Industry Leaders Magazine Q2 2016 by The Fastest Media

June 2016

www.industryleadersmagazine.com

by Anna Domanska

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History shows businesses that don’t take advantage of the growing prevalence and constancy of trends end up on the path of complacency. The future won’t build itself, and that is the harsh reality. Today, businesses are observing that the capabilities of cloud computing continue to expand exponentially. A global survey of nearly 1,500 businesses and technology leaders noted that the majority - 85% - said their organizations will be using “cloud tools moderately to extensively over the next three years”. Topping the list of accelerants is supply chain management. Supply chains faces a range of challenges. Detailed knowledge of supply chain operations is held locally, creating departments - organizational, functional and cultural and these undermine effective collaboration between various components of the supply chain, increasing the probability of problems emerging at a later stage, and limiting options for quick response. With the help of a cloud-based supply chain system, businesses can save funds and gain a competitive advantage by fostering interconnected business processes; streamlining the complete enterprise instead of individual functions; and driving better ways for collaboration and innovation. The logistics industry is increasingly exploiting cloud solutions for specific process such as back-office support, network collaboration, and transport and logistics management across the globe. Successful adoption of this change will empower future innovation in the SCM application, from powerful analytics to product lifecycle management. While many challenges remain, it is clear that this new approach is becoming inevitable. How is your company adapting for the future of business? Happy Reading!

Anna Domanska Editor-in-Chief, Industry Leaders Magazine Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 003

The Team EDITORIAL Anna Domanska, Editor-in-Chief Christy Gren, Sub-Editor Riana Petanjek, Sub-Editor Priyansha Mistry, Sub-Editor Aubrey Chang, Associate Editor

PROJECT MANAGEMENT Tony Raval, Project Director Jay Raol, Project Director

MARKETING Jason Miller, Sr. Project Director

FINANCE CONTROL R R Baratiya

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TECHNOLOGY John Hancock, Head-Web Department Le Manh Coung, Sr Sofrware Coordinator Julia Hunt, Magazine Production

DESIGN Kevin Paul, Sr. Graphic Designer

ADVERTISING Richard Dean, Advertising Manager

Content Features 10

42 Power Players Phebe Novakonic is General Dynamics’ Secret Weapon

Latest in Business

Warning Mounts on America’s Corporate Debt Problem

Cover Story

Supply Chain Goes to the Cloud

62 Green Revolution The World’s Greenest Skyscrapers

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Swish

YouTube - A Stairway To Stardom

New Ventures

Crowdsourcing wants to pool your insurance!

106

Big Ticket Tymen: Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oil Capital

84 Big Events, Bigger Gains

Google I/O 2016: A Smorgasbord For Tech Geeks

Imminent Trends

Better, Faster, Smarter: The Future of Customer Service

Event & Tradeshows

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Warning Mounts on America’s Corporate Debt Problem The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is particularly true for Corporate America. It’s a stark reminder that corporate income inequality has grown over the years, as America’s corporate debt problem is starting to seriously inhibit businesses. While the total amount of cash and other investments held by non-financial companies rose 1% last year to $1.84 trillion, total debt grew roughly 15% to $6.6 trillion -

a figure that is rapidly growing, according to new research from S&P Global Ratings. Both the amounts, highlight a disparity in the cash positions of more than 2,000 non-financial companies. “The punchline is that the liquidity profile is not as good as it seems,” said Andrew Chang, a credit analyst at S&P Global Ratings and co-author of the study.

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The top 25 money holders, or around 1% of the companies, control more than half of the total money, or 51%. That is an increase from 38% five years ago. At the same time, the bottom 99% are taking on corporate debt, causing their ratio of cash-to-debt to descend, to the lowest level of the past decade - including the 2008 Great Recession. Such companies, a majority of them are global, from technology and drug sectors, like Apple, Cisco, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Oracle, keep adding to their cash balances.

Leaving aside the wealthy 1%, the overall corporate outlook turns out to be less ruddy. Corporate debt rose $730 billion for the remaining 99% last year while cash declined by $40 billion. Combined, these companies hold just $900 billion in cash and $6 trillion out debt. That puts their money to debt ratio at 15%, the lowest it’s been in the last ten years.

On the whole, the study shows the top 25 cash holders have a cash-to-debt ratio of 153% and cash increased by 8% out 2015. Here, the riches of the handful of top U.S companies is hiding a major liquidity problem.

For example, companies like Apple will keep on issuing debt in the U.S. as an alternative to repatriating the billions in cash it holds abroad. In 2015, it issued $24 billion in new debt to support its share repurchases. Between January and April this year, it issued $16 billion in additional debt and is likely to access the credit market, given its recently expanded shareholder return program.

“Unlike the bottom 99%, these companies’ cash position was already strong before the Great Recession, but it has mushroomed since,” the report said.

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As companies become global, they generate a large pool of their cash flow abroad. This leaves it to be contingent to taxes as high as 35% upon returning to their own country.

Image: Apple Store, Third Street Promenade Santa Monica, US

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Google I/O 2016: 5 Things We Absolutely Loved! Developers and press gathered today at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, for the immersive, three-day experience, Google I/O 2016. The company debuted a bunch of new products including the Amazon Echo competitor, Google Home; two instant messaging apps, Allo and Duo; Google’s latest OS, Android N; Android-powered mobile VR platform Daydream, and many more really cool announcements. We synthesized the chaos into the 5 things we absolutely loved from Google I/O 2016.

Google Home vs. Amazon Echo Google Home is a pear-shaped speaker that you can converse with using natural language. Google’s answer to Amazon Echo, and the myriad of personal assistant technologies out there. Mario Queiroz, VP of product management, says the Home will be better at most of those things than the Echo. It’ll answer your questions, check the weather, play your music, book your date in the calendar, and control some of your home automation gadgets such as thermostats and lights.

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ANDROID N - Nutella or Nori? Android N, Google’s latest OS is slated for a late summer release. Its features include split-screen support, direct reply notifications and bundled notifications, and the highly anticipated Projects Doze and Svelte. We know everything about Android’s next version, except the name. Apparently, Google is leaving to users to offer their saccharine-flavored suggestions for Android N’s official name.

ALLO & DUO Encrypts Conversations end-to-end Google’s latest messaging app, Allo is powered by AI bot Google Assistant and Google’s Knowledge Graph to make conversations smarter. It is decked with cutesy features such as easy to use volume button to make fonts bigger, image recognition, Smart Reply (where Allo practically does the messaging for you), “incognito” mode, which end-to-end encrypts your messages. Allo and Duo are slated for a summer release. Until then, pre-registration pages for both apps are live on the Play Store.

ge: Google I/O 2016 in Mountain View, CA

Other major announcements by the numbers: Google I/O 2016 Live streaming of the event was available to 90 countries. Google says it has sold 17 million Chromecasts. Google Photos now has 200 million active users every month. Android Auto is now used by 35 brands including Ford, GM, and Audi. Android Pay is now used by major banks, mobile operators, and retailers, with over 70,000 NFC by the launch. In a new Android N feature called Daze, your device could last in standby by 2x.

Google Instant Apps Google Instant Apps is a new Android feature that wants to bridge the gap between mobile apps and web apps by allowing users to use native apps instantly, without having previously installed them, by simply tapping on a URL. Normally, downloading and installing an app would take more time. With Google Instant Apps, users can have an instant version of any app within seconds - one doesn’t need to download the app or even log in.

There are over 4,000 different Android Wear apps, and a selection of over 1,500 watch faces. Google Cardboard is now used by 1 million people’s, and boasts over 500 apps. Google has delivered over 2 billion app downloads to developers.

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Australia Becomes the Latest Hub for Air Far The ever-growing issue of air pollution across the earth has given birth to a bizarre new form of industry, Air Farming. In this type of farming, fresh bottled air is sold at a premium to consumers. The idea of purchasing crisp, fresh, and country air in a packed can has proven to be widely accepted in heavily-polluted places like Shanghai and Beijing. In fact, individuals are so concerned that they’ve been paying $160 or more for a single can of fresh air. First the UK, Canada, and now Australia is jumping into the business of what may look like the most ingenious idea of moneymaking since the introduction of bottled mineral water. Now, two entrepreneurs Theo Ruygrok and John Dickinson have set up a business of air farming, which involves the selling of fresh air packed in cans from Australia to China. The ‘Bottle of Air’ comes in different flavors from various areas in Australia. The locations include the Gold Coast, Tasmania, the Blue Mountains, and Bondi Beach. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 016

These two entrepreneurs compress the air in a disposable can using air farming technology. Each can of air is claimed to hold 130 deep breaths. All you have to do is simply use the face mask carved out of plastic to breathe fresh, normal air. After packing the air in the cans, the air is sold for no more than AUS $20 each. And the list of air flavors does not end here; you can easily get a can of fresh New Zealand air. Similar to culture, ethics, soil, and languages, the style of air too varies from location to location. For instance, the beach air would taste of sea breeze while the air in the mountain is the result of Eucalyptus trees. This weird industry usually targets the heavily polluted areas. The debut of such business in the market also serves as a major threat to us. It’s effortlessly displaying where global warming is leading us and what our possible future is going to look like if we do not show some serious concern towards the pollution check.

