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MHI honors original products, solutions with annual Innovation Awards
On Wednesday, April 11, during MHI Industry Night with Jim Gaffigan, the winners of the annual MHI Innovation Awards will be announced. That gives Modex attendees plenty of
Modex 2018: MHI to preview 2018 Annual Industry Report
MHI will preview the 2018 Annual Industry Report during the April 11 Keynote at MODEX. During the keynote, Scott Sopher, the principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Supply
Industrial Truck Association names new chairman
Scott Johnson, vice president of CLARK, takes up the gavel.
Retail sales in January are slow to start to the year
Commerce reports U.S. retail and food service sales for January were down 0.3% compared to December at $492 billion, but were up 3.6% compared to January 2017.
CEMA reports December shipments up 15% compared to December 2016
December 2017 orders down 18% compared to the same month last year.
Trinchero Family Estates: Powered storage
Trinchero Family Estates’ state-of-the-art distribution is powered by an automated storage system capable of handling as many as 4.2 million cases at any given time.
Smoother execution through S&OP
The sales and operations planning process is a long-established mechanism for aligning business objectives with operations. Find out how planning solutions are becoming more
Goods-to-person technologies evolve and expand
In a competitive and fast-changing environment, distributors are implementing a new suite of weapons in the war on waste.
U.S. warehousing market remains solid, says Armstrong report
The report reflects data and sentiments from more than 500 contract warehousing operations, nearly 400 contract customers, and 10 public warehousing operations.
NAM announces 2018 State of Manufacturing Tour
President and CEO Jay Timmons to meet leading manufacturers, elected officials, parents and students while visiting manufacturing facilities across nation.


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Nine months after announcing Pfizer would buy Wyeth for $68 billion, the deal has closed.
It's a smart move for Pfizer, changing it overnight from a marketing machine with popular pills to an ultra-diverse health care giant. That's because Wyeth is a major maker of biotech drugs, vaccines and animal and consumer health products.
New York-based Pfizer has been struggling to develop new drugs and faces a huge sales drop when its $13 billion-a-year cholesterol fighter Lipitor gets generic competition.
Pfizer, the world's biggest drugmaker by revenue, solidifies that position by buying No. 13 Wyeth, of Madison, N.J. The combined company can improve its bottom line by slashing jobs and other costs.

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Wal-Mart’s tough, John-Wayne-shoot-out in Tucson is over — for now. Sprawl-Busters reported on July 6th that Wal-Mart was threatening to take the city of Tucson to court — because the city refused to validate thousands of referendum signatures to challenge the Tucson big box store law. When Wal-Mart turned in its signatures, the city clerk rejected them on legal grounds. The city asserted that state law prohibits ballot initiatives from targeting zoning ordinances because it circumvents the zoning process, including public hearings required by state law. After legal toughtalk last week, Wal-Mart yesterday ended the gunfight. The retailer objects to the city’s law that limits stores larger than 100,000 s.f. to no more than 10% of square footage to non-taxable items, like groceries. Wal-Mart had hired a consultant to pay signature gatherers, collected names, and was ready to take their case to the voters next November. But yesterday, their legal guns were back in the holster. Wal-Mart slipped a letter to Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup and the City Council saying that Wal-Mart was dropping its effort to push its mis-named “Consumer Choice Initiative” on the ballot. “Engaging in a lawsuit with the city of Tucson wasn’t the right alternative in this case,” Wal-Mart admitted. Clearly the company had not anticipated that the city would reject its signatures. The company also appears to have done little work to research Arizona state law. Trying to put the best shine on their effort, Wal-Mart’s representative told the media that the 22,000 people who signed the short-lived petition were now free to ask the city to “take action on their behalf… The mayor and council has the ability to change the ordinance themselves.” Despite backing down, Wal-Mart continued to assert it would have won in court. It’s not clear, therefore, why Wal-Mart folded its tent. All the company would say was that they just decided against it because a lawsuit wasn’t “the right move. Publicity wasn’t a factor,” the retailer said. Wal-Mart told Arizona Daily Star that the signature gathering and media releases were not a publicity stunt to exert pressure on the city council. “We were really serious about it,” Wal-Mart said.
Mayor Walkup’s comment in response to Wal-Mart’s retreat was, “I think that’s appropriate. I’m pleased to hear it.” The fact is, Wal-Mart doesn’t want to push the city council too far — because this is the same council that several months ago waived the big box ordinance to allow a Wal-Mart to be developed on South Kino Parkway. “The big boxes are being well-served by council,” the Mayor confessed. But the Mayor is not willing to give big box retailers a blank check anywhere in the city. “There are some places where a big box of any kind does not fit the community. Every application will receive a fair hearing.” The whole ballot move has been seen as an attempt by Wal-Mart to “take off its shirt” to the Council, and make it clear that if they don’t get their way, they can flex their muscles. But the fact remains, the company misread state law, spent a lot of money gearing up to fight a legal battle and a ballot battle, only to fizzle out in a major public relations collapse. Do such antics bother shareholders? Probably not, as long as monthly sales increases dominate the headlines. But there has never been a more aggressive, bullying retail company in the history of America. Instead of selling underwear and bananas, Wal-Mart gets into bloodly legal fights. For earlier stories, search Newsflash by “Tucson.”


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Tide on the Black Market + Goldman Sachs Slammed + Steven Tyler has ADD – Heller’s Monoblog
It’s a late night TV show monologue, it’s a blog … it’s a monoblog!
• Tide laundry detergent, according to the police, is being stolen across the country and sold on the black market for as much as $10 a bottle. There's a black market for laundry soap? So right next to the guy on the corner selling crack there’s a guy selling Tide? “It’s the good stuff, man – it’s the kind with stain release.”
• Greg Smith, a senior executive at Goldman Sachs, the investment firm at the center of the banking implosion that tanked the economy, quit this week then wrote an editorial in the New York Times saying the firm “gleefully” ripped off clients and referred to them as “Muppets.” In response, the Muppets announced they would hereafter refer to what comes out the backside of Snuffleupagus as little drops of “Goldman Sachs.”
• Rocker and “American Idol” judge Steven Tyler admitted this week that he has attention deficit disorder. In similarly shocking news, the sun admitted that it’s hot, the polar ice caps admitted they're cold and Simon Cowell, former Idol judge, admitted he can sometimes be “a tad judgmental.”
Think you can do better? Well, then go ahead, bunky. Give it a shot in the comment section below. Crave more Heller? Check out my other blog.


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Taxi booking app goCatch has launched an $80,000 online game of two-up in a marketing stunt that trades on ANZAC DAy.
The coin tossing game which is only legal on ANZAC Day in Australia has been recreated online and if you win the company will give you a $5 credit to use the next time you catch a taxi.
The rules are each person can choose either heads or tails and two coins are tossed, if they both land on your choice your goCatch account gets bolstered $5 to be used on cab rides in April.
GoCatch said it plans to keep the competition open until midnight on Friday or until $80,000 worth of vouchers have been won.
When asked if the company thought it was appropriate to commercialise ANZAC Day a spokesperson told Business Insider it was just trying to “share in the spirit of ANZAC Day with our users”.
GoCatch co-founder Ned Moorfield also said: “like all Australians the team at goCatch remember the sacrifices of those who served their country, while celebrating the Australian qualities and spirit that the day represents”.
“We also want to encourage people who may be drinking alcohol on Friday to get off the roads and get home safely in a cab.”
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
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Piveta will purchase 51 per cent shares in Riga Foods, and the company said that the investment will be utilised for domestic and global expansion of the brand in markets like South Africa and the UK.
Among his private businesses Singh has interests in lifestyle-related ventures in the Western Cape, South Africa linked to viticulture, winemaking and hospitality under the brand name Leeu Collection. In the UK, he acquired the Linthwaite House, a boutique luxury hotel at Windermere earlier this year, his first such investment in the region.
Riga Foods was set up by Dalmia and Gita Bhalla in 2000, with the launch of its first restaurant Diva in New Delhi. The company said that while Piveta Estates has purchased a controlling stake, management control will continue to remain with Dalmia.
"We intend to be a strategic investor, guiding the organisation through its expansion efforts, both in India and abroad," said Singh. Dalmia said the investment will provide a strong fillip to the company's expansion plans over the next few years.


text: SYDNEY (MarketWatch) -- The Australian dollar traded at 98.41 U.S. cents on Wednesday, well off above-parity levels recorded at the start of the year, as traders continue to try and factor in the economic impact of massive flooding in Queensland. Bank of America Merrill Lynch economists Wednesday cut their 2011 gross domestic product forecast for Australia to 3.0%, from 3.3%, citing the flooding. At the same time they raised their consumer price inflation forecast to 3.5% from 3.1%. In late North American action on Tuesday the dollar traded at 98.70 U.S. cents. The Australian share market started on a positive note Wednesday but moved back through the morning to trade flat at 4,709.70 in midday action.


