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Sunday, January 17, 2010

Procter & Gamble to Test Online Store to Study Buying Habits

By ANJALI CORDEIRO And ELLEN BYRON

Procter & Gamble Co. plans to launch an online store that will sell key brands, aiming to study consumer buying habits as it counters moves by traditional retailers, which have reduced the variety of brands they carry.

P&G spokeswoman Tressie Long said the company sees the new online store as more of a "learning lab," where it can study consumers' online buying habits, rather than as a direct source of sales growth. P&G, which already sells its products online through the Web sites of such retailers as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., says it will share what it learns with retailers that carry its brands.

P&G's new "eStore" will start as a pilot using 5,000 consumers in coming days. The site will carry only P&G products but will be owned and operated by PFSweb, an e-commerce service provider. Pricing on the site will be at the discretion of PFSweb, P&G says.

Not every P&G product will be available via the site initially, although big brands including Tide, Pampers and Olay will be sold there. The new Web site, at pgestore.com, is not yet publicly accessible but will be up for use beyond the pilot program in the spring. There will be a flat $5 shipping fee for all orders.

Procter & Gamble has increasingly been looking for new avenues of growth as consumers have cut back. In recent months the company has said it will push to sell more of its products online,

Despite P&G's push into the online medium, sales at traditional retailers will remain key to its business. P&G gets about half a billion dollars in online sales, a fraction of its roughly $79 billion in annual sales. Researcher Nielsen estimates online sales of consumer packaged goods including food, beverage, health and beauty aids and household cleaners increased 20% to 25% between 2004 and 2008, hitting roughly $10 billion in 2008.

In separate news, Procter & Gamble plans to end its fragrance licensing agreement with Valentino Fashion Group, according to a person familiar with the matter. Puig Beauty & Fashion Group SL, the Spanish fashion and fragrance company, is expected to take over the license from P&G in February 2011, this person said.

P&G produces a number of fragrances for Valentino, which is owned by U.K. based private-equity fund Permira. But sales never reached the heights of P&G's other fragrance licenses, including those with Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, which last year launched a makeup line.

A spokeswoman from P&G declined to comment. A spokesman from Puig couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

P&G wants to weed out underperforming brands to focus on its more competitive products. The company has been moving into luxury beauty products, including the expansion of skin care line SK-II and its acquisition of high-end men's grooming lines like The Art of Shaving.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Banks vs. Credit Unions

Would a credit union be a better alternative for you? The Early Show's financial contributor Vera Gibbons compares banks and credit unions.

Broadcast TV in 2010: Death or Rebirth?

By Josef Adalian
Published: January 04, 2010
The nation's TV critics just spent the last two weeks raving about the small screen's creative triumphs over the past decade, with more than a few heralding a new golden age for the medium.

So why do the folks who run the industry -- particularly those who work at the big networks -- still feel so queasy heading into the '10s?

The short answer: While cable's renaissance means there are more networks with more "hit" shows than ever before, the windfall profits such success once guaranteed for the Big Four are harder than ever to reach.

The Age of Monster Hits like "Friends" and "Seinfeld" and "Law & Order" -- and the massive profits they once generated -- is over. Midrange success stories are the new 40 share. (See accompanying story about the movie industry: "Hollywood Cuts, Retools and Looks to the Future.")

No, network TV isn't on its deathbed, despite the rantings of some doomsayers. But the industry is still in for several more years of transition as executives look to radically remake the business model for broadcast TV.

Signs of change are everywhere:

-- News Corp.'s Chase Carey decision to go to the mat with Time Warner Cable over the New Year's holiday wasn't about pride. Networks like Fox simply can't thrive on advertising revenue alone anymore, particularly with some projections showing Madison Avenue will continue to cut back on network ad buys even as the overall economy improves.

-- Much of the pre-announcement hype over Apple's so-called "iSlate" has focused on its potential to bolster print. But the computer giant also has been talking to multiple networks about a monthly subscription service for TV shows. It's not hard to see TV programming being a big part of iSlate. Likewise, it's possible networks could use the internet to experiment with models where subscribers get first crack at big events -- anything to replace the dollars lost from shrinking syndication monies.

-- Despite the flak NBC has taken over its Jay Leno experiment, the Peacock may actually be the canary in the coal mine for broadcasters. The fact is, networks have no choice but to look for ways to reduce the number of hours they devote each week to high-cost scripted programming. Even reality TV -- once thought to be a panacea for the cost problems of networks -- has gotten more expensive and has ended up with the same rough success-to-failure ratio as comedy and drama. Don't be surprised to see more repeats in regular timeslots as networks finally concede that they can't afford 20 hours-plus of first-run fare every week.

-- Entire dayparts are disappearing or radically evolving. We've already seen the networks get out of the kids business. Daytime could be next, with two long-running soaps toast and more casualties highly likely soon.