rming

Image: Air-filled Jar

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Is Apple Innovation A Thing of The Past? Innovating around the same things is not really innovating. When a technology company starts losing its momentum, it is either forced to buy its future (think: Hewlett Packard) rather than build it organically. Many wonder if Apple Inc. is in the beginning of its apogee, a point where a company starts losing ground due to lack of innovation. Is Apple Losing Momentum Due To Lack Of Innovation? In an interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer (former hedge-fund manager and TV personality), Cook noted a disconnect between the popularity of Apple products and stories in the media that claim “Apple is dead’’. “To put that in perspective, the $10 billion is more than any other company makes. So it was a pretty good quarter, but not up to the street’s expectations, clearly,” Cook said. Cook further added that broader macroeconomic concerns were at play behind the fall. An increasingly large number of users are upgrading at a lower Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 018

rate than they did a year ago. Moreover, the upgrade two years ago was abnormally higher. This combination - declined upgrades, currency rates and macroeconomic issues made things far from rosy for Apple. Three years ago, when Steve Jobs’ successor Tim Cook sat on the throne, pundits wondered if he’d be able to steer the company back into its creative force. Come 2016, and Apple is close to being usurped as the world’s biggest company by none other than Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company. New products like the Apple Watch and Apple Car surely intrigue investors and early adopters, it’s going to make little to no difference to the precipitous drop in its sales. In other words, iPhone sales in the next quarter will have to be a record high for Apple to come out of deep waters. Consumers are switching from iOS to Android at an unprecedented rate. The reason why iPhone sales keep falling is because consumers have no good incentive to

Image: Apple cofounder and former CEO Steve Jobs at WWDC 2007 in San Francisco

upgrade. The latest iPhone sure has some very broad changes, better features like Apple Pay contactless payments and aesthetics, and yet it is seen as less of a revolution. It looks vaguely similar to previous renditions from the product line, and the upgrades are relatively minor. This is anything but disastrous for the iPhone maker. The rumor is that the next iPhone will debut

with astronomical changes rather than fewer upgrades. Those who are holding off the upgrades at the time may flock to buy the new one at some point. These are still rumors we are talking about. The question is, will Apple always be known as the iPhone maker? In an industry built on the notion of “disruption,” will Apple truly innovate again?

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What do we learn from Uberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest Faux Pas? Brand advertising has the potential to manipulate individuals into buying the products, which they might consider avoiding otherwise. This is the reason why government bodies and lawmakers across the world introduce regulation to keep misleading, deceptive, and false advertising in check. Consumers have the right to know about the service they are using or product they are buying. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is currently tackling hundreds of classaction lawsuits filed against his company around the world. After today, he can, at least, strike one off the day-to-day increasing list. In 2014, the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles sued the ridesharing giant over the procedures of background checking. Finally, Uber has managed to settle the case out of the court for up to $25M i.e. $15M legally and in hand $10M in the time span of 60 days. The settlement, which has been approved by a judge of San Francisco, has alterations to a few Uber policies and monetary policies. Also, the ride-sharing service is confined to functioning at airports. If by any chance Uber Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 020

Image: Kalanick speaking at DLD 2015 in Munich, Germa

any

fails to stick to these alterations for at least two years, the company will have to pay another $15M. Uber has assured not to use ‘language’ it has been using so far, and it swears to confine its services to the airports in California where it’s permitted to offer rides. The ridesharing giant used to function at airports without any explicit approval to do so. It also charged $4 as toll fee for the airport. Moving further, the company assures it will continue to ensure that fare calculation in the app based on data provided by GPS remains fair. It will do so by the help of the Division of Measurement Standards. Deceptive advertising is illegal in most countries. However, marketers still manage to find methods to deceive customers in ways, which are legal, or illegal technically, but unenforceable. For brand advertisers, this ‘loop hole’ may work most of the time, but not every time. Uber is a company with a valuation of $60 billion, which is not an easy job. So we’re sure that $10M or $25M won’t make any difference to Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. But, we’re hoping that Uber finally learns a lesson after settling this deal and works towards polishing its legally tarnished brand image. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 021

Ed Welburn Retires, Wel New GM VP of Design Michael Simcoe Ed Welburn, General Motors Co. design chief, and easily one of the most prominent car designers of our era, is retiring after 44 years with the company. He recently announced that he will retire July 1st, with Michael Simcoe, a 33-year old veteran who currently leads GM’s International Design Center, will take over and begin the transition soon. A GM lifer, Welburn started at the company in 1972 after graduating from Howard University; and elevated through the ranks to head up GM Design globally in 2005. His departure is a significant one because he was solely responsible for the overhaul of brands like Buick and Cadillac, and bringing back sporty cars like the Camaro, leading a styling Renaissance as the company emerged from its 2009 bankruptcy. In his early days, he designed some of the most iconic performance cars such as the Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 022

Camaro, Cadillac Ciel, Corvette, the Buick Avista and many others. He also streamlined the 1987 Oldsmobile Aerotech concept with the world-speed record. Although Ed Welburn officially retires on July 1st, GM says that he will be working with the architect of its new Design Center facility on the campus of the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. He will also be working with the Smithsonian on an Edward T. Wellburn Collection of pieces documenting his career that will debut at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture building at the end of this year. Ed Welburn’s successor, Simcoe, started in GM’s Australian Holden Unit and has worked on the Camaro, CTS, and more recently, the Buick Avenir concept that won the best concept car at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.

lcomes

Image: GM design boss Ed Welburn and the Buick Avista concept

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Tech Startups Get a Reality-Check as Chill Settles Over US Stock Market A report released by research firm Dealogic noted that there was no tech IPO icebreakers in the first quarter of 2016 on U.S. exchanges. The last time this happened was in the first quarter of 2009, following the collapse of Lehman Brothers as the Great Recession hit the American economy. It’s a relief, now that America is recovering from the recession, however, the factors by the overall volatility of the US stock market and public/private valuation discrepancies are troublesome for some startups. Moreover, shares of many tech mammoths, including Google, Facebook, Amazon and others, took an unexpected plunge in early February before making a noteworthy comeback in the remaining quarter. Currently, more than 20 tech startups have filed to go public, only to wait for the markets to improve, or to stabilize, so they can raise decent capital. If market conditions don’t improve soon, then some of these cash-trapped companies are likely to forgo IPO ambitions and pursue different means for financial growth. While, once freewheeling tech startups, whose investors are now demanding a fat-check in return, will have no other choice but to prepare for an (involuntary) acquisition. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 024

Given that some of the biggest names in the technology sector are hit by the slump in the US stock market, it’s highly unlikely that these tech companies will be acquired. Two years ago, the stock market scene in the tech sector was quite different. In the second quarter of 2014, more than 20 tech companies debuted at deal values exceeding $8 billion. Another 10 tech companies went public the

following quarter, including Alibaba, which set a record-breaking $25 billion IPO. Tech startups began steering of IPOs in 2015, even as a large number of them continued to raise a hefty sum at overzealous valuations concocted by private investors. Presently, more than 140 tech companies have billion dollar valuations, of which 90 are based in the U.S. Uber is the most noteworthy name, with its $62.5 billion valuation followed by Xiaomi at $46 billion, and Airbnb at $25.5 billion. These 22 technology

companies represent a diverse range of technologies from nanotechnology to cleantech to biotech. Some of these companies were seeking to raise more than $1.5 billion based on their disclosed offer amounts. Lately, financing in Silicon Valley seems to have taken a backseat. Startup funding in the fourth quarter of 2015 fell by 30% to $27.7 billion. Meanwhile, a lot of tech companies are cutting overgenerous perks, laying off employees, and even reassessing their business models. Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 025

On-Demand Coffee Delivery is Silicon Valley’s New Trend

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This morning, the coffee arrived with a text message from a guy named Scott, who works for the on-demand coffee delivery service for a mere fee of $3. He might have gone to the Starbucks at 8:00 am, got me a Caramel Macchiato, and left it outside my door, without waking me up. Scott was really like a Santa, or like a really good boyfriend. Before I reached the door, after getting the text, Scott - who works for Fetch Coffee, a D.C.-based on-demand coffee delivery service - was nowhere to be seen! He left a thermos, with my caffeine fix, which to my surprise was still hot inside, as promised. After having my morning jolt, I just left the mysterious thermos by the door, as they said in the note, so that they can fetch it later. This experience was somewhat creepy, but it was really convenient. (As long as you want your coffee from Starbucks, and you want it before 10 a.m.) Postmates is another delivery service that makes ordering a coffee as easy as it gets. All you need to do is open the app, select

your store from Starbucks, Urth Caffe, Philz, Groundwork Coffee, Milk, Demitasse and much more on the list. Place your order ondemand for flat $2 and then sit back and wait for few minutes. The giants such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are also entering the coffee delivery market, even when it is a lot more complicated. In 2015, Starbucks came up with its Green Apron Delivery as well as joined hands with the delivery service Postmates for the coffee-lovers in Seattle, by ordering through Starbucks app. While Dunkin’ teamed up with DoorDash, a food delivery startup, to join the race of ondemand coffee delivery. Of course, delivery isn’t a new thing. For decades, we’ve opened our doors for flowers, newspapers, Chinese food, pizza, and singing telegrams. But with coffee, temperature and time are two major constraints, as coffee-lovers are very specific about the how hot their coffee is and how good it tastes. Also, you may have to pay 40% more, just for the convenience that you get.

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The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greenest Skyscrapers Our building skins should be more similar to human skin, and by doing so can be much more dynamic and responsive.

