Dongwon says sorry over fishy tuna tale
March 22, 2008
It’s double-trouble for Dongwon F&B.
The company not only has to apologize for the knife blade that wound up in one of its tuna cans this week, it is going to have to apologize for an apparent lie as well.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration confirmed yesterday that the knife blade got into the Dongwon tuna can while employees were fixing a conveyor belt.
Dongwon said earlier that it was impossible for a blade fragment to get past its metal detectors and an X-ray machine at the factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang.
The popular canned food manufacturer also said it was the first time fragments from a knife blade had gotten into a can.
But apparently that’s not the case. According to the KFDA, a similar incident took place in November 2006.
In response, Dongwon yesterday apologized via its Web site. An official who refused to be named admitted that the company’s investigation had not been “thorough.”
The KFDA said a conveyor belt broke at the Changwon factory where the can was produced on July 4 last year. The mishap caused production to be suspended for about 32 minutes and factory employees fixed the belt with a box cutter, a portion of which was found in the can, the KFDA said in its press release.
“We think it is highly possible that the box cutter’s blade broke during repairs and the fragment got into the can,” read the agency’s press release. “We also confirmed that there was a report from a customer that a knife blade was found in a tuna can on Nov. 29, 2006.”
During subsequent tests, the factory’s metal detectors and X-ray machine failed to detect foreign substances in cans, according to the KFDA.
Dongwon has been ordered to improve facilities at the factory and recall the 167,050 light standard tuna cans produced at the factory on July 4 that expire June 29, 2014.
“The company loosely dealt with foreign substances in its products which can be threatening to customers,” said Choi Soon-gon, an official at the KFDA.
Following Nongshim’s recall of its popular snack Saeukkang, a month after a fried rat head was found in one of its packets, Dongwon said it will withdraw the tuna cans.
According to the Green Consumer Network in Korea, a Seoul resident said he found a blade fragment in a Dongwon tuna can on March 3.
By Lim Mi-jin JoongAng Ilbo/ Kim Soe-jung Staff Reporter [soejung@joongang.co.kr]
The company not only has to apologize for the knife blade that wound up in one of its tuna cans this week, The Korea Food and Drug Administration confirmed yesterday that the knife blade got into the Dongwon tuna can while employees were fixing a conveyor belt. In response, Dongwon yesterday apologized via its Web site. Dongwon has been ordered to improve facilities at the factory and recall the 167,050 light standard tuna cans produced at the factory on July 4 that expire June 29, 2014.
In these days, many problems occured in food, and those problems treate the citizen's health. I think that many company got some problem in managing the factory, especially investigating the safety of products. The manage of employees, products, processes and facillities are very important and sensitive matters. And those responsibilities are charged on CEO and middle officials. So the ceo of company which produce the food and eating thisngs have to get more concern about the facilities , employees and processes.
20200041 kwon hyuck sung
Saturday, March 29, 2008
POOR BILLIONAIRES
Original Article:
Poor Billionaires
In a nation with rampant hyperinflation, bread is a bargain at just $10 million. Inside Zimbabwe's collapsing economy.
By Scott Johnson | Newsweek Web Exclusive
-----
Have you ever studied U.S. Histroy and have seen a picture of Germans after
WWII, using cash money as wall papers for their home?
Well, that is happening in the 21century in the country of Zimbabwe. Can you imagine?
According to Newsweek "The bill, released for the first time last month, is actually not a proper currency note at all but rather a "bearer check."
Last week in Zimbabwe 10 million dollars could buy exactly two rolls of toilet paper. By now it probably won't get quite that much.
Surprisingly, during this chaos Tomorrow, that is 29th of March 2008 is their
Presidential election date! Rober Mugabe, the 28 year long president of Zimbabwe was
blamed for such a economic catastrophe, people blame the legacy of sanctions and British Imperialism. His challenger, Simba Makoni says:" simply removing Mugabe will do wonders for the economy by restoring a modicum of confidence in the markets."
Officially, one U.S dollar is worth about 30,000 Zimbabwean dollars. As of last week the real price on the black market was about 35 million dollars, or 1,166 times the official rate.
The average wage for a farm worker is 30 million dollars per month. A domestic worker makes about five times that amount, and a laborer in one of Zimbabwe's decrepit factories can expect to earn as much as 300 million per month.If you're a government worker you'll earn a monthly pension of 60,000 (yes, thousand) a month. But an empty potato sack alone costs 2 million, or 33 times your monthly pension.
The most problematic factor is fluctuating price of oil.
Every Single price of a product depends on the change price of oil, so the price of oil controls basically everything there.
Say you've bought a side of beef that costs 20 million, and transport was a million, now you sell the beef for 22 million. Then the price of fuel rises, but you've already sold your beef, so it'll cost you 24 million in the end.
Right now, in Zimbabwe, one really knows where to start. "We just don't have people here who have dealt with this kind of hyperinflation," says David Coltart.
20700775 Article Entry #4
Poor Billionaires
In a nation with rampant hyperinflation, bread is a bargain at just $10 million. Inside Zimbabwe's collapsing economy.
By Scott Johnson | Newsweek Web Exclusive
-----
Have you ever studied U.S. Histroy and have seen a picture of Germans after
WWII, using cash money as wall papers for their home?
Well, that is happening in the 21century in the country of Zimbabwe. Can you imagine?
According to Newsweek "The bill, released for the first time last month, is actually not a proper currency note at all but rather a "bearer check."
Last week in Zimbabwe 10 million dollars could buy exactly two rolls of toilet paper. By now it probably won't get quite that much.
Surprisingly, during this chaos Tomorrow, that is 29th of March 2008 is their
Presidential election date! Rober Mugabe, the 28 year long president of Zimbabwe was
blamed for such a economic catastrophe, people blame the legacy of sanctions and British Imperialism. His challenger, Simba Makoni says:" simply removing Mugabe will do wonders for the economy by restoring a modicum of confidence in the markets."
Officially, one U.S dollar is worth about 30,000 Zimbabwean dollars. As of last week the real price on the black market was about 35 million dollars, or 1,166 times the official rate.
The average wage for a farm worker is 30 million dollars per month. A domestic worker makes about five times that amount, and a laborer in one of Zimbabwe's decrepit factories can expect to earn as much as 300 million per month.If you're a government worker you'll earn a monthly pension of 60,000 (yes, thousand) a month. But an empty potato sack alone costs 2 million, or 33 times your monthly pension.
The most problematic factor is fluctuating price of oil.
Every Single price of a product depends on the change price of oil, so the price of oil controls basically everything there.
Say you've bought a side of beef that costs 20 million, and transport was a million, now you sell the beef for 22 million. Then the price of fuel rises, but you've already sold your beef, so it'll cost you 24 million in the end.
Right now, in Zimbabwe, one really knows where to start. "We just don't have people here who have dealt with this kind of hyperinflation," says David Coltart.
20700775 Article Entry #4
Friday, March 28, 2008
Search Engines Dig Deeper, Wider
A screen shot of Daum
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
If you are looking for a good, affordable French wine, you may consult the 4,519 posts on Yahoo's blog search engine. Or, you could visit the wine search engine on Daum and make your choice among some 500 labels available.
Focus and concentration is the new mantra of Web search engines. Every week they are adding more specific knowledge into their databases. They then provide it to users in separate and specified sections, rather than showing thousands of web pages in a single list like Google does.
The so-called ``specialized searching'' is the hot trend in the Internet search industry here. Due to meticulous demands from Internet users and fierce competition among Web sites to win advertisers, portals are continuously upgrading their searching techniques into a level that excels Google and other foreign engines, at least for Korean-language sources.
``Portal users, who were used to `consolidated searching,' are becoming more selfish. They don't want to see a long list of Web sites any longer. They want to see information tailored to their queries,'' said Sunny Park, Yahoo Korea's public relations official. ``The focus of Web searching is rapidly shifting from quantity to quality.''
South Korea is one of a few nations where Google has little presence because of local search engines' strong performances. Naver has dominated the field with its ``consolidated search'' system, which shows multiple sections of search results for a single query. The service now processes almost 80 percent of all search queries by Korean Web users.
To increase their shares of the pie, Naver's smaller competitors, such as Daum, Yahoo Korea and Paran, have been focusing on more specific fields that Naver has overlooked.
Paran is attracting young video and computer gaming audiences with its game search engine. Daum introduced wine searching in partnership with liquor distributor Doosan last year. It also has a vast database of medicine where people can find out the reasons behind doctors' prescriptions.
Yahoo Korea, which has a much different structure from its U.S. version, has been digging deep into blogs. Even though Naver has tried to block its blog pages from external search engines, Yahoo has somehow infiltrated it. It says that it now has access to some 150 million posts on 7 million blogs in Korea, the largest volume in the industry.
Most recently, Daum, the No. 2 player after Naver, expanded its search engine coverage to cafes ― the free, autonomous online communities, which were open only to members. The decision sparked protests from some cafe managers, but Daum lifted the barrier.
Daum says that there are some 400 million posts on its 7.2 million cafes. They include practical information, such as best camping sites for family trips, suitable gifts for wedding anniversaries, and how to overcome depression from failed stock trading.
Daum spokesperson Lee Seung-jin said the firm sees a meaningful increase in the number of visitors on the launchings of specific search functions. Encouraged, the site recently increased the size of its search query window on its top page.
``The newest trend in the portal industry is always reflected on the top page,'' said Yahoo's Park. ``Daum's bigger search window means that portals are now going back to the basic ― the Web search.''
``specialized searching'' was niche market in search-engine market.
many number of visitors on the launching of specific search function means customers prefer basic function of search-engine more than blog,cafe and news etc.
South Korea is one of a few nations where Google has little presence because of local search engines' strong performances.The reason why they prefer to such sites is only easy to access and comfortable to use for Korean netizens. In contrast to that, foreign web sites are not easy to access and not get accustomed to it as well.
20500530 # 3 .
A screen shot of Daum
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
If you are looking for a good, affordable French wine, you may consult the 4,519 posts on Yahoo's blog search engine. Or, you could visit the wine search engine on Daum and make your choice among some 500 labels available.
