text:
|A GE factory in the northern port city of Hải Phòng. - Photo baodautu.vn|Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — More than 50 leading US companies from a wide range of industries would arrive in Hà Nội on Tuesday to explore business opportunities, the US-ASEAN Business Council has announced.
These firms include Google, Apple, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, GE, Ford, MasterCard, Qualcomm, IBM, JP Morgan, Syngenta, AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
Arriving on the heels of the 2nd DPRK-USA Summit in Hà Nội where US President Donald Trump praised Việt Nam as thriving like few places on Earth, it will be the largest trade delegation ever sent from the US to Việt Nam.
The companies would be participating in an annual business mission that would discuss a wide range of issues and a health and life sciences mission, according to the council.
A workshop on cybersecurity and data privacy would also be part of the week-long programme. The companies would be meeting the Prime Minister and key members of his cabinet as well as leaders of the State and the National Assembly to discuss business issues and policy recommendations.
For 35 years, the US-ASEAN Business Council has been the premier advocacy organisation for US corporations operating within the dynamic Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The council’s 160+ members generates more than US$6 trillion in revenue and employs more than 13 million people worldwide. Its members include the largest US companies conducting business in ASEAN, and range from newcomers to the region to companies that have been working in Southeast Asia for over 100 years. — VNS


text:
This year’s top prize goes to snack brand Julie’s, whose ad turned Raya stereotypes on its head and will be remembered for years to come.
The hybrid event will take place as a digital-first festival with live and on-demand content and experiences.
A new date hasn’t been confirmed, but organisers say it will be “later this year”.
A merging of online and offline in a wild neon-lit activation.
The inaugural edition of Gamescom will land in Singapore in 2020.
Students will get a chance to learn about the creative processes involved in imagining, designing and delivering light-based artworks.
Top news, insights and analysis every weekday
Sign up for Campaign Bulletins

domain: news


text:
understand and leverage data
Advertising has changed significantly over the last 10 years and will continue to do so in the future. While the growth in digital advertising at the expense of offline advertising has been dramatic, the evolution in digital advertising and demise of traditional advertising will intensify over the next 5 years. This is the last of five thoughts on the subject of the changing face of advertising.
Recent research in the United States found that 91% of advertisers have, or plan to adopt, a ‘data management platform’ (DMP) within the next 12 months.
Other research found that 94% of advertisers rely on a broad base of CRM data, ranging from transactions and contact information to brand preferences,to track advertising effectiveness.
Yet another study found that 47% of advertisers in North America will increase their use of third-party data in the next year, the largest increase among regions.
In the United States:
- 94% of businesses plan to increase their use of CRM data in the next year
- 90% of businesses plan to increase their use of online data in the next year
- 95% of businesses plan to increase their use of demographic data over the next year
Data really is king and is becoming more important in customising all aspects of a marketing strategy. This highlights the needs for businesses to have:
- Access to high quality data
- The technology to process data
- The expertise to use data
It is predicted that the demand for people with high quality data management expertise will grow.
This all reflects a growing focus on the customer and tailoring all aspects of marketing from product development through to communication to address what is ‘known’ rather that ‘felt’ about the customer.
This trend is reflected in the ‘Benjamin Button Effect’, so well executed by the likes of Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook – where every interaction between a customer or potential customer and the organisation generates data that is subsequently used by the business to upgrade its offering and make it more relevant to customer needs and wants.
In 2018, understand and leverage data
Every year – put the facts ahead of intuition and guesswork.
Sources of core statistics – Business Insider, Digi-Day, CMO, ADWEEK, Future of Everything, Information Age and Forbes


text:
The Wall Street Journal has an article detailing a type of flogging that is becoming more commonplace, the retail fashion flog:
Ken Downing might look like any other reporter at the New York shows. But he’s the fashion director at Neiman Marcus, the Dallas-based department-store chain that caters to well-to-do shoppers. Starting today, Mr. Downing will post his reviews of around 18 shows at New York’s fashion week on the Neiman Web site….
Unlike other media covering the shows, these commentators are in the awkward position of reviewing their own suppliers — and their aim is more to boost sales rather than offer impartial critique.
Does it work? Absolutely. When Downing links his comments to specific merchandise the store sees a “sales bump” that exceeds expectations, according to a Neiman Marcus spokesperson. As shady as Ken is, least he’s honest about his identity and job function as he lavishes his purple prose on nearly everything he sees.
Not like Dawn Fox, Marketing Manager:
“We all agree on our love of the sequin stripe sweater dress,” said a commentary on Nanette Lepore’s fall collection posted yesterday on the Web site of Olive & Bette’s, a chain of four trendy Manhattan boutiques. The anonymous blog is written by the store’s marketing manager Dawn Fox, who presents herself as one of “Olive & Bette’s Shop Girls.”
We’re on to you, Dawn. No one could ever love a sequin stripe sweater dress. Even Ebay is in on the fun:
“EBay Style Director Constance White, who posted her first fashion-week blog on Friday, acknowledges being “pretty gentle because we still do want to have great relationships” with designers.”
Maybe Constance should worry about having a “great relationship” with customers. —MEGHANN MARCO
The New Fashion Bloggers:Retailers Review Own Wares [Wall Street Journal]


text:
American Apparel has repurposed an old 1913 Los Angeles Ford plant by using it as a home for its mannequins.
It’s an eclectic collection.
“American Apparel buys a lot of dead stock, lingerie, and porn shop mannequins, so their collection is truly something else,” according to Curbed LA.
Photographer Elizabeth Daniels explored the warehouse.
Her images show an army of mannequins juxtaposed against the industrial landscape. The plastic people stay there until they’re sent away to retail stores.
There’s an industrial look outside:
Here are some mannequins hanging out:
There are also tiny baby mannequins:
Thousands live in the warehouse:
They wait here until it’s time to be shipped out to American Apparel’s stores:
NOW WATCH: Briefing videos
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.


text:
Browsing: Yellow Local
It’s been difficult to miss the Yellow Local campaign around Auckland recently, with a host of regularly changing billboards on the streets and an array of regularly changing TVCs on our screens. But when we spoke to Localist’s chief executive Blair Glubb a few weeks ago he said it was taking a very different approach than its main competitor and building the name up in the market by putting its salesforce to work before launching an ad campaign. But now that time has come, with a couple of ads that show what can happen ‘when people share what’s good around here’.
Yellow Local appears to have spared no expense in splashing itself around Auckland since launching, with its new hyperlocal offerings featuring on billboards, TV, online and in print. And while NZ Post’s Localist has been promising to launch—and promising to offer something better than Yellow—since late last year, it has taken a much different approach to that of its major competitor and soft launched the site on Friday.


text:
Volvo Cars is aiming to develop recycling loops in a global initiative to reduce CO2 emissions and expenses. This involves recycling high-voltage batteries from plug-in hybrids and electric cars, among other things.
In total, the Swedish company wants to save 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 and one billion Swedish kronor (about £85 million) per year from 2025 onwards by processing, repairing and reusing emission-intensive materials in car production. This will not involve individual pilot projects but measures at all Volvo plants worldwide.
“Volvo Cars has one of the most ambitious climate plans in the car industry, and if we are to reach our goals, we need to embrace the circular economy,” said Anders Kärrberg, responsible for global sustainability at Volvo Cars.
“This requires us to rethink everything we do and how we do it. We put a strong focus on integrating sustainability into the way we think and work as a company, and we are making it as important as safety has always been to us.”
This is not just about recycling waste and offcuts from the production of the cars, but also about further developing production processes so that material is used more efficiently and waste is not created in the first place.
“Disposing of waste will become more expensive in the future,” said Kärrberg. “That’s why we want to avoid waste directly.”
When it comes to recycling, even small measures are helpful. Instead of a bin for scrap metal, different metals are to be separated directly in the factory, making subsequent reprocessing much easier. Transport is also an issue the company has considered.
“Logistics and transport costs are an important factor in the recycling business model,” said Kärrberg. “As with manufacturing, localising supply chains and keeping distances short has a huge impact on sustainability.”
Seen and not seen
Not every material is suitable for recycling, of course: “Painted surfaces and parts visible to the customer are still difficult,” he added.
However, components the customer doesn’t see, and for which no development is necessary, could be designed in the future so that they last the life of the vehicle and could later be installed in a new car.
This probably won’t apply to an important environmental factor in electrified cars: batteries. Volvo’s batteries, for example, are designed to last 15 years in the vehicle. After that, they can be used in second-life applications.
Volvo is currently working on two pilot projects in this area. In cooperation with BatteryLoop, solar-powered energy storage systems are being produced from the batteries of electrified Volvos. From April, the system will be used to power charging stations for electric vehicles and e-bikes at the business centre of Swedish hygiene and healthcare company Essity near Gothenburg, according to Volvo.
Volvo’s news comes after last month’s announcement from the Renault Group that it will cooperate with waste disposal and recycling specialist Veolia and chemical group Solvay in the development of a circular economy for metals from the used batteries of electric vehicles.


text:
The attorneys general of 24 states are urging the Food and Drug Administration to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes, CSPnet.com reports.
Category results for "Tobacco"
An increasing number of students in middle school and high school are smoking e-cigarettes, hookahs and cigars, a new government report concludes.
Smokers trying to quit may be helped by a noninvasive technique that involves magnetic brain stimulation, according to Israeli researchers.
E-cigarette companies are using celebrities in ads and flavorings in their products to appeal to new customers, USA Today reports. Unlike regular cigarettes, the marketing of e-cigarettes is not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Employers are reconsidering smoking bans in light of the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, Bloomberg reports.
A new study adds to evidence that e-cigarettes may help some smokers quit. The study followed e-cigarette users for one year, and found they cut back or quit regular cigarettes in large numbers, according to Reuters.
Nonsmoking employees in trade positions, such as maintenance and repair workers, are significantly less likely than nonsmokers in professional fields to be protected against secondhand smoke, a new study finds.
Less than a week after the New York City Council voted to raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco to 21, Washington, D.C. will consider a similar measure.
Other cities and states are closely watching New York City’s vote this week to raise the legal age for buying tobacco from 18 to 21, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Employers are conflicted about whether to ban e-cigarettes at work, according to Workforce. As more workplaces become smoke-free, many employers are hesitant to endorse anything associated with cigarettes.