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The Art of Architecture Inspired by Biology “Merely by focusing on the effort of transforming mechanical systems into a more efficient prospect, we cannot do netzero energy,” says Doris Kim Sung, biologist-turned-architect who sports a pixie cut with a radiant smile to match, and prefers dressing up head to toe, where the color black dominates from her scarf to her Chanel boots. You could either start with creating better sensors to construct a smart building. Or you could take a hint from Sung, who drew from a scientific background to create more eco-friendly and a smarter alternative. The choice is yours. The alternative hangs around extravagant, dynamic, and breathable exteriors of a building, which can efficiently regulate the building’s temperature. The regulation, though, takes place in a way how human skin regulates the temperature of the body - requiring no controls or switches and consuming zero net energy. Further, Kim Sung, principal of dO|Su Studio Architecture and University of Southern California’s assistant professor, continues, “What I propose is that our building skins should be more similar to human skin, and by Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 030

doing so can be much more dynamic and responsive.” The biologist-turned-architect thinks buildings are quite lame. And, adding more to the misery, she feels they’ve only gotten lamest over the years. Buildings in previous times had insulating, thick walls with small windows, which restrained the heat passing between the exterior and interior, maintaining a convenient temperature. But the remarkable invention in the 1930s - plate glass, allowed massive floorto-ceiling windows that eventually lead to a hefty reliance on giant, energy-guzzling heating, and airconditioning systems. So moving against the traditional concept, Sung constructs windows, walls, and building components with metals, which curl when heated, or thermobimetals. These materials have never been used in architecture before. Kim Sung has so far designed a thermobimetals sunshade, a window panel having an inner layer made of thermobimetals, which responds to sunlight, and walls having vents made of thermobimetals. These components are indeed inspired by the breathing system of a grasshopper.

Image: Doris Kim Sung

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Breathable Facade: Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; re There While the glass use in skyscrapers has proliferated, modern skyscrapers are closed off from the surrounding environment in a much-closed manner. Since its inception, the usage of artificially and closed, controlled interior environments have caused massive strains on the resources of the planet. They have made the buildings experientially homogenous, and not forgetting the sickness caused i.e. overreliance on the system of air-conditioning. Modern humans learn, play, work, and live in towers with exteriors that resemble wallpaper. The occupants feel no heat on a hot summer

Image: Dancing Dragons Tower

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day, nor do they feel any cold despite it’s snowing outside. Sure, comfort is necessary, but such craziness for comfort has driven more and more technology of advanced a i r- c ond i t ion i ng constructing building, which no longer opens up to the seasonal changes of nature. No matter what the environment is outside, the interiors remain the same throughout the year. One of the most fundamental and ancient notions of architecture is the “breathable skin”. The practice of allowing natural, fresh air to flow through a building is very old. It dates back to the ancient Egypt’s wind catchers and similar structures located in the Middle East. Technological advancements, rapidly increasing building heights, and growing environmental awareness of the society has spurred exciting, fresh developments in the construction and design of sustainable architecture that actually breathes.

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Image: Greenland Suz

Enveloping Strategies for Humans- We’ re mortals after all We need air, fresh to be precise. Surely, we won’t be getting any if we continue to stay jampacked inside our fully air-conditioned office buildings or homes. Now is the time when we need something natural, pure, and fresh. Enter the building skin that can breathe. You know, the sustainable architecture surrounding the breathing façade features various envelope strategies for buildings - the externally ventilated double wall, the internally ventilated double wall, and the naturally ventilated atrium enclosure.

Greenland Suzhou Center It’s an excellent example of naturally ventilated atrium enclosure. The 358-meter sky-high skyscraper in China’s Wujiang has used digital aerodynamic modeling for its design. The 42-story central atrium with windows acts like ‘lung’ for the skyscraper. The windows are operable and the construction is designed with a sole focus to fetch the advantage of prevailing winds.

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zhou Center

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Pearl River Tower The Pearl River Tower displays the brilliance of internally ventilated double walls. The curtain wall comprises of two glass layers that are separated by a specific ventilated cavity. The automated interior blinds enhance daylighting along with controlling solar heat. The breathable envelope of tower greatly boosts energy performance, enhances occupant comfort, and improves indoor air quality. Image: Pearl River Tower

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Kingtown International Center (formerly Jinao Tower) Sustainability concerns in China inspired the architecture of this exemplary Nanjing, China-based skyscraper promoting externally ventilated double wall. The faceted form of the tower, which resembles a traditional Chinese lantern, is an evolution of incorporating mechanical, structural, and architectural systems. The curtain wall comprising of double skin helps reduce mechanical cooling by almost 20 percent. The benefits of this sophisticated envelope include enhanced HVAC performance, increased convenience for occupants, and lower operational charges.

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Wonderful and Whacky Breathable Sky-High Giants Macau’s ‘Armored Block’, Morocco’s ‘Old-Fashioned Pen’, and Dubai’s billiondollar ‘Coconut’ are a few wonderful yet wacky examples of architectural constructions on the rise. Also, this is not the end as there are plenty more in the line. Let’s unwind the mysteries behind the marvel of sustainable architecture, the one with breathable skin.

‘Urban Tent’ Breathable Skyscrapers The skyscraper seeks to transform the static typology by reutilization of the traditional tent concept. How? This is be done by using the breathable skin, which adapts multiple environmental settings efficiently without resorting to the system of air-conditioning. Urban Tent Skyscraper’s design is conceived as resembling human skin with a porous fabric membrane on the building’s exterior. It’s more like epidermis. Consequently, the occupants can prefer to be in various temperatures and comfort that also creates an opportunity for co-existence of various plants and trees. Individuals can enjoy the winter by feeling warm inside the warmer interiors of fabric rooms. The exterior Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 038

and interior fabric function together in a manner, which creates various environmental conditions and microclimates on the interior of the building such that the tough external environment is automatically filtered into the space of the building in various amounts. In a site like Seoul, The Urban Tent is visualized to work quite well. The capital city of South Korea is known to have four extreme conditions, warm springs, chilly autumns, hot summers, and freezingcold winters respectively. So to adapt to such radical changes, the skyscraper is capable of closing and opening like the mechanism of a traditional tent, to change not only the tower’s macro-climate, but also micro-climates. The inner and out fabric walls of the tower can open up in summer so that the process of natural ventilation can take place. Depending on the level of floor requirements, the interior rooms can be opened or closed during autumn and spring. Similarly, in the same mechanism, the fabric of the tower is fully closed in winter with an additional solution of ice-capturing in order to boost the insulation capacity. The architecture is a fresh spatial experience of evanescent beauty. Like nature, one could say. It warps with the

Image: Urban Tent

wind, captures shadows, and changes with sunlight. This kind of design, as we imagine, will offer various types of experiences and activity to occur in the

routine life of the residence as individuals are moving closer to Mother Nature. Even in Urban lifestyle. Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 039

Buildings Might Receive a Bigger IQ Boost Doris Kim Sung is one among the architects’ cadre who have started a paradigm shift from traditional, static buildings to modern, smart ones. These are the buildings, which respond to external and internal environments. In the race to architectural sustainability, Sung is the only one. Morphosis Architects based in New York, for instance, has designed homes for occupants in flood zones such as New Orleans, which rise in response to elevating water levels. With air-conditioning and heating amounting up to half of energy usage of home, we need to make a wise decision – and so do our homes. Temperature regulation is merely the start. “If we’re really smart, we’ll design building skin to sweat, to have goosebumps, to be waterproof,” Sung concludes. “It’s a different way to see architecture. We’re on the cusp of something new.” Maybe this element of architecture should become the next project of Alphabet’s Nest Labs. It’ll be highly profitable in future. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 040

Image: Open Floor Plan

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Phebe Novakonic is General Dynamicsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Secret Weapon At age 17, Phebe Novakovic knew she was bound for the defense world. Now 57 years old, she is a wife, a mother, a former CIA operative, and the CEO of a $30 billion dollar company. She is a woman in an industry dominated by men. Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 042

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Image: Phebe Novakovic, Chairman and Chief executive officer of General Dynamics Corporation Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 044

Worth at least $20 million, she is unlike any other executive you have even seen. Most CEOs of Novakovic’s stature tend to travel with a massive entourage, she tends to bring not more than two or three executives to meetings. Her counterparts may shout from the rooftops about their experience, she wears it like a talisman, showing it only when it’s necessary. While most people running billion dollar companies are gregarious, outgoing types, the kind of person who may have been a politician if not an executive, Novakovic is not that type. People who know her say she is notoriously elusive and media-shy, just like General Dynamics. Powerful, rich, and brilliant, Novakovic is a role model for millions of women. Unlike other executives, she resists calling her a feminist. Novakovic started off at General Dynamics spectacularly well, while she was being groomed by Nicholas Chabraja for the top job. In 2009, when Jay Johnson became the CEO, he was already a board member and former Chief of Naval Operation, while Novakovic was the head of marine systems, which builds submarines and ships. Chabraja was a tough act to follow. After all, he was the

man who made the Gulfstream acquisition in 1995 for $5 billion. In an effort to proliferate into faster market, Johnson spend nearly $1 billion in 2011 to buy Vangent, a healthcare IT provider. In 2012, he spent an undisclosed amount to buy a civilian cybersecurity company and a maker of wireless network equipment. The same year, GD announced that Johnson would step down by the end of the year, and Phebe Novakonic would succeed him. She became one of the most powerful people at one of the world’s most powerful companies. Her father, was Serbian immigrant, who came to the U.S at age 17 with only $50 in pocked. He knew six languages, but not English, he served in military intelligence as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Her father was a big factor in her decision to work with the government, and later at one of the biggest defense vendors in the world. “The opportunities that this country afforded him were really inculcated to me at an early age and so I really believe in serving the nation,” she said during a rare interview with David Rubenstein, cofounder and co-CEO of The Carlyle Group.

