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PR Newswire

CGTN: How does China set tone for future of “One Country, Two Systems”?

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BEIJING, Oct. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The report delivered by Xi Jinping on Sunday at the opening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing came at a pivotal point with China embarking on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects.

Unveiling the blueprint for building a modern socialist China in all respects, Xi devoted an entire division of his report to highlighting the importance of “One Country, Two Systems.”

“This policy must be adhered to over the long term,” he vowed, eliminating doubts and misunderstandings about the future of “One Country, Two Systems.”

‘Best institutional arrangement’

The past decade has witnessed historic progress and changes in China’s drive to materialize the vision of “One Country, Two Systems” in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Macao Special Administrative Region.

The SARs’ legal systems and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security have been established. The law on safeguarding national security in the HKSAR was enacted, while the region’s electoral system was also refined. Macao also started proceedings to amend its law on safeguarding national security.

In his report, Xi applauded “One Country, Two Systems” as great innovation of socialism with Chinese characteristics. “It has proven to be the best institutional arrangement for ensuring sustained prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao after their return to the motherland.”

He affirmed the principle of “the people of Hong Kong administering Hong Kong and the people of Macao administering Macao” and a high level of autonomy for the two SARs.

Stressing Xi’s report served as a guideline for future actions of the SARs, John Lee, chief executive of the HKSAR, said he was encouraged by the report’s rich content on “One Country, Two Systems,” Hong Kong and Macao affairs as it reveals the great importance that the central government attaches to work related to the SARs and “One Country, Two Systems.”

Lee said the country has always been the strongest backing for the HKSAR in the past five years when the city has gone through the most severe test since its return to the motherland.

Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Ho Iat Seng also hailed that Xi’s report has given a clear direction to Macao for the successful practice of “One Country, Two Systems.”

He noted the report “illustrated that the central government places great importance in, and is cordial regarding its care for ‘One Country, Two Systems,'” and greatly bolstered Macao residents’ confidence in the city’s development.

Integrating into national development

In his report, Xi pledged to help the two regions resolve the deep-rooted and conflictual problems encountered in the course of their development, stressing efforts will be made to support Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating themselves into national overall development.

A key step for advancing “One Country, Two Systems” as well as a vital entry point for the two SARs to integrate themselves into the country’s overall development has been the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), which was planned and advanced by Xi himself.

The GBA is comprised of the two SARs, and nine cities in neighboring Guangdong Province. The total area is around 56,000 square kilometers, and covers around 6 percent of the Chinese population.

Over the past years, the GBA has swiftly turned plans into actions. A one-hour living circle has been basically formed within the GBA with the construction and operation of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, and other cross-river channels connecting the Pearl (Zhujiang) River estuary’s eastern and western banks. The total mileage of rail lines in service in the GBA has reached nearly 2,500 kilometers.

In 2021, the number of GBA companies on the Fortune Global 500 list amounted to 25, compared with 17 in 2017, which also surpassed the New York Bay Area for the first time.

The GBA’s GDP hit 12.6 trillion yuan ($1.97 trillion) last year, 2.4 trillion yuan more than in 2017. With less than 1 percent of the country’s land mass, the GBA created 12 percent of the national GDP.

Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, on Monday told a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 20th CPC National Congress that China will ramp up efforts to make the GBA an exemplary model for high-quality development, focusing on promoting technological innovation, boosting coordinated industrial development, and improving people’s livelihoods.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-10-21/How-does-China-set-tone-for-future-of-One-Country-Two-Systems–1ejG7iY1ne8/index.html

PR Newswire

Innowatts Recognized by Frost & Sullivan for Data-enabled Transformative Approach and Service to Energy Providers and Consumers

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Innowatts’ Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence energy analytics platform deciphers the ever-increasing data generated across the energy value chain into powerful, actionable insights to optimize carbon and enhance reliability and affordability

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Frost & Sullivan researched the energy analytics industry and, based on its findings, recognizes Innowatts with the 2022 North America Company of the Year Award. Innowatts’ software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform delivers high-quality and real-time actionable intelligence to enable its customers to manage cost, enhance reliability, improve overall profitability, and optimize carbon.

Innowatts
Innowatts

Innowatts integrates data from more than 45 million meters (including, distribution, renewable, storage, and EV assets) along with generation, price, weather, macroeconomic, third-party demographic, and customer tariffs. Innowatts then produces actionable intelligence into energy networks and consumer behavior.

Innowatts allows grid operators and energy retailers to leverage real-time actionable insights to make well-informed data-based decisions and drive superior grid maintenance. The results: Clients report a 40% increase in load forecasting accuracy while others have indicated up to a 20% reduction in carbon footprint. It is this kind of communication, rapport, and direct relationship that allows for energy retailers and utilities that employ Innowatts’ platform and market-changing technology to realize a deeper understanding of their customer’s behavior which leads to improved customer engagement and positive gross margins.

