DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Why so many banks seem to fail on Fridays
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

That’s because when banks fail, they have a tendency to do so on Friday. Friday, March 10, 2023: Silicon Valley Bank seized by regulators, the second biggest bank failure in US history. “That was very unusual.”Similarly, Silicon Valley Bank’s unraveling happened at a head-spinning pace nearly three weeks ago. Skinny cansAnyone else notice how skinny cans are these days? My colleague Nathaniel Meyersohn, a reporter with an eagle eye for retail trends, explains that skinny cans are, in fact, in.

☆ Why skinny soda cans are everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Drink manufacturers are aiming to distinguish their products on crowded shelves and save money on shipping and packaging with skinny cans, say analysts and drink makers. The can, presented at New York’s Fashion Week, had the tagline: “The New Skinny.” It was widely criticized as offensive and the National Eating Disorders Association said the company’s comments were both “thoughtless and irresponsible.”White Claw's skinny white cans have brought along copycats. Red Bull was one of the first brands to popularize slim cans, and White Claw saw success with its hard seltzer in thin white cans. skinny cans on store shelves, warehouse pallets and trucks than wider cans, said Dave Fedewa, a partner at McKinsey who consults for retail and consumer packaged goods companies. But the key, Fedewa said, is that skinny cans catch the eye: “It’s funny how much growth that can drive in retail.”

[1/2] Dressmaker Faieza Caswell from Mitchells Plain sews under candlelight in her workplace, on the Cape Flats due to South Africa's struggling power utility company Eskom, implementing regular power cuts - called 'load-shedding', in Cape Town, South Africa February 11, 2023. South Africa's relatively wealthy, developed economy and nearly three decades of political stability helped drive industry growth and draw in reinsurers. And they are now tightening the conditions of their agreements with insurance companies. Reinsurers are also pushing insurance companies to include so-called "named perils" in policies rather than offering blanket cover for catastrophes. Grid failure would plunge South Africa into a nationwide blackout that could last weeks.

DUBAI, March 28 (Reuters) - Uber Technologies' (UBER.N) Middle East subsidiary Careem is in advanced talks with Emirates Telecommunications Group Company (EAND.AD) to invest in its expansion into services beyond ride-hailing, five sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Careem began seeking outside investors last year to help finance its Super App, which offers services outside its core ride-hailing business such as food delivery, bike rentals, digital payments and courier services. While Uber owns Careem's app and its around 50 million registered users, the newly-created investment vehicle will have a service level agreement with the app and its solutions, the source said. Careem's co-founder and Chief Executive Mudassir Sheikha, a former McKinsey executive, has long been a proponent of the Super App strategy to expand beyond ride-hailing. Uber, which shut down its Uber Eats operations in the Middle East in 2020, is focused on ride-hailing in the UAE.

☆ India's population will overtake China's – what does that mean for the world?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Nessa Anwar | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIndia's 1.4 billion population will almost certainly bring economic opportunities, but could it set back the country's growth? Both countries have more than 1.4 billion people, but where India's population is relatively young, China's birth rate is in decline and its population is getting older. What does it mean for India? Alok Khirsagar, the report's co-author, said India's digital infrastructure will be central to generating jobs for India's young population. "It's very important that we're able to use technology to distribute manufacturing services into smaller towns and smaller cities, and not as dependent on the large cities to drive growth," he said.

☆ Employees Need Positive Feedback From Bosses. Without It, People Quit.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Molly Lipson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

A 2021 study by the global management-consulting firm McKinsey found that the top-two reasons people quit their jobs are because they don't feel valued by their company or their manager. And when employees feel happy and rewarded by their jobs, they are also more productive. How to really mean it when you give an employee praiseFor employees to really feel valued at work, it's important that they are recognized on a regular basis. While a simple acknowledgement of good work can be a powerful tool, Baumgartner told me that a simple "thank you" isn't sufficient to truly appreciate employees' work. Peer-to-peer recognition is also an important way employees can feel valued.

CNBC: You were the first Hispanic woman to serve on one of the top five Fortune 100 corporate boards, but as of 2022, corporate boards continue to remain majority white and male. What do you see as the biggest obstacle to diversifying corporate boards? Ford director Kimberly Casiano was the first Hispanic woman to serve on a Fortune 100 top five corporate board. I also believe entrepreneurs, who have much more limited resources and leverage than major corporations, are better at compromise and subtle persuasion. Casiano: It is important to remember that gender diversity on corporate boards came years before ethnic diversity started to show its head.

☆ Worried about your kids and A.I.? Experts share advice — and highlight the risks to look out for
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Monkeybusinessimages | Istock | Getty ImagesArtificial Intelligence is all the rage in the tech world, especially after the launch of ChatGPT and GPT-4. It has shown potential not only to change life of workers — but also the daily life of another demographic: kids. In fact, children are already using AI-powered toys and platforms that write bedtime stories at the click of a button. But there are concerns that AI could be something of a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to kids. Risks range from privacy and safety issues to psychological and behavioral effects, according to a report by UNICEF and the World Economic Forum.