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Three years into her tenure as CEO, and she has restored the faith of the Wall Street, after the company’s profits made a dramatic plunge under her predecessor. Since the beginning of 2015, General Dynamics’ stock has skyrocketed past its competitors. Last year’s overall

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earnings were $2.5 billion, just shy of the company’s record $2.6 billion in 2010. Some say she purely benefited from good timings. The economy has recovered, reinforcing demand for jets. GD was able to secure lucrative defense projects

- a $10 billion to $ 13 billion contract to sell armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia. Recently, its marine division was awarded a $17.6 billion, 10 year contract to build 10 Virginia-class submarines for the US navy.

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The question remains, can a disciplined CIA operative excel at finding a new mission? Novakovic is now aiming to secure GD a $100 billion program to build 12 Ohio-class nuclear-missile submarines. Some believe, the project is costly and could devour up the Navy’s acquisition budget unless the Congress is happy to loosen its pockets. How will General Dynamics find growth? Such questions have propagated since the Lockheed Martin announced plans to acquire Sikirsky Aircraft for $9 billion. The purchase is expected to increase and diversify revenues and give access to foreign markets. Will Novakovic break her promise and pursue acquisitions? She will help General Dyanmics stretch out of its comfort zone by venturing out from decadeslong defense-contracting

cycles? True to her past, Novakovic is an enigma. Just because she doesn’t speak to the press or make too many public appearances doesn’t mean she’s lacking in wit or charm. During her most recent earnings call, she came across as confident. Surely, she showed military bluntness by calling rumors of weakening jet sales as “rumor intelligence, or RUMINT.” Her military bluntness works to her advantage. She knows what her expectations are, and has a high standard for performance. When you deliver she takes care of you, and when you don’t she lets you know. “She had an enormous amount of authority in the contracting world,” says Nicholas Chabraja. Perhaps, Phebe Novakovic does have a plan, but she isn’t willing to make it public yet.

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SUPPLY CHAIN GOES TO THE CLOUD Global giants are deploying their own cloud computing platforms in SCM to reap operational benefits and potential savings.

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Large-scale changes in supply chain management began towards the end of the last century. Industry Leaders rushed to move considerable volumes of North American and European manufacturing capacity abroad particularly provoked this trend. For managers, it was simple math: It costs much less to manufacture in Asia that the extended supply chain and surplus cost was more than off by the financial gain coming from labor arbitrage. The biggest disadvantage though, was a longer and even more complex supply chain system that required products to be at the selling hub in North America and Europe. A lack of long-lasting transportation infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region, and the absence of reliable transportation and logistics data, complicated this issue. In the European Union or United States, if a retailer ships, it typically involved putting the product on a delivery truck and the same driver making the delivery within the next 48 hours. In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world of global supply chain management, it can take much longer - three to four weeks - to deliver the same product to the consumer. On top of this, it is further aggravated by rapidly increasing fuel costs, which directly affects slow-steaming in ocean liner carriers. Domestic shipments, although, are much simpler, with less trading partners and a less complex supply chain system.

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A complex network of supply chain tends to be affected by the rapidly-changing state of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business milieu. This further leads to a gap for dynamic responses predicting that supply chains are largely unprepared to put up with. One basic challenge is the ability to track the product as it moves through extended networks. Earlier, all it took was an email or a phone call to a domestic carrier to know where your product was. That is no longer the case. An international shipment these days, requires at least a dozen trading partners, all with a very specific and important role to play: manufacturers to ocean carriers, brokers, pier draymen to destination draymen and freight payment companies. Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 053

stor y Supply chain visibility or SCV was until recently an unknown term due to technological limitations. The landscape is now changing swiftly, largely to connect a large number of trading partners. In spite of efforts to build technology would be allow companies greater visibility, the reliance on one-to-many connectivity requirements still remain a bigger challenge. A shipper may need to connect with hundreds of trading partners, and that is the biggest challenge in international shipping. A majority of trading partners is small companies that lack the capabilities to be connected globally. When you cannot connect with all your trading partners, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve practically left a gaping hole in the supply chain management system. This further makes data and reporting ominously unusable. Another challenge for service providers, is that every carrier would individually connect with each of its major trading

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partners and customers, with its own specific role and requirements. This creates an unnecessary burden of communication as well as the need to keep up-to-date information on hundreds of communication connections and customer portals. The answer to these challenges is a cloud-based, multi-tenant platform. It could be viewed as a community of customers and service providers, pretty much similar to the concept of a community for transportation and logistics. Here, shippers, receivers and service providers are all gathered on the cloudbased community and readily connect one another. One can go online and friend a chosen air carrier, truck line, or ocean carrier. The service providers can friend its customers and clients. This way, companies can tap into an existing network and enjoy the benefits of a cloud-based supply chain system.

A manufacturer, only needs to put core information out there - changes, contacts, scheduling, pricing and service options. Once updated, all trading partners can see the information at the same time. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cloud-based supply chain system provides an end-to-end visibility, at Stock Keeping Unit level. Once companies have that, they can see into the supply chain and determine what is causing the disruption. Similarly, a cloud-based supply chain offer a glimpse from the inside, letting manufacturers and shippers know what is causing the transit-time variability. The long-term benefit of a cloud-based supply chain management system is that partners can take corrective action, adjust their plans to remedy the system. With a reliable cloud-based supply chain system, companies can improve their performance - remove the excess inventory from the pipeline.

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CASE STUDY: HOW ZARA AVOIDS INVENTORY BUILDUP Retail chain Zara has over 2,000 stores in 86 countries, and more than 450 million items sold annually. It is renowned for its ability to deliver goods to stores quickly and in small batches. Items are delivered twice a week, at precise times, store managers order clothes, and twice a week on schedule for new garments to arrive. To reach this level of accuracy and effectiveness, Zara controls its supply chain in a very different way than most retailers do. It keeps most of its production in-house. The in-house production of goods allows it to be flexible in the amount, frequency, and variety of new products. It designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails clothes within 2 weeks of the original design first appearing on the runway. To achieve maximum effectiveness, Zara commits to only 15 to 25 percent of a season’s line. This means that 50 percent of its items are

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designed and manufactured during the season. If any of the items become highly popular, Zara instantly creates a new design in the popular style, and gets new items delivered into stores while the trend is at its peak. Its cloudbased supply chain system acts as a competitive advantage. Its inventory management software allows store managers to directly communicate with customers, receive feedback on what items they’re looking for, what they like and dislike. Based on the data received from the feedback, Zara’s designers are able to sketch garments. These changes give customers a sense of exclusiveness. This strategy has helped Zara reduce mark-downs, inventory piling up in the supply chain from raw materials to finished goods, and sell more items at a full price. This type if inventory optimization model is generally used by companies that want to determine the quantity to be delivered into a single retail store twice a week. The stock delivered is limited, so each store receives just what it needs. This helps the brand image look exclusive, and excess piling of unpopular stock is avoided.

At the core of Zaraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success is centralized enterprise resource planning. Inventory, logistics, and products are managed in the cloud-based supply chain system. Operations are monitored in real time and changed accordingly. Image: A Zara Retail Store on New York City Fifth Avenue

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Cloud-based supply chain management has helped Zara reduce mark-downs, inventory piling up in the supply chain from raw materials to finished goods, and sell more items at a full price.

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IMPACT OF CLOUD COMPUTING ON SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT A cloud-based supply chain management solution has several advantages over localized supply chain management. Most notably, it is typically more efficient, affordable, safer, infinitely scalable, and much easier to integrate with existing systems. Affordable: Cloud offers the option of scalability without leaving a deep hole in the pocket for infrastructure and maintenance. It requires no upfront capital expense with cloud services. Moreover, services and storage are available on demand with the prices offered on a payas-you-go service. Scalability: Cloud offers increased flexibility and scalability for evolving IT needs.

Availability: Cloud providers have both, the bandwidth and the infrastructure to accommodate business requirements for high speed access, applications as well as storage. It provides an opportunity for load balancing to make sure systems arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overloaded and there are no minor bumps such as service delays. Efficiency: By reallocating information management, operational activities to the cloud, businesses can have an opportunity to focus on innovation and R&D. Resiliency: Whether there is a natural disaster requiring a site in a different location or just heavy traffic, it offers solutions in real time.

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stor y As supply chains keep on becoming leaner and, the odds of vulnerabilities and breaks in one link are bigger. One broken connection will unfavorably affect other links. The assets required to maintain and grow an IT infrastructure to support the needs of the business can be massive. Cloud computing is a cost-effective and rapidly deployed solution that supports business needs when executed following some best practices. Most entrepreneurs have the vision and the ability to manage their supply chain systems, yet the presence of Cloud-based supply chain system gives them access to the same data with maximum effectiveness with less time and effort spent on the task. A supply chain management service highlights a disentanglement of the more ordinary bits of running a business, allowing businesses and its employees to focus on the tasks that matter.

Ultimately, Cloud computing is a technique that can streamline processes to ensure maximum effectiveness, integrate data from different systems, and support decision-making. The consequences of picking this system additionally integrate cost and time for retail companies who never have enough of either.

