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New Delhi takes military action after blaming Islamabad for killings in Indian-administered KashmirView the full article

FHFA Director Bill Pulte has prioritized targeting fraud, including proposing a tougher Suspended Counterparty Program and debuting a mortgage fraud tip line. View the full article

Salesforce has announced the launch of Agentforce for HR Service, a new set of AI-powered tools embedded within its HR Service platform designed to simplify and personalize employee support experiences. Now available through Slack and the Employee Portal, Agentforce for HR Service helps employees get answers to HR questions and complete common tasks without filing tickets or switching between systems. The new capabilities aim to reduce the burden on overextended HR teams, 90% of whom report being stretched thin, while also improving employee productivity and satisfaction. With Agentforce, employees can manage time-off requests, update personal and direct deposit details, track HR cases, and more using conversational AI. Agentforce for HR Service includes a suite of prebuilt, customizable AI-powered “topics” and “actions”—the broad task categories and specific functions the AI can perform. These tasks can be carried out by employees directly through Slack or the Employee Portal, providing quick, self-service access to personalized HR support. According to Salesforce, its own HR team uses Agentforce for HR Service and has achieved a 96% self-service resolution rate across nearly 10 million employee searches. This has significantly improved HR efficiency and allowed team members to focus on higher-priority issues. “Eight in ten HR chiefs say the workforce will be made up of humans and agents in the next five years. Salesforce is leading this digital labor revolution across industries, and now, we’re bringing Agentforce skills and actions to HR Service so companies can expedite requests and scale employee support when resources are limited – ensuring every employee receives quick, personalized support in the flow of work. This will not only enhance the employee experience but also boost productivity across stretched HR teams,” said Kishan Chetan, EVP & GM, Service Cloud. AI Capabilities Built Into Everyday Workflows Agentforce is integrated with leading Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) and Human Capital Management (HCM) platforms. It is grounded in company knowledge articles, documents, and structured employee data to ensure accurate, context-rich responses. Some key features include: Personalized Answers: Agentforce customizes answers using employee profiles and company policy. For example, it can determine eligibility for a Gold corporate card based on a user’s role and location. Program Tracking: The platform helps employees manage assigned programs—such as onboarding and parental leave—by tracking progress and surfacing overdue tasks. HR Case Management: Employees can check the status of requests like leave of absence or payroll issues by asking Agentforce, which can identify and respond based on conversation context. Profile Updates: Using natural language, employees can update personal details such as address or phone number within the HR system. Leave Requests: Employees can submit, cancel, or review PTO, sick leave, and other time-off categories directly via Agentforce. Direct Deposit Management: The AI agent enables users to view or change direct deposit information without logging into separate systems. Expense Management: Agentforce validates reimbursements, answers expense questions, and submits reports in one conversation. Escalation: For sensitive or complex topics, Agentforce can detect when an issue should be escalated to a human HR representative. Boosting HR Team Efficiency Within the HR Service Console, Agentforce assists HR representatives by generating suggested replies and summaries from knowledge bases in real time. It also integrates with Mulesoft to unify employee data from various HR systems, enabling faster and more informed responses. Agentforce uses the Atlas Reasoning Engine to analyze both structured and unstructured data, enabling the AI to take accurate action based on natural language input. Salesforce reports that its HR team uses Agentforce for a variety of functions—from helping employees understand wellbeing reimbursement eligibility to guiding them through open enrollment and relocation processes. These implementations have streamlined HR operations and improved employee satisfaction. By embedding AI-powered tools directly into HR workflows, Salesforce aims to reshape how HR teams deliver support, scale services, and increase efficiency in modern workplaces. Image: Salesforce This article, "Salesforce Launches Agentforce for HR Service to Streamline Employee Support" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In the constant hustle and bustle of one of the busiest airports in the United States, a terrifying 90 seconds of quiet had disastrous results. On April 28, the Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) lost both radar and radio for a minute and a half due to a fried piece of copper wiring, the New York Post reported. This meant that air traffic controllers could not see, hear, or speak to aircraft or pilots around the airport. The event did not lead to any crashes, but it did cause significant stress on employees working at the time; five FAA employees are reportedly taking trauma leave, according to CNN, making them eligible for 45 days to recover from the event. How has the incident impacted flights? Along with a slew of other problems slowing down the airport—such as the temporary closure of a major runway for repair work and a nearly 30-year low of air controller staffing—last Monday’s incident has led to major delays and cancellations for the airport. And these delays and cancellations have continued to persist: According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, Newark airport has seen over 200 delays and 110 cancellations by 12:30 today. What have airlines said about the situation? Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, wrote in a message on Friday that Newark airport’s technology problems were compounded when “over 20% of the FAA controllers for EWR walked off the job,” putting further stress on already understaffed systems. “Without these controllers, it’s now clear – and the FAA tells us – that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” He wrote. Due to these difficulties, Kirby added, United would cancel 35 round trips per day from Newark beginning this past weekend. “It’s disappointing to make further cuts to an already reduced schedule at Newark, but since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers,” says Kirby. How long is this chaos going to last? While issues like the runway closure will be resolved in June, the severe lack of air traffic controllers and replacing old equipment is a longer-term problem. According to a report by Axios, the New York City region only had around 65% of its target number of certified air traffic controllers as of September 2023. This is in part because of the relatively narrow window in which people can enter the position. The FAA does not allow anyone to apply to be a controller if they are over the age of 30 and requires all controllers to retire by the age of 56. Additionally, training to become a certified professional controller (CPC) is a long and difficult process spanning 3-4 years and causes around 40% of paid trainees to drop out. In order to boost the numbers of air traffic controllers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a press conference on May 1 that the Department of Transportation will roll out incentives such as: A 30% salary increase for new hires A $5,000 bonus for FAA Academy completion Additional resources to help students improve final exam scores Bonuses to controllers nearing retirement age Bonuses to controllers willing to staff less popular locations “We’re hoping in three to four years we can get to full staffing, not 20 years,” Duffy said. Additionally, in a statement on May 5, the FAA said that it is working on speeding up modernization efforts to improve Newark airport’s technology infrastructure. “We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers. In addition, we are updating our automation system to improve resiliency,” the agency said. What if I’m flying in or out of Newark? Although the FAA and Department of Transportation are promising improvements for Newark airport, the unfortunate reality is that it will take a long time for travelers to see the results from them. Travelers with flights going through Newark in the coming weeks and months should stay alert and check frequently for possible delays and disruptions and consider backup plans when possible. It also may be a good idea to try to book flights earlier in the day as they are typically less likely to be delayed or canceled. In the case that your flight is cancelled or heavily delayed, the Department of Transportation says that you are entitled to a refund: “If an airline cancels a passenger’s flight or makes a significant change in the flight, regardless of the reason, airlines are required to provide a prompt refund to a ticketed passenger, including those with non-refundable tickets, should the passenger choose not to accept the alternative offered, such as rebooking on another flight.” View the full article

Salesforce Agentforce is a powerful platform for Salesforce admins who want to close gaps in essential workflows and give their teams more time to concentrate on mission-critical tasks. These autonomous agents only need a minimum amount of direction before they get to work, and they consistently learn from the tasks you set out for them. But just because the technology behind AI agents is incredibly powerful doesn’t mean Agentforce is the best option for all teams. Here’s a list of the best alternatives to Salesforce Agentforce, whether you’re working in Salesforce, in different tools, or looking to automate completely different use cases. The best Salesforce Agentforce alternatives GPTBots GPTBots is an enterprise-grade AI agent platform that provides end-to-end AI solutions for businesses, allowing users to implement AI across customer service, data analytics, and other workflows. With this no-code AI development platform, you can quickly build and deploy AI agents using a drag-and-drop interface. No need for technical skills or coding knowledge. A large library of pre-configured AI agent templates can be deployed in one click, meaning you can go from sign up to value in much less time. Unlike Salesforce Agentforce, GPTBots can be used across a greater range of tools, like Google Drive, Notion, or Microsoft Word. You can even push the output of your AI agents to automation platforms like Zapier. Biggest drawbacks Despite its powerful features, GPTBots does have some limitations. The learning curve can be significant, since even with its no-code platform, most users will need some time to master all of the tool’s features. Pricing can also be an issue. While you won’t find pricing information on the GPTBots website, some sources list its pricing as ranging from $159 to $1799 a month. This can be seriously limiting for smaller organizations, as these plans are far outside their budget. Pricing GPTBots doesn’t offer pricing information on their website, so you’ll need to book a demo with their team to get an exact idea of how much you’ll pay. ChatBot If you want to optimize the way your organization handles customer interactions, ChatBot may be the right AI tool for you. Build and deploy intelligent chatbots that provide 24/7 customer support with AI-generated responses across multiple websites and messaging channels, improving satisfaction rates and customer engagement. Like many AI builders, ChatBot has a drag-and-drop builder for creating your chatbots, allowing you to design conversational experiences without any technical skills. ChatBot has a more generous learning curve than Salesforce Agentforce, making it more accessible. You can train the chatbots you build on your business knowledge, allowing them to scan your website, help center, and other resources to give customers better answers. ChatBot also integrates natively with online stores like Shopify and messaging tools like Slack and Facebook Messenger. Biggest drawbacks ChatBot has more limited AI capabilities than Salesforce Agentforce. Agentforce’s Atlas Reasoning Engine is seriously advanced, and ChatBot doesn’t quite match up if you’re working exclusively in a Salesforce environment. Additionally, ChatBot’s laser focus on chatbot functionality means it’s best-suited for this role at the expense of other functions Agentforce can handle more effectively. Pricing ChatBot offers three pricing plans: The Starter plan at $52 a month. The Team plan at $142 a month. The Business plan at $424 a month. There’s also an Enterprise plan for organizations that need a custom plan for their needs. You can try the tool for free for 14 days without a credit card. HubSpot Breeze HubSpot Breeze is the closest equivalent to Salesforce Agentforce. Just swap out all mentions of Salesforce for HubSpot. It’s not just an AI agent builder for your HubSpot workspace. Rather, it’s a collection of multiple AI tools you’ll find throughout HubSpot’s various products. HubSpot Breeze includes these AI tools: Breeze Copilot, an AI sidekick that’ll help with any tasks you’re doing throughout HubSpot. Breeze Agents, AI agents that automate workflows throughout HubSpot tools. Breeze Intelligence, which enriches HubSpot CRM with data pulled from over 200 million buyer and company profiles. Breeze Agents are the closest alternative to Salesforce Agentforce, since they can also perform tasks from start to finish without supervision. Biggest drawbacks Like Salesforce, HubSpot can get quite expensive as your usage of it grows. While you can start using it for free, getting access to any advanced features requires a paid plan. These expensive plans can put HubSpot Breeze far out of reach for smaller organizations. Unlike Salesforce, HubSpot Breeze is less customizable, and enterprise-level businesses with the resources to tailor AI agents to their specific requirements might find that the tool doesn’t meet their needs. Pricing You can get access to HubSpot Breeze for free, through you’ll only get access to basic features, like Copilot assistance for basic tasks and limited access to other tools. If you want more advanced features — like Breeze Agents and Breeze Intelligence — you’ll need to either pay for a HubSpot plan or pay the $50 a month for a Starter HubSpot Plan. Glean Glean is a Work AI platform that both connects and understands your company’s data, no matter where it lives. This gives end users the ability to find information, generate content, and automate repetitive tasks. Think of it as a centralized hub for all your essential data that also allows you to outsource work based on that data to Glean’s AI agents. Unlike Salesforce Agentforce, which only works within the Salesforce ecosystem, Glean Agents can connect with over 100 data sources and applications, following you wherever your workflows are. Biggest drawbacks While Glean Agents can work across more tools than Salesforce Agentforce without extra software integrations, they do so at the cost of depth. Agentforce agents allow their users to drill deep into the various parts of their Salesforce ecosystem to accomplish all sorts of tasks. Glean is more limited. Additionally, the LLM (large language model) built into Glean is more limited than similar technology found in its competitors. Pricing Glean doesn’t make its pricing public, so you’ll need to get in touch with their sales team to get an exact quote. However, software pricing resource Vendr lists the average annual cost for Glean as $13,846, based on five deals. Hightouch AI Decisioning Hightouch AI Decisioning is a machine learning platform that gives marketers the best of both worlds: personalized marketing at scale without the manual work. Segmentation, content planning, and A/B testing are all handled by this advanced platform, allowing marketers to get more out of every campaign dollar. Proper segmentation can make or break a marketing campaign, and Hightouch AI Decisioning uses reinforcement learning and other machine learning models to identify the best content, channel, and timing for each individual customer. With this tool, marketers can focus on the creative and strategic aspects of their campaigns rather than the more technical aspects of execution. Biggest drawbacks Hightouch AI Decisioning’s narrow focus marketing campaigns means it supports far fewer use cases than Salesforce Agentforce. It’s a fantastic tool for marketers who want to optimize their campaigns, but it won’t do much for everyone else. You’ll also need a robust base of original content to make the most of this tool, since its focus is on optimizing your use of existing content rather than creating net new content. Pricing Hightouch AI Decisioning is only available with Hightouch’s Business plan, for which pricing isn’t available online. You’ll have to book a demo with their sales team to get an exact quote. Think of Devin as an AI-powered software engineer. Whether you’re trying to solve complex engineering problems or offload routine coding tasks, Devin can take these on from start to finish. It has all the tools a human software engineer would need to complete this kind of work, including a shell, code editor, and a browser within a sandboxed environment. You can use it to build websites, fix bugs in your codebase, deploy applications, train AI models, and more. Biggest drawbacks Where Salesforce Agentforce is essentially a multi-tool for all things Salesforce, Devin is a nail gun for software development. It’s specifically tailored to this use case and won’t be useful to marketers trying to improve their campaigns or customer success agents building chatbots. Pricing Devin offers three pricing plans: The Core plan, which is pay-as-you-go. You can expect to pay $2.25 per ACU (Agent Compute Unit), which is Devin’s unit of work. The Team plan comes with 250 monthly ACUs and costs $500 a month. It also unlocks access to the Devin API and early access to new features. The Enterprise plan offers custom pricing, and you’ll need to contact Devin’s sales team for details. What if you need more from your AI agents? AI agents offer powerful automation, allowing businesses to unlock completely new workflows without increasing headcount or investing in engineering resources. But most AI agent tools come with a common limitation: software integration. Salesforce Agentforce — and similar platforms — operate within a silo. They pull data from your CRM, your internal knowledge base, and similar documentation, but rarely consult data trapped in other tools without extra work from your team. That’s why software integration is essential for getting the most out of your AI agents. A two-way sync platform like Unito connects your team’s essential tools, like project management apps, CRMs, and support tools, so all your data flows freely between them. Work in one tool automatically appears in the others, meaning all your teams have access to everything they need. The same goes for your AI agents. Want to know how you can get more out of your AI agent with a Unito integration? Meet with a Unito product expert who understands your needs. Talk with sales FAQ: Salesforce Agentforce alternatives What is Salesforce Agentforce? Salesforce Agentforce is a built-in AI agent that allows Salesforce users to automate complex, repetitive tasks without manually coding an automation. These AI agents can learn from their actions, and they get better at the tasks you give them over time. Agentforce is natively integrated throughout the Salesforce platform, meaning the agents can pull from data throughout Salesforce. That includes prospect data, deal information, customer conversations, and your knowledge base. Why use a Salesforce Agentforce alternative? There are a few reasons why you might want to use one of these alternatives: Your use of Salesforce is limited or you’re planning on migrating to a different platform. You find Salesforce Agentforce to be relatively light on features and you want a more robust tool. You use a tool like HubSpot and need an AI agent that can support it. You need an AI agent that can be used with more tools than just Salesforce. How is Agentforce different from Copilot? Agentforce is an AI agent that works within the Salesforce ecosystem. It can be used to automate tasks, train new team members, and more, all within Salesforce. As an AI agent, Agentforce can work independently once given clear instructions. Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant that can assist a human user by answering questions, brainstorming ideas, and improving productivity. It can’t take actions on its own, it can only answer the prompts a user puts in. Copilot is very similar to ChatGPT, and it has similar capabilities. An AI agent like Salesforce Agentforce is more like an independent piece of software that can make changes throughout Salesforce. What is the best alternative to Salesforce Agentforce? Here are the seven best alternatives to Salesforce Agentforce: GPTBots.ai: A no-code AI agent builder supporting workflows like customer support and enterprise search. Chatbot: A tool that allows you to build AI chatbots for WordPress websites, Shopify stores, and more. HubSpot Breeze: An AI agent built into HubSpot that can be used to create content, generate leads, and automatically build marketing campaigns. Glean: A tool for setting up AI agents that crawl your enterprise’s data, create content, and automate your work. Hightouch AI Decisioning: An AI agent that generates insights marketers can use to build better campaigns. Devin: An AI agent for engineering teams that want to automate coding. Salesforce Tableau Agent: An AI agent built into Salesforce’s Tableau, a data analysis tool. View the full article