Focus and concentration is the new mantra of Web search engines. Every week they are adding more specific knowledge into their databases. They then provide it to users in separate and specified sections, rather than showing thousands of web pages in a single list like Google does.
The so-called ``specialized searching'' is the hot trend in the Internet search industry here. Due to meticulous demands from Internet users and fierce competition among Web sites to win advertisers, portals are continuously upgrading their searching techniques into a level that excels Google and other foreign engines, at least for Korean-language sources.
``Portal users, who were used to `consolidated searching,' are becoming more selfish. They don't want to see a long list of Web sites any longer. They want to see information tailored to their queries,'' said Sunny Park, Yahoo Korea's public relations official. ``The focus of Web searching is rapidly shifting from quantity to quality.''
South Korea is one of a few nations where Google has little presence because of local search engines' strong performances. Naver has dominated the field with its ``consolidated search'' system, which shows multiple sections of search results for a single query. The service now processes almost 80 percent of all search queries by Korean Web users.
To increase their shares of the pie, Naver's smaller competitors, such as Daum, Yahoo Korea and Paran, have been focusing on more specific fields that Naver has overlooked.
Paran is attracting young video and computer gaming audiences with its game search engine. Daum introduced wine searching in partnership with liquor distributor Doosan last year. It also has a vast database of medicine where people can find out the reasons behind doctors' prescriptions.
Yahoo Korea, which has a much different structure from its U.S. version, has been digging deep into blogs. Even though Naver has tried to block its blog pages from external search engines, Yahoo has somehow infiltrated it. It says that it now has access to some 150 million posts on 7 million blogs in Korea, the largest volume in the industry.
Most recently, Daum, the No. 2 player after Naver, expanded its search engine coverage to cafes ― the free, autonomous online communities, which were open only to members. The decision sparked protests from some cafe managers, but Daum lifted the barrier.
Daum says that there are some 400 million posts on its 7.2 million cafes. They include practical information, such as best camping sites for family trips, suitable gifts for wedding anniversaries, and how to overcome depression from failed stock trading.
Daum spokesperson Lee Seung-jin said the firm sees a meaningful increase in the number of visitors on the launchings of specific search functions. Encouraged, the site recently increased the size of its search query window on its top page.
``The newest trend in the portal industry is always reflected on the top page,'' said Yahoo's Park. ``Daum's bigger search window means that portals are now going back to the basic ― the Web search.''
``specialized searching'' was niche market in search-engine market.
many number of visitors on the launching of specific search function means customers prefer basic function of search-engine more than blog,cafe and news etc.
South Korea is one of a few nations where Google has little presence because of local search engines' strong performances.The reason why they prefer to such sites is only easy to access and comfortable to use for Korean netizens. In contrast to that, foreign web sites are not easy to access and not get accustomed to it as well.
20500530 # 3 .
Mitsubishi to Manufacture Regional Jets
AP
Mitsubishi to Manufacture Regional Jets
Friday March 28, 5:44 am ET
Mitsubishi Heavy to Make Mid-Sized Regional Jets After Japan Carrier ANA Places First Orders
TOKYO (AP) -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is going ahead with its mid-sized regional jet -- the first "made in Japan" passenger aircraft in three decades.
The announcement from the company President Kazuo Tsukuda came Friday, a day after major Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways placed the first orders for the twin-engine aircraft that seats about 70 to 90 people.
Original Article
Now, Mitsubishi is becoming one of the jets manufacturing company.
They've been succeeded in vehicle field. Their products, cars, were
pretty competitive in the market. But now, they are becoming a humongous
jets manufacturing company. I have no doubt that they will make much profit
through manufacturing jets. As written in article, starting from ANA, Japan
Airline company, they will expand world wide in Reginal Jets field.
I'm looking forward to see them growing gigantically.
20100174 #3 Entry
Mitsubishi to Manufacture Regional Jets
Friday March 28, 5:44 am ET
Mitsubishi Heavy to Make Mid-Sized Regional Jets After Japan Carrier ANA Places First Orders
TOKYO (AP) -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is going ahead with its mid-sized regional jet -- the first "made in Japan" passenger aircraft in three decades.
The announcement from the company President Kazuo Tsukuda came Friday, a day after major Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways placed the first orders for the twin-engine aircraft that seats about 70 to 90 people.
Original Article
Now, Mitsubishi is becoming one of the jets manufacturing company.
They've been succeeded in vehicle field. Their products, cars, were
pretty competitive in the market. But now, they are becoming a humongous
jets manufacturing company. I have no doubt that they will make much profit
through manufacturing jets. As written in article, starting from ANA, Japan
Airline company, they will expand world wide in Reginal Jets field.
I'm looking forward to see them growing gigantically.
20100174 #3 Entry
3. Carrefour China: Lessons From A Global Retailer
Carrefour was the first retailer to open its hypermarkets that offer everything from electronics to groceries. Its first hypermarket was opened in 1995, now after 13 years it has 73 hypermarkets throughout 29 cities. China is the fifth largest market for Carrefour from which came $2 million of turnover in 2005 and an annual growth expectance of 25% to 30% over the next five years. The company in mainland is led by Jean-Luc Chéreau who came in 1999 after doing business in Taiwan for seven years. He was interviewed and talked a little about Carrefour’s experience in China.
When he came to China, the market was just beginning to open, they started by opening stores in the main cities and costal areas and learned about their consumers from those cities before expanding to other cities. Their entrance to the market can be considered of 18 years including the first entrance to Taiwan. The difference is that in the western and middle part of China, the market is less mature because there is limited purchasing power. He also says that those companies who entered to Taiwan when the mainland’s market was closed have a great advantage in China. The way Chinese people do business is different from what he used to do. Every time there was a change in the company, the partner company they were negotiating with came and wanted to renegotiate the a contract that was signed for ten years. It’s a different world, you can’t have preconceived ideas because you were successful in the U.S. or Europe.
20600642
When he came to China, the market was just beginning to open, they started by opening stores in the main cities and costal areas and learned about their consumers from those cities before expanding to other cities. Their entrance to the market can be considered of 18 years including the first entrance to Taiwan. The difference is that in the western and middle part of China, the market is less mature because there is limited purchasing power. He also says that those companies who entered to Taiwan when the mainland’s market was closed have a great advantage in China. The way Chinese people do business is different from what he used to do. Every time there was a change in the company, the partner company they were negotiating with came and wanted to renegotiate the a contract that was signed for ten years. It’s a different world, you can’t have preconceived ideas because you were successful in the U.S. or Europe.
20600642
Thursday, March 27, 2008
HEY EVERYBODY
WE'VE MADE OUR ESTES TEAM
YAHOO ACCOUNT (Min Sun & Jurie took care of making one and e-mailing it to Prof. A.Lee) -> Ask the ID and PW to us in class
so don't worry about it ! Thanx.
Oh, by the way, let's continue introducing ourselves!
And let's do our bests in the simulation game and WIN! ^^
YAHOO ACCOUNT (Min Sun & Jurie took care of making one and e-mailing it to Prof. A.Lee) -> Ask the ID and PW to us in class
so don't worry about it ! Thanx.
Oh, by the way, let's continue introducing ourselves!
And let's do our bests in the simulation game and WIN! ^^
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
World's Most Desirable Luxury Brands
Nicola Ruiz, 03.25.08, 12:00 PM ET
The Nielsen Company has conducted an online survey, asking 25,000 consumers in 48 countries which luxury brand they would buy if money were no object. Top on the list, of course, was Gucci. Gucci's worldwide sales have increased since Mark Lee has become the president in 2004 and CED in 2005. As Michael Macko, a fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue puts it, "That red and green stripe is some of the most iconic luxury branding ever created, and people want a piece of it."
Chanel and Calvin Klein tied for the second place. Chanel has provided all those classic yet stylish products including dresses, tweed suit and quilted handbags. On the other hand, Calvin Klein has been successful as well: its global retail sales increased to $4.5 billion in 2006.
The interesting fact is that when looking at who actually buys these designer brands, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong come out on top. There are only 7% of North American shoppers who would actually buy these. Not only so but 37% of North American consumers claimed they would not buy the designers' even if money were no object.
Contrast to Asians who would, in a matter of second, pick out a fake bag, North Americans are less aware and less concerned about the designers' products.
>>Original Text
It’s always interesting to see which brand is THE most famous. Actually I thought Prada would be the number one brand on the list because of the movie “Devil Wears Prada.” Prada was on the list but in 9th place.
From this article I, again, realized the importance of acknowledging the regional and cultural differences. I always thought that North America may be the number one consumer of these designers’ brands but it was totally different. Rather, the places that I didn’t’ really thought of, the places like Middle east countries as well as Asian countries are more interested in these and buy more of it. Now it makes sense a bit. When thinking of North American countries, the word that comes into mind is ‘Individualism.’ They don’t really care about what others think about them than the Asian countries or any other countries. On the other hand, Asian countries including Korea, Japan and China, people really care about how they would be seen in the others’ eyes and how others think about them. It’s a humongous difference. I knew that there should be a great difference but through this article I felt it directly.
Gucci Gucci founded the House of Gucci as a saddlery shop in Florence in 1906. A century later, the company's horse bit and stirrup motif is an enduring symbol of luxury. He started out selling leather bags to horsemen in the 1920s and progressed to luxury luggage as his clients graduated from equine transportation to horseless carriages. Today, with Frida Giannini at the creative helm, handbags with the interlocking double-G logo are among the company's biggest money makers.
Chanel is one of today's best-known fashion brands, and has been practically since it was founded by Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel in 1909. Coco Chanel established herself as the 20th century's single most important arbiter of fashion by offering women no-nonsense, elegant, relaxed and functional clothes. Today, the tweed Chanel suit with a nipped-at-the-waist cardigan jacket remains one of the most popular--and most copied--fashion staples. In 1983, Karl Lagerfeld reinvigorated the brand with a dose of sexiness. He's been designing the collection ever since.