Rajalingam Chinnasamy, Industry Principal of Energy and Environment at Frost & Sullivan, observed “Innowatts’ scalable, configurable, and secure SaaS platform leverages best-in-class AI [artificial intelligence] and machine learning capabilities to help energy providers unlock grid edge opportunities, enhance customer value, and accelerate their energy transition.”

“This designation from Frost and Sullivan is important to our team at Innowatts because it’s a reflection of the work we’ve put into making our clients more successful and that’s taken everyone buying in and we’ve done that,” said Sid Sachdeva, CEO and Founder of Innowatts. “The beauty of an award like this underscores the Innowatts message that we are determined to navigate this ever-changing Energy Transition, we’re committed to promoting sustainability through every resource available and will continue to forecast the grid of the future with increased accuracy to ensure our clients have the best information in the industry.”

“Innowatts addresses customers’ needs with a strong leadership focus that incorporates customer-centric strategies and exemplifies best practice implementation. The company’s AI-enabled SaaS platform supplies high-quality and real-time data-driven insights to help power utilities and energy retailers become truly predictive, proactive, and connected with their end consumers,” added Chinnasamy. The company remains a trusted and preferred partner, earning a reputation for offering the overall best value in the energy analytics industry. With its strong overall performance, Innowatts earns Frost & Sullivan’s 2022 North America Company of the Year Award. 

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organization that demonstrates excellence in growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan
For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:
Lindsey Whitaker
P: 1.210.477.8457
E: Lindsey.Whitaker@frost.com

About Innowatts

Innowatts is the leading energy SaaS platform that utilizes best-in-class artificial intelligence to help electricity providers unlock grid edge opportunities, increase customer value, and accelerate the energy transition by leveraging insights from more than 45 million meters globally. Outcomes enable users to analyze multiple data sets, gaining a better understanding of their carbon footprint and intensity for each site. The Innowatts platform delivers real-time, customer-centric energy analytics with unprecedented accuracy. With clients and operations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, Innowatts is a global leader, enabling energy providers to become truly customer-focused and fully leverage the power of data to transform their businesses. 

Contact:
Dhara Mistry
Dhara.Mistry@innowatts.com 

PR Newswire

CGTN: China welcomes foreign firms to share the dividends of its further development

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BEIJING, Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — China welcomes companies from all over the world to invest in the country and continue to share its development dividends as the Chinese economy has shifted from high-speed growth to high-quality development, a senior official from the country’s top economic planner said on Monday.

“China’s door will open wider,” said Zhao Chenxin, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and a member of the commission’s CPC leadership group, at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the country’s most important political event this year.

The dual-circulation development pattern, where internal and external markets can reinforce each other and with the domestic market as the mainstay, does not mean that China wants to scale back from opening up or even to pursue a self-sufficient economy, Zhao clarified.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed over and again that the new development pattern is an open dual circulation involving both domestic and foreign markets, instead of a closed domestic loop.

The Chinese economy has long been deeply integrated with the global economy, Zhao said, adding that the domestic and foreign markets are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. 

China to further encourage foreign investment

China will further step up efforts to encourage foreign investment, Zhao said, adding the country will release and implement the 2022 version of the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment, which will further expand the scope of encouraged industries for foreign investment.

China’s economy has shifted from high-speed growth to high-quality development, and the country is also facing new situation for attracting foreign investment, he noted.

The country will increase policy support for foreign investment in such areas as advanced manufacturing, higher-quality services, high-tech, energy conservation and environmental protection, he said.

There will also be policy support to foreign investment in China’s less developed central, western and northeastern regions, according to Zhao.

Besides, the country will launch the sixth batch of major foreign-funded projects, and help them solve the difficulties in a timely manner in the process of investment, production and operation, so as to ensure the smooth implementation of the projects.

In addition, China will further optimize services for foreign-funded enterprises, and provide more convenience for international investment, exchanges and cooperation on the premise of preventing and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first eight months this year, foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, increased 16.4 percent year on year to 892.74 billion yuan ($127.39 billion), against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, complicated international situation and weak cross-border investment, Zhao said.

Specifically, the high-tech industries saw FDI inflow surge by 33.6 percent from a year earlier, he noted.

FDI flowing into the country’s western region reported a year-on-year increase of 43 percent, followed by 27.6 percent in the central region and 14.3 percent in the eastern region.

“Generally speaking, multinational companies are confident in investing in China and optimistic about the Chinese market in the long term,” he said.

China will promote higher-level opening-up to the outside world, intensify policy efforts to attract foreign investment, and give better play to the positive role of foreign investment in promoting the country’s high-quality development, he said. 

A rebounding economy with huge opportunities

China’s economy showed a significant rebound in the third quarter, Zhao said.

“Consumer prices have risen modestly, in sharp contrast to the high global inflation, and the employment remained generally stable.”

