Heineken agrees on Asia Pacific Breweries deal

SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) - Heineken will boost its Asian growth with control of the group which brews Tiger beer after Singapore's Fraser and Neave (F&N) agreed to sell its stake in the firm for S$5.1 billion ($4.1 billion).

The purchase gives Heineken 82 percent of the prized Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) and it will now launch an offer for the rest of the company, while F&N , a drinks and property group, could be broken up eventually.

Amsterdam-based Heineken already owned 42 percent of APB, which runs 24 Asian breweries, and buying F&N's 40 percent stake will help it to defend its turf in Asia which is under threat from Thailand's second-richest man.

Heineken began brewing Tiger with F&N in the 1930s but that partnership hit the rocks after Thai Beverage and others linked to Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi bought stakes in F&N and APB for $3 billion last month.

The investment by Charoen, who is seeking to expand his own Chang beer business in Asia, pushed Heineken into an offer for APB as it saw its position in Asia coming under threat. Japanese brewer Kirin is also a big F&N shareholder.

F&N's board, whose chairman Lee Hsien Yang is the younger son of Singapore's elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew, will recommend the S$50 an APB share cash deal to its shareholders, Heineken said in a statement on Friday.

This was at the same level of Heineken's original bid two week ago which surprised analysts who had expected that a higher bid would be needed to win control. The Dutch company will now mop up minority shareholders at a similar price to make the total purchase worth about $6 billion.

Control of APB is vital for Heineken, the world's third largest brewer, as this will raise the proportion of its total profits from the fast-growing Asian market to 15 percent from 6 percent, while boosting the growth rate of the whole group.

By winning APB, Heineken gets ownership of Tiger, Bintang, Anchor and other brands of beer plus two dozen breweries in 14 countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. However, the biggest brand APB brews is Heineken itself, which accounts for 30 percent of its volumes.

NEW HIGH

Heineken shares jumped to a record high earlier after Reuters reported the deal, and when official confirmation came through later they hit a fresh high of 46.30 euros. They closed up 3.4 percent at 45.98 euros.

"Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but strategically a 'must do' deal which secures Heineken's future in Asia," said analyst Dirk Van Vlaanderen at brokers Jefferies.

He calculated the deal at a multiple of 17.4 times EBITDA core profits, above the 15.4 times paid by Anheuser Busch InBev for Mexico's Modelo in June, but being pushed out of APB would have left Heineken with no long term strategy in Asia.

"We thought the deal price would most likely go above the initial S$50 offer given the interest in F&N by both Kirin and Thai Bev so to get the F&N board to agree on S$50 should be well received by the market," he added.

APB is seen as a very attractive business with near 20 percent annual earnings growth over the last decade, with leading positions in key markets such as Vietnam which helps offset sluggish sales in Europe which account for half its sales.

The Dutch group had given F&N a Friday deadline to agree a sale after a two-week offer period, and both F&N and ABP shares were suspended on Thursday and Friday as a deal appeared close.

The Heineken deal could prompt a breakup of F&N with Coca-Cola keeping an eye on its popular soft-drink 100PLUS, fruit juices, mineral water and dairy products unit which could be hived off from the Singapore group's property assets.

That could pit Coca-Cola against two sizeable Asian brewers, Thai Beverage and Kirin, which have their own interests to protect as F&N two biggest shareholders with stakes of 24.1 percent and 15 percent respectively.

Earlier, Kirin President Senji Miyake said his group was focused on F&N's soft drinks and was not thinking about doing anything with APB.

"We are carefully considering what action is best, so we don't have to alter our (southeast Asia) strategic growth plans," he said at a briefing for half year earnings.

F&N shares have jumped 31.5 percent this year to close at S$8.15 on Wednesday but have come off a record S$8.49. APB shares, which last traded at S$49.50, have surged 71.9 percent since the start of the year, and the offer price of S$50 was at a 45 percent premium to month ago levels.