Key Takeaways Evolving Consumer Expectations: Customers prioritize speed in delivery more than ever, with 88% of consumers favoring retailers that offer quick fulfillment options. Logistics Challenges: Adapting to faster delivery demands requires businesses to streamline logistics, optimize inventory management, and enhance operational efficiency to avoid delays. Cost Management: Upgrading logistics systems to meet delivery speed can escalate costs; however, these investments often lead to improved customer retention and increased sales. Technology Integration: Leveraging technology such as route optimization software and inventory management systems is crucial for staying competitive and meeting consumer expectations. Opportunities for Innovation: The shift towards faster delivery can drive innovation, enabling businesses to explore new strategies, such as crowd-sourced delivery and automated fulfillment systems, to enhance customer satisfaction. Competitive Necessity: Embracing faster delivery is no longer optional; it is essential for brands to remain relevant and differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace. In today’s fast-paced world, the demand for quicker delivery has transformed the way businesses operate. Customers expect their orders to arrive at lightning speed, pushing companies to rethink their logistics and supply chain strategies. This shift isn’t just about convenience; it’s become a competitive necessity that can make or break a brand’s reputation. As you navigate this evolving landscape, understanding the impact of faster delivery demands is crucial. From increased operational costs to the strain on resources, the challenges are significant. However, with these challenges come opportunities for innovation and growth. Embracing this shift can lead to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty, setting your business apart in a crowded marketplace. Overview of Faster Delivery Demands Faster delivery demands significantly shape the retail landscape, especially for small businesses. Customers now expect quick fulfillment, often within hours or days of placing an order. This shift forces you to adapt your logistics and supply chain strategies to meet these expectations, positioning speed as a key competitive factor. Small businesses face unique challenges in this evolving market. Increased operational costs arise from the need to streamline processes and invest in efficient delivery systems. Balancing prompt service with resource limitations can strain your operational capabilities, making it essential to find innovative solutions. Fulfilling faster delivery demands can create opportunities for growth. Enhancing logistics through technology helps you optimize routes, manage inventory, and improve order tracking. Adopting effective strategies not only boosts customer satisfaction but also fosters loyalty, allowing your storefront to thrive amidst rising expectations. Prioritizing speedy service can distinguish your small business and strengthen your market presence. Factors Driving Faster Delivery Expectations In today’s retail landscape, faster delivery expectations increasingly shape consumer behavior and business operations. You must recognize these driving factors to adapt effectively. Consumer Behavior Shifts Consumers prioritize speed like never before. Online shopping has reshaped their expectations for quick fulfillment. Studies show 88% of consumers prioritize the speed of delivery when choosing retailers, which prompts you to streamline logistics. Small businesses with storefronts face mounting pressure as competitors offer same-day or next-day shipping. Shifts in consumer behavior favor brands that deliver promptly, compelling you to meet or exceed these expectations to retain loyal customers. Technological Advancements Technological innovations significantly contribute to the demand for quicker deliveries. Platforms like mobile apps and eCommerce websites enable instant order processing. Tools such as route optimization software enhance delivery efficiency. Adoption of inventory management systems ensures real-time tracking and availability. Leveraging technology allows you to respond to customer needs quickly. Using automation in your operations can minimize delays, ensuring you stay competitive in a market where efficiency often determines success. Impact on Businesses The demand for faster delivery has a profound effect on businesses, particularly for small businesses that often operate with limited resources. Adapting to these demands challenges traditional operational practices and necessitates a strategic reevaluation of logistics. Operational Challenges You face several operational challenges when adjusting to faster delivery expectations. Streamlining logistics becomes crucial, as inefficient processes can lead to delays that frustrate customers. Inventory management must become more agile to ensure stock levels align with real-time demand. Moreover, if you don’t embrace technology, you risk falling behind competitors who leverage tools like route optimization software and mobile apps to improve shipment efficiency. Small storefronts, in particular, might struggle to balance speed with the personalized service that sets them apart. Cost Implications Costs can escalate as you implement changes to meet faster delivery demands. Upgraded logistics systems may require significant investments in technology and infrastructure. Hiring additional staff or partnering with third-party delivery services can further inflate operational costs. However, while these expenses seem daunting, they can also lead to improved customer retention and increased sales. Research shows that 88% of consumers prioritize delivery speed when choosing retailers, making the initial investment worthwhile for small businesses aiming to compete in the retail landscape. Effect on Supply Chain Dynamics Faster delivery demands significantly influence supply chain dynamics across various sectors, especially for small businesses operating retail storefronts. Adjusting to these expectations reshapes logistics strategies and necessitates a focus on efficiency and innovation. Logistics Optimization Logistics optimization becomes crucial as you adapt to quicker delivery expectations. You must streamline operations to enhance order accuracy and minimize lead times. Techniques such as just-in-time inventory management ensure that products are available without overstocking, reducing storage costs. Utilizing technology, like route optimization software, helps create efficient delivery paths, cutting travel time and fuel expenses. Integrating advanced inventory management systems aids in real-time tracking, letting you respond promptly to demand fluctuations. These strategies not only improve efficiency but also elevate customer satisfaction and loyalty. Last-Mile Delivery Innovations Last-mile delivery innovations are essential for meeting customer expectations for speed. Focus on improving this final segment of the delivery process, as it significantly impacts the customer experience. Implementing solutions such as crowd-sourced delivery platforms can help you expand reach without hefty costs. Using smart lockers or designated pickup points offers convenient options for customers, eliminating the need for direct delivery. Investing in automated delivery systems, like drones or robotic vehicles, provides alternative solutions that enhance fulfillment speed. These innovations position your small business to compete effectively within the retail landscape, ensuring that you meet fast delivery demands with agility. Conclusion Adapting to faster delivery demands is no longer optional for businesses aiming to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. It’s essential to embrace innovative logistics solutions that enhance efficiency and meet customer expectations. While the challenges can be daunting especially for small businesses the potential for growth and improved customer loyalty is significant. By leveraging technology and optimizing your supply chain you can turn these demands into opportunities. The right strategies will not only help you keep pace with consumer expectations but also position your business for long-term success. As you navigate this evolving landscape remember that agility and innovation are your greatest allies in meeting the relentless pace of delivery demands. Frequently Asked Questions What is the impact of faster delivery on small businesses? Faster delivery demands are pushing small businesses to reevaluate their logistics and supply chain strategies. While this can lead to increased operational costs and resource strain, it also opens up opportunities for growth through technology and improved logistics. Why do customers prioritize delivery speed? Studies show that 88% of consumers consider delivery speed when choosing retailers. The rise of e-commerce has set a standard for quick order fulfillment, making speed a crucial factor in customer satisfaction and loyalty. What challenges do small businesses face with faster delivery? Small businesses often struggle with limited resources, which makes it difficult to meet faster delivery expectations. This includes managing operational costs and adapting logistics strategies to enhance efficiency without compromising service quality. How can technology help small businesses meet delivery demands? Technology, like mobile apps and route optimization software, enables small businesses to streamline logistics. These tools help enhance efficiency, minimize delays, and improve inventory management, making it easier to fulfill fast delivery requests. What logistics strategies are effective for faster delivery? Effective strategies include just-in-time inventory management, real-time tracking, and optimizing delivery routes. By focusing on these areas, small businesses can enhance their operational efficiency and better meet the increasing demand for speed in delivery. How do last-mile delivery innovations influence customer experience? Last-mile delivery innovations, such as crowd-sourced delivery platforms and automated systems, greatly enhance customer experience. They ensure quick and reliable delivery, which is essential for satisfying consumer expectations for fast service. Are there cost implications for improving delivery speed? Yes, upgrading logistics systems often leads to increased operational costs, such as hiring more staff or partnering with third-party services. However, these costs can be viewed as necessary investments to retain customers and boost sales in a competitive market. Image Via Envato This article, "The Impact of Faster Delivery Demands on Small Businesses and Logistics Strategies" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

