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Getting fit in 2013?
What Google Searches About the Future Tell Us About the Present
Google (GOOG) search data have become a statistical gold mine for academics, scientists, and number crunchers, who have used it for everything from predicting flu outbreaks to determining to what extent racial prejudice robbed Barack Obama of otherwise certain votes. Research published today demonstrates how searches about the future have a strong link to economic success.
Two academics in the U.K., Warwick Business School associate professor Tobias Preis and Dr. Helen Susannah Moat of University College London, analyzed more than 45 billion public Google searches performed during 2012 and calculated the ratio between searches that included “2013” and those that included “2011.”
They found that countries where “Internet users … search for more information about the future tend to have a higher per-capita GDP,” says Preis, who created a stir in 2010 when he used a similar data-crunching approach to quantify and model stock price fluctuations of companies on the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. “The more a country is looking forward, the more successful economically the country is.”
This makes sense. When the economy is humming along, it is easier to be optimistic—to plan vacations, buy season tickets, investigate investments, etc.
Of everyone, Germans are the most forward-looking, knocking Britons from the top spot. Preis explained that the U.K. scored so highly a year earlier because of the high anticipation around the Olympics. This year, the Germans are looking forward to a pivotal federal election. Pries, a German national, declined to say whether Germany’s exuberance bodes well for incumbent Angela Merkel.
Interestingly, the U.S. ranks 11th, up from 15th a year earlier. The 2012 findings showed that entering an election year, more Americans were looking backward to 2010. This year, Americans as a whole are more optimistic about 2013 than they were a year earlier, Preis says.
Economic laggards Pakistan, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan round out the bottom of the list.
At HMV, the Music Stops But the Brand Plays On
The financial collapse earlier this month of retailer HMV Group could mean the shuttering of 230 shops and the elimination of thousands of jobs across the U.K. The demise of Britain’s biggest seller of music and movies also has left loyal little Nipper the dog, its trademark, searching for a home. The century-old image of cock-eared Nipper listening to a gramophone dubbed His Master’s Voice—the source of HMV’s name—could be sold along with other trademarks to an investment company such as Hilco Trading or another of the scores of businesses that have looked at the company’s assets so far.
There’s a thriving trade in downtrodden but well-known brands such as HMV and Polaroid. Liquidation specialists are attracted by the value of an established name and its related trademarks. They can breathe new life into so-called phoenix brands by repositioning a brick-and-mortar retailer as an online merchant or licensing the name to others for new products, according to Gary Assim, an intellectual property lawyer at U.K. law firm Shoosmiths. “Roughly speaking, 70 percent of the value of a company is goodwill, or the value in the brand. It has nothing to do with its physical assets,” Assim explains. “A business with a high goodwill value, like HMV, is more likely to be a phoenix brand.”
HMV has 53 trademarks registered with Britain’s Intellectual Property Office. These include His Master’s Voice, HMV Headphone Hut, and HMV Get Closer, a short-lived social networking site the company shuttered in 2009. HMV has registered Nipper’s image as a trademark for businesses ranging from clothing to toys to coffee shops. The company also owns trademarks in the U.S. and across Europe. “Any brand with substantial brand recognition will survive in one form or another,” says Maninder Gill, head of the intellectual property and retail groups at London law firm Simons Muirhead & Burton. “HMV, with its heritage across generations, has some value. But the question is, how much?”
In 2011, HMV estimated the worth of its intangible assets, including Nipper and the company name, at £48.7 million ($78 million). It’s far from certain, though, that the company could get that much if the name and logo were auctioned, Gill cautions. The brand, trademarks, and e-commerce business of U.S. electronics chain Circuit City—once a thriving retailer, with $12.6 billion in sales in 2000—sold for only $14 million in 2009. Complicating matters, ownership of the trademark for His Master’s Voice has been divided around the world, potentially reducing its value for anyone bidding on HMV’s remains.
The name His Master’s Voice was coined in 1899 by English artist Francis Barraud for a painting of his brother’s fox terrier, Nipper. The Gramophone Co. of Britain purchased the image for £100 and used it as a banner for its stores, eventually shortening the name to HMV. Gramophone ultimately became part of record label EMI Group, which spun off the HMV shops in 1998.
In the U.S., phonograph maker Victor Talking Machine also used Nipper as a trademark. It then passed to Radio Corporation of America, which bought Victor in 1929. Over the years, the little dog’s visage helped sell American products including LPs and stereo equipment. Today the Nipper image for use on radios belongs to RCA Trademark Management, part of French entertainment company Technicolor (TCH). In Japan, JVC Kenwood, a former subsidiary of RCA Victor, owns the rights to Nipper.
HMV and similarly troubled companies “are still great brands—they just lost their relevance,” says Graham Hales, chief executive officer of the London office of consultant Interbrand, which measures the value of brands based on their past financial results, power to sway consumer buying decisions, and ability to generate future demand. He declined to estimate a value for Nipper.
