recent steps to jettison the old definition.
Changing the definition
On December 19, the NLRB’s Office of the General Counsel, headed by Richard Griffin (former general counsel of the International Union of Operating Engineers), filed complaints that accused McDonald’s USA and some of its franchisees of labor violations. These formal charges had been expected since July 29, when Griffin announced his intent to name McDonald’s USA as a joint employer with the individual franchisees. The claims allege McDonald’s workers at locations across the country were fired or intimidated for participating in union organizing or in a well-funded national protest movement led by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
As noted by the International Franchise Association (IFA), a major trade group representing over 1,300 franchise companies and more than 780,000 locally owned establishments from various industry sectors, changing the “joint employer” definition could do great harm. The change could saddle tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of small businesses with uncertainty, threats of litigation, and additional costs that could make it harder for these businesses to succeed, and harder for many of the country’s most economically vulnerable people to enter and stay in the job market.
Referring to the December complaints, Robert Cresanti of the IFA said, “This isthe nightmare before Christmas for local franchise businesses. The has effectively legislated a change to the definition of who an employer is, which will impact hundreds of thousands of businesses.”
Michael J. Lotito, co-chair of the Workplace Policy Institute created by the law firm Littler Mendelson, told reporters: “What the general counsel seems to be suggesting is that when a franchisor provides a tool, when the franchisor provides a resource that might help the franchisee better undertake their business and become more successful as a small business owner, that that somehow equates to joint employment.” In fact, “he NLRB’s decision in 1968 made very clear that the issue is notwhether or not you provide tools or support but the issue is whether or not the individual franchisor is making the decisions for their franchisees. So the general counsel is trying to upend decades of settled law that have been the foundation of the franchisor/franchisee relationship and finding suddenly that now, there’s a joint employment where none existed.”
Nowhere in the 13 complaints, which collectively span over 150 pages, does the NLRB’s Richard Griffin elaborate on what is meant by “degree of control,” according to Lotito. The 78 separate charges in these complaints involve allegations of discriminatory discipline, reductions in hours, discharges, and other “coercive conduct” directed at employees in response to union organizing activity.
These allegations are location-specific but Griffin, by declaring the corporate brand — McDonald’s — a joint employer, appears to have asserted that McDonald’s had a say in the alleged illegal or unfair practices at these sites. Yet, according to Lotito, Griffin failed to provide to the public any of the rationale that led to his decision.
To make matters worse for employers, the NLRB is poised to rule in a similar manner in the Browning-Ferris case. In that dispute, a union is seeking to engage in wage-and-benefit negotiations with subcontracted employees at a recycling facility in Milpitas, California. The board invited amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs, which allow people and organizations who are not direct parties to a case to provide their analysis of the issues. General Counsel Griffin filed such a brief and urged the NLRB to abandon its current analysis of joint employment to be replaced with a more expansive “economic realities” approach.
Browning-Ferris, paired with the McDonald’s case, would have a significant and likely very harmful effect for the franchise business model. It could also throw into chaos many other types of business arrangements. Should the NLRB formally adopt a more sweeping definition of joint employer, it could affect every business that subcontracts or outsources any function, which nearly all businesses do. “Browning-Ferris is incredibly pernicious,” said IFA’s Cresanti.
Griffin’s amicus brief in that case deals with whether a supplier could be considered a joint employer based solely on the volume of business a particular company does with those suppliers. This would have implications for practically any job that involves any form of subcontracting and vending arrangement. David French of the National Retail Federation noted that a retailer often operates a retail store within another retail store—a cosmetic counter inside a department store, for example. A decision in the Browning-Ferris case to throw out the longheld definition of joint employer could raise questions about whether the department store has a joint employer relationship with the actual owner of the make-up counter.
If, as expected, the NLRB formally adopts the new, more sweeping definition in Browning-Ferris, it would establish a new legal definition that would be applied by administrative law judges who hear related cases, such as the McDonald’s complaints.
Going after the little guy
It may be tempting for media outlets and commentators to frame this as a struggle between exploited workers and greedy corporations. After all, why should McDonald’s and other companies that make wide use of franchises and contract employers enjoy insulation from liability? But the real victim would be the franchisee—the little guy—not the big corporation.
In the franchise model, the national or regional corporate franchisor provides the hotelier, restaurateur, or other business operator with a brand, a logo, a product, or service standards, marketing, and tools such as a hotel reservation system. In exchange, the franchisor is paid a royalty, and the franchisee has the power to run the business the way he or she likes. The corporation does not micromanage the franchisee’s decisions about who will be the shift supervisor, who needs to cover for a sick employee, or when the floors get mopped.
“I have always been an entrepreneur at heart, but didn’t realize I could own a franchise with a growing brand that allowed me to capitalize on my passion for keeping things clean and organized until I found OpenWorks,” said Amina Redd, a franchisee who provides commercial cleaning and facilities services in the Phoenix area. “After more than 15 years as a franchisee, I am convinced that my passion for what I do and treating each customer and employee with the respect and personal attention they deserve has been the key catalyst for my success.”
