In a time where a lot of conventional financial wisdom simply does not apply, some major U.S. media companies are bearing the brunt of an unprecedented downturn. It is now being widely reported that AT&T is desperately trying to untether itself from loss-making cable news channel CNN.

Record Debt

Things could not have come at a worse time for AT&T which is already saddled with losses estimated to be as high as $150 billion. The telecommunications giant might be stuck with CNN for now, though, as an uncertain financial cloud hangs over the financial markets in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

CNN was once a world-leading financial news broadcaster and could have broadcast guides to trade cfds, if it was allowed. Instead, in perhaps the most stunning blow, one of its landmarks will soon see the curtains. AT&T has announced the sale of CNN Center itself, the building in Atlanta which is marked by the widely-recognised giant CNN logo sitting outside.

It will be the end of an era that started when Ted Turner began operations there in 1980. The logo and building unfortunately also saw chaos when Black Lives Matter protestors smashed windows and vandalised the structure in May.

Shared Misery

CNN is in good company, though – Disney announced its first annual loss in 40 years this week. Much of the impact has been as a result of the carnage wrought upon its theme parks by the coronavirus lockdowns. The company fired almost 30,000 staff over 2020, compounding what has been an abysmal year.

Some of the blame lies on its over-reliance on the Star Wars movie franchise. The new trilogy, spinoffs, characters and merchandise have proven to possess none of the magic that made the original George Lucas trilogy the classics they are.

The lone bright spot is the company’s launch of the Disney+ app. It was fortuitously launched just when the pandemic began to bite, leading to a sharp increase in home entertainment demand. Whether it can sustain that advantage as more players enter the arena is another question. After 2020, it seems anything is possible.

This is an article provided by our partners’ network. It does not reflect the views or opinions of our editorial team and management.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Turmoil in the Media appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

The consistent supply of a young work force has benefited most cities in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region over the last few decades. However by 2025, 710 metropolitan areas/cities across APAC will be home to an estimated 226 million elderly people (aged 65 and over), who will account for 11.4% of the total population. This demographic shift to an aging population will weigh on the economy of all countries in the region, however at different times and varying pace, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Cities in Japan and South Korea in particular are already facing rapid growth of the aging population. The elderly population in these countries outnumbered the young age population in 2018. The working-age population (15-64 years) in South Korean cities is expected to shrink by 4.7% between 2018 and 2025. The old age dependency ratio (the number of elderly people as a share of those of working age) in cities across Japan is forecast to increase from 47.34% in 2018 to 54.86% in 2025.

In Singapore and Thailand, the elderly population is also expected to outnumber the young age population over the next decade. In China, the combined share of the elderly population in cities has increased from 7.6% in 2000 to 11% in 2018. However, other prominent Asian countries are much younger. The median age in China was 37.7 years or about 10 years older than that in India (28.1) in 2018, according to GlobalData estimates.

South Asian cities benefiting from demographic dividend

Aditi Dutta Chowdhury, Economic Research Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Cities based in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will continue to benefit economically from ‘demographic dividend’, where the growth of the working-age population will outpace that of dependent people in the next decade.”

The working-age population in these cities is set to grow from 211 million people in 2018 to 239 million in 2025, accounting for an increase in its share in the total population from 68.2% to 68.7%. During the same period, the share of the elderly population is likely to increase from 5.9% to 6.5%, whereas the young age population is expected to decline from 25.9% to 24.9%. As a result, the total dependency ratio in the region is expected to decrease from 46.6% to 45.7%.

High incidence of poverty among elderly women in Asian cities

In most countries across APAC, older women outnumbered older men with about 85 men for every 100 women in the age group of 65 years and above in 2018. Hence, the majority of the elderly women are financially dependent on their spouses and children, resulting in the high incidence of poverty and deprivation. This requires a public pension plan for elderly women for financial security in the short run and urgent policy formulation to facilitate an increase in the female labor force participation rate in the long run.

Asian nations less equipped to handle social, political and economic implications

Traditionally, the elderly population in Asia rely on their adult children and other family members for material needs and personal care. However, the breakdown of the joint family system due to demographic, economic and social changes has disrupted this support system, creating the need for an improved public support system.

Chowdhury explains: “With steady growth of the aging population and a falling birth rate, the social burden and financial pressure on the governments’ treasury will be enormous. For instance, the ballooning social security spending in Japan is frequently blamed as one of the main reasons behind the country’s mounting public debt. In an effort to better manage their financial burden, various governments in APAC are raising the retirement age, encouraging re-employment of retired employees and introducing a government-subsidized voluntary direct contribution retirement saving scheme.  

“The average median age of South Asian countries, except Sri Lanka, is projected to be less than 30 years in 2020. This provides these economies with an opportunity to act proactively and adapt to an aging society.”

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Aging To Weigh On Economies Of All Countries In Asia-Pacific By 2025 appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Nowadays, increasing numbers of us are taking our small businesses online. This makes sense! Customers are beginning to prioritise convenience and shopping doesn’t get much more convenient than browsing goods from the comfort of your own home and having them delivered to your doorstep with the click of a button. But as a small business owner, operating online does mean that you’re the one who’s going to have to deal with delivery in order to get the products from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible. To help you along the way, here are just a few different shipping options that your small business might want to offer.

Economy

Economy is the standard form of shipping and almost every small online business should offer it. This is essentially for customers who want to save a bit of a money and who aren’t in a rush to receive their goods. Economy shipping will be your cheapest shipping rate (many small business owners offer this option for free) and it will generally arrive with your customers within three to seven business days. You will decide the exact amount of time, as you can then decide how long you will allow yourself for turn around.

Next Day Delivery

An option that you should seriously consider offering if you don’t already is next day delivery. Nowadays, people tend to want their products fast and will leave their shopping extremely last minute. They will be browsing the web for gifts a couple of days before they are due to be given, outfits a couple of days before they are due to be worn, and all sorts of other bits and bobs that they need quicktime. By offering next day delivery, you open up your products to them. No matter how appealing your products may be, people aren’t going to buy them if they can’t receive them in time for when they are needed. Feel free to charge consumers more for this service, as it’s going to cost you more to turn around goods quickly and have them where they’re meant to be within twenty four hours.

Same Day Delivery

Same day delivery is a relatively new concept and caters even more to consumers’ procrastination and lateness in purchasing products. As a small business owner, nobody will expect you to offer this service. It tends to belong more to the realm of major corporations with seemingly endless numbers of staff to get work done quickly. But you may want to consider offering same day delivery in your local area – you could literally drop packages off to people who live within the town or city that your business operates within relatively easily.

These are just a few different shipping options that you might want to offer if you’re looking to maximise customer satisfaction and boost online sales!

This is an article provided by our partners network. It might not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of our editorial team and management.
Contributed content

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Shipping Options for Your Small Business appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.