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Umpqua Bank 2023 Business Barometer: Optimism, Expectations for Revenue and Profitability Rise Despite Lingering Economic Concerns

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Small business, Optimism, Record, Appetite, Umpqua, Commercial bank, Acquisition, Umpqua Holdings Corporation, Investment, Growth, Research, Financial management, Concern, Automation, Rail freight transport, Retail, Business

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Columbia Banking System Inc. (Nasdaq: COLB), today announced the findings of its annual Business Barometer ― an in-depth study of the mood, mindset, and strategic priorities of small and middle market businesses across the U.S. While concerns about the direction of the economy persist, business optimism is rising, and expectations for revenue and profitability are increasing. The study also found a growing appetite among businesses to make prudent investments that will help them become more efficient and competitive.

Key Points:

While concerns about the direction of the economy persist, business optimism is rising, and expectations for revenue and profitability are increasing.
"While economic concerns linger, they're responding to the uncertainty with growing optimism and confidence in their ability to adapt and move forward.
Businesses are planning strategic moves they believe will help them become more efficient, more profitable, and ready for what's ahead."
22% of middle market respondents are minority-owned while 23% of small business respondents are certified woman-owned and 17% minority-owned.

European Electronic Toll Service and Apcoa Lead Seamless In-Car Payment Solutions: Setting the Trend for Future Mobility in Europe

Retrieved on:

Monday, September 18, 2023

Original equipment manufacturer, Concern, To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey, 2600-series (CTA), Vehicle, Connected car, Satellite navigation device, Online shopping

DUBLIN, Sept. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Europe's automotive industry is witnessing a remarkable shift as car owners increasingly embrace in-car payments for various services. Car manufacturers are quickly integrating cutting-edge voice assistant technology to enable hassle-free ordering and payment for drive-through services and coffee runs.

Key Points:

Overview of In-Car Payment Solutions and Trends, June 2023 (1 of 4)
Overview of In-Car Payment Solutions and Trends, June 2023 (2 of 4)
Overview of In-Car Payment Solutions and Trends, June 2023 (3 of 4)
Overview of In-Car Payment Solutions and Trends, June 2023 (4 of 4)
Total Value Created By Connected Car Use Cases, in USD billion, 2020 & 2030f
Number of Connected Cars in Service, in millions, 2023e & 2027f
Share of OEMs Investing or Planning to Invest in Connected Car Services in the Next 2 Years, in %, May 2022
Share of Motorists Who Value In-Car Integrated Parking Services & Those Who Cite In-Car Payments as a Solution to Inaccurate Parking Information, in %, May 2023
Share of Respondents Who Value Vehicle Centric In-Car Payments vs Those Who Want Single Sign-on Access Across Providers, in %, May 2023
Top Activities For Which Respondents Lean Towards In-Car Payments, in % of Respondents, May 2023
Share of Respondents For Whom In-Car Payments is an Important Feature of Connected Cars, in %, Q4 2022
Share of Potential Users Who Believe In-Car Payment to Be Key Competitive Advantage of Manufacturers, by Selected Countries, in %, February 202
Overview of In-Car Payment Solutions and Trends, May 2023 (1 of 3)
Overview of In-Car Payment Solutions and Trends, May 2023 (2 of 3)
Overview of In-Car Payment Solutions and Trends, May 2023 (3 of 3)
Overview of In-Car Payment Regulatory Environment, July 2023
Top Benefits and Concerns of Connected Cars Among Respondents, in % of Respondents, March 2022
Share of Drivers Who Can Imagine Shopping and Paying Directly via Display in the Vehicle, in %, September 2022
Preferred Car Related Services For Which Drivers Are Willing to Pay Using In-Car Payments, in %, September 2022
Top Concerns That Respondents Who Rejected In-Car Commerce Have, in % of Respondents, September 2022
Level of Consumer Interest in Select Connected Car Features, in % of Respondents, 2022

Not religious, not voting? The 'nones' are a powerful force in politics – but not yet a coalition

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Today the so-called “nones” represent about 30% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans – and they are making their voices heard.

Key Points:

Today the so-called “nones” represent about 30% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans – and they are making their voices heard.
Organizations lobby on behalf of atheists, agnostics, secular humanists and other nonreligious people.
By combining all unaffiliated people as “the nones,” researchers and political analysts risk missing key details about this large and diverse constituency.

Crunching the numbers

The CES collects large surveys and then matches individual respondents in those surveys to validated voter turnout records.
For example, according to these survey samples, overall validated voter turnout looked higher in many groups, not just the unaffiliated, than exit polls suggested.
People who identified as atheists and agnostics were more likely to vote than religiously affiliated respondents, especially in more recent elections.