One way for aging marques to regain relevance is to move online. U.S. home goods retailer Linens ’n Things, which once operated 571 stores, has been selling its wares at lnt.com since emerging from bankruptcy in 2009. Other brands live on by licensing their name to sell items related to their core product. Polaroid, which gained a mass following in the 1970s with cameras that printed photos instantly, came out of bankruptcy in 2009 as a marketing and intellectual-property holding company. PLR IP Holdings bought Polaroid’s assets and now offers the name to makers of cameras, digital frames, and accessories.
Ben Voyer, a marketing professor at ESCP Europe business school, says HMV could thrive in its next incarnation if its new owner focuses on a niche where it has credibility and can attract consumers, such as music festivals or concert halls. “Consumers would be happy to see the brand saved and survive in one form or another,” Voyer says. But extending the brand too far from its origins carries risks. An HMV online music and memorabilia store could work. Nipper bedsheets? That dog, as they say, probably won’t hunt.
The bottom line: The trademark for Nipper the dog, failed retailer HMV’s century-old mascot, is on the block as part of the record chain’s restructuring.
Why It’s Time for a Google Smart Watch - mba news
Google is exploring the idea of making a smart watch, according to a Business Insider source. The unnamed source suggests that Google (GOOG) is researching how to market such a device, and BI notes certain relevant patents Google has that would support such a product. Even with the report, which I’d consider a rumor at this point, now’s the time for a Google smart watch for a number of reasons I can think of. The biggest one? Google already has a smart watch on the market.
I’m talking about the Motorola MotoActv, the part smart watch, part exercise tracker that I bought nearly a year ago. Although Google has kept Motorola as a separate business division since purchasing the company in 2011, whatever Motorola makes is, for all intents and purposes, a Google product. The watch also runs a highly customized version of Android. In fact, it has been one of the most stable Android devices I’ve ever used.
I originally bought the watch to track my running activities, because it’s ideal for that. Inside the watch are various sensors and radios, including Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and an accelerometer. Flash storage of 8 GB or 16 GB adds room for music tracks, which can be heard through wired or wireless headphones. The software also supports my golf habit, tracking my scores and shots and providing detailed distance to the pin or to various golf hazards.
Later I began wearing the watch every day when Motorola added support for the companion Android app for handsets built by other manufacturers. All of a sudden, my exercise tracker started notifying me of incoming messages, mail, tweets, and upcoming calendar events. And it works well. Google could easily advance the device, features, and software, because it has a solid product to start with.
The second reason I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Google smart watch? The company really isn’t yet part of the wearable device market that’s gathering steam. Yes, Google’s Project Glass is an entry here, but at $1,500 for a developer edition, it’s not a consumer device yet. It will take time before these high-tech glasses appear on retail shelves, if they ever do. And even if they do, they’re not likely to be part of the “quantified self” concept. A watch like the MotoActv is, because it captures personal data such as steps taken, calories burned, and more.
That reason alone is a good one for Google to design such a device. The company thrives on gathering and aggregating the world’s data, but it really doesn’t have a good hook on health data. Even if Google could sell a smart watch to just 10 percent of Android device owners, it would have access to quantified self data of more than 50 million individuals a year, based on the 1.5 million Android devices that are activated every day. That’s some big data.
Since Google could easily build off of the existing MotoActv watch, I don’t think it would take too much time or effort to improve the device quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we see a Google smart watch at this year’s Google I/O event, in fact. Time will tell, of course.
Also from GigaOM:
CES 2013 Flash Analysis: Disruptions and Disappointments From Consumer Tech’s Biggest Show (subscription required)
Why a Maturing Apple Freaks Us Out and Why It Shouldn’t
The Perfect Murder: How Facebook Will Kill the Phone as We Know It
Getting an MBA? Should You Bother?
How to Use Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to Borrow E-Books From the Library
Why an online MBA Degree needed ?
Why Should You Get an online MBA Degree
Even thinking about leaving the native place is tough for some. Still, we dream big. However, today we can even think of getting an MBA degree from any of the top 20 business schools of the world. Hasn't the education system been changed completely?According to a recent published report, the demand of getting an MBA degree online from a quality business school has increased. Few universities have started giving students online MBA education through distance learning with a completely different degree name.At What Point in Time One Should Decide to Get an Online MBA?It's important for every aspirant to understand the aim of his/her life. Students would not be able to fulfill their dreams, if they blindly decide to go for an online MBA course through distance learning. While deciding on getting an online Master in Business Administration degree, make sure that you are able to answer the following questions according to your own satisfaction:1. Do you want your career to shape up differently altogether?2. Have you decided to stay in the same career path and domain, in which you were before leaving your last job?
3. Will you be able to compete in this market after getting an online MBA through distance learning?
4. Will the degree assist you in your future growth?
5. Are you still capable in handling the pressure of studies?Answer these questions and make sure that your invested money flows in the right direction.It's important to understand that each and every MBA course is not suitable for all. If anyone is looking for a drastic career change or career enhancement, the job of choosing the right course becomes even more difficult.Are you getting an MBA degree to guarantee your promotion?A mere MBA certificate may not give you everything you want in your career. You need to take informed decision. See some of the experienced people around you and try to answer few questions honestly.1. Do all successful individuals carry an MBA certificate?