He underscored that China’s economy has been recovering and resuming its growth momentum despite some fluctuations caused by the unexpected factors this year, such as the external environment, the pandemic and extreme weather.

A slew of policies has been rolled out to shore up the economy, and major economic indicators of the industries, services, investment and consumption are all recovering, according to Zhao.

The country’s economy still faces multiple headwinds. But facing the impact of the unexpected factors, China’s economy has stabilized and rebounded in a relatively short period of time, showing strong resilience and huge potential, Zhao pointed out.

China, with a population of over 1.4 billion, has the world’s largest middle-income class and the advantage of being a super-large market, he noted.

The country’s huge market, advanced infrastructure, industrial systems and supply chains have all laid a solid foundation and provided opportunities for various companies to develop. 

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-10-17/China-welcomes-foreign-firms-to-share-the-dividends-of-its-development-1ectGQhMSl2/index.html

PR Newswire

Australian parcel theft rockets to an all-time high with the second largest rise than any other country globally

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  • First global report on parcel theft
  • Over a third of Australians affected by parcel theft or loss in lifetime
  • One in ten people globally are now reluctant to shop online because of fear of theft
  • Australia second highest on global list of increasing parcel problems
  • Sharpest rise and greatest rate of parcel theft and loss in Greater Adelaide

LONDON, Oct. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Doorstep parcel theft is sweeping Australia, according to the first global report on parcel theft. More than 3.6 million parcels were lost or stolen in a 12-month period, with nearly a third of residents having a parcel stolen or lost. This has cost Australian consumers a total of AU$224.3 million in missing goods.1

The results are part of the world’s first global parcel theft survey which found that close to one in ten people had at least one parcel lost or stolen from May 2021 to April 2022. This amounts to a staggering 1.009 billion packages2 globally, at a total cost of AU$57.04 billion.1

Worldwide, there was an all-time high of stolen or lost parcels with an estimated rise of 155 million2 compared to the previous 12 months, despite initiatives to tackle the surge post-covid. This is more than a 2% increase.

The Penn Elcom Global Parcel Theft Report was commissioned by Penn Elcom, a globally recognised British steel manufacturer and producer of the Penn Parcel Box, and sponsored exclusively by Scurri, the world’s leading courier management platform for eCommerce and shipping, and produced by YouGov. It revealed that Australia suffered the second greatest increase (+3%) after the UK (+5%), followed by Canada (+2%), the US and UAE (+1% respectively).

Australian regional hot spots include:

  • Sharpest rise in missing parcels: Greater Adelaide, up 15% to 28% – nearly a third of residents had a parcel stolen or lost in the last 12 months
  • Parcel problems hotspots – proportion of residents who had a parcel lost or stolen between May 2021 and April 2022:
    • Greater Sydney: 17%
    • Greater Brisbane: 15%
    • Greater Melbourne: 13%
  • Highest levels of anxiety around parcel theft: Greater Sydney (23%)

A staggering 36% of people surveyed in Australia have had a package lost or stolen in their lifetime, amounting to over 9.2 million parcels2 and expected to rise without preventive measures.

The psychological impact

Almost a quarter of Aussies (23%) feel anxious about parcel theft, with one in five (20%) also in fear of parcels being stolen. These concerns are highest in Greater Sydney, where a quarter of respondents are anxious about posted goods (25%) and a fifth (20%) proactively looking for parcel-theft prevention products.

In Greater Adelaide, only 15% of respondents have looked into preventatives, despite having the sharpest increase in the rate of missing parcels and the highest level of parcels stolen or lost.

Greater Sydney and Greater Melbourne topped the table for people reluctant about making new online orders due to theft (20% respectively).

More Australian women felt anxious about parcel loss or theft (55% women, to 45% men), but 58% of parcel security product searches were by men, compared to 42% women.

Penn Elcom’s chairman, Roger Willems, said: “A surge in online shopping accelerated by Covid, along with seasonal rushes, means couriers are under intense pressure. Professional thieves are known to follow delivery vans, stealing packages minutes after they are dropped off, while opportunistic thieves take advantage of parcels left on doorsteps.”

“We expect parcel piracy to continue to rise as global parcel deliveries increase3 if measures are not taken. We are doing our best to support delivery companies and save online shoppers the headache of missed deliveries – as well as the heartache of lost and stolen parcels,” added Roger.

According to Google Trends, global searches for ‘parcel theft’ have rocketed as shoppers continue to order online, especially for seasonal holidays. The study found that one in ten people worldwide are also now reluctant to shop due to fear of theft, impacting retailers.

Gavin Murphy, CMO of Scurri, said “When parcel delivery fails at the final hurdle, the customer experience fails expectations and customers may be discouraged from buying online again from that retailer. Real-time data is critical. Simply stating that a package has been dispatched or is on board a last mile delivery vehicle is totally inadequate.”