2024 and beyond

The political left also boasts a diverse coalition of religious groups, and there are many Republican voters for whom religion is not important.
My research shows that neither party can take the unaffiliated for granted nor treat them as a single, unified group.
Today, though, motivating and empowering voters might mean looking across a broader set of community institutions to find them.

Rethinking assumptions

According to my research, it was actually unaffiliated respondents who reported still attending religious services who were least likely to vote.
Their turnout rates were lower than both frequently attending religious affiliates and unaffiliated people who never attended.
Sociologists Jacqui Frost and Penny Edgell, for example, found a similar pattern in volunteering among religiously unaffiliated respondents.

New Enterprise Strategy Group Research Finds Generative AI Strategies Are Rapidly Emerging as Organizations Pursue Historic Transformation

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

LLM, Education, Investment, Marketing, TechTarget, Synthetic media, Research, Privacy, Organization, Concern, Risk, Generative, AI, Sales, Insurance

NEWTON, Mass., Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- TechTarget's Enterprise Strategy Group, a leading IT analyst, research, and strategy firm, today announced new research into Generative AI (GenAI), a technology poised to significantly disrupt and advance modern business and IT operations. The study reveals that GenAI strategies among business and public-sector organizations are moving forward with astonishing momentum as organizations scramble to assemble teams, budgets, and technologies to support numerous applications of the technology that have the potential to transform business and IT processes as we know them.

Key Points:

NEWTON, Mass., Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- TechTarget's Enterprise Strategy Group , a leading IT analyst, research, and strategy firm, today announced new research into Generative AI (GenAI), a technology poised to significantly disrupt and advance modern business and IT operations.
Generative AI has moved passed the hype stage and organizations are rapidly adopting this game-changing tech.
"Generative AI has moved passed the hype stage and organizations are rapidly adopting this game-changing tech.
To learn more about this new research, please visit Enterprise Strategy Group.

CE Brands Reports First Quarter 2024 Financial and Operational Results

Retrieved on:

Friday, August 25, 2023

CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CE Brands Inc. (TSXV: CEBI) (the "Corporation"), a data-driven consumer-electronics company, today announced its financial results for the three-month period ended June 30, 2023 ("Q1 2024").

Key Points:

CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CE Brands Inc. (TSXV: CEBI) (the "Corporation"), a data-driven consumer-electronics company, today announced its financial results for the three-month period ended June 30, 2023 ("Q1 2024").
Gross profit of approximately $0.54 million in Q1 2024 compared to gross profit of approximately $0.55 million in Q1 2023, representing a decrease of approximately 2%.
Net Income of approximately $8.66 million in Q1 2024 compared to approximately $2.54 million of net loss in Q1 2023, an increase of approximately 441%.
The following table discloses certain financial information about the Corporation for Q1 2024 and Q1 2023:

New neurotechnology is blurring the lines around mental privacy – but are new human rights the answer?

Retrieved on:

Monday, August 7, 2023

Several companies are trying to develop brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, in hopes of helping patients with severe paralysis or other neurological disorders.

Key Points:

Several companies are trying to develop brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, in hopes of helping patients with severe paralysis or other neurological disorders.
In July 2023, the U.N. agency for science and culture held a conference on the ethics of neurotechnology, calling for a framework to protect human rights.
Some critics have even argued that societies should recognize a new category of human rights, “neurorights.” In 2021, Chile became the first country whose constitution addresses concerns about neurotechnology.
However, I believe these debates can overlook more fundamental threats to privacy.

A glimpse inside

Researchers can make inferences about mental phenomena and interpret behavior based on this kind of information.
Data has already gone through filters and algorithms before the human eye gets the output.
It is also worth remembering that a key aspect of being human has always been inferring other people’s behaviors, thoughts and feelings.
Artificial intelligence could be used to combine that data into more powerful interpretations.

Think for yourself?

They argue that greater regulation of neurotechnology may be required to protect individuals’ freedom to determine their own inner thoughts and to control their own mental functions.
Yet I would argue that the way cognitive freedom is discussed in these debates sees each individual person as an isolated, independent agent, neglecting the relational aspects of who we are and how we think.
For example, part of my mental process as I write this article is recollecting and reflecting on research from colleagues.
Looking beyond novel technology to strengthen current privacy laws may give a more holistic view of the many threats to privacy, and what freedoms need defending.

CE Brands Reports Fourth Quarter 2023 and Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Results

Retrieved on:

Thursday, July 27, 2023

CALGARY, Alberta, July 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CE Brands Inc. (TSXV: CEBI) ("CE Brands", "we", "our", or the "Company"), a data-driven consumer-electronics company, today announced its financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023 ("Q4 2023") and the year ended March 31, 2023 ("Fiscal 2023").