-- The local-stations business, once a source of steady revenue for conglomerates such as NBC Universal and CBS, is now a drain on profits, thanks to a near-complete collapse of premium local advertising (there's a reason many stations now air informercials in the middle of the day, rather than just late at night).

There’s renewed talk the whole network-local affiliate relationship could be on the brink of crumbling as broadcasters seriously consider something they've mulled for years: transforming into cable networks.

And yet, while times are clearly still tough, they're also filled with opportunity. And as stomach-churning as 2010 promises to be for the TV business, indications are that broadcasters are -- ever so slowly -- starting to figure out how to adapt to the reshaped landscape of the business.

Consider: Lost in all the drama of "Will Fox pull the plug on Time Warner?" is the fact that nobody seemed to think News Corp. was crazy for demanding serious compensation for its signal.

At the start of the last decade, cable companies scoffed at the idea that they'd ever pay cash for free over-the-air TV. CBS broke ground with a few deals a while back, but they didn't produce serious money.

While Time Warner and Fox aren't yet revealing the terms of their pact, it's clear Fox got a record sum from a cable operator for its programming. Broadcasters' decades of dreaming about matching cable's dual revenue stream may soon be over -- and while it won't make up for dwindling syndication and ad revenues, it will help. A lot.

Likewise, major media companies' push to get paid for their content could yet result in another new revenue stream for broadcasters. The talks with Apple hint at this. Hulu's declaration that it may yet charge for some content is another sign of digital pennies slowly morphing into dimes, quarters and maybe even dollars.

The decline of the traditional 100-episodes-to-syndication-nirvana also may prove liberating to network programmers, and not so catastrophic for broadcast bean counters.

After all, freed from the burden of trying to produce as many episodes as quickly as possible in order to get to the back end ASAP, broadcasters could start to experiment more with the idea of limited-order series. Or shortened episode counts.

That could lead to even better shows. Maybe big talent that would never commit to the drudgery of virtual nonstop production for seven years -- the reality of a hit drama or comedy in the past -- might consider signing on for a three-year gig in which only 13 episodes are produced every 12 months.
It's a model that has allowed cable networks from FX to HBO to land major names who'd never do a network show.

Then there's the promise of technological revolution. Just as James Cameron's "Avatar" offers the hope of keeping moviegoing an in-theater experience, TV soon could get a 3D boost as well.

The big buzz at this week's Consumer Electronics Show is all about 3D TV, which is months -- not years -- away from becoming a reality. It won't be cheap, but there are thousands of hours of programming that could suddenly become a lot more valuable if converted to 3D. Bottom line: It's another source of potential profits to a business that needs as many as it can find.

As the Awful Aughts fade into memory, it would be nice to be able to predict smooth sailing ahead for broadcasters. It would also be naive.

But that doesn't mean there's not reason to hope that, like a TV icon from a simpler time, the networks might just make it after all.

Monday, January 4, 2010

H&R Block Beware!

IRS to Boost Oversight of Paid Tax Preparers



By MARTIN VAUGHAN And MARY PILON

WASHINGTON—The Internal Revenue Service said it intends to regulate the legions of American tax-preparation companies, the first time the agency has sought to oversee these businesses. The move could affect how tax returns are prepared for tens of millions of people.

Under the new rules, employees of chain tax-preparation firms including H&R Block Inc. and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. will be required to pay a registration fee to the IRS, pass a "competency" exam and have 15 hours of education a year. Previously these employees weren't required to meet federal standards.

The requirements also will apply to hundreds of thousands of independent preparers and mom-and-pop storefronts that offer tax preparation as one of several services. About 60% of U.S. taxpayers use tax preparers, according to the IRS. That number includes certified public accountants, or CPAs, who are already subject to professional standards and aren't covered by the new rules.

The plan will take several years to implement and won't be in effect when taxpayers prepare their 2009 taxes for this April, the IRS said. But starting in 2011, all paid tax preparers will have to register with the IRS and include a unique identification number on any returns they prepare. Preparers will be given three years to pass a competency exam in either individual or small-business taxation.

"This is something that is long overdue," IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said Monday. Until now, there have been "no national, professional standards for one of largest financial transactions individuals have each year," he said.

The IRS's move comes as Washington has looked to toughen regulatory oversight across the board, particularly in financial markets. Congress has toughened rules applying to credit-card firms. The White House is pushing an overhaul of financial regulation that would cover previously untouched or lightly regulated areas, like derivatives and hedge funds.

Some of the nation's largest tax preparers either welcomed or pushed for the new rules, seeing an advantage in regulations that could weed out some of their smallest competitors.

"We welcome the spotlight," said Kathryn Fulton, senior vice president for government relations at H&R Block, which said its business will be helped by forcing competitors to meet standards the firm already follows. "We think this should apply across the board," she said.