text:
Qualcomm initiation at Wells Fargo also among notable calls
Check out today's top analyst calls from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.
'SIGNIFICANT, UNRIVALED' RISK: MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson downgraded Disney (DIS) to Neutral from Buy with a price target of $112, down from $120. The analyst pointed out that while Disney has "advantaged assets to win" in the new world created by COVID-19, the uncertainty of the present situation creates "significant and unrivaled earnings risk for the foreseeable future." The economic impact of social distancing is most severe for the two divisions, Theme Parks and Studio Entertainment, that have driven Disney's free cash flow in the recent term, the analyst added. Further, Nathanson believes the acceleration in cord-cutting, coupled with ESPN's high fixed cost base, could further negatively impact Disney's Media Networks. All in, the analyst expects to see further pressure on the company's earnings, limiting the stock's performance for the near-to-medium term.
FRESH BEEF CONCERNS: Northcoast analyst Jim Sanderson downgraded Wendy's (WEN) to Neutral from Buy. While his recent checks suggest that same-store sales are returning to pre-COVID-19 levels and that Wendy's is navigating the COVID-19 crisis well, he is concerned that disruptions in the beef supply-chain could impair Wendy's near-term performance. Wendy's relies on fresh beef supplies, unlike many of its quick-serve competitors, and COVID-19 could limit the supply of fresh beef available for "several weeks or even months," Sanderson contended.
SELL QUALCOMM: Wells Fargo analyst Gary Mobley initiated coverage of Qualcomm (QCOM) with an Underweight rating and $70 price target. Mobley thinks Qualcomm will continue to be a victim of the company's own success, with the need for anti-competitive regulatory compliance and an industry-wide reluctance to rely too heavily on its MSM processors and related RF front-end solutions could constrain Qualcomm's ability to take the market share necessary to grow in a stagnant and mature smartphone market. Additionally, the analyst contended that an anti-U.S. sentiment in China and Huawei's own influence in the development of 5G standards may create a tepid environment for Qualcomm as it attempts to address the world's largest mobile handset market.
MOVING TO THE SIDELINES: Bernstein analyst Lance Wilkes downgraded Cigna (CI) to Market Perform from Outperform with a $223 price target. The analyst cited increased business risks from COVID-19 and recession. He believes risks to Cigna have increased including recession risks to the company's core employer MCO business, and election policy risks to PBM and employer growth.
TRAVEL DEMAND UNCERTAINTY, ADDITIONAL DEBT: Barclays analyst Brandon Oglenski downgraded the North American Airlines sector to Neutral from Positive saying the future is uncertain on travel demand but definite on "plenty of additional debt." Shares of airlines "face an uphill battle," Oglenski told investors in a research note. In addition to not knowing when revenue will return for an industry burning an estimated $20B of cash this quarter, "sizable" debt balances and "yet unknown" structural cost burdens "loom large," the analyst contended. Oglenski cut price targets across the sector and downgraded American Airlines (AAL) Underweight from Equal Weight and Delta Air Lines (DAL) to Equal Weight from Overweight.
Keywords: analyst, analyst calls, upgrades, downgrades, initiations, research, wall street


text:
The BMO Financial Group is rolling out a new remote onboarding service for Canadian customers. The Selfie ID solution operates much like other digital onboarding platforms, using facial recognition to compare a selfie to the image on a government ID.
At the moment, the Selfie ID service is only compatible with photo IDs from the Canadian government, and specifically with driver’s licenses, passports, and permanent residence cards. To use it, new customers will first need to take a photo of their ID, and then take a selfie for the biometric match. Selfie ID will verify the authenticity of the document and cross-reference it with the person in the photo, and allow the customer to open a bank account or sign up for a credit card if it determines that everything is legitimate.
The solution builds on BMO’s existing Automated Digital Enrolment service, and is designed to make it easier for people to sign up for an account on a mobile device. Those who use the service will not need to step foot in a branch location, and will instead enjoy a simpler and faster screening process.
Selfie ID is part of a broader digital transformation for BMO. The financial institution has also launched a BMO Quick Pay service that can automate certain bill payments, and now allows customers to change their PIN codes and apply for a line of credit through its online and mobile banking channels.
“We have continued to evolve the onboarding journey with a simple and digital experience that meets customers where they are,” said BMO Chief Digital Officer Mathew Mehrotra. “Selfie ID is another example of how we are building a digitally-enabled, future-ready bank, while helping our customers make real financial progress.”
BMO previously worked with Mastercard to launch a Selfie Pay service all the way back in 2016. The new Selfie ID solution reflects the broader interest in digital services during the pandemic, which has led to record growth for multiple providers of onboarding technology.
(Originally posted on Mobile ID World)


text:
Hoard your Gamay and Gruyère. The Trump administration is imposing 25 percent tariffs on a range of European foods and beverages, including French and German wines, Italian and Swiss cheeses, cherries and peaches, salami and other meats, and much more. Not all products from every country were hit: Italian Pecorino was, but Italian wine, pasta, and olive oil weren’t.
Set to go into effect on October 18, the tariffs were announced yesterday. A full list of affected goods, which includes camera parts and clothing from different countries, can be seen here. Industry members had feared a cheesepocalypse after the Trump administration proposed tariffs on E.U. imports because of a dispute over E.U. subsidies for Airbus. It’s another front in Trump’s trade war, and unfortunately Parmesan is a casualty.
The tariffs don’t range as extensively as had been feared. Joseph Profaci of the North American Olive Oil Association tells Reuters that many products that were to be hit with tariffs are not on this list and that “we’re still digesting what it will mean for the industry.” But this isn’t the song being sung by some in the cheese world. Ralph Hoffman, the executive vice-president of New Jersey importer Schuman Cheese, tells Reuters that the tariffs could mean a 30 percent reduction in imports and that “they hit cheese hard.”


text:
Apple tv, Latest News
Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and sold by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance and entertainment device that can receive digital data for visual and audio content such as music, video, video games, or the screen display of certain other devices, and play it on a connected television set or other video display.
The project 'The Me You Can't See' gave great satisfaction: Prince Harry
The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry is looking forward to the release of a project he is passionate about titled 'The Me You Can't See' on Apple TV plus later this month. ...
Apple TV+ inks multi-year deal with Malala Yousafzai
San Francisco, March 10 Apple announced a multiyear TV+ programming partnership with women's rights activist and youngest Nobel ... ...
Apple TV Plus free trial to be extended to July 2021
Tech giant Apple will extend the free trial subscription of Apple TV Plus. And the current members whose subscription was set to expire from now until June, have till July 2021 to enjoy their free subscription. ...
Quibi apps arrive on Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV
American short-form mobile video platform Quibi has just launched apps for Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV. The streaming service company announced the change in an updated support article. ...
Apple introduces HomePod mini for Rs 9,900
Cupertino (California), Oct 13 Apple on Tuesday unveiled HomePod mini, the newest addition to the HomePod family. HomePod ... ...
Apple One to cause 'irreparable harm' to developers: Spotify
San Francisco, Sep 16 Swedish audio streaming giant Spotify on Wednesday said the new Apple all-in-one subscription bundle ... ...
Fitness+ on Apple Watch to deliver personalised tips
Cupertino (California), Sep 16 Apple has unveiled Fitness+, the first such experience built for its Watch that will arrive ... ...
Apple One subscription offers all services under single plan
Cupertino (California), Sep 16 Apple on Tuesday announced Apple One, the easiest way to get all of company's ... ...
Apple TV app now available on Vizio SmartCast TVs
Apple TV app is now available on Vizio SmartCast TVs to customers in the US and Canada, Vizio announced on Tuesday. ...
YouTube Kids app now available on Apple TV
Google has announced that its YouTube Kids app is now available on Apple TV and families can now download ... ...


text:
“The following is an excerpt from Tim Snyder’s “Weekly Quick Facts” newsletter. Tim is an accomplished economist with a deep understanding of applied economics in energy. We encourage you to visit Matador Economics and learn more about Tim. While there, you can sign up for his completely free Daily Energy Briefs and Weekly Quick Facts newsletters.”
Last week’s jump in retail gasoline gives the US another dubious record, the highest average price ever recorded. Diesel is tracking back into record territory, as well. Families and businesses alike across the country feel the pain of these economy-killing prices continuing to spike. In interviews across the US, economists are being asked how much higher can these prices rise. The answer is always sobering.
With no intention of changing the direction the Biden Administration is heading, some are speculating that we may see diesel over $8.00 per gallon and gasoline over $6.00 per gallon by Mid-Summer.
We must remember that this time of year represents planting season for our nation's farmers and graduation for so many of our young folks. It also represents the beginning of the “Drive Season” and a time when families travel for vacation.
This year, however, families, like many of our businesses, are all weighing their expenses to see if the budgets can hold the ballooning energy costs and for how long.
Last week’s FOMC minutes and Jerome Powell’s press conference after the minutes were released started to sound like the FED had a good handle on managing inflation until he concluded the press conference. Then the reality of what was said began to sink markets! What a tangled mess.
With wholesale and retail prices for finished products spiking again, people across this nation are beginning to ask how much longer this can go on.
I was doing an interview for a radio station (KURV) in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, and this question was paramount on the hosts' minds how high can prices go, and when will there be some relief to these prices. But unfortunately, the answers weren’t what they wanted to hear.
According to Triple-A, the average retail price for gasoline hit a record high yesterday of $4.37 per gallon, and today, they posted a $4.40 mark. Diesel fuel was posted yesterday at $5.65 per gallon, and today it is higher again.
The majority of the inquiries we get are from media outlets looking for some idea of how high these prices will go and how long these prices can stay with us.
It all started in late 2019 when the word of an outbreak from a lab in China began to circulate. I remember hearing about the outbreak in November, and the concern with which the reporter delivered his report caught my attention.
One thing led to another, and by Mid- March, the US began to shut down its vast economic engine. We scared the life out of our economy, and when most of us came out from under the bed, we figured we might survive this threat.
Then at the end of the second quarter of 2020, the GDP posted its biggest drop ever to a -31.2, and the next quarter the GDP recovered to a +33.8. This is the exact point where inflation began to grow.
So, the pandemic was the genesis of our inflation problems, but that’s only a small part of the story. Then, there was an election, and a change in governance occurred at every level. A big part of the change was the US working to discontinue the use of fossil fuels, and that added fuel to the fire. (To be continued next week)
Timothy S. Snyder, Economist