(Writing by John O'Callaghan in SINGAPORE; Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar in SINGAPORE, Denny Thomas in HONG KONG, James Topham in TOKYO and Martinne Geller in NEW YORK; Editing by Ryan Woo, David Stamp and Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heineken-agrees-asia-pacific-breweries-deal-131413535--sector.html

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How to save energy with home improvements | MNN - Mother ...

Looking to knock a few precious bucks off your monthly energy bill? While achieving optimum energy savings at home may seem like a daunting ? and not to mention costly ? process, embarking on a household energy-efficiency campaign will be beneficial in the long run. Improving energy-efficiency in your home doesn?t necessarily have to be a bank-busting endeavor involving major infrastructure overhauls. Below, you?ll find a few easy ways to save energy at home.

?

Gone with the old, in with new ? and more efficient: While we certainly don?t recommend replacing an older yet perfectly healthy home appliance before the end of its functional life, when it does bite the dust, it?s worth looking into replacing it with a model boasting Energy Star certification. The annual energy bill of the typical single-family home falls in the $2,200 range with a whopping 13 percent of that figure being consumed by appliances (not including electronics or small appliances such as microwaves and coffee makers). Energy Star-qualified appliances help to boost energy (and financial) savings while reducing your household environmental footprint. For example, swapping out a pre-1994 washing machine with an Energy Star-rated model can save a family $110 in annual energy costs. according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. And before you buy, be sure to look into tax credits and rebates for energy-efficient appliances that may be available in your area.

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Breaking out the caulk: Heating gobbles up a staggering 29 percent of annual household energy costs. Replacing or adding extra insulation and swapping out leaky doors and windows is the most effective way to seal up your home to keep warm air in and cold air out and, in turn, reap the cost-savings benefits of improved energy efficiency. Although tax credits and rebates are available for more extensive/expensive energy-saving weatherization projects, there are numerous low-cost, DIYer-friendly methods of zipping up your home for increased energy savings, including installing attic stair covers and foam outlet gaskets, breaking out the caulk gun, shrink-wrapping windows, or gussying up your water heater with a blanket. Installing a programmable thermostat is also key. Of course, the first step in pinpointing areas of household energy loss is conducting an energy audit either by hiring a trusted firm or by going the do-it-yourself route. And trust us, hiring professionals to do the deed isn?t nearly as intimidating or expensive as you may think.

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Chilly savings: Along with household heating, cooling is responsible for a large chunk ? about 17 percent ? of annual household energy costs. The focus here, of course, is often on air conditioning. For optimum energy savings, an air conditioner should be in good working condition with clean filters and should be set between 75 to 78 degrees F. In fact, for every degree above 72 that you raise your thermostat, you can save 3 to 5 percent in energy costs. In addition to air conditioning, standard weatherization techniques employed to boost efficiency during the winter months such as sealing leaks and replacing windows with high-performance models can dramatically improve energy savings during the dog days of summer. Installing a fan, whether it?s of the portable, whole house or ceiling variety, is also key as it helps your air conditioner work more efficiently (ideally, a few strategically placed fans can eliminate air conditioning altogether). Additionally, avoiding the use of heat-generating appliances and electronics such as clothes dryers (time to give line-drying a try, folks!) and swapping out incandescent bulbs with LEDs or CFLs can make a world of difference, too.

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Source: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/stories/how-to-save-energy-with-home-improvements

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Motorola Droid RAZR HD makes another cameo, shows its global creds

Welcome to yet another episode in the Droid RAZR HD's ongoing leak to market. The global variant of Motorola's flagship handset -- which is expected to supersede the Atrix HD and inevitably land on Verizon real-soon-now -- just made an appearance on xda-developers. What's new? It appears this phone is being tested on Vodafone and supposedly features an eight-megapixel camera (down from the rumored 13 MP). As a refresher, the Droid RAZR HD is slated to run Ice Cream Sandwich on a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and boast a 720p HD display (likely 4.5-inches across). There's still no official word from Motorola, but we'll keep you posted as we find out more. In the meantime, take a look at the gallery below.