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The latest industry promote-off has plunged several substantial-advancement tech shares into bear current market territory, with declines of 20% or more. Record suggests that traders who get a prolonged-time period outlook have the most effective prospect to make optimistic returns, so there are some enticing alternatives amid the current flood of pink ink.
Three Motley Fool contributors assume that in mild of their discounted stock charges and fast advancement fees, ground breaking providers DigitalOcean ( DOCN -13.17% ), MercadoLibre ( MELI -3.74% ), and CrowdStrike ( CRWD -6.28% ) could mature your dollars fivefold above the next ten years. Let us dive into the aspects.
Competing in the cloud
Anthony Di Pizio (DigitalOcean): DigitalOcean is a cloud computing organization centered on serving small businesses with below 500 personnel, an possibility it estimates is really worth $72 billion for each year correct now, and could extra than double by 2025. The clients it pursues can often fall through the cracks at trillion-greenback tech giants like Amazon or Microsoft, which lead the broader cloud computing market.
Little enterprises in will need of cloud products and services are normally looking for straightforward, cost-powerful methods with assist to match, as they may possibly not be significant adequate to have a staff of complex experts in-household. DigitalOcean delivers a cleanse dashboard that gives a person-pleasant practical experience, and predictable pricing that is amid the most economical in the field. In truth, dependent on the configuration, a essential package deal with DigitalOcean can be much less than 50 % the charge of an Amazon Website Providers-equivalent package.
DigitalOcean described its total-calendar year 2021 earnings success on Feb. 24, and its stock rightly soared by 18%. The corporation delivered $429 million in earnings, which was a 37% jump over 2020, and it also expanded its customer count and typical revenue for each consumer to history highs. Its earnings growth was a strong acceleration in comparison to the 25% growth it created among 2019 and 2020.
Mathematically speaking, DigitalOcean would have to increase its income by 18% for each calendar year between now and 2032 to produce a fivefold return in its inventory, assuming its value-to-gross sales ratio continues to be consistent. It crushed that mark in 2021, and analysts estimate a more 32% revenue progress in 2022, with $567 million. But most significant, DigitalOcean is only capturing a portion of its addressable marketplace appropriate now, leaving lots of home for upside.
The most pleasing firm on the market place today
Jamie Louko (MercadoLibre): If there is a single business that I imagine is the ideal e-commerce stock to get right now, it would be MercadoLibre. The enterprise blew earlier analysts’ anticipations and it ongoing its higher progress price — with Q4 revenue leaping 60% year about yr to $2.1 billion — inspite of currently being value only $46 billion. On prime of that, the corporation announced spectacular bottom-line outcomes: Internet profits for the yr moved from detrimental territory to positive $83 million.
These big headline improvements are just the idea of the iceberg, having said that. Mercado Pago, which is turning into ever more crucial to MercadoLibre’s business, grew revenue 70% as opposed to the year-back quarter, and it now helps make up 37% of the firm’s earnings. This success was driven largely by raising energetic customers, which topped 51 million — and these consumers partaking with Pago in a lot more parts of their lifestyle.
The firm’s off-platform full payment volume, which is transaction quantity from outside of the MercadoLibre ecosystem, reached $16 billion — a soar of 75% 12 months in excess of 12 months. Making use of Pago for just MercadoLibre orders is just one matter, but the actuality that individuals are utilizing Pago to pay out for things outside the house of their system, like for gasoline or other e-commerce transactions, proves that the fintech platform is getting sector share in Latin America.
The firm saw dominance in extra than just its financial segment, having said that. Mercado Envios, the firm’s logistics platform, now ships 40% of all goods in its core geographies — not just MercadoLibre items — driven by Mexico wherever it has a 67% market share.
Right after this dominance, you would think MercadoLibre is buying and selling at all-time highs, but it is really 54% off its all-time large. With this fall, the enterprise is now investing at just seven periods product sales, its cheapest valuation due to the fact 2016. The firm’s possibility is however vast with 635 million citizens in Latin America and only 82 million of them in its ecosystem.
With a greenfield possibility ahead of it, I believe that that MercadoLibre can use its existing sector management to propel alone into ongoing good results for the future 10 years. With shares buying and selling at these a discount, I imagine MercadoLibre can simply supply five-moments returns over the subsequent decade, if not far more.
Cybersecurity is additional critical than ever
Trevor Jennewine (CrowdStrike): Cybercrime is a lot more widespread than at any time, as attacks on corporate networks jumped about 50% in 2021, according to Check out Issue Study. Even even worse, the hackers driving individuals assaults are relying on extra advanced tools, specially ransomware. Previous yr, a company was focused by ransomware each 11 seconds, and the damages totaled $20 billion, in accordance to Cybersecurity Ventures. Those people frightening studies underscore the will need for successful cybersecurity, and CrowdStrike has grow to be the gold regular in endpoint (product) safety.
Its cloud-native platform contains 21 various modules, all sent by way of a single piece of computer software, which by itself captures alerts from across its ecosystem of shielded products. Utilizing that knowledge, CrowdStrike leans on synthetic intelligence to predict and stop cyberattacks, making a network impact that has attained the enterprise a track record for marketplace-top threat detection.
As a outcome, CrowdStrike topped the endpoint security industry in 2021 with around 14% industry share, according to the Intercontinental Knowledge Corporation. Greater still, that marks the second consecutive calendar year the company has taken the top rated location, and CrowdStrike in fact greater its industry share by 4 percentage points. Not astonishingly, that dominance translated into potent money results. Revenue skyrocketed 69% to $1.3 billion about the previous 12 months, and no cost cash movement jumped 67% to $411 million. But CrowdStrike’s development story is however in the early chapters.
Cybercrime is very likely to turn out to be an even greater challenge in the coming a long time, as enterprises continue on to spend dollars on digital transformation jobs. In actuality, CrowdStrike places its industry option at $55 billion in 2022, but thinks that determine could increase to $116 billion by 2025. And administration is executing on a solid expansion strategy.
For instance, CrowdStrike launched quite a few new modules about the earlier calendar year, which include Prolonged Detection and Reaction (XDR). That’s noteworthy because XDR captures protection indicators from corporate networks, endpoint units, e-mail devices, and cloud infrastructure, and it unifies that info in a single platform, enhancing visibility throughout the IT ecosystem. Place a further way, XDR helps stability professionals identify and remediate threats more speedily.
Here is the bottom line: CrowdStrike has a sturdy marketplace situation, and its highly effective AI models (which grow to be much more smart with every single new data level) and ability for innovation should really keep it at the forefront of the cybersecurity marketplace. With that in thoughts, I would not be amazed to see its current market cap mature fivefold in the following decade, from $41 billion currently to $205 billion by 2032.
This post represents the feeling of the writer, who might disagree with the “official” recommendation place of a Motley Idiot top quality advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis – even one of our own – aids us all consider critically about investing and make conclusions that assistance us turn into smarter, happier, and richer.


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FORT WORTH (AP) American Airlines is changing its website after hearing customers evaluate the current site.
Among the changes: Customers will be able to compare fare options for a flight on one page, similar to Southwest Airlines' website. And it will be easier to retrace steps and view a previous page.
Airline officials posted a demonstration of the new functions on the site, aa.com, on Monday, but they said the changes won't take effect until an unspecified date this summer.
The site accounts for more than one-fifth of American's ticket sales, officials said, although they wouldn't give exact figures. Passenger revenue on American was $17.9 billion last year.
Airlines are pushing passengers to buy tickets on their websites, which are much cheaper than call-in reservations centers and third parties such as Expedia.com and travel agents.
The most noticeable change for American's website will be to display on one page the flights matching a customer's itinerary, with columns showing up to eight different fares — ranging from "economy super saver" to refundable first-class tickets.
The layout strongly resembles Southwest's website. United Airlines also breaks out fare options at the top of flight-search results.
Rob Friedman, American's director of interactive marketing, said the changes were developed with the help of focus groups around the country, but added, "We certainly evaluate what other carriers are doing."
Daniel Garton, executive vice president of parent AMR Corp., said the American site would be the most advanced among traditional network carriers.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.


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It’s back to school shopping season again, and this year’s shopping list could make a bigger dent in your wallet.
The high tech classroom is one reason for higher prices.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), spending is up 10%, with electronics a big chunk of that increase.
“More than half of parents are actually planning to buy tablets or laptops for the back to school season,” said Ana Smith of the NRF.
Experts say it’s best to take an inventory of local and resale resources before forking over full-price in big-box stores.
Experts say it’s best to compare prices online, especially as most retailers offer price-matching with competitors.
Best Buy and Target will match prices for items found on Amazon.
“You also want to look for things like mail-in rebates anyway that you can stack other savings on. This is one of the best times of year to do that,” said Brent Shelton of FatWallet.com
Industry insiders say websites like Retail Me Not offer coupons and additional savings for savvy shoppers. They also recommend using rebates to save on overall costs.
Article source: http://www.nbc26.com/news/back-to-school-shopping-tips


text: Facebook on Tuesday released a new version of its mobile platform. A new Android version of the Messenger app doesn't require a user to sign up for a Facebook account. That's a change in tactic for a company whose hydra-like growth model is based on extending tendrils into to just about every site with a social vector. For now, the app is available only to owners of Android phones in limited countries but will roll out to others. Extending the analogy, Hydrae (the real ones) are biologically immortal. The one from Greek mythology? When you cut off a head, three grow back.


