Facebook Files Patent Counterclaims Against Yahoo
Facebook Inc., which operates the worlds biggest social-networking site, accused Yahoo! Inc. of infringing 10 patents through its home page and Flickr photo- sharing service and in ads displayed throughout its site.
Facebook, which was sued by Yahoo for patent infringement last month, made the counterclaims today in a federal court filing in San Francisco. Facebook denied stealing Yahoos technology, saying its rivals patents are either invalid or its claims legally barred and the lawsuit should be dismissed.
While we are asserting patent claims of our own, we do so in response to Yahoos shortsighted decision to attack one of its partners and prioritize litigation over innovation, Ted Ullyot, Facebooks general counsel, said in an e-mail.
Yahoo, owner of the most popular US Internet portal, has been struggling to keep pace with Google Inc. and Facebook, which have lured away users and ad dollars. Facebook filed for an initial public offering in February that may value the business at $75 billion to $100 billion, people familiar with matter have said.
David McCombs, an intellectual property lawyer at Haynes Boone LLP in Dallas, said the countersuit by Facebook means the gloves are off, and they will fight it out.
Picks a Fight
If someone picks a fight with you, then you certainly would respond in kind, typically, he said today in a phone interview. You would expect Facebook to have intellectual property assets that would be applicable to anyone thats operating in that space.
Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, California, alleged in its lawsuit that Facebook infringes patents covering functions critical to websites, including Internet advertising, information sharing and privacy. Its seeking an order barring Facebook from infringing 10 patents and for triple damages.
The lawsuit followed Yahoos statements in February that Menlo Park, California-based Facebook, like other Web companies, must license its technology.
We have only just received Facebooks answer and counterclaims, but on their face we believe they are without merit and nothing more than a cynical attempt to distract from the weakness of its defense, Yahoo said in an e-mailed statement. We have proposed that Facebook join us in discussions to resolve the matter, but our overtures have been rejected. As a result, we are prepared to continue to seek redress through the courts.
Facebooks Counterclaims
In its counterclaims, Facebook says its patents are infringed directly by Yahoos home page and Flickr and through advertisements displayed throughout Yahoos site on finance, sports, games and shopping services.
Facebook patents at issue in the counterclaims include those related to technologies for generating a feed of stories personalized for social network users, posting headlines and distributing user profiles over a network. The company is seeking court orders declaring that it doesnt infringe Yahoo patents, blocking Yahoo from using its patents and awarding it unspecified damages from Yahoo.
Yahoo lost its No. 1 spot to Facebook last year in the US market for display advertising, which includes video and graphically based marketing messages, according to EMarketer Inc. In January, Yahoo reported fourth-quarter revenue of $1.17 billion, excluding sales passed on to partner sites.
Facebook, which has more than 845 million users, is seeking $5 billion in what could be the largest Internet IPO on record.
The case is Yahoo! Inc. v. Facebook, 12-cv-01212, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Los Gatos Research (LGR), the leader in precision trace gas analyzers, has expanded the company’s range of ultra-portable greenhouse gas analyzers (UGGA) by introducing the first in a series of economical, single-gas analyzers. This new, ultra-portable methane (CH4) analyzer offers parts per billion precision and accuracy in a rugged, crush-proof and compact package, measuring only 18.5 in. x 14 in. x 7 in. (47 cm x 36 cm x 18 cm), and weighing less than 19 kg. In addition, the analyzer consumes less than 60 watts and can operate natively on either AC or DC (battery) power. It features an extremely wide linear dynamic range – an Extended Range option even enables high precision measurement of CH4 concentrations as high as 10%, while maintaining ppb sensitivity. This economical analyzer reports CH4 and H2O concentrations in real time, continuously at user selectable rates as fast as 1 Hz. These measurements are unaffected by crosstalk from other common atmospheric gas, hydrocarbons, or combustion-generated gases (like CO, CO2, O2). For example, the new methane analyzer automatically corrects the real-time CH4 measurements for all water vapor dilution and spectroscopic effects, and reports the concentration as a dry mole fraction directly and without any data post processing. This eliminates the need for sample drying to achieve highest accuracy. Moreover, unlike other technologies which require much higher power and long warm-up times, LGR’s analyzers start reporting reliable data in less than 2 minutes after power on. This makes them ideal for portable operation (e.g., natural gas leak detection, compliance monitoring) – in a vehicle, plane or ship – as well as for remote, extended use at challenging locations with limited power (with full control via the Internet).
