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Toyota: Supermarket for Cars
2008-03-13 07:41:00
| View | Upload your ownSlide 1: www.mrmcgowan.blogspot Supermarket for Cars Slide 3: Toyota -Shi • Toyota-Shi means Toyota City. • This is near Nagoya, and is the home of the world’s most revolutionary automotive company.Slide 4: Why is locale important? • All suppliers to Toyota Motor Works are located close to Toyota-Shi. • Excellent relationships with suppliers were vital to what emerged from Toyota-Shi.Slide 5: Kiirchiro Toyoda • Son of Sakichi Toyoda, a famous Japanese inventor • In 1935 he compared automobile assembly to that of American supermarkets • An idea was born FACTOID: Toyoda is deemed unlucky when written in Japanese. So Toyota was used instead!Slide 6: The Traditional Way… • Before Toyoda, assembly lines involved lots of stock being moved about • It was costly and needed great coordination between stagesSlide 7: Taiichi Ohno • After Toyoda’s death it was this engineer and teacher who turned dreams into a reality. • Unusual for a Japanese, ...

InfoSignz Technologies Launches a Free Digital Signage Platform
2008-03-13 06:33:00
InfoSignz Technologies , a digital signage and narrowcasting solution provider, has launched a free version of their digital signage management platform. This is the first time, when a completely integrated solution is offered at absolutely no cost. Globally players in this segment are charging a hefty price for their digital signage solution and licenses.InfoSignz plans to serve the largest and the smallest of the digital signage customers across the world and aims to break the entry barrier of cost and proprietary hardware.This free web based digital signage solution runs on any hardware and operating system including Linux and is extremely easy to use. No software download is required. A customer has to just login to the website www.infosignz.com, sign up and start using the application for free.InfoSignz targets retail store owners, out of home (OOH) TV networks, hotels, business and communication managers, franchise and in-store networks, educational institutes, SOHO clients, sa...
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Video Road Hogs Stir Fear of Internet Traffic Jam
2008-03-13 06:19:00
Caution: Heavy Internet traffic ahead. Delays possible.For months there has been a rising chorus of alarm about the surging growth in the amount of data flying across the Internet. The threat, according to some industry groups, analysts and researchers, stems mainly from the increasing visual richness of online communications and entertainment — video clips and movies, social networks and multiplayer games.Moving images, far more than words or sounds, are hefty rivers of digital bits as they traverse the Internet’s pipes and gateways, requiring, in industry parlance, more bandwidth. Last year, by one estimate, the video site YouTube, owned by Google, consumed as much bandwidth as the entire Internet did in 2000.In a widely cited report published last November, a research firm projected that user demand for the Internet could outpace network capacity by 2011. The title of a debate scheduled next month at a technology conference in Boston sums up the angst: “The End of the Inter...
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Put on Hold: Why Telecoms Can't Get Consumers to Bond More with Their Cell
2008-03-13 05:09:00
As the price of wireless transmissions drops, telecom carriers need to focus on new applications to engage consumers more deeply with their mobile devices -- and encourage them to pay a premium for wireless services, according to speakers at the recent Wharton Business Technology Conference, whose theme was "Enterprise Agility: Lead with Speed." Amol Sharma, who covers telecom for the Wall Street Journal, moderated a telecom panel titled, "The Business of Wireless: When Everything Connects." He began the discussion with an overview of key issues shaping the industry. One issue is convergence, as major technology companies -- such as Apple and Google -- enter the communications business along with startups and established media companies in music, video and broadcasting. Another theme is openness, especially in the wake of Google's participation in Android, a freely-available mobile platform. "The giant cell phone companies are reinventing their business models," said Sharma. He ask...