In 1968, Calvin Klein and an investor started the company as Calvin Klein Limited with a small line of men and women's coats. In the '70s, Klein won two Coty Awards for his minimalist styles, and by the middle of the decade he had created a designer-jeans craze by putting his name on each pair's back pocket. Advertisements featured a 15-year-old Brooke Shields who famously said, "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins." In 2003 Phillips Van Heusen acquired the brand, and today there are three tiers within the collection ranging from high-end pieces to moderately priced casualwear.
The French luxury fashion and leather goods brand, now a main division of the French holding company LVMH, was founded in 1854 as a luggage retailer. The company is now known for its monogrammed leather handbags and employs designer Marc Jacobs as its creative director. Keeping up with the demand for exclusive luxury, the company is collaborating with a series of artists for limited-edition handbag collections.
The designer founded the company in 1945 and quickly became famous for the "New Look," a fitted jacket with a nipped-in waist and full calf-length skirt. After the rationing of fabric during the World War II, Dior's lavish use of material was bold and shocking. Since 1996, chief designer John Galliano has been at the creative helm of the French fashion house, owned by the LVMH luxury goods group.
>> Original Article
20500419 Entry 3
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
STARBUCKS ANNOUNCES NEW UPGRADES
EXCERPT FROM ORGINAL ARTICLE
Starbucks Announces New Upgrades
Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2008 By BARBARA KIVIAT Coming soon to your corner Starbucks: More coffee-ness.
Elaine Thompson / AP
Starbucks is changing, it is on their transformation stage.
Although they still beleive that "location" is still the most significant factor in increasing sales just like McDonald, Pizza Hut and sort... they got a new plan, and they are confident and optimistic about it.
Why the new plan?
Well..The new plans preceeds after two very rough quarters in the U.S market
the reason number 1 is U.S. business fall, and softening consumer spending.
So what are the specifics of the plan?
loyalty-rewards program
starting in mid-April for anyone who buys a Starbucks card and registers it online.
1.will get free refills on drip coffee,
2.a free cup of coffee when they buy a bag of whole bean coffee,
3.two free hours of Wi-Fi a day
4.and free upgrades — including syrups, soy milk, and extra whipped cream — on all lattes.
Also, they are introducing a new blend
Pike Place Roast
this is an old fashioned coffee making process : HAND DRIP that baristas use
AND MORE!
Starbucks plans to roll out a new espresso machine, the Mastrena, which is half a foot shorter than the current Verismo model and will let customers more easily see baristas making drinks. The new machine also gives baristas more freedom to pull different sorts of shots — such as a ristretto (which takes less water) and a long shot (which takes more) — and to more closely control the process of steaming milk.
AND HERE IS THE REAL STARBUCKS PLAN
The company will introduce a web site for customers and another for employees to share thoughts with the people who run Starbucks. MyStarbucksIdea.com will initially include about a dozen categories, such as coffee, atmosphere, food, music and social responsibility. People will be able to post, discuss and vote for ideas, such as having a separate line for customers who want to quickly order drip coffee. Forty-eight Starbucks employees will respond to the posts and take suggestions back to management. "Their job is to show up every day and engage with customers about their ideas," says chief technology officer Chris Bruzzo.
REMEMBER?
Today, in class Prof. Abraham Lee talked about Boston consulting group chart?
DOGS-PROBLEM CHILD-STARS-CASH COW?
Well, I remember, that starbucks started a "DOG BUSINESS"
which was : procucing CDs, promoting movis, selling teddy bears and warming up breakfast sandwiches. THEY WERE DETERMINATE ABOUT KILLING THE DOGS.
They are back "ON THE RIGHT TRACK"
HOWEVER
the article states: "Unlike many sellers of coffee, Starbucks sources its own beans from Latin America and etc... and other players don't"
-> I found this disturbing as a "COFFEE BEAN" fan, I mean Coffee bean do go out to the fields of africa, pacific, and latin America as well!...
Well, the Good News is, We hope to see the Starbucks TRANSFORM!
20700775 Article Entry #3
Monday, March 24, 2008
TOTALLY AMAZING
Nokia has a brilliant idea for the next generation mobile phones.
the video included in this article is just so amazing.
i just can't wait to see this technology come out.
this design just blew my mind!!!!
"The main idea behind Nokia Morph concept phone is the use of nanotechnology based flexible materials, transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces. These materials should enable Nokia to produce a mobile device that “…might be stretchable and flexible, allowing the user to transform their mobile device into radically different shapes”. Different shaped devices you see in the picture, is actually the same one mobile handset, that transforms itself into the concrete shape according to the user needs. The concept was developed by Nokia research center in cooperation with Cambridge University and is on display at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. "
Make sure you watch this!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX-gTobCJHs
Article 4 20700193 Haeyeon Ryan Kim
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Entering the emergency ward at Tuen Mun Hospital in Hong Kong these days feels a little like getting clearance into a correctional facility. A woman cloaked in head-to-toe blue protective gear stands watch at the sliding glass doors, checking visitors' foreheads to ensure that no one running too high a fever gets through. Those who pass muster are given a blue surgical mask and entry to the fluorescent-lit waiting room. Those who don't are ushered to a clutch of plastic chairs outside, under a blue tent — a makeshift isolation and triage area — near a sign that says, in English and Chinese, "Fever Area."
Flu season is hitting Hong Kong especially hard this year. Outbreaks of common influenza have blossomed all over this dense city, with some 800 cases reported in schools in the last eight days. Doctors have confirmed that two children with flu have died since February, sending parents into a panic that culminated Wednesday when the government abruptly closed all primary schools, kindergartens and day-care centers for two weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands of young children with a lot of unscheduled time and adults at a loss to figure out what to do with it.
The government's extreme response probably says more about Hong Kong's medical history than its current diagnosis. Five years ago, the SARS epidemic crippled the city, killing nearly 300 people and grinding public life to an eerie halt. At the time, the government came under fire for not doing enough to curb the spread of the disease, leading to the eventual resignation of the acting health chief Yeoh Eng-kiong. "This is not as bad as SARS," says Lam Tin Lung, an ambulance driver who worked through that health crisis. "But we take more caution now. We've learned to be more aware of diseases."
Over the last two weeks, the government says Hong Kong's medical workers have put in 15,000 hours of overtime to meet demand at the city's overcrowded hospitals. The Hospital Authority has earmarked nearly $2.6 million in extra funds through the end of April to bulk up services and help pay for overtime at hospitals like Tuen Mun, where emergency ward admissions have spiked about 20% in recent weeks. A specially appointed panel of doctors has examined the cases of the children who died in order to ascertain whether it the flu was the cause — and whether the flu strains circulating in Hong Kong were particularly deadly or showed any signs of the H5N1 bird flu virus. The panel found no evidence of H5N1; both children who died with confirmed cases of the flu had a common flu strain, and both are thought to have died from complicating factors — not the flu itself. (A third child's death has not yet been linked to flu, and is still under investigation.) "I think this year we probably have a little bit more seasonal flu, perhaps more widespread," says Dr. Yuen Kwok-yung, a professor at Hong Kong University and head of the panel. "But it's not more virulent."
Public health experts are still worried, however, that the current flu outbreak will lead to even greater use of the antiflu drug Tamiflu. The powerful treatment has been proven particularly effective against H5N1 and has become widely prescribed in Hong Kong — it is increasingly available illegally, without prescription, in pharmacies — so resistance to the drug is growing fast here. Doctors say the overuse of Tamiflu is creating a manifold risk, not only of weakening a weapon against a potential bird flu outbreak, but also of helping to spread a virulent strain of drug-resistant common flu in the wider population. "It's not a good thing to abuse," says Yuen.
But it's hard to keep a community still scarred by recent medical history from doing whatever it can to protect itself. Samuel Ho, a professor of psychology at Hong Kong University, says that during the SARS epidemic, Hong Kong residents were exceedingly concerned about infecting their families and loved ones with the virus. "People were worried about whether they would get the flu," says Ho, "But they worried more about their relations. ... How can I protect my wife? My kids?" He says that to help alleviate the kind of mass insecurity that recurs in Hong Kong during bad flu seasons like this one, doctors need to inform people not only of the true risks they face, but also what they can do to control them.
In the meantime, health officials hope that closing schools will help curb the high infection rate. On Friday morning, a train that would normally be shuttling office workers is instead abuzz with families. Mega-strollers clog the aisles. A mom wipes the nose of her round little boy, while a young girl in pigtails and a flu mask collapses on her father's shoulder, laughing. This is, after all, a day off, and this particular train is headed to Hong Kong Disneyland. It's not a bad way to spend a sick day.
Flu season is hitting Hong Kong especially hard this year. Outbreaks of common influenza have blossomed all over this dense city, with some 800 cases reported in schools in the last eight days. Over the last two weeks, the government says Hong Kong's medical workers have put in 15,000 hours of overtime to meet demand at the city's overcrowded hospitals.
These days I caought a cold and it was extremly severe, I spended hard time during 2 weeks. The article says about the flu and the danger of it. I think that it was not only hong kong's problem. So we have to take care ourselves and always be cleaned.
I am sorry about putting the article late. I got hard time this week because of the flu.
Flu season is hitting Hong Kong especially hard this year. Outbreaks of common influenza have blossomed all over this dense city, with some 800 cases reported in schools in the last eight days. Doctors have confirmed that two children with flu have died since February, sending parents into a panic that culminated Wednesday when the government abruptly closed all primary schools, kindergartens and day-care centers for two weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands of young children with a lot of unscheduled time and adults at a loss to figure out what to do with it.
The government's extreme response probably says more about Hong Kong's medical history than its current diagnosis. Five years ago, the SARS epidemic crippled the city, killing nearly 300 people and grinding public life to an eerie halt. At the time, the government came under fire for not doing enough to curb the spread of the disease, leading to the eventual resignation of the acting health chief Yeoh Eng-kiong. "This is not as bad as SARS," says Lam Tin Lung, an ambulance driver who worked through that health crisis. "But we take more caution now. We've learned to be more aware of diseases."
