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Tag: asia

  • Gasoline wholesalers required to sell reserves amid fuel shortage

    Gasoline wholesalers required to sell reserves amid fuel shortage

    The Ministry of Industry and Trade has requested state-run gasoline and oil wholesalers to sell their commercial reserves to mitigate fuel shortages in some localities.

    Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien on Wednesday asked PVN, Petrolimex, Mipec, Petimex and Thanh Le General Import-Export Trading Corporation to sell their reserves. Usually, wholesalers are supposed to ensure enough reserves to cover 20 days.

    As of Sept. 30, the state-owned wholesalers’ commercial reserves were over 1.25 million cubic meters of gasoline and oil, equivalent to 74% of Vietnam’s total consumption in one month.

    Relevant state agencies will consider punishing 14 gasoline and oil enterprises, mostly private wholesalers, which have not supplied fuel to distributors and retailers as planned, the minister said.

    Currently, two domestic oil refineries meet 70-80% of the country’s demand for gasoline and oil. However, half of the two refineries’ supplies depend on imported crude oil, he noted.

    “In reality, Vietnam still has to import around 70% of materials for gasoline and oil production and finished products. Local crude oil and finished fuel products account for only 30%,” said the minister.

    The Government on Wednesday asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, to ensure sufficient supplies of gasoline and oil for production and daily life in all circumstances.

    After retail prices of gasoline and oil increased on Nov. 1, partial fuel shortages have still occurred in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and some other cities and provinces nationwide. The HCMC Department of Industry and Trade said nearly 20% of local gasoline stations faced gasoline shortages.

    Many retailers said the commissions they receive from wholesalers remain very low, while supplies from wholesalers are still insufficient.

  • $1-bln Lego plant construction starts in Vietnam

    $1-bln Lego plant construction starts in Vietnam

    Construction of a $1-billion Lego plant began Thursday in the southern province of Binh Duong.

    Covering 44 hectares in Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park 3, the plant is scheduled to create some 4,000 jobs and launch its first products in 2024.

    This is the sixth plant of the Danish toy company worldwide, and its second in Asia. It is Lego’s first carbon-neutral plant in the world, using electricity from rooftop solar cell panels and a nearby solar farm.

    Lego CEO Niels Christiansen said the toy maker chose Vietnam for its big pool of skilled staff, commitment to carbon-neutrality by 2050, and location as gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, which boasts a growing market of young consumers.

    The Lego plant in Binh Duong is the biggest foreign-invested project in the province since the Covid outb Lego collector recreates Vietnam street scenes in miniature reak.

    Lego opened its first Asian plant in China during 2016. The Danish firm’s products are sold in over 130 markets.

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  • Canoo To Build Battery Manufacturing Facility In Oklahoma

    Canoo To Build Battery Manufacturing Facility In Oklahoma

    Electric vehicle startup Canoo Inc said on Wednesday it would build a battery manufacturing facility at Pryor in Oklahoma with a capacity of 3,200 Megawatt hours production.

    The company’s Pryor facility will make proprietary battery modules, energy management system and thermal control technology, CEO and Chairman Tony Aquila said.

    Canoo added it will be the first electric vehicle company to produce battery modules using hydro-power from the Grand River Dam Authority.

    The company’s new battery manufacturing facility will be in the same industrial park as its future “MegaMicro” factory, Canoo said.

    Canoo last year announced Panasonic Holdings Corp, which also supplies battery cells to Tesla Inc, will be its provider for manufacturing battery packs.

    The EV startup, which is set to report third-quarter results on Nov. 9, had access to about $250 million in capital at the end of the second quarter.

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  • Chinese luxury resale platform Plum bags $100 million in funding

    Chinese luxury resale platform Plum bags $100 million in funding

    Plum, a used luxury fashion e-commerce platform, announced on November 1 that it had completed a C round of financing worth $100 million. In this round, Zhuanzhuan, a Tencent-backed leading used goods trading marketplace in China, made the strategic investment. Xu Wei, founder and CEO of Plum, said that the funds will be mainly for upgrades in service, user experience, product R&D and database construction.

    Plum was established in 2017. The platform focuses on second-hand luxury goods trading, and its products cover all categories of fashion trends such as bags, shoes, clothing, jewelry and watches. According to statistics published by Aurora Mobile, in the fourth quarter of 2021, the number of monthly active users of Plum exceeded that of Secoo, a famous luxury e-commerce platform in China, ranking first among the luxury e-commerce platforms. In addition, Plum’s business has achieved rapid growth this year, and its business income has doubled since 2022 compared with the same period of last year.