LGR President Dr. Douglas Baer explains that, “The unique combination of portability, remote operation, data archiving, absolute accuracy, and huge dynamic range make this rugged, ultraportable methane analyzer ideally suited for use by federal, state and local monitoring agencies, as well as natural gas suppliers, where operational flexibility and reliability are paramount requirements. And, we believe that the significantly lower cost of this single-gas instrument will enable its use by a broad spectrum of users, including teaching institutions and other organizations with very limited budgets.”
LGR precision gas analyzers are based on the company’s patented Off-axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) technology, a fourth generation, cavity-enhanced laser absorption technique. This unique approach is more rugged, more precise and simpler to service than earlier cavity-enhanced techniques, such as conventional cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS), because the performance of OA-ICOS does not need ultra-precise alignment or sub nanometer stability of its optics, or a high degree of thermal control. This ensures higher absolute accuracy, longer maintenance intervals, higher reliability and reduced cost of ownership.
LGR (
www.LGRinc.com ) makes the world’s most precise, rugged and reliable instruments for measurements of trace gases and isotopes. LGR instruments have been deployed by scientists for acquiring the most accurate measurements possible on all seven continents, in unmanned aerial vehicles, in mobile laboratories, on research and commercial aircraft, and in undersea vehicles.
This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com .
SOURCE LGR, Inc.
Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved
It was the sacrifice that James Murdoch hoped he would not have to make. BSkyB was a business he loved, a growing broadcaster in an otherwise pressurised industry, where he spent four happy years as chief executive in the middle part of the last decade. But in the end he concluded that he could not hang on as its chairman – because the media, politicians and regulators simply would not leave him alone.
This was a decision that Murdoch junior took, but it was not that long ago that he had no intention of stepping down from BSkyB. In comparison he was desperate to leave News International – home to the News of the World – the moment he relocated to New York at the turn of the year. The younger Murdoch had none of his fathers enthusiasm or fingertip feel for newspapers: it was pay television first at Star in Hong Kong and then at BSkyB where he made his name.
There was little immediate pressure from the independent directors on BSkyBs board either: incoming chairman Nicholas Ferguson said the boards support for James and belief in his integrity remain strong in the companys statement. But advisers and friends of James Murdoch told him that if he wanted to have options he had to get in front of the events, which continue to threaten to engulf him. On top of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, and the allegations of a cover-up – denied fiercely by Murdoch junior- this year alone has already seen a string of arrests at the Sun over allegedly corrupt payments to public officials.
Then last month came the re-emergence of pay-TV hacking accusations that were long thought dead, centred on the alleged activities of another one-time News Corp subsidiary, its encryption unit NDS, another business where James Murdoch was a non-executive on the board in the late 1990s and early part of the last decade. There is no evidence that the younger Murdoch knew about what is alleged to have occurred at NDS, but the fact that the usually sober Financial Times splashed the story across its entire front page a week ago demonstrates how the narrative of hacking has taken over all the reporting around News Corp and how he keeps being dragged in.
In addition, James Murdoch knew that a series of hazardous events immediately lay ahead. MPs on the cross-party culture, media and sport select committee were arguing as they tried to write up a report examining the phone-hacking scandal, in particular whether parliament was previously misled by News International executives. He had hoped to determine their thinking with a six-page letter published in March in which he said that while he took his share of responsibility for not uncovering wrongdoing at the News of the World earlier, he also did not know about and did not try to hide wrongdoing. It was not enough, and with the committee still split on a verdict on him, a final report was not expected until after Easter.