You likely update devices like your smartphone or laptop fairly frequently. (Perhaps you've put the latest one off a little longer than you should.) But how often are you updating other types of devices, like your TV? Despite how routine and simple your TV use may be, it can be important to keep the tube, like other devices, updated to the latest software and firmware version. And while many smart TVs routinely check for the latest updates, it's possible yours doesn't. I don't keep my TV connected to the internet, for example, so there's no way for me to check for updates via wifi. You don't need to hook your TV up to your network to update it, however, nor do you need a TV that will look for updates on its own. As a matter of fact, one of your TV's overlooked ports can help keep it fully up to date, as ZDNet's Chris Bayer explains. How to update your TV over USBTo start, you'll need three items: a TV (to update), a computer (to download the update), and a USB drive (to store the update). First, figure out what TV you actually have. It isn't necessarily enough to just know the brand, since that company may make many different types of TVs. You'll want to grab your particular TV's model number to make sure you're pulling the most recent update available for that model. If you have your TV mounted or backed up to a wall, it might be a bit tricky to find, since the model number is usually on a sticker on the back of your TV. If you can, pull your TV as far out as you safely can, and use a flashlight or your smartphone camera to locate the sticker with the identification number. You can also see if your TV has its model number in its settings menu. This may be in an "About" or "General" menu. Once you know your TV's model number, head to the manufacturer's site and look for the downloads section. For example, for an LG TV, you'll find this in the "Support" section under "Software & Drivers for Downloading." When asked, enter your model number, and the site should take you to the list of available software to download. You'll want to make sure you're choosing the most recent download available, as well as the one for your region, as you don't want to install the wrong software on your TV. Once you find the right software version, download it to your computer. If it arrives as a ZIP file, you can either click it to unzip (Mac), or right-click and choose "Extract All" (Windows). Once you have access to the files (which should appear as .bin or .img files), connect a USB stick to your computer and move the files to the drive, making sure to add the files to the main drive and not any of the folders that might be on it. Choose to eject the drive from your Mac or PC before physically removing it from your computer. Finally, plug the USB stick into your TV. If your TV doesn't automatically register the update file on the stick, head to your TV's settings and look for "update" language, like "Software Update" or "Firmware Update." Your TV should walk you through the proper steps. If the update didn't work, format the driveOne possible issue with this method concerns the USB drive itself. If it isn't properly formatted (to FAT32), your TV may not recognize it. You can format the drive on either Windows or Mac, but note that formatting requires erasing everything on the drive. If you have any essential data on your drive, back it up somewhere else first, or choose another drive to work with. If the drive is small enough, you can format it through Windows' Explorer. Right-click on the drive, then choose Format. Here, choose FAT32 under "File system," then check Quick Format. Click Start, click OK on the pop-up that warns you you will lose all data on the drive, and you're set. On Mac, plug your drive in, then open Disk Utility. Choose Erase, then choose MS-DOS (FAT) from the "Format" drop down. Now, click Erase, then choose Done when finished. View the full article

If you’re like most people, you probably didn’t think a whole lot about tariffs before this year. And if you’re like most people, you’ve probably spent this year thinking a lot about tariffs—specifically, how they’re going to impact your life. Whether it’s worry over higher prices and empty store shelves or more generalized economic anxiety, these certainly are exciting times. And, like clockwork, we can add one more thing to worry about in relation to tariffs: Scams. Pivoting off the chaos and uncertainty everyone is experiencing around the on-again, off-again tariffs and their constantly shifting parameters, scammers have quickly assembled a few new attacks on your bank account. They count on the fact that most of us aren’t economists or experienced with import/export law, so it can be easy to frighten or intimidate us into forking over money, especially because the one thing most of us know about tariffs is that they’re going to cost us money. Here are the tariff scams you need to be on alert for—and how to spot them. Fake government emailsOne new scam attempts to leverage people’s unfamiliarity with tariffs by posing as government agencies seeking tariff payments directly from consumers. Several hundred websites have been created since the beginning of the year, many with deceptive names including terms like “U.S. Customs” or “Tariffs” in hopes of convincing you they’re legitimate organs of the government. The scammers then send out emails from those official-looking domains claiming that you owe a tariff payment for something you bought recently, or that you owe a general tariff payment. Sometimes the scammer’s goal is to get you to make a payment, but often it’s just to collect your information via an official-looking form. How to spot it: First, always keep in mind that consumers don’t pay tariffs directly—if the costs are passed on to you, it’s through higher prices. Any request for a direct tariff payment is almost certainly a scam. Any official government website will have a “.gov” extension, so you should be suspicious of any “.com” or “.net” sites claiming to be associated with the government. You can also use what’s known as a WHOIS lookup to see when a web domain was registered. Any site created within the last few months should be considered extremely suspicious. Fake messages about mail and packagesAnother way scammers will try to leverage tariff confusion against you is by pretending to be a major shipping company like FedEx or UPS. They’ll send you an email claiming that you have a package being held because a tariff is owed, and direct you to a scam sight to pay to have the package released. This is a twist on an old scam, but uncertainty over who owes tariffs gives it a fresh sheen of legitimacy. How to spot it: Simply reminding yourself that you should never pay a tariff directly is key—any request from a shipping company or the United States Post Office for a tariff-related fee is a scam, full stop. If you actually have packages coming and you’re at all uncertain of their status, always verify details separately by going to the shipper’s main website and entering tracking information there, or contacting their customer service. Factory shoppingIf you’re a consumer on a budget—and who isn’t these days—you might be excited to stumble on a social media post or email purporting to sell you stuff directly from factories in China or other countries without a tariff. They claim that the stuff is the same as name-brand clothing or other items, just without the branding, making them cheaper to offset any tariff-driven price increases. These sites are often pushed by so-called influencers on platforms like TikTok, who gush about avoiding tariff fees. Of course, once you receive your items—assuming you actually do—they’re almost certainly counterfeit and probably pretty crappy in terms of quality. And you won’t have the benefit of the brand’s customer service to fall back on, either. How to spot it: Anyone claiming they can circumvent tariffs is probably lying to you, and the old rule about things being too good to be true (i.e., they probably aren’t) always applies. If you see a post or video purporting to show a foreign factory selling items directly to consumers, it’s almost certainly a scam. Fake tariff relief paymentsAll this talk of skyrocketing prices has made everyone understandably nervous about paying their bills. This has led to a version of a scam that’s been popular ever since the pandemic stimulus checks went out: Fake relief payments. Advertisements are showing up on social media claiming that there are various “tariff relief” payments going out, offering anywhere from $750 to $5,600. These are supposedly government programs to help us all survive the new reality of tariffs, and in the wake of previous government bailouts and stimulus payments they can seem plausible at first glance. Of course, if you click on any of these ads you’ll find yourself at a phishing site demanding every bit of sensitive information the scammers can think of. How to spot it: Since these usually pop up in the form of paid ads on platforms like Facebook, they will usually be marked as “sponsored” in some way—if you see an indication that it’s a paid ad, ignore it. If the government were to send out some sort of tariff-related stimulus, it wouldn’t require you to fill out forms—like previous stimulus payments, it would rely on the reams of data it already has on you thanks to the IRS. And a tariff stimulus would be in the news. A lot. If you’re tempted to believe something like this, look for headlines on legitimate news sites—if you don’t see any, assume it’s a scam. Investment scamsScammers are always trying to play off two things: Fear and greed. While there have always been investment scams involving fake accounts or dubious cryptocurrencies, the newest versions of these scams play on everyone’s fear of economic turmoil, claiming that a new investment product—typically in the cryptocurrency sphere—offers a risk-free safe haven from tariff chaos. While economies and national currencies might falter as trade wars escalate, the pitch goes, this nifty new version of money is unaffected by tariffs or other traditional economic factors and offers steady returns. Naturally, if you actually contact these sites and make an investment, your money simply vanishes, or you’re pulled into a Pig Butchering scam complete with a fake website showing you incredible returns on your investment that you will never actually be able to withdraw. How to spot it: The most obvious sign of a scam investment is an unrealistic rate of return. Any investment that “guarantees” no risk of loss and a huge profit in a short time is almost always a scam. If it involves a cryptocurrency you’ve never heard of, you should definitely be suspicious. An increasingly common sign of a tariff-related crypto scam is a fake “endorsement” from a political figure—a scam targeting nervous Canadian investors, for example, used fake testimonials from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other officials to fool people. Government officials typically don’t endorse investments, and you should absolutely fact-check any you see without relying on links provided by the site itself. View the full article

Following capacity management best practices is crucial for businesses to optimize resource utilization and meet customer demands. This article details ten best practices, including demand forecasting, real-time monitoring, and leveraging AI, providing real-world examples and tool suggestions. By implementing these strategies, organizations can improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and achieve sustainable growth. The post 10 Capacity Management Best Practices (With Examples) appeared first on The Digital Project Manager. View the full article

The average total consumer household debt last year was $105,056—a 13% increase over the past five years, according to the most recent data. When it comes to researching strategies and tips for paying off your balances, it’s easy to get lost down a rabbit hole. And that rabbit hole can distract you from the real work of getting organized and tackling your debt. Taking the first steps toward a clear plan and system in place—even just reading this article—can help you feel more in control and start to make some progress toward being debt-free. If you're worried and feeling overwhelmed by debt, here are initial steps to take so you can get organized and make some real progress. Know what you oweBefore you can tackle your debt, you need a complete picture of what you're facing. Here are the first actionable steps you can take: Gather all statements for every debt you have (credit cards, student loans, medical bills, personal loans). Create a master list with the creditor name, balance, interest rate, minimum payment, and due date for each debt. Check your credit reports to ensure you haven't missed any debts. Keep this information in one accessible place—a spreadsheet, notebook, or budgeting app. List out your interest ratesIn order to prioritize your debts, list them out by interest rates. If you can’t rattle off yours, it’s time to log into your accounts or check your latest statement to pinpoint your interest rate for each and every balance you carry. Doing this now can help you strategize to get that debt paid off faster. Choose a payoff methodOnce you know your interest rates, you can strategize your payoff plan with either the snowball method or the avalanche method. The avalanche method prioritizes high-interest debt first, helping you pay less interest in the long run by knocking out debts with higher interest rates as soon as possible. The main benefit of the debt avalanche is that it saves you the most money in the long run by targeting the most expensive debt first. This can be especially helpful if you have one or two debts with significantly higher interest rates than the others. Knocking those out first can make a big dent in the total amount you owe. The snowball method, on the other hand, focuses on paying off your debts in order of smallest balance to largest. The idea is that getting "wins" by paying off smaller debts quickly can provide much-needed motivation to keep going. The main benefit of the debt snowball is the psychological boost you get from crossing debts off your list one by one. This can be incredibly powerful, especially if you have a lot of smaller debts that feel overwhelming. Paying them off in quick succession can give you the momentum to keep tackling the larger debts. Never miss a paymentEven if you only make the minimum payment on your balances to start, make sure you pay each and every bill on time, every time. Missing that due date could result in both a late fee and a penalty APR, meaning you could pay up to 30% interest for a while instead of your normal interest rate. Dealing with that penalty interest rate could set your payoff plans back in a major way. To make it easier to avoid payment disasters, set up automatic payments. You can always make additional payments when you’re able to pay more than the minimum, or adjust the amount for your monthly payments. And if your debt is in a balance transfer promotional period (more on that in the next slide), you’ll want to make sure you can pay off your entire balance during that zero-interest period. Consolidate your debt or transfer your balanceIf you’re having a hard time paying more than the minimum on your debts, consider taking steps to reduce your interest rates. There are two main ways you can do this if you don’t feel like calling every one of your creditors to haggle: Consolidate: Debt consolidation makes sense if you can save money over the long term by securing a better interest rate, or if streamlining will be what allows you to make payments on time. And remember, consolidated debt is still debt that needs to be paid off as quickly as possible. Transfer: Check with your credit card issuer for zero-interest balance transfer offers, which allow you to transfer in your balance from another source of debt to your current account. Zero-interest offer periods can last anywhere between nine and 18 months. Forget about earning rewardsRewards earnings setups and signup bonuses have a special way of getting people to spend more than they bargained for. If you’re in debt, now isn’t the time to try to optimize your credit card use to earn maximum rewards. This is especially important if you have cards that charge annual fees. If you have some rewards cards in your wallet, convert your balance to statement credit to help put a dent in your balance. Ask for help if you get stuckIf you’re having a hard time paying your minimum debt payments because of a financial hardship like a job loss, you can ask your creditor if it has a customer assistance program. You may be able to defer your payments for a few months while you get back on track. You can also get a second opinion on your debt payoff plan, whether your monthly budget is in dire straits or you’re just feeling stuck. Credit counseling organizations are typically non-profit groups that provide a range of money management services and educational resources to consumers. Their counselors are certified professionals who can give you expert, unbiased guidance on how to handle your specific financial situation. All the money you pay goes directly toward your debts, but there may be costs to use such a program. There’s often a setup fee of up to $75 and an ongoing monthly fee of between $25 and $75. Prepare for setbacksLife happens—stay organized even when challenges arise. Know which bills could be temporarily reduced if finances get tight, and have contact information ready for creditors if you need to request hardship accommodations. Review and adjust your plan quarterly to stay realistic and on track. Getting organized isn't a one-time event but an ongoing process that supports your financial goals. With these systems in place, you'll build momentum to pay off your debt once and for all. View the full article