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This fall and winter, Castle Hill Inn is inviting guests to celebrate the change of seasons and get into the holiday spirit with a host of events and celebrations.
As the holiday season approaches, the iconic Relais & Châteaux property will be aglow with elegant décor and bustling with holiday festivities during the months of November and December, according to a press release from Castle Hill Inn.
“With its sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean and Narragansett Bay, numerous wood-burning fireplaces, and overall spirit of holiday merriment, there is no better location in Newport to make holiday memories than at Castle Hill Inn,” the press release states.
“The holidays at Castle Hill Inn are always a special occasion, and we’re thrilled to be bringing back some of our seasonal favorites, with the return of our pop-up tree and wreath sale in support of our friends at the James L. Maher Center,” said Brian Young, Managing Director at Castle Hill Inn in a statement. “We are also looking forward to bringing back our popular ‘S’more Holiday Cheer” outdoor s’mores and firepit offering on the Inn’s Terrace, along with our traditional holiday meals and celebrations for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.”
A list of Castle Hill Inn’s events this season follows below.
NEWPORT RESTAURANT WEEK AT CASTLE HILL
Just ahead of the holidays, Castle Hill Inn is excited to participate in Newport’s annual Restaurant Week taking place from November 4-13 with specials being offered at the Terrace Bar, Mansion Bar and The Lawn. Guests dining on property at one of those three outlets will be treated to a 50 percent discount on all appetizers, a complimentary glass of select house wine with each entrée purchase, and a selection of wines available for the special price of $35 a bottle.
Reservations are available for hotel guests and will be open to the public two weeks in advance starting October 21. The promotion is not available in The Dining Room.
THANKSGIVING CELEBRATIONS ONSITE & AT HOME
A feast of thanks and gratitude awaits family and friends at the Castle Hill Inn this Thanksgiving, with a three-course Thanksgiving Dinner being served in the Dining Room on Thursday, November 24. Guests are invited to join in on the celebrations from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, for this special holiday menu which will be offered at $95 per person (plus tax and gratuity).
Reservations are offered for parties up to seven guests, and special menus will be available as the holiday nears. Reservations will be taken starting October 27 by email and phone.
For those unable to join in person, Castle Hill Inn is taking the hassle out of this year’s Thanksgiving celebrations with their Take-Home Turkey Dinner. Treat your guests to a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings prepared just for you by the Inn’s talented culinary team. The take-home meals will be offered at $300 and serve up to four people.
Advance orders are required and will be taken starting October 11 and run through November 17. Pickup for all orders will be at the Chalet on property from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
JAMES L. MAHER CENTER CHRISTMAS TREE POP-UP AT THE CHALET LAWN
For the second year in a row, Castle Hill Inn will once again be partnering with the James L. Maher Center to bring a Pop-Up Christmas Tree Farm and Wreath Sale to the Inn’s Chalet Lawn. Taking place on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., guests are invited to pick out their Christmas trees and enjoy complimentary hot cocoa or cider, a photo-op “Letter to Santa” workshop and listen to carolers throughout the day.
All proceeds from the tree & wreath sale will benefit the James L. Maher Center, which has been serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on Aquidneck Island and in Rhode Island’s East Bay communities since 1953. The Maher Center offers an array of programs – including creative, recreational, and social programming, volunteer and employment opportunities, supportive residential options, and accessible, on-demand transportation services – with the goal of helping people imagine and curate fulfilling lives that reflect their unique interests, affinities, and talents.
S’MORE HOLIDAY CHEER
The Inn’s fire pits will be lit on the outdoor Terrace once again for the 2022 winter season, helping guests keep toasty while they share in some s’mores and holiday merriment! The popular activation will be offered at $275 and includes a private fire pit with traditional s’mores and treats buffet for guests and their crew. Made-from-scratch hot chocolate, hot local apple cider and one round of “spiked” drinks for up to six guests will be offered along with three fleece blankets to keep warm and take home afterwards.
Reservations are offered for up to six guests for two hours. Fire pits will be available from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. for select weekends throughout December, including December 8 to 11, December 15 to 18 and December 26 to 30.
All bookings must be made online and paid in advance. Advanced bookings are encouraged as events sell out quickly; bookings begin just after Thanksgiving.
FESTIVE CHRISTMAS EVE & CHRISTMAS DAY MEALS IN THE DINING ROOM
There may be no place like home for the holidays, but there’s also no place like Castle Hill Inn to celebrate the 2022 Christmas season! Join the Inn for an unforgettable Three-Course holiday meal with friends and family on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Dinner will be served for parties up to seven guests from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve (Saturday, December 24th) and from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Christmas Day (Sunday, December 25).
Reservations for non-hotel guests will be available by email & phone on November 26th. Menus will be released in late November; the three-course dinner menu will be available for the price of $110 per person.
RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH CASTLE HILL INN
Whether you’re bidding the old year farewell or ringing in the new one, Castle Hill Inn is the place to be! Join in on the celebrations this New Year’s Eve (Saturday, December 31) for a four-course dinner specially created by the Inns talented culinary team. Dinner will be available for $165 per person (plus tax and gratuity) and includes a complimentary glass of champagne. Additional premium wine flights & pairings available upon request.
Reservations will open on December 3 via email and phone; menus will be released online closer to the holiday.
Can’t make the evening celebrations? Celebrate on New Year’s Day (Sunday, January 1) with brunch at The Lawn. The Inn will be serving a special spread from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for parties of up to seven guests.
Reservations for non-hotel guests will open on December 3via email and phone.
For more information on all events, please visit www.castlehillinn.com/dine/dining-specials


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Reader Adam S. writes:
EOTech and its parent company, L3 Communications, have been in hot water as of late and it seems that the bleeding will continue. In a show of remorse, EOTech is offering to buy back their holographic weapon sights (HWS) from consumers for full retail value plus $15.00 for S&H. This after they issued a statement to our military stating that some of the HWS models may have a thermal drift issue (inconsistent impact points between the temperatures of -40°F and 122°F). The point-of-impact shift was identified as being +/- 4 M.O.A. That’s horrifying considering most of the models EOTech sells have a 5 M.O.A red dot . . .
This tremendous black eye for the popular optics company after the fraud suit and $25.6 million settlement has left their reputation badly damaged, and their civilian consumers uneasy. That caused droves of people to contacting EOTech about whether their optics were faulty or not. Larry Vickers, a former Delta Force combat vet and owner of Vickers Tactical, was one of the first people to publicly confirm that, as a result of the backlash, EOTech will be buying back optics from consumers for full retail value plus $15.00 S&H.
If you’re an EOTech owner and want to take advantage of the offer, you can visit EOTech’s website and submit a Return Authorization Form.
EOTech has clearly taken a big hit as a result of the suit, the settlement and the negative publicity. It’s good to see, though, that they’re doing right by their civilian customers with the buyback offer. The question is how long the damage will last and how seriously it affects EOTech’s business going forward.


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Fairfax Media is reportedly selling its remaining stake in Trade Me for around $650 million.
If the sale were to proceed, it would considerably pay down the company's debts.
The stake is being sold to a range of New Zealand and Australian institutions in a placement through UBS, according to market sources.
The quoted sale figure would exceed what Fairfax paid for Trade Me in its initial investment five years ago.
Fairfax executives were unable to comment on the reported sale, saying the company would have to make an announcement on the Australian Stock Exchange first - a move that would come on Monday at the earliest.
Fairfax bought the online auction company from founder Sam Morgan and his fellow private investors for $700 million in 2006 and previously recouped $364 million by selling a 34 per cent stake through Trade Me's initial public offering in December 2011.
Morgan went on to be made a board member at Fairfax.
In June, Fairfax further sold down its holding by 15 per cent at a discounted price of $2.70 a share, retaining 51 per cent of the company.
The sale is surprising because it is regarded as the best assets in the digital arm of Fairfax, according to Lance Wiggs, a former Trade Me insider who worked on the initial sale to Fairfax.
"It does make sense for investors that you want to separate your assets, one old media, one new media. If I was Fairfax I would want to own Trade Me, not old media," Wiggs said.