Franchises make up a large and vibrant part of the U.S. economy, with nearly 800,000 franchise locations directly employing 8.9 million people across the country, according to the International Franchise Association. The franchise sector is playing an outsized role in an economic recovery that has been stubbornly slow and tentative. The industry is expected to create nearly a quarter-million new jobs in 2015 alone.
The number of new franchises could increase in the years to come as well. According to Matthew Haller of IFA, it has become common for younger people in middle management positions in large, nonfranchise companies to become frustrated by the lack of opportunities to move up the corporate ladder. Rather than wait for years for senior managers to retire, they decide they have the skills and experience in business decision making and staff management to run their own shops. So they grab hold of the opportunity to own a franchise business.
Stephen Duprey is an attorney in Concord, New Hampshire. A little more than 25 years ago, he was investing in and developing real estate and became intrigued by the hospitality industry. It occurred to him that the country was on the cusp of shifting from independently owned and operated hotels to the franchise model. The arrangement held a lot of appeal for would-be entrepreneurs and aspiring small business owners like Duprey, and he became a Choice Hotels franchisee. Today, he also operates two Marriott hotels.
The decision to become a franchisee involves a lot of personal fortitude and risk. Duprey and millions of others like him have put up their own capital, often their life savings, and years of “sweat equity” to get their foot in the door of running their own businesses. The franchise model is an ideal way for a would-be entrepreneur to reduce the risk to some degree while he or she learns how to run an independent business.
As a franchisee, Duprey does not personally pay for, say, an ad that Choice Hotels runs during the Super Bowl. His business gets the benefit of advertising that it would be impossible for him to buy as the owner/operator of an individual small business. At the same time, the entire Choice Hotels organization benefits from the high quality of the accommodations and service he provides his guests. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. “The power of many always beats the power of one when it comes to marketing,” he said.
Typically, royalty costs in the franchise industry are three to five percent. Labor accounts for the vast majority of the franchisees’ costs and for most of the money spent on day-to-day management. Real estate and marketing account for the rest. These expenses must be paid before the local franchise can see a profit. In the restaurant sector, for example, profit margins are in the four to eight percent range, depending on the local market and other factors—a respectable profit, but achievable only with attentiveness to containing costs. The stewardship of resources is almost entirely in the hands of the franchisee.
It is the owner-franchisee who hires and fires, establishes wages, and sets the schedule.Locally owned franchise businesses often provide an entry into the workforce for many people. In fact, many franchise owners pride themselves on providing guidance to first-time workers on basic life skills such as punctuality, teamwork, and professionalism. Workers at franchise establishments, like all workers, are protected by numerous, multilayered laws and regulations governing the health and safety of workers. Franchise agreements explicitly state that franchise owners must follow all of these local, state and federal laws. Franchise owners must abide by minimum wage and overtime laws; provide paid sick leave and breaks; establish training to prevent and remedy harassment; and follow anti-discrimination laws governing age, race, gender, disability, and other classifications. They must also abide by building codes, zoning laws, and other local ordinances. Employees in franchise operations, as in other workplaces, are given ample opportunity to understand their rights, and they are instructed how to make sure their employers honor these rights. As any franchise employee can tell you, the “artwork” in the break room often consists of posters, bulletins, and publications, provided by the government, on how to sue your employer for violating workplace laws and on how to do so without cost or fear of retribution.
SEIU’s involvement—no surprise
What is the impetus for the federal government’s sudden reversal of policy on the definition of employer? It is part of a broader trend of organized labor flexing its muscles, with the support and encouragement of the Obama administration. You might say the unions have a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with the Obama administration, analogous to the relationship between franchisors and franchisees. With only two years left in the Obama administration, labor unions need to move quickly to capitalize on that relationship, and on the opportunity to increase their membership rolls and replenish their coffers.
There is a perception in some quarters that the protests against the quick service (“fast food”) industry over the past two years have been spontaneous. In this view, the protests came about because workers suddenly got fed up with being exploited, just as the Occupy Wall Street protests were supposedly spontaneous and up-from-the-grassroots. In fact, it’s the SEIU—often referred to as “Obama’s favorite union”—that has been behind the fast-food protests. The SEIU’s strategy has been to organize the protests systematically and methodically, and sometimes covertly. Skeptics point out that the unions themselves, not the workers, have the most to gain by taking on the quick-service restaurant industry.
SEIU membership has slipped by three percent since 2011, even though the labor force has grown by two percent over the same time. As Diana Furchtgott-Roth, former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor and now a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, noted in last month’s Labor Watch, the turnover at McDonald’s is some 157 percent annually. Most workers leave after three or four months.
When such a workplace is unionized, the union receives initiation fees, generally around $50 to $100 each, for each new worker. Because the typical worker is gone quickly, the union spends very little on services for that worker. In addition to initiation fees, unions collect dues amounting to two percent of paychecks. Furchtgott-Roth estimates that unions stand to gain about $155 million each year from unionizing half of McDonald’s workforce, $45 million of that from initiation fees alone.
As SEIU and other unions have lost members, they have begun to organize in new ways. They have set up so-called “worker centers”—sometimes called union-front organizations, or UFOs—to accomplish their goals.
Supposedly, worker centers are nonprofit organizations that offer a variety of services to their members, including education, training, employment services, and legal advice. According to Robert J. Grossman, a lawyer and Marist College professor, the number of worker centers across the country has risen from five in 1992 to at least 215 today.