Over the last two weeks, the government says Hong Kong's medical workers have put in 15,000 hours of overtime to meet demand at the city's overcrowded hospitals. The Hospital Authority has earmarked nearly $2.6 million in extra funds through the end of April to bulk up services and help pay for overtime at hospitals like Tuen Mun, where emergency ward admissions have spiked about 20% in recent weeks. A specially appointed panel of doctors has examined the cases of the children who died in order to ascertain whether it the flu was the cause — and whether the flu strains circulating in Hong Kong were particularly deadly or showed any signs of the H5N1 bird flu virus. The panel found no evidence of H5N1; both children who died with confirmed cases of the flu had a common flu strain, and both are thought to have died from complicating factors — not the flu itself. (A third child's death has not yet been linked to flu, and is still under investigation.) "I think this year we probably have a little bit more seasonal flu, perhaps more widespread," says Dr. Yuen Kwok-yung, a professor at Hong Kong University and head of the panel. "But it's not more virulent."
Public health experts are still worried, however, that the current flu outbreak will lead to even greater use of the antiflu drug Tamiflu. The powerful treatment has been proven particularly effective against H5N1 and has become widely prescribed in Hong Kong — it is increasingly available illegally, without prescription, in pharmacies — so resistance to the drug is growing fast here. Doctors say the overuse of Tamiflu is creating a manifold risk, not only of weakening a weapon against a potential bird flu outbreak, but also of helping to spread a virulent strain of drug-resistant common flu in the wider population. "It's not a good thing to abuse," says Yuen.
But it's hard to keep a community still scarred by recent medical history from doing whatever it can to protect itself. Samuel Ho, a professor of psychology at Hong Kong University, says that during the SARS epidemic, Hong Kong residents were exceedingly concerned about infecting their families and loved ones with the virus. "People were worried about whether they would get the flu," says Ho, "But they worried more about their relations. ... How can I protect my wife? My kids?" He says that to help alleviate the kind of mass insecurity that recurs in Hong Kong during bad flu seasons like this one, doctors need to inform people not only of the true risks they face, but also what they can do to control them.
In the meantime, health officials hope that closing schools will help curb the high infection rate. On Friday morning, a train that would normally be shuttling office workers is instead abuzz with families. Mega-strollers clog the aisles. A mom wipes the nose of her round little boy, while a young girl in pigtails and a flu mask collapses on her father's shoulder, laughing. This is, after all, a day off, and this particular train is headed to Hong Kong Disneyland. It's not a bad way to spend a sick day.
Flu season is hitting Hong Kong especially hard this year. Outbreaks of common influenza have blossomed all over this dense city, with some 800 cases reported in schools in the last eight days. Over the last two weeks, the government says Hong Kong's medical workers have put in 15,000 hours of overtime to meet demand at the city's overcrowded hospitals.
These days I caought a cold and it was extremly severe, I spended hard time during 2 weeks. The article says about the flu and the danger of it. I think that it was not only hong kong's problem. So we have to take care ourselves and always be cleaned.
I am sorry about putting the article late. I got hard time this week because of the flu.
Friday, March 21, 2008
High oil prices push people to buy green goods
High oil prices push people to buy green goods
Sales of bikes and energy-saving products are on the rise.
March 20, 2008
As the price of crude oil hovers around $100 per barrel, people are looking for eco-friendly ways of saving money and companies are tapping into the trend.
Recently, CJ Mall, a Korean Internet shopping site, said it sold more than 1,000 bicycles between the beginning of last month and March 14, four times more than the same period a year ago and 10 times the number from 2006.
The Velo folding mini bicycle by Strida was the hottest seller, with 120 units rolling out the door, despite a steep price tag of 480,000 won ($480).
“We saw many people, especially in their 20s and 30s, choose bicycles this year as an alternative to cars,” said a CJ Mall official.
Sales of other energy-saving goods are also on the rise. Energy-saving power strips and water-saving shower-heads have been popular items, said Kim Chan-young, a cashier at the Gayang branch of Grand Mart in southern Seoul.
The nation’s gadget makers, such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, aren’t missing out. The market has seen a recent rush of energy-efficient electronics.
LG recently launched new lines of refrigerators which can lower energy consumption by up to 26 percent. Samsung’s newly released Pavv Cannes 450 TV consumes 50 percent less energy than other similar models.
An official from LG said people can save 6,000 won per month when they consume 10 kilowatts less by using energy-efficient goods.
The era of high oil prices has also prompted local firms to jump into the alternative energy business.
According to filings posted on the Financial Supervisory Service Web site, nearly 160 companies have launched renewable energy businesses since last September, LG Electronics, Daelim Industrial and Kumho Industrial among them.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy also said yesterday that it is moving along with its plan to build 100,000 solar energy-powered houses in Korea. The ministry started building the houses in 2004, and it plans to invest 49 billion won in the project this year.
Under the plan, the government foots 60 percent of the bill while future residents pay the remaining 40 percent. The ministry expects around 2,700 solar houses to be constructed this year.
“An increasing number of people are applying for subsidies to build solar houses,” said a ministry official.
By Sung So-young Staff Reporter
hardship of economy sometimes are good for supplier and customer.
because of rising oil price, new industries are grown and developed such as
bicycle, green goods and alternative energy industry.
and rising oil price makes technologies are developed especially in home-electronic for the saving energy.
we're able to argue that these are good dimensions of high oil prices.
20500530 second article.
Sales of bikes and energy-saving products are on the rise.
March 20, 2008
As the price of crude oil hovers around $100 per barrel, people are looking for eco-friendly ways of saving money and companies are tapping into the trend.
Recently, CJ Mall, a Korean Internet shopping site, said it sold more than 1,000 bicycles between the beginning of last month and March 14, four times more than the same period a year ago and 10 times the number from 2006.
The Velo folding mini bicycle by Strida was the hottest seller, with 120 units rolling out the door, despite a steep price tag of 480,000 won ($480).
“We saw many people, especially in their 20s and 30s, choose bicycles this year as an alternative to cars,” said a CJ Mall official.
Sales of other energy-saving goods are also on the rise. Energy-saving power strips and water-saving shower-heads have been popular items, said Kim Chan-young, a cashier at the Gayang branch of Grand Mart in southern Seoul.
The nation’s gadget makers, such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, aren’t missing out. The market has seen a recent rush of energy-efficient electronics.
LG recently launched new lines of refrigerators which can lower energy consumption by up to 26 percent. Samsung’s newly released Pavv Cannes 450 TV consumes 50 percent less energy than other similar models.
An official from LG said people can save 6,000 won per month when they consume 10 kilowatts less by using energy-efficient goods.
The era of high oil prices has also prompted local firms to jump into the alternative energy business.
According to filings posted on the Financial Supervisory Service Web site, nearly 160 companies have launched renewable energy businesses since last September, LG Electronics, Daelim Industrial and Kumho Industrial among them.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy also said yesterday that it is moving along with its plan to build 100,000 solar energy-powered houses in Korea. The ministry started building the houses in 2004, and it plans to invest 49 billion won in the project this year.
Under the plan, the government foots 60 percent of the bill while future residents pay the remaining 40 percent. The ministry expects around 2,700 solar houses to be constructed this year.
“An increasing number of people are applying for subsidies to build solar houses,” said a ministry official.
By Sung So-young Staff Reporter
hardship of economy sometimes are good for supplier and customer.
because of rising oil price, new industries are grown and developed such as
bicycle, green goods and alternative energy industry.
and rising oil price makes technologies are developed especially in home-electronic for the saving energy.
we're able to argue that these are good dimensions of high oil prices.
20500530 second article.
Eight Ways to Live Rent-Free
Everyone would like lower housing costs. But what would it take to live rent-free?
A lot of homeowners are running smack into financial troubles these days. Roughly 900,000 U.S. homes are in foreclosure -- up 71% from a year ago.
Overall household finances aren't much better. More than 800,000 Americans declared bankruptcy in 2007 despite tougher bankruptcy laws now on the books -- an increase of nearly 40% from 2006. More from TheStreet.com
• Turn Clutter Into Cash
• 8 Reasons High School Makes You Poor
• Can't Sell Your Home? Try Something Else
That means a lot of people are looking for ways to slash their housing costs as a way to shore up their finances. You can live rent-free if you are flexible and think beyond typical home ownership and renting.
Sure, this calls for sacrifices and isn't feasible for everyone. It helps to be single or married without children to find free housing, although in special circumstances it may be possible to do so with a family.
Being flexible with where you live is also important since those who can live anywhere have more opportunities to live rent-free than those who need to live in a particular city.
Consider these eight alternative ways to get housing and you may find that your bank account has never looked better:
Original Article
Wow, isn't it wonderful to live Rent-Free?
While reading this you'll find out 8 ways to live Rent-Free.
You know that these days many people are suffering due to mortgage loan.
But if you live in ways stated on the artcle above, you are free about it.
I thought these are extraordinary ways to do.
20100174 #2 Entry
A lot of homeowners are running smack into financial troubles these days. Roughly 900,000 U.S. homes are in foreclosure -- up 71% from a year ago.
Overall household finances aren't much better. More than 800,000 Americans declared bankruptcy in 2007 despite tougher bankruptcy laws now on the books -- an increase of nearly 40% from 2006. More from TheStreet.com
• Turn Clutter Into Cash
• 8 Reasons High School Makes You Poor
• Can't Sell Your Home? Try Something Else
That means a lot of people are looking for ways to slash their housing costs as a way to shore up their finances. You can live rent-free if you are flexible and think beyond typical home ownership and renting.
Sure, this calls for sacrifices and isn't feasible for everyone. It helps to be single or married without children to find free housing, although in special circumstances it may be possible to do so with a family.
Being flexible with where you live is also important since those who can live anywhere have more opportunities to live rent-free than those who need to live in a particular city.
Consider these eight alternative ways to get housing and you may find that your bank account has never looked better:
Original Article
Wow, isn't it wonderful to live Rent-Free?
While reading this you'll find out 8 ways to live Rent-Free.
You know that these days many people are suffering due to mortgage loan.
But if you live in ways stated on the artcle above, you are free about it.
I thought these are extraordinary ways to do.
20100174 #2 Entry
Debtors Are Better Savers: Surprising Survey
Americans really want to save more money. The overwhelming majority (80 percent) say they do save money, but not as much as they would like because of the expenses of daily living. More than half (56 percent) say they save as much as possible because they're worried about tomorrow.