Gallery: Droid RAZR HD global

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Droid RAZR HD makes another cameo, shows its global creds originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/PoY27DLfcpg/

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Utilizing Cellular Marketing and advertising Such As A Professional ...

Are you finding it difficult to create a mobile marketing campaign that features every one of the significant techniques? Read on to discover approaches to use cell phone solutions to the advertising edge.

Make certain that the mobile phone marketing plan that you just use is compatible with different kinds of platforms. You have to have all different varieties of devices from hit-or-miss phones under consideration when developing your method. You will need to create your mobile phone strategy suitable for those mobile devices.

Be truthful with your buyers in regards to the service. No one wants to be spammed. Permit them to opt in or away from your support. Since SMS and cellular phones are strapped closely together, excessive use or misuse of your services could make your customers quite annoyed. It might truly feel quite intrusive. This is the reason it can be so essential to only objective your Text message marketing campaign to consumers who may have decided to receive communications. You should also stick to a small variety of messages a month. This can help you be viewed as a trustworthy firm.

Highlight the access to promotions and the prospective financial savings when you find yourself soliciting subscriptions to the mobile phone marketing campaign. Promote your cell phone campaign in your traditional advertising approaches for example your social networks and your site. By offering your campaign in a valuable method, your potential customers are more likely to sign up. Promote prospective customers for the concept that your cell phone strategy will privately help them, as they can keep kept up to date relating to your special deals.

If you want to incorporate Text messages messaging included in your mobile phone advertising campaign, you must definitely state how often emails will be sent when clients opt-in, and possess a simple way to opt-out. Sms messages could become annoying because of notifications. Buyers could truly feel furious about the volume of texts these are acquiring. Build your clients informed that they can opt-in to be given your Text messages and be in charge of the maximum variety of messages you may transmit monthly. Should you be sincere, buyers will believe you and your manufacturer.

Pick the best target audience for the marketing and advertising efforts, and ensure that your content material is useful directly to them. In case you send out messages to strangers, you must make it worth their time. A discount coupon to get a price reduction at the stylish bistro may well interest affluent business people electronic products buyers might reply easier to a sneak peek at a company-new gadget. If the target market involves middle-school family members, you must give communications that are loved ones warm and friendly.

Equipped with this knowledge, you?ll be on your way to mobile phone advertising achievement. There is a world of information out there that you need to synthesize. Considering this, it is possible to polish your personal prepare and targets, and aid promote your business.

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Source: http://blog.1stfind.com/?p=335999&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=utilizing-cellular-marketing-and-advertising-such-as-a-professional-2

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How the video games industry is faring

Video game console makers Microsoft and Nintendo have reported earnings for the most recent quarter. This week, companies that make games started issuing their quarterly reports.

Here's a look at reports and results for selected companies that make or sell video games.

? July 12: NPD Group reports that U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell 29 percent in June to $700 million. It's the seventh consecutive month of decline. Sales of console and portable software ? the video games themselves ? fell 29 percent from a year earlier, while sales of hardware fell 45 percent. Sales of accessories grew 4 percent. Excluded are sales of used games and rentals as well as digital and social-network spending.

? July 19: Microsoft Corp. says it sold 1.1 million Xbox 360 consoles, down from 1.7 million a year earlier, in what it calls a soft console market. Membership in its Xbox Live service increased more than 15 percent.

? July 25: Nintendo Co. says it sold 710,000 Wii units in the April-June quarter, down from 1.56 million a year ago. Nintendo is coming out with a successor, the Wii U, this year. It is forecasting 10.5 million units for the full fiscal year, which ends in March 2013.

? Tuesday: Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. reports a wider net loss and lower revenue in its latest quarter, but results are largely in line with expectations. It also announces a stock buyback of up to $500 million.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., another game publisher, says its loss in the latest quarter was much bigger than expected, because sales of "Spec Ops: The Line" and "Max Payne 3" were not as high as the company hoped.