    Apart from Xu Wei, Plum was jointly founded by Pang Bo. CEO Xu Wei is the co-founder of Blink and served as the investment director at Sinovation Ventures. She is said to be a serial entrepreneur. Pang Bo is currently the CTO of Plum, who is a former senior engineer of Baidu, and has more than 10 years of technical management experience.

    In recent years, Plum is investing in improving its standardized service capabilities, focusing on building key modules in the performance operating system such as commodity identification, commodity information and price database. It aims to build the largest second-hand fashion transaction database in China.

    The cooperation between Plum and Zhuanzhuan, two second-hand trading platforms, is not only reflected in the capital level. Before this financing, Plum’s products had been available through Zhuanzhuan and other “exclusive” channels such as bags, accessories, designer shoes, watches and clothing. Plum’s products complement the other’s core 3C (Computer, Communication and Consumer Electronics) category. In addition, Plum will also do commodity recycling in Zhuanzhuan’s channel.

    The rational and low-carbon consumption concept is gaining traction and second-hand trading such as used cars, 3C items and books continue to prosper. According to an industry research report by Frost & Sullivan, the transaction scale of second-hand idle goods in China has increased from about 300 billion yuan ($41.2 billion) in 2015 to over one trillion yuan in 2020, and it is estimated that this figure will reach nearly 3 trillion yuan by 2025.

  • 8 Useful Tips for Improving the Learning Process in Healthcare

    8 Useful Tips for Improving the Learning Process in Healthcare

    Healthcare is an ever-growing industry, and the need for skilled professionals continues to grow. With the advent of new technologies and changes within the healthcare system, organizations must invest in developing their employees.

    This article provides ten valuable tips for developing the skills your healthcare organization needs. These tips will help you equip your team with the skills they need to meet future challenges.

    1. Understand the skills your healthcare organization needs

    The first step in developing your healthcare organization’s skills is to define those needs. Consider your organization’s challenges and the skills required to meet those challenges.  

    Consider consulting with experts or conducting research to identify the skills your organization will need in the future.

    2. Evaluate the skills of your current employees

    Once you have identified the skills your healthcare organization will need, you should assess the skills of your current employees. This will help you understand the gaps in your workforce and your employees’ training and development needs.

    For example, if your organization is implementing a new electronic health record system, you will need employees with the skills to use the system. You will also need employees who can train others to use the system.

    3. Develop a plan to address skills gaps

    After you have identified the skills your healthcare organization needs and assessed the skills of your current employees, you should develop a plan to address any skills gaps.

    There are a variety of ways to address skills gaps, such as:

    – Training and development programs

    – Job shadowing and mentorship programs

    – Cross-training employees

    4. Implement a training and development program

    One of the most effective ways to address skills gaps is by implementing a training and development program. Training and development programs can help employees learn and improve their existing skills.

    When developing a training and development program, you should consider the needs of your employees and the resources available to you. For example, you may want to consider online training programs or classroom-based training programs.

    5. Create a mentorship program

    Mentorship programs can be an effective way to develop the skills of your healthcare organization. In a mentorship program, employees are paired with more experienced employees. The mentee shadows their mentor and learns from their experience.

    Suppose you want to mentor a group of employees on how to use the electronic health record system. You can pair each employee with a more experienced employee who can show them how to use the system.

    6. Use LMS to improve employee development

    Many healthcare organizations use LMS to track employee development and manage training programs. You can easily create a training program and manage the training process using an LMS like Cornerstone LMS.

    You can identify gaps in their knowledge by tracking employees’ skills and progress. You can provide additional training or mentorship to help them address these gaps. Also, by using an LMS to manage employee development, you can improve the overall efficiency of your training program.

    7. Foster a learning environment

    To develop the skills of your healthcare organization, you must create a learning environment. In a learning environment, employees feel comfortable asking questions and seeking help.

    There are a variety of ways to foster a learning environment, such as:

    – Encouraging employees to ask questions

    – Providing opportunities for employees to share their knowledge

    – Encouraging employees to learn from their mistakes

    8. Evaluate your progress

    As you implement your plan to develop the skills of your healthcare organization, you should periodically evaluate your progress. This will help you identify any problems with your plan and make necessary adjustments.

    It would help if you considered conducting surveys or focus groups with employees to gather feedback on your training and development programs. You can also review data on employee development, such as the number of employees who have completed training programs.

    Conclusion

    Employees need to be able to develop their skills to keep up with the changing demands of the healthcare industry. 