More from Bankrate.com
• Tackling Debt as a Family
• When One Spouse Files for Bankruptcy
• Are You Spending Smart?
But fear doesn't motivate everyone to save, and in fact a rather casual attitude about saving prevails among some people. Two out of 10 Americans say they don't save much because they work too hard to scrimp on the things they really enjoy. And 14 percent say they don't really worry about saving. However, this number doubles to 30 percent among people who live by their words and actually don't save a portion of their salary each year.
Bankrate commissioned GfK Roper to conduct a random survey of Americans' attitudes about savings and debt as part of our Financial Literacy series. See our poll analysis on debt-related questions, released in February.
Original Article
I didn't realize that nondebtors aren't saving as much portion of their income
than debtors. I thought that millionaires without debt would be easier to save
their income, but this article that I've posted tells me it's not. It's said
debtors more aware of their budgets because they have all the monthly payments.
I bet it's so important for us to have such a habit, saving.
20100174 #1 Entry
More from Bankrate.com
• Tackling Debt as a Family
• When One Spouse Files for Bankruptcy
• Are You Spending Smart?
But fear doesn't motivate everyone to save, and in fact a rather casual attitude about saving prevails among some people. Two out of 10 Americans say they don't save much because they work too hard to scrimp on the things they really enjoy. And 14 percent say they don't really worry about saving. However, this number doubles to 30 percent among people who live by their words and actually don't save a portion of their salary each year.
Bankrate commissioned GfK Roper to conduct a random survey of Americans' attitudes about savings and debt as part of our Financial Literacy series. See our poll analysis on debt-related questions, released in February.
Original Article
I didn't realize that nondebtors aren't saving as much portion of their income
than debtors. I thought that millionaires without debt would be easier to save
their income, but this article that I've posted tells me it's not. It's said
debtors more aware of their budgets because they have all the monthly payments.
I bet it's so important for us to have such a habit, saving.
20100174 #1 Entry
2. Samsung’s new plant in Vietnam
After expanding their handset facilities to countries such as China, India and Brazil, Samsung is now trying to expand their handset plants into Vietnam. Their proposal was submitted a month ago to the Vietnamese authorities. According to their plans, the plant is going to produce 30 million handsets on the earlier stage, and after that it will expand their production to 100 million handsets per year. The cost for this new plant is US$670 million. The reason for expanding a plant in Vietnam is because of its cheap labor and its current ranking as the 6th most attractive place for foreign investment after China, India, Russia, the United States and Brazil.
20600642
20600642
Survivor - Sounds like FUN!
The article i pasted below is about a TV show called Survivor. It sound pretty fun; people actually go to micronesia and try to live there under harsh circumstances. Apparently, a woman had to live in a rat/bat infested cave. She gave up. Too bad, since there's a big prize for the person who becomes the ultimate survivor.
It's a pretty good idea for a show, it also is for an English camp. What us koreans changed this survivor program to a small scale english survival camp? it's an idea.
there's the original article -
Note: Survivor Micronesia aired last night, Wednesday, as a result of tonight's basketball game (the show will also not be on at all next week). I've heard from a few people who wondered why I posted about tonight's episode early; sorry if the results got spoiled, and alas, I don't have advance access to the show or its results. If you missed the episode, you can watch it online.
For the second week in a row, a contestant left Survivor Micronesia without being voted out at Tribal Council. Kathy Sleckman quit the game after having an emotional breakdown. After a rainy night spent in a rat- and bat-infested cave, she flipped out, crying and telling everyone, "I can't be here one more minute. I can't take it." She also said that she could no longer feel her family, whatever that means.
While Jeff Probst isn't usually fond of quitters, he was compassionate and led her away. I kind of wanted to see what happened afterwards, when she realized she wasn't going to get to fly home immediately, as contestants are all sequestered until the game is over.
Kathy adds to the unprecedented number of people who've either quit or left the game this season. Last week, Chet gave up and told his tribe to vote him out, just as Jon Dalton did the first week. And also last week, Jonathan Penner was forced to leave due to his injury. In other words, four of the nine people who've left have done so essentially voluntarily or been forced to leave outside of Tribal Council.
Overall, the favorites seem destined to win, as they're just steamrolling over the fans. Of the seven people who've actually been voted out, only two have been favorites, and those two eliminations occurred when the tribes hadn't yet been mixed up. Although there's been talk of the favorites turning on one another, they seem more content to go after the fans.
In the meantime, the fan/favorite interaction has provided for some entertainment. Last night, Ozzy trained Erik, who is in awe of his Survivor idol Ozzy. Cirie compared them to the father and son in The Lion King, and said Erik "just worships the ground that he walks on."
At the reward challenge, the editors had some fun showing both Erik and Ozzy eating bananas in a slow, suggestive manner while Ozzy said, "He's like a wide-eyed kid in a candy store. It made me feel proud that we were able to win and bring him in and let him experience this." Erik may be in luck, as Ozzy has shared his banana with reality show contestants before.
Article 3 - 20700193 Haeyeon Ryan Kim
It's a pretty good idea for a show, it also is for an English camp. What us koreans changed this survivor program to a small scale english survival camp? it's an idea.
there's the original article -
Note: Survivor Micronesia aired last night, Wednesday, as a result of tonight's basketball game (the show will also not be on at all next week). I've heard from a few people who wondered why I posted about tonight's episode early; sorry if the results got spoiled, and alas, I don't have advance access to the show or its results. If you missed the episode, you can watch it online.
For the second week in a row, a contestant left Survivor Micronesia without being voted out at Tribal Council. Kathy Sleckman quit the game after having an emotional breakdown. After a rainy night spent in a rat- and bat-infested cave, she flipped out, crying and telling everyone, "I can't be here one more minute. I can't take it." She also said that she could no longer feel her family, whatever that means.
While Jeff Probst isn't usually fond of quitters, he was compassionate and led her away. I kind of wanted to see what happened afterwards, when she realized she wasn't going to get to fly home immediately, as contestants are all sequestered until the game is over.
Kathy adds to the unprecedented number of people who've either quit or left the game this season. Last week, Chet gave up and told his tribe to vote him out, just as Jon Dalton did the first week. And also last week, Jonathan Penner was forced to leave due to his injury. In other words, four of the nine people who've left have done so essentially voluntarily or been forced to leave outside of Tribal Council.
Overall, the favorites seem destined to win, as they're just steamrolling over the fans. Of the seven people who've actually been voted out, only two have been favorites, and those two eliminations occurred when the tribes hadn't yet been mixed up. Although there's been talk of the favorites turning on one another, they seem more content to go after the fans.
In the meantime, the fan/favorite interaction has provided for some entertainment. Last night, Ozzy trained Erik, who is in awe of his Survivor idol Ozzy. Cirie compared them to the father and son in The Lion King, and said Erik "just worships the ground that he walks on."
At the reward challenge, the editors had some fun showing both Erik and Ozzy eating bananas in a slow, suggestive manner while Ozzy said, "He's like a wide-eyed kid in a candy store. It made me feel proud that we were able to win and bring him in and let him experience this." Erik may be in luck, as Ozzy has shared his banana with reality show contestants before.
Article 3 - 20700193 Haeyeon Ryan Kim
Hey I'm Jurie
Hi! My name is Jurie, I'm 23 yrs old. I major in Mass Media and US International Law.
It was so nice to have dinner that day with some of you at Hoyam that day.
I am so glad to be in this group and hope this semester becomes a blast with
you all in group "ESTES." I appreciate everyone welcoming me eventhough I entered the group a bit later then some of you.
We have some great Ideas already for the next big assignment for us and I am thrilled to be part of it ! ^^ Let's learn much, earn that much as well and have fun this semester!
Hard to eat a slice of a Pizza.
Commenting the original article from
CNNmoney.com "A Slice of pizza gets pricier." By Allan Chernoff
Why is a slice of pizza getting pricier?
Primarily, the Rising wheat price is one factor.
Therfore that indicates that not only pizza prices are stiffing up but all food products made out of wheat will be pricy for atleast couple of months, probably until this winter. Bread, noodles, burgers... mostly what the Americans eat everyday. Bakery, Italian restaurants, fast food chains, pizza places, etc... they are surprised by the price of bag of a wheat itself. According to the Chicago Board of Trade a bushel, "60-pounds of wheat, now trades for more than $1100, more than two-and-1/2 times what it was just a year ago."
We have covered, why a slice of a pizza will be pricy. And how pricy.
Then let's go to the bottom line, why are wheat prices going up?
"You can lay part of the blame on ethanol. Huge demand for ethanol has farmers planting more corn to produce the fuel when they could be growing wheat"
Interestingly enough, the farmers learned a lesson and their plan for the winter is to go back to their original job and plant and produce more wheat so that is why we can expect normal wheat prices by this upcoming winter, atleast.
Basically, the U.S is promoting Bio-ethanol industry using corn as an alternative energy for petroleum, so the demand of corn had increase, so that the farmers changed their crop from wheat to corn, and because of this the stock farmers who fed their stocks the grains were also hit by this phenomena.
I met a person in the airplane, he said he buys wheat at the cheapest places and sells in other places at a high price. (I was sitting in a business class...)
These days... grains are not just grains, they are weapons.
I believe one of the reasons why China is growing so fast is because of this.
Remeber what Prof. Abraham Lee told us in his lecture? China is buying all the raw materials, and similarly, that is why POSCO is doing so well with their Steel industry.
It is just interesting to realize once again that all industries are so interconnected to each other.
20700775 #2 Second Entry
CNNmoney.com "A Slice of pizza gets pricier." By Allan Chernoff
Why is a slice of pizza getting pricier?
Primarily, the Rising wheat price is one factor.
Therfore that indicates that not only pizza prices are stiffing up but all food products made out of wheat will be pricy for atleast couple of months, probably until this winter. Bread, noodles, burgers... mostly what the Americans eat everyday. Bakery, Italian restaurants, fast food chains, pizza places, etc... they are surprised by the price of bag of a wheat itself. According to the Chicago Board of Trade a bushel, "60-pounds of wheat, now trades for more than $1100, more than two-and-1/2 times what it was just a year ago."