These organizations have a tax-exempt status known as 501(c)(3), the status accorded to charities, churches, foundations, and other “public interest” institutions. But rather than serve the public, worker centers have a decidedly more narrow, self-interested purpose, namely, to support union organizing, which raises questions about the legality of worker centers’ tax status and their receipt of tax-deductible donations. No wonder these front groups have drawn scrutiny from business groups, tax and employment lawyers, and some members of Congress.
Last summer, the New York Times reported on what it said was the largest gathering of quick-service (“fast food”) workers calling for wage increases and various workplace regulations. The event was largely underwritten by the SEIU, which spent more than $15 million on the campaign.
Marching under the banners of Fast Food Forward, Fight for Fifteen, and other “charities,” workers in some 190 cities walked off the job in early December demanding wage increases and other concessions. The organizations were often described as independent, grassroots groups, but in fact the effort was put together by the SEIU. Some of the workers protesting, it was credibly alleged, were not even actual employees but stand-ins paid to represent workers.
Wages & hours
Another aspect of the Labor Department’s attack on small businesses, franchises in particular, comes from the department’s Wage and Hour Division, under the stewardship of David Weil.
Back when he was a Boston University economics professor, Weil wrote a book called The Fissured Workplace that has become the foundation for many of the attacks on the franchise industry and the quick-serve industry. The book is based on data he gathered for a study of the franchise model that focused on the quick-service restaurant and hotel industries. (The study was commissioned by the Labor Department and paid for by taxpayers.) Weil claimed in the book that businesses run by franchisees had more wage-and-hour infractions than those operated directly by corporations, in part because they are subject to additional costs from franchise fees, which they try to make up for by keeping wages as low as possible. This, according to Weil, allows them to enjoy larger profit margins.
Weil was confirmed to his Labor Department position only after then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) amended Senate rules and made it much more difficult for Republicans to block President Obama’s nominations. Not a single Republican voted for him. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka tweeted that the 51-42 vote for Weil “is an important step toward putting a real cop on the beat to enforce our wage & hour laws.” In a profile published by the Boston Globe in June, Weil claimed he is not against franchises and subcontractors, and he acknowledged that many of these small business owners operate ethically and within the law. He said he wants to make sure that good businesses are not undercut by the bad ones. He added, “Parent companies specify a lot of what happens on the ground—down to the details of how a jelly doughnut is made or where a sign is hung, so why can’t they be held accountable for how their workers are treated? Can you really have it both ways, and specify things at a fine level in one respect, but in regards to compliance with workplace laws, say, ‘Well, they’re not our employees?’”
The answer is yes, franchisors can and should have it both ways. Franchisee Stephen Duprey has noted that this is the essence of what makes the franchise model successful. Even though Choice Hotels provides the tools he needs to run his enterprise, he said the decisions about how to recruit, hire, train, retain, and promote people, along with what to pay them, are his alone. “Not in my 26 years have they been involved in any work place decisions,” he said. “If that were true, I’d be working for them and not running my own business. I’d be an employee.”
The prospect of not being able to control a key expense such as wages is very unsettling to Duprey and other small business owners. He noted that hotel rooms in New York City can average $300-400 a night, in contrast to New Hampshire where rates can average in the $70-a-night range. Dictating corporate standards on wages and other workplace conditions that ignore these market realities would be counter to good business planning and could easily bankrupt him.
Duprey said he believes that it would make little sense to enter into a 10- or 25-year contract with a franchisor, which is typical in the industry, if the franchisee lacked control over the business, or if the franchisee faced unsustainable labor costs and the threat of legal action stemming from illegal or unfair practices of a franchisee in another state.
“My concern is not that I will be charged with any labor violations, but that my franchisor, in response to the NLRB’s changing long-standing joint employer standards, will take measures to protect itself that will end up reducing my autonomy as a franchise owner,” said Clint Ehlers, a FASTSIGNS franchisee in Pennsylvania. “If franchise owners have less independence and control, they can also expect lower profits. If profits are lower, there will be less demand from entrepreneurs to start franchised businesses. If fewer new locations open, the brand does not realize its growth potential. And that hurts each individual franchise owner in the franchise system.”
Bracing for a long battle
In her keynote speech at the union’s convention last summer, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry said that the CEO of McDonald’s and the CEO of Yum Brands (which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut) are each paid more than $10 million a year, and “A selfish few at the top are using their power to hold down wages, no matter how much that hurts families and communities across the nation.”
But it’s not the CEOs of big companies who would pay the price if the franchise model is weakened. The result would be fewer jobs for the people who need them, and economic losses in communities around the country.
Who would benefit from hurting the franchise model? Not workers, but unions. It’s a lot easier to unionize, and a lot easier to negotiate, if unions are dealing with a single corporate entity, instead of thousands of individual small businesses.
“Labor unions are not bad things. They have done good things for workers over the years,” Duprey said. “But in this situation, they are trying to make us all one employer—or to make me an employee—and this is not a good thing.”