More About: Bond , Cell , Telecoms , Hold , Consumers

Aladdin eSafe Secure Web Gateway First to Block 100% of Anonymous Proxies
2008-03-13 05:07:00
Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ALDN) the leader in Software DRM, USB-based authentication, and secure Web gateways, today announced the first technology to block 100% of anonymous proxies. Part of the Aladdin eSafe secure Web gateway product, the anti-anonymizer technology takes advantage of innovative and proactive content security to filter out anonymizers that allow users to circumvent an Internet gateway and infect networks with malicious software. Now available to existing and new eSafe customers, the anti-anonymizer solution is being offered to customers as a component of all eSafe secure Web gateway sales, at no additional charge. Anonymous proxies, or anonymizers, are Web sites that allow Internet users to connect to the Web through an external Web site, thereby bypassing any restrictions typically enforced on the local network. This bypass mechanism, though originally designed for safe, anonymous Web surfing, proves extremely dangerous for businesses, schools and o...
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Reliance Digital plans to launch private labels
2008-03-13 04:53:00
Betting on higher margins from private labels, Reliance Digital , the consumer durable chain of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail, is planning to introduce its own brands of home theatres, LCD televisions and digital cameras. The brands, according to a source, will be called Rldigi.Reliance Digital is planning tie-ups with domestic and international consumer durable and appliance companies. These private labels are expected to contribute 12-15 per cent of Reliance Digital’s business in the coming years.High-end consumer durables have a margin of 8-15 per cent, while private labels have 18-25 per cent margins due to better sourcing and branding.When contacted, Ajay Baijal, CEO of Reliance Digital, denied the story but said: “Once we open 10-12 stores, we could launch private labels. We are evaluating categories where we can launch our own brands. We need to understand consumer behaviour.”At present, Reliance Digital has one store each in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Noida and Gaziabad,...
More About: Labels , Plans , Launch , Private

Virgin Mobile goes online to attract youth
2008-03-13 04:50:00
Virgin Mobile , which entered the Indian telecom market recently by forming an alliance with Tata Teleservices, is using the online platform to reach out to youngsters in the country. To begin with, the Richard Branson owned company has launched a website for Indian customers, www.VirginMobile.in. Initially, the site will provide regular information such as tariffs, the different models of mobile phones on offer, and other features such as ringtones, wallpapers and game downloads exclusive to Virgin mobile handsets. Later, Virgin has plans to make the site more interactive. Prasad Narasimhan, chief marketing officer, Virgin Mobile , India, says, “Once the site gets traction, we will introduce engagement in it and make it more interactive. We will launch Zones on the site which will let users generate content on their own.”The site has been designed by the interactive agency, BC Web Wise. Chaya Brian Carvalho, managing director and chief executive officer, BC Web Wise, says, “We ...
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Profits increase at Standard Life
2008-03-12 11:27:00
Insurance group Standard Life has reported a 32% rise in annual profits, despite a �249m hit as more customers cashed in their policies early.Reporting its results for 2007, the Edinburgh-based company made a pre-tax profit of �714m, up from 2006's �540m.Standard Life added that contribution from new business jumped 68% to �345m.Chief executive Sandy Crombie said the figures represented a "very strong set of results" for the firm's first full-year as a listed company.Standard Life said its embedded value figure - a closely watched industry measure of expected future profits - increased by 11.5% to �881m.The results were ahead of market expectations.Last year Standard Life failed in an attempt to buy fellow insurer Resolution, losing out to rival Pearl Assurance.
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Steel Partners Boosts Sapporo Offer After Rejection
2008-03-10 14:19:00
Warren Lichtenstein's Steel Partners offered to pay more per share and cut in half a stake it wants to buy in Sapporo Holdings Ltd. after an earlier takeover bid for the Japanese beermaker was rejected.Steel Partners offered 875 yen a share to raise its stake in Japan's third-largest beermaker to 33.3 percent, the New York-based fund said in an e-mailed statement. Sapporo last month turned down Steel Partners' year-old offer to buy a 66.6 percent stake for 825 yen a share.Sapporo closed 9.5 percent below the new bid price in Tokyo after giving up earlier gains, suggesting investors expect another rejection. An acquisition by Steel Partners Japan Strategic Fund (Offshore) LP may ``seriously harm'' shareholder interests, Sapporo said in February.``Steel Partners wants to reach a happy middle ground,'' said Fumiyuki Nakanishi, an equity strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. in Tokyo. ``They cannot cancel the takeover offer because if they do so, the stock price will...