We have covered, why a slice of a pizza will be pricy. And how pricy.
Then let's go to the bottom line, why are wheat prices going up?
"You can lay part of the blame on ethanol. Huge demand for ethanol has farmers planting more corn to produce the fuel when they could be growing wheat"
Interestingly enough, the farmers learned a lesson and their plan for the winter is to go back to their original job and plant and produce more wheat so that is why we can expect normal wheat prices by this upcoming winter, atleast.
Basically, the U.S is promoting Bio-ethanol industry using corn as an alternative energy for petroleum, so the demand of corn had increase, so that the farmers changed their crop from wheat to corn, and because of this the stock farmers who fed their stocks the grains were also hit by this phenomena.
I met a person in the airplane, he said he buys wheat at the cheapest places and sells in other places at a high price. (I was sitting in a business class...)
These days... grains are not just grains, they are weapons.
I believe one of the reasons why China is growing so fast is because of this.
Remeber what Prof. Abraham Lee told us in his lecture? China is buying all the raw materials, and similarly, that is why POSCO is doing so well with their Steel industry.
It is just interesting to realize once again that all industries are so interconnected to each other.
20700775 #2 Second Entry
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Most Expensive Speeches
Throughout the history, there have been a number of great speakers like Lincoln, King and Churchill but they may not have earned so much like the speakers of this century. Donald Trump has got the highest speaking fees ever paid, $1.5 million from delivering speeches at the Learning Annex in 2006 and 2007. Not only him, has the formal president of United States, Bill Clinton dominates the list when ranking the dough at the lecture.
The reason people pay that much money, according to Zanker from the Learning Annex, is that they just worth it. They give the specific, actionable advice to the audience so that they attract a huge crowd who are eager to pay to hear them speak.
>>Original Text
It’s interesting how people pay just to hear someone that they like, or rather admire, speak. Yes, of course they give you some actionable advices, the things that you can just apply to their everyday life; yet so can do the books which would cost less than the tickets. Also the things that those famous people talk about are some kind of known facts of how we should live or how we can earn tons of money. Surely they would get more from those lectures, but for me, it is kind of never-understood thing.
On the other hand, this article is interesting in the way that it shows how a person, not of less or more but the same as everyone else, can be a BRAND himself. People pay money to see him or hear from him in the way they buy clothing, house or grocery. It’s just- just like Professor Abraham Lee puts it- WOW.
No. 1: Donald Trump
$1.5 Million
The Learning Annex, 2006 And 2007
The Donald earned a staggering $1.5 million per speech at The Learning Annex's "real estate wealth expos" in 2006 and 2007. Trump appeared at 17 seminars and collected this fee for each one. Trump was contracted to speak for an hour at each appearance, but "he usually goes a couple hours" if you include the time he spends fielding questions from the audience, according to Learning Annex founder and President Bill Zanker.
No. 2: Donald Trump
$1 Million
The Learning Annex, 2005
Trump set the stage for his million-five payday with the Learning Annex after earning $1 million per speech in 2005.
No. 3: Ronald Reagan
$1 Million
Fujisankei Communications, 1989
The late former president was reportedly paid $2 million by the Japanese media company for a 1989 tour of Japan, which included two speeches. We rank Reagan a notch behind Trump because he also gave press interviews with Fujisankei-owned media outlets during his visit.
No. 4: Tony Blair
$500,000
Guangda Group, 2007
The former British prime minister was pilloried in November by government-run newspapers in China when they revealed he had been paid half a million dollars by a property development company in Guangdong province to deliver a speech at a luxury housing development.
No. 5: Bill Clinton
$450,000
Fortune Forum, 2006
The Man From Hope generates more on the public speaking circuit than any former president ever has. His most expensive speech to date? An address he delivered in September 2006 at the Fortune Forum in London, for which he earned $450,000. And that wasn't even his best-paying gig: That honor goes to a November 2003 speech he was scheduled to deliver in Japan on behalf of Sakura Capital Management. But the speech was canceled and the $500,000 proceeds were donated to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Foundation.
>>Original Article
20500419 Entry #2
Monday, March 17, 2008
Hi!
Hey there everyone! I'm Ryan and it's a pleasure to be in the same team with you guys. I'm majoring in Global management and industrial design; the picture above is a picture of me and my first art piece. Anyways, I'm sure we're gonna have an awesome semester!
Samsung's slush fund
This blog regist latre.
특검 ‘삼성생명 차명주식 배당금’ 비자금 확인
입력: 2008년 03월 17일 02:21:05
ㆍ“200억 ~ 300억 상품권·채권 매입”
삼성그룹 비리 의혹을 수사 중인 조준웅 특별검사팀은 삼성이 삼성생명 차명주식 배당금으로 채권과 백화점 상품권을 대량 매입한 사실을 확인했다. 이는 삼성이 이건희 회장 일가의 삼성생명 주식을 전·현직 임직원 명의로 차명 관리했다는 것을 뒷받침하는 것이어서 파장이 예상된다.
특검팀 관계자는 16일 “삼성생명 전·현직 임원 10여명의 배당금 사용처를 추적한 결과 100만원권 수표로 바꾼 뒤 신세계백화점 상품권을 매입하는 공통된 흐름을 보였다”고 밝혔다. 특검팀은 지금까지 삼성생명 배당금으로 조성한 200억~300억원 규모의 비자금을 확인하고 자금흐름을 추적 중이다. 특검 수사 착수 이후 삼성의 비자금 조성 사실이 구체적으로 확인된 것은 삼성화재의 보험금 미지급금 10억여원 외에 이번이 두번째다. 특검 관계자는 “상품권 매입자금으로 사용된 수표 추적 결과 이상한 돈 흐름이 포착됐다”면서 “최초 사용자와 자금 흐름을 감추기 위한 ‘돈세탁’ 수단으로 보인다”고 말했다.
특검팀은 배당금 중 일부가 삼성 전략기획실이 관리하는 삼성의 차명 의심계좌로 유입된 사실을 밝혀냈다. 또 일부 배당금은 저금리 채권을 사는 데 이용된 뒤 다시 채권 할인 과정을 거쳐 수표로 현금화된 정황도 확보했다.
특검팀은 이 자금이 2002년 대선 때 삼성이 정치권에 건넨 대선자금과도 관련이 있는지 수사 중이다
김용철 변호사는 지난해 11월 “삼성은 김인주 전략기획실 사장 집무실 바로 옆에 있는 비밀 금고에 현금·상품권과 함께 로비 장부를 보관해 왔다”고 주장했다. 특검팀은 삼성생명 차명주식 보유 현황과 비자금 사용처를 캐기 위해 14일 이 회장 일가의 재산관리를 맡았던 삼성 전략기획실 전모 상무를 소환조사했다. 특검팀은 전 상무로부터 이 회장 일가의 계열사 지분 및 개인재산 내역을 제출받아 확인 중이다.
The Samsung group's slush funds are detected by special inspector team. The slush funds's amount is assumed about 200~300 hunred million one. The family of Lee-the chairman of Samsung- made these slush fund by money laundering and the special inspector team search that those fund's were related with 2002 president election fund.
I think that this matter is very sensitive and importance matter in our society. Samsung is the biggest company in Korea, and they get high position in our economy. So the moral problem of samsung will heavilly effect on the public opinion.
And by exposing the absurdity the brand image of samsung is decreased and also the revenue of samsung is decreased. The moral problem of huge company can decrease the prodictivity and morale of employees. There are many bad effect by samsung problem, so government have to heavily cope with samsung problem
20200041 권혁성 Kwon Hyuck Sung (late)
특검 ‘삼성생명 차명주식 배당금’ 비자금 확인
입력: 2008년 03월 17일 02:21:05
ㆍ“200억 ~ 300억 상품권·채권 매입”
삼성그룹 비리 의혹을 수사 중인 조준웅 특별검사팀은 삼성이 삼성생명 차명주식 배당금으로 채권과 백화점 상품권을 대량 매입한 사실을 확인했다. 이는 삼성이 이건희 회장 일가의 삼성생명 주식을 전·현직 임직원 명의로 차명 관리했다는 것을 뒷받침하는 것이어서 파장이 예상된다.
특검팀 관계자는 16일 “삼성생명 전·현직 임원 10여명의 배당금 사용처를 추적한 결과 100만원권 수표로 바꾼 뒤 신세계백화점 상품권을 매입하는 공통된 흐름을 보였다”고 밝혔다. 특검팀은 지금까지 삼성생명 배당금으로 조성한 200억~300억원 규모의 비자금을 확인하고 자금흐름을 추적 중이다. 특검 수사 착수 이후 삼성의 비자금 조성 사실이 구체적으로 확인된 것은 삼성화재의 보험금 미지급금 10억여원 외에 이번이 두번째다. 특검 관계자는 “상품권 매입자금으로 사용된 수표 추적 결과 이상한 돈 흐름이 포착됐다”면서 “최초 사용자와 자금 흐름을 감추기 위한 ‘돈세탁’ 수단으로 보인다”고 말했다.
특검팀은 배당금 중 일부가 삼성 전략기획실이 관리하는 삼성의 차명 의심계좌로 유입된 사실을 밝혀냈다. 또 일부 배당금은 저금리 채권을 사는 데 이용된 뒤 다시 채권 할인 과정을 거쳐 수표로 현금화된 정황도 확보했다.
특검팀은 이 자금이 2002년 대선 때 삼성이 정치권에 건넨 대선자금과도 관련이 있는지 수사 중이다
김용철 변호사는 지난해 11월 “삼성은 김인주 전략기획실 사장 집무실 바로 옆에 있는 비밀 금고에 현금·상품권과 함께 로비 장부를 보관해 왔다”고 주장했다. 특검팀은 삼성생명 차명주식 보유 현황과 비자금 사용처를 캐기 위해 14일 이 회장 일가의 재산관리를 맡았던 삼성 전략기획실 전모 상무를 소환조사했다. 특검팀은 전 상무로부터 이 회장 일가의 계열사 지분 및 개인재산 내역을 제출받아 확인 중이다.