text:
The Indian gaming sector has garnered a lot of attention and growth in recent years, with more than 40% of Indian internet users engaging in some form of gaming or another. While mostly the gaming or gambling industry in India has been hush-hush, these days, due to the rising popularity of the sector, more and more Indian celebs are being roped in to promote these gaming apps or betting sites.
While some of these Indian celebs have landed in a bit of trouble for promoting real money gaming online, most of them continue to do it anyway. This is because real money gaming and online gambling have become much more commonplace, with many new companies and brands now coming up to attract audiences. In fact, some state governments have also considered legalizing and regulating the industry in order to protect the interests of the users, while also allowing more space for new brands to come up in the market. According to My Betting Sites India, many new betting sites have opened their doors to the Indian market in the last couple of years!
In this article, we will take a look at some of the Indian celebs that have been roped in to represent and promote these new gaming brands online.
Table of Contents
Shah Rukh Khan
Yes, the Badshah of Bollywood has also started promoting the new poker brand, A23. The new real money gaming brand hired Shah Rukh Khan to become their brand ambassador for online as well as TV ads. Obviously, because of the reputation of Khan, A23 has benefited a lot from the association.
2. Ali Fazal
Adda52 is yet another online poker brand that has managed to hire a Bollywood celeb to endorse their product. Ali Fazal, or more popularly known and loved as Guddu bhaiyya from Mirzapur, took to his Instagram about a year ago to promote Adda52 with Baadshah.
The campaign was a definite success, gaining a lot of users for the online poker brand.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, perhaps one of the most popular and well-loved Indian cricket players has also endorsed a fantasy gaming app called Mobile Premier League. In fact, Virat Kohli even landed himself in legal trouble because of a PIL that was filed against the cricketer for promoting real money gaming.
4. Sunny Leone
Sunny Leone has obviously captured the hearts of Indian audiences with her beauty and charm. These would obviously be useful skills for her as the brand ambassador of Jeetwin, an online casino app available to Indians.
5. Nargis Fakhri
Nargis Fakhri has also been seen promoting an online betting site known as Betway for the Indian market. While Betway is a sports betting site with its base in the UK, it does have a sportsbook for Indian players as well as an online casino, for which Nargis Fakhri is the main promoter.


text:
The announcements earlier this year of Hilton and InterContinental hotels in Vienna (Austria) that they were looking to downgrade from five to four stars have been met with mixed reactions. The news was like a breath of air for the hotel owners, who would no longer have to submit to the continuous pressure of the hotel chains for renovation and refurbishment investments. Mention should be made that both hotels need extensive renovation investments which have been delayed several times, most recently because of the financial crisis.
Corporate clients were also among those cheering at the news, as even during the crisis they would no longer have to ”avoid” booking the two hotels because of the five star rating, which was no longer accepted in the books of the companies.
Leisure travellers would also welcome the move as the pricing policy of the hotels would translate into lower rates and better priced packages. Tour operators and travel agencies would also benefit from this downgrading, being able to maximize their sales at luxury branded properties, now sold at ”four star prices”.
So who would be the losers of this downgrading? They would be the hotel chains themselves. Hilton, InterContinental, Kempinski, Marriott have all seen a constant decrease in their ”luxury reputation” in the past years, especially due to their continuous lowering of prices as well as the resistance of their owners to invest in renovating the properties, otherwise the only way to maintain their five star status.
Unfortunately, guests are not familiar with the reasons behind the state of many such hotels. More and more travellers are paying attention to the quality of the product which is provided by the property and no longer find it acceptable, even if service might be at the highest level. Hoteliers have to be aware that the current financial crisis has forever changed the way travellers regard hotel ratings, most considering value as the most important criteria in booking a hotel.
International locations of these brands which are already of four star level, while their formal rating remains five star:
INTER CONTINENTAL: New York, Bucharest, Prague, Vienna
HILTON: Milan, Paris, Prague, Vienna, New York
MARRIOTT: London, New York, Athens, Monaco, Munich
KEMPINSKI: Sofia, Munich, Moscow, Hamburg
More from OPPORTUNITIES
Breitling is pleased to announce the gifted actors who are the members of the first Breitling squads. This imaginative idea …
L’Oreal is boosting its digital efforts with its acquisition of ModiFace, a tech developer that powers many brands’ AR platforms. The …


text:
Today, in conjunction with Accenture, Xero launched a new Small Business Index providing a single composite figure that indicates how small businesses are faring across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The index is based on the four key measures of jobs, sales, time to be paid and wages and shows performance changes in the short and long term across the three countries currently in the program.
This index, which is part of Xero’s Small Business Insights program, is a natural and significant step forward in our ability to help inform decisions in support of small business success.
Unlike other survey-based research that has been used to understand the sector, the Xero Small Business Index analyses over 300,000 transactions (anonymised and aggregated for privacy) that flow through the Xero platform. Each month we’ll analyse the data and provide unique, activity based, timely insights. The aim is to enable analysts and policy-makers, business leaders and industry groups to dig deeper into what is happening to help shape the right sort of support.
The index is not all about economics, we’re also conscious that we talk about the human impacts; small business owners, their families, their employees and the places that they go to work. Small businesses are at the centre of the economy, and more importantly they are at the heart of their communities.
The Xero Small Business Index, along with the accompanying report, ‘The Job Ahead’, demonstrates the important role that small businesses play in creating employment. This report focuses on five of the key economies where Xero operates (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States). Collectively, Xero estimates these five countries need to create approximately 2.9 million new small business jobs during 2021 to get back to the level that would have been achieved by the end of this year without the shock of the pandemic. Over two-thirds of these jobs are in the United States.
While we continue to be encouraged by how many small businesses have been able to adapt to challenging and unpredictable conditions, we know from the report that young people, women and casual small business employees were more badly affected by job losses during the pandemic.
We have also been able to see that firms that were more digitised were more resilient. At the peak of the crisis, those firms that had more than five applications attached to their Xero account had a 14.8% y/y decline in jobs, compared to a larger 18.4% y/y decline for those with no apps connected. During the recovery phase, in December 2020, the firms using more than five apps had jobs down 1.8% y/y, compared to jobs being down 5.1% for those firms with no apps connected.
We are all too aware that you can’t just use data to understand the full significance of small businesses. Small business is family, it’s people doing their jobs and it’s community. The sector is a major source of jobs and wages, and we believe a key driver in enabling us to recover from the pandemic. Xero has a responsibility to help and this index is another way for us to advocate on the behalf of small business.


text: GM Accuses FCA of Labor Racketeering in Lawsuit by Sebastien Bell November 20, 2019 Share Comments General Motors filed a lawsuit today against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for damages following unfair labor practices. GM sees these practices as having cost them and saved FCA substantial sums of money. The lawsuit names three former FCA executives as well as the company, according to Automotive News. Those former employees have already pleaded guilty in an ongoing corruption probe involving the UAW. GM’s lawsuit, though, does not name the UAW. FCA, says GM, was involved in a “multiyear pattern of corruption … to undermine the integrity of the collective bargaining process and cause GM substantial damages.” Not only was it involved, the company’s general counsel, Graig Glidden, told reporters, “FCA conceived of the conspiracy, orchestrated the conspiracy, orchestrated the fraud.” Glidden also said that over the past several years, FCA’s labor costs have been substantially lower than GM’s. The lawsuit seeks to determine exactly how much of that can be attributed to unfair labor practices. GM seems to believe that quite a bit of it did because it’s looking for “substantial damages.” Glidden says that the money would be reinvested in the US to increase jobs and benefit GM’s employees. The lawsuit will also reinforce a fair bargaining process that is corruption-free, says GM.


text:
July 02, 2015
‘Breach fatigue’ has become a huge issue - and risk - that could impact the reputation of your business.
Also known as "data breach complacency", it is when consumers stop hearing all the news about retail hackings and other cyber-security breaches. And, that’s because they’ve heard and read about these crimes so often.
But as a result, consumers become less concerned and vigilant about protecting themselves from fraud.
In a 2014 Ponemon study more than 1/3 of consumers reported they ignored data breach notification letters and did not take action to protect themselves from fraud.
Experian data has shown that fewer than 1/10 consumers who have had personal information exposed in a major data breach take advantage of credit monitoring services.
Why should business be worried about data breach complacency?
It’s still on the increase. Experian’s Data Breach Industry Forecast reports that in 2014 the average U.S. adult received three notices of a data breach that affected them. It also forecasts data breach fatigue will continue to grow. On the business side, the Ponemon Institute reports that 43% of companies experienced a data breach in 2014 compared to 33% in 2013. All organizations still need to do more to protect the confidential information they handle.
Breach fatigue gives criminals the upper hand. Increasingly, more and more confidential data is getting into the hands of cyber and other criminals. When consumers do not protect themselves against fraud, it is easier for criminals to commit identity theft and other crimes.
Data breach complacency may infiltrate the workplace. A lax attitude about security can lead to more careless behavior on the part of the employees, notes a blogger at scalersecurity.com. A culture of security from the top down is important.
There’s so much at stake. Poor security impacts not only the company and individuals that were hacked but possibly the company's business partners, customers, and employees. Information thieves access confidential information in many different ways.
Breach notification is the law. There are different industry and state privacy laws, and earlier this year, President Obama supported a national notification law. To confront data breach fatigue and protect business reputation, industry experts recommend a range of information security best practices as well as timely and accurate notification policies. In a bankinfosecurity.com article, Eva Casey Velasquez, president of Identity Theft Resource Center said: “The solution is more access to good, solid information and resources for consumers so they can really understand what this means.” Apologize, tell customers exactly what happened, and explain clearly how they can protect themselves.
Consumers still care. While news of data breaches may not impact consumers like they first did, the 2014 Aftermath of a Data Breach: Consumer Sentiment by Ponemon showed that most consumers still believe that organizations should be obligated to provide identity theft protection (63%) and credit monitoring services (58%).
Showing leadership strengthens business reputation. “The shift in security perception is a good opportunity for companies to position themselves as leaders in their industries when protecting their customer data,” said a blogger at obileenterprise.edgl.com. How an organization manages a data breach can be a deciding factor in terms of consumer loyalty.
Find out how secure document destruction protects confidential data in the workplace – and combats data breach complacency too.


