Limousine Luxury For The Well Connected New Caravelle Business - The Auto Chanel Limousine Luxury For The Well Connected New Caravelle Business - The Auto Chanel

Monday, June 11, 2012

Limousine Luxury For The Well Connected New Caravelle Business - The Auto Chanel

Limousine Luxury For The Well Connected New Caravelle Business - The Auto Chanel

MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM – June 11, 2012: From the original Samba bus in the 1950s to today’s Caravelle, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has an impressive pedigree in no compromise people carriers appreciated by many businesses for their quality, image, durability and space.

Now, to meet the latest communications needs of today’s business travellers and VIPs, a prestigious new flagship model has been introduced - the Caravelle Business – designed to be a mobile conference room with state of the art technology, including Wi-Fi internet connectivity and Bluetooth, combined with the ultimate in luxury.

The Caravelle Business offers the advantage of more space and convenience than most luxury limousines with the benefit of six seats (including driver) including a sociable rear lounge area with four individual seats and an adjustable table. Like every Caravelle, the two middle seats swivel to face forwards or backwards, but the Business is upgraded with the highest quality Nappa leather upholstery while the rear bench seat is replaced by an opulent twin seat console which is multi-adjustable and heated with an integrated fridge between the seats.

The interior of the Caravelle Business is enhanced with elegant burr wood inserts in the rear passenger compartment, plus the added safety of curtain airbags, while for the driver’s convenience there is cruise control, satellite navigation with 6.5 in colour screen and 30GBhard drive, a leather multi-function steering wheel, lane change assist to warn of vehicles in the driver’s blind spot, and a programmable heater to ensure the interior can always be ready at the desired temperature. A second battery with cut-off relay ensures the rear seating area can be powered independently.

Externally, the Caravelle Business is discreet yet stylish with privacy glass, 17in alloy wheels, darkened rear light clusters, electrically folding door mirrors and a laminated windscreen for improved noise damping. It also has front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera and Xenon headlights with automatic activation, LED daytime running lights, headlamp washer system and heated front washer jets, while electric sliding side doors provide easy access and exit for rear passengers.

Effortless performance is delivered by Volkswagen’s most powerful 2.0-litre 180PS bi-turbo TDI engine. With 400 Nm of torque from 1,500 rpm, combined with DSG transmission as standard, this ensures the Caravelle Business is effortless to drive, yet also economical to run with 34.9 mpg on the combined cycle and Euro5 emissions of 214 g/km. To further manage business expenses, maintenance and service plans plus a variety of competitive finance options are also available.

The Caravelle Business is now on sale with retail prices starting from 53,856 (plus VAT), or 56,069 (plus VAT) with 4MOTION transmission.



Business etc.: Aeropostale for kids at Holyoke Mall, Ford dealers back Deerfield Summer fest, WMECO cited for 'green leadership', and more - Union-News & Sunday Republican


Aeropostale for kids set for Holyoke Mall
HOLYOKE – Retailer Aéropostale Inc. plans to open its newest kids’ store, P.S. from Aéropostale, at Holyoke Mall at Ingleside. P.S. from Aéropostale offers trend-right merchandise at compelling values for girls and boys ages 7 to 12.

The store will be at the former Aeropostale location on the mall’s lower level near J.C. Penney.

PriceRite aids food bank

Local PriceRite supermarkets recently donated more than $16,000 to the Western Massachusetts Food Bank.

The total amount raised was $16,295.

Presenting the check to Heather Clark, the developing and marketing manager for the Western Massachusetts Food Bank were Kathy Freeman, PriceRite human resources manager, Kevin George, PriceRite director of operations and Steve Paul, manager of the West Springfield PriceRite.


Nurses saluted for anti-violence activism
SPRINGFIELD – Nurses help the sick and injured, but the dark secret of the profession is that, at an alarming rate, nurses are the victims of violence, often at the hands of patients. Recently, the Massachusetts Nurses Association received the Union Activism Award for bringing this problem into the light, raising awareness and promoting legislation to protect nurses and other health care workers from workplace violence. The award was presented by the Western Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health at its annual dinner in Ludlow.

The MNA is promoting Senate Bill 2084: An Act Requiring Health Care Employers to Develop and Implement Programs to Prevent Workplace Violence. The MNA is also involved in broad efforts to promote safety in a number of areas, including latex allergies, back and other musculoskeletal injuries and OSHA compliance.