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Wall Street hopes consumers are spending
2008-03-10 12:04:00
This week on Wall Street , investors will find out if consumers’ worries about housing, jobs and rising prices are affecting their spending — and, in turn, posing a further threat to the economy.The market begins Monday with the Dow Jones industrial average back below 11,900 and having closed at its lowest level since October 2006. Stocks were battered last week by another round of bad news about the economy and the staggering credit market.This week will have to bring milder readings on the economy, as well as positive signals from the credit markets and corporate America, for investors to regain any confidence. Stocks are at bargain-basement prices — the question is whether investors will find reason to overcome their fears and start taking advantage of them.The Commerce Department on Thursday releases its February retail sales report. After some mixed monthly sales figures last week from individual retailers, economists surveyed by Thomson Financial/IFR are expecting, on ave...
More About: Hopes , Spending

Marketing Management Powerpoint Presentations
2008-03-10 11:19:00
| View | Upload your ownSlide 1: Think Marketing ! Produced by www.studyMarketing.org 1 www.studyMarketing.orgSlide 2: Contents 1. Marketing Mix and Key Marketing Activities 2. Developing Market Segmentation 3. Product Planning and Development 4. Promotion Mix : Advertising, Publicity, Personal Selling and Sales Promotion 5. Distribution Planning and Pricing Strategy If you find this presentation useful, please consider telling others about our site (www.studyMarketing.org) 2 www.studyMarketing.orgSlide 3: You can download this presentation at: www.studyMarketing.org Please visit www.studyMarketing.org for more presentations on strategy, marketing, branding, and innovation 3 www.studyMarketing.orgSlide 4: Marketing Mix and Market Segmentation 4 www.studyMarketing.orgSlide 5: Marketing Credo There is only one valid definition of business purpose : to create a customer Peter Drucker 5 www.studyMarketing.orgSlide 6: Marketing Mix Product Price Target Market Place Promotion 6 www.study...
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Marketing Research Panel Member Motivations: What Does Today's Online Respo
2008-03-10 11:04:00
| View | Upload your ownSlide 1: figuring out what online research panel members really want…Slide 2: For us it is a big deal. We do this kind of “new paradigm” marketing research. And this is the future of our industry. So getting it right is key. That’s why we wanted to explore these issues with our US and Canadian online consumer panel members.Slide 3: Panel Motivational Overview First we thought about the kinds of things that motivate people in general to do things. The four quadrants in this chart show a range of kinds of motivations that could apply. Source: Chart adapted from Elisabeth C. Deutskens (2006)Slide 4: Participating in marketing research online… is it…  interesting? We came up with a long list of reasons  for the money? that tended to fit somewhere into our  to find out what others four quadrant scheme. think?  to help firms make better products and services?  etc.Slide 5: We then tried to place all of the motivations on the “grid” wh...
More About: Marketing , Research , Online

Social Media: Where Brand is Tags
2008-03-10 11:03:00
| View | Upload your ownSlide 1: How toMedia : Where Brand isHome Social Brew Coffee At Tags shape the cloudSlide 2: what is brand? feeling thought image ads promotion identity messaging service category impression product differentiation tagline quality logo placement strategy conceptual a representationSlide 3: brand investment today recognition, awareness and corporate messagingSlide 4: traditional brand management inside out – creating the demand and awarenessSlide 5: social brand management outside in – demand and brand discoverySlide 6: VW as a social brand categories | emotions | styleSlide 7: what is your brand’s tag cloud? what do you want it to be?Slide 8: depends on what you do and how they tagSlide 9: CreditsSlide 10: http://flickr.com/photos/monitorpop/54519 1653/ http://flickr.com/photos/kpmarek/20726706 65/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Web_2. 0_Map.svg http://www.gettyimages.com http://flickr.com/photos/neatocoolville/1 573274457/Slide 11: www.spatiallyrelevant...

