After surviving the pandemic and the big losses it caused, AirAsia cofounder Tony Fernandes is spreading his wings again through a new venture in Cambodia and a travel-focused superapp. Malaysian maverick tycoon Tony Fernandes , who built budget carrier AirAsia using the motto “now everybody can fly,” faced disaster during the pandemic, as suddenly almost nobody could fly. The outbreak of Covid-19 forced Fernandes to close AirAsia Japan in 2020 and, in June last year, to sell off its Indian joint venture AirAsia India to Air India and partner Tata Group. As the pandemic crushed air travel, some analysts questioned if Fernandes could keep Kuala Lumpur-based AirAsia afloat. It suffered big losses and mounting debts, with more than 90% of its planes grounded during the worst days of the outbreak. But now, with most travel restrictions lifted, regional travel is booming again. AirAsia is among Asian carriers enjoying high load factors and most of its planes are back in the air. Fernandes used the painful no-fly period to speed up earlier plans to expand the company into a group of diversified travel and lifestyle services. To that end, early last year it was renamed Capital A to signal it […]

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Copy This Embed Code: Ad NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Being a small business owner comes with its highs and lows, like being your own boss and chasing your dreams — but there still comes the cost of running it on your own. Advertising is not cheap for many businesses still trying to survive. But many of these businesses are finding ways to support one another. Thomas Kelly is the owner of Creative Soulz Printing in Nashville. He specializes in a lot of different printing solutions such as business cards, banners, flyers, tablecloths and tents. Kelly said he wanted to use his skills to help local Black businesses in another way. "I had the idea for the coupon book because I had a co-worker who was selling the little smartcards that the kids had, and I was like, ‘Okay, well, we need something like this for Black businesses.’" Kelly helped create the Nashville Black Business Coupon Book . "It reminded me of the coupon — the entertainment books that they had back in the day, and I was, you know, hoping to get something bigger like that. But this one being the first one, I’m definitely satisfied with our 75 […]

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TOKYO, Feb 22 (Reuters) – Japan’s business-to-business services prices rose 1.6% in January from a year earlier, much slower than a 9.5% jump in wholesale goods prices, a sign the recent pick-up in inflation is driven largely by cost-push factors rather than higher wages. The data highlights the dilemma faced by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) as tame wage growth weighs on consumption and the broader economy, forcing the central bank to hold off raising interest rates even as inflation well exceeds its 2% target. The year-on-year rise in the services producer price index, which measures the price companies charge each other for services, followed a 1.5% increase in December. It marked the 23th straight month of increase, BOJ data showed on Wednesday. Japan’s economy averted recession but rebounded much less than expected in the fourth quarter as business investment slumped, underscoring the fragile nature of the country’s delayed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. While real wages rose in December for the first time in nine months due to temporary bonus payments, household spending slid 1.3% year-on-year that month in a sign of the pain consumers are feeling from the rising cost of living. Japan’s core consumer inflation hit […]

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As companies begin testing out the four-day workweek, one Triangle-based business made the switch a year ago. CX Pilots founder Steven Keith made the change in June 2022 for his Raleigh-based business. Keith said he was nervous about making the change, but he’s glad he did. “Does a four-day workweek work? Yeah, they do work,” Keith said. “We have been doing this for quite a while we have noticed some really great outcomes.” Keith said his employees enjoy the benefits, which include less work-related stress, lower rates of burnout and higher job satisfaction. He said new employees are typically surprised to see one less day on the work schedule. “I believe a four-day workweek is something we should absolutely do,” worker Azria Richardson said. According to the Wall Street Journal, dozens of employers in the United Kingdom participated in a four-day workweek study and most companies liked it so much that they made the switch for good. “We have had people who interviewed for positions at CX Pilot,” Keith said. “They are like, ‘Are you sure this is a benefit? Are you going to pull this out after we start?’” It appears more people are coming back into the […]

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Recommended citation format: Schnitkey, G., R. Batts, N. Paulson, C. Zulauf and J. Baltz. " Crop Insurance Performance and the FAST Summary of Business Tool ." farmdoc daily (13):31, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, February 21, 2023. We have recently released a FAST tool that summarizes payout information from crop insurance products (click here for the tool). We use the Excel tool to evaluate the performance of select counties in Illinois. For corn, the 2012 drought year had a significant influence on performance. The drought year had less of an impact on soybeans. In northern and central Illinois, protecting against large losses from drought years is the main motivation for using crop insurance. The Risk Management Agency (RMA) provides data on the performance of Federally-regulated and subsidized products through the Summary of Business (SOB) . SOB data are disaggregated to the county level and can be used to evaluate crop insurance performance over time for a different crop, insurance plan, and practice combinations. Data are available down to the coverage level of specific plans. SOB data has been summarized and made available in a FAST Microsoft Excel spreadsheet called the Crop Insurance Summary […]