The NLRB announced it has scheduled consolidated hearings on the McDonald’s case in three regional locations in the Northeast, Midwest, and West to address violations that, it asserts, require remedial relief as soon as possible. Absent the highly unlikely case of a settlement, the initial litigation will commence on March 30, 2015, and will involve allegations of unlawful actions committed against employees at McDonald’s restaurants in the jurisdiction of six Regional Offices of the NLRB. That hearing process could be lengthy and any administrative ruling will be open to appeals to the NLRB and the courts, ultimately even the U.S. Supreme Court. The entire process could take years.
In the meantime, businesses will be left hanging. Business decisions require a certain degree of certainty, and the mere chance that the SEIU and NLRB will win this fight is enough to burden franchise businesses.
Business groups have already begun to explore bipartisan legislative action to address the issue in the short run, possibly with stipulations on spending bills to block implementation of the policy. As the NLRB’s allegations make their way through the hearing and judicial process, Matthew Haller of the International Franchise Association assured, “We will fight these decisions by all means available to us. What’s at risk, across the country, are small businesses that often represent the life savings and the life’s work of their owners.”
David Agnew is the pseudonym of a writer/analyst in Washington, D.C. This article originally appeared in “Labor Watch,” a project of the Capitol Research Center, and is republished here with permission.
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ALBANY -- With sprinklers watering the begonias and hosta at Patch Nursery, owner Neal Weatherly strolled in the shade, admiring a small forest of unsold Japanese maples, magnolias and dawn redwood trees.
Although many people have continued to buy plants and seeds to replace greenery damaged by the three-year drought, many more have given up or are waiting for the end of the dry period.
That's hurting Weatherly and other Southern nursery owners. And with a fourth hot, dry summer likely this year, he expects the slump to continue.
''It's more psychological,'' said Weatherly, 89, who estimates his business is off by about 20 percent. ''You get discouraged when it's hot and you have to water.''
The drought has prompted landscapers to diversify. It has forced homeowners to be more selective when purchasing plants. And it has led to restrictions that limit the times gardeners can water their yards and flower beds.
Denise Smith, owner of Gardensmith Greenhouse in Jefferson, believes the restrictions have hurt her industry. Most greenhouses and nurseries have an almost unlimited supply of water from their own wells. Yet, the customers they depend on do not.
She feels it is unfair that car washes and other heavy water users are exempt.
''To me, everyone should bear the brunt equally,'' she said. ''If I can't sell plants because my customers can't water their gardens, or perceive they can't, then I think all industries should be similarly affected.''
But not all nurseries are suffering similar woes, according to Forrest Stegelin, a University of Georgia agricultural economist who works with nurseries and retailers.
Stegelin said some businesses are enjoying brisk sales because of hardcore plant lovers who take pride in lush lawns and blooming azaleas no matter how dry the weather is.
After three summers of drought shriveled their landscaping, these green-thumb fanatics are heading right back to plant stores for more shrubs, seed and fertilizer, he said.
''People are replacing their landscapes and they are focusing on home environments,'' he said. ''They want some place they can go to after a bad day at the office or road rage.''
Frank Wilson Sr., a retired physician in Leslie, about 30 miles north of Albany, doesn't let the drought harm the orchids, daffodils and camellias growing in his yard.
''I try to have something in bloom all the time,'' Wilson said. ''I have not really cut back on my spending and for the most part, I have not cut back in what I do in the yard.''
Mike Foster, owner of Foster's Garden and Landscape Center in Spartanburg, S.C., said plant sales at South Carolina nurseries were ''pretty good'' in April and May, but he expects a drop during the summer.
''When it gets hot and dry, it discourages homeowners,'' said Foster, a past president of the South Carolina Nurserymen's Association. ''On the other hand, I install irrigation systems and the drought helps that business.''
Georgia's green industry, which includes landscapers, sod suppliers, greenhouses and nurseries -- generates about $1.8 billion a year in retail sales, Stegelin said.
''There are probably some who have had a sales drop. At the same time I see a lot who are happy,'' he said. ''Their sales may have dropped off, but considering where they thought their sales were headed, they're happy.''
The landscape industry began to feel the effects of the drought last year, said Gary Wade, a University of Georgia horticulturist in Athens.
''A lot of new installations were simply put on hold during periods of limited rainfall and water restrictions,'' Wade said. ''We saw a trend toward firms diversifying and offering new services.''
Wade said some landscapers started installing sprinkler systems, building garden walls or installing walkways.
Mike Sikes, a salesman for McCorkle Nursery, which has nurseries in Dearing, Atlanta and Marion, N.C., said his company is ''holding its own.''
''We're trying to educate the consumer that you can still have a garden during a drought by choosing the right plants and by mulching.''
This article published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Sunday, May 27, 2001.
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Tesco granted licence to sell alcohol from pub site
- Credit: Google Maps
A plan to create a Tesco convenience store in Gorleston has taken a big leap forward after the proposed store was granted a licence to sell alcohol.
The plans to open the store took a further step forward on Tuesday morning when Tesco secured a licence to sell alcohol between 6am and 11pm Monday to Saturdays and 7am to 10pm on Sunday.
The decision was approved by a licensing sub-committee of the council, which heard the store is planned to open in October 2022 and would employ 20 people.
Four people living by the proposed store had objected to the licence being granted, citing fears over serving food and drink late at night, parking provision and anti-social behaviour.