The second hurdle was James Murdochs impending appearance at the Leveson inquiry – due in the week of 23 April, the same week as his father. It is enough for him to be fighting for his corporate reputation, but, in truth, that event too would have been judged by the same measure: whether James Murdoch could remain at BSkyB. Questioning at the inquiry has been inconsistent at best, but Murdoch will have seen enough of proceedings to know that he could have been tripped up, or forced again to give up the job he loved. Now, unencumbered by that, a man frustrated by the relentless personal criticism hopes to have a chance to put his story across, according to one ally.
Somewhere around two weeks ago, James Murdoch concluded that the risk of an adverse committee report – or a poor showing at Leveson – was too great. It would be far worse to be forced to resign in the wake of either – he would probably be forced off the BSkyB board entirely and with no prospect of return. (Some too, will also point to Ofcoms fit and proper enquiry, but the reality, as BSkyB knows, is that the regulators probe continues as long as Murdoch junior remains a director and News Corp a shareholder, the second of which is unlikely to change, except at regulatory gunpoint).
Yet, if this is the calculus, it is not certain whether his resignation will be enough, as Murdochs own advisers concede. News Corp bosses have repeatedly tried to get ahead of events – by closing the News of the World, for example. But each time the hacking story has moved on. Its executives had also tried to create a firewall around the Murdoch family, but from Les Hinton to Rebekah Brooks they have been forced out and the shield is gone. Now it is James Murdoch who is gradually being forced into retreat, to the point where the business he runs within News Corp looks increasingly small. He hopes that he can rebuild his career from a lower profile at company number three in New York, but for the moment he is the last defence in front of his 81-year-old father in a scandal that seems to drag on and on.
A CHEF has been appointed to a campaign website to answer residents questions about food – no matter how bizarre.
The site, part of the Love Food Surrey campaign, encourages residents to throw less food away and provides answers to even the most unusual food-related questions.
Chef Carmela Tomkins has so far solved various conundrums, such as whether you can freeze eggs or if a tin of beans should be left in the fridge.
The campaign’s aim is to encourage residents to reduce food waste while also saving money on shopping bills and helping the environment.
The website features a host of recipe ideas for leftovers, as well as shopping and food storage tips. A monthly e-newsletter is also available.
Carmela, who is of Italian origin and lives in West Byfleet, owns her own catering business and believes that cooking should be fun, economical, easy and appealing to adults and children.
For many years she has run cookery demonstrations in Surrey for charities and other organisations, and became involved in the Love Food campaign because she believes it is an important element of sustaining the environment.
Surrey residents throw out about 83,000 tonnes of food waste each year, which costs the county council £7.6m to deal with.
The campaign has been set up by the Surrey Waste Partnership, which is made up of the county council and the 11 district and borough authorities.
Its aim is to manage waste in the most efficient, economical and sustainable way possible.
Councillor John Furey, the county council’s cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “Our Love Food Surrey Campaign aims to help people reduce the amount of food they throw out which will help them save money and benefit the environment.
“It’s estimated that the average family wastes around one in every five shopping bags of food they buy.
By following a few simple hints and tips from Love Food Surrey, people can reduce the waste they bin and save up to £50 a month.
This can be done by better meal planning, shopping smarter and using better portion control which will all result in less food being thrown away.”
The website provides tips for avoiding the main reasons why people throw food away, such as children not always wanting to eat what has been cooked for them, that too much has been prepared and that food has not been used before it goes past its use-by date.
To pose questions to Carmela, for more information or to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter, visit www.lovefoodsurrey.com/questions.
April 4 (Reuters) – The following were the top stories on
the New York Times business pages on Wednesday. Reuters has not
verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
* Airlines and airports are testing a guidance system that
could reduce congestion and fuel consumption by allowing planes
to take a more direct route to the runway.
* A few investors who will not agree to take losses on their
bonds expect Athens and its supporters to pay them back rather
than go into default, a move that analysts said could set a
dangerous precedent.
* The unusually bold remarks by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao
appeared to be a challenge to others in the Communist Party
leadership to speed up reforms of the financial system.
* A decision by the New York Court of Appeals put an end to
one of the most unusual lawsuits resulting from the Madoff
fraud, in which a man was allowed to sue his ex-wife to alter
the terms of their divorce.
