Category business

Colts Neck, NJ, February 06, 2023 — Your body and brain have power to move the world. The world has been deeply moved though the COVID era.

While many shut their doors for good, Functionised remained open to improve the world one cell at a time. During the previous few years, physicians refused to see patients unless they were healthy (1, 2), while Functionised not only encouraged health but helped countless individuals prevent and recover from this illness (3).

Once the COVID era began, Functionised Productions was created and began filming The Keto Project Movie to better the health of the world, which is expected to be released in late 2023.

What is the meaning behind Functionised? Over five years ago, one man (“Dr. Jim” James Goetz, NBCE, CSCS) had a dream – to create a global destination of health and fitness. The ultimate result is the flagship fitness laboratory that goes beyond sexy marketing gimmicks, into a field based on solid science. With its international experts at your fingertips, the Functionised brand quickly became the health and fitness mecca for professional athletes, celebrities, and business executives who fly in from all over the world.

Transform your lifestyle and start living with intent and living Functionised.

functionised.com

References:
1. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/podcasts/2022/20220930/20220930.htm
2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/debgordon/2021/10/01/no-jab-no-service-doctors-flip-the-script-on-covid-19-vaccine-mandates/?sh=8103934109fd
3. Johnson SB, Butcher F. Doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic: what are their duties and what is owed to them? Journal of Medical Ethics 2021;47:12-15.
Contact
Functionised
Chantea D. Goetz, PhD, CES
848-444-9032
https://www.functionised.com
732-497-8424
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Seattle, WA, February 06, 2023 — The latest global study by HR research powerhouse i4cp provides evidence to support a new business imperative: the health of your culture has a direct impact on how well a company performs.

The study, Culture Fitness: Healthy Habits of High-Performance Organizations, showcases the financial impact a healthy culture—or a toxic culture—can have over time. Organizations that reported top cultural health also reported high market performance 6x more often than those that described their cultures as unfit…or toxic.

Moreover, cultural fitness helped predict employee productivity and market performance.

“The health of a culture can often be summed up by the employee experience,” said Kevin Oakes, CEO of i4cp and author of the bestselling book Culture Renovation®. “And there’s no question that employee experience is much more visible today than in the past. With multiple channels that enable workers to anonymously express opinions, it doesn’t take long to gauge how former or current employees feel about a culture. And those in the fittest cultures are much more likely to vocally recommend their company to family and friends.”

The pandemic seemed to create greater separation on the topic of culture fitness:

– 43% of companies said their culture became healthier since the beginning of the pandemic.
– 34% said their culture became less fit.

Fit cultures defined by six notable traits
The fittest cultures in the study were found to have significantly higher employee net promoter scores (eNPS) than unfit cultures over the last two years.

– Companies with healthy cultures reported excellent (71-100) eNPS scores 9x more often than their unfit counterparts.
– Those firms were also 4.5x more likely to report an increase in employee engagement scores since the onset of the pandemic.

Aside from perception, healthy cultures enjoy concrete positive benefits, such as improvements in talent attraction and employee well-being. Very fit cultures are 4x more likely to have experienced improved retention and 3x more likely to have strengthened their ability to attract top talent since 2020. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in improved productivity: fit cultures are 2x as likely to have experienced increased employee productivity during this same period.

When asked to select their organizations’ top culture traits, surveyed leaders from companies with the healthiest cultures commonly cited the following:

The Toxic 9
The study found that the healthier the culture, the less likely it is to be plagued with any of the following challenges, which i4cp terms The Toxic 9 traits of unfit cultures:

“When examining what behaviors happen inside organizations with any of these toxic traits, the study found that leadership actions—particularly inaction on unwanted behavior—emerged as a main catalyst,” said Katheryn Brekken, Sr. Research Analyst at i4cp and co-author of the study. “Leaders almost always set the cultural tone. Like it or not, they are the stewards of corporate culture. Trust in leaders is critical to a healthy culture and ultimately to the bottom-line; yet in unfit cultures, a lack of faith in senior leaders is reported 16x more.”

Leaders in unfit cultures are 4x to 5x more likely to disregard poor behavior when making decisions about advancement, compensation, succession planning, performance ratings, awards and recognition, and high-potential employee designations.