Penn Elcom is campaigning to restore confidence in online shopping and has a solution. The Penn Parcel Box, made from quality British steel and designed using Penn Elcom’s decades of steel engineering expertise, is a secure, stylish, weatherproof solution for parcel deliveries for homes and businesses.

The Penn Parcel Box was developed in response to enquiries from customers who had problems with parcels going missing.

YouGov, the leading British research group, surveyed 2,000 random consumers in the UK, US, the UAE, Canada and Australia in May 2022. 50% were male and 50% female, ranging in age from 18-55 and above.

Images are available at: https://bit.ly/3fOYly2

FOR MORE INFORMATION: including interviews and a copy of the Penn Elcom Global Parcel Theft Report:

Mark Foxwell, mark@sharpminds.agency, +44 (0) 7796 473020
Charlie Jones, charlie@sharpminds.agency, +44 (0) 7710 695794
Siobhan Stirling, siobhan@sharpminds.agency, +44 (0) 7990 543829

NOTES TO EDITORS

Penn Elcom is a UK manufacturing success story, with 50% of sales being overseas.  Established in 1974, the company is a world leader in flight case and speaker cabinet hardware as well as 19-inch racking solutions.

Scurri is a leading software provider that connects and optimises the eCommerce ordering, shipping and delivery process for online retailers. Scurri is an Irish company, which last year announced a €9 million investment to accelerate growth in the European markets. This brings the Wexford-based company’s total funding to €15.3 million to date. Scurri currently derives over 61% of its revenue from the UK, and will power over 100 million parcel deliveries this year by enabling merchants to present the most efficient delivery option via more than 700 carrier services. Scurri’s platform allows retailers to create accurate labels, track shipments from dispatch to delivery and provide analytics and it helps businesses ship their products anywhere in the world through its network of carrier integrations. Customers include eBay, Bulk Powders, Vision Direct, Gousto and many others.

NOTES AND SOURCES

1 Total price value has been estimated by average parcel cost, based on annual online retail spend versus annual volume of packages shipped
2 Survey results extrapolated to global and national populations
3 Pitney Bowes, 28.09.21: Global parcel volumes rose to 131 billion in 2020, a 27% year-on-year increase, and are predicted to double again by 2026 to 266 billion.  

Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/australian-parcel-theft-rockets-to-an-all-time-high-with-the-second-largest-rise-than-any-other-country-globally-301649468.html

PR Newswire

EVERISE NAMED TO NEWSWEEK’S LIST OF THE TOP 100 MOST LOVED WORKPLACES FOR 2022

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Everise is Among the Top 100 U.S. Companies Recognized for Employee Sentiment and Satisfaction for the Second Year in a Row

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Newsweek announced today their annual rankings for the Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® list. Everise made the list once again and was ranked #90.

The 2022 Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® are the result of a collaboration with the Best Practice Institute (BPI), a leadership development, and benchmark research company. The results were determined after surveying over 1.4 million employees from businesses with workforces varying in size from 50 to more than 10,000. The list recognizes companies that put respect, caring, and appreciation for their employees at the center of their business model and, in doing so, have earned the loyalty and respect of the people who work for them. 

“As a result of ‘The Great Resignation,’ more companies recognize the importance of focusing on employee satisfaction to not only attract but retain top talent,” said Nancy Cooper, Global Editor in Chief, Newsweek. “The businesses on this year’s list clearly demonstrated that commitment.”

According to Louis Carter, CEO, Best Practice Institute, the companies on this list represent the best at placing love at the center of their employee’s experience. “The number of applications this year and analysis of survey data reinforces our original findings that love is the strongest predictor of the strength of a company’s culture, employee engagement, and satisfaction”, said Carter.

Everise isn’t new to the Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® list, last year the company received their first distinction. “We’re honored to be part of the list once again. At Everise we believe that great companies revolve around great people. That’s our vision and we live by it. We take pride in putting our people first, celebrating diversity, and incubating innovation. These values have been the center of our HR strategies and inspire us to continue to create a great company culture”, said Sheena Ponnappan, Chief People Officer.

How positive workers feel about their future at the company, career achievement, how much employer values align with employee values, respect at all levels, and the level of collaboration at the firm were the five critical areas measured to gauge employee sentiment. In addition, areas such as inclusion, diversity, equity and belonging, and company response and adaptability to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as return-to-office rules, were identified and analyzed in relation to the five critical areas measured.

For the full Newsweek list of 2022’s Most Loved Workplaces, please visit https://tinyurl.com/newsweek100.

About Everise

Everise is a technology-enabled outsourcing firm with expertise in transforming healthcare and technology customer experiences globally. The Company’s unique approach combines customer and technical support services with AI, robotic process automation, analytics, and secure cloud-based technology. Some of the world’s most loved brands have products and services that are perfected, protected, supported, and sold by Everise.

Our innovative digital outsourcing services are high performing, scalable, secure, agile, and have fluent proficiency in 32 languages, which helps brands to create seamless customer, product, digital, and home experiences. We strategically operate in seven markets to enable our partners to economically reach their customers across the globe.