Key Points:

CALGARY, Alberta, July 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CE Brands Inc. (TSXV: CEBI) ("CE Brands", "we", "our", or the "Company"), a data-driven consumer-electronics company, today announced its financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023 ("Q4 2023") and the year ended March 31, 2023 ("Fiscal 2023").
The audited consolidated financial statements for Fiscal 2023 and accompanying notes and Management's Discussion and Analysis for Fiscal 2023 ("MD&A") are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on CE Brands' website at www.cebrands.ca .
The total revenue for Fiscal 2023 has been consistent with that of the prior year, being a decrease of 4%.
Net loss of approximately $28.0 million in Fiscal 2023, up by 175% compared with $10.0 million in Fiscal 2022.

ICO statement on banks sharing and gathering personal information

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

- Concern at banks sharing personal information with media

Key Points:

- Concern at banks sharing personal information with media
- ICO writes to banks around information held on customers
- ‘Farage’s experience shows why data protection rights are so important’
Following media reports of NatWest Bank sharing personal financial information about Nigel Farage with the BBC, Information Commissioner John Edwards said:
“The banking duty of confidentiality is over a hundred years old, and it is clear that it would not permit the discussion of a customer’s personal information with the media.
“We trust banks with our money and with our personal information.
Banks should not be holding inaccurate information, they should not be using information in a way that is unduly unexpected, and they should not be holding any more information than is necessary.
- The ICO can take action to address and change the behaviour of organisations and individuals that collect, use, and keep personal information.

Global Dental Restorative Supplies Strategic Analysis Report 2023-2023: Aging Populations Driving Demand - U.S. Market is Estimated at $1.1 Billion, While China is Forecast to Grow at 7.5% CAGR - ResearchAndMarkets.com

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Health, Dental, Medical Supplies, Momentum, Shift, Composition series, Mercury, Amalgam (dentistry), Marketing, Concern, Growth, Dental amalgam controversy, Secure key issuing cryptography, Tin, Metal, Palladium, Dentistry, Silver, Copper

Developed Regions Lead Global Sales, Developing Economies to Spearhead Future Growth

Key Points:

Developed Regions Lead Global Sales, Developing Economies to Spearhead Future Growth
Metal Alloys Lead Dental Restorative Supplies Market, Composites to Witness High Growth
Despite Concerns over Mercury Exposure, Increasing Dental Filling Procedures to Buttress Growth of Dental Amalgam Market
As the Largest Source of Mercury Pollution, Efforts to Phase-out Dental Amalgams Gain Momentum
Dental Fillings Emerge as the Largest Source of Mercury Pollution: Global Average Annual Mercury Consumption in Tons in Select End-Uses
Composition of Dental Amalgams: Percentage Breakdown by Weight for Copper, Mercury, Silver, Tin and Other Metals
Composite Fillings in Dental Restorations: Benefiting from the Shift Away from Dental Amalgams
Global Cosmetic Dentistry Market Size in US$ Billion for the Years 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025
Lack of Sufficient Clinical Testing: A Key Issue for Dental Industry
Black Marketing of Dental Products: A Major Concern
Why Do Restorative Materials Fail?

Global Event Management Software Strategic Business Report 2023: Increased Involvement of Marketing in Event Planning Drives Growth

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Linux, COVID-19, Virtual, Concern, Video game, Cryptocurrency

Event Management Companies Adapting to Changes: Offer Video Conferencing Solutions while Transitioning to Virtual Platforms

Key Points:

Event Management Companies Adapting to Changes: Offer Video Conferencing Solutions while Transitioning to Virtual Platforms
72 Leading Tech Conferences Scheduled between February & November 2020 Going Virtual: Status Update Post COVID-19 Concerns - Canceled, Postponed or Going Virtual
52 Select Cyber Security Conferences Scheduled between March & August 2020 Going Virtual: Status Update Post COVID-19 Concerns - Canceled, Postponed or Going Virtual
Open Source Events (Mar-June 2020): Percentage Breakdown of Events by Current Status - Canceled, Postponed, Virtual, No Change
Select Open Source Conferences Canceled, 14 Leading Linux and Open-Source Conferences Scheduled between March & June 2020 Going Virtual: Status Update Post COVID-19 Concerns - Canceled, Postponed or Going VirtualPostponed or Going Virtual After COVID-19 Pandemic Scare
Breakdown of Internet Users (in %) by Region: Q1 2020
Internet Penetration Rate (%) in Select Countries: April 2020
Fixed Broadband Speed (in mbps) in Select Countries: April 2020