text:
Zheng Zujie, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at the China Development High -level Forum held from March 24th to 25th of the 2024 Annual Meeting that China cultivates and develops new productive for new quality and promotes high -quality development.Traveling with opportunities, investing in China can win the future.
Zheng Zujie pointed out that in the past year, China’s economy has been steadily growing, regulating structure, increasing energy, risk prevention of rolling rocks, climbing overlap, and showing the characteristics of rising growth, optimal structure, and improvement of quality.With new results, the economic structure adjustment has taken a new step, and the cultivation of economic momentum has achieved new breakthroughs.From the perspective of this year’s economic operation, as the macro policy continues to make efforts, China’s economic opening is good, the production is stable and rising, and the demand continues to recover.Economic and social development is mainly expected.
Zheng Zujie believes that China’s cultivation and development of new productivity and promotion of high -quality development will provide domestic and foreign investors with unlimited possible market opportunities and extremely broad development prospects.First, the Chinese market provides massive demand.Diversified high -end consumption demand of Chinese residents has increased day by day. New industrialized urbanization, equipment renewal, and consumer goods have brought huge market demand for the comprehensive transformation of the new and energy consumption dual -controlling carbon emissions dual control, creating huge dividends for Chinese and foreign enterprises.Second, Chinese manufacturing stabilizes global supply and demand.China has the most complete industrial system in the world, complete soft and hard infrastructure, rich human resources, improved innovation capabilities, rich application scenarios, and can respond rapidly to global supply and demand changes with large -scale advantages and cost advantages.Whether it is the upper and lower reaches of the industrial chain, or labor -intensive, technical dense, capital -intensive industries, or traditional industries, emerging industries, and future industries, they can find ideal partners in China.Third, China’s innovation and creation and huge business opportunities.China is promoting deep -level reforms, high levels of openness and all -round innovation, accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system supported by advanced manufacturing, and promotes the transformation of new and old momentum. New market demand, new investment opportunities, new cooperation projects will be large numberThe emergence of emergence provides a broad space for various types of enterprises to achieve mutual benefit and win -win and common development in China.


text:
With the debut of the Apple Watch expected in about two months, Apple has begun its marketing efforts to position the new wearable device as a fashion accessory. The cover of the March issue of Self magazine features supermodel Candice Swanepoel sporting an Apple Watch with a white sport band. Presented in an athletic setting, the image seems intended to blend the trendy consumer fashion aspect of the Apple Watch with its health and fitness features.
Jesse Hollington was a Senior Editor at iLounge. He's written about Apple technology for nearly a decade and had been covering the industry since the early days of iLounge. In his role at iLounge, he provided daily news coverage, wrote and edited features and reviews, and was responsible for the overall quality of the site's content.


text:
Motorola announced a new deal with Corning at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 that will see it use Gorilla Glass for its entire portfolio in 2024. This will include both smartphones and tablets that launch in the ongoing year. The Gorilla Glass protection will be available in the devices starting the second half of the year. The company also unveiled Smart Connect, a software that connects smartphones, PCs and tablets in a unified ecosystem and will help users easily connect Motorola devices with Lenovo’s laptop offerings.
The company made the announcement via its Newsroom where it highlighted “the entire 2024 portfolio of Motorola devices will feature Corning Gorilla Glass, starting in the second half of this year.” Prior to the deal, only the expensive Motorola smartphones featured the display protection, however, the more affordable phones did not. This move will now result in even the entry-level devices from the company coming with Gorilla Glass.
“This partnership builds on Lenovo’s collaboration with Corning in the laptop and tablet categories by featuring Gorilla Glass on select Lenovo laptops and tablets,” the company added.
While the announcement did not mention which Gorilla Glass will be used, a report by 9to5Google highlighted that during a demo at MWC, the company showcased Gorilla Glass 5 and Gorilla Glass Victus 2. For the users, this move will result in more scratch and drop-resistant displays even in the budget segment, however, it is not known whether there will be an impact on the prices as a result of it.
In a separate post, Motorola also announced the launch of Smart Connect, a new software that offers unified connectivity between the brand’s smartphones, tablets and Lenovo’s laptops and PCs. The move is aimed at creating an ecosystem between the different devices, similar to what Apple, Samsung, Google, and some Chinese brands already have.
Revealing some of the features that users will be able to access through Smart Connect, Motorola highlighted Cross Control, which will enable using a single keyboard and mouse between a phone, laptop, and tablet. The Swipe to Stream feature will let users pick any app or activity from one device to another in a seamless fashion. Other mentioned features include Notification Sync, Share Hub, Smart Clipboard, and more.
For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2024 hub.


text:
Related / Contacts
Related / News
Press Releases • Jun 12, 2017 06:00 GMT
The opening of the first two JYSK stores in Belgium in April 2017 has been a big success. So big that a third store has already opened and the fourth store will open in the middle of July.


text:
The ultimate fee for the data breach last month at email service provider Epsilon could reach as high as $4 billion, depending on what becomes of the data that was stolen, according to a cyber-risk advisory firm.
Oracle will have to wait a bit longer to get its hands on the US$1.3 billion awarded to it last year by a jury in its corporate theft lawsuit against SAP.
Google and Oracle each submitted proposals on Friday to reduce the number of claims in their Java patent infringement lawsuit, which could help bring the case to a speedier conclusion.
Chinese telecommunications equipment supplier ZTE has fired back against its rival Huawei Technologies by filing its own patent infringement lawsuit against the company.
China's largest telecommunications equipment supplier, Huawei, has filed lawsuits against Chinese rival ZTE for patent infringement involving mobile technologies.
The city of Taipei is demanding that Sony provide details about any leak of PlayStation Network user data following an intrusion last week or face fines.
It's still unclear why it took Sony so long to admit it lost customers' personally identifiable information in the wake of the PlayStation Network attack, but the real reason may have more to do with legal considerations than how long it took the com...
The Sony PlayStation Network data breach that exposed personal and password information -- and possibly credit cards -- of an estimated 77 million people is already considered one of tech history's worst security failures.
A trial version of a 3D CAD software package includes "phone-home" functionality that allows the vendor to contact downloaders months later and demand thousands of dollars in licensing fees, according to a class-action lawsuit filed recently in Massa...
The massive Sony PlayStation Network data breach that exposed personal and password information -- and possibly credit cards -- of an estimated 77 million people is an identity-theft bonanza.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a decision that will make it harder for consumers to bring class-action lawsuits against providers of products and services such as mobile phones and cable TV.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission should deny AT&T's plan to buy US$1.9 billion worth of wireless spectrum from Qualcomm because of the telecom carrier's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, several consumer groups said Wednesday.
The folks behind Dropbox have not been having an easy time recently. First it was suggested their PC client might be insecure, then changes in their terms and conditions raised security concerns.
Oracle has subpoenaed scores of Rimini Street customers in connection with its intellectual property suit against the third-party software maintenance provider, but at least one has no interest in complying with its demands.
Minnesota Senator Al Franken and the attorney general of Illinois have separately pressed Apple and Google to provide more information about the location data they collect about their end users.
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Samsung Galaxy Tab S: hands-on with Samsung's 2014 flagship tablet
- 2 Fetch TV set-top box
- 3 Dell Inspiron 15 5547 laptop
- 4 Samsung NX30 camera
- 5 ASUS T100 Transformer Book hybrid
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
Latest News Articles
- Harman Kardon CL headphones review
- Mitro makes password manager open source as team heads to Twitter
- Microsoft security tool EMET 5.0 puts a leash on plugins
- AMD A10-7800 (Kaveri) APU
- Some are twisting the facts in requests to be forgotten, Google says
Best Deals on GoodGearGuide
- Notebooks View all »
- 84% off $4.60
- $92 free shipping
- 11% off $529.95
- 12% off $699.95
- Tablets View all »
- Mobile Phones View all »
- TVs View all »
- Digital Cameras View all »


text:
The Sportsmen’s Migratory Bird Center was built in 1970. Since last June the building has been getting a total transformation and is scheduled to open this April.
Visitors will see a whole new look and feel as they walk through the front door, which is framed in large glass windows. The Friends of Magee Marsh will also have a brand new gift shop within the Magee Marsh Visitor Center. The group is recruiting volunteers to help in the gift shop. Volunteers will meet visitors from all over the world.
An exact opening date will be announced soon and posted on the Friends of Magee Marsh’s Facebook Page. The gift shop will be open April though October.
New displays, exhibits and restrooms have been installed. Visitors will also have access to the upstairs and this space will focus on the hunting tradition at Magee Marsh.
An information session for anyone interested in volunteering will be held Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m. at the Ida Rupp Library in Port Clinton. To register, email Mary Warren at email@example.com.