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Despite political turmoil and a complicated global climate, executives at both Micam — Europe’s biggest footwear trade show — and leather goods fair Mipel were cautiously optimistic about their upcoming editions. Both shows will run Sept. 16 to 19 at the Milano-Rho fairgrounds.
Micam CEO Tommaso Cancellara said the event would count more than 1,400 exhibitors and about 45,000 visitors at this edition. “We also expect [to attract] more buyers who typically come to Milan only for Fashion Week — as Micam is in tandem with it,” he said.
Riccardo Braccialini, president of Mipel and Assopellettieri, Italy’s leather manufacturers association, said the Mipel trade show will host around 300 exhibitors and is expected to attract more than 12,000 visitors. “We are already [seeing] a lot of interest and positive feedback,” Braccialini added.
For the upcoming shows, Micam and Mipel partnered on The U.S.A. Influencers project. A group of American digital personalities will be invited to the Milano-Rho fairgrounds to spotlight the Italian know-how on display at both fairs through their social media channels.
According to Cancellara, the goal of the project is “to bring the U.S. back to the first position in terms of Italian exports outside Europe. There’s a gap to fill,” he said. In the first quarter, exports to the country were up 10 percent in terms of quantity, while value dropped 10.2 percent compared with the same period a year earlier.
“Key U.S. players believe the time is for Italian footwear. It can play the leading role thanks to the quality of its products, its heritage and its focus on sustainability,” Cancellara said. He added that reaching more of the right U.S. buyers is key to the show going forward.
Meanwhile, both executives expressed concerns about the global economy. Braccialini said the leather goods business is less dented than other businesses, while Cancellara admitted the footwear industry’s performance has been uneven.
According to data released by Italy’s footwear association Assocalzaturifici, overall Italian footwear exports — in terms of value — were generally flat in the first quarter, inching up 0.1 percent. Quantities, meanwhile, dropped 3 percent compared with the year-ago period.
“The domestic expenditure is flat. It’s been decreasing year-on-year, and global trading conditions are complicated, so I don’t feel confident in making a reasonable projection for 2018 as a whole,” said Cancellara.
A 2.8 percent drop in leather footwear exports is also a result of the sneaker fashion trend.
“However, we are sensing a comeback of leather shoes, which I believe in few seasons will be back on the fashion radar,” said Cancellara. He also revealed that starting in 2019, Micam will host a sneaker-related event in Milan under the “Plug-Mi” moniker. “We are not inventing anything revolutionary. On the contrary, we are late,” admitted Cancellara.
The show organizers were mixed on U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade stance. D’Alessandro expressed his concern about the U.S. government’s trade policy and added that he hopes the Italian institutions, along with the European Parliament, will be proactive about the issue.
The Micam CEO was more confident, noting that Trump’s trade policy won’t likely impact made-in-Italy footwear. “Unless political games are played, [we are not expecting] a trade war. We are much smaller than the industries President Trump is [targeting],” Cancellara said.
Along with the U.S., both trade shows’ organizers are committed to court business from new markets. Micam hit Southeast Asia this month with a promotional roadshow landing in Jakarta [Indonesia], Singapore and Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], among other cities. The project was backed by Italy’s trade agency ICE and Assocalzaturifici. “The local middle class is getting richer and wants to adapt to international fashion trends, so [these countries] represent a great opportunity for us,” said Cancellara.
Japan is a target market for both Micam and Mipel. On July 2, Mipel presented ts “Tailor Made” project in Tokyo, aimed at strengthening the relationship between Italian companies and Japan, which “is still a booming market.”


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Global tablet shipments were down almost 30 percent sequentially, in the first-quarter 2014, but up 4.6 percent year on year, Digitimes Research reported April 23. Sales of non-iPad tablets totaled 22.31 million units during the quarter, which was down 20 percent sequentially but up over 30 percent from a year ago. iPad sales, however, totaling 15.85 million units, suffered both sequentially and year on year, the report added.
Analysts gathered as much later in the day, when Apple announced the results of its fiscal 2014 second quarter and iPad sales represented the rare downward-facing arrow. Overall revenue hit a second-quarter record, profits were up, iPhone sales were up and even Mac sales came through. And yet, Apple sold 16.36 million iPads, according to Apple, down from 19.5 million a year ago.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, during his opening comments, had a ready explanation that included Apple having increased its iPad channel inventory this year (whereas last year it reduced it) and having a balance of supply and demand (whereas last year ended with a “backlog”).
During the Q&A portion of the call, Cook agreed to discuss the matter further. But this time, instead of channels and supply, he talked about how much people love the iPad, how satisfied with it they are, and how many of the darn things Apple has sold.
“It absolutely has been the fastest-growing product in Apple’s history, and it’s been the only product that we’ve ever made that was instantly a hit in three of our key markets, from consumer to business, including the enterprise and education,” Cook said.
“If you really look at it, in just four years after we launched the very first iPad, we’ve sold over 210 million, which is more than we or, I think, anyone thought was possible at that period of time,” he continued. “And it’s interesting to note that that’s almost twice as many iPhones than we’ve sold in a comparable period of time, and over seven times as many iPods as we’ve sold in the period of time. So, I think it’s important to kind of put that in perspective.”
While few would disagree that Apple has sold amazing numbers of tablets in the past, some analysts have different ideas about what’s happening with iPad sales now.
Forrester analyst JP Gownder, in a blog post following the call, offered some of his.
First, he said, “Apple’s premium pricing is catching up to it.” Samsung and Amazon both offer tablets priced below $200, while the iPad Air starts at $499.
Apple’s iPad release cycle also hasn’t helped. Unlike its once-a-year iPhone upgrade schedule, it hasn’t been so routine with its tablets; in 2012, Apple introduced the fourth-generation iPad just seven months after its predecessor.
And still, Apple hasn’t introduced the “next big iPad product,” wrote Gownder. “More innovation commands a higher price, provokes replacement behavior, and upends release cycles,” he wrote.
Analyst Jan Dawson, with Jackdaw Research, echoed some of the same sentiments and offered others in his own blog post following the call.
“The iPad is a victim of its own success,” wrote Dawson. “Many people who want one have one, and don’t feel an urgent need to replace it quickly. Many first- and second-generation iPads are likely still in use, and three quarters of all iPads sold were sold in the last two years. If the replacement cycle is longer than for iPhones … then many of those buyers won’t buy another for some time.”
The big question, Dawson concluded, is whether this trend will continue—or, can Apple do something soon to change it?
“I suspect that we are unlikely to see another massive wave of first adopters, except possibly in the education market. … That means it may well be slow going until Apple gives people a compelling reason to upgrade.”
Cook, answering the follow-up question on the call, added, “When I back up from all of these [high customer satisfaction ratings and use case examples] I feel great. That doesn’t mean that every quarter—every 90 days—is going to [yield] a number that everybody is thrilled with. But what it means to me is that … things look very, very good. That iPad has a great future. And of course, the thing that drives us more than any of this are the next iPads … that are in the pipeline, the things that we can do to make the product even better. And there is no shortage of work going in on that, nor any shortage of ideas.”


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Droids set to go Last Mile
This little delivery robot, designed to autonomously navigate pavements, not roads, will this year begin making deliveries from businesses direct to customers.In doing so, it might just conquer e-commerce's final frontier: the Last Mile, the least efficient and most problematic step in the delivery process."Between 30% and 40% of the cost of delivery comes in the last mile," says Allan Martinson, the chief operating officer of Starship Technologies, the UK company building this robot.The little delivery robots designed by Starship are up against tech's strongest forces. Amazon is testing airborne drones, as are Walmart and Google. Google has also sought patents for a driverless truck that would carry an array of storage lockers that unlock with a text-message virtual key.Uber is deploying driverless cars for food delivery, a concept that could be expanded to other products.Although Starship's wheeled robot is the first to market, victory isn't assured. The droids have limitations - one is that their use is economical only in urban areas.Airborne drones cost more and have higher regulatory hurdles to surmount, but they might prove less expensive than droids on a per-kilometre basis.Because Starship's droids weigh less than 16kg and travel slowly, they are less likely to cause damage. They have no spinning rotor-blades that could cause injury - unlike drones.Most important, the droids travel on pavements not roads, which simplifies getting regulatory approval to operate. Starship robots have already covered more than 3057km in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Estonia and the US, with more than 80000km planned this year.In comparison, drone technology is being tested in highly controlled environments, and commercial deliveries are on hold until regulators work out safety, liability, air rights and privacy issues.Autonomous vehicles are so far allowed only limited tests on public roads."We've tested our droid in snow, slush, ice and rain - you name it," Starship's Martinson said.Gur Kimchi, the Amazon executive in charge of its Prime Air drone project, says Amazon has considered using delivery robots and driverless trucks but decided drones were a better bet."The other options cannot guarantee very fast, very economical and very safe delivery," he said. Drones, he said, can serve a range of rural, suburban and even urban environments - while delivery robots work well only in urban areas. And autonomous trucks or delivery drivers only add to the congestion on the roads.Kimchi said that Amazon's drones, which can carry up to 2.2kg for 24km at speeds of up to 96km/h, will cover 80% to 90% of its shipments."In a May 2015 analysis investment research firm ARK Invest estimated that by using drones Amazon could reduce its delivery costs to less than $1 per package.To ensure safety, drones have "sense and avoid" technology that will steer them clear of obstacles and hazards - including the family dog."If the drone cannot make the delivery safely it is programmed to abort and fly back home," Kimchi said.Without a clear regulatory framework, Amazon can't start using its drones commercially. So the company has proposed that a segment of airspace at between 60m and 120m be reserved for autonomous drones with sophisticated collision-avoidance and safety features, while lower-tech craft would be restricted to the airspace beneath 60m. Manned aircraft would stay above 150m.Kimchi said he thinks the regulatory framework will be in place "in much less than 10 years".Burton White, a consultant at Chainalytics, an Atlanta logistics consultancy, said retailers should wait for a shake-out. "This is still the Wild West," he said. "Drones are something to keep your eye on but they are further out."Starship thinks it will be able to lease its droids to shopkeepers w ith a target cost of $1.40 to $4.20 per delivery . This would allow small businesses that have been shut out of e-commerce by high delivery costs to begin selling online.The droids navigate using a 3G GPS signal. Nine cameras provide a fly's-eye view of its environment, and sensors help it avoid tree roots, toddlers and dog poo.Martinson estimates that the Starship robots have encountered during trials about 120000 pedestrians, including thousands of children. So far, no one has tried to abuse the robot."Children are curious but they love it," he said.