☆ The era of generic email blasts is over. Here's why customers expect personalized messaging and how to meet that expectation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Mailchimp | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

71% of shoppers expect personalized marketing from brands, and 76% are frustrated if this expectation is not met. Success stories from Pack Up + Go, Dirty Girl Produce, and Honeywell Biscuit Co. demonstrate the benefits of personalized marketing. The email marketing company Mailchimp, for example, offers businesses the ability to target their audience, personalize their message, and deliver emails at the optimal time. One company that excels at this is Pack Up + Go, an online travel company that organizes surprise vacations in the US. To re-engage old customers at the end of August, Dirty Girl Produce used Mailchimp's Customer Journey Builder to automatically email customers who hadn't made a purchase in the past 60 days with a discount.

☆ 4 banks have collapsed in less than a month. Here's what Jerome Powell, Nouriel Roubini, Elon Musk and others are saying about the turmoil.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In less than a month, Silvergate, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Credit Suisse have collapsed. Jerome Powell, Nouriel Roubini, Elon Musk, and others have shared their views on the turmoil. Experts have pointed to the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes over the past year as a driver for the turmoil. Jerome PowellFollowing the announcement of a 25-basis-point rate hike, the Fed chief said all depositors' savings are safe, adding that US banking system is "strong and resilient." Elon MuskThe billionaire Tesla and Twitter chief sees danger ahead for the US economy if the Fed doesn't contain the crisis among regional banks.

☆ The economy is headed into a 'Bermuda Triangle' of risk that will bring on a crisis to rival 2008, 'Dr. Doom' economist Nouriel Roubini says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The economy is headed into a "Bermuda Triangle" of risk, economist Nouriel Roubini warned. He sounded the alarm for a stagflationary debt crisis and a severe recession to hit the US. Second, high interest rates means firms are battling higher costs of borrowing and waning liquidity, which weighs on asset prices. Finally, high interest rates are pressuring the mountain of debt, both private and public, that was amassed during the years of low rates, Roubini said. And when many of them are having these problems, then you have a systemic household debt crisis like [2008]," he warned.

☆ Starbucks CEO says he'll work a shift at the company's cafes once a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan told employees Thursday that he'll work a half day every month at one of the coffee giant's locations. Narasimhan took the helm on Monday and will lead the company's shareholder meeting Thursday. His pledge comes at a rocky time for the company's relationship with its baristas. As of Friday, more than 190 company-owned Starbucks locations have voted to unionize, according to National Labor Relations Board data. Before joining Starbucks, Narasimhan was chief executive of Reckitt, which owns brands like Lysol and Durex.

☆ Starbucks' new CEO will start life at the coffee giant with a pay packet that could be worth over $28 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Laxman Narasimhan just started as CEO of Starbucks, and he's set to take home a hefty paycheck. This includes annual equity awards with a target value of $13.6 million, SEC filings show. According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings from September, Narasimhan will start with a base salary of $1.3 million per year. Starbucks says he'll also be eligible for annual equity awards with a target value of $13.6 million. When Kevin Johnson resigned as Starbucks CEO in April 2022, former boss Howard Schultz was named as his interim replacement.

Popular passive income ideas include online courses, as well as renting out property, tools, and equipment to others. Even though the goal is passive income, there may be a bit of active work required at the start. However, many passive income ideas may require a significant upfront investment of time and labor to generate profits later. See Insider's picks for the best budgeting apps >>With the hundreds of possible passive income streams available, which ones are the best for 2023? Bonds and bond fundsInvesting with bonds or bond funds can be another way of generating passive income.

☆ First Republic Bank Taps Lazard for Help With Review of Strategic Options
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Lauren Thomas | Laura Cooper | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Options for First Republic could include a sale, a capital infusion or asset trimming. First Republic Bank is beefing up its adviser ranks as the troubled lender seeks to stay afloat and plan for a postcrisis future amid a trans-Atlantic crisis of confidence in the banking system. The California bank this week tapped Lazard Ltd. to help with a review of strategic options that could include a sale, a capital infusion or asset trimming, according to people familiar with the matter. It also hired consulting firm McKinsey & Co. to help map out a postcrisis structure for the bank, the people said.

☆ New Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan takes over nearly two weeks earlier than expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Starbucks on Monday said that Laxman Narasimhan has officially become CEO, nearly two weeks earlier than expected. After being named incoming CEO in September, Narasimhan has spent months learning about Starbucks' business, including training as a barista. Schultz returned nearly a year ago after former CEO Kevin Johnson surprised investors by announcing his retirement. Since Schultz returned April 4, Starbucks stock has risen nearly 8%, bringing its market value to $113 billion. In September, Schultz told CNBC that he's never planning on coming back as Starbucks' chief executive again.