* Chrysler and Ford Motor Co said their American
sales rose last month to the highest level in at least four
years, while General Motors said it sold a record number of
fuel-efficient cars.
* In responding to Yahoo Incs original
intellectual property lawsuit, Facebook argued that the Web
pioneer has violated patents that cover some 80 percent of its
revenues last year, amounting to more than $4 billion.
* The Financial Stability Oversight Council will examine the
riskiness of some nonbanks in an effort to place stronger
regulations on important financial institutions.
* The members of the Federal Reserves policy-making
committee barely discussed the possibility of a fourth round of
asset purchases during their most recent meeting in mid-March.
LOS ANGELES, CA, Mar 22, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
With the wide range of cosmetic treatments and products on the
market designed to enhance and tighten skin on the face, choosing a
plan that is targeted for one’s individual needs without breaking the
bank can often be a challenge. Dr. Christine Petti, a plastic surgeon
in Los Angeles, recommends several procedures that can offer
economical solutions to loose, tired-looking skin and facial lines
with minimal to no downtime.
At her Los Angeles plastic surgery practice, Dr. Petti has proposed a
facial rejuvenation plan combining cosmetic procedures to provide
effective results in the treatment of aging skin on the face. Dr.
Petti says selecting the right nonsurgical enhancements for each
patient’s personal aesthetic goals can save money and reduce downtime
and risks associated with surgical procedures.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the
total number of minimally invasive procedures such as BOTOX(R)
Cosmetic dwarfs the number of surgical enhancements performed by
approximately 10 million, based on statistics from 2010. While the
study shows both surgical and nonsurgical aesthetic enhancements are
on the rise, Dr. Petti says more patients at her practice are taking
advantage of the minimal recovery time and high-quality results
associated with procedures such as BOTOX(R) Cosmetic or laser skin
resurfacing in Los Angeles.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of non-invasive procedures at
her practice, Dr. Petti says she helps patients create a personalized
treatment plan that targets specific areas of a patient’s face to
correct signs of aging and restore youthful vibrancy to skin. By
combining certain procedures with the skill and experience of a
board-certified plastic surgeon, she adds that patients can cut down
on the cost of aesthetic treatment as well as the downtime from work
and normal activities.
For her Los Angeles facial rejuvenation patients, Dr. Petti says she
recommends dermal fillers such as Sculptra(R) Cosmetic, a facial
volume enhancement for restoring youthful contour; Juvederm(R), an
injectable gel for smoothing skin and facial lines; and Restylane(R),
a filler designed to add fullness to lips. She says patients can also
opt for laser skin resurfacing procedures like Laser Genesis,
Smartskin(R) Laser Skin Rejuvenation, and Portrait(R) Plasma Skin
Resurfacing, all targeted to treat damaged skin and reveal a fresh,
younger-looking complexion.
Regardless of whether patients are looking for a combination of
non-invasive facial enhancements or a more dramatic change in their
appearance from surgery, Dr. Petti says she urges all potential
patients to consult with a qualified and dedicated plastic surgeon
before undergoing any procedure. She also says through the hands of a
skilled and passionate surgeon, patients can experience the benefits
of confidence and youth that can be available from cosmetic
procedures.
About Christine A. Petti, MD, FACS
Dr. Christine Petti earned her medical degree from the Medical
College of Pennsylvania following a research fellowship in the
Department of Pharmacology at Georgetown University. She also
completed her General Surgery residency at the Medical College of
Pennsylvania, earning the distinction of “Best Surgical Resident.”
Dr. Petti then completed her residency in Plastic Surgery at the
University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, where she was
Chief Resident in plastic surgery in 1988. She is board-certified by
the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a Fellow of the American
College of Surgeons, and a member of the American Society of Plastic
Surgeons, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and several
other professional organizations. Dr. Petti is an Expert Examiner for
the Medical Board of California. She has engaged in, and is published
on research in liposuction and the laser treatment of body cellulite
using Cellulaze, and dedicates time to continuing medical education
to stay at the forefront of her profession. Dr. Petti also makes
regular appearance on CBS’s television show “The Doctors.”