text:
Tourism Ireland has announced it will increase its spending by €10 million to €45m next year as it launches its first new global advertising campaign in seven years to help attract more overseas visitors to the island of Ireland. The extra funding is aimed at allowing the tourism body to strengthen its marketing programmes next year as Brexit takes hold.
Record numbers will again be targeted in 2019 and aims to grow overseas tourism revenue by six per cent to €6.5 billion and visitor numbers to 11.67 million, an increase of four per cent. The new global campaign – ‘Fill your Heart with Ireland’ – will launch next month in the US, Britain, France and Germany. From January, it will be rolled out in over 20 markets.
It will include TV, print, out of home, cinema and online ads – as well as content for social platforms. The campaign will feature less visited attractions and locations, such as Sliabh Liag in Donegal, Devenish Island in Fermanagh, Westport House in Co Mayo and Connemara National Park. Created by Publicis and OMD, the ads aim to attract visitors all year round.
Tourism Ireland will also re-develop its entire suite of Ireland.com websites, which attracts over 20 million visits a year, to try and ensure its digital marketing continues to be ‘best in class’. The new tech will also allow Tourism Ireland to re-target visitors and potential visitors with personalised messages and offers, designed to appeal to their specific interests.
In the context of the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 initiative, headed up by Marketer of the Year 2010 John Concannon – Tourism Ireland will implement its US, German, emerging markets and British market growth strategies. It will see operations expand in China, new representation in Hong Kong and in newer markets like Japan around the Rugby World Cup.
Tourism Ireland concedes that 2019 may pose challenges. Ongoing uncertainty around Brexit, which may impact on consumer confidence and, in turn, on outbound travel from Britain and a strong pound will be worries. Competitiveness and value for money will continue to be the focus in Britain. Geo-political issues and a possible hike in oil prices are other concerns.
New access developments for 2019 include Aer Lingus flights from Minneapolis-St Paul and Montreal to Dublin and from Nice to Cork; an American Airlines service from Dallas to Dublin; Ryanair services from Cologne to Ireland West Airport Knock, from East Midlands to Shannon and from Gothenburg to Dublin; and a Norwegian flight from Hamilton (Ontario) to Dublin.
Next year will see 620,000 direct, one-way air seats weekly, up five points on current capacity.


text:
The worst thing about David Einhorn's criticism of Steve Ballmer this week, from the point of view of the Microsoft chiefexecutive, was that it included one of those on-the-money soundbites that might just stick – such as when Norman Lamont damned John Major's government for being "in office, but not in power", or when Denis Healey said being attacked by Geoffrey Howe was like being "savaged by a dead sheep".
Microsoft, Mr Einhorn said, suffers from "Charlie Brown management". Ouch.
Mr Ballmer is as adorably hopeful in his endeavours as his cartoon doppelgänger, whether Microsoft is launching its iPod-savaging Zune player or the revolutionary Kinmobile phone or Windows Vista. But for all his enthusiasm, Charlie Brown is one of life's non-achievers, and Mr Einhorn's attack hit a nerve because investors have watched Microsoft under Mr Ballmer fail again and again to gain traction in any of its new products and services.
So here we are a few days on from Mr Einhorn's speech at the Ira Sohn Investment Research Conference in New York, and still the dust hasn't settled. Shareholders, analysts and commentators are now openlydebating whether Mr Ballmer should, as the hedge fund manager demanded, be fired forthwith byMicrosoft directors.
"It's time for Microsoft's board to tell Steve Ballmer, 'All right, we see what you can do, let's give so-and-so a chance'," Mr Einhorn said. "His continued presence is the biggest overhang on Microsoft's stock... He is stuck in the past. He has allowed competitors to beat Microsoft in huge areas, including search, mobile communications software, tablet computing and social networking. Even worse, his response to these failures has been to pour tremendous resources into efforts to develop his way out of these holes."
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
Steven Anthony Ballmer, 55, has been at Microsoft almost as long as its founder and chairman, Bill Gates, and only Mr Gates has a larger number of shares in the company. (Mr Gates has just under 7 per cent, Mr Ballmer just under 4 per cent – worth $8bn. Mr Einhorn's Greenlight Capital, for the record, has about 0.1 per cent.)
A Harvard and Stanford University student, Mr Ballmer was hired by Microsoft in 1980 as its first business manager, bringing some business school nous to the five-year-old software firm, which was still less than 30 people in total. He took the title of chief executive from Mr Gates in January 2000, as Microsoft's founder started devoting more of his time to philanthropy. In 2000, Microsoft still dominated the tech world, through successive versions of its Windows operating system for PCs and its ubiquitous Microsoft Office business software. 2000 was also when the US courts ruled Microsoft was an "abusive monopoly" that should be broken up. Maybe Mr Ballmer rues the day Microsoft got the ruling reversed, leaving him to steer the supertanker into unchartered technological waters.
Given how fast have been the changes wrought by broadband and mobile internet, the chief executive's defenders say, it might be fairer to hail Mr Ballmer as a hero for keeping Microsoft among the top tier of tech companies. It may have been overtaken in terms of market value by two of its old rivals, Apple and IBM, and Google is closing in fast, butMicrosoft is more profitable now than ever. Revenues are up about one-and-a-half times under Mr Ballmer. So are earnings per share.
Yet the shares languish. Yesterday they were trading at just under $25. That's the same level as a year ago. And three years ago. And five years ago. And in 2001. And in 1998.
Windows for PCs and the Office suite of word processing, spreadsheet and email software are still cash cows for the company, butinvestors have lost confidence that Microsoft can find the same winning formula in the new technological landscape. In a new generation of mobile devices – smartphones first, and tablet computers now, too –Microsoft is in danger of being an also-ran, its operating systemappearing on far fewer devices than Apple's much-loved iPhone and iPad system or Google's fast-growing open source Android software. With Google also now launching an operating system for the PC, and tablets already replacing laptops as some consumers' device of choice, you don't have to work hard to envision an armageddon scenario.
In addition, with high-speed internet at work, at home and on the go, there are no clear divisions nowbetween software, media content and services on the internet – and new companies that spring up in what you didn't think was your area can quickly wreck your business.
This is why Mr Ballmer has pushed Microsoft into brand new areas, notably on the internet, where its MSN business, with Hotmail email at its centre, and the search engine Bing are hardly negligible players, even though they are dwarfed by alternatives such as Facebook and Google. Despite the growth of online advertising, Microsoft has contrived to losefortunes on its internet ventures – $726m just last quarter, and a total of $7bn over the past four years – and earlier this month purchased Skype for a whopping $8.5bn in the hope it could become the default platform for video telephony and perhaps then a future cash cow for Microsoft.
Mr Einhorn mused in his lecture that a post-Ballmer Microsoft would be able to sell off or restructure these internet businesses. But Microsoft can't not be on the internet. Even Office has become an "app" you can buy over the web, which is updated automatically when you are online, and which allows you to store your documents on Microsoft's servers ("in the cloud") so you can access them from anywhere and collaborate with colleagues working elsewhere.
Meanwhile, one of the notable innovations of the Ballmer years, the Microsoft Xbox, goes from strength to strength. Selling the Xbox console was just the start; now Microsoft gets revenues from Xbox Live subscribers paying to play games online and to stream television shows and movies on demand via their broadband internet connection. The entertainment and devices division that includes Xbox is growing revenues at an annual rate of 60 per cent, and is solidly in the black.
The Microsoft board sent out word after Mr Einhorn's intervention that it remained fully behind Mr Ballmer. Dislodging him may require more than grumbling the company has not conquered the internet the way it did the personal computer.
"Is Microsoft going to be better off without Steve Ballmer? That doesn't make sense to me," says Shelly Palmer, a technology consultant and founder of Advanced Media Ventures. "David Einhorn would like to see the shares move, I get that. But this is a personal attack, rather than a solution. Steve Ballmer is not saying anything that doesn't make sense."
Mr Einhorn landed some cruel blows against Microsoft's Charlie Brown this week. Ultimately, though, his fellow shareholders may ask, how potent a rallying cry is "let's give so-and-so a chance"?Reuse content


text:
Spend on new national TV ads increased 13% during the week of April 16th compared to the previous week, reaching a total of $132m. Overall national TV expenditures also got a boost, increasing 9% to $928m. As the first full week of the NBA playoffs, advertisers invested the most heavily professional basketball games. NBA games brought in $16m on new ad expenditures, 12% of all new spending.
It was a fairly tame week overall for TV spending—the NBA postseason is hitting its groove along with reality competitions, so there hasn’t been programming (aside from the Scandal finale) to invest massive amounts of dollars for. Still, most of the top five TV buys of the week hovered around the $5m mark, either through promotions, new features or ExxonMobil’s #UnexpectedEnergy.
This week, as we look to blockbuster season starting a week early with Avengers: Infinity War, 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Pictures went head-to-head to get fanatics and casual moviegoers alike to catch a film over the next few weeks—preferably theirs. This week it was all about superheroes for the two film studios.
20th Century Fox spent 95% of its new ad dollars ($4.2m to promote Deadpool 2, the eleventh installment in the X-Men film series and sequel to the 2016 film Deadpool). The movie is set to release on May 18 and this is the first big surge of TV advertising from the studio to support the film. With the release date just weeks away, more advertising and higher spend are likely on the horizon.
Walt Disney Pictures also used a large chunk of its budget this week to promote a superhero sequel – Avengers: Infinity War, the 19th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The studio spent $3.3m on new commercials to promote the film, 75% of its new spend for the week. The release of the latest Avengers flick is fast approaching on April 27 and the studio has been promoting the movie on TV since the beginning of February. So far, overall TV ad expenditures for the movie have totaled $19m.
See all of the new creative submitted from around the world in The Drum's Creative Works section.
This data is part of ongoing reporting released on a weekly basis with Kantar Media using its AdScope tool.


text:
The Biden administration has reportedly ordered an ammunition manufacturer to stop selling Americans some 5.56mm rounds, which is the most common for the
Last night, news broke that the Biden Administration is taking behind-the-scenes steps to further strangle the already constricted market for ammunition in the United States. The move could result in a reduction of the commercial production of 5.56 caliber ammunition by over thirty percent.
Biden Looks to Cut Consumer 5.56 Ammo Supply (while Sending 50 Million Rounds to Ukraine) :: Guns.com
Reports surfaced this week that the White House is leaning on the contractor operating the only government-owned small arms ammo plant to halt sales of surplus 5.56 rounds to the public.


