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Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Obama Judicial Nominees Include Patricia Ann Millett, Cornelia Pillard, Robert Leon Wilkins
Obama Holds Final Primary Night Event In St. Paul
ST. PAUL, MN - JUNE 3: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) (R) and his wife Michelle Obama bump fists at an election night rally at the Xcel Energy Center June 3, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination following today's primaries in South Dakota and Montana, although his rival Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has not yet conceded the race. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Barack Obama
President Barack Obama acknowledges the crowd as he exchanges fist bumps with the audience after speaking at Hyde Park Academy, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Obama Fist Bump
President Barack Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following the opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth, Dec. 3, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama does a fist bump
President Barack Obama does a fist bump with Ethan Gibbs, the son of Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, after arriving by Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Washington, DC, April 19, 2009. President Barack Obama returned from the Fifth Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad and Tobago. AFP PHOTO/Aude GUERRUCCI (Photo credit should read Aude GUERRUCCI/AFP/Getty Images)
Barack Obama Campaigns Across U.S. Ahead Of Primaries
SPRINGHILL, WV- MAY 12: Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) (L) bumps fists with Iraq war veteran Paul Scott after playing a game of pool during a stop at Schultzie's Bar & Hot Spot May 12, 2008 in Springhill, West Virginia. Sen. Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) continue to battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
McCain And Obama Address LULAC National Convention
WASHINGTON - JULY 8: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (L) gives a 'fist bump' to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) during the national convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) at the Washington Hilton July 8, 2008 in Washington, DC. Obama has been recently criticized for moving to the political center after calling for a slowing of withdrawal of troops from Iraq, supporting a proposed wiretap law and government funding of faith-based programs. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Barack Obama Campaign Weeks Away From Election Day
CHANTILLY, VA- OCTOBER 22: Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) fists bumps with Ethan Gibbs the son of Robert Gibbs the campaign communication director as he arrives at Dulles International Airport October 22, 2008 in Chantilly, Virginia. Obama continues to campaign with election day less than two weeks away. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
US Democratic presidential candidate Ill
US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama (R) and North Carolina Governor Mike Easley bump fists at Sen. Obama's surprise appearance at a North Carolina Democratic Party dinner October 4, 2008 at the The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - APRIL 7: In this handout provide by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama (L) receives a fist-bump from a U.S. soldier as he greets hundreds of U.S. troops during his visit to Camp Victory on April 7, 2009 in Baghdad, Iraq. Obama is serving as the 44th President of the U.S. and the first African-American to be elected to the office of President in the history of the United States. (Photo by Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images)
President Barack Obama
WASHINGTON - APRIL 8: In this handout provide by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama (L) holding a football, offers a fist-bump, to senior staff member Pete Rouse (R), during a meeting with senior advisors in the Oval Office of the White House on April 8, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama is serving as the 44th President of the U.S. and the first African-American to be elected to the office of President in the history of the United States. (Photo by Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images)
US President Barack Obama gives a studen
US President Barack Obama gives a student a fist bump while touring the Wind Turbine Manufacturing and Fabrication Lab at Lorain County Community College, in Elyria, Ohio, January 22, 2010. Obama is visiting Ohio to tour local businesses and hold a town hall meeting on jobs and the economy. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Barack Obama bumps fists wi
US President Barack Obama bumps fists with a school children after reading Christams book 'The Polar Express' to an audience of elementary school children at the Richard England Clubhouse and Community Center in Washington, DC, on December 21, 2009. AFP PHOTO/Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Barack Obama fist-bumps wit
US President Barack Obama fist-bumps with a supporter after speaking at a fundraiser for Senator Michael Bennet February 18, 2010 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Barack Obama (2nd-R) fist b
US President Barack Obama (2nd-R) fist bumps with Marvin Nicholson as he plays golf at Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on August 26, 2010. The US First Family is vacationing on the Island until August 29. AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
President And Mrs. Obama Host Annual Easter Egg Roll
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 25: (AFP OUT)U.S. President Barack Obama gives a fist bump to a young boy during a 'Let's Move' tennis clinic during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House April 25, 2011 in Washington, DC. About 30,000 people are expected to attend the 133-year-old tradition of rolling colored eggs down the White House lawn. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
US President Barack Obama gives a young
US President Barack Obama gives a young boy a fist bump as he greets guests after speaking about the economy at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, on January 4, 2012. Obama announced plans to appoint Richard Cordray as acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a recess appointment, bypassing Congress and setting up a bitter election-year legal showdown with Republicans. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Barack Obama