Step-By-Step Marketing: Working with a Graphic Designer (Powerpoint Present
2008-03-10 11:01:00
| View | Upload your ownSlide 1: The Secrets of Producing Effective Marketing MaterialsSlide 2: Agenda • Creating effective marketing materials is a step- by-step process... evaluate your materials develop a marketing strategy work with a designer • What you want to know: where you can save money special tips for small budgets 2Slide 3: Step 1: Do Your Homework • Before you spend a nickel, do an evaluation of your company & materials… – Define your business – What is the expertise you offer customers? – Competition? – What makes you unique? – Do your materials have a family look? – Is your logo strong and memorable? 3Slide 4: Step 2: Evaluate Your Brand • Your brand is the look and feel that communicates who you are and what you do to existing and future customers • Your brand look defined by consistency of… – Design (a “family” look) – Use of Logo – Typeface and Corporate colors – Photography 4Slide 5: Some of the Best 5Slide 6: Step 3: Set You...
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Deloitte India Wins the First Edition of ICICI Bank Premier Cricket League
2008-03-10 10:27:00
Deloitte India beat Deutsche Bank Group by 3 wickets in a hotly contested final of the ICICI Bank Premier Cricket League played at Thakur stadium, Mumbai on March 9, 2008. Deloitte India reached finals by winning the Hyderabad division of the league, whereas Deutsche Bank Group reached the finals by winning the Mumbai division of league.Deutsche Bank Group won the toss and elected to bat. They immediately got into trouble by losing Maharshi Desai's wicket on the first ball of the match. Amit Narvekar and Mandar Ponkhse then put up a good partnership to bring up 50 runs. Their partnership was suddenly broken by a brilliant catch taken by Akhilesh Pandey. After the departure of Amit, Mandar continued to bat brilliantly while wickets kept tumbling at the other end. The bowler duo of Sumith Reddy and Ramakrishna kept the Deutsche Bank batsmen under check by bowling tightly in the middle overs. After Mandar was run out by Adithya Chousky at 93, the rest of the Deutsch Bank batsmen could...
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Dabur Glucose to sponsor ICL Mumbai Team
2008-03-10 09:17:00
Dabur Glucose, one of the fastest growing brands from the stables of leading Indian FMCG Company Dabur India Ltd, today announced its association with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) as the sponsor for the ICL Mumbai Team and the 'Energy Partner' for the upcoming ICL tournament, starting March 9th, 2008.ICL Quick FactsStarts: First match on 9th March 2008 with final on 8th April'0834 Matches – 8 Gurgaon, 16 Chandigarh and 10 Hyderabad3 cities – Gurgaon, Hyderabad and ChandigarhAnnouncing the association, Mr. V S Sitaram, Executive Director-Consumer Care Division, Dabur India Ltd, said: "We are delighted to join hands with ICL as both the Energy Partner for the tournament and the sponsor for the Mumbai Team. Glucose is a ready source of energy to fight tiredness, and so, a perfect partner for a high-paced, pulsating tournament as the ICL 20s Championship, and an energetic team like Mumbai Champs. We feel this association would help us build a better connect with the cricket-lo...