The Samsung group's slush funds are detected by special inspector team. The slush funds's amount is assumed about 200~300 hunred million one. The family of Lee-the chairman of Samsung- made these slush fund by money laundering and the special inspector team search that those fund's were related with 2002 president election fund.
I think that this matter is very sensitive and importance matter in our society. Samsung is the biggest company in Korea, and they get high position in our economy. So the moral problem of samsung will heavilly effect on the public opinion.
And by exposing the absurdity the brand image of samsung is decreased and also the revenue of samsung is decreased. The moral problem of huge company can decrease the prodictivity and morale of employees. There are many bad effect by samsung problem, so government have to heavily cope with samsung problem
20200041 권혁성 Kwon Hyuck Sung (late)
Hello everyone!
I'm Minsun Lee, a 23-year-old healthy cheerful girl:D
I like reading books, listening to music, watching movies and etc.
On the weekends, I like going to DVD room, just to watch movies with my friends!
It's cheaper than going to the theatre you know..., also while watching, we can chat, eat something and.. something like that!(it's not like what you think=-=!)
Anyways, I wish we can have a great semester, great class together!
How about introduce ourselves?
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Hello my name is hyuck sung Kwon
I am 02 학번 and I major in management and Graphic design.
I like playing games, watching movies, playing basketball and etc...
Dinner Appointment TODAY.
Just to make sure no one misses our dinner together today -
HYOAM RESTAURANT 6PM.
See you all there!! :D
HYOAM RESTAURANT 6PM.
See you all there!! :D
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The time is gone
Designer credit cards compete for wallet share
March 01, 2008
Credit cards are turning arty.
Card issuers are trying to catch the eyes of customers with innovative designs, as the entire industry is in a fierce battle for a bigger piece of the credit pie.
Kookmin Card this week unveiled a card with its front covered with a leather-like pigment. The design upgrade will be applied to its KB Star Card product set to debut next week and it will have two types: ostrich and crocodile.
“We were inspired by the fact that wallets that contain cards are mostly made of leather,” said Cho Yong-soo, assistant manager of the card marketing department at Kookmin Card.
“Although the material is not real, it feels like leather.” Current KB Star Card subscribers can also receive the newly-designed card upon request.
The card unit of the nation’s No. 1 lender forecast that the industry is increasingly placing priority on design to distinguish brands, because customers now tend to take the design factor into consideration when choosing which card to use.
“The time is gone when credit cards competed against each other with functional benefits, such as discounts and points,” said a spokesman.
It was Hyundai Card, a unit of Hyundai Group, that prompted the design rivalry among card issuers. In 2003, when the majority of credit cards differed only in color and geometric pattern, Hyundai introduced a transparent card. Next came a “mini card,” almost half the size of the industry standard that functioned the same as regular-size cards, and its colors were vivid ― like red and hot pink. The card firm recently unleashed another innovation, adopting the industry term “color core.” The new product has a colored plate, or core, which means the 0.8-milimeter side of the card is tinted. Conventionally, cards have white sides.
According to Cha Kyung-mo, a spokesman with Hyundai Card, the company aims to make cards serve as “decorations” for wallets. “When a Korean adult carries an average of four credit cards, we hope our card will win a position game inside the wallet. Raising the so-called wallet share is our goal,” he said. Designing one card takes hundreds of millions of won (over $100,000), he said. BC Card has fashion models on its Rainbow Card for the younger demographic.
Samsung Card lets subscribers design cards with pictures from movies or their own photos. - By Seo Ji-eun Staff Reporter
The time is gone when credit cards competed against each other with functional benefits, such as discounts and points,” said a spokesman
many company's credit card has been arty. companys trying to catch the eyes of customer with design, not a convenience or function.
credit card well known as convenience, so credit card companies competed with functional things something like point or discount.
but they trying to moving customer's heart with arty design.
arty design for credit card will be cultural icon. I think this marketing strategy following postmodernism. nowdays customer can choose credit card's design. it is following postmodernism's idea : individuality is regarded so important.
not only credit card but also many of things are going to be unique and special, and only unique product will be survive in the market.
20500530 Lim Ji Hoon
March 01, 2008
Credit cards are turning arty.
Card issuers are trying to catch the eyes of customers with innovative designs, as the entire industry is in a fierce battle for a bigger piece of the credit pie.
Kookmin Card this week unveiled a card with its front covered with a leather-like pigment. The design upgrade will be applied to its KB Star Card product set to debut next week and it will have two types: ostrich and crocodile.
“We were inspired by the fact that wallets that contain cards are mostly made of leather,” said Cho Yong-soo, assistant manager of the card marketing department at Kookmin Card.
“Although the material is not real, it feels like leather.” Current KB Star Card subscribers can also receive the newly-designed card upon request.
The card unit of the nation’s No. 1 lender forecast that the industry is increasingly placing priority on design to distinguish brands, because customers now tend to take the design factor into consideration when choosing which card to use.
“The time is gone when credit cards competed against each other with functional benefits, such as discounts and points,” said a spokesman.
It was Hyundai Card, a unit of Hyundai Group, that prompted the design rivalry among card issuers. In 2003, when the majority of credit cards differed only in color and geometric pattern, Hyundai introduced a transparent card. Next came a “mini card,” almost half the size of the industry standard that functioned the same as regular-size cards, and its colors were vivid ― like red and hot pink. The card firm recently unleashed another innovation, adopting the industry term “color core.” The new product has a colored plate, or core, which means the 0.8-milimeter side of the card is tinted. Conventionally, cards have white sides.
According to Cha Kyung-mo, a spokesman with Hyundai Card, the company aims to make cards serve as “decorations” for wallets. “When a Korean adult carries an average of four credit cards, we hope our card will win a position game inside the wallet. Raising the so-called wallet share is our goal,” he said. Designing one card takes hundreds of millions of won (over $100,000), he said. BC Card has fashion models on its Rainbow Card for the younger demographic.
Samsung Card lets subscribers design cards with pictures from movies or their own photos. - By Seo Ji-eun Staff Reporter
The time is gone when credit cards competed against each other with functional benefits, such as discounts and points,” said a spokesman
many company's credit card has been arty. companys trying to catch the eyes of customer with design, not a convenience or function.
credit card well known as convenience, so credit card companies competed with functional things something like point or discount.
but they trying to moving customer's heart with arty design.
arty design for credit card will be cultural icon. I think this marketing strategy following postmodernism. nowdays customer can choose credit card's design. it is following postmodernism's idea : individuality is regarded so important.
not only credit card but also many of things are going to be unique and special, and only unique product will be survive in the market.
20500530 Lim Ji Hoon
Friday, March 14, 2008
Merges, Merges.
a while back, there was this big news about microsoft trying to buy out Yahoo. I don't think it happened yet. but guess what - AOL bought Bebo.
Bebo was really big a while back, until Facebook came out. It probably is still pretty big; apparently, it's worth 850million dollars.
Here's the original text -
AOL buying Bebo for $850 million was a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning. Wow! I think this is a smart move for AOL as Bebo is currently the third largest social network on the Web behind Facebook and MySpace. With AIM offering one of the larger social graphs on the Web but a turnstile of online social networking profile site attempts in the last two years it looks like AOL has finally decided to invest externally in a solution with a lot users and page views. This just adds to the a number of other acquisitions that recently occurred in the social platforms group which include Goowy and Yedda.
Other than that I really don't have any information on the Bebo acquisition which I find sort of amusing since all my blogging buddies (TechCrunch, CenterNetworks and GigaOm), many of which I personally introduced to my colleagues at AOL, seemed to be in the loop on the Bebo acquisition news before most the AOL social platforms group in which I work and I assume Bebo will be placed in. Oh and you can see my bebo profile here.
Congratulations to the newest Silicon Valley millionaires and AOL employees from Bebo. - reuters.
I wonder what kind of bright future this could possibly bring. AOL is a so-so company in the online business; so is Bebo. These two companies might actually hit it off quite well together. to be honest, i really have no idea what's going to happen. But i'm looking forward to find out. Maybe i should buy AOL stocks or something.
Article 2 - 20700193 Haeyeon Ryan Kim
Bebo was really big a while back, until Facebook came out. It probably is still pretty big; apparently, it's worth 850million dollars.
Here's the original text -
AOL buying Bebo for $850 million was a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning. Wow! I think this is a smart move for AOL as Bebo is currently the third largest social network on the Web behind Facebook and MySpace. With AIM offering one of the larger social graphs on the Web but a turnstile of online social networking profile site attempts in the last two years it looks like AOL has finally decided to invest externally in a solution with a lot users and page views. This just adds to the a number of other acquisitions that recently occurred in the social platforms group which include Goowy and Yedda.
Other than that I really don't have any information on the Bebo acquisition which I find sort of amusing since all my blogging buddies (TechCrunch, CenterNetworks and GigaOm), many of which I personally introduced to my colleagues at AOL, seemed to be in the loop on the Bebo acquisition news before most the AOL social platforms group in which I work and I assume Bebo will be placed in. Oh and you can see my bebo profile here.
Congratulations to the newest Silicon Valley millionaires and AOL employees from Bebo. - reuters.
I wonder what kind of bright future this could possibly bring. AOL is a so-so company in the online business; so is Bebo. These two companies might actually hit it off quite well together. to be honest, i really have no idea what's going to happen. But i'm looking forward to find out. Maybe i should buy AOL stocks or something.
Article 2 - 20700193 Haeyeon Ryan Kim
"Human Car"
The automobile industry is one of the most competitive industries in the market. Great automobile companies such as Ford, GM, and Toyota are always trying to bring innovations to their products in terms of technology, marketing, labor costs and etc. But an interesting thing that I found about Ford is that they brought some kind of innovation that differentiated their advertisement compared to other companies’. Every time you watch a car commercial on TV you see that there’s always a nice woman or a handsome man driving on a spectacular view on the background. When we watch those kinds of commercial, we are supposed to desire that car not for the car itself, but because we idealize that moment. We want to be that man/woman driving. We want to have that peace and joy that person has while driving the car. And we unconsciously think that if we possess that car we will be able to enjoy everything we see on the television. Now, what Ford did, was advertising their cars, with people. They show people actually “making” (illustrating) a car with their own bodies. The message that they leave to the costumer on the video is that “a car is just a car, until it’s powered by you.” It is actually true because what gives power to a car is not technology. A car without a person to drive, it’s nothing but a useless machine. I think that what Ford is trying to do is add consumer’s value to their cars, saying that we are the most important thing for them. Technology is always changing and innovative devices are always being added, which means that the cars are also constantly changing. But our value as a consumer never changes, and that is the most important thing for Ford.