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BW MF India Summit 2016: Out Of The Box Thinking
Businessworld forayed into the domain of Mutual Funds for the first time in August 2016, with its power packed and content intensive "Mutual Fund India Summit 2016", organized at Trident BKC, Mumbai
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Businessworld forayed into the domain of Mutual Funds for the first time in August 2016, with its power packed and content intensive "Mutual Fund India Summit 2016", organized at Trident BKC, Mumbai. The day long summit witnessed over 30 thought leaders, entrepreneurs and industry titans hold the attention of close to 300 attendees from the IFA fraternity.
The first panel of the day was aptly titled "Out of the Box Thinking". The aim of the opening panel was to encourage the IFA's present in the audience to think beyond the realm of the traditional.
The opening panel was moderated by Rahul Parikh, Head - Aditya Birla MyUniverse.
Manish Shah of BigDecisions, Harsh Gahlaut of FinEdge, Sanjiv Sinha of IIJP and PV Subramanyam (one of India's foremost financial trainers) completed the heavyweight panel.
The panel unanimously agreed that in spite of the Mutual Fund industry in India completing 50 years, overall penetration and especially retail participation, still remain abysmally low. The need of the hour is the ability to innovate and think out of the box."I think this industry needs a Whatsapp Movement", said Parikh of Aditya Birla aptly. Parikh called upon the co-panelists to discuss and debate what that next "Whatsapp Movement" in the Mutual Fund distribution space was likely to be.
Digital disruption and the rise of emerging technologies to simplify Mutual Fund transactions are likely to play a key role in emerging business models of the future. As Parikh pointed out, the industry needs to draw upon successful international examples (such as M Bank in the Netherlands or EasyPaisa in Pakistan) in this regard.
Manish Shah of BigDecisions pointed out that most of the innovation that is currently taking place in this space is really revolving around the ease of buying a product, if one has already decided to buy a product! Shah believes that an equally important question to ask is - "why aren't more people wanting to buy this product?"
Shah rightly observed that the players in the ecosystem need to get together to innovate and create awareness and demand for Mutual Funds as a product, before anything else. He also mentioned that India is a country that has three times as many jewellers as financial services outlets, and future innovation needs to revolve around demand creation and pulling new customers into the fold.
Harsh Gahlaut of FinEdge described his SIP based distribution business as 'non-disruptive' in nature, and innovative only in its ability to take a proven and successful approach to long term wealth creation to a much larger segment of clientele.
Gahlaut agreed with Shah, stating that the biggest roadblock to innovation in this business isn't the paucity of technological advancements, but rather the fact that most Indians are still jittery to move beyond the realm of physical assets such as Gold and Real Estate.
On Parikh's point on how regulations are likely to affect 'out of the box' business models, Gahlaut expounded that in the long run, the tightening of regulations was likely to have a net positive effect on the industry's growth by driving up retail participation and increasing trust among the masses. He also claimed that the recent innovations in transaction processing technology have helped his business significantly.
Sanjeev Sinha, President of IIJP stated that significant opportunities for creating innovative business models exist in foreign markets such as Japan. Although there is a massive interest amongst Japanese investors to invest in India, they do not find the bandwidth, information or financial advisory to help them invest in India. He mentioned that innovators need to create new vehicles such as Japanese market specific robo advisors, or leverage existing information platforms to enable Japanese investors to invest in India.
Sinha admitted that such a business model would require a longer term perspective; but it's pursuit was likely to be fruitful, given that Japanese people have a collective $15 Trillion lying in savings bank accounts, earning next to nothing!
PV Subramanyam presented a counter point of view, stating that the industry needs to think less out of the box and worry more about thinking 'within the box' and about achieving incremental growth, as India is still a vastly underpenetrated market and significant potential to scale still exists for traditional players as well. He said that most IFA's can just double their books just by getting their basics right and communicating a few simple messages to friends and neighbours of their existing clients!
Subramanyam stated that simplification is more important than innovation at this stage, and the regulator needs to contribute to this widespread simplification and demystification of mutual fund products as a whole. He also proposed that large retail players outside of banks (such as SodexHo) could potentially provide a 'lower conflict' means of improving retail participation compared to channels such as banks.
Shah of BigDecisons rightly asserted that innovations would benefit the ecosystem as a whole, without leading to the "poaching away" of business from existing distributors - simply by forcing clients to dig deeper and think harder about their choices and decisions. He cited the example of WebMD, which has 140 Million unique visitors a month - but hasn't led to a reduced number of doctor visits.
On the point of Robo Advisory, Gahlaut of FinEdge voiced that although Robo Advisory has immense potential for the future of the Mutual Fund distribution business, it is not the 'only' business model for this country.
The panel was concluded succinctly by Parikh, declaring that a significant amount of work needs to be put in both outside of and inside the box in order to develop the Mutual Fund distribution business to its full potential over the coming decade.


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KANSAS CITY — From the Rainforest Alliance’s frog icon to the recently debuted upcycled certification seal, a growing number of sustainability certifications are showing up on product labels.
A roundtable discussion at the Institute of Food Technologists’ FIRST virtual conference explored how those certifications are driving purchasing decisions at every level.
Data from Burlington, Vt.-based 1% for the Planet suggests younger consumers may be more aware of sustainability certifications. In a 2020 brand awareness survey, it found one in three Americans had heard of the organization, which requires certified companies to donate at least 1% of their annual sales to environmental causes.
“For the 18- to 24-year-old demographic, that was 50%,” said Amanda Oenbring, associate director of regional business membership at 1% for the Planet. “Within that demographic, over 50% said if they saw the logo, it would positively impact their purchasing decision. That younger generation is really leading the way with voting with their dollars.”
It isn’t just consumers that are swayed by sustainability certifications. Distributors and retailers also are driving demand, said Ben Gray, chief operating officer at the Denver-based Upcycled Food Association.
“We’ve actually been hearing from retailers who want to be able to say they’re helping consumers with some of these solutions,” he said.
Demand also is being driven by brands, added Alex Morgan, chief markets and global officer at The Rainforest Alliance. The New York-based organization certifies products that are sourced from farmers meeting various social, economic and environmental requirements.
“We see brands driving a lot of their strategies around sustainability and sourcing commitments not necessarily because of consumers, but because in today’s global environment — with climate change, with a growing population, with scarcity of resources — larger companies see the writing on the wall for their supply chain,” Mr. Morgan said. “You’ve got this growth in consumer demand combined with the corporate social responsibility lens of retailers, and then brands are kind of clamoring in the middle trying to figure out where their wheat is going to come from or where their cocoa is going to come from in the future.”
With demand driven by a variety of stakeholders, a key question is how standards for sustainability certifications are set and who gets to set them.
The Upcycled Food Association collaborated with multiple sources, including researchers, non-profit groups and members of the upcycled food industry, to create its standards. It also took input from sources that represented consumers and needed to see the certification as rigorous, Mr. Gray said.
“It’s really important to get that consumer trust at the outset,” he said. “Some of the challenges are balancing that rigor with what is reasonable or feasible within the industry right now.”
Along with establishing consumer trust, the ability to be agile and evolve over time is key to setting meaningful standards, said Joe Dickson, co-founder and head of quality at Merryfield. The Boston-based product discovery and rewards platform helps shoppers find products that meet specific sustainability standards.
He pointed to the USDA Organic seal as an example.
“The government took over that standard and gave it a lot of rigor, credibility and enforcement, but it also tied up the definition of organic in the workings of bureaucracy,” Mr. Dickson said. “There have been so many recommendations and consensus positions from the industry being regulated to evolve, enhance and deepen the organic standard that just haven’t been implemented by the USDA because of the way they approach regulation… Now it’s at this critical juncture where consumer confidence is starting to wane because it hasn’t been able to adapt and evolve.”


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Australia has released a strategy for seeking investment to develop a competitive lithium-ion battery industry by making the best of its minerals wealth, the government said in a report on December 11, underscoring that Australia is well-positioned to become a world leader in this thriving market.
The government report pointed out that Australia has abundant resources of raw materials like lithium used for producing rechargeable batteries for a wide range of electric devices such as mobile phones and electric vehicles, but it is shipping its commodities offshore rather than exploring the opportunities along the battery supply chain.
To extract more value from its rich mineral reserves, Australia will aim to attract investment to develop a domestic battery industry through building a supply chain covering chemical technology and cell manufacturing, and it is prepared to offer financial incentives, according to the report.
Following the strategy, the Australian government will offer annual tax offsets of up to US$197,700 for investors and a 10-year capital gains exemption for investments held for at least a year.
“With growing global demand for lithium-ion batteries, Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform into a major processing, manufacturing and trading hub for lithium-ion batteries,” said Simon Birmingham, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.
Australia has the world’s third largest reserves of lithium and overtook Chile as the world’s biggest supplier of lithium last year as its lithium production reached 18,700 tonnes and took up 43.5% of global market share. The country, however, captures only 0.53% of ultimate value of its exported mineral.
According to the report, Australia now produces nine of the ten mineral elements required to produce most anodes and cathodes of lithium-ion battery, while having secure access to all of the raw materials needed for lithium-ion battery production.
The report also lists a series of competitive advantages Australia can offer for investment in downstream mineral processing and the local development of the lithium-ion battery supply chain.
But the country still needs to secure proprietary equipment, processes and technology to convert its mineral resources into lithium-ion batteries, the government report said.
Despite a great potential for Australia to become a world powerhouse in lithium-ion battery manufacturing, the new strategy may find difficulties in its implementation since most of Australia’s lithium supply will be exported under existing contracts, said Leonard Rowe, the business development director at mining consultants AME Group in Sydney.
“(The strategy) is a good idea but the reality of it is probably remote as we would be competing against the global powerhouse that is China which already has significant scale, and is both the largest manufacturer and the largest market,” he said.


