Monthly Archives: May 2017

Uber’s no good, very bad year: A timeline | PitchBook News

Posted on May 31, 2017 by CBPS | Leave a comment

It’s been a tough year for Uber. The ridehailing giant was worth a reported $68 billion as of August 2016—but late last year, problems began piling on.

Source: Uber’s no good, very bad year: A timeline | PitchBook News

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Posted in News and Views, Uncategorized

A quarter of shopping malls will close, according to Credit Suisse | Business Insider

Posted on May 31, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

About a quarter of US malls will most likely close within the next five years, according to a new prediction from Credit Suisse.

In a research note published Tuesday, the bank estimated that 20% to 25% of the nation’s 1,100 shopping malls — or roughly 220 to 275 shopping centers — would shut down by 2022.

Credit Suisse cited mass store closings, the rise of e-commerce, and the growing popularity of off-price chains — which tend to be located outside shopping malls — as reasons for the potential mall closings.

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Tagged credit suisse, shopping malls, shopping malls closing in five years

Uber’s Driverless Truck Unit Is Under Government Investigation Following Unapproved Tests | Forbes

Posted on May 31, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

California regulators are preparing to conduct a site inspection of the San Francisco headquarters of Uber’s autonomous truck unit, formerly known as Otto, to determine whether the company broke state law when it tested driverless trucks on public highways without permission.

The unscheduled visit, which officials from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles are coordinating with the California Highway Patrol, is to “see the capabilities of Otto’s trucks in person,” a DMV spokeswoman said. The inspection comes months after the publication of an internal Otto document from 2016 detailing the company’s testing procedures for its self-driving semi-trucks.

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Tagged Government Investigation, San Francisco headquarters of Uber, Uber's Driverless Truck Unit

United Airlines President Says If You’re Uncomfortable in Coach, It’s Your Own Fault | Inc.com

Posted on May 31, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

They feel your suffering.

They understand your pain as if it were their own.

They watch you struggle and they wish they could do something about it.

I’m talking about airline executives. And I’m lying.

I’ve been moved, you see, by the words of United Airlines president Scott Kirby.

Skift managed to get wind of his thoughts from a recent town hall meeting with employees. I fear you may find some of his sentiments a bit of a drag.

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Tagged Coach, first class, United Airlines President

What Non-Retirees Mean for the Workforce | PROFITguide.com

Posted on May 30, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

For all Hunter Harrison’s unquestionable talents, he is really bad at one thing: not working. The celebrated railway executive officially retired from Canadian National Railway Company (CN) in 2009, after a long career running railways. A little more than two years later, at the encouragement of activist investor Bill Ackman, Harrison came out of retirement to become president and CEO of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP).

His plan was to step away, again, this summer, when he was scheduled to hand the CEO reins to longtime lieutenant Keith Creel and start a three-year tenure as a consultant (or, in his own words, a “hired hand”) to the railway. That arrangement suggested the transition of power would be a gradual process. But earlier this year, CP announced Harrison would be departing immediately to pursue other opportunities. For his early departure, Harrison will forfeit some $118 million in benefits that had been awaiting him. Hours later, several reports emerged suggesting that Harrison will be partnering with another activist investor to take control of U.S. railway CSX Corp.

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Tagged retirement, What Non-Retirees Mean for the Workforce

uHoo: Most Advanced Indoor Air Toxin Sensor | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

Posted on May 30, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Meet uHoo – the most advanced air quality sensor in the world. With eight dedicated sensors, uHoo provides allergen and toxin alerts for air quality in the home and office.

How uHoo started

The idea for uHoo started as a conceptual idea to solve a serious problem that Dustin Jefferson S. Onghanseng has been facing. Dustin who has suffered from hay fever (rhinitis) since childhood, realized that air quality made a difference between “getting by” and feeling healthy. Suffering from bad air quality in Hong Kong led him down a path of research and discovery.

Dustin teamed up with electrical engineer Brian Lin, an asthma sufferer, who also happens to be his MBA classmate from HKUST. They pitched uHoo and won a number of awards from MBA business plan competitions from Bangkok and Shanghai to Hong Kong and Portland Oregon. Seeing that the idea has legs, both Dustin and Brian, dropped their classes in June 2014 and incorporated uHoo in August 2014.

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Tagged air quality, Most Advanced Indoor Air Toxin Sensor, uHoo

‘Me’ vs. ‘We:’ How to Retain Increasingly Mobile Workers | Business News Daily

Posted on May 30, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

As the economy improves and more job opportunities appear, workers are growing increasingly restless. According to research conducted by ADP, more than 1 in 4 people change jobs annually – an unprecedented frequency of job switching. Moreover, ADP found that 63 percent of the average employer’s workforce is open to leaving for a new job at any time, and 46 percent would leave for a job that paid the same or less than their current position.

So, how can employers find and retain top talent? Sreeni Kutam, division vice president of major account services at ADP, said the findings boil down to two philosophies in conflict with one another: “me vs. we.”

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Tagged employee retention, How to Retain Increasingly Mobile Workers, retain employees

Volvo Wagon Fanatics Prepare for the New V90 Station Wagon | Bloomberg

Posted on May 26, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Picture a Volvo.

You’re imagining a boxy, full-size station wagon, right? Well, that classic shape has long been gone, but it’s about to make a modern comeback.

Back in the 1980s and ’90s, Volvo was America’s top-selling European import brand—and the first to surpass the milestone 100,000 annual sales figure. At a time when domestic manufacturers were beginning to abandon the traditional wagon market, wagons routinely made up one-third of Volvo’s sales, more so in such top markets as the Northeast or the coastal West.

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Tagged New V90 Station Wagon, Volvo station wagon, Volvo Wagon

Global retirement ‘timebomb’: Why you’ll have to work past 70 | CNN Money

Posted on May 26, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Hoping to retire before you turn 70? Too bad.

The world’s richest countries need to drastically hike their retirement ages in order to prevent pension systems from collapsing, according to the World Economic Forum.

Working until at least 70 should become the norm by 2050, the group recommends in a new report. The average retirement age is currently 65 for men in advanced economies and 63 for women.

Here’s the problem: People are living longer than ever, but the average retirement age has remained static. Pension funds have been unable to keep pace.

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Tagged Global retirement, pension funds, pension systems, retirement age

The Secret of Creating Enticing Call to Actions (CTAs) | Getentrepreneurial.com

Posted on May 26, 2017 by knjohn | Leave a comment

One of the most important things tied to high conversion rates is making an effective call-to-action (CTA) on your website. Engaging your audience and visitors in this way may be exactly what you need to boost your business and see your business flourish.

There are some tactics you should keep in mind when approaching CTA implementation to your website and we’ve summarized some of them for your better understanding of the process. Making a compelling CTA can be tricky, u don’t want to be too aggressive, yet, you don’t want your CTA to seem like something visitors would rather avoid than click on it. Here are some things to keep in mind when making an effective call-to-action on your site.

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Tagged Call to Actions, CTA, marketing, websites