text:
Who would ever have thought that drinking milk would be an act of defiance?
Milk is almost as politicized as booze.
What is the deal with milk? For such a simple innocuous substance it sure has a lot of shady economics and politics attached to it.
For instance in many places raw milk is contraband. Everywhere in America the price is regulated by the feds for the long established dairy guild. Taxpayers pay for pro-milk propaganda. There are battles over what milk even legally is. (It’s not almond milk.
This image is a bit dated. It appears to be from last year. But it still illustrates a great point. Why is anyone getting busted for smuggling milk under any circumstances?
Those damn capitalist opportunists. Those reactionary running dogs. Always seeking to undermine the revolution.
Interestingly this guy was supposedly smuggling subsidized milk OUT of Venezuela. Some seem to think that is somehow worse than smuggling it INTO Venezuela.
The point is milk is being smuggled because of stupid central planning from Venezuela’s government.
Did you know that chocolate milk can improve cognitive function? In fact that one particular brand of chocolate milk can help cognitive function? Seriously, it’s all right here in this report from the University of Maryland. Of course the study was also partly sponsored by the chocolate milk company which makes the chocolate milk with all the “health benefits,” so there is that.
“My wife said she didn’t know the lactose industry was so intolerant.”– Rep. Thomas Massie (KY)
Who ever thought that so many battles would surround raw milk? I don’t even like milk but I’m beginning to feel like I need to go out and buy some to help these folks.
But I think it might be illegal to buy in Virginia. I’ll have to go to the black market.
Vernon Hershberger ran a farm which exchanged raw milk for work on the farm, donations, and sometimes if people were hungry, for nothing at all. The government didn’t take kindly to the operation and so sought to make an example of Mr. Hershberger, at significant cost to the taxpayer.
The milk industry is completely controlled by the government for the benefit of a few, mostly corporate, interests.
Suddenly milk becomes a luxury good
In the attached article in the New Yorker Dana Goodyear examines the “bust” of Rawsome, a store in California dedicated to selling exotic and not so exotic raw foods. Recently the federal government in its wisdom raided the place. In the name of “public safety.”
Mike Adams “The Health Ranger” was recently on RT talking about why it is that the FDA has come after raw milk producers. It’s not about health. It’s about controlling a commodity.
Last year I went to the grocery store and was greeted by a sign on the door of the milk case that informed me that the advertised price of a gallon of milk in the newspaper could not be honored due to “dairy regulations.”
I grabbed a gallon of skim and went to the front of the store to ask the manager about the sign.
He informed me that the price my grocery store had advertised was below the official price designated for my area by the government/dairy co-op.
This video was sent to me by someone at the, get this, “Raw Milk Freedom Riders.” Great name.
What it shows is a Wisconsin inspector visiting the farm of Vernon Hershberger for a “look around.”
Apparently Mr. Hershberger has run afoul of Wisconsin state law because he has provided raw milk to members of his “herd share.” This is a no-no.


text:
Maine May Be Next State to Limit Pet Store Sales
Maine could prohibit pet shops from selling dogs and cats under a proposed bill.
Democratic Sen. Ben Chipman’s bill would establish a fine of $500 per violation and pet shops could also face license suspension or revocation.
California and Maryland have passed similar bills in hopes of helping cats and dogs in shelters waiting for homes, and at the same time limit where puppy mills can sell dogs.
The Maine Veterinary Medical Association didn’t take a position on the bill but said it’s easier to regulate businesses than individual breeders.
According to an Associated Press story, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council says only breeders provide puppies to Maine stores. That’s an interesting position since they (and the American Kennel Club – who also opposes the Maine proposal) have been saying for decades that responsible breeders Never sell to pet stores. So which is it?


text:
Taking place in IKEA's very first store in Älmhult, Sweden, IKEA’s annual Democratic Design Day has become a highlight in the design calendar. The Democratic Design Day was started as an effort by the world’s largest retailer to be more transparent as it shares what’s it been working on and its vision for the future.
As IKEA looks towards the future during their Democratic Design Day, we are looking to the past and at how they have been innovating their products and paving the way to becoming the world’s leading green corporation.
Polystyrene free packaging
In an effort to reduce harmful packaging and break their dependence on polystyrene, IKEA has decided to start using fungi-based packaging. The fungi-based packaging can decompose fully by simply throwing it into your garden, while polystyrene takes thousands of years to degrade.
Net positive energy status
As the winner of the Guardian Sustainable Business Award, IKEA announced that it is aiming to produce all its electrical needs through renewables by 2020. The retailer already produces 53 per cent of its own energy requirements through 314 wind turbines and 700 000 solar panels. IKEA has also launched projects to introduce solar-panels to all its US stores.
Furniture entirely out of paper
In an effort to create more cost-effective furniture, last year IKEA announced that they are launching a furniture line made entirely out of paper. The furniture will be made out of a composite of repurposed pulp, through a process the company has developed, that pressure-moulds it into hyper-resilient forms.
100 per cent LED lighting
The retailer has also fully switched to LED lighting in all of its stores, making them the first major global retailer to make this commitment. LED lighting are widely known for being environmentally friendly and uses as much as 85 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last up to 20 times longer.
The world’s largest eco-friendly retailer
In 2014, IKEA sold a whopping 1.3 billion euros of sustainably produced and eco-friendly furniture, making them the largest retailer to do so. All furniture within the IKEA portfolio is made from sustainable sources with a huge increase of Bamboo use which grows 10 times faster than trees.


text:
The Quantum Foundation authorities in Rajshahi bought over 1,000 strawberry plants for Tk 20,000 a month ago. They spent a further Tk 13,000 cultivating a fallow eight decimal pieces of land in Shitlai Kazipur area. They are now waiting to cash nearly Tk 2 lakh, six times the amount they invested, by selling 250kg of the lip-smacking fruit, in just 10 days.
“Strawberry cultivation is relatively new in the country, but it is not difficult. It spins money," said Muzahidul Islam Zahid, an official of the foundation.
"For the first time I have cultivated the fruit."
Major Hafizur Rahman Mollah, deputy inspector general of prisons for the Rajshahi division, cultivated some 2,500 strawberry plants at the Rajshahi Central Jail property, six months ago.
The jail authorities have spent over Tk 50,000 on the cultivation and now sell 1,000 saplings for Tk 70,000. Also, they are set to sell around 600kg of the fruit at an expected Tk 4.20 lakh.
“Attracted by the economic viability of the fruit, I made necessary arrangements on the jail premises, so that jail inmates can learn the tricks of the trade and adopt them later in their lives,” Major Hafiz told The Daily Star.
M Shahidullah, a local agent of Holcim Ltd, has also cultivated strawberries recently. Strawberries are also being farmed by at least 25 other individuals in Rajshahi -- for the first time this season.
By cultivating 1.5 tonnes of strawberries on a leased plot at Rajshahi University, botany teacher Dr M Manzur Hossain is expected to sell 10 tonnes of strawberries, worth around Tk 70 lakh, by March.
Strawberry farming is already in motion in 30 districts in the country. With the average price of a kilogram of the fruit standing at Tk 700, the commercially viable fruit presents great export potentials and ushers in economic prospects for those who wish to get high and fast returns from limited land resources, according to pioneers in the field.
Originating in the US, the crop is usually grown in Europe and Australia. It gained popularity in parts of Japan and tropical India. Each year, a global production of about 30 lakh tonnes of strawberries on two lakh hectares of land was recorded in the FAOSTAT Database.
The country has demand for 50 tonnes of strawberries per season, which local traders import from different countries including the US, Thailand and Australia. Strawberries are usually eaten raw or used in preparing ice creams, jams, jellies, pickles, chocolates, biscuits, cakes and milk shakes.
The strawberry, a nutritious and delicious foreign fruit, is now adapted to the Bangladeshi climate. It was registered with the National Seed Board recently, following its successful experimental cultivation at Rajshahi and the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute in Joydevpur, said Dr Shafikul Islam, senior scientific officer of Rajshahi Fruit Research Centre.
The government experiments started in 2006 and three years later, Manzur developed several new varieties adapted to the local climate. Another horticulturist, Quamruzzaman of Natore, experimented with the fruits' field results and successfully took it to market.
Many visitors from different parts of the country are now thronging to their strawberry fields. Over 150 people from 30 districts started cultivating the fruit. The Bangladesh Strawberry Association (BAS) was formed with Manzur as its chairman, to fuel the growth of the cultivation.
Strawberry cultivation was successful in the hilly Matiranga Army Zone in Cox's Bazar last year. This year, many fresh initiatives were taken to develop the trade in Panchagarh, Dinajpur, Tangail, Rangpur, Kurigram, Mymensingh, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Jessore, Magura, Faridpur, Madaripur and many areas around Dhaka.
In the early 1990s, Dr Manzur was in Japan, pursuing his PhD, when Quamruzzaman joined him in a one-year training session. They together planned the cultivation of the fruit in the country.
Returning home in 1996, Manzur brought along eight varieties of saplings and Quamruzzaman collected six varieties from Japan and America. But none of them sustained.
A breakthrough occurred when Manzur developed some new varieties through tissue cultures at his Botany department's Plant Breeding and Gene Engineering Laboratory, while Quamruzzaman did the same in Natore.
In 2003, after five years of research, three varieties yielded encouraging results. Out of the three, the 'RU-3' and 'Modern-3' variety proved to be very impressive in all aspects of size, taste, and flavour, with each fruit weighing from 20 to 25 grams. At present, the methods are now more developed, following successful cultivation over the last five years.
Strawberry cultivation is no difficult from growing potatoes or brinjals. Saplings are sown into prepared beds of matted rows in November and December. Pioneers also inform that organic fertiliser is best for the fruit.
Strawberry plants begin to flower within a month of plantation and fruits can be collected till March. Saplings can be collected from nurseries run by Dr Manzur and Quamruzzaman in Natore. Different NGOs are also producing strawberry saplings.
Each plant bears around 250 to 300 grams of fruits and some 6000 plants can be grown on a bigha of land, they say. A farmer can spend Tk 20,000 to yield 2000 kg fruit on a bigha of land. “Even if strawberries sell at Tk 100 a kg, a farmer can easily earn Tk 2 lakh,” said Manzur.
“I experimented at first by selling 35 kg of strawberries at Tk 300 a kg in 2006. In 2007, he sold 87 kg at Tk 550 per kg, gradually increasing the business in this manner,” Manzur said. This year he expects 1.5 tonnes of strawberries from some 6000 plants.
With great export potential, the sweet and attractive fruit will open new horizons for farmers, he told The Daily Star.
Local fruit importers and foreigners, who visited Manzur's strawberry field, comment that the produce was better in size, colour and taste than those found in many other countries.
Quamruzzaman hopes some 8,000 strawberry plants in his nursery will yield more than two tonnes of produce. He even sold good quality strawberries at Tk 2,000 per kg in Dhaka last year.
“I recently planted two new varieties from America Camarosa and Festival. Each fruit of the export quality varieties would weigh about 50 grams,” he says. Other strawberry varieties usually weigh around 25 grams.
However, strawberry cultivation is still lacking government initiatives, which resists expansion, although the trade was registered in the country last year.
“The fruit will no doubt be a profitable crop for farmers. If it is grown on a large scale, the highly nutritious fruit will come within the reach of the common people. There will be no need for imports,” said Manzur.
“Once it is popularised, the fruit can play a role in alleviating poverty and help overcome problems associated with malnourishment,” said Quamruzzaman.