OpenAI was founded as a nonprofit with a mission to build safe artificial general intelligence for the benefit of humanity. For a while, that structure made sense. But in 2019, the company made a discovery that changed everything: scaling up AI models—with more data, compute, and parameters—led to predictably stronger results. The insight was formalized in a 2020 paper titled “Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models,” and it reshaped OpenAI’s trajectory. That same year, the company released GPT-3, a model 100 times larger than GPT-2. Microsoft invested. Venture capitalists piled in. Inside the company, employees began to see Sam Altman as the one who could turn a nonprofit breakthrough into a world-changing—and highly profitable—business. And yet OpenAI remained a nonprofit company. Seen in that light, yesterday’s announcement that OpenAI’s for-profit arm will become a “public benefit company” (PBC) is no big surprise. Under the newly proposed structure, OpenAI will continue operating as a for-profit AI business housed within a nonprofit parent. (Altman said last year he wanted to free the for-profit from the nonprofit parent.) “We made the decision for the nonprofit to retain control of OpenAI after hearing from civic leaders and engaging in constructive dialogue with the offices of the Attorney General of Delaware and the Attorney General of California,” OpenAI board member Bret Taylor said in a blog post Monday. The change is that the for-profit part will now be a “public benefit corporation” and no longer a “capped profit” entity. Now there’s no limit on how much OpenAI shareholders—including investors and employees—can earn. Dropping the capped-profit model was also a condition of OpenAI’s last two funding rounds. In the most recent (and largest), lead investor SoftBank stipulated that OpenAI adopt a new corporate structure by the end of 2025. Investors are willing to bet big on OpenAI, but they want the potential for big returns. Altman and others at OpenAI have said that bringing in revenue has become more important with the realization that building progressively better models will require massive investments in infrastructure and computing power. The key worry about Sam Altman is that under his leadership the company might prioritize pushing toward superintelligent AI without adequately safety testing its models or mitigating their risks. The new PBC structure likely won’t do much to quiet those concerns. “OpenAI’s announcement is effectively a commitment to maintain the status quo, with some changes around the margins,” Public Citizen co-president Robert Weissman said in a statement Monday night. “Under the new arrangement, OpenAI nonprofit will continue to have a controlling interest in the for-profit, now accompanied by some shareholding. Since the nonprofit has done nothing discernible in the past to control or in any way restrain the for-profit, there’s no reason to think it will do so in the future.” Elon Musk, an early founder of OpenAI, sued the company for violating its original nonprofit mission to develop human-level AI for the good of humanity. OpenAI says Musk, who owns a competing AI company, is simply trying to slow its progress. Both claims may be correct. OpenAI will continue releasing new models at a rapid clip, and it will keep the technical details of its best models tightly held as trade secrets. The nonprofit’s board of directors, which once challenged Altman’s commitment to safety and even managed to briefly oust him for dishonesty in late 2023, is now filled with people more aligned with the CEO’s goals. And the nonprofit board will receive a significant number of shares in the for-profit “public benefit corporation.” Microsoft will have to sign off on the new structure, but why wouldn’t it? Even though OpenAI’s relationship with Microsoft isn’t as tight or aligned as it once was, Microsoft still stands to benefit from maximizing the financial payoff of the large stake it holds in the AI startup. View the full article

Target Corp. is pushing back on media reports this week that it has changed its policies around self-checkout technology in response to shoplifting or customer dissatisfaction. A number of news outlets reported over the weekend and yesterday that the retail giant has limited self-checkout registers to 10 items or fewer, but Target made that announcement more than a year ago. “Target is not removing self-checkout,” a spokesperson told Fast Company when reached for comment. “We offer it in the vast majority of our stores and have no plans to change this.” The company declined to share additional details about how theft—or “shrink” in industry parlance—has shaped its self-checkout policies. At the time of its original announcement in March 2024, Target said its 10-items-or-fewer rule was based on “guest feedback.” In a fact sheet updated this week, Target said that its transaction times have improved at both human-run and automated checkout lanes since the policy was implemented and that customers typically like having both options. Does self-checkout actually impact inventory “shrink”? Some surveys have indicated that self-checkout options can and do contribute to shoplifting, as highlighted in a research roundup published by Capital One in February. Even as the technology has become commonplace over the last two decades, companies are still trying to strike the right balance between being technology forward and letting technology run roughshod over the customer experience—and sometimes they admittedly veer too far in the latter direction. At the same time, our perception of how bad the problem is might not always match reality: While 69% of respondents to a 2023 LendingTree survey said that they believed self-checkout lanes make it easier to steal, only 15% admitted to actually doing so. Is 15% bad enough to abandon self-checkout in favor of having more human cashiers? That’s up to retailers and their accountants to figure out. In the short term, don’t expect big changes at Target. The company only admits that it will “continue evolving to match guests with the right checkout options so they can get what they need.” View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. There are a lot of fantastic settings to use on the Vitamix Ascent X5, but one of my favorites is the soup setting (the nut butter function is a close second). If you didn’t already know, it’s not just for blending already cooked soup. You can actually cook with the blender. It might take a moment to wrap your head around the idea, but personally, I had to see for myself to become fully convinced. Here’s how to do it. How can a blender cook soup?It turns out, if you have an engine powerful enough, you can create enough friction with the blender’s blades to heat up a few pints of liquid ingredients until it’s well into cooking temperature (140°F to 190°F) and fully billowing steam. While you’re not cooking with fire, you do have a heat source, and the ingredients get chopped into such minuscule pieces that they take only a moment to cook once they reach the correct temperature. Not all blenders are equipped to pull this off. I’ve heard harrowing experiences of soup flying out of blender containers, or blades wearing out at high speeds, but all Vitamix blenders are equipped to run at speed 10 (the highest speed) for over seven minutes straight. And that’s exactly what you need to get your soup up to cooking temperature. If you have been wanting a Vitamix but haven't wanted to shell out the money, check out the company's surprisingly good Mother's Day sale. For more information on the Vitamix Ascent X5, read my full review here, or check out the more affordable Explorian model E310. How to use the soup function on the Vitamix Ascent X5Making soup directly in the Vitamix is dead simple. The only thing you have to be aware of is you can’t make adjustments on the fly. You have to wait for the blender to complete its seven to eight minute soup cycle before you taste it and adjust for seasoning and consistency. 1. Load up the blenderLoad the blender container with your ingredients. I’ve made tomato soup, broccoli soup, and potato soup in the Vitamix, and I’ve tried recipes that use completely raw ingredients, all cooked ingredients, and ones with a mixture of pre-cooked and raw. Keep in mind that the blender will essentially poach your ingredients, so you can add flavor by pre-cooking some items. Roast tomatoes before adding them, char broccoli, or sear some onions before tossing them into the blender. In my tomato soup today, I roasted the tomatoes and included the charred skin, but I left the onion and garlic raw. On another day, I might do the opposite. Besides the main bulk of your soup, remember to add enough liquid. It seems logical but you’d be surprised how quickly fibrous vegetables can make the soup mixture too thick to blend well. Keep a measuring cup with broth nearby so you can drizzle some in through the opening on the lid if necessary. (More on adjusting consistency in a moment.) 2. Navigate the presetsFit the container onto the base, turn on the Vitamix, and press the menu button on the left. It looks like three horizontal lines. Once you’re here, twist the round dial to find a picture that looks like a soup bowl emitting steam with a little spoon underneath. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Make sure the lid is on tight, then press the start button on the right side. The Vitamix will start on a low speed and ramp up to speed 10 (the highest and loudest speed) within the first 30 seconds or so. Your work here is done. The Vitamix will run through the soup setting in a little more than seven minutes. When I went to take the temperature of my tomato soup today, a thick plume of steam escaped when I pried off the lid. The soup read 179°F near the walls of the container and up to 186°F closer to the blades. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Adjusting the consistencyAfter your soup is cooked, you may be interested in adjusting how thick or thin it is. It’s way easier to thin out a soup rather than thicken it after it's finished. With that in mind, try to add a touch less liquid than the recipe instructs before you begin cooking, and then you can always stir water or broth into the mixture afterward. If your soup is too thin, you could blend in aquafaba, a spoonful of canned cannellini beans, or even a couple spoonfuls of leftover mashed potatoes. Run the blender again on high speed but only until smooth; there’s no need to do a full soup cycle again unless you’re adding a raw ingredient. View the full article