Conversely, organizations that report fit cultures are 6x more likely to address behavioral issues as soon as they are identified.

The full report is available now exclusively to i4cp members. Non-members can download an executive brief at https://go.i4cp.com/culturefitness

About i4cp
i4cp is the leading authority on next practices in human capital. Our purpose is to discover and advance next practices in human capital. We produce more research than any other human capital research firm in the world, and many of the world’s most prominent organizations and HR leaders turn to i4cp to better capitalize on HR best practices and emerging workforce trends. Supported by a powerful community of human capital practitioners, we provide HR research and insights that help organizations better anticipate, adapt, and act in a constantly changing business environment.
Contact
Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)
Erik Samdahl
206-357-7662
http://www.i4cp.com
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City of Industry, CA, February 06 2023 — Axiomtek, a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative and reliable high-performance industrial computer products – is pleased to announce a new partnership with Sodaclick, a leading AI voice technology expert, to empower a seamless interactive experience through conversational AI voice assistance. Axiomtek and Sodacilck’s collaboration offers a more comprehensive smart retail solution through deeper integration into the broader ecosystem of hardware, software, and systems to assist customers in achieving fast time-to-market.

The All-in-One (AIO) kiosk and interactive touch computers (ITC series) by Axiomtek have been tested to be compatible with Sodaclick’s AI voice software, creating virtual shopping assistants for customers. For instance, speaking into the AIO kiosk SSK515 can allow consumers to easily browse items, check prices, secure payment checkout, and truly fulfill a contactless shopping experience. The solution empowers store owners to achieve greater in-store work efficiency and brings automation to reality.

“This is the beginning of a new era and we are excited to announce a partnership with Sodaclick by integrating AI voice technology with our smart retail products, which is the perfect combination to enhance the overall consumer experience by offering a more direct and human-oriented interaction,” says Grace Yang, the customer success manager of Intelligent Design-in Service business group at Axiomtek.

“Sodaclick is proud to partner with Axiomtek as an approved provider of Voice AI solutions. Leveraging the combined benefits of Voice AI with Axiometek’s powerful hardware to deliver a touchless, multilingual, and accessible interactive experience, will achieve a faster throughput to customers across verticals,” says Salwa Al-Tahan, the research and marketing executive at Sodaclick. For more product information or customization services, please visit us.axiomtek.com or contact us by email at Solutions@axiomtek.com.

All-in-One (AIO) Kiosk – SSK515
Axiomtek’s SSK515 is equipped with a 15.6-inch Full HD LCD display that provides consumers a clear digital menu while ordering. Align with superior performance, this AIO kiosk is powered by the Intel® Core™ i5/i3 or Intel® Celeron® processors with two 260-pin DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM slots for up to 64GB of system memory. It has an M.2 Key M 2280 slot for SSD and an M.2 Key E 2230 slot for Wi-Fi connection. In terms of rich I/O connectors, it has one GbE LAN, four USB 3.0 type A, and one MIC-in and line-out to support frequently used store counter equipment. Examples include a 2D barcode scanner, thermal printer, speakers, and NFC card reader. The SSK515 also supports plug-and-play Intel® SDM-L (Smart Display Module-Large), which provides higher flexibility for system upgrade and maintenance. Thus, this AIO kiosk can be broadly applied in brick-and-mortar stores through its high flexibility and stability.

Interactive Touch Computer – ITC Series
Axiomtek’s ITC series is available in three-panel sizes (15.6”/ 21.5”/ 23.8”) with full HD resolution and PCAP touchscreen and powered by the Intel® Core™ i5 or Intel® Pentium® processor. In I/O interfaces, it has one HDMI, one USB 3.0, dual USB 2.0, a microSD card slot, and more in support of Intel® SDM-S/L, which are easy to maintain and upgrade as future-proof. Additionally, it has a single M.2 Key E slot for wireless connection. What’s more, the ITC series supports multiple installation types such as desktop, wall mount, and floor stand to meet various environmental requirements. Surprisingly, it can seamlessly integrate with a wide range of peripheral options, for instance, EFT POS (support), NFC, thermal printer, barcode scanner, and camera.

