Business

Last week, Apple supplier GT Advanced Technologies Inc filed for bankruptcy in a move that shocked even Apple, which had planned to depend on GT Advanced for scratch-resistant sapphire screen technology for all future Apple devices. According to the Wall Street Journal, GT Advanced's bankruptcy filing was met with shock from its investors, creditors and partners alike -- even Apple itself remarked that the filing was "a surprising decision" in a statement. The bankruptcy comes as such a shock due to the fact that GT Advanced made a bond payment and promised a business update just a week before the bankruptcy was filed. In August, GT Advanced executives stated they predicted the company would have $400 million in the bank at the end of the year. Even more bizarre is the fact that GT Adva...

Last week, Barry Schwartz (news editor of Search Engine Land) put together cues from Google and his own research and came to a potentially game-changing conclusion: mobile accessibility may soon become a part of Google’s ranking algorithms. “Google sees what users see, and if that is a bad mobile experience, it may impact your rankings,” the article reads. If accurate, this prediction points to an ever-growing need to consider mobile design as an integral part of building an online presence. Primacy of the User Experience Schwartz writes that at Search Marketing Expo Eas, held this year in New York from September 30 through October 2, Google engineer Gary Illyes emphasized the importance of the user experience, or UX in industry slang. When questioned about the motivation for stressin...

When Target's point-of-sale system was hacked during the winter holidays last year, resulting in approximately 40 million customer credit card and debit card numbers being compromised, the chain store suffered from scathing articles and customer feedback reports for months. Consumers were furious that the store could allow such a huge security breach to occur, and that company executives could let so much time pass between the initial breach and their official confirmation of the breach, thereby allowing the hackers more time to use the stolen information. The backlash from Target's POS security woes was sure to make national retailers re-examine their own security measures, American consumers had assumed. But chain stores continue to fall victim to dedicated hackers, and The Home De...

The characters of the Star Wars film series are all iconic for one reason or another: Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, Princess Leia's hair, and Chewbacca's growl come to mind. And when it comes to villain Darth Vader's characterization, perhaps what is even more widely known than his mask and cape is the sound of his mechanical breathing. That sound is something that Lucasfilm, the company run by Star Wars creator George Lucas, protects from infringement thanks to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This type of trademark is referred to as a non-visual mark or "soundmark" by the USPTO. Like a trademark, the soundmark is also used to protect intellectual property from infringement. The USPTO showed off the application for Vader's signature breathing, filed in 2008, on its Twitter...

While banks are still the leader in providing outside capital for small businesses, there have always been alternative forms of loan capital available, including credit unions, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), merchant cash advances, equipment leasing, and factoring products. This segment of the market has always been small compared to the $700 billion in small business bank credit assets. But Forbes discovered that since the onset of the financial crisis, and particularly during the economic recovery, there has been significant growth in innovative, online alternative funding for small businesses. There has been a 175% growth in the outstanding portfolio balance of online lenders each year, compared to a 3% decline in the traditional banking sector. As they grow, t...

The kidnapping and murder of Arkansas Realtor Beverly Carter has highlighted an ever-present fact for real estate agents: that meeting a prospective buyer in an empty home is potentially an extremely dangerous situation. Carter, 49, disappeared Sept. 25 from a house she was showing just outside Little Rock. Her body was found Sept. 30 in a shallow grave. Aaron Lewis, 33, has been arrested and charged with the crime. Authorities believe that he was a stranger to Carter. “We've just gotten lax,” Karen Crowson, former president of the Arkansas Realtors Association, told CNN regarding safety measures for showing houses. Crowson, who worked with Carter, said this comes as a bleak wake-up call. “We live in the South and tend to think everybody's a good person. We're not, by nature, suspicious...

This month, The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) cited data reported by Beacon Research and Morningstar Inc. to announce that second-quarter 2014 sales of annuities had hit their highest levels in three years. Overall annuity sales were driven as high as 59.9 billion in the second quarter, thanks to heightened consumer demand for guaranteed income and protection, especially in fixed annuities. According to the IRI, this number has risen by 9.9% since the same time last year. A 6.8% rise in overall annuity sales was recorded in the first quarter alone. Fixed annuity sales increased 7.6% over the first quarter and 41.6% over the past year to draw in $24.3 billion in the second quarter. Fixed index annuities were the top seller, hitting a quarterly record of $12.9 million in the second q...

The improving state of technology in the healthcare industry is usually seen as a positive factor, one that greatly increases a physician’s capacity to heal and help the sick. But what happens when that technology suddenly disappears or becomes inaccessible? As one tiny medical practice in northern Maine found out, the answer is almost a complete cessation of function -- and severe risk to their patients. In July, Full Circle Health Care was denied access to their online medical records after the vendor for their electronic storage system, CompuGroup, blocked their service over a billing dispute. These records included the medical histories of 4,000 patients, making it impossible for nurses and physicians to check necessary information, such as diabetes records, blood pressure logs, aller...

When it comes to making major renovations, hotels are looking to a source other than interior decorators these days. Now it's all about online review websites to guide new hotel furniture installations and improvements to the overall visit. Hotels in New York City are becoming more savvy when it comes to monitoring review sites such as TripAdvisor.com and Yelp.com, and booking sites like Hotels.com. Because customers are more likely to write their criticisms online than tell a manager, these websites have given hotel owners a new way to improve their services. Complaints on these websites can range from preferences that owners can't do much about, like the hotel's location, to other, more manageable issues, most commonly including water pressure in the shower, slow WiFi, uncomfortable be...

After several months of internal turmoil and PR disasters, the Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to rebuild with a 90-day plan. USA Today reports that former Procter and Gamble CEO and newly appointed Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald plans to have his vision for the department in place by Veterans Day, November 11. McDonald, who has been in office for about 60 days, has referred to his goals as a "90-day plan" that will turn the department around, "build a more robust system" and start helping veterans again. "We need to rebuild trust with the veterans and the American public," McDonald said in a press conference in Cincinnati. According to USA Today, McDonald's plan for rebuilding the Department of Veterans Affairs contains several facets, including hiring more than ...