Hardish Purewal, representing Tesco, allayed fears that the store would not be open 24 hours and that its 15 parking spaces would only allow people to stay for 20 minutes.
She said: "There is a misconception it is a 24-hour store. It is not a 24-hour store. Customers should be able to find ample parking within our footprint."
The virtual meeting also heard Tesco worked well with its local communities, staff would be trained to enforce a challenge 25 policy on drinks and in the borough of Yarmouth it had handed out £150,000 to community good causes and donated 207,000 meals.
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- 3 Man in 50s dies after medical incident in field
- 4 Murder inquiry as teenage woman dies after car crash in Norfolk village
- 5 Road rage incident sees van driver run over by car
- 6 Man in 30s dead, two arrested on suspicion of murder in Norfolk town
- 7 Customers travelling across Norfolk to try pub's 'afternoon sea'
- 8 Cyclist's relief as driver is convicted following traumatic accident
- 9 Schools face classroom closures due to Covid
- 10 Hope for WASPI women as MPs back compensation call
"It is an excellent, well-run organisation."
In approving the licence conditions, chairman of the committee Graham Carpenter said neighbours' fears over parking and anti-social behaviour were speculative and Tesco would have the controls in place to answer any concerns.
The conditions of the licence include staff being trained on Challenge 25 and proxy buying policies and would wear body cams and CCTV footage would be available to police and the council.


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The Reno, Nevada City Council today approved a deal that includes $89 million in tax abatements for Apple, representing a 79 percent overall reduction in Apple’s tax burden in the city. The tax breaks apply to county, city and state taxes, and will in part encourage Apple to invest $1 billion in northern Nevada over the next 10 years.
Apple appears to be in the final stages of deciding to create a second data center. The tech giant is reportedly eyeing 160 acres in Prineville, Oregon for a 31-megawatt facility. The location would make Apple neighbors with Google, Amazon and Facebook, companies also locating data hubs in the Northwest state known for enticing tech firms with lucrative tax breaks.


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Just how much would you pay to get an iPhone 4?
Last week, more than 1 million people snapped up the device in the U.S., Japan and other countries where it went on sale. But some Apple fans in Hong Kong, including visitors from China, couldn’t wait, and in some cases paid more than $3,000 for a gray-market iPhone 4.
Lo Lau is earning a handsome profit before the iPhone 4’s official debut in Hong Kong next month. He owns a handset store in Mongkok, a Hong Kong neighborhood that’s well-known to anyone shopping for unlocked iPhones and other gray-market electronics.
“We bought about 30 iPhone 4 handsets from the United Kingdom and the U.S., and they were sold out quickly within a few hours,” Lau said. “Many enthusiastic buyers have made pre-orders, awaiting our shipment of more gray-market iPhone 4s in the coming few days, and half of them are mainland Chinese visitors.” Continue reading on China Real Time


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Reddy Laboratories posted 108% higher net profits for Q1FY23 at Rs1,188 crore. This surge in profits came on the back of strong growth in its India business. For the June 2022 quarter, total revenues were also 6% higher at Rs5,215 crore. The India business of Reddy Labs grew 26% driven by divestment of non-core brands. It has decided to focus largely on deepening its presence in oncology and dermatology. It had recently acquired Cidmus, the cardiovascular brand from Novartis. America grew 2% and Europe
Bajaj Finserv stock was up 10% on Thursday after the board approved and announced a 1:1 bonus issue and 1:5 stock split. Effectively, the par value of Rs5 will be subdivided into five shares of par value 1 each. The overall impact of the stock split and the bonus would be to reduce the market price by approximately one-tenth and to enhance the number of shares held by 10 times. The stock has been an underperformer in the last quarter, but surged sharply in July. The reduced market price will enhance liquidity in the stock.
Adani Capital, the NBFC arm of the Adani group, plans to raise Rs1,500 crore via an IPO which is likely byThe sale of shares will target total valuation of $2 billion for the company. The company would basically look at the gains of listing via higher reach. Adani Capital is positioned as a credit company leveraging technology to acquire customers more effectively. It uses the D2C distribution model and 90% of its business is self-generated. Adani Capital has 154 branches and a total loan book of Rs3,000
One97 Communications, the parent of Paytm, will prioritize payments and distribution of lending products and target operating profitability by the second quarter of FY23. The core Paytm business model is based on acquiring customers and merchants for payments services and upselling them financial services. It also gives credit via its Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) scheme, which allows credit to consumers at point of sale. Paytm lending partners disbursed 15.2 million loans via the Paytm platform in FY2022, 478% higher yoy.
RBI has confirmed that acquiring banks can continue to store Card-on-File (CoF) data until 31st January 2023, giving some leeway on tokenization deadline. However, the RBI has also stipulated that merchant or Payment Aggregator can save the CoF data only for 4 days. Such data must be used only for settlement of transactions and purged thereafter. The last time in June, the deadline had been extended till Sep-30. This extension allows more time to guest checkouts as merchants can implement cashbacks
Vedanta reported a 4.6% rise in net profits at Rs4,421 crore in the June 2022 quarter on the back of higher sales volume and improved commodity prices. However, profit growth was subdued due to 16% higher depreciation and amortisation charge on depletion of oil and gas assets. Total consolidated revenues for the June 2022 quarter was up 35% at Rs39,355 crore. Its gross debt in Q1FY23 rose Rs8,031 crore to a level of Rs61,140 crore. Vedanta is into oil, zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron ore, steel, aluminium and power.