To learn more about Everise visit www.weareeverise.com.

Methodology

To identify the top 100 companies for the Newsweek ranking, companies were evaluated and scored as follows: 35 percent of the initial score was based on employee survey responses; 25 percent was derived from analysis of external public ratings from sites such as Comparably, Careerbliss, Glassdoor, Indeed and Google; and 40 percent came from direct interviews with and written responses from company officials. Newsweek then conducted additional research into every company on the list, as well as the top runners up, to determine the final list of 100 companies and their ranking. (The list includes both U.S. firms and companies with a strong U.S. presence that are based overseas.)

About Newsweek

Newsweek is the modern global digital news organization built around the iconic, over 85-year-old American magazine. Newsweek reaches 100 million people each month with its thought-provoking news, opinion, images, graphics, and video delivered across a dozen print and digital platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek also publishes international editions in EMEA and Asia.

About Best Practice Institute

Best Practice Institute is an award-winning leadership and organization development center, benchmark research company, think tank, and solutions provider. BPI is the certifying body for Most Loved Workplace® and conducted the original research to create the model and criteria for becoming a Most Loved Workplace®. BPI’s research proves that Most Loved Workplaces® produce 3-4 times better customer service, employee performance, and retention than companies not loved by their employees. 

For more information on how to apply to become a certified Most Loved Workplace in 2023, go to: http://www.mostlovedworkplace.com

Media Contact:

Coral Gotay
Senior Manager, Public Relations & Brand Strategy
coral.gotay@weareeverise.com

Charlene Poon
Director, Public Relations & Brand Strategy
Charlene.poon@weareeverise.com

PR Newswire

AC Ventures and Boston Consulting Group establish the first quantifiable ESG standards for Indonesia’s tech sector

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AC Ventures partnered with The Upright Project and used its proprietary platform to measure its portfolio’s impact on the environment and society. Overall, the firm and its portfolio delivered a result of +37% compared to the Nasdaq Small Cap Index’s +29%.

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Earlier today, Indonesia-focused, early-stage venture capital firm AC Ventures (ACV) announced that it published the country’s most in-depth, data-driven impact report to date on the local digital economy. In the report titled “Scaling Impact With Technology,” ACV analyzed its own operations, as well as those of its portfolio companies, to offer a numerical baseline for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting in the nation’s tech scene and digital economy.

In partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and with support from The Upright Project in Europe (Upright), ACV carried out a rigorous analysis to better understand the tangible effects it is having on the environment and society in the archipelago.

Upright is a tech company based in Helsinki, Finland. Its mission is to create incentives for companies to optimize their net impact. It produces data that helps institutional investors and companies make smarter decisions for the future, with ESG reporting in mind. Using Upright’s tech, ACV is the first venture capital firm in Southeast Asia to report on impact using quantifiable measures that meet European standards.

At the heart of the study is a metric known by industry practitioners as the ‘net impact ratio.’ This is a percentage score used to quantify how effectively a group of companies turns resources into positive impact. In the report, it measures how ACV and its portfolio performed in terms of ‘environment,’ ‘health,’ ‘society,’ and ‘knowledge.’

ACV’s overall net impact ratio delivered an above-average +37% with its strongest areas being ‘society’ and ‘health.’ To provide useful context, the Nasdaq Small Cap Index (NQUSS) features an average net impact ratio of +29%.

As a forward-thinking investment company, ACV is committed to diversity and inclusion. Within the firm, 50% of its senior leadership roles are occupied by women. Across the portfolio, this figure comes in at approximately 40%. In the report, ACV also unpacks the net impact of multiple portfolio companies and shares insights about their sectors and why they scored the way they did. 

“The purpose of this debut report is to give ACV, our portfolio companies, and the tech ecosystem in general a baseline for what to report and how to report in terms of ESG and impact,” explained Lauren Blasco, Principle and Head of ESG at ACV. “There is no more important time to do this than right now, as companies are increasingly being held to higher standards around the world. Running these net impact assessments today actually puts the startups we invest in on the best footing possible for the future when this kind of reporting inevitably becomes more of a mandate.”

“The key to creating long-term sustainable companies is through empowering founders to build companies which generate value not only for the economy but for society and the environment. By using net impact ratios, we are now able to measure value creation explicitly for society and the environment. This will be as important as financial metrics in evaluating the performance of new companies and our portfolio companies,” said Adrian Li, Founder and Managing Partner of AC Ventures.

At its core, ESG is a framework for addressing long-term risks that organizations may face in years to come. In the realm of finance and investment, it’s a fast-growing vertical, and global ESG assets are likely to exceed US$41 trillion in 2022 and US$50 trillion by 2025, notes Bloomberg Intelligence.