“I’ve had more caviar since starting work on the Celestiq than I have during the entirety of my career at General Motors,” Erin Crossley, Cadillac’s design director for color and trim, says before tucking into a ramekin at Gucci Osteria on Rodeo Drive. The uptick in caviar consumption is a leading indicator that Cadillac is going upscale. As design director for the Cadillac Celestiq, the American luxury brand’s new, bespoke electric vehicle, Crossley sits with customers from all over the world and mines more than 350,000 permutations to deliver their perfect personalization. The low-slung EV with a 303 mile range starts at $340,000, pushing the American automaker into the realm of German, Italian and English luxury sports cars. But the price can tick much, much higher, with options from leather floors to eucalyptus fiber mats. “We know that these clients have the means to do anything,” she says. “It’s like building a house: How detailed do you want to get?” Return to glory days Cadillac owned the luxury market for most of the twentieth century before ceding share to more exciting foreign rivals. GM hopes the arrival of the Celestiq heralds the brand’s comeback and represents a return to its glory days. With its exaggerated proportions and brash demeanor, the Celestiq’s design evokes the American style and optimism of Cadillac’s midcentury heyday, according to Michael Simcoe, VP of Global Design. Simcoe, the handlebar-mustachioed designer who is set to retire this year, considers the Celestiq his swan song. “For Cadillac to come back as a brand, it needed to do what Cadillac had always done, and that’s create vehicles that exaggerated proportion and were very American in their style,” he tells Fast Company. “It’s a very optimistic, very strident view of the world, which was very big in the ‘50s through ‘60s and ‘70s in America.” In particular, the Celestiq drew inspiration from the 1957 Eldorado Brougham, a limited-edition sedan filled with luxury features; it was Cadillac’s last hand-built car for nearly 70 years. With its low stance, large wheels and wheelbase longer than the full-size Cadillac Escalade SUV’s, the Celestiq defies category, Simcoe says. “At this level of luxury, everything is much bigger,” he says. “Think about the other premium brands around, and they’re traditionally executed as a three box sedan with a big trunk. But the Celestiq has a low, fastback profile that makes it stand out on the road.” Built by hand GM builds two Celestiqs a day on average, a far cry from the automaker’s higher volume vehicles churned out on a production line. The car is built by hand in Warren, Michigan, at GM’s Tech Center—a midcentury marvel itself commissioned by legendary designer and automotive executive Harley Earl and created by renowned architect Eero Saarinen. But the car also uses 3D-printed parts made from aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium. And like the Brougham, which introduced air suspension to the market, the Celestiq showcases a couple of other firsts: a smart glass roof featuring four quadrants for passengers to control opacity, as well as electronic shutters that obscure screen content while driving and can be controlled remotely via a QR code on the phone. “It’s very rare in an engineer’s career where you get to go completely off script and make up a bespoke car,” says Tony Roma, executive chief engineer. “The idea was, when you’re making a statement to hang your whole brand on, you don’t want somebody to walk up and find that piece of plastic and go, ‘Oh, really, like, this is the best you could do,’ right? For the interior, it became an obsession of the team that all of the little metal parts were either printed or made from finely detailed casting.” Who wants to buy a $340,000 Cadillac? Cadillac has declined to reveal the number of Celestiqs it plans to build, but it will need to find a viable customer base ready to spend somewhere in the mid-six figures for a Detroit-made car. The value proposition lies in the customization process, which usually takes place in a screening room at Cadillac House in New York or at a mobile popup like the Pendry West Hollywood, where Crossley and her team walked me through a process so extensive I forgot I wasn’t a paying customer. “When we design a vehicle with a customer, we won’t share that same specification with anyone else, so you’ll know that there’s no one else who has a car with exactly the same specification as yours,” Simcoe says. “Do you need to do that? No, but it’s important to the people who are buying this car to go through the process and own it.” To herald its return to luxury, Cadillac’s new playbook has the brand meeting customers where they are, feverishly expanding its presence in the luxury market over the past three years. In 2022, the carmaker signed a multi-year deal to become the automotive sponsor of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. The following year, the brand returned to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France after a decades-long hiatus. On Saturday, it unveiled a logo for its inaugural Formula 1 team ahead of its plans to join the grid in 2026. Ultimately, GM hopes that some of this glamour trickles down into its more quotidian EV lineup, as it aspires to make Cadillac the best-selling luxury EV brand in the U.S. this year. Yo, VIP, let’s kick it I took the Celestiq for a test drive in Los Angeles. As the morning rush faded away on the 101, Vanilla Ice came on the 38-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system, and I was transported into the rapper’s ode to the open road. Luxury, I realized, is what you don’t notice. No noise, no bumps, no traffic—although, to be fair, the Celestiq’s extravagant proportions drew a share of the rubberneckers. Instead, I felt as though I was gliding through air as I ascended the Angeles Crest Highway—a career-first out of the thousands of cars I’ve tested. The wide open space between my vantage point and the car’s front pillar—a mark of distinction in the premium segment—captures cloudless blue skies on a 76-degree day. A sedan that’s longer than an Escalade and takes four months minimum to build isn’t exactly practical, but at this moment, this drive is in a class of its own. View the full article

Mortgage bankers have been supporting recent updates to the legislative proposal while urging legislators to fast-track it given the phaseout of VASP. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon's new soundbar came out this year, and it's tailored for people looking for an easy setup that is both user-friendly and affordable. Right now, the 3.1 channel Fire TV Soundbar Plus with Subwoofer combo is $289.99 (originally $374.99), the lowest price it has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus with Subwoofer 3.1 channel, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, clear dialogue $289.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $374.99 Save $85.00 Get Deal Get Deal $289.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $374.99 Save $85.00 The 3.1 channel model comes with a soundbar that is a fully self-contained system, meaning it can be a stand-alone soundbar with enough bass to get by. The soundbar itself is regularly $250 (but it's $189.99 right now), so for $40 more, you get the external subwoofer, which gives you a more movie theater-like experience with that thumping bass you can feel. The subwoofer is wireless, as far as its connection to the soundbar, so you can place it anywhere in your living room. You only need to wire it to a power outlet, and it will automatically pair with your soundbar. If you want the full 5.1 channel system with the rear speaker, you'll have to cash out $414.99 (originally $489.99)—in my opinion, the upgrade is not worth the price. The soundbar can be wall mounted and comes with a wall-mounting kit, which is nice since the soundbar is pretty bulky at 24 inches long. The combo comes with an HDMI cord, which is what you want to use to take advantage of the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio support. This also lets you use your TV remote to control the volume of the soundbar. The soundbar doesn't have wifi or a companion app, which is where Amazon cut costs. But if those things don't matter to you, you'd be saving a good chunk of money compared to getting other costlier soundbars that do. You can still control most settings with the remote. View the full article

Big construction projects are a coordinated effort between many different professionals. Suppliers and contractors have to be solicited, bids submitted and partnerships created. This essential process starts with a tender document. To understand procurement, one must first understand what a tender document is, who uses it and what should be included to ensure that everything goes smoothly. To put that in context, we’ll also show how it’s done in a real-life scenario. /wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tender-document-template-featured-image.jpg Get your free Tender Document Example Use this free Tender Document Example for Word to manage your projects better. Download Word File What Is a Tender Document? A tender document is several formal documents used in procurement to invite bids from contractors, suppliers or service providers for a specific project or service. Organizations issue tender documents when they need to source goods, services or construction work, often for large-scale projects. It provides all the necessary information bidders need to prepare and submit competitive proposals. A tender document is important because it ensures a transparent, competitive and fair selection process. What it does is outline the project requirements, terms and conditions, which helps potential bidders understand what’s expected. This process allows organizations to evaluate bids objectively and select the most suitable contractor based on criteria like cost, quality and timeline. The tender document also acts as a foundational reference for the creation of the project schedule. That’s because it helps outline the project scope, timeline, deliverables and key milestones that will be visualized on a Gantt chart, a critical tool used in construction project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio construction management software with robust Gantt charts that schedule resources, costs, tasks and more. But our tool goes further, linking all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns, filters for the critical path to identify essential tasks and slack, plus can set a baseline to track progress in real time. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. /wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Gantt-CTA-2025.jpgLearn more Who Requests a Tender Document? A tender document is typically requested by an organization or entity seeking to procure goods, services or construction work through a competitive bidding process. The entity requesting the tender document is often called the client, project owner or employer. Here are some examples. Government Agencies and Public Sector Organizations: Government bodies often request tender documents for large-scale infrastructure projects, public works or service contracts. Public sector tenders follow strict procurement regulations to ensure transparency and fairness. Private Companies and Corporations: Private businesses may issue tenders when they need external vendors or contractors for specialized projects such as construction, IT system development or facility management. Construction Firms and Developers: Real estate developers or construction companies may request tenders for subcontractors, materials suppliers or consultants for large building projects. Nonprofit Organizations and NGOs: Nonprofits may request tender documents when seeking suppliers or service providers for humanitarian aid, community development programs or research initiatives. Utilities and Infrastructure Companies: Energy companies, telecommunications providers or transportation authorities often issue tenders for large projects like power plants, communication networks or roads. Any organization needing external expertise, services or materials to complete a project may request a tender document to find the most suitable vendor through a transparent and competitive bidding process. Who Submits a Tender Document? A tender document is submitted by companies, contractors or service providers interested in winning a contract for a project or providing goods and services. These entities respond to the invitation to tender (ITT) the client or project owner issued. The following is a list of those entities. Construction Contractors and Subcontractors: In construction projects, general contractors or specialized subcontractors submit tender documents to bid for contracts related to building, civil engineering or infrastructure projects. Suppliers and Vendors: Companies that provide raw materials, equipment or other resources often submit tenders to fulfill supply contracts. Consulting Firms: Management consultants, engineering consultants and IT service providers submit tender proposals for projects requiring their expertise. Service Providers: Organizations offering services like maintenance, logistics, transportation or facility management submit tender documents in response to service-based contracts. Design and Architecture Firms: For design-build projects or urban development, architects and design firms often participate in the tendering process to provide their creative solutions. Joint Ventures: For large-scale projects, multiple companies may form a joint venture and submit a collaborative tender document to pool resources and expertise. Freelancers or Small Businesses: In some cases, independent contractors or small business owners may submit tenders for smaller projects or specialized tasks. All qualified entities that meet the requirements outlined in the tender invitation can submit a tender document, competing to secure the contract by proposing the most competitive and capable offer. Tender Document Example As promised, we’re taking the facts we’ve defined above about a tender document and showing how they work in a real-life scenario. In our example, we’re looking at a commercial construction project. /wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tender-document-example.png As seen in the above tender document example, the project is named, the scope is defined and the instructions are outlined for bidders to follow. Submission requirements are detailed, including the method. The evaluation criteria are also defined, as well as terms and conditions. All this provides a roadmap for bidders to submit and the construction company to choose the one that best fits their needs. What Should Be Included in a Tender Document? A well-structured tender document provides clear and detailed information to potential bidders to ensure that they understand the project’s requirements and can submit competitive, compliant proposals. It serves as a formal guide for the bidding process, outlining expectations, evaluation criteria and contractual terms. It should include the following components. Invitation to Tender An invitation to tender is a formal announcement inviting qualified companies or individuals to submit bids for the project. It typically includes a brief project summary, deadlines and instructions for accessing additional information. Project Overview & Background This section provides context about the project, including its purpose, objectives and any relevant background information. It helps bidders understand the project’s significance and key goals. Scope of Work A scope of work is a detailed description of the tasks, deliverables and responsibilities required for the project. It outlines the expected outcomes and the standards bidders must meet. Submission Requirements Clear guidelines on what bidders need to include in their proposals, such as financial information, experience, technical capabilities and proposed timelines. Submission Method Instructions on how and where to submit the tender, including formats, deadlines and whether the submission should be physical, digital or through an online portal. Eligibility Criteria Eligibility criteria define the qualifications and experience required for bidders to participate, ensuring only capable and relevant companies submit proposals. This may include licenses, certifications or financial stability. Evaluation Criteria Outlines how proposals will be assessed, often using factors such as cost, technical capability, experience and proposed timelines. This ensures transparency and fairness in the selection process. Payment Terms Payment terms offer details on how and when payments will be made, including milestones, payment schedules and any penalties or incentives tied to performance. Contract Terms and Conditions The legal framework governing the project includes responsibilities, dispute resolution mechanisms, confidentiality agreements and other contractual obligations. Bidders are expected to review and agree to these terms when submitting their proposals. Related Construction Project Management Templates Several free templates can help with the procurement process. These are just a few of the over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word that can be downloaded from our site. Some templates serve all aspects of managing a project across multiple industries. Here are the ones to help when using a tender document. Request for Quote (RFQ) Template Download this free request for quote (RFQ) template for Word to solicit price quotes from suppliers, vendors or service providers for specific goods or services. It provides a clear framework for requesting detailed pricing information, helping businesses compare offers and select the most cost-effective option. Request for Information (RFI) Template Use this free request for information (RFI) template for Word to gather information from potential vendors, suppliers or service providers. Unlike a Request for Quote (RFQ), an RFI is primarily used in the early stages of procurement or project planning to gain insights about available solutions, industry capabilities and vendor qualifications. Bid Proposal Template This free bid proposal template for Word can be used by contractors, vendors or service providers to submit formal offers in response to project opportunities. It outlines the bidder’s approach, qualifications, pricing and other relevant details, demonstrating why they are the best choice for the project. How to Manage Construction Projects With ProjectManager Templates can be helpful during procurement, but they’re not ideal. These are standalone documents and any information discerned in the process of creating a tender document, for example, will have to be moved into project management software. That’s because static documents are a poor choice for managing dynamic projects. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio construction project management software with multiple project views that let everyone on the construction crew work how they want. General contractors can schedule work on Gantt charts, teams can execute their tasks on kanban boards or task lists and stakeholders can stay updated on progress with the calendar view. Track Resources and Keep Everyone Productive The resources contracted with the tender document can be scheduled on the Gantt chart. Then, for the human resources, set their availability when onboarding. This includes everything from PTO, vacation and global holidays to skill sets and pay rates. To view resource allocation across all projects, use the workload chart. It’s color-coded to make it easy to see who is overallocated or underutilized. The team’s workload can be balanced without leaving the chart to keep everyone working at capacity without threatening burnout. There’s a team page that shows their activity on a daily or weekly basis. It can be filtered by progress or priority and tasks can be updated from that page. /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Team-Light-2554x1372-1.png Monitor KPIs With Real-time Construction Dashboards To get a high-level overview of project resources and other metrics, toggle to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. The easy-to-read graphs and charts help track everything from time to cost, workload and more. For more information, use customizable reports on status, variance, timesheets, workload and more. Filter the reports to focus on key data points or share more general information with stakeholders and keep them up-to-date. Even our secure timesheets help by keeping managers updated on labor costs to help stay on budget. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Portfolio-Summary-Dashboard-Home-Screen-Light-Mode.png Related Construction Project Management Content A tender document is only a small part of construction project management. For those interested in learning more about this industry, we have listed below links to a handful of recently published articles on the subject, from bidding to how to write a proposal. Construction Bidding Basics: Mastering Construction Bids Contract Bidding Process: A Quick Guide RFP: A Quick Guide to Request for Proposals Creating a Request for Quote (RFQ) for Procurement How to Write a Bid Proposal (Templates Included) ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or at the job site. Teams can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free The post Tender Document in Construction: A Quick Guide appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