In one of the biggest deals in renewable energy space, there has been an agreement by an Indian company with the government of Egypt. The MOU was signed by Egypt and an Indian company to build a green hydrogen factory, to be located in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. Green hydrogen is made by the normal electrolysis process but the power used to separate oxygen and hydrogen is renewable. ReNew Power India Ltd will build the factory to produce 20,000 tonnes of green hydrogen with investment of $8 billion.
Nestle India confirmed that it was seeing early signs of softening of commodity prices, especially in edible oil and packaging materials. For the June 2022 quarter, Nestle India saw net profits slip by 4.3% to Rs.515 crore as expenses surged 21%. Most of the FMCG companies have been contending with a sharp surge in input costs in the last few quarters. Nestle India reported revenues of Rs4,037 crore, up 16.1% yoy on pricing power. It is not just Nestle India, but even Hindustan Unilever reported reduced inflation pressure.


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Pune, May 21, 2014 – 10 years ago TomTom launched its very first satnav, the TomTom GO. Since then, 75 million navigation devices have been sold in 35 countries, helping 13 million couples avoid navigation arguments in the car.
The TomTom GO has become the trusted travel companion for millions of drivers. In the last 10 years, TomTom has helped 35 million holidaymakers find their destination, 20.4 million wedding guests get to the church on time, 16.7 million hopefuls locate a job interview and 2.9 million people navigate to their first date. TomTom satnavs have driven 280 billion kilometres, representing 700,000 years of total driving time.
“With the launch of TomTom GO, we made navigation technology accessible to everyone for the very first time,” said Corinne Vigreux, Founder and Managing Director, TomTom Consumer. “At first, we helped people to find their way, the easy way, when travelling to unknown destinations. Now, TomTom routing combined with our unparalleled traffic information, helps drivers to get to known and unknown destinations faster, every day.”
Over the last 10 years, TomTom voices have guided millions to reach their destinations, making “Jane,” and “Tim” part of the household. Darth Vader and Homer Simpson have been the most popular voices downloaded.
Every day over 800 million people rely on TomTom to help them get to where they want to go. TomTom map, traffic and navigation technology powers apps, devices and solutions used by consumers, businesses and governments globally.


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Princess Diana is still the British royal family's biggest style influencer almost 25 years after her death, according to a new study.
Fashion aficionado and columnist Katie Yeadon shares how to dress comfortably this holiday season.
Saturday Dec. 21, 8 p.m. on ESPN in New Orleans
His blazer shimmers like diamonds in the night. His signature orange Gretsch G6120RH guitar, like the sun, exploding and giving life to his un…
No one ever said Tom Ford didn't know how to make an entrance, or in this case, how to launch Fashion Week with a bang. Ford's show at the cavernous Park Avenue Armory was a celebrity event of major proportion, drawing everyone from Kim Kardashian West to Julianne Moore to Liev Schreiber to Chaka Khan to Ciara to Cindy Crawford. No wonder the opening song on the soundtrack was David Bowie's "Fame."


text: Apple’s new subliminal TV ads by Philip Elmer-DeWitt @FortuneMagazine February 18, 2013, 9:01 AM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons “Together.” Click to view ad. FORTUNE — Samsung has been having some fun at Apple’s AAPL expense lately, mocking iPhone line-sitters and hiring Hollywood celebrities to crack wise about trademark lawsuits. Did Apple rise to the bait? It did not. At least not in its first post-Superbowl iPad commercials, “Together” (above) and “Alive” (below). Apple seems to be sticking its knitting, planting a few subliminal messages (spark, go, morning, hello, watch, rock, roam, leap, soar, top, flick, fresh, deep, surprise, wild), but mostly just showing what its products can do. “Alive.” Thanks to 9to5Mac‘s Mark Gurman for spotting the ads.


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Agricultural inputs, including fertilizers, are important requirements to boost crop productivity. It is estimated that if used well, fertilizers increase food and cash crop yields by 30%, thus enhancing food and income security for the country.
Fertilizers replace the nutrients that crops remove from the soil, and therefore without the addition of fertilizers, crop yields and agricultural productivity would be significantly reduced.
However, the use of fertilizers in agricultural productivity is threatened following recent spikes in fertilizer prices. In the last 12 months, Agriculture CS Peter Munya says fertilizer prices have risen to levels that have affected large and small scale farmers contributing to the 100% food and nutrition security.
“The Global market situation on high fertilizer prices started at the beginning of 2021 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sharp increase in fertilizer prices can be attributed to the following factors linked to Covid-19. The rise in fertilizer prices is due to producer countries such as China, Russia and Turkey restricting exports to protect their farmers. This is compounded by heavy consumption demand from India, Brazil and USA, buying up large quantities, hence reducing available global supplies. This increased fertilizer buying has also led to competition for shipping, thus increasing the rates for bulk and container cargo to high levels. Further, due to extreme winter conditions, gas prices drastically increased in Europe, causing many urea and nitrate production factories to close due to competition between heating homes and producing fertilizers, thus causing a shortage of these critical fertilizers. The Russia-Ukraine crisis caused further disruptions and concerns in the global fertilizer industry,” says Munya.