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YouTube A Stairway To Stardom YouTubers have transformed from ordinary folks to Stars and has gained riches beyond belief. People spend years in finding a career that pays them a ton of money. They desperately want to get into law school or probably get hired at Goldman Sachs. While some pick the shortcut and become a professional athlete by almost killing their body. Thanks to the internet, now you can earn a great deal of money from the comfort of your home. No, we are not talking about those “Work At Home” scams. We are talking about just getting a webcam, some content to talk about and a YouTube account. If you are not already aware, your YouTube channel can earn you tons of money if you have enough subscribers and are getting plenty of views on your videos. You can earn every time someone watches your video, and if you’re lucky and interesting enough to get a lot of views, you can convert them in hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 062

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How does it work? H

ave you ever come across (annoying) commercials while watching YouTube videos? Yeah, we all have been there. That commercial which you need to watch before the actual video begins is called pre-roll. YouTube gets paid for every 1000 times a pre-roll pops up. The amount varies, but usually, YouTube earns somewhere between $20 and $25 for every 1000 pre-roll ad views. This is referred as a CPM (Cost Per Thousand). Whenever a YouTube channel gets enough followers, the owner of the channel can apply to become a member of their Partner Program. YouTube Partners can earn a part of the CPM that is earned by the videos on their channel. Typically a YouTube Partner may earn around $5 to $7 for every thousand times an ad is viewed on their channel, leaving the rest for YouTube. Let’s do some math: Suppose a Partner earns $7 CPM, so YouTube gets $18 CPM. If the Partner’s channel is able to gain 2 million views, dividing 2 million by 1000 is 2000, multiplying that by $7, the Partner earns $14000. This is really a rough calculation, as the pre-roll won’t pop up in each and every video that is uploaded by the channel due to certain reasons. A pre-roll won’t be shown if the user

already watched one in a previous video, the ad also won’t be visible if it is targeted to a specific audience. The pre-roll that is viewed without being skipped naturally earns much more. Okay, you might be thinking how would one make millions just by earning CPM? Well, you can if you are one of the YouTube’s most popular stars who have billions of video views and are providing content that will drive plenty of views on a regular basis. Below is a list of some of the YouTube’s biggest stars who are leading in their field and are earning tons of money through their unique talents. You can have a look at their earnings as well as the type of work they do, but don’t blame me if you get tempted to leave your job and start making home videos! And, these numbers don’t even include additional revenues that they generate by merchandise, affiliate programs, licensing, and sponsorship. These digits only represent the amount that they make solely due to their video views. Also, the list displays the YouTubers who are leading in their field; they may or may not be the top ones on the list, but are among the highest earning YouTubers listed by Forbes.

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Felix Kjellberg Channel: PewDiePie Shtick: Video Game Commentary Subscribers: More than 44 million Earnings: $12 Million a Year

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hen you’ll ask an American teenager who is Felix Kjellberg, you’ll probably get a blank stare in response, but refer him with his YouTube alias PewDiePie and you will get to know a bulk of cool stuff. PewDiePie is the highest paid YouTuber with more than 44 million subscribers, pulling in almost $12 million a year. His most funny video - A Funny Montage

-has been viewed more than 70 million times. Advertisers are willing to pay a heck of a lot of money to make their products a part of his videos in which he plays video games and provides expletive-heavy commentary. Those millions of fans who are part of his “bro army” have helped him get a place in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, referring him as the “Pied Piper” of YouTube.

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Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla Channel: Smosh Shtick: Web-based sketch comedy Subscribers: More than 22 million Earnings: $8.5 Million a Year

omedians like Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla, who are childhood best buddies, have turned laughs into some serious bucks through their sketch comedy. The duo proves that comedy sells as theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re one of five in the top 10 who make people laugh for a living along with Fine Brothers, Rhett & Link, Lilly Singh a.k.a. SuperWoman, and Roman Atwood. They have inspired a

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lot of people to make parody videos of movies, video games, and most popular television shows, but none of them are as successful as them. They have managed to earn more than $8.5 million in a year along with the movie deal for Smosh and a Nickelodeon show. The duo now runs 5 YouTube channels including ElSmosh (Smosh en Espanol).

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Lindsey Stirling Channel: Lindsey Stirling Shtick: Playing Violin (really really well) and dancing at the same time Subscribers: More than 8 million Earnings: $6 Million a Year

indsey Stirling is the only YouTuber from top 10 who is linked to Music. She plays violin, then she dances, then she does them at the same time, which is pretty impressive. She presents various choreographed violin performances on her eponymous YouTube channel on a variety of music styles, starting from classical to pop and rock to electronic dance music. Her videos have brought a lot of fame to her; she even made appearance on America’s Got Talent. Her video “Crystallize” was the eighth-most watched video of 2012. Her unique talent has reached Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 070

to millions of people and has earned her over 8.5 million a year. She decided to upload her music videos on YouTube in 2007 after a leading record label declined to sign her. Now the same people are pleading to sign her, but it’s too late now. The dancing fiddler says “It’s a very loyal fan base that wants you to succeed because they found you. It wasn’t some huge radio station or major record label that shoved the art down someone’s throat.”

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Michelle Phan Channel: Michelle Phan Shtick: Makeup Magician Subscribers: More than 8.5 million Earnings: $3 Million a Year

Michelle started posting makeup tutorials on YouTube in 2007 after she received a great response on her personal blog. Today the YouTube Star has turned beauty and make-up into a blooming business, raising $100 million in funding Ipsy, her company that offers make-up delivery service. Her videos including “How to get Lady Gaga’s Eyes” went viral as soon as they were featured on Buzzfeed. Lancôme made her their Vietnamese spokesperson and their official video make-up artist after she featured

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some of their products in her YouTube videos. Also, L’Oreal launched a new cosmetic line in 2013, which was called em by Michelle Phan that is dedicated to her mother. Her talent and entrepreneurial skills have made her an ace player. She reinvests a major part of the money that she earns from her cosmetic line Ipsy, a monthly makeup-subscription service. She has transformed from ‘just a girl who loves makeup’ to ‘a brand of herself’.

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Rosanna Pansino Channel: Rosanna Pansino Shtick: Nerdy-themed Baking Subscribers: More than 6 million Earnings: $2.5 Million a Year The baking wizard Rosanna Pansino is making the world a better place, one cupcake at a time. This self-trained chef had a passion for baking since she was a little girl. She is the first chef to make nerdy-themed baking tutorials available to the all the wannabe chefs and foodies by uploading it to her YouTube channel. Starting from BB-8 cake pops to unicorn emoji cookies, Pansino has come up with quite interesting baking recipes for her YouTube fans, making her how-to series, Nerdy Nummies the most popular baking videos on YouTube. The 30-year-old pro baker has managed to gain stardom with more than 6 million subscriptions on her YouTube channel and has earned more than $2.5 million

a year. She also published her cookbook - The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook: Sweet Treats for the Geek in All of Us - in 2015, which includes a lot of new recipes along with some of the recipes that were featured in her Nerdy Nummies YouTube show. Since the inception of YouTube when its first video was uploaded in 2005, which featured its cofounder Jawed Karim standing with some elephants, it has evolved into a multibillion-dollar video-sharing juggernaut. It has proved to be a medium that has helped some ordinary folks to gain stardom and riches that are beyond imagination. What are you waiting for? Grab your camera and start making videos already!

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An Oil Rich City That Now Wants To Be A Technology Hub

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Tyumen, one of Siberia’s oldest Russian city, is symbolic of modern Russia’s influence in oil and gas market. In the 16th century, Russia ventured towards Central Asia ruled by the Tatars, Islamic people who still live in Russia. A group of Cossacks took control of Tyumen from the Tatars in 1580. A few years later, Russia built a fort in Tyumen on the Tura River. For the next three hundred years, Tyumen competed with Tobolsk, a nearby city that was once the official capital of Siberia, for prestige of the region’s most influential city. After a hard-fought battle, Tyumen won, when it snatched a deal for a Trans-Siberian Railroad from Tobolsk. The now-oil rich city, also played an important role in Russian history during the Russian Civil War and the Second World War. Moreover, many Russian industries moved away from the front to Siberian cities. By then, at the start of the Soviert era, it has already become an industrial capital, and an ideal spot for Russian industrialist to relocate their factories too. The discovery of oil in Tyumen propelled settlement in the region to further prosperity. Today, the booming oil capital Tyuman has been repeatedly named Russia’s best city for quality of living. In a study conducted by sociology experts from the Russian Government’s Financial University, it ranked ahead of Moscow and St Petersburg. The survey looked in 27 Russian cities with populations over 50,000, and included the standards of medical care, access to education, wealth, and life expectancy. It was the first ever Russian settlement in Siberia and was founded to bolster the economic expansion movement. In last four hundred years, it has progressed from a small settlement located on important trade routes, to a military settlement and now a large industrial city and one of Russia’s important business center.

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Image: Tyumen town square

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Image: Exploration for oil in Tyumen

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As you drive past the royal palaces of the monarchs of Russia’s oil and gas industry, you’ll also notice that Lukoil, Gazprom, TNK-BP and all big international oil services companies are all set here. Moreover, some of its most imperative oil fields are situated in the Tyumen area, which extends from the Kazakh border to the Arctic. It is a shockingly smooth ride, not at all like in most other Russian cities, there is rarely a pothole in sight. Money has flowed into regional and federal state vaults following the discovery of oil and gas in the 1960s. Tyumen’s future exceptionally relies upon the condition of the oil business. It has made Tyumen, a city of 600,000 people, a standout amongst the most prosperous cities in Russia. Tyumen, established in 1586, was the main Russian fort in Siberia, an important staging point for the tsarist empire’s eastbound expansion. It may be one of the most important cities in the world today, but one has it admit, its complex geography could someday be treacherous. This is why it has tones of skyscrapers. Lots and lots of shiny buildings owned by oil and gas companies. Some of this buildings contain long shelves with rock and soil samples from TNK-BP’s oil fields and other explorations services. Taken together, they demonstrate the topographical make-up of the region, the distance from the highest point of the drill gap to the base, allowing the geologists to study on the DNA of an oil field. Igor Dyakonov is the chief general of the Tyumen Oil Scientific Center which houses the “core storage”. He explains why oil companies like TNK-BP need to spend more to look for oil in West Siberia. “The easy, homogenous reservoirs have all been explored and mostly developed,” says Mr Dyakonov. “So we are moving to frontier locations where the geology becomes more and more complex, and for that we need more frontier technology.”