    You can help employees stay on top of their game by using resources such as training and mentorship programs. 

    Also, the above tips may help you find new ways to improve your organization’s overall employee development process.

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  • Bangkok’s Amarin Plaza to be rejuvenated as Gaysorn Amarin

    Bangkok’s Amarin Plaza to be rejuvenated as Gaysorn Amarin

    Gaysorn Property is revamping the Amarin Plaza shopping centre in the heart of Bangkok with the property due to reopen in the fourth quarter of next year as Gaysorn Amarin.

    The complex will be reopened under the concept “Old-New Spirit” – featuring a blend of modern design and Roman post-modern architecture. The design is in partnership between Gaysorn Village and Hong Kong-based design studio CL3.

    There will be four components in the shopping mall: fashion style, food style, life & wellness style and work style.

    “The redevelopment will enable Gaysorn Village to become more than a leading lifestyle destination in the heart of Bangkok,” said Charn Srivikorn, chairman of Gaysorn Property.

    “We are seeking to bring the best of placemaking to transform our three buildings, which are Gaysorn Tower, Gaysorn Center and Gaysorn Amarin, into a venue that provides everyone with the opportunity to immerse themselves in a truly inspirational creative environment with unique designs and services.”

    The facade will be created with an architectural concept dubbed “Gaysorn Cocoon,” as well as green spaces and the Hanging Garden, which will function as a meeting and socialising space. There will also be a multifunctional area called The Piazza and an event venue The Forum.

    Gaysorn Property says the relaunch of Gaysorn Amarin late next year will bring tourism and economic vibrancy to the Ratchaprasong district, transforming it into Bangkok’s “Capital of Lifestyle District” with necessary and diverse facilities. One of the city’s largest malls, CentralWorld, is located diagonally opposite the new development.

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  • Tesla closes its first showroom in China in retail strategy shift

    Tesla closes its first showroom in China in retail strategy shift

    Electric vehicle giant Tesla has closed what had been its flagship showroom in China as the company adjusts its sales and service strategy in its second-largest market, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

    Tesla shut the showroom in Beijing’s Parkview Green, an upscale downtown shopping centre late last week, according to the people, who spoke on condition they not be named because they were not authorised to discuss the closure.

    A member of the mall’s staff confirmed to Reuters during a visit to the site on Wednesday that Tesla had shut the showroom, whose windows are now plastered with posters belonging to the next tenant, a streetwear brand.

    “Their contract with us expired and Tesla decided not to extend it,” the mall staff member said.

    A call to the store earlier in the day was redirected to another Tesla showroom nearby. Tesla did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

    The Beijing store, opened in 2013, was Tesla’s first in China. It was renovated in 2018 and expanded to occupy two floors of the mall.

    Tesla owns and runs over 200 outlets across the country that display models and arrange test drives for potential buyers.

    Reuters reported in September that Tesla was considering closing some showrooms in flashy malls in cities like Beijing after traffic plunged during Covid restrictions.

    It also plans to put more emphasis on stores in less-costly suburban locations that can also provide repairs as the company works to meet Chief Executive Elon Musk’s goal of improving service for customers.

    As part of that effort, Tesla has been hiring technicians and other staff for service jobs in China. The company’s China recruitment website showed 305 openings for service jobs as of Wednesday, little changed from September.

    More than half of Tesla’s China stores do not offer repair or maintenance services and are in high-rent locations where space is limited. That included the now-closed Parkview Green Tesla store.

    Tesla owns all of its own stores rather than relying on dealers. It also sells its cars online. That has allowed it more leeway to adjust a retail strategy that had been initially modeled on Apple’s glossy stores in high-rent locations.

    Tesla has cut starter prices for its Model 3 and Model Y cars by as much as 9 per cent in China, reversing a trend of price increases across the industry amid signs of softening demand in the world’s largest auto market.

    Tesla sold 318,151 vehicles in China in the first nine months of 2022, up 55 per cent from a year earlier, according the China Passenger Car Association. By comparison, overall sales of electric vehicles and hybrids increased 113.2 per cent.

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  • Starbucks enters Laos with Maxim’s Caterers

    Starbucks enters Laos with Maxim’s Caterers

    US coffee chain Starbucks has expanded its footprint into Laos under the partnership with its licensee Coffee Concepts, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Maxim’s Caterers.

    The Laos launch marks Starbucks’ 84th market globally, “reaffirming the company’s long-term commitment to continued growth across Southeast Asia” the company said in a statement.

