Month: August 2025

The term tech giant refers to the world’s top technology corporations. These companies are known for their colossal global footprint and influence on society as a whole. They are often the inventors of groundbreaking technologies like artificial intelligence and cloud computing. These digital behemoths have a near-monopoly in their respective areas of expertise, giving them an edge over competitors.

Tech giants can be found across multiple industries, from e-commerce to communication hardware and software to gaming. But what makes them unique is their influence on the economy and the world at large. Their innovations fuel economic growth and increase productivity, allowing them to gain control over the market and create vast wealth for their owners. This is why many governments have attempted to curb their power through regulation.

Some of the biggest tech giants include Google (Alphabet), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft. Each of these companies is considered to be a leader in their industry and has significant financial backing from investors. Their products are used by billions of people around the world, and they have a significant impact on consumers’ daily lives.

These big technology giants have also expanded into other sectors through acquisitions. For example, Apple bought the music streaming service Spotify in 2018. Similarly, Facebook acquired WhatsApp and Instagram in 2021 and 2022. Some experts argue that these companies are exhibiting antitrust practices by using the vast amount of data they have to maintain their monopoly positions and stifle innovation from competitors.

A basic financial concept that figures into everything from mortgages and credit cards to investments and savings accounts. Interest rates are a critical component of various financial instruments and transactions, and they are always changing. Understanding what affects them can help individuals make the best choices about how to manage their money.

Interest is a form of compensation paid by lenders to borrowers and investors for the use of their funds. It’s usually expressed as a percentage of the principal amount of the loan or investment, and it is applied over an agreed-upon time period, called the term. The rate at which interest is paid or earned depends on several factors, including the supply and demand for credit, the inflation rate and government monetary policy.

Generally, higher interest rates mean more costly loans and investments while lower rates mean cheaper loans and investments. In addition, the economy plays a role in interest rates because when the economy is strong, more people have jobs and are able to pay their debts, so more lending institutions will want to lend money.

Different types of loans have different interest rates, with fixed and variable rates among the most notable. Generally, fixed rates have higher initial rates than variable rates because lenders take on more risk by locking into a set rate at the outset. However, if market interest rates decline over the life of the loan, a borrower might save money by opting for a variable rate instead of a fixed one.

Wearable tech refers to special gadgets that are worn on the human body. These include consumer products marketed as wellness gadgets, such as smartwatches from Apple and Fitbit, as well as more specialized medical devices designed to monitor electrolyte levels or screen blood for cancer cells.

Health care wearables allow healthcare professionals to remotely observe patients’ vital signs and symptoms. This enables them to catch a variety of early health concerns and address them before they evolve into more severe symptoms, thereby helping individuals avoid unnecessary or complex treatments.

Moreover, health-related wearables can motivate users to change their habits through the ability to provide motivational reminders, contextualize data via a companion app, and offer positive reinforcement of successful achievements (e.g., by displaying a progress chart). However, these devices can also generate annoyances such as the feeling of fatigue caused by regular use or the risk of losing a device, which may discourage users from adopting the technology despite its apparent benefits.

Although many barriers prevent the effective adoption of health-related wearables, they can be overcome. The adoption of a positive attitude towards this technology by both patients and providers is important. In particular, healthcare professionals should encourage patients to use wearables as part of their self-monitoring routines and not view them as an intrusive or invasive technology. Furthermore, the diffusion of innovations theory [87] suggests that healthcare providers can play a role in facilitating adoption by addressing concerns and promoting use of wearables among laggards.

Editorial is a type of article that showcases a periodical’s opinion on a particular issue and aims to draw public attention to the topic. It also aims to encourage reader debate and participation. Typically, editorials contain facts and statistics to support the argument.

When choosing an editorial topic, be creative and try not to use trite or cliche ideas. Choose something that’s currently causing controversy, or that readers are interested in discussing. Ideally, it should also be one that’s important to the community you serve.

Once you have your topic, do some research to find out everything there is to know about it. Then, develop a thesis statement that articulates your position on the matter. This will help you keep your argument focused throughout the writing process. It’s also important to consider the opposing viewpoint when forming your opinion. Be sure to address any counterarguments and provide a valid rebuttal that will convince readers you’re correct.

While a good editorial must have a strong opinion, it should avoid being overly biased. Providing clear reasons why you disagree with one side of the argument, as well as believable evidence to back it up, is key. Also, remember to include some positive things about the opposition, but always do so objectively and without slandering anyone.

Editorials should be concise and easy to read. They should not be too long, or too technical. It’s also helpful to write your editorial in a conversational tone to help you sound more authoritative and persuasive. Finally, don’t forget to proofread your article. Missing or overlooked errors can make your entire piece look sloppy and unprofessional.

Digital transformation is the process of using new technologies to improve or reinvent business processes, products and customer service. It aims to increase competitive advantage and foster an agile culture. It’s an ongoing effort, requiring an ongoing commitment and budget, but one that delivers significant benefits to businesses that get it right.

Companies today need to keep up with rapidly evolving customer expectations and technological innovations. Customers expect to be able to conduct their business, do their work and live their lives on the devices of their choice, at any time and with the information and personalized content they need close at hand. They’re also looking for innovative experiences from brands that they can’t find elsewhere, and will move on quickly to others if they aren’t satisfied.