Coming up:

? Thursday: Sony Corp., Activision Blizzard Inc.

? Aug. 6: THQ Inc.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/video-games-industry-faring-225521741.html

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Business Owners! 5 Key Tips For Putting Effective Systems Into ...

Say the word ?change? to some business owners and one of two things happens: they cringe, because change is not something they gravitate toward or even like, or they view it as a kind of freedom. Something new. Something different. Something adventuresome.

In management, a need for change may be met with resistance. Sometimes doing the same thing over and over, even if things don?t get better, feels safer than making necessary changes.

For many business owners, change is frightening because they don?t know what, exactly, the change will entail. Added to that is the fact that their employees will undoubtedly be resistant to change. ?This may be because they are simply used to doing things a certain way, and doing things differently feels threatening,? says Steve Stegmeir, himself a business owner and coach.

Stegmeir and other business owners agree that Joe Kotter?s 8 Steps to Change Management is a starting place for implementing change. Kotter, a professor at Harvard, wrote the popular book, ?Leading Change?.

The 8 Steps include:

1)?Create an urgency. Managers need to help the team see that change is not only necessary, but needed immediately.

2)?Create an alliance. Make sure you have support and a team with the skill sets to drive change.

3)?Create a new vision. This is extremely important and helps ensure that the team is all on the same page with the same mission.

4)?Communicate the new goals. Make sure your team truly understands the new mission and goals by having them restate them.

5)?Encourage Action. Empowering your team to be successful will lead to your company?s success as well.

6)?Make winning noticed and possible. Set up goals that are reachable and make sure everyone hears of achievements reached.

7)?Build on the ?wins? to help drive change.

8)?Create the new culture. New behavior and results needed to be embedded into the new culture of the company.

TIP: To implement change successfully, business owners must know how to systemize processes for minimizing resistance and maximizing efficiency.

While systems, in business, are the most misunderstood areas, once understood and implemented they can make your life, as a business owner, and your team?s performance that much better.

TIP: Properly outlaid systems transform businesses and start with a single step: the willingness to change.

Entrepreneur Brad Sugars identifies four key areas of business that, from a corporate standpoint, are key areas to have systems in place. These key areas are:

1)?People and Education

2)?Delivery and Distribution

3)?Testing and Measuring

4)?System and Technology

Look at your own business. Do you have training in place for new hires? These might include technical training, supervisory skills training, conflict-resolution training, and sales skills training . . . etc.

Do you team members feel included, involved and valued?

Now look?at delivery and distribution in your business; do you have computer systems in place to handle processes you may have previously done by hand? Some business owners do not want to admit their lack of computer skills. Do you need to get technical training yourself, or can you hire a college computer science intern to help computerize your systems?

TIP: Paperless systems don?t just help the environment; they also help streamline processes, increasing efficiency.

You?d be surprised how many business owners don?t measure and track important things in their businesses. One business owner says he just has an innate sense of how things are going. ?No alarms are sounding; something must be going right,? he added, and a few questions later, I could tell he didn?t have a good handle on whether the money going out was bringing more business in.

TIP: Monitor where you are now to have a base for determining where you need to go.

The very words ?systems and technology? can send some business owners scurrying to the dark hole they call an office. But, it doesn?t need to be this way. The key is simplifying what may feel like an overwhelming area of business. For instance, many business owners are burdened by excessive emails and have not put an electronic filing system in place to organize their correspondence. This is just a small thing that once put into place can have a huge impact by opening up time and reducing stress.

The ultimate purpose of creating systems to run every aspect of your business is ironically so you don?t have to, leaving you time and energy to do more important things, like spend time with family and friends, have weekends free for things YOU want to do, and maybe even take a vacation or two. If you feel tethered to your business, chances are you need to put more effective systems into place which will free up time and allow you to work on, rather than in, your business.