Jin Chung
20600642
Do you know McIntosh?
excerpt from Global Business section from TIME magazine, march 10, 2008 edition.
Original Title: Life At the Top. A New Tune for High-End Audio. McIntosh, beloved by fans but bereft of strategy, got aremix from its latest owner. By Kristina Dell
Do you know a company name: McIntosh? , I am not talking about Steve Job's brand and that by the way would be Macintosh.
Perhaps many are not aware of the name.
McIntosh is not a generic brand of Macintosh. Then What is this brand and Who owns it?
Well, the owner of McIntosh, is Ivan Messer, and his motto can explain him pretty much thoroughly. "Nothing but the best or why bother?".
As the motto tells us, he is one of those perfectionist guys. He is a bit of a strange person for he had been spending five years for doing nothing but building a home theater worth a million dollars. His setup included 14 speakers, 16 amplifiers and 400 amps of current. (MORE POWER THAN MORE HOUSE HOLD COULD CONSUME IN JUST A SOUND SYSTEM!!!) He described his sound system "You could get seasick watching Master and Commander in my theater."
Messer started accumulating this brand about 20 years ago from now, and as soon as he got some hold of a money he immediately spent 25,000 dollars on his first system containing a steal 7ft tall XRT2K Mac loud $45,000dollar each.
He calls it a big boy toy. He is also very proud of his inventions as he says: "If there wer another brand better, I would get it, but 90% of what McIntosh makes is the best in its class."
However, we all know that being the best, does not exactly relate to high profits.
Yes,the brand has been attacked by Japnese copycat brands, and audio market has become a rough place for niche labels like McIntosh.
The dark years were led to a buyout by D&M holding, a japanese audio company traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, however in the past fiscal year the company had sales of alsost ONE BILLION and earning os 53 Million.
"PERHAPS YOU"VE HEARD THAT TUNE BEFORE?" is the strategy that Bernard Arnault used.
Now they have enough money to do better development and make better products.
What victor Pacor, the president of D&M holdings on the rationale for acquiring mcintosh, was the key to success (I believe)
He told them " HERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE WHAT YOU WANT." YOU CAN'T DO THAT WHEN YOU'RE STRUGGLING TO MAKE PAYROLL."
They said that their strategy was that : they are never the earliest developers of a technology. We wait for the dust to settle, and then the technology is mature enough so we can add to it.
Chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group, stated about McIntosh "I think the average untrained person can hear that it's a smother, silkier sound, a very warm sound that doesn't mistreat the music but enhances it."
the writer mentions the merits and some negative sides of the brand as he mentioned
"I inquired about the cheapest McIntosh purchase and it was $3,500, not so bad, I tohught, but that was just for the power and preamp the $45,000 speakers were extra.
the writer wrote the article very balanced. And it had a clear voice to the readers.
He wrote McIntosh as "the sound of Money. and clearly states the actual customer target.
the components aren't for the casual listener...
Prestigious but yet very pricy, McIntosh definately is special, as it is profiting every year.
If you are still suspicious about their success, then read over there business strategy stated above.
20700775 #1 First Entry
Original Title: Life At the Top. A New Tune for High-End Audio. McIntosh, beloved by fans but bereft of strategy, got aremix from its latest owner. By Kristina Dell
Do you know a company name: McIntosh? , I am not talking about Steve Job's brand and that by the way would be Macintosh.
Perhaps many are not aware of the name.
McIntosh is not a generic brand of Macintosh. Then What is this brand and Who owns it?
Well, the owner of McIntosh, is Ivan Messer, and his motto can explain him pretty much thoroughly. "Nothing but the best or why bother?".
As the motto tells us, he is one of those perfectionist guys. He is a bit of a strange person for he had been spending five years for doing nothing but building a home theater worth a million dollars. His setup included 14 speakers, 16 amplifiers and 400 amps of current. (MORE POWER THAN MORE HOUSE HOLD COULD CONSUME IN JUST A SOUND SYSTEM!!!) He described his sound system "You could get seasick watching Master and Commander in my theater."
Messer started accumulating this brand about 20 years ago from now, and as soon as he got some hold of a money he immediately spent 25,000 dollars on his first system containing a steal 7ft tall XRT2K Mac loud $45,000dollar each.
He calls it a big boy toy. He is also very proud of his inventions as he says: "If there wer another brand better, I would get it, but 90% of what McIntosh makes is the best in its class."
However, we all know that being the best, does not exactly relate to high profits.
Yes,the brand has been attacked by Japnese copycat brands, and audio market has become a rough place for niche labels like McIntosh.
The dark years were led to a buyout by D&M holding, a japanese audio company traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, however in the past fiscal year the company had sales of alsost ONE BILLION and earning os 53 Million.
"PERHAPS YOU"VE HEARD THAT TUNE BEFORE?" is the strategy that Bernard Arnault used.
Now they have enough money to do better development and make better products.
What victor Pacor, the president of D&M holdings on the rationale for acquiring mcintosh, was the key to success (I believe)
He told them " HERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE WHAT YOU WANT." YOU CAN'T DO THAT WHEN YOU'RE STRUGGLING TO MAKE PAYROLL."
They said that their strategy was that : they are never the earliest developers of a technology. We wait for the dust to settle, and then the technology is mature enough so we can add to it.
Chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group, stated about McIntosh "I think the average untrained person can hear that it's a smother, silkier sound, a very warm sound that doesn't mistreat the music but enhances it."
the writer mentions the merits and some negative sides of the brand as he mentioned
"I inquired about the cheapest McIntosh purchase and it was $3,500, not so bad, I tohught, but that was just for the power and preamp the $45,000 speakers were extra.
the writer wrote the article very balanced. And it had a clear voice to the readers.
He wrote McIntosh as "the sound of Money. and clearly states the actual customer target.
the components aren't for the casual listener...
Prestigious but yet very pricy, McIntosh definately is special, as it is profiting every year.
If you are still suspicious about their success, then read over there business strategy stated above.
20700775 #1 First Entry
What do you know about CLIFFDIVING??
I spent my highschool years in Africa. You can probably imagine what it was like, with all the lions and zebras and giraffs and stuff. To tell you the truth, I've never seen a wild lion; Africa is not as wild as most people think it is. Well, i have seen a rhino and a lot of pelicans. I do love my experience there.
Anyways, what i wanted to talk to you about here is about cliffdiving. cliffdiving can be very dangerous, but only if you don't know what you're jumping into. There are specific designated spots you can jump into; like the spot on the picture. if you jump into shallow waters, you might get seriously injured. If you want to go cliff diving, go with someone who has experience. Not just any kind of experience; jump at a spot where that person has jumped before.
If you ever get the chance to go to Senegal, West Africa, go to the "serpent" (snake) island and look for the spot on the picture. I can assure you that no sharp rocks are waiting for you under the surface.
Article 1 - 20700193 Haeyeon Ryan Kim
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Yes, You Too Can YouTube
Yes, You Too Can YouTube
YouTube, a video sharing website, has greatly succeeded with enormous stock of videos and users account. For YouTube is open free to the users and visitors, it has mainly depended on the advertisements, letting their clients post up their banners, pictorial display ads, and text ads on its site. So far, the company has got their revenue based on pay-per-click, but now it is trying to turn it other way by implementing a new tactics called "in-stream" advertising. The video ad clips or pictorial ads will be overlaid on videos so that it would be more eye-catching. For this "in-stream" advertisement, YouTube is now releasing a set of free software tools to the Web developers and let them create fully functional YouTube players on their own sites. By doing so, there will be more and more people watching YouTube's video clips with the in-stream advertisement, even if they do not visit YouTube site. Yet since it is new, there will be some turbulence and will take a few years to be adopted. It might be risky but it also might be a great chance to renovate the world of advertisement.
Original Text: http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/03/12/youtube-Tivo-Spore-tech-personal-cx_ag_0312youtube.html
Since internet became a part of our life, everything changed. I can look up the news from far away, from some country that I never have heard of instantly. I can meet the people that I would have seen or talked to otherwise. I also can find the information at the speed of light, the information that I would have looked up in the library for three days, and nights and still wouldn’t be able to find. In short, internet is just so amazing.
Not only for my own purposes, for the business, the internet is just a great opportunity for every single business: even a small shop, the mom-and-pop shop as Professor Lee says, can advertise locally or get a better supplier by searching and contacting online. Now that small shops are actually using internet as a key to success, then why wouldn’t the big firms? It is just obvious that they would be eager to use the internet as a new business opportunity, as a great information center, and as a great advertisement tool.
For YouTube, this era is just perfect. There are thousands and millions of people visiting YouTube everyday and the company’s clients, eager to show their products or brands to those people, are ready to give whatever it wants as long as their products are recognized by those users. It’s just perfect.
YouTube has been a great success in terms of revenue through advertisements so far, and with this new “in-stream” advertisement, it’s just going to be bomb. There would be tons and tons of clients. Also since the advertisement is within the video clip, YouTube would charge more for advertisement.
Yet there are some concerns. First of all, YouTube has to remember that users are sometimes impatient and disturbed easily. It is rare the web-surfers click on the pop-ups. It’s just disturbing. If YouTube puts too much advertisement on the video, or the advertisement play time is too long, they are not going to come back. I have seen many of my friends stopped using Pandora TV (http://pandora.tv/) after it put in three ads that take about 30 to 40 seconds. It’s just that simple. Advertisement is good as long as it doesn’t disturb the users. Secondly, YouTube has to remember that there are many other rivals and substitutes. There are many ways to advertise for the clients and there are other sites that offer the same system that YouTube has. Right now, YouTube may be the number one but it doesn’t mean that it is going to be number one.
20500419 Entry #1
Friday, March 7, 2008
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