“Our commitment to finding and catalyzing effective solutions to pressing societal issues is at the heart of our company’s purpose. And we know we can make the greatest impact through collaboration. Through this report with AC Ventures, and with the support from The Upright Project, we hope to leverage our contribution in supporting Indonesia’s businesses on the road to achieving environmental, sustainability, and governance compliance,” said Neels Steyn, Venture Architect Director for BCG Digital Ventures.

He added, “As a market with one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia, societal issues are no longer the issues of tomorrow for Indonesia, but a current challenge that needs to be addressed. The report showcases how we will be able to see more contribution towards the nation’s sustainable and inclusive economic growth by supporting equal digital access and development in Indonesia.”

To read the report in full, please visit: https://acv.vc/impact-report-2022/ 

About AC Ventures (ACV)

ACV is a leading Southeast Asian venture capital firm investing in early-stage startups focused on Indonesia and ASEAN. The firm’s mission is to partner with and empower entrepreneurs with more than capital. ACV combines operational experience, industry knowledge, deep local networks, and resources to create value for startups. Its vision is to be a generational partner to founders driving positive societal change and economic impact in Indonesia and beyond. The firm is an official signatory of the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles, the Invest2Equal program under IFC – the private sector arm of the World Bank Group (8176888Z: US) – and the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investing.

ACV currently has over US$500 million in assets under management, invested across five funds. Since 2012, the firm’s partners have invested in more than 120 technology companies in the region, including some of the most iconic names in the ASEAN digital ecosystem. ACV’s Partners Adrian Li, Michael Soerijadji, Helen Wong, and Pandu Sjahrir lead a team of over 35 professionals with offices in Jakarta and Singapore.

About The Upright Project (Upright)

Upright is a technology company based in Helsinki, Finland. Its mission is to create incentives for companies to optimize their net impact. Upright produces data on the comprehensive net impact of companies, with the aim of looking both at the negative as well as the positive impacts at the same time and enabling smarter decision-making for institutional investors, consumers, and employees. In addition, Upright’s data offering covers the SFDR PAI indicators, EU taxonomy metrics, and UN SDG metrics for unlisted and listed companies. The Upright platform’s data universe is 14,000+ companies, and the clients include 200+ organizations in 15 countries (e.g. EQT, Trill Impact, Lightrock, LGT Capital Partners, Summa Equity, Nordea, etc).

About Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.

Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.

PR Newswire

Amazon Leads as Top Channel for Product Research, According to New Data from ChannelAdvisor

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Survey Shows that 75% of Australian Consumers Regularly Shop On Multiple Online Marketplaces

A survey of over 5,000 global consumers provides brands and retailers with actionable insights into when, where and how they shop online, ahead of the festive season

MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — ChannelAdvisor Corporation (NYSE: ECOM), a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions, today released the results of its 2022 E-Commerce Consumer Survey, which gauged the shopping behaviours of over 5,000 respondents in Australia, U.S. and Europe. The global survey found consumers in Australia trust a brand’s website and marketplaces for product research, with social media found to be the least trusted platform.

The results of the survey offer brands and retailers actionable insights into the current perspectives of online shoppers and found 50% of consumers in Australia trust a brand’s website or marketplaces (44%) for product research, compared to just 6% who trust social media.

Despite this lack of trust in social media, 29% of respondents said they discovered products through sites like Instagram and TikTok.

Survey participants shared their preferences for online marketplaces and retailer sites they visit to research and purchase products while weighing factors such as product selection and delivery methods.  The survey results also revealed how inflation and rising costs are affecting consumer purchasing decisions and their priorities when conducting online research before or during an in-store shopping experience.

“To stay competitive and agile in this changing environment, brands and retailers must first understand how, where and why consumers are shopping,” said Mike Shapaker, chief marketing officer at ChannelAdvisor. “These survey results provide valuable insights that will help empower sellers to gain strategies to help capture consumer attention as the festive season approaches.”

Key findings that emerged from this year’s survey data include:

  • The majority of Australian consumers are shopping on more than one marketplace
  • Retail Media ads are influencing consumer purchase decisions
  • The 2022 festive season will continue to involve heavy online research and purchasing activity

Australian trends indicate shopping journeys involve more activity across retail sites and marketplaces

  • 85% of global consumers use multiple digital touchpoints during their buying journey
  • 75% of consumers tend to use multiple marketplaces on a regular basis for browsing, shopping or buying
    • 20% of consumers regularly use three marketplaces on a regular basis for browsing, shopping or buying, and 16% use 4 or more
  • 50% of consumers have purchased an item from a foreign retail site or marketplace in the past 12 months
    • These purchases are more frequent among younger consumers (63% of 18- to 25-year-olds) than older consumers (32% of consumers aged 65+)
  • 54% of Australian consumers have used click and collect in the past 12 months

Marketplaces are the most common channels to discover new products

  • 88% of Australian consumers browse items on marketplaces or retail sites without the direct intention to purchase something
  • 43% of Australian consumers “discovered” products they’ve purchased in the past 12 months by browsing marketplaces