Ford dealers support Deerfield Summer fest

DEERFIELD – New England Ford Dealers will be the major corporate sponsor of the Deerfield Summer Arts and Crafts Festival on the lawns of Memorial Hall Museum in Old Deerfield, June 16 and 17. The Deerfield arts and crafts festivals support the educational and cultural programs the museum provides to the people of the Pioneer Valley.

In addition to providing substantial financial support for the Deerfield Summer festival, New England Ford Dealers are bringing “Ford For Everyone,” a whole high-tech experience, to a section of the craft fair. The exhibit is fitted with computer banks and electronic kiosks for visitors to independently experience Fords electronically. Fair visitors also will be able to see four of Ford’s most popular eco-friendly models. Also, Ford Dealers of New England are offering a chance to win tickets to a 100th anniversary of Fenway Park game to visitors who stop by their display area.

Sean Hogan to speak at industry convention
EASTHAMPTON – Hogan Technology, a provider of unified communications, announced that company President Sean Hogan has been invited by Technology Assurance Group, an international organization representing nearly $350 million in products and services in the industry, to share his vision on the future of unified communications with some of the industry’s top manufacturers, vendors, suppliers and resellers at TAG’s national convention. The 12th annual TAG Convention will be held in New Orleans Sept. 9-12.

State funds training,job creation efforts
BOSTON – The state has announced $2,100,224 in Workforce Training Fund grants to 28 Massachusetts companies. The grants, which support up to two years of training, will create more than 200 new jobs and train nearly 3,000 workers, according to a news release.

The companies are located in 23 towns across the Commonwealth, and employee training will cut across a variety of sectors helping engineers, lean manufacturing, suppliers, trades and food services.

Locally, Chicopee Industrial Contractors Inc. was awarded $29,765 to train 15 employees and create three additional jobs.

In Westfield, Bern Optics Inc. was awarded $82,500 to train 46 employees. Five additional jobs are expected to be created as the result of this project.

Family business center joins global network
AMHERST – The UMass Family Business Center joins the BFF Affiliate Network to work collaboratively on developing additional educational material, supporting business family communities, and encouraging research in the field of family business.

The Business Families Foundation has been working for the past decade with a collaborative network of university-based centers for family enterprise and is welcoming new centers to join this Affiliate Network worldwide. It has recently welcomed the UMass Family Business Center, based at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

The UMass Family Business Center provides a learning community for families in business, who aim to improve their level of professionalism, provide a healthy workplace and become more innovative, sustainable and profitable, through an educational dinner forum series, confidential roundtables, customized consultation and trainings, and strategic schmoozing.

WMECo applauded for green leadership
SPRINGFIELD – Western Massachusetts Electric Co. has again been recognized for its environmental and renewable energy leadership by the Environmental Business Council of New England.

WMECo’s 2.3 MW Indian Orchard Solar Facility in Springfield received the James D.P.
Farrell Brownfields Project of the Year Award in recognition for the redevelopment of the brownfield site into one of the largest solar energy facilities in the region. The award was jointly presented to WMECo, the city of Springfield and the Springfield Redevelopment Authority.

The Indian Orchard facility features 8,200 solar panels on 12 acres of land that formerly housed a foundry. It joins WMECo’s 1.8 MW Silver Lake Solar facility in Pittsfield as one of the largest such facilities in the region.

This is the second year the EBC has recognized WMECo for its leadership in the region. Last year, the organization presented WMECo with the John A.S. McGlennon Environmental-Energy Award for Corporate Leadership for the Silver Lake facility. WMECo’s solar facilities have also been recognized by the American Lung Association, the Solar Electric Power Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association.

E. Long. law firmcelebrates 20 years
EAST LONGMEADOW – Fitzgerald Attorneys at Law, P.C., at 46 Center Square, is celebrating 20 years in business and service to the community.
Founded in 1992 by Frank P. Fitzgerald, the firm handles a wide variety of legal issues and has a geographical reach that extends to Hartford.

Fitzgerald said he is pleased to have exceeded his original goal for the business, which was to offer innovative, responsive and cost-effective legal solutions to clients.
The firm now has six attorneys and a staff of 10 paralegals.



STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-Europe banks rally 3 pct on Spain bailout - Reuters UK

Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.



Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards is back - AME Info
The ABLF Awards will be held on November 27, 2012 under the patronage of the H. H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Announcing this association, H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan said, "I fully support the premise of the Asian Business Leadership Forum Series, as the rising stature of the Asian economies has major global ramifications and holds great potential for inclusive growth. The ABLF platform gives credence where it is due, to the top leaders of current business affairs across Asia as a whole."

For the first time in the business awards industry, the award nominees and winners are determined not by a single institution with its own associations and allegiances, but through a global nomination portal and by a group of independent personalities across the knowledge realms of industry, finance, advisory, media and government, who have global presence, experience and interest in the story of 'Asia Rising'.

Sixteen illustrious business leaders will be felicitated across five categories in the three regions of the Gulf, India and South-East Asia. Nominations for the 'ABLF Business Courage Award,' 'ABLF Business Excellence Award' and the 'ABLF Woman of Power Award' begin June 10, 2012 and will remain open through till midnight June 30, 2012 on the ABLF Awards website.

Once nominations end, the Event Architects and ABLF Awards Process Validators, will tally all the completed nomination forms and shortlist six nominees for each award category based on pre-set criteria and parameters, which will then be presented to the ABLF Awards Jury whose decision will be final.

The three winners of the 'ABLF Lifetime Achievement Award' and 'ABLF Statesman Award' across the Gulf, India and South-East Asia constituencies, and the single award recipient of 'ABLF Global Asian of the Year' will be determined only by the ABLF Awards Jury and will not feature the global nomination process. The 'ABLF Woman of Power' will be the only category that invites public vote, following the global nomination process and Jury endorsement.

The ABLF Awards Jury is a high profile group of eminent personalities with representation from the world of finance, diplomacy and academia as well as political, economic and legal commentators from across Asia.

Ms Malini N. Menon, Founder and Managing Director of Indian Expressions Management Consultancy, the IP owners and creators of the ABLF Awards, says, "The Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards were created to showcase the key sectors that drive the global economy - Industry, Infrastructure and Energy. These key business sectors do not have a dedicated award event and it has been our mandate to showcase the high-achieving frontrunners whose success has redefined Asia's business leadership."



4 Tips to Protect Your Small Business Against Cyberattacks - Mashable

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

You may think that cybersecurity is only important for major companies, but think again. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks: Without the big security budgets of Fortune 500 companies, they’re seen as easy prey by digital information thieves and corporate espionage experts. And if you’re hit by an attack, you should be prepared to face a revenue loss of up to $10,000 (or more) if your website goes down in the process. That’s a lot of money for a small business to lose, and it can happen at any time.

How can a small business protect against cyberattacks and information leaks without breaking the bank? Mashable spoke with Rick Doten, former chief scientist for cybersecurity at Lockheed Martin and current vice president of cybersecurity at DMI, a leading cybersecurity solutions provider, for his advice.


1. Smart Passwords


Doten’s first piece of advice for securing small business may also be the cheapest and simplest move: using better passwords.

“I’ve spent 10 years running ethical hacking groups, and most of the ways we got in [to target networks] was because of weak passwords,” says Doten.

What, exactly, makes up a “better” password? Doten says it should be highly complex, difficult to guess and at least eight characters — so “deJ1s4qFDAS” is much better than “superman.”

“The longer the better,” says Doten. “Penumonics help, too. Take the first letter of each word in a sentence such as, ‘Don’t forget to feed your dog.’ 15 characters, with mixed upper case, lower case and numerical symbols will be much harder for a would-be hacker to crack.”


2. Mobile Device Education


Explaining the importance of mobile cybersecurity to each and every employee is critical, says Doten. This is especially important if some employees aren’t particularly technology-savvy or if a company allows employees to connect to an internal network via a personal device, such as an iPad.

“Companies today are getting access to adversaries’ [digital] environments by hacking into employees’ devices,” says Doten. “One of the things compounding that is the rapid development of mobile devices and the ‘bring your own device’ concept. Small businesses should manage what devices employees are allowed to use on internal networks, what’s allowed to go on those devices and use encryption appropriately.”

Luckily for small businesses, there are fewer employees to educate and fewer devices to manage than at larger firms, which Doten believes gives them an advantage. Small businesses can bring in cybersecurity experts to host training seminars on mobile security.

“Small businesses can implement [device management] much easier than larger firms,” he explains. “Understand that people make mistakes, but people can do risky things that can cause an impact on the business.”