Following the above events, The CS adds that world fertilizer market prices have surged, affecting domestic fertilizer prices. For example, this time last year, a 50kg bag of DAP fertilizer was retailing at Kshs. 3,200; that same bag now costs KES.6,000, and based on the current trends, a further price increase is projected.
The Government has set aside Kshs 5.734 Billion to subsidize 114,000MT (2,280,000 x 50kg bags) for farmers growing food crops. These quantities will support the cultivation of 1.13 million acres. The fertilizers will be available at NCPB stores.


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BROOKEVILLE – Chuck Sharp’s pumpkin patches at Waterford Farm are a pleasing picture: the basketball-sized globes shine beneath a frilly cover of brown, curling leaves.
Only at the edges of the fields, where Sharp’s irrigation gun did not reach, can the effects of Maryland’s ongoing drought be seen clearly.
The state’s pumpkin crop is patchy this fall, with dry weather slowing growth and heat cutting yields. Farmers who were able to irrigate salvaged quality and size in their crops, but even they reported much smaller yields than normal.
At the far ends of Sharp’s 20 acres of pumpkin land, the leaf cover is still green, and the few fruits beneath them a darker, smooth green, both signs that the vines have not fully matured due to lack of sufficient water, Sharp said. Many farmers anticipate this problem and irrigate the fields regularly.
“That’s what made our crop so beautiful,” said Waterford farm manager Cheryl Nodar. “It’s a lot more work to irrigate, but it certainly pays off.”
But the lack of water is not the only ghost haunting the pumpkin patches. The heat, farmers said, kept the bees that pollinate the vine’s flowers out of the fields, so the crop didn’t begin productively.
Robert Pumphrey, owner of Pumphrey’s Home Grown Vegetables in Millersville, produced good-quality, well-sized pumpkins by irrigation, but low bee pollination cost him his yield.
“There’s not as many out there as there should be,” he said. “We’re managing somehow.”
And Ridgely Boyer, owner of Boyer Farms in Severn, said he will be able to sell only a third of what his land is capable of producing because of the heat.
“It’s just a shorter crop,” he said. “The quality is good on what we have.”
Boyer said he will have to buy more pumpkins to provide for his retail customers.
Phillips’ Farm in Germantown will “have enough pumpkins to satisfy our retailers,” said owner Jean Phillips, but “we’re not going to be able to wholesale nearly as many.”
Jim Schillinger, 43, runs a family farm that has grown pumpkins for more than 75 years. Papa John’s Schillinger’s Farm in Severn has more than 80 acres of pumpkin vines, but produced only about half the pumpkins it should have this year.
“We wholesale a lot of them, too,” he said, but this year they won’t be able to sell as much.
Schillinger’s pumpkins are smaller than normal, and he had to raise prices just a little, but not enough to cover his losses, he said.
Most of the farms opened their patches to the public at the end of September or this past weekend, offering pumpkins ranging from palm-sized miniatures to hefty 60-pounders. Phillips’ and Sharps’ farms, among others, offer hayrides and corn mazes along with their pumpkin pickings. Although Sharp’s 520-acre farm has been open for two weeks, Nodar said, it’s only in October when the weather cools down that people “start thinking pumpkins.” – 30 – CNS-10-4-02


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earnings fell far short of expectations, hammering the stock as management provided a revenue forecast for the September quarter that was below Wall Street estimates, citing a decline in economic activity.
The semiconductor company reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 29 cents, less than half of the consensus estimate of 69 cents among analysts tracked by
Revenue came in at $15.3 billion, well below analysts’ expectations of $17.94 billion.
For the current quarter, Intel said revenue will be between $15 billion to $16 billion, far short of the consensus call of $18.72 billion.
Demand for computers has been softening, reducing the need for chips. Worldwide shipments for personal computers fell 15% in the June quarter from a year earlier, IDC reported earlier this month. The research firm attributed the drop to “macroeconomic headwinds,” such as rising inflation and supply-chain disruptions.
Intel shares fell as much as 9% initially following the release.
This is breaking news. Read a preview of Intel earnings below and check back for more analysis soon.
Semiconductor analysts are expecting a weak forecast from Intel when the chip maker reports earnings after the market close Thursday, due to weak PC demand and a slowing global economy.
Wall Street expects
(ticker: INTC) to report June quarter revenue of $17.94 billion with adjusted earnings of 69 cents per share. Analysts’ estimates for the current quarter’s revenue is $18.72 billion.
Industry demand for computers has been softening. Worldwide shipments for personal computers fell 15% in the June quarter from a year earlier, IDC reported earlier this month. The research firm attributed the drop to “macroeconomic headwinds,” such as rising inflation and supply-chain disruptions.
Last week, Susquehanna analyst Christopher Rolland warned that Intel may need to cut its profitability guidance for the full year.
“We are cautious on the print given deteriorating PC demand, as we now expect worse top-line result/guidance,” he wrote. “We believe full-year GM [gross profit margin] guidance may be revised negatively.”