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Tom Matos, owner of Securité Gun Club, says he’s seen a notable amount of store owners arm themselves in recent years. WOODINVILLE, Wash. — There’s one thing convenience stores , gas stations , smoke & vape shops along with dispensaries have in common: robberies. While data from the Seattle Police Department shows robberies went from 1,755 in 2021 to 1,760 in 2022, perception is the reality for many of the store owners. They’re taking measures to protect themselves and their employees. In Ballard, King Smoke Shop’s co-owner was involved in a shootout with a man trying to rob his business Monday afternoon . That would-be robber was shot and killed. The co-owner is still recovering in the hospital. KING 5 spoke to some King Smoke Shop employees. They’re still processing what happened and are very appreciative of their customers who’ve been checking on them. The shootout does not surprise Tom Matos, owner of Securité Gun Club in Woodinville. "There are store owners and store clerks who want that additional protection," Matos said. Matos says he saw a notable increase of store owners coming to his gun shop and shooting range during the racial reckoning protests of 2020. "Once the […]

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Submitted The U of A’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness students and faculty combined for four awards and 31 selected papers and posters at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City earlier this month. "The AEAB faculty and student awards at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting demonstrate the high quality of work being done here in the department," said John Anderson, professor and department head. "Our faculty are recognized by their peers as leaders within the profession. Our students are being given the opportunity not just to learn from these outstanding scholars, but to work alongside them, developing into well-trained, competent agricultural economists. It’s exciting to see both our faculty and our students rewarded for the great work that they are doing on behalf of our stakeholders here in the state." The SAEA Outstanding Teaching of a Course Award was presented to associate professor Nathan Kemper. He was selected for his course AGEC 1103 Principles of Agricultural Microeconomics. For the SAEA Emerging Scholar Award, assistant professor Jada Thompson was selected as the recipient. Thompson earns this award for her various research and publications regarding bird flu’s economic impact. For the Outstanding Journal of […]

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Pedestrians pas stores in Hong Kong, China, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Hong Kong wants to become an international center for virtual assets as the city seeks to bolster its status as a global financial hub following the disruptions caused by the pandemic. Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg via Getty Images Pedestrians pas stores in Hong Kong, China, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Hong Kong wants to become an international center for virtual assets as the city seeks to bolster its status as a global financial hub following the disruptions caused by the pandemic. Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan struck a positive tone during his budget speech on Wednesday as he revealed measures to boost economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as incentives to help businesses and residents. Chan said the city is at the early stages of recovery since the lifting of most of its stringent Covid measures late last year . “I believe that Hong Kong’s economy will visibly recover this year, and I remain positive,” Chan said during his budget speech. “However, the economic recovery is still in its initial stage, and there […]

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New Jersey’s LGBTQ+ business owners could obtain state certification under a new bill that would unlock federal, state and local contracting opportunities and make entities eligible for state agency initiatives. The bill moving through the state Senate aims to create “remedies (for the) lack of opportunity” and “affirms that LGBTQ+ business owners are welcome and encouraged to conduct business in New Jersey,” according to the proposed legislation. “Businesses owned in whole or in part by LGBTQ+ individuals touch all aspects of the economy and add to the commercial diversity that is part of our shared social identity,” Sen. Nellie Pou, D-Passaic, said in a statement. She co-sponsored the bill along with Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex. It would cement into law an LGBTQ-focused business certification Gov. Phil Murphy called for in a 2022 executive order . The state already offers a certification program for businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans. What certification does Certified businesses’ contact information gets posted to public databases used by contracting authorities. The Department of the Treasury is currently creating administrative rules for the LGBTQ+ certification program, according to its website . Women-owned businesses include people who identify as women regardless of […]

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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios The White House mess will open for in-person dining for the first time in President Biden’s White House on March 6, according to an internal email viewed by Axios. Why it matters: The wood-paneled room with a nautical theme has been closed since the winter of 2020 under COVID restrictions, and its re-opening is the latest sign of the White House’s embrace of a post-pandemic world. In March, officials with the rank of assistant to the president and deputy assistant to the president can invite guests for breakfast and lunch, right outside the situation room. Cabinet officials also will be welcomed. The dining room has been closed for three years, with only the take-out window open, depriving top officials of the simple pleasure of cutting through crispy chicken tenders on White House china. State of play: Casually called the "Navy mess" by those with access, it’s run by Navy personnel and includes standard American fare. The main menu is predictable, but the specials can be ambitious. Yesterday, in a nod to Mardi Gras, creole corn chowder and "ragin’ cajun gumbo" were offered. By D.C. standards, prices are low. A BLT costs $6. The West Wing burger […]

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