President Barack Obama fist bumps service members after he addressed troops at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
US President Barack Obama (L) asks for a
US President Barack Obama (L) asks for a fist bump from a young girl as he speaks with patrons outside the Kozy Corner restaurant in Oak Harbor, Ohio, July 5, 2012, where he made an unannounced visit to speak with supporters while on a bus tour of Ohio and Pennslyvania. AFP PHOTO/Jim Watson (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/GettyImages)
Obama Welcomes 2012 NCAA Women's Basketball Champions To White House
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 18: U.S. President Barack Obama gives a fist bump to Baylor University basketball guard Terran Condrey while welcoming the 2012 NCAA Women?s Basketball champions in the East Room of the White House July 18, 2012 in Washington, DC. The Baylor Lady Bears became the first NCAA basketball team to complete a 40-0 season by defeating Notre Dame 80-61 in the NCAA women's championship. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Barack Obama, Odyssey Sims
Point guard Odyssey Sims gets a fist bump from President Barack Obama at a ceremony honoring the 2012 NCAA Women's basketball champions Baylor University Bears in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
US-VOTE-2012-DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN
US President Barack Obama (L) fist bumps with supporters after delivering remarks during a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada, August 21, 2012. AFP PHOTO/Jim WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/GettyImages)
Barack Obama
President Barack Obama pounds fists with a supporter after speaking at a campaign event at The Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center at Kent State University Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, in Kent, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
US-VOTE-2012-DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN
US President Barack Obama fist-bumps with a woman during a lunch visit to the West Tampa Sandwich Shop and Restaurant in Tampa, Florida, September 8, 2012, during the first day of a 2-day bus tour across Florida. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/GettyImages)
US-VOTE-2012-DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN
US President Barack Obama (L) fist bumps a supporter after speaking at a campaign rally in Nashua, New Hampshire, on October 27, 2012. AFP PHOTO/Jim WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/04/obama-judicial-nominees_n_3383033.html
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China's E-Commerce Companies Go Global - CKGSB Knowledge
E-commerce retailer VANCL?s English language website is tailored to western customers. Will this be enough for VANCL to make it in international e-markets? (Source: en.VANCL.com)
Can China?s e-commerce companies like Jingdong Mall and VANCL replicate their success in international markets?
Just a few weeks before stepping down, Jack Ma, the founder and former CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, addressed the students of Stanford University. While talking of his humble start in China?s e-commerce industry and his rise to the top, he made a remarkable statement: ?I am thankful for the inspiration that Silicon Valley gave me.?
Back in China, Ma explained, he started working in the internet business in 1995 obsessed with how to catch up with Silicon Valley.
And catch up he did.
Fourteen years after its founding, Alibaba is the world?s largest online business-to-business (B2B) platform delivering e-commerce solutions for small businesses worldwide. There are others following in its footsteps?such as business-to-consumer (B2C) players like VANCL, China?s biggest fashion e-tailer, and Jingdong Mall (JD.com, which till recently was called 360buy.com), the second-largest B2C online retailer in China. Jingdong and VANCL account for 16% and 0.9% of the B2C market respectively, whereas market leader Tmall (owned by Alibaba) has 44.10% (owned by Alibaba).
During his speech at Stanford, Ma said he never wrote a business plan. Instead, he embraced what he saw as the best plan: change.
Change, Now the Only Constant
Today, China?s e-tailers are embracing change like never before. McKinsey & Company predicts that by 2020 China?s e-commerce market will equal that of the US, Japan, the UK, Germany and France combined today. To stay competitive in such a huge market these companies need to be nimble. For many, internationalization will help strengthen their brand and create new value.
VANCL and Jingdong have hundreds of millions of active users but they are by no means global giants yet. Venturing abroad will boost their reputation and help balance the already squeezed profit margins in the increasingly overcrowded home market. Ajing-mao, an analyst at e-commerce research institute Analysys International, agrees. ?Going abroad is the only way for a company to grow and develop fast, especially for e-commerce enterprises that have certain inherent advantages due to the internet. That?s the case, for example, of the rapid growth of B2C e-commerce sites like eBay and Amazon.?
Jia Jia, Associate Vice-President responsible for the overseas business of VANCL, explains that the global push was ?a response to the pressure posed by global e-commerce brands aiming at China?. ASOS is one such site. The popular UK-headquartered fashion e-tailer recently announced ambitious plans of launching a Chinese website in October. ASOS was following in the footsteps of other companies like online luxury fashion outlet Net-a-Porter that entered China a few months ago.
But Chinese companies will only be able to compete globally if they offer global consumers unique value proposition. To achieve that and to move up the value chain, they will need to invest in brand-building.
It is early days still and the pioneers have done precious little on that front. Jia Jia, VANCL?s Associate Vice-President responsible for the overseas business, acknowledges that for his company, ?it?s too early to do branding?. ?We don?t have any advantage yet compared to other e-commerce websites especially in the US, or in Spain with Zara,? he says.