2. Why a triumphant person has climbed up the ladder of success?
3. How many times a company rewards a person only because he has an online MBA degree?Careful observation and wise thinking can help an aspirant to take right decision.How to Understand Whether You Are Investing at the Right Place?Investment for the betterment of career is always considered as a wise decision, especially in the long run. Investment, however, has to be done considering all the different aspects. Besides considering the educational expenses, the investor has to calculate the travel and other expenses as well. The feasibility analysis of an investment has to be done both financially and professionally. You should see the path through which you can recover your investment after the completion of the course.Online MBA program through distance learning is mainly helpful for busy professionals as they can continue to earn money while pursuing the course.
An MBA Change Careers
These days, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who stays with one company or even on one job track throughout his or her entire professional life. By some estimates, two-thirds or more of graduating MBA use the degree as a means of switching careers. If you're looking for the fast track to gain the skills and network to launch your career in a new direction, a popular way to do so is through an MBA program.So-called "career switchers" look upon the degree as a way to expand international job opportunities, develop the right connections for future employment, and establish the potential for long-term income and financial stability. In fact, there's even an M.B.A. for Career Change offered by Willamette University's Atkinson Graduate School of Management.Since application season is ramping up, here is some advice for those applying to business school now or in the near future. If your undergraduate degree or work experience falls into the nontraditional category, make sure you clearly convey your long-term career goals within your application and essays, and explain in detail how you arrived at the conclusion that an MBA would help you further your professional aspirations.Business school demands a huge investment of your time, energy, and finances, so make an airtight case to the admissions committee for why you want to go into this new field. Show that you know what the industry requires, the challenges you expect to face, and convey all previous experiences that demonstrate you have the transferable skills to make this switch.Speaking with MBA Podcaster, Regina Resnick, assistant dean and managing director of the Office of MBA Career Services at Columbia Business School, says demonstrating transferable skills depends on whether you're changing industry or function or both."Your work experience should reflect everything that you've done and be complete and accurate, but you may want to put more emphasis on those things that relate most closely to your new job opportunity," she explains. This may mean taking additional classes to bulk up your quantitative skills, or highlighting extracurricular activities that cement the reason for your career shift.Once you're in business school, you have the opportunity to see how you fit in that new industry through coursework, student groups, internships, or networking with alumni. Self reflection and exploration are key components of the M.B.A. experience, giving students a chance to sample various fields and functions without making any firm commitments.Embarking on a new career path with a freshly minted MBA tucked under your arm isn't just about new knowledge acquired in the classroom. It's about leveraging your existing experience with enhanced skills, and even more so, it's about making the most of personal relationships.All of the people, classes, activities, etc. in an MBA program catapult you into a whole new sphere, and you may come out with completely new ideas that help facilitate career change in ways you would not have thought of before. For many, this is the best part and the real opportunity business school provides.
Top Ranked Business Schools in Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and Nanyang Business School (NBS) are the top ranked business schools in Singapore.NUS Business School is recognized as one of the leading centres of business education in the Asia-Pacific region. It offers one of the top ranked Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in the world. The School has been accredited by the prestigious AACSB International and EQUIS, joining the ranks of world-class business schools such as London Business School and Judge Business School.NUS Business School has achieved outstanding rankings for its Executive MBA programs, listed among the world's top 30 in the Financial Times global ranking of the Top 85 Executive MBA programs. The School did extremely well in two of the sub-categories: it was placed in the Top 5 for the categories of 'International Attendees' and 'Top Salaries in IT/ Telecommunications'. In 2008 the NUS MBA program was ranked 9th in Asia and 89th globally by the Economist Intelligence Unit 'Which MBA?' Rankings. It was one of the only two b-schools in Asia to have moved up in league table.NUS MBA program can be studied via full-time or part-time. The full-time program typically takes 17 months to complete while the part-time program can be completed between 24 and 72 months. Students can opt for a general MBA degree or pursue a specialisation in Finance, Marketing, Strategy and Organisation, Real Estate, or Healthcare Management.NBS at Nanyang Technological University is one of the only b-schools in Singapore and the third in Asia to achieve both the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) and EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) accreditations. The Bachelor of Accountancy is also recognized as a professional accounting qualification in the nation by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority. It is also accredited by the professional accountancy bodies in the UK and Australia such as the ACCA, CIMA, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, CPA Australia, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.NBS offers one of the world best MBA programs. According to the Financial Times survey 2007, its MBA program is ranked top in Singapore and No. 2 in Asia. In a separate annual ranking by The Economist, NBS MBA is ranked 69th on the list of world's top 100 MBA programs. The School achieved strong ratings for education experience and opening of new career opportunities.
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