Retail media advertising is becoming essential to increase product awareness

  • 39% of Australian consumers have clicked on a sponsored or promoted ad that they saw on a marketplace or retail site in the past 12 months
    • This activity is higher among younger shoppers (55% of consumers aged 18-25 and 48% of consumers aged 26-35)
  • 28% of consumers have purchased an item on Amazon after seeing an ad for that product on Amazon

Google remains the top channel for product research in Australia

  • In the past 12 months, consumers have researched products on these sites*
    • Facebook: 41%
    • Instagram: 28%
    • Google: 85%
    • Amazon: 56%
    • eBay: 71%

Pricing is a major factor for Australian consumers before making a purchase:

  • 86% of consumers usually compare prices before making a purchase
  • 98% of consumers consider price a somewhat or very important factor in product selection
  • 65% of consumers indicated their reason for researching products online before or during shopping in-store “often” involves checking prices

The 2022 Australian festive season will continue to involve heavy online research and purchasing activity:

  • 84% of consumers plan to spend the same amount of time or more shopping for festive gifts online compared to last year
  • 26% of 18- to 25-year-old consumers plan to conduct festive shopping research on social media sites

Click here to view the entire report of survey results.

Survey Methodology

ChannelAdvisor commissioned leading research firm Dynata to survey 5,000 consumers in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Australia about their online shopping and research habits in 2022. Respondents, who ranged in ages from 18 to 65, were screened and sampled in partnership with Dynata. There were 1,000 respondents in the Australian segment.

To learn more about industry insights from this recent consumer survey, including holiday and category-specific results, view ChannelAdvisor’s on-demand webinar.

For more details about ChannelAdvisor, visit ChannelAdvisor’s blog, follow ChannelAdvisor on Twitter @ChannelAdvisor, like ChannelAdvisor on Facebook and connect with ChannelAdvisor on LinkedIn.

About ChannelAdvisor

ChannelAdvisor (NYSE: ECOM) is a leading multichannel commerce platform whose mission is to connect and optimise the world’s commerce. For over two decades, ChannelAdvisor has helped brands and retailers worldwide improve their online performance by expanding sales channels, connecting with consumers across the entire buying cycle, optimising their operations for peak performance, and providing actionable analytics to improve competitiveness. Thousands of customers depend on ChannelAdvisor to securely power their e-commerce operations on channels such as Amazon, eBay, Google, Facebook, Walmart, and hundreds more. For more information, visit www.channeladvisor.com.au/.

ChannelAdvisor Media Contact
Helen de Souza 
helen.desouza@channeladvisor.com  
+61 3 9034 3412

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PR Newswire

Jacqueline Shi: Huawei Cloud Stresses “By Local, For Local” to Drive Digital Transformation

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BANGKOK, Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — On September 19, HUAWEI CONNECT 2022 kicked off in Bangkok, Thailand. Jacqueline Shi, President of Huawei Cloud’s Global Marketing and Sales Service, stressed Huawei Cloud’s commitment to the goal of “By Local, For Local” in fostering a strong ecosystem for digitalization. Huawei Cloud believes that it is only when the local ecosystem grows, can digital transformation grow, and in a healthy and sustainable way.

Jacqueline Shi, President of Huawei Cloud's Global Marketing and Sales Service
Jacqueline Shi, President of Huawei Cloud’s Global Marketing and Sales Service

Huawei Cloud continues to provide leading digital technologies for users around the world, enabling enterprises and developers to better achieve digital development. To better provide local services, Huawei Cloud continues to build one global network to deliver high-quality cloud services with consistent experience. In the Asia Pacific since 2018, Huawei Cloud has operated local nodes in Singapore and Malaysia, and is the first public cloud provider to do so in Thailand. Huawei Cloud builds 3AZ data centers in Bangkok, Chonburi, and Samut Prakan, and provides website and consulting services in Thai.

In addition, Huawei Cloud and partners build a digital industry ecosystem by all and for all. Huawei Cloud works tirelessly to build a global startup ecosystem. Multiple forms of enablement, such as cost optimization, technical support, entrepreneurship training, and business resources will empower at least 10,000 high-potential startups worldwide in the next three years, helping startups move to the cloud agilely and focus on innovation.

In the Asia Pacific alone, more than 120 enterprises have joined the Huawei Cloud Startup Program. For example, Huawei Cloud helped ReverseAds expand its business in Thailand, Singapore, and South America. Through this program, ReverseAds has received financing of more than USD20 million. “We will further promote the startup program to the world. We hope that more and more enterprises like ReverseAds can innovate and achieve win-win,” said Ms. Shi.

At HUAWEI CONNECT 2022, Huawei Cloud also released the “Go Cloud, Go Global” ecosystem plan to share Huawei’s local compliance and human resources in more than 170 countries and regions. The plan also shares Huawei Cloud’s insights into industries and the hottest domains, as well as corresponding product and solutions for more enterprises to go global.