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One of the organizations wanting to profit by that push is Baker Hughes, an American oil service firm. In their Tyumen office, a small group of geologists processes oil field information which makes the drilling procedure more accurate. After the economic crisis, the company has now set out on an aggressive growth strategy. Baker Hughes plans to offer drilling services and is planning to set up its own manufacturing facilities in the region. Technological advances, new discoveries and high prices will help Tyumen keep its key position in Russia’s energy sector. As long as the oil keeps flowing and the prices are not down. The Tyumen region produces two-thirds of Russia’s oil, and over 90 percent of its gas. The oil rig is symbolic of Tyumen region, however, every year it’s getting harder and harder to extract oil. While it is relatively a small problem, for now, the region is now trying to reestablish itself as a technology hub. Decades of high crude oil prices has allowed titans to dream big. The region capital has now turned into a jumble of skyscrapers, and the construction has led to consumer boom in spite of sky-high prices. Although, the recent economic crisis hurt the construction industry in Tyumen, it has prompted the sector to rethink their business practices. Tyumen hopes that the excess of oil and gas pays well into a future set with even bigger challenges. Construction companies have erected several technology park to provide Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 082

Image: Tyumen Skyline

an opportunity to the old town to innovate. However, a more complicated part is how to get returns when the scenario is unpredictable. For Tyumen, the technology sector isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just supposed to be a cash cow for the present, but the key to the future. Besides, their objective is to not only advance in the oil and gas sector, but to break out into other field such as agriculture, using technology.

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BETTER, FASTER, SMARTER: THE FUTURE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE Ensuring a great customer service experience is a big deal for business owners. Individuals are more likely to purchase from a competitive brand with a reputation for its outstanding customer service.

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BECAUSE CUSTOMERS DECIDE YOUR FUTURE AFTER ALL During the early days of Apple Inc.’s launch, the company used to carry out its task in a garage, which belonged to the tech genius who revolutionized the world - Steve Jobs. Now this is a common fact, which most of the individuals who share a keen interest in Apple legacy are well-aware of, but what they aren’t aware is that all customer calls were answered by the founders, Jobs and Steve Wozniak, his business partner. Answering the customer calls was a practice that Jobs continued for the rest of his life. Jobs believed in pouring a wholesome amount of resource into Apple’s customer service. Investment in customer service is very crucial. For individual companies, such investment ensures fidelity among the customer base, and it’s a significant tool in luring new customers. The basic element

in this investment to create happy customers is investing in customer training during the initial stage. No matter what the industry is, if all companies start investing in customer service, it’ll drive an economic growth. Always remember, customer service is an important element for boosting customer experience. The high-profile CEO, Steve Jobs, used to involve himself in almost every detail in the business of Apple. The cofounder of the tech behemoth was involved even in the basic inquiries requested on customer services. Ensuring a great customer service experience is a big deal for business owners. Individuals are more likely to purchase from a competitive brand with a reputation for its outstanding customer service.

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LUXURY BRANDS CONTINUE TO INVEST IN CUSTOMER SERVICE The public companies’ CEOs are usually hands-on. But same was not the case with the iconic Mr. Jobs, as he was practically involved in every detail, which included everything from industries to be targeted by Apple to the iPhone screen’s material. The direct involvement in customer service was a crucial part of Apple business then, it’s nothing like it has faded away nowadays, but it fails to reach the previous level established by Jobs in this segment. In fact, Jobs exercised a huge deal of patience and attention as he loved dealing with customers himself. Steve Jobs used to field emails regarding broken laptops and answered support calls. Three in every four luxury brands, perhaps, tend to offer customer service on their respective websites. Sure they’ve been slow to carry their marketing approaches digital, as many feared they won’t be able to offer various types of appealing experiences on a digital platform, which they used to offer in person to their customers. But recent years have seen a massive growth in importance of customer service on luxury websites. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 088

Chanel, Michael Kors, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Versace are among the top luxury fashion powerhouses who offer customer service on their official websites. L2 Think Tank’s survey conducted in 2015 suggests that 76 percent of US luxury brands offered quick view features for their products on their website. The number was up from 19 percent that was reported in 2013. Geolocation and FAQ services also jumped into the pavilion in 2015. In 2013, for instance, 39 percent of luxury brands already had their sites embedded with FAQs. This percentage rose to 43 percent in 2014 and 71 percent in 2015. Also, other features for customer services grew in the following year. These included personal shoppers, social logins, and live chat on pages of products. Customer service is a crucial part for retailers that can support customer retention. A research conducted by more than half of US retail executives in 2015 noted that customer service and support helps in driving customer retention.

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SMART LEADERS INVEST IN A CULTURE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE Once Steve Jobs took an opportunity himself and called a customer of Apple who had sent him an email regarding Apple computer repair. Not only did Jobs apologized to Scott Steckley for the inconvenience caused, but also thanked him for being a loyal Apple customer. Later when questioned about this incident, Jobs had replied, “It really makes my day see someone who enjoys our products so much and who supports us in the good times and bad.” Former Apple CEO was a true user experience and customer experience thought leader, repeatedly and wildly successful at enhancing the customer experience for worldwide Apple customers. According to Jay Baer, NY Times Bestselling Author, $500 billion is spent on marketing every year globally. On the other hand, the amount spent for customer service is mere $9 billion. What’s more surprising is the fact that it happens despite everyone’s knowledge on how customer retention efficiently boosts the profit growth in the quickest way. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 090

Smart companies have started embracing the idea that customer service and customer experience is the fresh form of marketing. Walker research predicts that customer experience will play a higher role than the cost for B2B purchasers by 2020. Not losing your existing customers is the fastest way to boost your business. Customer Service has transformed into a spectator sport. Here top corporations have realized how badly online customer complaints can impact the reputation of a brand in the market. Tony Hsieh became an iconic example by making a huge investment on customer experience. Zappos proved how customers are always willing to pay more for incredible product/service experience. Basically, what we need to know is, we can’t demand a specific culture. The culture is established from within. The best organizations construct their own culture. It is done by engaging the team through meaningful discussions rather than issuing edicts.

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TRICK TO HARNESS MAXIMUM ROI The approach of Steve Jobs was based on a quite simple notion, which he drilled into his team time and again. Commence with the customer experience and then proceed toward the technology, is the idea. Not the other way around. This means, the technology used by Apple, or sold by Apple with respect to customer experience, doesn’t have to be necessarily invented at the Apple. Customer service strategy is used to measure the ROI nowadays, which can be achieved via offering customer service. There is a recognized concern that corporations are often comfortable with measuring things, which are simple to measure, take operational metrics, for instance. But in order to measure the customer service’s value, there is an acceptance of requirement to proceed towards those measures, which reflect what the clients are looking out for beyond the relationship. It covers aspects such as trust, emotional Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 092

connection, and perception of customers. The overriding factor for customers is always trust. A great ROI from customer service can be gained through a high level of trust. Apple Inc. works in a highly inspiring manner as it refuses to let capability of its technology drive the crucial segment i.e. customer experience. For a small example, Siri was not developed by Apple’s research team. Neither was the graphical user interface, nor the mouse. Still, the Apple Store was envisioned as the greatest customer experience provider globally. This demonstrates that Apple won customers by benchmarking its customer service. After all, providing service to customers is not exactly a rocket science, so it shouldn’t arrive as a surprise that while dealing with consumers, there are no such things as a mathematical formula or definitive way guaranteeing results.

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NEW VENTURES

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CROWDSOURCING WANTS TO POOL YOUR INSURANCE! If everyone is trying crowdsourcing, how about trying to use the crowdsourcing practice in insurance to offer an access to a risk capital that is budget friendly? Why not offer rewards to policyholders for policies that are unused?

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Remember the famous crowdsourcing campaign held by McDonalds in 2014? Yes, the one and only ‘McDonalds Burger Builder’. It was when the giant fast food chain decided to offer their customers to submit ideas and free control over the varieties of burger they’d prefer to see in McD outlets. Customers could design perfect burgers of their choice online and submit. In return, the rest of the country had the choice for voting for the best burgers. In Germany, the fast food chain encouraged its consumers to create campaigns of their own. These campaigns included valuable content marketing materials and viral videos among many other things, which of course charged the ‘I’m Lovin It’ chain, nothing at all. Once the contest winners were announced, McDonalds started weekly release of burgers of their preference, along with a quick, small bio and picture of the creator. It was a huge success.

FREE PUBLICITY, GREATER BENEFITS When it comes to crowdsourcing, often a specific company will organize a contest for a promotion, project, or the purpose of testimonials.

The companies receive numerous submissions. They offer rewards to the submissions that are the best and utilize the concept in marketing, product development or any such area. crowdsourcing usually involves the practice of deploying a substantial amount of distributed individuals to execute a task. It’s a budding trend. Netflix used crowdsourcing to create an algorithm to enhance the accuracy of predictions regarding movie preferences of individuals. LG used it in 2009 for designing its new phone. MasterCard also took an advantage of this practice in its advertisement. Now you think the practice won’t catch on with insurance? Well, it already has. Allstate, through a challenge of Claim Prediction, fetched a forecasting model, which assisted the insurer in determining the customer’s likelihood to suffer an injury during involvement in a vehicle crash. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 097

NEW VENTURES

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DISRUPTION MODEL IN INSURANCE ECONOMY The temptation to ignore and walk away from the potential of insurance based on crowdsourcing can be well understood, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite unwise gesture to make.