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Over in Australia, the team at FoneFox have already been putting the Apple Watch through its paces underwater. Apple claims an IPX7 water-resistance rating for its device, which means it can withstand 1 meter of submersion for 30 minutes. However, companies often conservatively state the limits of waterproofness for legal reasons.
The team at FoneFox found this very much to be the case here. The Apple Watch Sport was first subjected to a light shower and then a full shower (including soap) to simulate normal use in a shower. After the Watch was wiped down, the screen was fully responsive and everything was working fine. Tim Cook has previously said he showers with his Watch.
In fact, the Apple Watch survived much more than a shower. Watch the full video after the break.
The team left the Watch submerged in a bucket for five minutes. Again, there was no damage incurred to the Watch. Taking it one step further, the video then shows the Apple Watch being left underwater in a swimming pool for about fifteen minutes.
The screen didn’t respond to touch input whilst it was in the pool, which is not surprising given the capacitive screen technology, but afterwards there was no visible damage. In fact, the Digital Crown still works underwater so you can zoom in and out of apps whilst swimming along.
Obviously, Apple only rates the Watch at IPX7 for a reason: it is not recommended to take the Watch swimming on a regular basis. However, it is good to know that the Watch is much more water-resistant than the publicized rating suggests. iPhones and iPads are infinitely more susceptible to water damage than Apple’s wearable is as neither have sealed designs.
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Yahoo’s SVP of communications products at Yahoo, Jeff Bonforte, has an issue with how marketers are using data.
He believes other brands should be more responsive in their approach to data and not rely on the basics. He says that by not doing more with data, brands, including Apple, are at risk of offending customers.
“I think when we collect a lot of data it can offend customers when we are so unresponsive about it,” he says, speaking at Yahoo’s IAB Upfronts event today (19 October).
Bonforte jokes that every time he walks in to an Apple store he is “reminded what a piece of sh*t” he is”, with the company not able to recall any of his information, despite the fact he has “spent a few million” dollars on Apple over the years.
“I’ve spent a few million on Apple stuff growing startups over the years and when I walk into a store they treat me like a real a-hole.”
Jeff Bonforte, SVP communications products, Yahoo
He continues: “It’s not that they aren’t a great company, I just I find it offensive they don’t know anything about me. Even when I give them my name and my number, they’re like ‘uh uh’ and ask ‘when did you buy this phone?’.”
Bonforte believes data has played a key part in changing Yahoo’s own products, regardless of the fact the company suffered a cyber attack last month. The attack led to page views, searches and mail messages sent and read remaining flat in Yahoo’s third quarter results, released earlier this week.
The Don Draper effect
However, Bonforte does not believe Apple is alone in disregarding data and says many other brands are guilty too.
“I always think of you [brands] as Don Draper and myself as Maverick from TopGun,” he laughs.
Don Draper is a figure he refers back to repeatedly throughout his presentation, a figure he said describes how little the advertising industry has moved on in terms of data. He believes the days of classic advertising are still here, with many brands still trying to come up with the “perfect message in order to emotionally bind a product to the customer”.
“If you look at the world of online, a lot has changed, but if you look at advertising, it is still art and very little data. This is about as far as we have come, Don Draper with an iPhone,” he explained.
He said brands should focus less on demographic, as he does not believe in advertising with “a who” in mind works in digital. By following this approach Bonforte said companies are leaving behind many customers and “lacking authenticity”.
“Once you have decided you are targeting a 18- to 34-year-old male with a certain income and job, you have already lost all the advantages the data will give you. People need to focus on the ‘who’ but the machine doesn’t need that,” he explained.
Instead, Bonforte argued that brands should consider all data, including indirect data, and by the “bucketful”. He said that knowing thousands of things about a customer is one thing, but knowing hundreds of millions of things and having the ability to understand it through a machine is when you are dealing with key data.


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Brewer and pubs group Greene King today said it was confident about its full-year prospects as it reported rising sales.
The firm, which last year sealed a £774 million takeover of rival Spirit Pub Company, said like-for-like sales across its estate grew 2.2 per cent in the 40 weeks to 7 February compared with the same period a year earlier – with takings up by 5 per cent over the two Christmas weeks.
Greene King, which brews ales such as Belhaven Best and Old Speckled Hen and now has more than 3,000 outlets, said it enjoyed record sales of £6.8m on Christmas Day, driven by its food offerings.
“Over the Christmas and New Year weeks, Prosecco volumes were up 69 per cent while premium gin grew 77 per cent, and at New Year a record 4,447 drinks per minute were sold in the last hour of 2015,” the group said.
Chief executive Rooney Anand said: “This was another strong performance, with all divisions trading well during the important festive period, and record trading on Christmas Day.
“Overall, our expectations for the full year are unchanged. Despite the current global economic uncertainty, we remain confident that we will deliver further value to our guests and shareholders by continuing to develop and enhance the existing Greene King business while successfully integrating Spirit.”


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Six new potato varieties from Peru have been released from research center to farmers in Rwanda.
Ndamira, Twigire, Seka, Icyerekezo, Jyambere and Gisubizo, are the names for the new potato varieties released on 14th February 2020 in Musanze District, in the Northern Province of Rwanda.
The new varieties will benefit potato farmers as they are resistant to diseases and also give much produce compared to the current varieties, according to Officials.
Dr. Kirimi Sindi, senior scientist and country manager at International Potato Center (CIP) Rwanda explained that “Most of the potato we have released, you can get between 30 to around 60 tons by hectare. Today, what we are harvesting is around 7 to 11 tons by hectare. So that is three to six times of what you could harvest before with the same agronomic practices.”
“Those are advantages of the material we have” He said.
Apart from the increase of production, these new varieties were cherished by farmers who say that the current varieties they had were not appreciated by some processing industry due to low quality.
“We have tasted them and get to know how sweet they are and we’ve seen that from them we can make breads. It is a chance for us farmers in terms of market as the chips processing industries used to order potatoes but don’t get the good quality suitable for chips. But those varieties, as we have seen, they will give a solution to this issue.” Says Isaac Nzabarinda, a potato seed multiplier in Musanze district.
All the new varieties are from Peru where five of them were introduced in 2013 while the remaining one was introduced in 2015.
Having this quality of proving much produce fits one of the targets of Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity, a USAID funded project that financed the releasing of these new varieties.
They are targeting to have at least 530 thousand households who will benefit from increased agricultural production and improved nutrition while 200 thousand of farmers who will benefit from increased production.
USAID Hinga Weze will also assist farmers to easily get these new varieties as promised by Mr. Daniel Gies, the chief of Party, at the same release event held on 12th February 2020 in Nyamagabe district, in the Southern Province of Rwanda.1323


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The country experienced the largest rise in exports in the period under review, according to USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub.
Ethiopia’s export under AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) has increased by 62 percent between October 2017 and September 2018.
“If this growth continues, Ethiopia may soon become the second or third largest exporter under AGOA in East Africa,” the Hub said.
East African countries supported by the USAID-Hub reached almost one billion dollars in exports to the U.S. under AGOA in the period under review.
This is a 17 percent increase over figures from the previous year, and a 42 percent rise since the USAID Hub began.
Kenya remained the largest exporter in eastern Africa with a total of 454 million dollars.
According to the Hub, apparel continues to control East African exports across countries, accounting for 84.4 percent of all AGOA exports during the reported period.
East African countries have made continuous efforts to take advantage of their AGOA eligibility in recent years.
Rwanda, Uganda, Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya have developed national AGOA strategies that outline targeted support for critical sectors and product categories to boost the countries utilization of its duty-free benefits, whereas Ethiopia is in the process of updating its national strategy.
Through these attempt supported by the USAID Hub, East African countries have set record-high totals of AGOA exports.
To date, USAID Hub trade and investment support has contributed to 4.07 billion dollars in AGOA exports from the region, with 491.5 million dollars from USAID Hub-supported firms.
The USAID Hub increased trade and investment with and within East Africa by involving regional integration, raising competitiveness of selected agricultural value chains, promoting two-way trade with the U.S. and facilitating investment and technology to gain trade growth.