☆ Meet Laxman Narasimhan, a coffee industry outsider who just took over as CEO of Starbucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Laxman Narasimhan officially took over as Starbucks CEO, replacing Howard Schultz. Narasimhan is new to the coffee industry, having started his career in the consulting world before joining PepsiCo, and, later, British consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser. Narasimhan built his career in the beverage and consumer-goods industriesLaxman Narasimhan at Starbucks Investor Day in September 2022. Starbucks said at the time that Narasimhan would begin as CEO on April 1, taking over for interim CEO Schultz. Of the 365 Starbucks stores that have held votes to unionize, 292 have voted to form a union.

☆ Want to invest in companies that empower women? Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Known as gender lens or gender equity investing, the idea is to invest for financial return, while promoting gender diversity. Yet those funds represent less than 0.01% of total equity fund assets in the United States, according to the firm. Her women CEO and CFO clients were getting tremendous results, she said. In January, the asset management firm launched the Hypatia Women CEO exchange-traded fund (WCEO). Women in leadership matters, but we need a more robust scorecard to assess gender equity.

☆ BlackRock's Larry Fink said the last few years have dramatically reshaped supply chains. Data — and experts — disagree.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

From the headlines, it's easy to think that supply chains are making a major shift closer to the consumer. "The repeated shocks of the past few years have also dramatically reshaped supply chains," Fink wrote in his highly-anticipated annual letter to shareholders Wednesday. His statements echo those from other top execs and prognosticators, who looked at the last few years and saw inevitable evolution toward more localized supply chains. Before the pandemic, supply chains were largely built with cost as a guiding principle. Is a "dramatic" redesign of supply chains possible?

☆ Highly successful people use this soft skill, says 'CEO whisperer' Jerry Colonna—avoiding it 'is a prescription' for 'failure'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Highly successful people possess a skill that helps them grow personally and professionally, says leadership coach Jerry Colonna: They excel at adapting to change. Colonna was even dubbed the "CEO whisperer" by Gimlet's "StartUp" podcast in 2015. "You have to meet each individual team member where they are, not drag them to where you are," he added. "Take a deep breath, take stock of the situation, and discuss it candidly" with your boss instead, Brassey and De Smet wrote. 1 best piece of advice for regular investors, do's and don'ts, and three key investing principles into a clear and simple guidebook.

☆ Larry Fink, thrust into political crosshairs, dials back ESG talk in his annual letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink published his widely read annual letter to investors on Wednesday. In a shift, Fink kept his discussion of ESG investing to a minimum after a year of backlash. Fink focused on macroeconomic concerns, notably inflation, and the wider energy transition. It is clear that Fink's stance on ESG investing has not changed. In his letter on Wednesday, Fink talked at length about the transition to a low-carbon economy and BlackRock's role in it.

Starbucks (SBUX.O) warned of a "cautious" recovery in its China sales. "Consumers have become more meticulous in their spending," its chief executive, Xu Lei, said in an earnings call on Thursday. "Now the Chinese tourists are either super rich or very poor," said the owner, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "This suggests that once the initial reopening rebound has happened, we shouldn't expect a further surge in consumer spending," he wrote in a note to clients. ($1 = 6.8780 Chinese yuan renminbi)Editing by Marius Zaharia and Bradley PerrettOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Harvard career expert: The No. 1 'desirable skill' that very few people have—especially men
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Heidi K. Gardner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

These people shouldn't just have different knowledge domains. A groundbreaking study by Harvard Business School professor Boris Groysberg found that workers, especially men, often take their professional networks for granted. Communities created through Slack and similar messaging tools are a great way to spur virtual forms of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and knowledge distribution. Previously, she was a professor at Harvard Business School. Heidi earned master's degree from the London School of Economics, and a second PhD from London Business School.

☆ Gen Zers are bookworms but say they're shunning e-books because of eye strain, digital detoxing, and their love for libraries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three Gen Zers gave their reasons for preferring printed editions over e-books. But when it comes to reading, Gen Zers say they prefer to pick up a printed book over an e-book. Book sales in the US and the UK have boomed in the past two years, the management consultancy McKinsey found. Perhaps the most surprising trend is not Gen Zers' love of books but the way they consume them. She said while e-books were affordable and great for traveling, her preference was printed books.

☆ Premarket stocks: The Fed wants to limit wage growth. That's particularly bad for women
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What’s happening: Never-married women earned just 92% of what never-married men did last year, according to the Wells Fargo report. Those wage gaps are “persistently disappointing,” ADP’s Chief Economist Nela Richardson told CNN on Thursday. Markets suffer: Companies with smaller gender pay gaps tend to be rewarded by their shareholders. “The gender pay gap is informing investment strategies,” wrote Refinitiv analysts in a recent report. “Our recent analysis shows that [shares of] companies with no gender pay gap outperform companies with pay gaps between male and female employees,” wrote Refinitiv.

Search resuls for: "McKinsey"

25 mentions found