Ms. Shi released 15 innovative services at the conference, including CCE Turbo (Cloud Container Engine), UCS (Ubiquitous Cloud Native Service), Pangu wave model, DataArts LakeFormation, Virtual Live, CodeCheck and CloudTest, KooMessage, KooSearch, and KooGallery. This is the first time the services are announced for global implementation.

PR Newswire

Growing 5G and AI Boost the Global Demand for New Form Factors

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The adoption of new form factors for devices will surge rapidly with advancements in connectivity technology, says Frost & Sullivan

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — With electronics integrating into customers’ daily lives, companies need to invest in the innovation of form and software to move beyond traditionally shaped devices and capture market share. New form factors refer to the various sizes, shapes, and physical specifications of hardware components that are incorporated within an electronic device for functional and aesthetic enhancements.

New form factors
New form factors

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Growth Opportunities Driven by New Form Factors, finds that the adoption of new form factors for devices will surge rapidly with advancements in connectivity technology. Additionally, the advent of 5G and expanding artificial intelligence (AI) use cases will further inflate the global demand. This will lead to improved innovation across wearables, flexible devices, and implants.

For further information on this analysis, please click here.

“As the demand for new pliable form factors increases, companies cannot rely on traditionally shaped devices to capture market share,” said Akshay Menon, Senior Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “This encourages big electronic companies to work with newer materials to manufacture durable and flexible electronics.”

Menon added: “With consumers’ growing preference for small-sized electronic devices, miniaturization will lead to developmental objectives for manufacturers. Further, new form factor development will lead to increased human-machine interaction, making data security a strategic priority for organizations.”

To tap into the growth prospects of new form factors, market participants should:

  • Partner with application companies and social platforms to ensure their offerings are compatible with the device hardware, establishing an immersive customer experience.
  • Invest in research to develop durable materials, as current stretchable materials are thermoplastic, meaning heat softens them and makes them unable to withstand thermal exposure.
  • Associate with organizations in the technology-enabled space as new form of technology is dependent on internet connectivity and AI.

Growth Opportunities Driven by New Form Factors is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan’s TechVision research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For over six decades, Frost & Sullivan has helped build sustainable growth strategies for Fortune 1000 companies, governments, and investors. We apply actionable insights to navigate economic changes, identify disruptive technologies, and formulate new business models to create a stream of innovative growth opportunities that drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion

Growth Opportunities Driven by New Form Factors

PD1E

Media Contact:
Sol Curet
Corporate Communications
E: sol.curet@frost.com 
https://www.frost.com/ 

PR Newswire

Straive recognized as a Future-Ready Organization by The Economic Times

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CHENNAI, India, Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Straive, a well-recognized leader in delivering technology-driven solutions for Content, EdTech, and Data to leading global organizations, has been mentioned in one of India’s most prestigious listings – The Economic Times Future-Ready Organizations. Straive achieved this listing after rigorous evaluation and stood out based on its – clarity of purpose & future orientation, efforts towards the organization’s overall sustainable development, and measurable impact and sustainability of all initiatives – among other criteria.

The Economic Times defines Future-Ready Organizations as having three key characteristics – clarity in knowing who they are and what they stand for; fixation on speed and simplicity in operations; and growth by scaling up the ability to learn, innovate, and seek good ideas regardless of their origin.

Straive has defined a strategic roadmap to achieve specific goals for its clients, employees, community, and shareholders. As part of its digital transformation journey, Straive has emphasized standardization and adherence to regulatory compliance across the organization, which includes but is not limited to – financial processes, employee onboarding, HR operations, workforce management, integration of all internal platforms, efficient and effective service delivery, and comprehensive, actionable intelligence on the overall operations in the organization.

Straive has also established long-term objectives and a robust governance framework for scaled-up and sustainable ESG practices with targeted impacts such as reducing carbon emissions, reducing plastic usage, smart-classrooms program, and self-care programs.

On the feature, Ratan Datta, President, and CEO, Straive, said, “Straive is focused on creating a diverse and inclusive future-ready workforce by aligning its Human Capital Management initiatives with the company’s Culture and organizational Values. Our listing in The Economic Times Future-Ready Organizations is a testament to our commitment to developing flexible, resilient, and future-ready systems and processes.”

To know more about careers at Straive, Click Here.

About Straive (erstwhile SPi Global)

Straive is a market-leading content technology enterprise that provides data services, subject matter expertise (SME), and technology solutions to multiple domains, such as research content, e-Learning/EdTech, and data/information providers. With a client base scoping 30 countries worldwide, Straive’s multi-geographical resource pool is strategically located in eight countries: Philippines, India, USA, China, Nicaragua, Vietnam, United Kingdom, and the company headquarters in Singapore.

For media queries, contact: 
Anoop Tuli
Lead – Brand & PR
anoop.tuli@straive.com