About Sodaclick
Sodaclick is a leading technology and experience provider, that powers dynamic and engaging HTML5 digital content and Voice AI solutions for digital signage screens and kiosks across all industries either through the Sodaclick platform or an existing CMS provider. Sodaclick AI technology is SDK and API ready, allowing for a truly flexible approach to bringing unique solutions and immersive user experiences to the market. Voice technology has many benefits including providing accessibility for those with visual/physical impairments where touch is difficult. It also offers faster throughput and a completely touchless solution for the hygiene industry and supports many languages. For more information on how Sodaclick can add more value to your digital signage and kiosks please visit www.sodaclick.com.
Contact
Axiomtek USA
1-888-462-9466
us.axiomtek.com
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Bengaluru 4th Feb 2023: NITKonnect, a platform created by NITK Alumni Association Bangalore Chapter has announced its annual flagship conference, NITKonnect’23, on Feb 4th,2023. The 2nd edition of this annual event will feature a power-packed line-up of Indian and global business leaders, experts, strategists, and policymakers. The summit will focus on the theme –“Engineering the New Bharat”, keeping in mind the rapid growth trajectory that India is on in its quest to become the no.3 economy in the world by 2030. 400+ Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs will be participating in the deliberations spread out between the plenary sessions, keynotes, panels and sectoral huddles.

Mr.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Hon’ble Minister for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, IT & Electronics. said ” Thank you for inviting me for the NIT Alumni Konnect. I am sure that after passing out of NITK, a prestigious institution for high-quality technical education and research, you all have charted your own lives in the manner you always wished.

I am happy that many of you have become entrepreneurs and run successful startups. Our government has always been supportive of such initiatives and has worked towards providing an enabling policy framework.

Today India is the third largest startups ecosystem in the world. Our Government under Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi ji has put in place well-calibrated policies & programmes that are catalyzing India’s Techade while nurturing a vibrant startup and innovation ecosystem.

Events such as NITKonnect are in my opinion an important element of fulfilling the vision of New India. At many places, alumni associations are helping entrepreneurial growth by incubating and handholding startups. As a government we intend to encourage and co-partner with such associations and drive India’s progress during the Amrit Kaal.

The plenary session will feature Mr.Aravind Melligeri(Chairman & CEO, Aequs Group and a NITK Alumnus) & Mr.Koshy(CEO, ONDC) who will outline the key imperatives and policy initiatives that are essential for the country to progress towards the vision of “Amrit Kaal” over the next decade.

Key speakers participating in the event include other NITK Alums who are at the helm of affairs in global corporations like Mr.Rajesh Rege, President-HoneyWell India, Mr.Ravindranath Gumaste, MD-Kirloskar Ferrous, Mr.Lingaraju Sawkar, President-Kyndryl India, Mr.Kaniappan, MD-ZF CV India and Ms.Srishti Sofat, SVP-Oracle Fusion CX. They will be outlining what it will take for ‘Bharat’ to become the Innovation Engine of the World by 2030.

To complete the innovation spectrum, celebrated start-up founders like Mr.Aprameya Radhakrishna (Koo), Mr.Utham Gowda (Captain Fresh), Mr.Krishna Kumar (Simplilearn) and Mr.Raghunandan (Zolve) will share insights from their experiences on navigating the funding winter and staying afloat with startup founders.

Top-notch organisations and emerging blue chip companies such as Effigo, Capstone Ventures, IMML, Koo, Peps, Kyndryl, Saint-Gobain, ZF, eSumudaay, Simplilearn, Smart Q, DriveU, Aequs, Poise Motors, Kirloskar Ferrous and Good Meetings have provided the much-needed support for hosting this event.