Located at 3400 W. Lomita Blvd., Suite 307 in Torrance, CA, Dr.
Petti’s practice can be reached at (310) 961-2530. She can also be
contacted online via the website dr-petti.com or
facebook.com/drpetti.
Contact:
Rosemont Media
Aaron Hurst
Email Contact
(858) 200-0044
www.rosemontmedia.com
SOURCE: Dr. Christine Petti
http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=0A1D731D604A9AD6
http://www.rosemontmedia.com/
Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.
Charter Business will be a sponsor at CIOsynergys upcoming directIT event in Dallas, where 150 CIOs and IT professionals will focus on the emerging trends in enterprise IT and their impact on greater efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Hoffman Estates, IL (PRWEB) April 03, 2012
CIOsynergy, a provider of thought leading conferences, today announced that Charter Business will be a key sponsor of its directIT event on April 5, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Reunion hotel in Dallas, Texas.
Charter Business, the commercial services division of Charter Communications, Inc., generated nearly 20 percent revenue growth during 2011. With double digit growth in each year of its 10 year history, Charter Business grew revenue by an all time high and is targeting even higher growth in 2012.
Charter Business provides a broad range of communications services to businesses of all sizes, from small companies with a handful of employees to multibillion dollar companies with operations in multiple locations requiring complex communications services.
We are thrilled to have Charter Business as key sponsor of our popular CIOsynergy directIT events in Dallas. As a leading provider of information technology, their presence will provide event attendees with an additional layer of industry insights and thought leadership, says Patrick Mason, Director of Communications and Marketing.
For more information about or to participate in directIT Dallas, visit: chartercomm.ciosynergy.com, or contact Araceli Delgado, Project Coordinator at aracelid(at)ciosynergy(dot)com or 1.847.278.2213 ext. 899.
directIT Dallas is an exclusive opportunity for leading local CIO and IT executives to network and brainstorm daily hurdles in an unparalleled learning environment under the umbrella of the founder of Travelocity.com, keynote of the event Terry Jones. As chairman of Kayak.com and former CIO of American Airlines, Mr. Jones will share insights from four decades of success including the techniques hes deployed to keep up with todays rapidly changing world.
At directIT, a panel of leading CIOs moderated by Scott Shuster, will share and explore how CIOs can be successful in their role. Mr. Shuster has led virtually every Business Week CEO, CFO, and CIO conference held since the founding of the magazines events group more than 100 of the worlds most prominent gatherings of large company leaders and senior executives.
Open to Fortune 500s and mid-market enterprise, directIT Dallas gathers senior executives from the office of the CIO, including Directors, VPs, Chief Architects, CTOs and CIOs.
About CIOsynergy
CIOsynergy provides a platform that brings together the thought leaders of IT through events that incorporate face-to-face meeting opportunities, panel discussions, think tanks and keynotes, and C-suite networking programs.
Previous events have attracted C-suite leaders from companies such as Wal-Mart, Salesforce, Home Depot, Bank of America, Forbes Media, Wells Fargo, Shell, Allstate, State Farm, Career Education Corp, Pepsi, Sara Lee, Kraft, BP, Loyola University, Kaiser Permanente, Mayo Clinic, and Walgreens.
The company operations nationwide and has previously partnered with sponsors such as IBM, 3com, VMware, Unisys, Hitachi, Oracle, SunGard, Dell, Google, Amazon, and HTC among 100s more.
About Charter Business
Charter Business, a division of Charter Communications, Inc., provides business organizations with scalable, tailored, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions, including business-to-business Internet access, data networking, business telephone, video and music entertainment services and wireless backhaul. Catering to the unique broadband needs of business customers, Charter Business offers competitively priced bundled products over its state-of-the-art, fiber-based network, helping businesses in a variety of industries maximize efficiency while continuing to grow. Charter Business is Metro Ethernet Forum Certified. More information about Charter Business can be found at charter-business.com.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/4/prweb9344182.htm
Vast drama in small spaces was one of Bachs gifts to the musical imagination. His two Passions, St. John and St. Matthew, summarize the theatrical death of Jesus and the events of Holy Week, but with such economical forces that the music and its theater seem very personal.