    Coffee Concepts already operates more than 900 stores across Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand.

    The store’s interior design was inspired by the layers and symmetry of traditional Laotian architecture. The ceiling features “Siren-scale” wood tiles, mimicking the brand’s signature Siren emblem and the historical housing architecture in Laos. Ceiling tiles feature botanical wood, inspired by the country’s coffee plants and natural scenery. A hand-painted artwork of Siren created by a local artist is displayed on the store’s most prominent wall.

    “We are committed to delivering the best experience to our new partners and customers in the market,” said Michael Wu, chairman and MD of Hong Kong Maxim’s Group.

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  • Amorepacific sees sharp plunge in sales

    Amorepacific sees sharp plunge in sales

    South Korean beauty conglomerate Amorepacific has recorded a 15.6 percent year-on-year drop in sales for its third quarter of this year, with operating profit plummeting 62.6 percent to US$13.2 million.

    In its home market, revenue was down 18.6 percent with operating profit dropping 49.8 percent. Despite a 10 percent increase in online sales, the domestic performance failed to improve as revenue in the travel retail channel declined by a double-digit rate.

    Meanwhile, sales in China, which usually accounts for about 50 percent of the company’s Asian sales, declined by 40 percent due to “offline channel restructuring of major brands and the slowdown in cosmetics consumption”. The overseas business’s loss of $6.5 million was attributed to the contraction in China sales, resulting from the country’s zero Covid policy of rolling lockdowns and movement restrictions.

    In contrast to China, sales in other international markets saw improvement. Elsewhere in Asia, revenue jumped by around 20 percent due to the reopening of Southeast Asian borders. The group saw sales in North America and Europe surge by 97 percent and 60 percent respectively due to steady growth of its major brands.

    Amorepacific has been diversifying its international business, which previously heavily relied on China, rapidly expanding its portfolio in North America during the past year. In September, the group acquired the American beauty brand Tata Harper as a stepping stone for its regional expansion plan.

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  • Volvo Global Sales Up By 6.9% In October 2022

    Volvo Global Sales Up By 6.9% In October 2022

    Volvo Cars reported sales of 54,317 cars in October, up 6.9 percent compared with the same month last year. The company’s line-up of Recharge models represented 36.8 percent of the sales last month, with fully electric cars accounting for 15 percent of total sales. During the January-to-October period, Volvo Cars’ retail sales reached 483,304 cars, down 16.9 percent compared to the same period last year.

    European sales for October reached 22,030 cars, down 0.4 percent compared to the same month last year. Sales of Recharge cars accounted for 64.9 percent of the total sales in the region during the month.

    Volvo Cars’ US sales for the month reached 9,478, up 8.9 percent compared with October last year, with Recharge models making up 26.7 percent of the total sales. China sales increased by 36.7 percent in October to 15,048 cars compared with the same month last year, with Recharge models amounting to 6.1 percent of total sales.

    Volvo Cars’ top-selling model for the month was the XC60 with sales of 17,531 cars (2021: 15,399 units), followed by the XC40 at 14,883 cars (2021: 13,987) and the XC90 at 7,651 cars (2021: 8,639 units).

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  • It’s now easier to update your apps in the Google Play Store

    It’s now easier to update your apps in the Google Play Store

    The guys over at Mountain View are tinkerers by nature. How else can you explain why there are so many small changes made to the Android UI or the UI on Android apps? These changes are usually made to improve the user experience. And Google has done it again, this time making a small but subtle change to the Google Play Store via a server-side update.
    Such updates are done without the user being involved and typically, a user might spot something different and say to himsel,f “this button didn’t look like this the other day, did it? Or am I seeing things?” The latest such change took place, as we said, in the Google Play Store where the “Update” and the “Update all” buttons have been made larger. The pill-shaped buttons are “plumper” which makes it easier to press when there is a long list of apps to update and there is one specific one you want to have updated first.
    The bigger “Update” and “Update all” buttons can be found on this writer’s Pixel 6 Pro running Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3. If you are still dealing with the “skinnier” buttons, there isn’t much you can do except wait for Google to tap the button that sets off the server-side update for your Android phone.
    To update the apps on your Android phone open the Google Play Store. Tap the round button with your initials or photo on the right side of the search field at the top of the screen. Press on Manage apps & device and you’ll be taken to a page that shows the number of app updates you have ready. Tap on details and you’ll see all of the updates that are ready in a queue. You can tap on each app’s individual (and hopefully plumper) “Update” button or press on the “Update all” button to take care of business with a single press.
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  • Uber starts to annoy some users by sending them ads as push notifications

    Uber starts to annoy some users by sending them ads as push notifications

    Everyone hates ads, but they are the price we pay for all the free apps out there. However, it’s one thing to watch them when you are using a free app, and it’s a whole other story to be bombarded with ads through push notifications even when you are not actually using your phone.

