TREND REPORTS
(M&A) Consolidation in Consumer Packaged Goods
[Investing]
2017/02/19 10:06
How supersized deals are helping the sector respond to challenges.Cigarette sales in the U.S. are shrinking annually, and in 2014, Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) sought a merger that could bolster its cigarette business, reduce costs through simplified operations and increased scale, and enhance shareholder value. RAI found a potential mate in Lorillard, a rival with its own stable of popular cig...
(Video) Tiny Magnetic Implant Offers New Drug Delivery Method
[Tech]
2017/02/19 10:05
University of British Columbia researchers have developed a magnetic drug implant—the first of its kind in Canada—that could offer an alternative for patients struggling with numerous pills or intravenous injections.The device, a silicone sponge with magnetic carbonyl iron particles wrapped in a round polymer layer, measures just six millimetres in diameter. The drug is injected into the devi...
Stefano Boeri to Construct Asia's First Vertical Forest Tower in China
[Design]
2017/02/19 10:03
After his greenery-filled ‘bosco verticale’ residential towers were completed in milan in 2014, stefano boeri has now announced that a similar design will be developed on the other side of the world — in china. backed by nanjing yang zi state-owned national investment group co.ltd, the ‘nanjing vertical forest’ will be the first of its kind in asia. stefano boeri’s proposal will see the c...
(PDF) Deloitte - Global Powers of Retailing 2017 Report
[Business]
2017/02/16 10:40
This year's report focuses on the theme of "The art and science of customers," and considers the impact that living in the customer-driven economy is having on the shopping experience and retail industry business strategies. The 20th annual Global Powers of Retailing identifies the 250 largest retailers around the world based on publicly available data for FY2015 (encompassing companies' fiscal...
McDonald's Just Innovated The Hell Out Of Straws
[Design]
2017/02/16 10:39
Forget everything you know about frozen treats, technology, and the future itself. It arrives in a glossy black box, its sensual shape traced in shadow. My fingers grasp at the perfectly positioned pull-tab and slide the box open. There it sits, the product of the creative minds that helped birth Google’s Project Ara modular smartphone and projects for NASA and DARPA.It is a straw. Apologies—...
CB Insights - The Global Fintech Report Full Year 2016
[Investing]
2017/02/16 10:39
A comprehensive, data-driven look at global financial technology investment trends, top deals, active investors, and corporate activity.1. VC-Backed Fintech Companies Raise $12.7B Across 836 Deals In 2016Global investment to venture-backed fintech companies retreated from 2015’s high. On a year-over-year basis, funding to VC-backed fintech companies fell 13%. Deals dropped 1%.2. 22 Fintech Uni...
Starbucks Is About to Start Serving Ice Cream
[Business]
2017/02/16 10:39
Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. Regular coffee just isn't enough. That seems to be the dominant thought at Starbucks.Over the last days and months, the company's been experimenting with all sorts of things. The very fancy, trodden-by-the-angelic-feet-of-goats-in-heaven $10 coffee, for example. And now there's something new...
Counterfeit Goods Are a $460 Billion Industry, and Most Are Bought and Sold Online
[Business]
2017/02/16 10:39
Consumers spend $460 billion on counterfeit goods every year. Footwear, electronics and eyeglasses top the knocked-off product listAccording to the International Trademark Association, $460 billion worth of counterfeit goods were bought and sold last year. Not surprisingly, much of it happened online. “The internet makes it easy to hide,” said INTA anti-counterfeiting coordinator Tiffany Pho....
(Video) Windshield-Wiping Tech Gets Proactive - Semcon's ProActive Wipers
[Tech]
2017/02/16 10:38
AW is claimed to clear the windshield an important split-second sooner than a rain sensor does on its own.When you're driving on a rainy highway, the sudden windshield-covering splashes created by passing transport trucks can be pretty unnerving. You can of course quickly flip your wipers up to High – your car's rain sensor may even do it for you – but Sweden's Semcon has developed a system t...