The Philadelphia Bach Festival closed its three-day event Sunday at St. Marks Church with the traditional two-part version of the Johannespassion, performed with chamber choir and the Bach Collegium of 13 using period instruments. (Scholars have found music for a third part which rarely is performed).
Matthew Glandorfs conducting reminded listeners that Bach had many identities to present to the world. There was Bach the colorist, Bach the master of form, Bach the perfectionist, Bach the dramatist, and Bach the extravagant melodist. His approach, with many solos coming from within the chorus, enhanced the theatrical shape of the work. Here, with differing voices, were saints and sinners, kings and priests, troubled hearts and spiritual serenity. Those theatrical emphases removed any hint of the mechanical Bach, a quality that can accompany the search for perfection.
Glandorf moved this large conception with a theatricians clarity. The momentum of the drama built with his ability to maintain the flow despite the interplay of the Evangelists narration and the entrances of chorus and soloists. It was not a series of isolated recitatives and unrelated arias, but a building chain of dramatic events.
One of the virtues here was the instrumental color. The oboe and the eloquence of the baroque strings surrounded the voices with a richness not quite possible with modern instruments. The economy of instrumental writing heightened the drama throughout.
Tenor Aaron Sheehan, the Evangelist, played and sang the role with admirable diction and expressive urgency. Baritone Brian Ming Chu made Pilatus a vivid player, and baritone Colin Dill balanced the vocal palette with his intelligent reading of the Christs role. The other soloists – tenor Steven Bradshaw, baritone Chris Hodges, countertenor Benjamin Starr, soprano Clara Rottsolk, and mezzo-soprano Erika Takacs – were remarkably balanced and secure in their roles.
The chorus was no less theatrical, playing joyful scenes and ones of devastation. The singing in O hilf, Christe and the final piece, Ach, Herr, stood for an afternoon of high achievement.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: A peak business lobby group has called on the Government to review the carbon tax. The Business Council of Australia says the current pricing arrangement is too inflexible, and fraught with risks. The council is concerned it will further damage Australias industry.
Finance reporter, David Taylor has more.
DAVID TAYLOR: Australia ranked 4th in the Olympic medal count in Athens in 2004. For a relatively small country, thats a terrific achievement. According to the Business Council of Australia, that doesnt translate elsewhere in the economy.
In fact when it comes to the quality of overall infrastructure, we come in at number 37, behind Croatia and Namibia. On the question of crucial port infrastructure, we place 40th, just ahead of Uruguay.
According to the council Australia simply lacks the talent at the top to get things done.
TONY SHEPHERD: I think thats what Australia lacks at the moment, is somebody with a vision and true leadership qualities.
DAVID TAYLOR: Business Council of Australia president, Tony Shepherd. He says its put the Australian economy on the back foot.
TONY SHEPHERD: Our industrial base in many sectors is seriously under threat and that is mainly of course through the Australian dollar, the strong Australian dollar but also the growing competition in the world, our lack of productivity and all the other impediments which make our businesses less competitive than they were previously.
DAVID TAYLOR: Tony Shepherd claims Australia is at risk of falling behind the rest of the developed world. The carbon pricing scheme, in his view, is another example of failed policy that will provide a drag on the economy.
TONY SHEPHERD: We are a very small contributor to carbon in a world sense I think we produce about 1.4 per cent of the worlds CO2 so were not going to have a dramatic impact. So it would be sensible in our view for the Government to lower the basic price, lower the floor and certainly given themselves the flexibility to make further adjustments.
DAVID TAYLOR: The council wants the Government to review the tax arguing that it could be painting itself into a corner.
TONY SHEPHERD: Well I think theyre just taking from themselves the ability to make adjustments if things dont go the way they predict. And I think that is a mistake.
DAVID TAYLOR: Mistakes could also being made in our relations with China.
John Fletcher is the director of investment firm, Somerley Group, which has offices in China. He claims theres now an underlying sense of unease with Australian business transactions.