Casting the Net Wide
VANCL debuted its international website in 2010. But it wasn?t until March this year that the company started to invest more resources in their global strategy. Roughly 10% of their target consumers include overseas Chinese, but VANCL has ambitious plans of expanding into new areas with the help of teams familiar with the tastes of the specific target markets. Additionally, it is testing different business models to see how to tap in markets such as Russia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Interestingly, one year after it launched its global site, it made it available in three additional languages?Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.
Jingdong, on the other hand, doesn?t have a diversified market yet and only 30% of their customers are from outside the US. The global website (in English) was launched in October 2012 to embrace the opportunities created by the already developed Western e-commerce market. Shipping the 400,000 products on offer to more than 30 destinations, Jingdong intends to reproduce in an international setting its model of a company that creates value for consumers by selling ?Made in China? products from China. ?Our advantage is low prices and we will keep that. Our team is based in China but people can buy from other markets and then we ship from China,? says Shi Tao, Vice-President (Retail), Jingdong.
But will these sites disrupt international markets?
The Acid Test
Even though companies like Jingdong have gone global, it appears as if they are really catering to overseas Chinese. This strategy might help them gain momentum abroad while testing their models and progressively diversifying their target markets. But the real test for these companies? global forays will be gaining acceptability with non-Chinese consumers.
A.T. Kearney?s report ?E-commerce is the Next Frontier in Global Expansion?? recommends localization of websites, and development of new business models, shipping options and payment methods as the key to success. Superior costumer experience and not underestimating local players are high on the list of recommendations.
This recipe, however, brings with it a set of challenges that fuel skepticism among some industry watchers with regard to the potential success of these ambitious companies. According to Ajing-mao, among the issues of concern are ?a lack of understanding of user demand in international markets and the customers? distrust toward the quality of Chinese products, coupled with a blind international expansion?.
VANCL and Jingdong are still in the first stages of their global expansion. They are using their websites to experiment with products, categories, shipping and payment solutions, customer service and website design. Jingdong?s Shi says that it?s a wait-and-watch strategy. ?We launch the website first, then we see the behavior of the people: what they like, what pictures they click on, etc. In the future, if we notice a given country likes red color, we will then switch the color of the website to red.? In a way, how the global customer reacts to this constant optimization and customization of the website will eventually determine their business strategy as well as their key target markets.
?Categories would be our main ?strategy?,? says Shi. Since the launch of the global website, Jingdong has been trying to learn about the global market, the culture of these consumers, their preferred categories and payment options. As a result, the site has undergone a few changes here and there: books, for instance, is now at the top of the categories menu, the less popular categories have been removed and there?s a bigger offer of domestic products.
But this alone won?t do the job. User experience and search engine optimizion (SEO) play a crucial role in their chances to compete in globally. Doug Pierce, Founder and CEO of analytics at Cogney SEO agency, reckons that compared to Amazon, China?s e-tailers lag behind in determinant factors of search engine rankings, such as like organic keywords, ad keywords and referring domains. Also, in terms of localization of the websites, ?they must be in perfect English, allow photoshopping of products and open links in new tabs?, he adds.
On the other hand, accurate customization of their websites also implies a thorough understanding of the data generated by user transactions of international users, something that will also help companies figure out the shopping behavior of target consumers. Li Yang, Assistant Professor of Marketing at CKGSB, says, ?Most Chinese firms lack enough understanding of the Big Data concept, let alone of using it in a foreign environment.? Which is why, these companies will find it difficult to deal with important aspects of Big Data, such as data security or privacy protection since they are used to their domestic business models where they can make profits without taking into account consumers? privacy, he adds.
The China Advantage
For Jingdong, the fact that Chinese books are one of the top sales items is an indicator that the site is well received by the global Chinese community. Nonetheless, if Jingdong wants to reach a wider pool of consumers it will have to urgently deal with inconsistencies of the English site, where many product categories and specifications are only in Chinese and ads and banners are mostly targeting the global Chinese consumer.
Shi thinks it wouldn?t be smart to confront giants like eBay or Amazon. Instead, he aims at wining other markets by building trust with customers, always without losing sight of their very-low price advantage. The company?s self-built logistics network in China will give them an advantage when shipping Chinese goods from their own warehouses in the country. In the future, given the importance buyers give to speedy delivery, Jingdong plans a combined strategy where the most popular products will be stored in local warehouses to cut delivery times, while the rest will be shipped directly from China.
Nevertheless, both options pose great challenges. Domestically, Chinese e-tailers are used to extremely low shipping costs that allow them to remain competitive in the domestic market by offering next-day deliveries and free (or very low price) delivery services. CKGSB?s Li says that overseas they will find it hard to achieve the same efficiency. They?ll have to rely on third-party delivery companies that charge higher fees. On the other hand, local players will enjoy an advantageous position making it hard for Chinese companies to compete against such cheap shipping options.
Li says, ?The delivery cost for Amazon is already low as Amazon is able to leverage its negotiating power with shipping companies. When Chinese internet firms go to these countries, I doubt these new players would get cheap shipping as Amazon does.?