Andrew McCutchen hasn’t had the conversation with 7-year-old son Steel yet, but the Pittsburgh Pirates star knows it’s probably coming at some point. Steel, already playing in a youth baseball league, will probably come home at one point and ask his five-time All-Star father if he can have whatever hot item his teammates might be wearing during a given spring. McCutchen plans to accommodate Steel up to a point. The oldest of McCutchen’s four children is already rocking an arm sleeve, just the way dad does. Yet if Steel is hoping his father will spring for a sliding mitt — a padded glove a player can slip over one of their hands to protect it should the hand get stepped on while diving headfirst for a base — he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up. McCutchen, who has stolen 220 bases at the major league level, has never worn one. And he’s quick to point out the next time the cleat of a fielder mashes his hand will also be the first. Still, the 38-year-old understands. Once upon a time, he was a 20-something who epitomized baseball cool, from his dreadlocks (long since shorn) to his goatee to his rope chain to the occasional skull cap he wore underneath his batting helmet, all of it designed to accentuate McCutchen’s innate blend of talent and charisma. “It’s all about the drip,” McCutchen said with a smile. Even if the “drip” (Gen Z slang for stylish clothes and their accessories) emphasizes fashion over function, particularly when it comes to the gloves — which look a bit like oven mitts — that are becoming just as ubiquitous in the Little Leagues as they are in the major leagues. Safety and self-expression Former major leaguer Scott Podsednik (career stolen base total: 309) is credited with “inventing” the sliding mitt during the late stages of his 11-year career. Tired of having his hand stepped on, Podsednik worked with a hand therapist for a solution. The initial mitts were relatively simple. A 2009 picture of Podsednik sliding into second base shows his left hand covered in what looks like a padded modified batting glove, all wrapped in black to match the trim on his Chicago White Sox uniform. Things have gotten considerably more intricate over the years. Google “sliding mitt designs” and you’ll find themes ranging from the American flag to an ice cream cone to aliens to a poop emoji ( yes, really ). Scott McMillen, a lawyer in the Chicago area, had no plans to get into the baseball accessory business. He first took notice of sliding mitts when his son Braydon, then 10, pointed out one of his teammates had one and said basically, “Oh hey dad, wouldn’t it be nice if I had one, too.” They headed to a local sporting goods store, where McMillen was surprised at the variety available. That was around 2021. By early 2024, McMillen had launched “ Goat’d,” a specialty baseball accessory company with everything from sliding mitts to batting gloves to arm sleeves to headbands and more, many of them religiously inspired. Sales during their first full year? Over 1 million units. “We were surprised at how large the marketplace is,” McMillen said. Maybe he shouldn’t have been. Youth sports have bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Aspen Institute’s 2024 State of Play report noted that the participation levels in sports among children ages 6-17 were the highest they’ve been since 2015. Baseball’s numbers have steadied following a decline. Little League International told The Associated Press last fall that more than 2 million kids played baseball or softball under its umbrella across the world, an uptick over 2019. Many of those kids are also fans of the game, some of whom may have noticed their favorite major leaguer sporting a mitt when they’re on the bases. Yes, that was San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. sliding across home plate ( feetfirst, by the way ) with a bright yellow mitt on his left hand in the ninth inning of a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh last weekend. It’s one of the many ways in which the game has evolved over the years. When McMillen grew up, there wasn’t much swag to go around. “We had our baseball uniform and our glove (and) everyone looked the same, everyone was the same,” he said. “Now, everyone wants to express themselves individually. The best way to do that without acting like a clown is to wear something that shows people who you are.” Self-expression, however, doesn’t exactly come cheap, particularly in an era when top-of-the-line bats are $400 or more. What amounts to an entry-level sliding mitt can go for $40, but Goat’d and others have versions that can fetch double that. That hasn’t stopped sales from being brisk, and McMillen points out it’s not merely a luxury item. “We don’t play football with 1940s safety equipment,” he said. “You feel better in the (batter’s) box when you have something that protects you, right? With a sliding mitt, it’s also like, ‘Hey this is fun. It’s cool. I want to be like my fave high school player, like my favorite college player.’” It’s becoming increasingly common for McMillen and other members of the company’s staff to spot Goat’d gear at the field. In recent months, they’ve popped up in youth tournaments from Georgia to Las Vegas, sometimes in the back pockets of players as young as 6 or 7. McMillen can’t help but shake his head to see his product become part of the time-honored tradition of kids imitating their heroes. Which is good for business and, oh by the way, probably unnecessary. The pressure to keep up Here’s the thing: In most — if not all — youth baseball leagues, headfirst slides that would require a player to stretch out their hand to secure the bag are illegal. In Little League, for example, stealing bases for players 12 and under is rare because the player can take off only after the ball has reached the batter. And even if they do bolt for the next base, they have to slide feetfirst. The only times in Little League that a baserunner can dive headfirst toward a base is when they are returning to it while in a rundown or during a pickoff attempt, both of which are also rare. That doesn’t stop the players from wanting a sliding mitt. It also doesn’t stop their parents from buying them, all part of the pressure to “keep up with the Jones” that has practically been a part of youth sports culture since the first time somebody came to practice with a batting glove or wristbands. It’s a phenomenon Chelsea Cahill and her family has known for years. The longtime educator who lives just east of Columbus, Ohio, has spent most of the last decade shuttling her three boys from practice to games to tournaments. What she and her husband have learned over the years is that some trends come and go, but the pressure to have the right stuff remains. “There’s always that feeling of ‘This is the next new thing’ or ‘This is what you’ve got to get,’” Cahill said. They appeased their sons up to a point, but only up to a point. Last summer their youngest son Braxton, then 11, and the rest of the kids on his travel team kept pestering their parents to buy sliding mitts. Entering the final tournament, the team moms decided to give in. Sort of. Rather than plop down that kind of money for something they didn’t actually need, the moms headed to a local dollar store and bought them actual oven mitts — the kind used to pull tonight’s dinner from out of the oven. Average retail price? Less than a cup of coffee at the gas station. Oh, and the kids loved them, and wore them during the game. Cahill posted video of them playing with the mitts stuck in their back pocket to her TikTok account. The video is now at 12 million views and counting. “They thought it was hilarious, but we didn’t really think they would wear them for the rest of the tournament,” Cahill said. “We were wrong. They really embraced it!” Among viewers of that TikTok, by the way, were the people at Goat’d, who sent Braxton a couple of mitts as a result. The good news is, Cahill now won’t have to buy one for Braxton this spring. Yet there’s also something else she has learned through the years: This time in her boys’ lives is fleeting. For proof, just look at her calendar. Her two older sons — the ones who played travel baseball just like Braxton, and asked for all the cool stuff their teammates had, just like Braxton has — gave up baseball by the time they got to high school. Her advice to parents who might be feeling the financial pinch of what it takes to play these days: Relax. “We’ve learned as parents is to stop taking it so seriously,” she said. “They’re kids. Let them have fun.” The reality A day after hundreds of members of the Monroeville Baseball and Softball Association marched through the Pittsburgh suburb’s well-appointed community park, the regular season is in full swing. All four fields are alive with the chatter of coaches, parents and boys and girls aged anywhere from 5-12. Over on Field 1, the Rays are in the middle of their season opener. Playing first base, Josiah Jones has his glove at the ready, with a black sliding mitt noticeably sticking out of his left back pocket. Per the league rules, the Rays and the other players at the “Bronco” level (ages 11-12), play actual full-on baseball. They can take leads and steal bases whenever they like, though headfirst slides are only allowed when returning to a base, just like in Little League. Longtime MBSA executive commissioner Josh Plassmeyer is milling about, trying to keep tabs on everything. Plassmeyer outlawed sliding mitts on his son Grant’s 10-and-under tournament team, calling them a “distraction” because players would spend so much time fiddling with them once they got to first base, they would miss signs from the third-base coach. About 50 feet away, Jones settles into the box and rips a ball to left-center field. His long legs carry him past first base, and he cruises into second with an easy double. As his teammates erupted in the dugout, Jones beamed for a brief moment. Then, as the opposing pitcher stepped onto the rubber, he took an aggressive lead off second and eyed third. His back pocket, the one where his sliding mitt had been 30 minutes before, was empty. —Will Graves, AP national writer View the full article

New Tesla car sales plunged across Europe in April even as sales of other electric vehicle brands soared, in part due to backlash against CEO Elon Musk’s support for Europe’s far-right politics, as well as growing competition from both European and Chinese EV carmakers, according to Reuters. Last month, Tesla’s new car sales in the U.K. and Germany tanked to their lowest in over two years, falling 62% and 46% year on year, respectively, even as demand in both countries rose for EVs. And in Spain, there was more bad news for Tesla, with new sales falling 36% in April 2025 compared with the the same month a year earlier, according to data from ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers, as reported by Reuters. Shares of Tesla stock (NYSE: TSLA), which have been a roller-coaster ride since the beginning of the year, were down about 3% in midday trading on Tuesday at the time of this writing. Tesla’s billionaire CEO Elon Musk’s politics, both at home and abroad, have cost him dearly. Americans have continued to boycott Tesla and protest Musk, angered by his role in the The President administration and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has ordered widespread layoffs of government workers and slashed federal budgets, wreaking havoc on the government’s ability to function both efficiently and effectively. In Europe, where Musk has shown support for far-right politics, just as in the United States, Europeans have been protesting and boycotting the EV carmaker, in addition to vandalizing Tesla showrooms and charging stations. Musk has pledged to cut back on his government meddling, but for now it seems the damage to his reputation and company is already done. A look at the numbers shows that despite Tesla still being one of the largest electric car manufacturers in the world, its market share is weakening, especially in Europe. Earlier this month, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association confirmed that Tesla sales fell 49% in Europe in the first two months of 2025, despite the fact that overall EV sales in Europe were up 28%. April’s numbers showed where exactly that pain point was. Tesla sales plunged an eye-popping 81% in Sweden, to their lowest since October 2022, and were down 73.8% in the Netherlands when compared with the same month last year. Sales fell 67% and 59%, respectively, in Denmark and France, and 33% in Portugal. In the first quarter of 2025, Tesla sales in Spain fell 17%, while electrified vehicles sales, of both hybrid and electric vehicles, were up a whopping 54%. Chinese EV automakers BYD, MG, and Omoda were up 644%, 80%, and 346% so far this year, respectively, per ANFAC. View the full article

The builder reported increased revenue from a year ago, with profits near par, as it sets to absorb new acquisitions across different lines of business. View the full article