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Reliance Retail unveils India's largest Consumer Electronic Store
2008-03-10 09:15:00
Under the successful format of Reliance digital that serves customers with consumer electronics, Reliance Retail announces the launch of its new store at Gurgaon which succeeds the stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The new destination of Reliance digital is at S-218, IInd Floor, Ambiance Mall, Gurgaon.Reliance digital is a unique store concept built around Reliance Retail’s core philosophy – customer centricity and a hassle free store experience. Reliance digital is a one stop shop for all technology solutions in the field of consumer electronics, home appliances, information technology and telecommunications. The store covers an area of more than 42,000 sq. ft thus being the largest consumer durable store in India and will offer over 5,000 products spread across more than 150 brands along with countless solution bundles recommended to meet the diverse customer needs."Reliance digital presents Microsoft Connected Home" this is a first of its kind wireless home networking th...
More About: Electronic , Consumer , Store

CarWale Awards - India has spoken!
2008-03-10 09:14:00
The venue was Taj Lands End, Bandra, Mumbai. A packed house that it was, experienced the presence of established personalities from the automotive and entertainment fraternity. The event was the launch of India ’s first consumers’ choice car-awards by nation’s leading web-based automotive portal, CarWale.com – the CarWale Awards 2008. Speaking at the occasion Mr. Mohit Dubey, CEO, CarWale.com voiced out his emotions by sharing the quintessential theory behind CarWale Awards. “The other existing car awards honour only the cars that get launched in the preceding year. We thought a bit laterally and reasoned as to why cannot a car that was launched a few years ago still be the best in that segment, or better yet, best overall… Moreover, the judges behind the other awards are usually the established names of the automotive industry, but here, at our Awards, consumers are the judge. Our categories are also not run-of-the-mill kind. The categories were decided after an exhausti...
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Expedia enters India - Brings the World to Indian Travelers
2008-03-10 09:13:00
Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), the world's leading online travel company, with gross bookings of nearly USD $20 billion in 2007, today announced its entry into India with the launch of www.Expedia.co.in. The online travel booking site has been designed specifically for Indian travelers and offers the best in hotels and travel destinations worldwide, along with fully localized service and an in-country customer care center staffed with dedicated agents who speak both Hindi and English. “Indian online travel market is estimated to be worth over USD$2 billion for 2007-08 and is growing rapidly. The number of Indians traveling abroad is growing. For Indian travelers who prefer to holiday in exotic locations overseas, Expedia is the ideal place to book travel, as we are an international travel expert with global product range, competitive prices, and in-depth travel and destination information,” said Sharat Dhall, Managing Director, www.Expedia.co.in. “Expedia is the global leader ...
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IDS Launches Fortune Analytix
2008-03-10 07:49:00
IDS Softwares Pvt Ltd, global leader in providing integrated IT solutions for the hospitality industry, has announced the launch of Fortune Analytix, a powerful business intelligence tool that eases the process of decision-making. This dynamic tool empowers decision makers with enterprise wide Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a single, highly intuitive view for informed decision-making process.Fortune Analytix empowers users with real-time proactive alerting based on business logic through a merger of real-time online analytical processing (ROLAP) and dynamic dashboard reporting.Apart from this Fortune Analytix helps you gain complete transparency into performance and enterprise wide operations from one information rich dashboard. It combines data from various modules across the enterprise to create an intuitive, multi-dimensional dashboard report. It comforts users by providing flexible information on any future or past data and drill down into the underlying information enabli...

Paramount to release thousands of film clips on Facebook
2008-03-09 23:43:00
Paramount Pictures will become the first major studio to makethousands of movie clips available for use on the internet, launchingits VooZoo application Monday on Facebook ."The short clips for a movie that you've already seen before helps yourelive the moment," said Derek Broes, Paramount's seniorvice-president of entertainment.Users of the popular social networking site will have access tofootage from thousands of movies, including Forrest Gump and The TenCommandments.Facebook users can send the video clips to others users on the site.The scenes last from a few seconds to a few minutes, coveringeverything from Audrey Hepburn's monologue about her "no-name slob" ofa cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's, to Eddie Murphy's signature chucklefrom Beverly Hills Cop.DVDs of the movies will be offered for sale through a button thatappears after each clip is played. Eventually, the studio will beusing the same method to market upcoming films.VooZoo is expected to attract a few hundred thous...