text:
When it comes to shoe trends, the world can be pretty fickle. If you don't jump on a new trend in its early stages, there's a chance that it could be "over" soon after you invest in it. Since a new season is on the horizon, we couldn't think of a better time to fill you in on the trend that people have officially stopped buying. To do so, we reached out to the EDITED, a retail analytics company. EDITED's Katharine Carter delved into the market data and filled us in on the one trend that's dead in the water and, alternatively, the one that everyone wants right now. According to her analysis, the trend people will stop wearing are brogues, and loafers are the 'It' shoe style that people are now buying instead. And how did Carter come to this conclusion about the two flats styles? She explained, "Loafers have seen more than ten times the amount of arrivals over the past three months compared to brogues, highlighting that retailers are backing this trend for spring." She also cited discounts on each style as being indicative of their fate, saying "Brogues currently see higher discounting than loafers, with 13% of styles currently reduced compared to just 8% of all loafer styles."
While classic loafers aren't exactly a groundbreaking shoe style, they've been everywhere ever since Gucci practically singlehandedly turned them into a craze. And much to every fashion girls' delight, designers are getting more and more inventive with their loafer styles. Carter cites "metallic finishes, backless slide-on mule shapes, and embroidery detailing" as the specific loafer details that are trending for spring.
Ready to swap brogues out for a new pair of loafers? Keep scrolling to see which styles the fashion crowd is wearing right now, and shop our favorite loafers for spring!


text:
Get the latest news straight to your inbox.
Register for the Telecoms.com newsletter here.
June 11, 2015
The ITU has begun work on identifying the standardisation requirements of IoT tech, specifically citing smart city applications as its initial focus.
One of the primary challenges facing broader adoption and rollout of IoT tech in a smart city environment relates to the interoperability of sensors and networks. The ITU claims its new working group, which has been given the snappy name of “ITU-T Study Group 20: IoT and its applications, including smart cities and communities”, will develop standards to help integrate end-to-end architectures for IoT, and the interoperability of various IoT platforms through numerous industry verticals.
“The coming five years will be crucial in ensuring that IoT technologies meet their potential,” said Chaesub Lee, who is the director of the ITU-T’s standardisation bureau. “ITU-T is very active in IoT standardisation, and we aim to assist cities around the world in creating the conditions necessary for IoT technologies to prove their worth in addressing urban-development challenges.”
The chairman of the study group, who is from the UAE’s TRA, Nasser Almarzouqi, reckons the group is well positioned to help bridge the digital and physical worlds in future years.
“Networks of IoT technologies will improve our understanding of how cities function, introducing many opportunities for efficiency gains,” he said. “With participants representing the many stakeholders in the field of information and communication technologies, this Study Group will be influential in promoting the development of the highly efficient ‘systems of systems’ that will help bridge the digital divide and enable a more connected world.”
Meanwhile, semiconductor specialist STMicroelectronics has launched an IoT solution focusing on Voice-Over-Bluetooth Low Energy for wearable tech and remote control apps. While utilising Bluetooth itself for voice communications is a long-established precedent, bringing the functionality to the newer, low-power standard indicates more readiness for IoT-based sensors and devices.
The software platform behind the solution is intended to be customisable and supports designers working with various digital microphones. The licensing program behind the solution is also based on open environments which, ST claims, support designers using ARM cortex 32-bit controllers. Ultimately, for wearables such as smart watches to be usable, there needs to be an alternative to the touch UI we use for smartphones. A combination of voice and gestures seems the most likely and this STMicro announcement appears designed to address that area.
Tim is the features editor at Telecoms.com, focusing on the latest activity within the telecoms and technology industries – delivering dry and irreverent yet informative news and analysis features.
Tim is also host of weekly podcast A Week In Wireless, where the editorial team from Telecoms.com and their industry mates get together every now and then and have a giggle about what’s going on in the industry.
You May Also Like


text:
The twister was captured off the beauty spot of Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, late on Sunday by amateur photographer Steve Pleydell, within minutes of an electric storm
, heavy rain and hailstones.
By way of illustration, over in Kentucky some of the big commercial stud farms have a damage-limitation strategy in place in the event of an electric storm
8 White Noise, An Electric Storm
(Island) The rediscovery of the year for me.
After the break, an electric storm
erupted on stage as Dylan and the band went into overdrive.
Father-of-two Simon Jennings, 46, of Foulsham, Norfolk, was working near his home when an electric storm
An electric storm
passed over on Wednesday evening.
There was an electric storm
and I had to run fromthe bar and hide in my bedroom.
Due to the vagaries of the Berkshires' weather, complete with a violent electric storm
outside the Ted Shawn Theatre on July 18, Bolero was cancelled as the finale because of the numerous lighting cues required for the multimedia effects.
At its heart lies the nine-minute Nobody Girl -- a minor-chord strum that builds into an electric storm
EU competition policy in the energy sector was at the centre of an electric storm
, on May 17, as a barrage of questions were directed at the European Commission during a press conference.
Flying is a nightmare to me and, when we left South Africa recently, we took off in an electric storm
8 million of electric storm
restoration costs incurred in February 2010, and $2.
The chestnut mount of George Guineas Sir Henry Baker is the betting market's 6-1 second choice for the Guineas after charging through an electric storm
to humble odds-on favourite Foundation in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket 16 days ago.
It has more angular headlights, a single-slat radiator grille with thin strips of chrome, a new lower bumper that incorporates two air intakes, a shark fin antenna, new alloy wheel designs and three additional paint colours called Silver Sky Metallic, Black Currant Metallic and Electric Storm
Was the famous 'Iron Church' even safe in a predicted electric storm
based on Tomasz's predictions?


text:
In 2015, The ASEAN Economic Community, or AEC, will come into effect, creating a single market that encompasses 600 million people across 10 countries. Brands in the region have a historic opportunity to connect with consumers as ASEAN enters a new growth phase. Continue reading ASEAN Consumer Insight Report
Vserv in partnership with the MMA have compiled a series of presentations covering key mobile consumer stats for many of the Asian markets. These provide comprehensive summaries of the mobile landscape in each market, covering apps, ads and social amongst other topics. Continue reading Mobile Marketing in Asia
A new report from World Newsmedia Network looking at global Digital hot spots, highlights again the impact of mobile in Asia. With large parts of the region having higher mobile than desktop penetration, mobile internet is currently leading broadband and desktop and will do so for the foreseeable future. Continue reading Asia a Digital Hot Spot, Hottest for Mobile
In just a few years the hashtag has gone from a humble and obscure symbol, also known as the pound sign, to a powerful online tool. The # initially gained prominence on Twitter, but has spread to use across a plethora of other online social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Continue reading The Rise of the Social Media Hashtag
The latest research from Jana shows the big gift for Indonesian and Vietnamese consumers this holiday season is a new Mobile. Indians want a camera more than anything, although in all surveyed Asian markets, the Mobile was a top 3 gift item. Continue reading Mobile Phone Most Popular Holiday Gift in Indonesia and Vietnam
The rising Chinese middle class are spending more time with digital media, but advertisers have yet to reflect this shift with reallocated media budgets according to a new report.
“The Chinese middle class is not necessarily the richest, as a large number of young people are put into this category,” said Steven Chang, CEO of ZenithOptimedia Greater China, “but they definitely promise more wealth with a bigger purchasing power in the near future.” Continue reading Chinese Media Spend Lagging Behind Consumer Digital Habits
A recent report from Adobe looks at the readiness of Asia Pacific marketers for Digital. The top line is that the industry is gaining in Digital confidence regionally, but budget and talent deficits are hampering development. Continue reading Asia Pacific Digital Marketing Readiness
In the third of our series covering individual Asian market Digital landscapes, we take a look at Vietnam.
With a population in excess of 90 million and internet penetration of 35.6%, Vietnam represents a huge opportunity for brands. 52% of Vietnamese consumers watch online video on a daily basis, meaning the transition of consumer attention from TV to alternative screens is happening at a rapid pace. Mobile penetration is around 145%, although with only 15.5 million 3G subscribers, and 69% of the population located in rural areas, the key consumer challenge still remains engagement on feature phones.
Below are five of the latest takeaway resources covering the key digital facts and figures for Vietnam. Continue reading Focus on… Vietnam’s Digital Landscape
Ecommerce is very much in the news at the moment, with Rocket Internet launching their month long online promotion across Lazada, Zalora and Foodpanda, ebay launching in Indonesia, and mobile ecommerce projected to hit $2.4bn revenue in Singapore by 2015. Continue reading Ecommerce in Emerging Asia
In the second of our series focusing on individual market Digital landscapes, we look at Thailand.
With consistent long term economic growth, Thailand is now one of the key countries contributing to the emerging global middle class. This rise in wealth puts Thailand ahead of other South East Asian markets in some ways in terms of the maturity of the online ecosystem. As of Q2 2013 mobile devices in use across Thailand reached 90m, exceeding the total population of the country, while Facebook in Thailand grew to 24m users in Q3 2013, a huge rise of 33% in over Q2. Continue reading Focus on… Thailand’s Digital Landscape