The U.S. Department of Justice is calling for Google to break up its digital advertising empire after a federal judge ruled the tech giant had illegally maintained monopoly power in the ad exchange market. Driving the news. In a court filing on Sunday, the DOJ said Google should divest its AdX exchange, where ad inventory is bought and sold. It should also sell its DFP platform, used by publishers to manage and serve ads. The sales would be overseen by a court-appointed trustee, who would find buyers and monitor compliance. Why we care. The DOJ’s proposal to force Google to sell off AdX and DFP strikes at the core of Google’s multibillion-dollar ad tech stack. A sale of AdX and DFP could disrupt how digital ads are bought and sold, potentially impacting the costs and efficiency of ad campaigns. A forced divestiture might fragment the ecosystem, making it harder to target audiences and measure performance across platforms. If Google’s tools are split, advertisers may need to adapt to new systems or lose access to some of the integrated capabilities they rely on today. Catch up quick. Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled on April 17 that Google violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by using its dominance in ad tech to harm competition and control pricing in the open web ad market. Google’s response. Google pushed back hard, arguing that: Divestiture is “not technically feasible” because AdX and DFP are deeply integrated into Google’s infrastructure. Instead, it offered conduct remedies to increase transparency and interoperability: Letting rival ad servers access real-time bids from AdX. Dropping Unified Pricing Rules to give publishers more control. Continuing to avoid “first look” and “last look” auction tactics. Google says these remedies fully address the court’s liability findings — a point it claims the DOJ conceded in court. “The DOJ’s additional proposals to force a divestiture of our ad tech tools go well beyond the Court’s findings, have no basis in law, and would harm publishers and advertisers,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s VP of Regulatory Affairs. Between the lines. The case centers on Google Ad Manager, a product Google argues is a small piece of its business but critical for publishers. Google says forcing a sale could raise costs and disrupt tools relied on by small businesses and independent publishers. What’s next. Both sides will continue to negotiate remedies as the case heads toward appeal. The court could approve a divestiture plan or Google’s proposed behavioral fixes. Zoom out. The case is one of several antitrust battles Google faces globally. A win for the DOJ here could set a precedent for structural remedies in Big Tech regulation. Dig deeper into more Google antitrust battles: Google faces EU charges over search bias Google Search faces new UK probe Federal judge rules Google violated antitrust law View the full article