Key Highlights

• NITK Alumni have founded exceptional startups in the last 5-6 years. The startups have achieved valuation in excess of USD 10 bln. To sustain this momentum, NITKonnect organised a Start-up Pitch session to identify budding entrepreneurs within the community. Over 50 start-ups participated in this challenge, of which the Top 5 promising start-ups that demonstrated innovation, viability and novelty were selected via a stringent evaluation process run by a Global Investor Panel. These start-ups attracted a commitment of upto USD 1.5 Mln from investors and will be accorded special recognition at the event.
• The Curtain Raiser event for the Summit saw the launch of a unique cross-border collaboration between Bengaluru and Bay Area via the ‘𝑵𝑰𝑻𝑲 𝑩𝒂𝒚 𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒖 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕’ Initiative. This will be a common platform for global NITK alumni to leverage synergies for business growth, market expansion, and access to funding.
• NITKonnect also announced the inking of two powerful collaborations with TiE Bangalore and Your Story respectively. Commenting on these collaborations, Mr.Niranjan M, President-NITK Alumni
• Association(Bangalore Chapter) opined “At NITKonnect, our vision is to set up an investment syndicate and an incubation centre which will groom and mentor start-ups to set up sustainable ventures, with potentially a Unicorn in the next 5 years. We are absolutely thrilled at the prospect of partnering with two giants of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in TiE Bangalore and Your Story. We are eagerly looking forward to working closely with both of these organizations in realising this dream.”
• NITKonnect has signed a MOU with TiE Bangalore to jointly further the growth of the start-up ecosystem in Karnataka. Early-stage start-up founders will be able to draw upon the collective expertise of the 1000+ strong community for mentorship, access to funding, and capability enhancement through knowledge-sharing sessions and networking for business growth. To facilitate this, TiE Bangalore will be offering membership at a special price to start-up founders associated with NITKonnect. Commenting on this development,

Mr.Madan Padaki, President-TiE Bangalore said “ We are really excited to partner with NITKonnect on this unique initiative. Enabling access to funding & investors and providing support to entrepreneurs by way of mentorship, access to markets and customers are key pillars of TiE Bangalore. This collaboration with NITKonnect will provide a great fillip to the combined efforts of both organizations in expanding the ecosystem further by way of a larger pool of mentors & investors.”

NITKonnect’s collaboration with Your Story, a leading media technology company for startups, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators and change-makers, will focus on coverage of the various initiatives undertaken by NITKonnect as well as mutual speaking/workshop opportunities. The phenomenal reach of Your Story’s digital platform will be leveraged to capture compelling stories of entrepreneurial ventures launched by the NITK alumni.

Kamdhenu Jeevandhara Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Kamdhenu Group has begun a computer donation program as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The program is aimed at empowering poor children enrolled in it free computer training program who have excelled in the program but could not afford to buy a computer.

For more than a decade now, Kamdhenu Jeevandhara, has been directing its CSR activities to empower children from the poorer sections through education and computer training programs. More than 1000 children have benefitted from the free-of-cost education program with a nominal registration fee.

The program will be run out of the foundation’s computer center in Chakarpur, Gurugram, and will supplement other CSR initiatives including the school for underprivileged children, basic computer education, and free meal.

“The computer training course has been instrumental in ensuring better job prospects and hence better quality of life for many. Taking the initiative a step further, Kamdhenu Jeevandhara Foundation has taken the initiative to distribute desktop computers to bright yet needy children so that they can make the most of the computer training course”, elaborated Ms. Radha Agarwal, Chairperson, Kamdhenu Jeevandhara Foundation while talking about the desktop distribution programme.

Kolkata, West Bengal, 4th February 2023: Linc Limited (Formerly Linc Pen & Plastics Limited), one of the most trusted names in the writing instruments & stationery business, announced its Q3FY23 results today. The Board of Directors of Linc Limited at its meeting held on 3rd February 2023 took on record the Unaudited Financial Results for the third quarter of Financial Year 2022-23. Linc has a robust domestic and international presence spreading more than 40 countries and the brand is respected for producing world-class and innovative products.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Deepak Jalan, Managing Director, Linc Limited said:

“Continuing on our strong performance in the previous quarter, Q3 FY23 has also been a landmark quarter as we have achieved highest ever profit in the history of our company. Total Income for Q3 FY23 amounted to ₹12,495 lacs as against ₹9,575 lacs in Q3 FY 22, cloaking a YoY growth of over 30%. Better product mix, along with stable raw material prices during the period resulted in sharp increase in operating margin. Gross margin increased from 30.5% in Q2 FY23 to 33.1% in Q2 FY23. EBITDA margin also improved to 14.9% and was up 744 basis points YOY and 201 basis points QoQ in spite of higher manpower and advertisement costs.