The company’s earnings report also comes as the Senate is expected to soon pass legislation that includes tens of billions of dollars of incentives for domestic semiconductor production and research, and factory construction. Intel, along with other chip makers, would benefit from the bill.
Intel shares were down 23% year to date as of midday trading on Wednesday. For the same period, the
iShares Semiconductor ETF
(SOXX), which tracks the performance of the ICE Semiconductor Index, has declined 28%.
Write to Tae Kim at email@example.com


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Tag : China
Burberry warns on coronavirus Subscription
British luxury brand Burberry has warned that the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a “material negative effect” on luxury demand in the Chinese market.
Nike has announced the temporary closure of half of its stores in China as the coronavirus outbreak continues to develop.
British luxury brand Burberry has announced it is to show its autumn 20 collections in Shanghai this April – the latest in a series of measures to boost growth and engagement in the Chinese market.
Harrods to open first store outside UKSubscription
Luxury London-based department store Harrods is reportedly set to open a new store in China next year, its first store outside the UK.
Alibaba sales hit £30bn this Singles' DaySubscription
Chinese retailer Alibaba Group generated RMB268.4bn (£29.8bn) in sales during yesterday’s Singles’ Day shopping extravaganza.
Alibaba hires executives to expand UK portfolio Subscription
Chinese retail giant Alibaba has reportedly hired a small team of executives at its London offices to build a UK portfolio.
Net-a-Porter launches on Tmall Luxury Pavilion Subscription
Net-a-Porter is to launch a flagship store on Tmall Luxury Pavilion, the premium platform owned by Chinese etailer Alibaba Group.
China's challenges tarnish Golden Week Subscription
Political unrest and economic instability overshadow the typically big-spending week-long national holiday in China this year.
When Radley was bought by private equity firm Bregal Freshstream in 2016, the business was well-established in the UK, but under-represented internationally, writes CEO Justin Stead.
JD.com back in the black Subscription
Operating profit at Chinese etailer JD.com increased 324% year on year in the second quarter, up from a loss of $147.4m (£122m) in 2018 to a profit of $330.2m (£273.4m).


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Something is happening with virtual assistants and their participation in the home, where the Echo Amazon has been very well received in the United States, plus it has the support of the developer community to enhance their capabilities, which has caused is one of the best selling devices of the company. Of course this would not last forever, because Google has launched its Google Home basically get to stand up to Amazon.
But it seems that Google is not the only one who wants part of this market, because a few moments ago The Information published information that gives us clues of what they prepare in Cupertino, where we see an important opening to Siri who also will jump to a mysterious focusing device at home.
Siri open to third-party applications (Finally!)
Siri was one of the first assistants who made use of natural language and set aside the famous voice commands, this led to the emergence of a major market for this type of virtual assistants where Microsoft, Google and Amazon began to outrun the Apple, because the truth Siri has expanded its functions but has not been enough for users will see a real utility.
One of the main problems of Siri is its restriction to information coming or has been previously authorized by Apple, which means that third – party applications are excluded from the information and functions that you can access, but this changed with the arrival of new Apple TV, where for the first time Siri was able to search for content in applications such as Netflix, in a very limited way, but it was the beginning of something.
Now according to The Information, Apple is opening the platform Siri developers, as happened when they opened the use of TouchID, through a new SDK that will allow Siri to communicate with the information contained in the applications installed either on an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and perhaps in Mac OS if the rumor that Siri reach the operating desktop is met.
This new SDK would be announced in the next WWDC to be held in a couple of weeks, and which will serve as a port of entry for Siri has new powers in the face of an upcoming device focused at home, yes, as currently does Amazon Echo and soon the Google Home, but this device is just at a very early stage of development, so it is unlikely to be announced this year.
This device would rely on HomeKit, platform automation of Apple, and it would be a powerhouse in our home, as well as control compatible devices would be connected to Apple TV, speakers with AirPlay where we would receive alerts and could even answer thanks calls its connection with our iPhone, all wirelessly and operated by voice thanks to Siri. To know more like this stuff visit http://healthyfamilyapp.com/.Tags: Apple, Siri, smart home speaker


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Of course, it's not going to look like the picture above. Or will it? Either way, iMore is reporting that Apple is going to release its next generation iPhone in August. Will it be like that giant iPhone we saw yesterday? Let's hope so.
The device will be stronger, better and faster. It'll be hard to gauge just what it's going to entail, but if we look at the years of iPhone evolution, its releases were as predictable as the tides. Will the next iPhone include all the features that we wanted in the 5?
iMore says that it will have a better processor and a more powerful camera, but it will be keeping the overall same design. Because, it just makes manufacturing sense we suppose. We're guessing no giant iPhones to come next. But then again, we never know when it comes to Apple.
You probably don't have a lot of time when you're home, if you are a parent. The kids will occupy most of it. Samsung's latest app is called Bedtime VR stories. It sounds like the future problem we never knew we were going to have when raising kids. Read more
Today there are so many mobile phones to choose from, and it can cause some discussion when choosing your favourite. The five phones listed below are some of those that could make your top five list, and if not, they are well worth checking out. Read more