Key Takeaways Planning is Essential: Effective planning sets the tone for the party, ensuring smooth execution and employee engagement.Set a Clear Budget: Establish a budget to manage expenses for the venue, food, and entertainment while avoiding overspending.Manage Expectations: Send clear invitations and establish party guidelines regarding dress code, alcohol consumption, and behavior to create a respectful atmosphere.Prioritize Safety: Implement responsible alcohol policies and arrange transportation options to ensure employee safety and promote a responsible environment.Engage Employees: Involve employees in the planning process and incorporate fun activities that promote teamwork and participation to enhance morale.Promote Professionalism: Striking the right balance between celebration and professionalism fosters a positive company culture and strengthens team dynamics. The holiday season brings a festive spirit to the workplace, but it can also lead to chaos if not managed properly. You want your company holiday party to be a celebration of achievements and camaraderie, not a source of stress or embarrassment. With the right strategies, you can create an enjoyable atmosphere while keeping everything under control. Planning a successful holiday gathering involves more than just decorations and a buffet. It’s about setting clear expectations and creating a fun yet respectful environment. In this article, you’ll discover practical tips to ensure your holiday party is memorable for all the right reasons, helping you strike that perfect balance between celebration and professionalism. Importance Of Keeping Your Company Holiday Party Under Control Keeping your company holiday party under control is vital for several reasons. Maintaining a respectful atmosphere promotes positive employee morale and enhances team management. An organized event minimizes the risk of misunderstandings, ensuring all attendees feel comfortable and valued. Effective management during the holiday party aligns with your overall business goals. It allows for productive networking opportunities while reinforcing company culture. When you establish clear guidelines and expectations, you foster an environment where employees enjoy themselves without crossing professional boundaries. Additionally, this control directly impacts your business operations. By managing the event carefully, you optimize financial planning. This includes staying within your budget and effectively allocating resources, preventing overspending. Proper leadership ensures that another successful gathering contributes to business growth rather than becomes a point of conflict. Ultimately, prioritizing structure and organization during your holiday party exemplifies your commitment to employee development. It’s an opportunity to recognize individual contributions while promoting teamwork. You enhance communication skills and build stronger relationships among team members, thereby supporting collaboration and improving productivity. Planning The Event Effective planning is crucial for your company holiday party. It sets the tone, engages employees, and ensures a smooth experience. Setting A Budget Establish a budget that aligns with your financial planning goals. Allocate funds for venue rental, food and drinks, decorations, and entertainment. Consider tracking expenses to maintain cash flow and avoid overspending. Review past event budgets to guide your decision-making process and adjust based on current business operations. You can aim for cost-effective options without compromising quality, which enhances overall productivity and employee satisfaction. Choosing A Suitable Venue Select a venue that accommodates your team size while reflecting your company’s culture. Evaluate locations for accessibility, ambiance, and services they provide. Determine whether you want to keep the gathering formal or casual, as this affects the atmosphere you create. Look for venues that offer flexible layouts and amenities that can enhance employee engagement. Ensure the choice aligns with your business goals and enhances collaboration among team members, reinforcing your company’s commitment to employee development. Managing Guest Expectations Managing guest expectations ensures a successful company holiday party. Focus on clear communication and engagement to enhance participation and satisfaction. Sending Clear Invitations Send professional and informative emails for invitations. Use your business email address to lend authority. Include essential details like the date, time, location, and purpose. Emphasize the importance of attendance by mentioning the party’s significance for team bonding and recognition. Ensure the invitation reflects your company culture, encouraging employees to feel comfortable and excited. By providing clear information, you improve attendance and foster a sense of inclusion. Establishing Party Guidelines Establish clear party guidelines to set expectations. Define dress codes, alcohol policies, and behavior standards. Communicate these guidelines in advance to avoid misunderstandings. Encourage respect and professionalism while fostering a friendly atmosphere. Involving employees in the creation of these guidelines can enhance buy-in and alignment with company values. By setting these parameters, you promote an enjoyable experience that aligns with your business goals and reinforces team management. Ensuring A Safe Environment Establishing a safe environment during your company holiday party enhances employee management and fosters a respectful atmosphere. Prioritize safety as part of your business operations. Alcohol Management Implement guidelines for alcohol consumption to promote responsible behavior at the party. Restrict the availability of alcohol by limiting drink options or providing a predefined number of drink tickets. Offering non-alcoholic alternatives ensures inclusivity and aligns with your company’s values of employee development. Consider hiring professional bartenders trained in responsible serving practices. They can help manage consumption levels and reduce risks associated with overindulgence. Additionally, communicate expectations regarding alcohol use clearly in advance, reinforcing the importance of adhering to workplace policies. Transportation Options Arrange transportation options to prevent intoxicated driving and support employee safety. Providing shuttle services or partnerships with local ride-share companies can enhance the overall experience and reduce liability. Inform employees about these options prior to the event, and consider offering reimbursement for taxi or ride-share expenses. Emphasizing the importance of safe transportation reflects strong leadership and commitment to employee well-being, enhancing your small business’s reputation within the community. Engaging Employees Engaging your employees during the holiday party enhances morale and builds a strong team dynamic. Focus on creating an inclusive atmosphere that encourages participation and interaction among all attendees. Fun Activities and Entertainment Design activities that promote employee involvement and foster a sense of community. Incorporate games that encourage teamwork and collaboration, such as trivia contests or team-building exercises. Consider hiring live entertainment, like musicians or comedians, to keep the energy high and maintain interest. You can also integrate activities that align with your company’s values, reinforcing your brand while engaging employees effectively. Ensure that options appeal to diverse interests, making it enjoyable for everyone involved. Encouraging Participation Encouraging participation involves actively involving employees in planning the holiday party. Solicit their input on activities, themes, and other elements to create excitement and ownership. Offer incentives such as small prizes for participation in games or activities. Foster an open atmosphere where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas and expressing themselves. Show appreciation for contributions to enhance employee engagement and reinforce a culture of recognition, ultimately promoting a sense of belonging within the company. Engaged employees lead to higher productivity, aligning with your business goals and enhancing overall satisfaction. Conclusion Managing your company holiday party effectively is key to creating a memorable and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. By setting clear expectations and maintaining a respectful atmosphere, you foster positive employee morale and strengthen team dynamics. Prioritizing safety and responsible behavior not only protects your employees but also enhances your company’s reputation. Engaging your team with fun activities and inclusive practices encourages participation and builds a sense of community. Remember that a well-planned event reflects your commitment to employee development and aligns with your business goals. With thoughtful planning and organization, your holiday party can become a highlight of the year that reinforces your company culture and promotes lasting connections among your team. Frequently Asked Questions What is the importance of managing holiday parties in the workplace? Managing holiday parties is crucial for fostering a positive work environment. It promotes employee morale, enhances team collaboration, and reduces misunderstandings. A well-planned gathering can align with business goals and strengthen company culture while ensuring everyone feels comfortable and respected. How can a company establish a budget for a holiday party? To set a budget, align the allocated funds with financial goals. Review expenses from past events to guide allocation for various aspects of the party. This helps prevent overspending and ensures a quality event that fits the company’s financial plan. Why are clear party guidelines necessary for holiday events? Clear party guidelines help set expectations around dress codes, alcohol policies, and behavior. This ensures a respectful environment and prevents misunderstandings, allowing employees to enjoy the event while adhering to professional standards. How can companies ensure a safe environment at holiday parties? Companies can implement guidelines for alcohol consumption, like providing non-alcoholic options, hiring trained bartenders, and offering transportation solutions. This commitment to safety enhances employee well-being and reflects positive leadership. What activities can enhance employee engagement during the holiday party? Creating fun activities, like trivia contests and team-building exercises, encourages participation and interaction. Seeking employee input on themes and activities fosters excitement and ownership, while offering incentives can further boost engagement and satisfaction. How does the choice of venue impact a holiday party? The right venue should accommodate the team size, reflect the company culture, and enhance collaboration. Considerations like accessibility, ambiance, and services align the event with business goals, creating an engaging environment for employees. Image Via Envato This article, "How to Keep Your Company Holiday Party Under Control for a Memorable Celebration" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Planning is Essential: Effective planning sets the tone for the party, ensuring smooth execution and employee engagement.Set a Clear Budget: Establish a budget to manage expenses for the venue, food, and entertainment while avoiding overspending.Manage Expectations: Send clear invitations and establish party guidelines regarding dress code, alcohol consumption, and behavior to create a respectful atmosphere.Prioritize Safety: Implement responsible alcohol policies and arrange transportation options to ensure employee safety and promote a responsible environment.Engage Employees: Involve employees in the planning process and incorporate fun activities that promote teamwork and participation to enhance morale.Promote Professionalism: Striking the right balance between celebration and professionalism fosters a positive company culture and strengthens team dynamics. The holiday season brings a festive spirit to the workplace, but it can also lead to chaos if not managed properly. You want your company holiday party to be a celebration of achievements and camaraderie, not a source of stress or embarrassment. With the right strategies, you can create an enjoyable atmosphere while keeping everything under control. Planning a successful holiday gathering involves more than just decorations and a buffet. It’s about setting clear expectations and creating a fun yet respectful environment. In this article, you’ll discover practical tips to ensure your holiday party is memorable for all the right reasons, helping you strike that perfect balance between celebration and professionalism. Importance Of Keeping Your Company Holiday Party Under Control Keeping your company holiday party under control is vital for several reasons. Maintaining a respectful atmosphere promotes positive employee morale and enhances team management. An organized event minimizes the risk of misunderstandings, ensuring all attendees feel comfortable and valued. Effective management during the holiday party aligns with your overall business goals. It allows for productive networking opportunities while reinforcing company culture. When you establish clear guidelines and expectations, you foster an environment where employees enjoy themselves without crossing professional boundaries. Additionally, this control directly impacts your business operations. By managing the event carefully, you optimize financial planning. This includes staying within your budget and effectively allocating resources, preventing overspending. Proper leadership ensures that another successful gathering contributes to business growth rather than becomes a point of conflict. Ultimately, prioritizing structure and organization during your holiday party exemplifies your commitment to employee development. It’s an opportunity to recognize individual contributions while promoting teamwork. You enhance communication skills and build stronger relationships among team members, thereby supporting collaboration and improving productivity. Planning The Event Effective planning is crucial for your company holiday party. It sets the tone, engages employees, and ensures a smooth experience. Setting A Budget Establish a budget that aligns with your financial planning goals. Allocate funds for venue rental, food and drinks, decorations, and entertainment. Consider tracking expenses to maintain cash flow and avoid overspending. Review past event budgets to guide your decision-making process and adjust based on current business operations. You can aim for cost-effective options without compromising quality, which enhances overall productivity and employee satisfaction. Choosing A Suitable Venue Select a venue that accommodates your team size while reflecting your company’s culture. Evaluate locations for accessibility, ambiance, and services they provide. Determine whether you want to keep the gathering formal or casual, as this affects the atmosphere you create. Look for venues that offer flexible layouts and amenities that can enhance employee engagement. Ensure the choice aligns with your business goals and enhances collaboration among team members, reinforcing your company’s commitment to employee development. Managing Guest Expectations Managing guest expectations ensures a successful company holiday party. Focus on clear communication and engagement to enhance participation and satisfaction. Sending Clear Invitations Send professional and informative emails for invitations. Use your business email address to lend authority. Include essential details like the date, time, location, and purpose. Emphasize the importance of attendance by mentioning the party’s significance for team bonding and recognition. Ensure the invitation reflects your company culture, encouraging employees to feel comfortable and excited. By providing clear information, you improve attendance and foster a sense of inclusion. Establishing Party Guidelines Establish clear party guidelines to set expectations. Define dress codes, alcohol policies, and behavior standards. Communicate these guidelines in advance to avoid misunderstandings. Encourage respect and professionalism while fostering a friendly atmosphere. Involving employees in the creation of these guidelines can enhance buy-in and alignment with company values. By setting these parameters, you promote an enjoyable experience that aligns with your business goals and reinforces team management. Ensuring A Safe Environment Establishing a safe environment during your company holiday party enhances employee management and fosters a respectful atmosphere. Prioritize safety as part of your business operations. Alcohol Management Implement guidelines for alcohol consumption to promote responsible behavior at the party. Restrict the availability of alcohol by limiting drink options or providing a predefined number of drink tickets. Offering non-alcoholic alternatives ensures inclusivity and aligns with your company’s values of employee development. Consider hiring professional bartenders trained in responsible serving practices. They can help manage consumption levels and reduce risks associated with overindulgence. Additionally, communicate expectations regarding alcohol use clearly in advance, reinforcing the importance of adhering to workplace policies. Transportation Options Arrange transportation options to prevent intoxicated driving and support employee safety. Providing shuttle services or partnerships with local ride-share companies can enhance the overall experience and reduce liability. Inform employees about these options prior to the event, and consider offering reimbursement for taxi or ride-share expenses. Emphasizing the importance of safe transportation reflects strong leadership and commitment to employee well-being, enhancing your small business’s reputation within the community. Engaging Employees Engaging your employees during the holiday party enhances morale and builds a strong team dynamic. Focus on creating an inclusive atmosphere that encourages participation and interaction among all attendees. Fun Activities and Entertainment Design activities that promote employee involvement and foster a sense of community. Incorporate games that encourage teamwork and collaboration, such as trivia contests or team-building exercises. Consider hiring live entertainment, like musicians or comedians, to keep the energy high and maintain interest. You can also integrate activities that align with your company’s values, reinforcing your brand while engaging employees effectively. Ensure that options appeal to diverse interests, making it enjoyable for everyone involved. Encouraging Participation Encouraging participation involves actively involving employees in planning the holiday party. Solicit their input on activities, themes, and other elements to create excitement and ownership. Offer incentives such as small prizes for participation in games or activities. Foster an open atmosphere where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas and expressing themselves. Show appreciation for contributions to enhance employee engagement and reinforce a culture of recognition, ultimately promoting a sense of belonging within the company. Engaged employees lead to higher productivity, aligning with your business goals and enhancing overall satisfaction. Conclusion Managing your company holiday party effectively is key to creating a memorable and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. By setting clear expectations and maintaining a respectful atmosphere, you foster positive employee morale and strengthen team dynamics. Prioritizing safety and responsible behavior not only protects your employees but also enhances your company’s reputation. Engaging your team with fun activities and inclusive practices encourages participation and builds a sense of community. Remember that a well-planned event reflects your commitment to employee development and aligns with your business goals. With thoughtful planning and organization, your holiday party can become a highlight of the year that reinforces your company culture and promotes lasting connections among your team. Frequently Asked Questions What is the importance of managing holiday parties in the workplace? Managing holiday parties is crucial for fostering a positive work environment. It promotes employee morale, enhances team collaboration, and reduces misunderstandings. A well-planned gathering can align with business goals and strengthen company culture while ensuring everyone feels comfortable and respected. How can a company establish a budget for a holiday party? To set a budget, align the allocated funds with financial goals. Review expenses from past events to guide allocation for various aspects of the party. This helps prevent overspending and ensures a quality event that fits the company’s financial plan. Why are clear party guidelines necessary for holiday events? Clear party guidelines help set expectations around dress codes, alcohol policies, and behavior. This ensures a respectful environment and prevents misunderstandings, allowing employees to enjoy the event while adhering to professional standards. How can companies ensure a safe environment at holiday parties? Companies can implement guidelines for alcohol consumption, like providing non-alcoholic options, hiring trained bartenders, and offering transportation solutions. This commitment to safety enhances employee well-being and reflects positive leadership. What activities can enhance employee engagement during the holiday party? Creating fun activities, like trivia contests and team-building exercises, encourages participation and interaction. Seeking employee input on themes and activities fosters excitement and ownership, while offering incentives can further boost engagement and satisfaction. How does the choice of venue impact a holiday party? The right venue should accommodate the team size, reflect the company culture, and enhance collaboration. Considerations like accessibility, ambiance, and services align the event with business goals, creating an engaging environment for employees. Image Via Envato This article, "How to Keep Your Company Holiday Party Under Control for a Memorable Celebration" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Stuck for ideas on how to show your kids' teachers the depth of your gratitude? We're in the midst of Teacher Appreciate Week, which is a great time to thank them for all their work this year—or at least get a jump on picking out an end-of-school-year gift. If your favorite teacher is tech-inclined, they will likely appreciate one of the gadgets on this list, all of which are under $50. Notebuddy Mini Sticker Printer Doodle Dash Portable Thermal Printer Inkless Pocket Photo Printer Bluetooth for Learning Assistance, Scrapbook Supplies,Journal,Study Notes with Sticker Paper,White $22.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Shop Now Shop Now $22.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg KINMATES Tiktok Scrolling Ring, Page Turner for Kindle App, Remote Control for TIK Tok and Kindle App, Bluetooth Connected, for iPhone Series, iPad, Android Phone, and More $15.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $24.99 Save $9.00 Shop Now Shop Now $15.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $24.99 Save $9.00 MagicMakers Neck Massager with Heat Gifts for Women, Men, Dad, Mom, Family, Friend, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Christmas, Shiatsu Kneading Back Massager for Shoulder, Pain Relief, Muscle Soreness $29.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $49.99 Save $20.00 Get Deal Get Deal $29.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $49.99 Save $20.00 NESIMY Super Bros Toys Night Light for Kids with Game Sound Effects Illusion Lamp Room Decor Merchandise As Gifts for Kids Fans $17.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $25.99 Save $8.00 Shop Now Shop Now $17.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $25.99 Save $8.00 Hallocool Desktop Vacuum Cleaner Mini Desk Vacuum Cleaner Portable Dust Crumb Sweeper Cute USB Vacuum for Picking up Crumbs Eraser Crumbs Pet Hairs Flakes Tiny Items on Desk Tabletop Keyboard $14.66 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Get Deal Get Deal $14.66 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg HUE HD Pro USB Document Camera $69.95 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Shop Now Shop Now $69.95 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Lego Flower Bouquet $47.99 at Walmart $49.99 Save $2.00 Shop Now Shop Now $47.99 at Walmart $49.99 Save $2.00 HOUSBAY White Noise Machine Sunrise Alarm Clock, Wake Up Light, Dimmable Night Light, 26 Natural Sounds, Gentle Wake up & Sound Machine for Sleeping, Adults, Kids, Baby-Wooden $29.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $48.89 Save $18.90 Shop Now Shop Now $29.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $48.89 Save $18.90 WinBridge Bluetooth Voice Amplifier for Teachers, Wireless Voice Amplifier with Bluetooth Headset Microphone, Portable Megaphone Speaker Headset System, Teacher Must Haves 15W WB002 $27.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $39.99 Save $12.00 Shop Now Shop Now $27.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $39.99 Save $12.00 Rocketbook Core Reusable Spiral Notebook, Executive Size 6x8.8, Teal - Dotted Pages, App-Connected, Erasable, Durable Cover, Ideal for School, Work, and Creative Projects $29.43 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $32.00 Save $2.57 Shop Now Shop Now $29.43 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $32.00 Save $2.57 SEE 7 MORE A mini thermal printer Thermal printers have gotten smaller and smaller, and now they can fit in your pocket. Why a thermal printer? They can quickly produce stickers, notes, even temporary tattoos. I can think of 100 ways a teacher would use one of these printers. I like the Notebuddy for its compact shape and easy-to-replace sticker paper. You connect via Bluetooth from your phone or laptop. A scrolling ringIf you have a Kindle or TikTok habit, you know all too well the hand cramping that comes from having to hold and flip through with your thumb. There is a solution—the scrolling ring. Worn on your finger, you can press the forward, backward, or select button on your ring and control your phone or tablet remotely. You could even use it on whatever you are showing your class onscreen. A heated neck massager For the last year, this neck massager has been all the rage on TikTok, but I didn't think much of it until I was gifted one. Holy moly. What makes it work differently is that it's shaped like a scarf you stretch around you, and put your arms through, so you can easily change the pressure based on how hard you stretch the massager. Super Mario Bros. brick lamp I’ve been obsessed with this Super Mario Bros. question mark light up brick. It attaches to the wall or wherever else you’d like to stick it, and yes, you can actually punch it, and yes, it will make that deeply satisfying sound effect from the classic game. Imagine this in a classroom, where a swipe can serve as a reward. Desk vacuum cleanerMy desk is where everything goes—mail, projects, books, gloves, my purse—so it often needs a cleaning. Can you even imagine what a teacher's desk looks like at the end of the day? I love this cordless vacuum cleaner that I can keep nearby and grab as needed to vacuum my keyboard and mousepad if I need to, without needing to clear away pens and cords. A projecting microscopeThe Hue is a fascinating piece of tech: a small camera on a bendy, telescoping arm can project anything to your screen via USB. The macro lens can project a doc, picture, live handwriting, or an ant walking across a table, all at 720px. Endless flowers for their deskThe allure of LEGO is forever. This flower bouquet set is a project for relaxing at home, or working on with students. In either case, the resulting bouquet is more interesting than fresh flowers, and will give any teacher instant credibility with kids. Sunrise alarm clockWaking up for another day of school with your little rays of light can be... a lot, but a sunrise alarm is the gentlest way someone can rise and shine. The alarm subtlety brings the level of light up in your room, timed to when you need to get up, mimicking the sunrise. A wireless mic and speakerTeachers use their voice constantly during the day, trying to be heard over students. A little amplification couldn't hurt. A simple wireless microphone means less shouting, and many less sore throats. A notebook that's manual and digitalFor some people, a tablet is too much tech, but a spiral notebook is too basic. Enter Rocketbook, which is the best of both. Write manually on the pages, and they'll be scanned to the Rocketbook app. View the full article

First failed vote highlights Germany’s new head of government has a thin majority to deliver an ambitious programmeView the full article