    Recently, Uber launched a new advertising division and is now displaying banners in its app. However, it appears that the company is also currently testing a way to advertise various things through push notifications, which is something it didn’t even mention when it announced its decision to put ads in its app.

    In recent days, many users shared on Twitter that the Uber app has started sending them push notifications for ads of other companies. This would be somewhat ok if users were using the app at this time; however, it appears that Uber was sending them these notifications when they weren’t.

    Thankfully, Uber said that these push notifications were part of a limited test, and users can always set their notification preferences in the app’s settings. However, the company needs to specify how many people have been included in the test, how long it will last, and whether it would decide to make push notification ads a permanent experience.

    At the moment, Uber is using the so-called “journey ads,” which advertise one single brand throughout a user’s travel. Usually, users see an ad while waiting for their ordered car to arrive, while traveling, and when they reach the designated destination. Advertisers personalize ads to users based on their travel history. Currently, there is no information on whether Uber used the same data to choose what ads to display as push notifications.

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  • Google is ending support for its dedicated Street View app next year

    Google is ending support for its dedicated Street View app next year

    It appears that another app will soon see its demise. One of Google’s plans for the next year is to shut down its dedicated Street View application.

    The app does exactly what its name suggests: it lets you browse the world’s streets in 360-degree photos directly from your smartphone. However, if this sounds familiar, it’s because the more popular Google Maps app also lets you do that by just tapping on the image of the place you want to see.

    The dedicated Street View app is mostly used by people who want to contribute their own 360-degree shots, but since Google now offers a “Street View Studio” web app, the Street View app just becomes redundant. So, it’s no surprise that Google has decided to end it.

    The news of the Google Street View app’s demise first came from 9to5Google. The folks there found out that in version 2.0.0.484371618 of the app, the tech giant has composed a few — still hidden from the public — shutdown notices, which say that the application will be shut down on March 21st, 2023.

    A little after 9to5Google’s report, a spokesperson, Madison Gouveia, confirmed that Google is indeed planning to shut down the Street View app in March 2023. However, we must note that the Street View service will continue to function, so you will still be able to explore the streets of your favorite cities, but only through the Google Maps app.

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  • Most blue chips close in red

    Most blue chips close in red

    Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index dropped 1.02% to 1023.19 points Wednesday, with two-thirds of blue chips falling.

    The index closed 10.56 points lower after gaining 5.81 points on Tuesday. Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) fell by 6% to VND10.10 trillion ($406.29 million). The VN-30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 22 tickers dropped.

    MSN of conglomerate Masan Group plunged 6.4%, followed by MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World with a 4.2% decline.

    ACB of Asia Commercial Bank dropped 2.9%, and SSI of leading brokerage SSI Securities Corporation fell 2.7%. Other decliners included VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk, GVR of Vietnam Rubber Group and FPT of IT giant FPT Corporation.

    Five blue chips gained, including VIB of Vietnam International Commercial Bank, up 2.7%, and HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group, up 2.3%.

    Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND251.20 billion, mainly selling HPG and KBC of industrial real estate developer Kinh Bac City.

    The HNX-Index at the Hanoi Stock Exchange, where mid and small caps list, was down 0.33% while the UPCoM-Index at the Unlisted Public Companies Market was down by 0.63%.

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  • E-commerce platforms free from filing tax on vendor behalf

    E-commerce platforms free from filing tax on vendor behalf

    E-commerce platforms like Shopee, Tiki or Lazada will not have to file tax on vendors’ behalf and instead only provide authorities with their revenue and other details.

    Every quarter the platforms will need to submit vendor details including name, tax ID, personal ID, address, phone number and revenue, according to a new decree.

    This means a previous proposal by tax authorities to make these platforms pay tax on behalf of their vendors was not approved, with vendors instead responsible for their own tax payments.

    Insiders since last year have voiced concern over the proposal, saying that taxing vendors’ behalf will increase costs, and that they do not have enough resources to fulfill this task.

    Around 100 e-commerce platforms are operating in Vietnam with hundreds of thousands of vendors. In 2020, Shopee had 210,000 vendors and Tiki 8,800, according to tax authorities.

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