text:
MANSFIELD -- After more than a year without authentic Indian cuisine, Mansfield residents can once again enjoy butter chicken, naan and curry dishes starting Feb. 13.
Dalip Bhullar said he and his family are working to add more menu items that are gluten-free, vegan and keto-friendly.
“We’ve been getting a lot of messages of how excited people are,” Bhullar said. “We’re looking forward to bringing back high quality ethnic food to the community.”
Punjabi Oven closed in August 2021 due to food being wasted when its traffic slowed down, Bhullar said. Now, his family looks forward to expanding Punjabi Oven’s menu and KV Market’s options of fresh groceries for the City of Mansfield.
Dalip is the son of Karamjit and Varinder Bhullar, and the younger brother of Avneet Bhullar. All four run the KV Market together, as well as Punjabi Oven.
“It’s definitely a family business, we all do whatever needs done,” Dalip Bhullar said.
Punjabi Oven is located inside the KV Market at 359 W. 4th Street. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dalip Bhullar said the new menu, which will still include popular favorites, will be announced on KV Market’s Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as online.
He said the Bhullars are putting the final touches on the new menu and plan to reveal it Monday, Feb. 6. Customers can order takeout or eat inside the KV Market.
Punjabi Oven will also offer a drive-thru window and delivery within a 15-mile radius. Delivery will be offered through Punjabi Oven or DoorDash.
Dalip Bhullar said everything on Punjabi Oven’s menu will be made from scratch, mostly from family recipes. He said any customer is sure to find a dish they like.
“We have something for every palate,” he said. “I like the whole menu, and we sell a lot of butter chicken, shahi paneer and marsala.”
Bhullar said Punjabi Oven and the KV Market also need to hire additional staff. Anyone interested can visit the KV Market to apply and schedule an interview.
The market can be reached at 419-515-3355 or on Facebook.


text:
Big Tech has been all about AI in recent months. But in order to bring their AI advancements to the public, they have to spend money to build them first. Spear Invest Founder and CIO Ivana Delevska tells Yahoo Finance Live that "the biggest theme that came out of this earnings season from the big mega-caps that reported is that we're going to see a re-acceleration in CapEx" with the spending going to "investments to enable AI."
JULIE HYMAN: After consumer technology drove the previous tech cycle, the Spear Alpha ETFs tracking the wave of growth that's expected to come from business-to-business tech spending. Spear Alpha is an ETF listed on the NASDAQ. The company behind it Spear Invest is an asset manager specializing in positioning investors in underappreciated opportunities in industrial technology sectors.
This could be anything from enterprise digitalization, automation, space exploration. For more, we're joined by Ivana Delevska, Spear Invest founder and chief investment officer. So Ivana, we keep talking all about AI and the opportunities that we might see. We're looking ahead this week to earnings from the likes of Apple and Amazon. When it comes to industrial tech specifically, what do people need to know?
IVANA DELEVSKA: Well, the biggest theme that came out of this earnings season from the big mega-caps that are reported is that we're going to see a re-acceleration in CapEx. And this was echoed by Microsoft, Google, Meta, everywhere you look, to 2H, second half, '23 spending is supposed to be higher than first half, and similarly '24 is supposed to be a stronger year than 2023 in terms of CapEx spend. And all of these CapEx dollars are going into investments to enable AI.
So what we heard this time was even broader than GPU purchases, companies are spending on CPUs, broader networking. So we expect that this will drive the next tech cycle going forward.
BRAD SMITH: By how much are we expecting CapEx to increase?
IVANA DELEVSKA: Well, Microsoft is one example where the company is expected to spend $40 billion in the next year, and that was 25% above consensus. So $40 billion just if you step back is a huge number because these companies are not really that large like Nvidia, AMD, and Marvell are our top picks in the Semi space. They're going to see a pretty significant boost to demand.
JULIE HYMAN: To your point, most of the focus thus far has been on the Semis, where else do investors need to be looking?
IVANA DELEVSKA: So the next layer we believe that we'll see a significant boost in spending is around data architecture, data infrastructure, cloud spending. So basically as semiconductors sell chips to the cloud vendors, the cloud vendors in turn will sell those as services to companies.
And then in that ecosystem there is a number of companies that provide data streaming, data warehousing, cyber security type services that we think will really benefit here because they don't really need to make a ton of incremental investments. They're going to be using their existing products to enable this new wave of AI spending.
BRAD SMITH: And so for the matriculation or the timeline as to when we can kind of hold these companies up to a report card to say whether or not their CapEx and the spending on generative AI or the infusion of more AI solutions into their businesses has been successful, what does that timeline look like from your estimation?
IVANA DELEVSKA: Well, in terms of the spending, companies are going to see that provide services and hardware are going to see it in the next six months to two years, right. So that's going to be pretty much early in the cycle. Then the next wave is going to be whether these products are actually successful. So it's going to be whether products like Office 365 Copilot is actually generating returns for Microsoft.
And we're about two to three years out of that to see whether the AI products that are introduced are working in the market. But from early signs that we can see in terms of surveys, there was Microsoft Copilot, which was one of the early solutions for coders that was introduced earlier this year, there is clearly significant demand and there is clearly significant productivity improvement. It's just a matter of rolling this out to a wider audience.
JULIE HYMAN: And just quickly, Ivana, it sounds like you don't share some of the concerns out there about a bubble forming in some of these names.
IVANA DELEVSKA: Well, that's right. And the reason why we don't believe there is a bubble forming is because we are seeing a very typical pattern that you would see in any tech cycle previously. So first early cycle, Semis recover, right? And then you see broader enterprise spend recover. And we're just seeing that this quarter. So the earnings from the mega-caps told us that enterprise spend will be on the rise going forward.


text:
Why messaging apps are striking gold with peer-to-peer payments
As mobile messaging applications struggle to stand out in the increasingly competitive space, one surefire way of attracting digitally savvy users is by adding a commerce element that consumers can leverage in their day-to-day lives.
An increasing amount of popular messaging apps, ranging from WeChat to Facebook Messenger, are tapping peer-to-peer payments in a bid to edge out singular mcommerce apps while offering real utility to individuals looking to streamline their communications and financial tasks. Consumers may now use these messaging vehicles to transfer funds across the globe without going through a bank and send money to friends after a night out.
?As Google's Jason Spero and others have said, mobile is for action,? said Jeff Hasen, founder of Seattle-based Gotta Mobilize and author of The Art of Mobile Persuasion. ?P2P payments bring convenience that is universally sought.
?An estimate from Business Insider said that mobile P2P transactions could reach $86 billion in the U.S. by 2018,? he said. ?And there is so much more upside for mobile devices given the fact that the global P2P payment market exceeds $1 trillion.
?The messaging apps are prime vehicles given their popularity and interest in further monetizing."
through the noise
Both messaging and payment apps have experienced a significant resurgence in the past year, as the mobile sector continues gaining traction. While they may offer standout services with optimal user interfaces, consumers are ultimately searching for mobile apps that are able to combine several tools into one, so as to save their smartphone prime real estate.
Consequently, users may not want to download standalone payment apps such as Venmo, especially if their friends and family members do not use the suite of services either. The popularity of messaging services including Facebook Messenger and WeChat ensures that peer-to-peer payment platforms will have a sizeable audience to reach.
?With messaging apps at the heart of the mobile experience, consumers will expect to be able to do more and more within these apps, including payments,? said Talie Baker, analyst at Aite Group, Atlanta. ?Considering Facebook and WeChat?s huge user bases and the many features they offer including P2P, the offering of P2P services will become a standard feature for all messaging apps that want to compete in this space.?
Financial institutions are also seeing a prime opportunity for cross-partnerships.
Last month, Western Union brought global money transfers to the forefront by enabling WeChat app users in the United States to distribute funds to 200 countries and territories via the messaging service (see story).
Meanwhile, Facebook?s offshoot Messenger service first provided users with the ability to send money to each other via its mobile application this past July. Even consumers without Facebook accounts can press the ?cash? symbol within Messenger to instantly transfer funds to friends? bank accounts.
One advantage that Messenger?s P2P payments offer over Venmo or PayPal is the lack of usage fees. Venmo allows money to be transferred from credit cards, but charges users a three percent fee for each of those transactions.
?Owning someone money can be awkward, so social media elements are typically layered into dedicated P2P payment apps, to make them more social and interactive,? said Wilson Kerr, vice president of business development and sales at Unbound Commerce, Boston. ?The big social media players like Facebook see this and know they can add utility for their users (and potentially capture a small transactional slice to help their bottom lines).?
While messaging apps have already hit a lucrative field by offering free communication tools for users around the globe, their cachet can be bolstered even more with the inclusion of P2P payments. Consumers frequently search for apps that contain multiple functions, in the hopes of not having to download several apps, each with a different use, which could easily eat up data and battery life.
Advertisers may also become intrigued by messaging apps? meteoric rise, especially if they manage to grab more new users from a slew of regions worldwide.
More notably, app users can expect to see major players in technology join the fray soon.
?One trillion dollars in P2P payments are made globally each year and Apple, Facebook, Google and others are not going to sit by and watch dedicated P2P apps dominate,? Mr. Kerr said. ?Established social media platforms with mobile messaging will have a big leg up in this space, as the U.S. market for mobile P2P payments grows from $5 billion now to an estimated $86 Billion by 2018.?
Alex Samuely, staff writer on Mobile Marketer, New York