Successful digital transformation projects require a clear framework and key performance indicators (KPIs) that are aligned with business outcomes. The best way to ensure that projects stay on track is by leveraging an operating model that supports cross-functional teams. This requires a technology infrastructure that allows for seamless data sharing and easy integrations between platforms so that employees can access and use all the tools they need.

The most effective way to build this bridge between information silos is by building a unified view of the customer. This allows for more precise customer targeting, and maximizes the potential of new technologies like AI. As such, it’s an essential step for any organization embarking on a digital transformation journey.

Top headlines capture the attention of the reader and entice them to read the entire article. They should be clear, concise, and informative, highlighting the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the story. Headlines are even more important than they used to be because today, readers can come across an article by reading a search engine result or by scanning a newspaper page.

News, blog, and ad headlines all have different styles, but they follow the same general rules of headline writing. For example, all news articles should be written in AP style and should always use correct grammar.

Learn how to write an engaging and informative feature headline that captivates your audience. Then, check out our resource bundle including marketing templates and eBooks.

Whether they’re turning on your lights and appliances remotely, monitoring and changing your thermostat’s settings, or even helping you track your fitness goals, smart devices are changing the way we live. But with so many gadgets claiming to be’smart’, how do you know you’re getting the best product for your money? Before buying, be sure to read the privacy statement, service agreement and terms of use — not everyone wants to do this, but it can make all the difference in how your data is collected, stored and used.

A device can be considered a smart device if it has three main features: context awareness, autonomous computing and connectivity (Ray, 2016). This study explores the key features that are directly or indirectly related to these concepts. For this purpose, a systematic literature review was conducted.

Smart devices include sensors to sense environmental context, expanded memory and processors to multitask, wireless protocols for communications, and software to process this data. They can also use artificial intelligence to learn user patterns and customize their responses and functions accordingly.

While some authors include mobility in the concept of’smart devices’, we chose not to do so since it would discard smart devices that have all other functionalities but are not mobile. For example, a smart board (Malkawi, 2017) is an electronic whiteboard that allows distinct users to navigate the web and perform different applications such as visualising text, images, augio and video. This is a good example of how the technology can be applied in educational environments.

Business news is the part of journalism that tracks and records business, economic and financial activities and changes in society. It is the largest of the hard news branches and covers topics such as stock market fluctuations, globalization, unemployment, inflation, GDP growth and corporate mergers.

Many of the same guidelines that apply to writing news articles also apply to writing world business news pieces. For example, it is important to be clear about your purpose and audience. This helps readers understand your article’s main idea and ensures that you are covering only the most relevant information. It is also important to follow the inverted pyramid model when writing an article, which places the most important information at the top of the piece.

Often, when reporting business news, it’s helpful to include visual aids like charts and infographics. This makes the piece more interesting and catches the reader’s attention. In addition, the brain processes images better than words. This is known as the picture superiority effect.

It is also important to avoid using jargon when writing business news articles. This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to confuse terms like “profit,” “loss,” and “revenue” and can mislead readers. Instead, use words that are more familiar to your audience, such as “dollars,” “pennies” and “cents.” Also, be sure to double-check all of your facts and figures. Small mistakes can damage your credibility, especially if you’re reporting about numbers and statistics. Also, be careful not to mix up data sets — for example, comparing a Chinese government-produced manufacturing index with an independent index from the Caixin business news outlet.

Cyber threats are a significant and growing business risk for organizations of all sizes, across every industry. These attacks affect employee productivity, customer loyalty, and company reputation – and can lead to costly legal and operational consequences.

Threats can take many forms: Data breaches, phishing attacks, malware, and hacking are common examples. A data breach occurs when unauthorized individuals gain access to sensitive information, including personal and financial data such as credit card numbers and bank accounts, or intellectual property like source code. These attacks can cost businesses millions of dollars in fines, lost revenue, and damaged relationships with customers and partners.

Malware is any software program that exploits or damages a computer system, and includes viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, and ransomware. Malware attacks are among the most common cyber threats, resulting in the loss of confidential information and compromised system security. A recent cyberattack on shipping firm CMA CGM, for example, caused the firm to lose control of its servers and prevented employees from accessing work systems.

Some attackers are looking for money or information, such as credit card or personally identifiable information (PII), while others want to disrupt critical infrastructure like gas pipelines and power grids. And some are simply seeking notoriety in the hacker community or revenge. With e-commerce, remote collaboration, and cloud data storage becoming essential to modern life, it’s critical that businesses adopt robust cybersecurity measures to ensure the safety of these services and their users.

A news feature is a longer, in-depth story which is often presented as a whole segment or program on a radio or television show. It usually includes interviews with the people involved and is intended to inform or entertain the listener or viewer. Unlike a regular news story, there is usually scope for the journalist’s writing style to show through – but this should be kept in check.

The main ingredients of a news feature are human interest, impact and relevance. People love to hear about other people and what they do, so stories with a human angle always attract attention. Even non-human events can be newsworthy if they affect people, for example an explosion on a distant star can become news if it impacts the Earth’s atmosphere.

Relevance is another important factor – the more relevant a story is, the more likely it is to be broadcast. For example, a story about the effects of global warming on local forests would be unlikely to find a home in a local news bulletin, but one on an AIDS prevention project might fit well into a health programme.

It is important to consider the length of a news feature, especially if it will be presented in a radio or TV program. A programme editor will want to ensure that it is not too long or too short, and that it fits into the regular schedule of the program. It is also essential to think about the availability of studios and editing suites (or equivalent facilities), and how many people you will need to interview and record.