Our sales network continues to spread as we added over 2500 + touchpoints in the quarter gone by. This coupled with the slated launch of a new Rs 40 pen under Pentonic stable in the current quarter, as well as increased thrust on brand strengthening augers well for our topline growth. In spite of the slight uptick in polymer price of late, margins are expected to remain stable in the coming quarters due to improving product mix. This along with strong demand for Company’s product should help us in growing our profits.”

Milestones Achieved for Q3 FY 23

 Total Income:

• ₹12,495 Lacs, registering a growth of 30.5% YoY and -2.2% QoQ
• Share of ‘Pentonic’ at 30.3% inQ3 FY23 as against 25.5% in FY22

Gross Profit:

• All time high of ₹4,126 Lacs, up 70.7% YoY & 6.5% QoQ. Gross Margin was at 33.1%

EBITDA:

• All time high of ₹1,859 Lacs, up 160.4% YoY & 13.3% QoQ. EBITDA Margin was at 14.9%

PAT:

• All time high of ₹1,113 Lacs against full year FY22 PAT of ₹813 Lacs, up 299.6% YoY & 16.5% QoQ. PAT Margin was at 8.9%
• EPS stood at ₹7.48 inQ3 FY23 vs ₹1.87 in the same period last year

Net Debt: 

• Debt has come down to zero and Net Debt stood at (₹1604) lacs as against ₹290 lacs in FY 22
• Net Debt / EBITDA improved further to (0.27) from 0.12 in March 2022. It stood as high as 2.43 in March 2018

“The sports sector in India has been granted the largest budget allocation in its history and from a venture capital perspective will be positive as it is helpful towards entrepreneurs that are solving real pain points in the sports industry.

The massive increase of over 300 Crores in the Union Budget effectively shows a steady rise for the Indian Sports and Venture Capital Industry as it helps startups gain more support in funding and mentorship programs. The budget will help to focus specifically on emerging markets and sports such as cricket, golf, beach sports, and e-sports among others.

India’s growth being the highest among major economies is a powerful aspect that will aim to encourage participation of youth and women in the sports activities in our country.”

Bangalore, February 3rd, 2023: India has assumed the presidency of G20 from 1st December 2022 for a period of one year. In its presidency, 1st Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) Meeting is scheduled to be held from 5th February to 7th February 2023.

NTPC, India’s largest integrated power utility, on behalf of Ministry of Power, Govt of India, will be hosting a side event in form of an International Seminar on Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS) on 5th February 2023 at TajWestend, Bengaluru. This seminar is likely to be attended by industries, policy makers, scientists and academicians of different countries.

The seminar will focus on underlining the importance of CCUS for achieving “clean energy transition” and subsequently moving towards Net Zero.

Bangalore, February 3rd, 2023: India has assumed the presidency of G20 from 1st December 2022 for a period of one year. In its presidency, 1st Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) Meeting is scheduled to be held from 5th February to 7th February 2023.

NTPC, India’s largest integrated power utility, on behalf of Ministry of Power, Govt of India, will be hosting a side event in form of an International Seminar on Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS) on 5th February 2023 at TajWestend, Bengaluru. This seminar is likely to be attended by industries, policy makers, scientists and academicians of different countries.

The seminar will focus on underlining the importance of CCUS for achieving “clean energy transition” and subsequently moving towards Net Zero.

“Government’s focus to encourage manufacturing of products locally will boost the national manufacturing infrastructure. It’s great to see a clear focus & plan to achieve the net-zero carbon emission target by 2070. The Green Growth initiative & announcement of Rs 35,000 crore for priority capital investments towards energy transition and net zero objectives are a welcome move.

An outlay of ₹19,700 crore National Green Hydrogen Mission will reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports in the long run. Batteries are a key component in the sustainability sectors. Basic Import duty on goods and machinery used in the manufacture of lithium-ion cells has been waived which will encourage production of EVs & batteries locally and will benefit the ecosystem immensely.
The current budget is well structured with provision for every sector. With proper allocation of resources, the future economic growth of the country seems promising.”