3. Social Media Education


Doten acknowledges that companies should allow employees to post online about the company in a positive light, but cautions that employees who use social media too carelessly can give away sensitive details about a firm’s internal business.

“Depending on what your business does, you might be tipping your hand to competitiors to what you’re doing or who your customers are,” says Doten. “If I see someone tweeting about a conference in Omaha, I can guess what’s happening there. Social media’s great from a competitive counter-intelligence point of view. I can learn a lot [by] following tweets.”

Doten says that employees should be encouraged to tweet, but should be taught how to do so in a way that doesn’t reveal any trade secrets to the public or competing businesses.

“We’ve got a generation of employees sharing a lot,” says Doten. “And that can pose a risk.”


4. Risk Management


Finally, Doten says that small businesses should look at cybersecurity from the perspective of risk management.

The core of your business, says Doten, will determine how much focus — and budget — you should place on protecting your systems. An e-tailer whose entire business is online and done on the front-end, for example, stands to lose a great deal of business if its servers are knocked offline for a substantial period of time.

“Companies should be asking themselves, ‘What do we have to protect?’ And, ‘What would impact our business the most?’” says Doten.

Doten also points out that cybercriminals often use lesser-protected small businesses as a “digital bridge” to attack larger firms with which they have a relationship. That, says Doten, can make unprepared small firms a less attractive business partner in the future, getting in the way of potentially lucrative business deals. That prospect, he adds, should be weighed in calculations about cybersecurity budgets.


Continued Education


Doten acknowledges that cybersecurity is an ever-changing field, and small businesses must continually adapt to new attack methods. He recommends that small business owners regularly visit the National Cybersecurity Alliance’s StaySafeOnline.com, which provides information about cybersecurity issues.

“If someone goes and looks, there’s a lot of information out there,” says Doten.


More Small Business Resources From OPEN Forum:

- Why Social Learning Benefits Your Business
- 9 Steps for Getting Kickstarter Dollars
- Choosing the Best Social Media

Photo courtesy of iStock, Vertigo3d.



Spain: stocks soar, pressure on bonds down - The Guardian

MADRID (AP) — Spanish stocks are rising strongly and the interest rates on its bonds are down sharply in the first day of trading since the Spanish bailout was announced.

The Ibex-35 stock index was up almost 5 percent shortly after opening. Bank stocks rose strongly. Shares in Bankia, which had requested €19 billion in aid to cover its bad loans and assets, rose 16 percent. The yield on 10-year bonds was down 17 basis points to about 6 percent.

Eurozone finance ministers said Saturday they would make up to €100 billion ($125 billion) available to the Spanish government to prop up banks laden with non-performing loans and other toxic assets after the collapse of a real estate bubble. Spain has yet to say how much of this money it will tap.



European airlines could go out of business, warns economist Brian Pearce - Daily Telegraph

The extent of damage being wrought by the European banking crisis was demonstrated by the latest IATA forecasts, which were unveiled at the industry's global summit in Beijing.

IATA, which had previously predicted European carriers would lose £385m, has nearly doubled the losses it expects this year.

Last year the same airlines were able to make a combined net profit of £321m. It was the second successive year in which they had made money,

But the latest forecast reflects growing pessimism over Europe's prospects within the industry at a time when aviation is maintaining its profitability in other parts of the world.

"For European carriers, the business environment is deteriorating rapidly, resulting in sizeable losses," said Tony Tyler, IATA's director general.

"The biggest and most immediate risk, however, is the crisis in the eurozone. If it evolves into a banking crisis, we could face a continent-wide recession - dragging the rest of the world and our profits down."

However, thanks to the strength of aviation outside Europe, airlines across the world are on track to make a profit of £1.9bn this year, which is less than half the £5.1bn they made in 2011.

North America appears to be on course for a better year, with airlines forecast to make a combined profit of £900m in 2012, a modest increase on the £840m of 2011.

Elsewhere, carriers in the Asia-Pacific region are predicted to make £1.3bn in 2012, less than half the £3.15bn they earned last year.

Airlines have been helped by a weakening of the oil price, which, according to the industry's latest calculations, accounts for a third of the industry's running costs.

But Mr Tyler warned that the industry was under threat from punitive taxes, such as Air Passenger Duty in Britain, along with rising airport and air navigation charges.


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