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Stablecoins Are Not Truly Stable…What’s The Solution?br>
The lack of economic stability threatens national security, health, and world order. From the debt crisis in Greece, inflation in Venezuela, and the rise and fall of Turkey’s economy, all demonstrate the dire consequences of failure to maintain stability. Even the United States, a global economic authority, has suffered a rollercoaster of recessions, crises, and depressions throughout its history. The current 27 trillion-dollar US debt has been an ongoing cause for international concern, and, since the current government took office there has been much speculation regarding how monetary policy could lead to a sudden plunge in the dollar’s value. Add this to the fact that all fiat currencies are constantly losing value, and you have a perfect storm of doubt, fear, and anxiety about the future value of your hard-earned savings and investments.
Where does value come from?
It all started with the need for a standardized measure of value, a need that only intensified as global trade networks grew. Imagine a farmer attempting to estimate how many chickens to trade for a new wagon. His chickens were not easily divisible or valued—standardized gold coins were much more practical. Carrying around pounds of gold was also a hassle, so governments began issuing paper bills with value directly tied to that of gold, a system known as the gold standard.
The problem with the gold standard was that governments couldn’t easily increase the amount of money in circulation to boost a stagnant economy, because increasing the amount of gold in reserve was not always feasible. This issue led Great Britain and the United States to effectively abandon the gold standard in 1931 and 1933, respectively (the US completed this process officially in 1971). By decoupling currency from gold, governments instituted a new monetary system, referred to as fiat currency, wherein the currency’s value is not linked to any particular asset. Instead, it is based upon shared belief and trust in the government issuing it.
It’s all about trust
As governments add more currency to circulation, the currency loses value and causes inflation. This leaves governments, companies, investors, and individuals with no truly stable and predictable store of value, or measurable financial index against which all other currencies can be compared to. At present, the US dollar is one of the most stable fiat currencies in the world, with an annual inflation rate that tends to stay between one and three percent, and so is commonly used as a financial index. But, history demonstrates the dollar is far from a predictable measure or stable store of value. The United States has experienced an economic crises once every ten years on average, including the Great Depression, the 1970s Stagflation, the 1981 Recession, the 1989 Savings and Loan Crisis, and the 2001 Recession. The most recent, the 2008 Financial Crisis, was instigated by lenders allowing too many people to take out subprime mortgages, which led banks to declare bankruptcy. In order to avoid an economic meltdown, the US government bailed out the banks, which saved the economy in the short term but led to an erosion of public trust in centralized government and financial institutions.
The rise of cryptocurrency
In response to the 2008 Financial Crisis, Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper, which outlined a novel system for peer-to-peer electronic payments. The most exciting thing about bitcoin for many was that it eliminated the need for centralized institutions entirely. For the first time in human history, people could electronically exchange value without going through a bank and without trust in a government. Since the inception of bitcoin, thousands of other cryptocurrencies have been created but none has broken through to the mainstream. Bitcoin was valued at around $1,000 in January of 2017, hit $20,000 in December, and now hovers around $3,500. This sort of dramatic fluctuation does not make for a safe store of value for investors, companies, or any organization. Indeed, many crypto raises that occured in 2017 and 2018 have lost much of the value raised due to massive market changes. Such oscillations are not acceptable for anyone wishing to secure their investments.
The desire for a more stable cryptocurrency to safeguard the new blockchain economy from constant see-sawing, led to the invention of stablecoins, which, in some ways, represent a return to more traditional monetary systems in that they are asset-backed. The trouble with many of the stablecoins on the market is that they are backed by fiat currency or cryptocurrency, and we know from our history that fiat currencies are constantly depreciating in value and cryptocurrencies remain incredibly volatile.
So, what is the solution?
Because no fiat currency, cryptocurrency, or stablecoin has yet offered a solution in the form of a trusted financial standard and measure of value, this need remains unfulfilled. Given increasing global political instability and eroding public trust in governments and centralized financial institutions, the stakes are high for finding one. As the history of value tells us, any workable solution will need to take a variety of economic and financial factors into account. The gold standard worked because it was asset-backed, but it didn’t allow for enough flexibility when the economy stagnated and inflation was necessary. Fiat currency endowed governments with more control over currency circulation, but, as demonstrated by the 2008 Financial Crisis, governments and financial institutions don’t always make decisions in the best interest of the general public. Cryptocurrencies rejected government backing and eliminated financial intermediaries, but cryptocurrencies have been so volatile that they cannot be trusted as a stable store of value or financial index. Stablecoins recognized a need for stability and predictability but failed to achieve it.
The system that successfully achieves stability, predictability, and trustworthiness will need to take what works from these systems and dismiss what doesn’t (in full disclosure, my company, Anchor, is developing such a solution). Imagine a future where a family in Venezuela can trust their savings will not become valueless the next day, where a company can rest assured that its investment raised will be safeguarded, and where governments around the world can protect their markets from debilitating fluctuations. Such a future is possible with a system that effectively builds trust, stability, and predictability into its very structure and safeguards you from the inevitable global economic storms.


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With a history going back more than a century, its batteries factory-fitted by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and trusted by millions of drivers globally
Textar has added to its expansive aftermarket product range by manufacturing brake pads for the new Jeep Wrangler.
Recently introduced by body repair specialists Power-Tec is this paint thickness gauge (part number 92604).
Textar has added to its expansive aftermarket product range by manufacturing brake pads for the new Hyundai Santa Fe.
Sealey has launched its 2021 Hand Tool Promotional catalogue, which features over 250 deals and 35 new lines
Bosch has launched two brand new air conditioning service units into the market: the ACS 563 for air conditioning systems using R1234yf refrigerant and the ACS 553 for R134a refrigerant.
Since 2017, the bilstein group has housed its impressive clutch competence centre in Durmersheim, Germany, for all passenger car clutches offered by Blue Print.
The Schaeffler REPXPERT app has been further improved with the addition of a new VIN number scanning function.
In celebration of the 2021 British Grand Prix taking place next weekend, Comline Auto Parts is giving away a F1 Driving Experience at the Silverstone circuit.


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The latest figures released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau show that expenditure on Internet adverts increased rapidly throughout 2011 to reach a record $31 billion for the year. This is an increase of 22% over 2010. Of this, display-related advertising revenue totalled $11.1 billion (up 15% from the previous year) and digital video totalled $1,8 billion (an increase of 29%), but the largest share of Internet ad revenue went to search campaigns – $14.8 billion, up almost 27%.
Spending on mobile advertising, although constituting just $1.6 billion of the total spend, actually increased by a startling 149%. A separate study just released by Strategy Analytics predicts mobile ad revenue will reach an estimated $11.6 billion this year.
At the same time, budgets for direct marketing were revised down in the first quarter of 2012, with the change being principally attributed to shifts in spend towards internet advertising. It should be noted, however, that according to this latest IPA Bellweather report, actual spend on direct marketing rose, in 2011, for the first time in four years (based on provisional data).
Analysis of marketing budgets by medium for Q1


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Giving Goes Glam Fashion Show benefits Family Promise of Berks County (PHOTO GALLERY)
West Reading L.O.V.E. Team hosted the annual fundraiser.
Supporting Family Promise of Berks County was in fashion Wednesday night when the West Reading L.O.V.E. Team hosted a fundraiser at the Reading Public Museum's Neag Planetarium.
The sixth annual Giving Goes Glam Fashion Show benefitted the Reading nonprofit that provides services to homeless families and youth and helps low-income families achieve financial independence.
"Together we can make a difference," said Elise Chesson, executive director of Family Promise.
The fashion show helps fulfill the team's mission of partnering with West Reading businesses to promote commerce in the borough and improve the community, said Tina Shenk, chairwoman of the team and owner of Just Gorgeous Boutique and Tina's Salon and Day Spa on Penn Avenue in the borough.
L.O.V.E. is an acronym for Leaders Outpouring Vitality Everyday into our community, she said.
Shenk said a different organization is chosen each year as beneficiary of the event, which includes a cocktail hour and silent auction. The amount of money raised was not available Wednesday night.
The evening kicked off with live music and a sampling of cocktails and foods from West Reading restaurants and shops. The sampling was followed by a show of fashions and accessories from Penn Avenue's boutiques and gift shops.
"I like that this benefits a charity," said Diane Hafer, 60. "Family Promise is something I give to personally."
The Exeter Township resident said this was her fourth year attending the event. She enjoys sampling the variety of foods, she said, and the annual fashion show helps keep her up to date with style trends.
"It is a great representation of West Reading," Hafer said. "It always gives me ideas for new places to try."
A pair of slinky palazzo pants from Just Gorgeous were a crowd pleaser. The high-waisted, wide-legged pants were modeled on the runway by volunteer Kelly Waack, 24, of Leesport.
Another fashion favorite was a reversible fur/leather vest shown by Pollack Fashion Outerwear.
Ann Golden, 73, of Reading said the vest was her favorite of the fashions shown. This was her second year attending the event, she said, and she plans to return next year.
"It is a very nice little sampling," she said.
Contact Michelle N. Lynch: 610-371-5084 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
Giving Goes Glam Fashion Show


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Compliance programs can raise competition in heavily taxed sectors
Fuels, cigarettes and beverages are among the areas most affected by heavy debtors
The tax compliance programs developed by the government to tighten up enforcement against taxpayers with a higher risk of tax evasion mainly affect economic sectors that suffer a higher incidence of taxes. Entities point out that in the sectors of fuels, cigarettes and beverages, for example, there are companies that fail to pay taxes as a business strategy to artificially lower prices and compete for consumer preference unfairly. In addition to the tax benefits, concentrating enforcement on incumbent debtors would also improve competition in the market.
To read the full story, access Jota Portal
"ETCO stands out in the ethical defense of competition and in strengthening business morals"
What is the role of ethics in the country's development – and, in particular, what is the role of competitive ethics in this mission? Although with similar roots (ethos/mos), for common sense, in the world
Interview: Hamilton Dias de Souza
Hamilton Dias de Souza (*), member of the ETCO Advisory Board since its foundation, in an exclusive interview, evaluates the importance of competition ethics to improve the business environment in the country.


