Wall Street Journal (January 21)
Carl Icahn the largest investor in Xerox has formed an alliance with billionaire Darwin Deason, the third largest investor, “to encourage the printer and copier giant to explore a potential sale…. The fact that they are working together and own such a big stake is sure to ratchet up the pressure on a company that is grappling with slumping demand as the world becomes more digital—and is already considering a major transaction.” Due to its “strategic importance,” the Fuji Xerox joint venture “would likely be at the center of any review.”
Tags: Alliance, Deason, Demand, Digital, Fuji Xerox, Icahn, Investor, JV, Sale, Strategic, Transaction, Xerox
U.S News (October 25)
The Islamic State has proved remarkably hard to stamp out, partly due to its media agility. “The rise of the Islamic State group resembled a digital media start-up, using the same strategies that social media sites like Buzzfeed, Vox or Upworthy have employed…. Their content is relevant, acculturated, localized and focused: an audience-first approach that perfectly matches our 21st century media culture.” The Obama administration also “embraces digital technology,” but in stark contrast “finds itself in the role of a traditional company being disrupted by an agile digital media start-up.”
Tags: Buzzfeed, Digital, Focused, Islamic State, Localized, Relevant, Social media, Start-up, Upworthy, Vox
Washington Post (December 11)
“To get a taste for the havoc possible in today’s digital world, consider the recent cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment.” The massive 100 terabytes of stolen data has revealed “embarrassing details about executive salaries and secret movie negotiations—but the hack is also a worrisome moment in cybersecurity…. It is now a fact that many of the world’s most powerful nations are building cyberforces, either directly or with mercenary proxies. This is creating a cyberspace with plenty of risks.”
Tags: Cyberattack, Cyberforces, Cybersecurity, Digital, Embarrassing, Executives, Havoc, Mercenaries, Movies, Negotiations, Risks, Salaries, Sony, Stolen data
WARC (June 5)
“Digital advertising expenditure is set to grow across Asia in the next five years but most spectacularly in China where it will account for over half of all advertising by 2018,” as it grows from 40% of ad spend in 2013 to 55% in 2018. Other big gains are expected in South Korea (from 35% to 46%), Australia (30% to 43%) and New Zealand (19% to 28%).
Tags: Ad spend, Advertising, Asia, Australia, China, Digital, New Zealand, South Korea
Chicago Tribune (February 18, 2014)
“Automakers have outfitted their vehicles with cutting-edge technology that goes way beyond the now-common mapping and music options. New cars these days act like smartphones on wheels.” While some new features improve safety, others create dangerous distraction. “Like so much of the digital world, car-borne technology is changing fast. Government watchdogs and corporate innovators should work together to accelerate progress, while keeping motorists safe.”
Tags: Automakers, Cars, Digital, Distraction, Government, Mapping, Motorists, Music, Progress, Safety, Smartphones, Technology, Vehicles, Watchdogs
Wall Street Journal (June 24)
“For a country with a reputation of being a technology forerunner, Japan holds on dearly to all things tangible. Four of the world’s five biggest newspapers are Japanese. Faxes remain a staple of business communication. And the compact disc is alive and well.”
Tags: Communication, Compact disc, Digital, Faxes, Japan, Newspapers, Print
The Economist (September 10)
“More quickly than almost anyone predicted, e-books are emerging as a serious alternative to the paper kind.” This may be better for readers than publishers, who must now overcome hurdles similar to those that have challenged the music and film industries.
New York Times (September 5)
The United States Postal Service (USPS) stands on the verge of bankruptcy. Volume has been shrinking in the digital age and the USPS deficit is expected to reach $9.2 billion by the end of the current fiscal year. The postmaster general, Patrick R. Donahoe, is seeking Congressional approval of his plan for “eliminating Saturday mail delivery, closing up to 3,700 postal locations and laying off 120,000 workers.” Without drastic measures, the USPS will default on pension payments this month and “sometime early next year… run out of money to pay its employees and gas up its trucks… forcing it to stop delivering the roughly three billion pieces of mail it handles weekly.”