The testing and education requirements will apply to the preparer who actually signs the returns—a potential loophole that could allow chains such as H&R Block to avoid meeting requirements for preparers who work under a supervisor.

Intuit Inc., the maker of TurboTax, was among those lobbying for stricter oversight. Last year, 21 million tax returns were filed with the software, according to Julie Miller, an Intuit spokeswoman. Intuit staffs its hotlines primarily with CPAs and enrolled agents, workers who aren't accountants, but who are tested and certified by the IRS.
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“ This is a classic case of bandaging a scratch on the finger while allowing the severed artery to bleed. How about fixing the tax code so we don't need tax preparers? ”

—Nicholas Micskey

Tax-preparation software isn't covered by the plan unveiled by Monday, but the IRS could move to craft federal standards in this area. Mr. Shulman said the IRS will form a task force to examine the software industry's record on issues from accuracy to taxpayer-data security.

Like CPAs, volunteer tax preparers, such as those that help low-income taxpayers at free clinics, won't be subject to testing or education requirements.

For consumers, the new standards have the potential to raise tax-preparation fees, if tax preparers incur new costs to follow the regulations.

The regulations are primarily aimed at smaller firms, often branding themselves as generic "tax preparers" or "tax consultants." Government auditors, in undercover visits to firms, found high levels of inaccuracies and distortions on returns.

In 2006, the Better Business Bureau received 1,473 complaints against tax preparers, which ranked them 120 out of about 3,800 industry categories. In 2008, the number of tax-preparation complaints jumped to 2,276, ranking the industry 80th. Often, the complaints concerned errors that caused consumers to pay fees to resolve the problem.

"We want to make this into a profession, not just a part-time thing you set up on the kitchen table for six weeks during the tax season," said Frank Degen, an enrolled agent based in Setauket, N.Y. Enrolled agents have also been pushing for higher standards. "The good people have nothing to fear; it's the charlatans that hopefully will be rousted out."

Tom Ochsenschlager, a CPA and vice president at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, said the IRS has taken on a huge task in becoming "the consumer protection agency for tax preparers." He added: "Enforcing this is going to be a major undertaking."

Mr. Ochsenschlager worried the new regulations could confuse some consumers, because they aren't as tough as those required to become a CPA.

The IRS's Mr. Shulman said the agency will develop a public database through which consumers will be able to determine whether preparers have registered and passed the exam. The IRS said it also will explore whether to try to combat the growing use of refund-anticipation loans, in which firms offer upfront cash to customers expected to receive an IRS refund.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

SK Telecom gets IBM cloud computing platform

IBM has built South Korea's first cloud computing environment for SK Telecom. The cloud environment gives developers the software and hardware needed to develop applications that will allow SK Telecom to offer up to 20 new services to their customers by the end of 2009, such as sports news feeds and a photo service.

The IBM-built cloud environment will allow SK Telecom and its business partners to more quickly develop, test and publish new end-user services. The new cloud environment delivers the following business and technology benefits: all the servers, storage and middleware required for application development on a secure, stable environment; low up front costs and reduced investment risks of mobile content developers; and faster time to market and decreased barriers to entry of new services.

"Our efforts to develop services with IBM and other partners reflect the latest trends in Web 2.0, which will ultimately enhance our customers' experience," said Jong-tae Ihm, senior VP and head of SK Telecom's data network office. "Together with venture capital firms our aim is to create new business opportunities by rapidly commercializing the ideas of content developers, further advancing the development of the information and communication technology industry."

SK Telecom also operates an R&D test bed for developing and testing cloud computing technologies. By the end of 2009 the SK Telecom plans to accommodate more than 20 services for NATE, SK Telecom's WAP portal and in the coming years says it hopes to extend its entire IT infrastructure to the cloud model. This will in turn enhance the competitiveness of the cloud industry and foster business partnerships and cooperation.

"With this new environment SK Telecom will lead in innovation by offering IT infrastructure for software developers through a Platform-as-a-Service model," said Kang-yoon Lee, head of IBM's Cloud Computing Center in Korea. "We believe this project will be a model example in how enterprises in Korea and worldwide can leverage the cloud environment to support business requirements in continual change."

For this project IBM Korea worked jointly with SK Telecom to develop the entire cloud environment—from concept planning to hardware and software selection and implementation. The cloud includes 80 systems, comprised of both System x and blade servers, Xen virtualization technology and IBM middleware and service management technology. Service management is a key to any successful enterprise cloud computing project as it orchestrates hundreds—even thousands—of services in a workload-optimized fashion, maximizing efficiency of the overall system. SK Telecom is using IBM's Tivoli Service Automation Manager to enable software to be leased and installed seamlessly, and virtual machines provisioned accordingly. In planning the cloud architecture, SK Telecom also used implementation services and operation process consulting from IBM Global Technology Services through to implementation services and operation process consulting.