JOHN FLETCHER: The Chinese feel that at the government state-owned industry level that Australia no longer welcomes Chinese investment – there are a lot of impediments put up to Chinese investment particularly in key industries in Australia.
DAVID TAYLOR: Much of it, John Fletcher argues, comes down to a fear of the unknown.
JOHN FLETCHER: It relates to really a fear in Australia that maybe China will be too dominant and have too big an influence over the way Australia develops in the future.
DAVID TAYLOR: The Business Council wouldnt be drawn on the issue today.
TONY SHEPHERD: I have heard some disquiet in recent times but I guess the point of my speech as we need to engage with Asia, all of Asia, particularly China being our largest trading partner, because this is very much our future.
I mean they are by far our largest destination for exports, increasingly were taking manufactured imports from them, they are very much in our part of the world and engagement and working out a good – having a good working relationship with China is essential.
DAVID TAYLOR: Have we got the right government for that now?
TONY SHEPHERD: Again Im apolitical. The Government, to its great credit, has commissioned a white paper on engagement with Asia – this is the Henry Review. We support it enthusiastically, in fact one of our members if on that committee and we wait to see the outcome of that.
DAVID TAYLOR: Does that mean youre undecided?
TONY SHEPHERD: No, Im waiting to see – that means Im not saying anything (laughs).
What Im saying is this; theyre doing a white paper on Asia, its a great initiative, we wait to see the outcome of that white paper and the Governments reaction to it before we make the judgement.
DAVID TAYLOR: Either way, John Fletcher says it cant hurt to learn some Mandarin.
JOHN FLETCHER: Well, one thing that came up today, which is I think that for young people learning Mandarin would be a great advantage.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: John Fletcher ending David Taylors report.
As a small business owner, youre trying to (or at least you should be) keep your costs and expenses to a minimum. Were not talking about being cheap, just economical. If you can do the same job with something less expensive, why would you go for something more and spend the money without any good reason?
The same applies for your bookkeeping. Sure, you could hire a professional accountant to keep track of your business, or you could try out some web applications that will take care of your financial and administrative tasks like calculations, working hours count and invoicing. Everything is pretty automated and your only concern should be to find great clients.
Lucky for you, there are many online accounting applications out in the market, but well focus on the two of them so we can show you exactly whats available so you can choose one that suits you and your small business. Well take a look at SohoOS and FreshBooks and check out their features.
Small office, Home office SoHo for short, is probably the way you work right now you have rented some office space, or maybe you havent, or youre working from home. SohoOS isnt an actual operating system but a collection of tools that help you better control your business. SohoOS claims that its not just a business solution, but a place for individuals to improve their business and their business skills, as well. It simplifies each business process and takes care of your workflow.
We asked Ron Daniel of SohoOS if the SoHos products are as good as the individual services they might compete with. His response was, As the easiest management platform web wide, SohoOS focuses on providing high-quality solutions to adequately answer the holistic needs of micro-business owners. As such, we are the only platform which is designed especially for this populations needs. Consequently, our system is superior to any other single-solution program out there. And, of course, our core management platform is the only available one which is free.
With SohoOS youll be able to manage your contacts in one place, as well as managing documents, projects and inventory. Invoices and billing are also a powerful module of the SohoOS, where you can create an invoice and request payments via any method suitable. If you recieve your payments via PayPal, SohoOS will automatically know when the payment has been paid and do everything else for you.
FreshBooks is an alternative to SohoOS and is one of the most known online accounting solutions out there. It isnt as extensive as SohoOS, and it shouldnt be its massively focused on invoicivng and getting paid.
Wheather youre being paid via PayPal, 2co, iTransact or any other payment gateway, FreshBooks can work with it. When you create and send an invoice to a client, it gets tracked and youre notified when a payment has been made. You can customize your invoices and even set recurring invoicing and payments so you dont have to worry about those that occur monthly.
Which ever service you choose, one thing is clear these tools will help you to save a lot of time, which can now be used for more important tasks, and not doing calculations in Excel and copying and editing stuff into your Word invoice template.
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