TIP: Don?t be afraid to ask for help.

The most common response to that is, ?I can?t afford it,? but really the question is, ?Can you afford not to get help??? There are ways to factor adding a business coach to your solutions and you?d be surprised how quickly your business will turn around.

These 5 tips and a look at the key areas of business where systems can most effectively be put into place will help you get started on the path to getting more out of your business in less time and with less effort.

Stop running. Start growing ? Your business, that is.

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Source: http://actioncalteamblog.com/2012/07/31/business-owners-5-key-tips-for-putting-effective-systems-into-place/

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Add Internet marketing For your Advertising Mix | Backlinkarticles

The importance of internet marketing is continuing to increase. Surveys of all kinds display a significant shift in traditional marketing and advertising budgets to pounds becoming put in on line to market all varieties of merchandise and companies.

Internet marketing Outlined.
Internet marketing could be the use of the Net to promote and market items and services. Within the definition of Internet marketing you are going to locate mention of pay per simply click marketing, banner advertisements, e-mail advertising, internet search engine marketing and advertising (including seo), blog promoting, and post advertising. Every of those subject locations is essential to think about prior to preparing your internet marketing approach.

Internet marketing Delivers Lots of Advantages.
There are many benefits to having a fully executable online marketing strategy. These advantages consist of measurability, versatility, and affordability. A lot of online marketing and advertising techniques present advertising and marketing pros with the capacity to buyer acquisition fees. Furthermore, advertising professionals are superior in a position to track what promoting campaigns are operating and quickly allocate their investing in the direction of larger making media placements.

Online marketing Techniques.
As the Web has expanded, so have the opportunities for advertising on-line. Right here we?ll consider a short look at every type of Online marketing and clarify the advantages of every single.

1. Pay-per-click Marketing. Internet sites like Google present pay-per-click marketing for any person considering obtaining their message in entrance of your right section or prospective purchaser. This method is extremely specific and gives one on the finest and many common forms of online marketing. Entrepreneurs using pay-per-click marketing only pay a charge, depending on the competitiveness of the keyword or ad title, whenever a hyperlink is clicked on.

2. Banner Ads. Once the king of Online marketing, on line banner ads have developed to consist of animated and flash banners, however the premise stays mainly the exact same. Entrepreneurs obtain a specified quantity of impressions to operate on a single internet site or community of web pages and so are commonly not assured a specific quantity of clicks.

3. Email Advertising. Efficient amongst present clients and prospective buyers who?ve asked for information kind your corporation, e-mail marketing and advertising is a well founded means to communicate and promoting your items. On the other hand, be aware of CAN-SPAM needs and speak to tastes of these you program to reach.

4. Search Engine Advertising. If you would like web browsers to check out your web page, than concentrating on search engine optimization and search engine marketing and advertising is usually a need to. No Internet marketing strategy is complete with out making certain that your web-site is submitted and integrated on major directories like Google, Yahoo!, and DMOZ. The dollars spent on Search engine Marketing of any variety will spend substantial dividends.

5. Blog Marketing and advertising. Gaining point out of one?s site or information connected to your solutions can speedily scale if you?re able to proficiently tap into the numerous blogs which can be being created daily. It truly is essential that you simply concentrate your efforts on weblogs covering topics appropriate for your product or service offering.

6. Article Promoting. One from the most important elements of Internet marketing, is always to increase the hyperlink reputation for your website and increase the consciousness of one?s product or company providing. To perform so, many organizations are concentrating on publishing beneficial content material and making obtainable for other to post to their website?s.

Regardless of the web marketing tactics you choose, make sure you take into consideration an built-in advertising technique. Make sure that your internet marketing features a specific target and it is supported with a definitive plan and spending budget. Lastly, make sure to choose up an ebook, conduct some study, or work with pros to improve your Online marketing know-how.

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Source: http://www.backlinkarticles.com/business/add-internet-marketing-for-your-advertising-mix.html

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