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Banks may lose $325 billion over mortgages
2008-03-09 23:29:00
Wall Street banks are facing a "systemic margin call" that may deplete banks of $325 billion of capital due to deteriorating subprime U.S. mortgages, JPMorgan Chase & Co., said in a report late on Friday.JPMorgan, which sent a default notice to Thornburg Mortgage Inc. after the lender missed a $28 million margin call, said more default notices and margin calls were likely. The Carlyle Group's mortgage fund also failed to meet $37 million in margin calls this week."A systemic credit crunch is underway, driven primarily by bank writedowns for subprime mortgages," according to the report co-authored by analyst Christopher Flanagan. "We would characterize this situation as a systemic margin call."The credit crisis that began about a year ago will likely intensify after Friday's weak February U.S. employment report "that most definitely signals recession," JPMorgan said.Indeed, corporate bond spreads widened to a new record on Friday, surpassing levels seen in October 2002 during a boo...
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SBI to expand gold coin sale business
2008-03-09 08:59:00
An unabated fascination for gold among the domestic consumers and its safe-haven investment character has inspired the State Bank of India to ratchet up its gold business and bring out coins weighing 2-50 grams to be sold through its select branches."SBI is expanding its network for sale of gold coins and is desirous of short-listing/empanelling established manufacturers of proven track record for minting and supply of gold coins," the bank said on its website while inviting offers from manufacturers.The SBI, which launched gold coin business around Diwali last year, will soon be shortlisting manufacturers for minting and supplying the gold coins weighing of 2, 5, 8, 10, 20 and 50 grams. Last year, the largest Public Sector lender opened around 100 branches across the country.The gold prices have been continuously rising for quite some time because of a host of reasons which include weakening of dollar vis-à-vis rupee and increase in domestic demand.Gold prices in the domestic mark...
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VW looks to more than triple U.S. sales
2008-03-09 08:27:00
Volkswagen plans to more than triple its sales in the United States over the next decade through aggressive marketing and by taking advantage of growing demand for clean diesel fuel.Stefan Jacoby, chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America, said yesterday his goal is to sell 1 million vehicles annually by 2018 — 800,000 from the Volkswagen brand and 200,000 from the Audi brand.That would be a sharp increase from 2007, when the company sold 235,000 Volkswagens and 94,000 Audis in the United States. It also would reverse a downward trend. In 2002, the company sold 338,000 Volkswagen brand cars in the United States.Volkswagen AG is the world's fourth-largest automaker, but in the United States it controls only 2 percent of the market.The German company has made the U.S. market a top priority and is overhauling operations here. Its North American headquarters is moving next month from suburban Detroit to Northern Virginia — a move the company says brings it closer to its East C...
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Hyundai Steel May Invest 2.3 Trillion Won in Third Furnace
2008-03-09 08:27:00
Hyundai Steel Co., South Korea's second-largest steelmaker, may spend 2.3 trillion won ($2.4 billion) to build a third blast furnace by 2015 as demand for steel used in cars and ships soar.The plant, which burns iron ore and coal, may produce 4 million metric tons of steel a year, Kim Soo Min, executive vice president of the Incheon, South Korea-based company, said March 7 by telephone. Output from its first two blast furnaces under construction will start from 2010.Blast furnaces allow Hyundai Steel to make automotive steel and heavy plates used in ships and compete with rival Posco as demand increases. The move also paves the way for BHP Billiton Ltd. and other mining companies to sell more iron ore and coal to Hyundai Steel.``It is a business that's worth trying in the longer term,'' Kim Gyung Jung, an analyst with Samsung Securities Co., said in Seoul. ``Global steel demand will continue to grow led by Asia and the Middle East. In addition, the company's affiliate Hyundai M...
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