Meaningful intelligence can be easily fetched with the help of crowdsourcing at virtually anytime, anywhere, and anytime, in any field. Crowd offers consumers to get as gritty as they want to, beginning from predictive surveying of higher-level, for instance, Kaggle that draws various thinkers of PhD-level to handle sophisticated queries, to task-oriented, for instance, Amazon Mechanical Turk that blends AI and human to answer questions, which

cannot be handled by a computer in a strict manner. As they offer careful consideration regarding joining the economy of sharing, having a wary eye focused on the new entrants, executives of life insurance have accepted the notion of crowdsourcing as the best way to generate ideas. Sure the ideation is very significant, considering it as the best function leaves a huge potential on the table.

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THE RISE OF DISRUPTION IN INSURANCE INDUSTRY If everyone is trying crowdsourcing, how about trying to use the crowdsourcing practice in insurance to offer an access to a risk capital that is budget friendly? Why not offer rewards to policyholders for policies that are unused? Friendsurance, a Germanybased company launched back in 2010 utilizes a peer-to-peer concept for insurance. This is mutualizing similar risk amongst a group of friends (self-selected) and rewarding these groups with bonuses in the form of cash at year’s end every year, but only if they remain without claims. Through a fund association, the group manages small claims. It also has an insurance company, which backs the arrangements for larger claims. A premium is paid by each member of the group. A part of this is carried forward to the fund that covers small losses. Another part of this premium is offered to a regulated insurer offering the insurance policy of group to take the risk for bigger exposures.

‘CROWDSURANCE’ - THE NEW MERGER Peer and crowd-based models have influenced the financial sector, hospitality industry, and transportation space among other industries.

Crowd companies, nowadays, have identified over a dozen insurance startups based on the crowd. Surprisingly, these startups are emerging from hotbeds of financial industry such as London. We’re witnessing the growth of a budding set of insurance startups, which are enabling crowd-based, P2P, and Pro-rata coverage models, which leverage the crowd. These mostly include peer-to-peer offering along with a handful, which is also enhancing the insurance delivery via new technologies. Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 101

NEW VENTURES

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WHAT EXPERTS HAVE TO SAY

The majority of life insurers find crowd daunting in its sheer scope and exhilarating in its potential. The attempt to harness the mindbending power is phrased as ‘Crowdxiety’ by Innocentric’s Steve Domeneck. “Businesses are always slow to change as organizational resistance is high due to the anxiety on what this means for me, but the walls of resistance get higher the more complexity you throw at us.” Timothy Li from Accenture charts that by making teamwork key segment in business processes, employee interactions, and personalization customer, and extending their horizon from the workforce to the practice of crowdsourcing. Li believes that insurers are offered with opportunities to carry forward conversations and fresh relationships. Moving the crowd’s perception from an idea machine without any machine to a specialized element of a cooperative process is the basic step towards effectively utilizing the potential. SMA’s Mark Breading notes that cooperation has always been the focus of existing communication systems and business processes. “By tapping into the creativity, experience, and expressed needs of agents, customers, and employees, insurers are able to identify new products and new ways to enhance

service and improve operational efficiencies,” he says. “By leveraging collaboration technologies in communications with these same groups, insurers are able to provide higher value and demonstrate that they are capitalizing on the modern capabilities that many are coming to expect.” In Beyond and Insurance 2020 report generated, PWC analysts reportedly stress that as soon as insurers bring in their best ideas into practical strategies, it becomes very significant to determine methods to target people through various channels and messages, simplify product design, and effectively reengineer product economics and distribution. Further considerations involve methods to reshape the process of underwriting to capitalize sensor information and new analytics. It also includes steps to make the process of policy and sales administrations real-time and straightforward. In an insurance industry, collaboration and crowdsourcing can deliver the required intelligence to draft determinations. Considering the higher barriers that have to be faced by startups related to life insurance, established firms may have the chip on their shoulder. Opening the broad possibility of crowd usage is a great step.

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NEW VENTURES

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SOMETHING FOR ALL Imagine a cyclist insuring his bicycle. Well, we may have laughed at the notion previously, but considering the sudden emergence of crowdsourced insurance companies, it’s very much possible.

Peer-to-peer insurance offers more individuals to be insured by supporting underserved markets. It allows coverage for gigs in the collaborative economy. As most of the budding startups act as brokers, the startups for insurance carrier still remain to be forthcoming in the world of insurance. There are several corporations coming up for specialized insurance. This includes insuring pet owners to let’s say, cyclists. This means it offers to insure even those items, which no one has even thought of insuring as it simply feels ridiculous.

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events

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Google I/O 2016: A Smorgasbord For Tech Geeks Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head Sundar Pichai is Ushering the next phase of computing with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 107

Whether you are talking about Google Daydream or latest Android instant apps, Google I/O 2016 conference was revolving around the concepts of Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning. Tech geeks and press flooded the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, from 18th to 20th May to have the enticing, threeday experience, Google I/O 2016. With every decade, there comes a technology that revolutionizes and rules the whole decade. And with that in mind, Google’s new head Sundar Pichai is taking steps to make Google focused on the technology of the decade - Artificial intelligence. Google has kept AI at the heart of each of its products, whether it is an established one or is introduced recently during the I/O 2016 conference. When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google 17 years ago, they

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had no clue that one day their company will have such a great influence in people’s lives; Google is almost ubiquitous today. Back then, there were only 300 million people online, connecting through desktop computers. And today, that number has crossed 3 billion, a majority of which are using mobile devices to get information, stay in touch, get from point A to point B, and organize their day. With Google’s mission - to organize the world’s information and make it accessible universally - mobile devices have become the remote control of our daily lives. The announcements that were done in Google I/O 2016 conference offered an opportunity to developers to get a glimpse of the newborn babies of one of the favorite darlings of Silicon Valley. Here are some important announcements, which may soon become a part of our day to day lives.

Image: Sundar Pichai at Google I/O 2016 Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 109

Google Assistant your new AI chatbot After the increasing popularity of Cortana, Alexa, M, and of course our favorite Apple Siri, Google is here with its “conversational” assistant - Google Assistant. Based on the natural language processing it is using, Google Assistant looks like an upgraded version of Google Now. The assistant is more than just a chatbot, it is an ongoing two-way dialogue between the user and Google, which understands the user’s world and helps her get things done. It can do everything from buying movie tickets, suggesting you a restaurant on the

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way to your movie, and then help you navigate to the theatre. Though Google hasn’t launched the voice assistant yet, but its prevailing features are enough to showcase the lack of functionalities that Siri is currently providing. Google Assistant is created to work seamlessly across different devices and contexts. So anytime you feel a need of a helping hand, summon Google Assistant no matter where you are or what the context is. It is build to work on Google Home speaker, Allo - Google’s new messaging app, and Android Auto.

Image: Attendee at Google I/O experiencing Google Assistant Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 111

Google Home Amazon Echo needs to watch out! Google Home is a pearshaped voice-activated speaker that brings Google assistant to anywhere in your house. It allows you to manage everyday tasks, enjoy entertainment, and get answers from Google - all of that using conversational speech.

‘cast’ or send apps and entertainment from your smartphone, tablet or computer to your speakers or TV. So Google Home lets you play music on other speakers in addition to talking with Chromecast, playing YouTube clips, and asking Google questions.

You can ask Google Home to play your favorite song, check your flight, set an oven timer, or turn off the lights by using simple voice commands. Unlike Amazon Echo, it is designed with multiple rooms and speakers, also supporting Cast technology. Using Cast technology, you can

It is designed to fit your home with customizable bases that will be available in different materials and colors to match your décor. It is also festooned with LED lights that dance around to let you know when it’s ON. This amazing Echo rival will be released later this year.

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Image: Google Home

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Allo and Duo - to replace WhatsApp and FaceTime? Google has done exemplary work on its brand new chatting apps - Google Allo and Google Duo - which comes with the Google assistant. Allo is a messaging app that allows you chat with Google assistant directly in your chats. You can either chat with the assistant one-to-one or with friends. You can also ask the assistant for photos from you last night out, your agenda for the day or ask the assistant to suggest some Italian restaurants nearby; and all of that in the same thread. Allo can be considered as a replacement to WhatsApp as the search engine giant also provides End-to-End Encryption, which was previously only provided by Zuckerbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WhatsApp. The new messaging app also offers an incognito mode for private chats with exceptional features Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 114

like message expiration and discreet notifications. Google Allo includes Smart Reply that suggests some responses based on the context, making your chat more expressive, secure, fast, and smart. Duo, on the other hand, is a companion app for video calling. The Duo makes is possible to make video calling faster even when your connection is not that good. The app that seems to be a competitor for FaceTime has introduced a unique feature called Knock Knock that gives the user a live video of the caller even before she answers. Both Allo and Duo work on phone numbers so you can communicate with anyone as it will work seamlessly with both Android and iOS smartphones. Both the apps will be available by the end of this summer.

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Image: Google Daydream Concept

Google Daydreamfuturistic AI vision Google was the original trendsetter of VR headset when it came up with Google Cardboard, and now it is here with a VR platform named as Daydream. The new headset along with a fresh platform will also be akin to devices like Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and HTC Vive. However, contrasting to these powerful biggies, Google wants the device to stay confined within the Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 116

boundaries of mobile rather than some gaming desktop computer. Google Daydream has been scheduled to debut this fall and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working with partners on the content side that includes Netflix, Hulu, IMAX and The New York Times. Google is releasing it for Street View, Play Store, Play Movies, Google Photos, and YouTube for VR.

