The US electronic-cigarette industry has tripled sales due to the help of TV ads, NASCAR sponsorships, and products giveaways, which has led to a $1.5…
Author: savas
Due to the increase consumer spending during the holiday season, Wal-Mart Stores and Amazon.com are preparing for the expected online spending. In early October, Wal-Mart…
Last Tuesday, Drug maker Merck announced that it will lay off thousands of employees. Merck plans on cutting 8,500 jobs, which is in addition to the 7,500 job cuts that were previously announced. The company explains that these job cuts are a part of “a global initiative to sharpen its commercial and research and development (R&D) focus.” In addition to these job cuts, Merck also announced that it will move its global headquarters from Whitehouse Station, New Jersey to Kenilworth, New Jersey.
Over the past couple years, major technology companies have taken steps towards vertically integrating themselves in an attempt to imitate Apple’s success. In order to manufacture smartphones and television set-top boxes, Google acquired mobile device maker Motorola Mobility. Amazon created the Kindle Fire tablet to bridge hardware and e-commerce. Oracle bought Sun Microsystems in order to create integrated hardware and software devices. Also, Microsoft now makes hardware for its Xbox gaming system. These are recent examples of technology companies trying to emulate Apple.