Connecting and Localizing
As they go global, China?s e-commerce players need to increasingly localize their offering to suit different country contexts.
Jingdong?s site, for example, now offers the option of checking prices in currencies like Euros, Pounds, Australian Dollars and Hong Kong Dollars, a part from US Dollars. Shi explains that providing wider currency choices helps non-US consumers avoid the inconvenience of going to Google to check the price of the goods they want to buy in their own currency.
Moreover, VANCL?s Jia Jia thinks the strategy of building a strong relationship with the user also helps overcome the negative perception often associated with ?Made in China? products and brands. In addition, investing in social networking through sites like Facebook or Twitter will help ?strengthen the exchanges with the local consumers, narrow the psychological distance with the overseas consumer and keep track of their needs,? notes Ajing-mao. VANCL?s global site, for instance, has a style guide book, a blog and an affiliate program. Combined with other social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, they are used as critical channels to get closer to the new market.
Local partnerships appear as a key strategy to build trust and create higher value. Last year, VANCL launched its first country-specific website in Vietnam. As a B2B2C platform, the Vietnamese partner is responsible of developing its own inventory of VANCL products that the company later sells to the local consumer through VANCL?s Vietnamese web portal. It might try this model in other markets in Southeast Asia in the future. Jingdong is also working in a similar partnership with a Russian site. In this case, the Russian platform would handle costumer service, delivery and payment solutions, whereas Jingdong would take care of the website, provide the products and ensure the low prices are maintained.
The model of company cooperation and platform cooperation gives a dramatic advantage in terms of localization because it provides companies a bigger margin in terms of offering a better service to international costumers and earn their trust. According to Shi, ?In the future, this will probably be a better strategy to land into different markets. Amazon chose to acquire or set up their company and their own team. I think in the future this won?t be the only way to do this kind of businesses.?
Source: http://knowledge.ckgsb.edu.cn/2013/06/03/china/chinas-e-commerce-companies-go-global/
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Jason Kidd, legendary point guard, retires from the NY Knicks
Jason Kidd?won an NBA title and two Olympic gold medals, is second on the career list in assists and steals, and was a 10-time All-Star. His retirement comes two days after Grant Hill, with whom Jason Kidd?shared Rookie of the Year honors in 1995, announced his retirement.
New York Knicks' Jason Kidd (5) shoots past Indiana Pacers' George Hill during the NBA basketball playoffs, May 14. The Knicks say Jason Kidd has decided to retire from the NBA after 19 seasons.
Darron Cummings / AP / File
EnlargeJason?Kidd?retired Monday from the NBA after 19 seasons, ending one of the greatest careers for a point guard in league history.
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Kidd?won an NBA title and two Olympic gold medals, is second on the career list in assists and steals, and was a 10-time All-Star. But he struggled badly in the playoffs for the Knicks shortly after turning 40 and decided to walk away with two years and more than $6 million left on the deal he signed last summer.
"My time in professional basketball has been an incredible journey, but one that must come to an end after 19 years,"?Kidd?said in a statement released by the Knicks. "As I reflect on my time with the four teams I represented in the NBA, I look back fondly at every season and thank each every one of my teammates and coaches that joined me on the court."
His retirement comes two days after fellow 40-year-old Grant Hill, with whom?Kidd?shared Rookie of the Year honors in 1995, announced his retirement.
Kidd?went on from there to have big impacts on every team he joined. He led the longtime-losing Nets to two NBA Finals in 2002-03, helped the Dallas Mavericks win the 2011 title, and was on the first Knicks team to reach the second round of the playoffs since 2000.
He averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.93 steals in a career that also included a stop in Phoenix.?Kidd?had numerous ways to make his mark on games, ranking third on the career list with 107 triple-doubles while finishing third all-time in 3-pointers made, despite being considered a poor outside shooter when he came into the league.
"Jason's?value to the Knicks and the National Basketball Association cannot be quantified by statistics alone," Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald said. "Everyone here in New York saw firsthand what a tremendous competitor he is and why?Jason?is considered to be one of the best point guards, and leaders, the game has ever seen."
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Monday, June 3, 2013
Hey, Mokhtar, what?s happening? Listen, did you get that memo? Yeah, see, we?re putting new cover sheets on all the Terrorism Planning/Strategy Reports. (Unqualified Offerings)
What's With The Sudden Recoiling Mudguard Obsession On Bikes?
We've been through a lot with slap bracelets. There were the novel years when everything seemed possible, the painful years when the cruel tide of fashion turned, and the ironic years when it seemed like anything could resurface and claim a place in hipster nostalgia. And now two different groups have Kickstarters for recoiling mudguards. But it's pretty apparent that both products are actually just big slap bracelets, rendering the whole competitive mudguard market totally absurd.
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