Let the names begin for Android N One of the most expected announcements from this year’s Google I/O was Android N. Google’s new OS has up to 250 features that are linked to performance, productivity, security, and VR support through its Daydream platform. Some of the features are split-screen support, direct reply notifications and bundled notifications, and of course

the Projects Doze and Svelte. Android N has been the talk of the town since long, and we know everything about it except the name. Apparently, Google has left that to users to offer their saccharineflavored suggestions may it be Nutella or Nougat. My money is on Nutella!

Image: Android Bot at I/O 2016 conference to name Android N Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 117

Android Instant Apps Lastly, Google introduces Android Instant Apps that will change how people experienced apps on Android platform. It evolves Android apps and allows them to run instantly, without requiring installation. You can simply tap on a URL and open right in the Android app, even when you don’t have the app installed on your smartphone. Additionally, developers won’t need to change any code to

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enable the instant version of their app. Thus, no extra code on developer’s end and timesaving solution on user’s end. Back in the 90s, the world was overwhelmed by Windows PCs and client-server systems. By 2000s, Web was all the rage. Devices such as the iPod and iPhone ruled the tech industry in the mid-2000s. So what happens next? Pichai bets its artificial intelligence.

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ETRADESHOWS V &E N T International Festival for Business (IFB) 2016

Date: 13 June-1 July, 2016

The International Festival for Business 2016 will bring together businesses from around the world for three weeks of events, networking and deal-making, creating a global marketplace for creating connections and doing deals. IFB 2016 takes place in Liverpool this year. A showcase for British industries and sectors, the festival is a key date in the UK and international business calendar, with events commencing on 13 June 2016. It will focus on three key sectors that are transforming the business landscape: Manufacturing Creative and digital, and Energy and environment.

Venue: Liverpool, United Kingdom ACCELERATE 2016

Date: July 1, 2016

ACCELERATE 2016 provides a unique accelerator for growth, motivation and an opportunity to connect businesses. Do you want to become a world-beating organization and be part of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic fightback? Then join us at ACCELERATE 2016. Designed to help you think smarter, connect to a wider audience and grow your business, ACCELERATE 2016 brings together high profile, entrepreneurial keynote speakers from different business sectors to inspire delegates wanting to kickstart their own business or take their current business to the next level.

Sales 2.0 Conference

Date: July 18-19, 2016

The Sales 2.0 Conference is the leading event series devoted to helping executives in sales, sales operations, sales enablement, and marketing learn how to better leverage Sales 2.0 technologies and strategies to foster improved sales performance and results. Attendees learn insight and best practices on topics that include the following: Sales process improvement Data, analytics, and metrics Sales training, coaching, and development Industry Leaders Magazine - June â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 | 120

Sales and marketing alignment Social selling Customer engagement and retention Sales 2.0 technologies and emerging trends Leadership, culture, and strategy

Venue: Boston The Superpower Summit

Date: July 22, 2016

The Superpower Summit is the newest, premium full-day retreat experience from sparkspace where you will discover your “Ordinary Superpowers” and learn how to activate, enhance, and multiply your powers to achieve your greatest results yet! What are “Ordinary Superpowers”? Ordinary Superpowers are the unique set of abilities, talents, and skills that: Come naturally to you. You’re better at than most. Help people (including you). You love using. They’re called “Ordinary Superpowers” because they very likely seem simply ordinary to you, but they can - and will - help you achieve truly extraordinary results in your life. What kind of results? Your specific results depend on what you truly want. One thing many people do have in common, however, is that we often find fulfillment in the feeling that we are living up to our true potential and positively contributing to our world. The Superpower Summit is designed to help you maximize your impact throughout your life by identifying, understanding, and using your Ordinary Superpowers to their fullest.

Venue: Columbus, Ohio

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ETRADESHOWS V &E N T Japan-Us Innovation Awards Symposium

Date: July 22, 2016

With the third arrow of Abenomics emphasizing the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship, this event - now in its sixth year - takes on even greater prominence. Since inception, the Japan - U.S. Innovation Awards Initiative has fostered constructive interaction between Japan and the San Francisco/Silicon Valley innovation & entrepreneurship ecosystem. The 2016 Japan - U.S. Innovation Awards Symposium will be held Friday, July 22, 2016 at the Stanford University Arrillaga Alumni Center from 1:30 - 6:00 p.m. The Symposium is offered by the Japan Society of Northern California in cooperation with the Stanford University US-Asia Technology Management Center.

Venue: Stanford, CA 2016 Ethical Leadership Conference

Date: July 26, 2016

Through its Annual Ethical Leadership Conference, Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership convenes leaders of industry to impart knowledge and inspire nearly 200 attendees on ethical leadership and building an ethical organizational culture. Attendees are business and corporate, academia, nonprofit and government leaders seeking to explore and address ethical dilemmas and challenges among experienced peers and candid conversation.

Venue: New Brunswick, New Jersey IEEE-USA Future Leaders Forum

Date: July 28, 2016

Today’s workforce has different motivators, expects a differently structured workplace, and has new ways of communicating. This innovative forum seeks to proactively assist 250-300 of IEEE’s brightest and most engaged student and young professional members from across the U.S. (Today’s new crop of innovators) as they navigate and acquire the tools to thrive in today’s changing world. The forum will be an innovative and engaging experience with insightful and thoughtful content married with fun activities to promote discussions on the issues that matter most to this generation as they enter the workforce. In addition, the Industry Leaders Magazine - June ‘16 | 122

event will also provide a unique platform for industry and academic leaders to meet, learn about, and engage with the millennial workforce.

Venue: New Orleans, Los Angeles 2016 Global Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Symposium

Date: July 28, 2016

Designed for corporate executives, including supplier diversity and inclusion professionals, this one-and-a-half-day event will provide first-hand experience from expert practitioners on tools and resources to successfully begin a global supplier diversity and inclusion journey, or to enhance current global efforts. Attendees will gain valuable insight from leading corporations and global supplier diversity and inclusion organizations.

Venue: Washington DC Leadership Management: Tactics of Leadership

Date: August 1-5, 2016

The Leadership Management: Tactics of Leadership, organized by the The Management Centre GB Ltd will take place from 28th March to the 1st April 2016 in London, United Kingdom. The conference will cover areas like provide participants with tools to lead more effectively not only in everyday situations, but additionally during conflicts and stressful situations. The Building Blocks of team building and providing effective feedback will also be covered, and will provide participants with tools to lead more effectively not only in everyday situations, but additionally during conflicts and stressful situations. The Building Blocks of team building and providing effective feedback will also be covered.

Venue: The Wesley, London

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ETRADESHOWS V &E N T The Global Leadership Summit

Date: August 11-12, 2016

The Global Leadership Summit is a two-day event telecast LIVE in HD from Willowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus near Chicago every August to hundreds of locations in North America. You are invited to join an expected 305,000 people committed to getting better as leaders in 2016. Throughout the fall, Summit events take place at an additional 675+ sites in 125 countries and 59 languages.

Venue: Willow Creek Campus, Chicago LeadershipWorks Conference

Date: August 26, 2016

The LeadershipWorks Conference focuses on heart-centered, transformative leadership that equips you to effectively impact your spheres of influence. As important as they are, skills and knowledge can never replace character and integrity. Our city, country, and world are in need of strong and courageous leaders who make a difference by proving that leadership works.

Venue: Memphis, Tennessee 2016 Workforce Live - Chicago

Date: Sep 1, 2016

Workforce Live will address a wide range of people management matters, such as big data at work; employee engagement; talent acquisition; benefits and wellness; and flexible work policies. Our past speakers have included: Davey Nickels, people analytics manager at Google; Maureen McDonald, executive director of human resources at Dell; and Sidney Chapon, senior vice president of people and operations at Leo Burnett. Each Workforce Live event will feature a custom research presentation based upon data collected by the Workforce magazine Business Intelligence Board on workplace innovation and culture. Attendees will receive a complimentary whitepaper that explores one of the most common ways to foster both innovation and culture change within organizations.

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Business of Software Conference USA 2016

Date: Sep 12-14, 2016

This September (12-14th), the 10th Business of Software Conference will be at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, Boston, MA for two and a half days of keynotes, workshops and networking with the world’s leading software entrepreneurs. The focus of the conference is scaling and growth. The program is designed to address the challenges businesses face as they grow.

Venue: Seaport Boston Hotel, Boston Women into Leadership 2016 Agenda

Date: Sep 22, 2016

Now in its seventh year, the annual Women into Leadership conference has established itself as the key event for all those interested in seeing leadership opportunities for women enhanced. This year’s conference will draw on feedback from Women into Leadership 2015, as well as discussions that took place at this years’ planning meeting. The conference will offer hands-on advice and coaching on how to further develop your career in times of change. You will hear from inspirational women of all grades and levels, within and outside the Civil Service. You’ll discuss together how you can manage the challenges of modern leadership and help ensure the Civil Service doesn’t lose momentum in recognizing and rewarding female leaders.

Venue: Central Hall Westminster, London Smart Industry 2016 & Expo

Date: Sep 26-28, 2016

Smart Industry is a conference & expo, print publication and online information resource created to accelerate the ongoing digital transformation of manufacturing and related industries, as represented by the convergence of information and operational technologies and industrywide movements such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industries 4.0 and big data analytics.

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