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The Surface tablet officially launched 10 days ago but that is not stopping PC maker Acer from continuing its rants against Microsoft entering the PC hardware business. Company executives have attacked Microsoft and the Surface since just after the official Surface reveal in June.
Today, there's word of yet another slam against Surface by an Acer executive. The Chinese website Tencent Technology reports that Acer Greater Chinese president Lin Xianlang feels that Microsoft will learn that entering the PC hardware business will be like eating "hard rice" Yes, that is what the translation of the page indicated Xianlang says, although we're sure something is being lost in the translation.
Acer execs have said in the past that they actually like Windows 8 itself; just not the Surface. It's more than possible that Acer believes that Microsoft's launch of its own tablet will take away the market share for Acer's own Windows 8 products. The company has already generated a lot of interest in its thin-and-light touch screen enabled Aspire S7 notebooks that run Windows 8.
The same interview with Xianlang also said that Acer is committed to its smartphone business. In September, the company said it would launch six new smartphones, including one new Windows Phone 8 device.


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dSign Vertti Kivi and Microsoft have collaborated to design TEENS, a space developed exclusively for the use of teenagers. TEENS will be equipped with Microsoft’s latest innovations and games, including Xbox 360 consoles with the revolutionary Kinect. Through this technology, teenagers will be able to walk in the shoes of their greatest heroes, drive exotic cars down open roads, or dance the night away. Teenagers will now be able to enjoy a truly amazing experience on-board, Viking Line says in its blog.
Cruise Business Review


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A McDonald’s worker recently took to TikTok to share her thoughts on an issue she sees play out regularly — parents making their kids pay for their own meals. In the video, the TikToker, who goes by the username @sulliville1, says “Y’all got little Damion sitting over here spending his birthday money on a [expletive] happy meal that was $4.”
She then suggests that the parents who require their children to pay for their own food are going to end up “in a home where they burn you with cigarettes,” referring to long-term care facilities. While the video has garnered much attention (nearly 50,000 views), it also sparked a debate on whether parents should pay for their kids' food. Here’s a look at how TikTok weighed in on the matter.
TikTok sides with McDonald’s worker: parents shouldn’t make their kids pay for their food.
Not only did @sulliville1’s video gain significant attention, but it also received hundreds of comments from users who all seem to agree that it’s wrong for a parent to ask their child to pay for their own food. One user wrote “Omg that’s too sad” while another said, “Kids gotta be kids man.” Others chimed in saying they would never make their kids pay for their food.
In addition to supporting the McDonald’s employee’s views, some also said they too would be putting their parents “in a home.” One TikToker wrote, “my momma going in a home as soon as she can!”
While it's evident most of the comments were in support of what the McDonald’s employee had to say, others did admit that they made their children spend their own money when they went out, whether it was to shop or eat. One TikToker commented “I made my kids pay for their own stuff. It teaches them financial responsibility. And it helps them get comfortable with customer service interactions.”
Another shared a similar perspective saying, “On the opposite end I always worry my kids are going to be irresponsible af with $ cuz I’ve never made them spend a dime of their own.” One parent admitted “My kid is buying her own meal. You don’t want to eat what I cook fine. I’ll take you just pay. She learned how money work.”
Because many seem to think that having their child pay for their own happy meal isn’t an ideal method to teach them financial responsibility, that brings up the question of what is.
There are ways to teach your kids about financial responsibility.
There are plenty of ways people can teach their kids how to be responsible with money. One of the more common ways is by giving them an allowance to manage, which would include allowing them to decide whether they want to save their money or spend it at places like McDonald’s. Some other methods that can be used to teach kids about financial responsibility include:
- Help them create a budget.
- Download money-managing apps designed for kids.
- Discuss money with them and explain how you spend and save.
- If they are old enough, allow them to have a debit card designed for kids that lets them track their spending and saving.
Although everyone parents their children in different ways, most agree that teaching kids about financial responsibility is important.


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The company delivered 241,300 electric cars compared with 221,000 expected in September’s reports.
On Saturday Tesla
Elon Musk’s enterprise has added that it produced 237,823 automobiles in the third quarter including 228,882 Model 3 and Y vehicles and only 8,941 Model S and X units.
In Q2 Tesla delivered 201,250 and produced 206,421 cars, with only 2,340 model S and X produced.
“Our delivery count should be viewed as slightly conservative, as we only count a car as delivered if it is transferred to the customer and all paperwork is correct,” the company said in a statement.
It has also warned that the final estimations could be different by around 0.5%.
Tesla managed to surpass analysts’ expectations even despite the international chip crisis which is
Electric vehicles are gaining popularity around the world including in Europe and China. Almost 40% of Americans state that if they were going to buy a new car they would at least consider purchasing an electric automobile. US President Joe Biden
Currently, only around 1% of overall car sales in the US are those of electric vehicles since they cannot compete with their fuel counterparts due to higher costs and specific infrastructure requirements.
However, taking into account rising petrol prices and environmental regulations, the situation is expected to change gradually in the future.


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Fashion chain overhaul plan alarms banks
TROUBLED discount fashion retailer Ethel Austin has brought in accountant PricewaterhouseCoopers to advise on restructuring the business.
The chain of 300 stores, which grew from a single wool shop in Liverpool in 1934, has been hit by rising competition from supermarkets, compounded by general gloom on the High Street.
As a result, the company has decided to focus on opening new stores selling clearance goods and there have already been warnings of job cuts to come. Trading director Sue Tennant resigned earlier this month.
The news comes only months after Ethel Austin completed a £125m sale to ABN Amro Capital from previous private equity owners LDC.
It will set alarm bells ringing among the banking community, whose generous lending in the past few years has enabled some companies to be bought and sold for huge sums.
Ethel Austin has been a longterm client of PWC and the restructuring has the full support of its lending banks, led by Barclays. But industry sources said there were many other examples of 'walking wounded' who might not be so fortunate.
Only last week, it emerged that electrical retailer Maplin Electronics-might breach its banking covenants after a drop in sales. Owner Montagu Private Equity said that it might have to renegotiate its agreement with Bank of Scotland.
And research carried out by the restructuring division of Close Brothers bank has found the retail sector in general has become more highly indebted, making it more difficult for it to cope against the background of falling consumer demand.
However, it concluded that banks had become far more sophisticated lenders and were able to step in earlier to help companies survive through their problems rather than letting them go to the wall.
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First local business officially sealed with ‘Made in Guyana’ mark
By Richard Bhainie
Local manufacturing company Fibre Tech Industrial Plastics located at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara is the first business to be certified with the ‘Made in Guyana’ certification mark.
The registered mark was launched in October 2021 and aims to promote recognition of locally manufactured products on local and international markets.
For context, Chinese products are easily identified with the ‘Made in China’ seal; similarly, the ‘Made in Guyana’ mark aims to make easily identifiable, authentic Guyanese products.
It is issued by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and is used to certify authentic Guyanese products based on the quantity of local raw materials and Guyanese labour used in the production process, among other criteria.
Sixty per cent of raw materials used in the manufacturing process must be from Guyana and 70 per cent of the workforce at the establishment must be Guyanese among other factors before a business can qualify for the mark.
“The Made in Guyana mark will assure a purchaser that he or she is buying a product that has been produced substantively or exclusively in Guyana,” Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond said at a simple ceremony on Tuesday at Fibre Tech Industrial Plastics.
“Consumers can be assured that when they buy Made in Guyana products that they are supporting Guyanese industry and ultimately contributing in a tangible and significant manner to Guyanese development,” Walrond said.
She explained that the government wishes for the mark to be synonymous with quality and urged manufacturers to pursue quality certifications simultaneously with the Made in Guyana certification.
The mark will eventually contribute to international competitiveness for authentic Guyanese products and provide the framework for the development of quality systems within local companies, Walrond noted.
Fibre Tech Industrial Plastics has been operating in Guyana for over 25 years and has supported many industries with their array of products ranging from equipment for schools, bathroom products, household items, laboratories and recreational products.
The company, which adheres to Canadian standards in their manufacturing process, has long called for a certification mark and has worked closely with GNBS to make the Made in Guyana Mark a reality, Managing Director of Fibre Tech Industrial Plastics, Somat Ali said.
Ali commended GNBS for launching the certification mark which he thinks is necessary to generate confidence in authentic Guyanese products on the international market.
However, he believes that imported products should also be held to high standards and called on policymakers to implement mechanisms that will see imported products vetted before being consumed locally.
Offering brief remarks, First Vice-President of the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA) Ramsay Ali pledged the association’s support to get its members on board with the initiative.
The Made in Guyana Certification is valid for one year and will be monitored through surveillance visits by the GNBS to ensure the approved quality is maintained.
Persons who wish to apply for the voluntary Made in Guyana programme can contact the GNBS Certification Services Department on 219-0064-66 or email them at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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U.S. President Barack Obama was in Silicon Valley on Thursday night to meet a handful of the biggest names in the tech industry. Among the subjects likely discussed at the closed meeting was the president's plan to invest in research and development to boost America's high-tech competitiveness.
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