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Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2015

Tuesday, January 27th, 2015

Tencent, Alibaba overtake long-time leader China Mobile to claim top two spots

WPP and Millward Brown today announced the fifth annual BrandZ? Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands, with internet service company Tencent becoming the most valuable Chinese brand for the first time, and newly-listed online retailer Alibaba entering the ranking at No.2. Both brands leapfrogged long-time leader China Mobile, which had held the top spot since the ranking launched in 2011.

The 2015 ranking, carried out by marketing and brand consultancy Millward Brown in conjunction with WPP, clearly shows a rapid rise in the brand value of technology and tech-related retail brands. Technology companies have become brand powerhouses, and as a result the technology category has now surpassed financial institutions as the highest value category ($106.9 billion), contributing 23% of the Top 100’s total value.

Brands from private enterprises (also known as ‘market-driven’ brands) dominate in terms of value growth, rising 97% since 2013, while SOEs (state owned enterprises) declined 9%. Whereas five years ago the Top 5 brands were all SOEs, three of this year’s Top 5 – Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu – are market-driven. Together the three represent around half (48%) of the value of the Top 10, led by Tencent which nearly doubled in value in the past year alone.

The total brand value of the Top 100 Chinese Brands is $464.2 billion, a rise of 59% since the ranking launched in 2011. This growth has outpaced that of the BrandZ? Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands (+41%), and has also surpassed the most valuable brands in Brazil (which fell 40% in value from 2011-2014) and Latin America (which have grown only 3% since the Latam ranking launched in 2012).

Analysis of the brands in the Top 100 as a stock portfolio proves that investment in brand-building delivers strong shareholder return. Between July 2010 and October 2014 the brands in the Chinese MSCI stock index increased 4% while those in the Top 100 appreciated 32%. (more…)

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Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2014

Wednesday, January 1st, 2014

Brand value growth of non-SOEs (state-owned enterprises) is three times greater than SOEs

The 2014 WPP BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands study, commissioned by WPP and undertaken by Millward Brown, has been unveiled today. The ranking shows that China is increasingly a consumer-driven market amid the government’s increased emphasis on rebalancing the domestic economy.

Market-driven brands (private companies without government backing) in the Top 50 of the ranking enjoyed value growth of 27 percent – three times that of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) at 9 percent.

This is the first year the study has been expanded from 50 to 100 brands. A year-on-year comparison of the Top 50 shows an increase in total value of 13 percent in 2014 compared to last year, when it dropped 1.6 percent. China Mobile continues to be the nation’s most valuable brand, retaining the No.1 spot for the fourth year running with a value of US$61.4 billion, up 21 percent on 2013.

Technology, last year’s highest growing category, continues to rise in brand value – this year technology brands increased their value 28 percent overall. Tencent (US$33.9 billion) rose two positions to No.3 after growing its value 68 percent, and is the leading market-driven brand. (more…)

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Disparity in population with new cases of HIV/AIDS

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

A new report from the state health department shows wide disparities among people with HIV/AIDS in Minnesota, with more new cases in 2011 among communities of color, gay and bisexual men and people in their 20s than other groups.

Overall, the number of new HIV cases reported in Minnesota last year fell slightly from the year before, with 292 new cases reported in 2011, or 12 percent less than the 331 cases reported in 2010. There are 7,136 people living with HIV in the state.

Poverty and social factors play a big role in the transmission of HIV, said Peter Carr, STD and AIDS director for the Minnesota Department of Health.

“Access to care, access to prevention services, things that get in the way of people being able to make healthy choices,” Carr said. “There is some really strong and new evidence that suggests that those factors like where you live are as important as anything in determining your health status.”

Where a person lives also factors into the spread of HIV, he said. (more…)

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腾讯滨海大厦

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

深圳湾“春茧”附近即将诞生一座新地标，深圳腾讯公司未来新总部的所在地——腾讯滨海大厦。11月21日，腾讯新总部——腾讯滨海大厦在深圳市南山区科技园高新填海区举行了奠基仪式，广东省委常委、深圳市委书记王荣、市长许勤等出席奠基仪式。

王荣、许勤和腾讯公司首席执行官马化腾等为腾讯滨海大厦培土奠基。滨海大厦总投资约18亿元，包括一座248米高50层楼的南塔楼和一座194米高41层楼的北塔楼，建成后将成为腾讯在深圳的新总部大楼。许勤在致辞中说，腾讯是在深圳成长起来的全球著名互联网企业，为民族互联网企业发展和参与国际竞争作出了巨大贡献。在新的发展时期，深圳把互联网作为深圳战略性新兴产业，将为互联网企业发展创造更好的环境与支撑，希望腾讯把握新的机遇，再创新的辉煌，朝全球互联网行业最高峰迈进。

腾讯新总部大楼，腾讯滨海大厦，该项目位于南山区科技园内、后海大道与滨海大道的交汇处。项目总用地面积18650.95平方米，总建筑面积345,570平方米，包括一座248米高50层楼的南塔楼，一座194米高41层楼的北塔楼和三条连接两座塔楼并在内部设置共享配套设施的“连接层”。 (more…)

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International Education Week Promotes Study Abroad

Friday, November 18th, 2011

The 12th annual International Education (IE) Week began this year on Monday, November 14th and ends today. IE Week is a joint operation with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education, along with hundreds of colleges, to promote programs that will educate Americans on why global learning is important in this economy market. IE Week first began in 2000 and now more than 100 countries celebrate it each year. The theme for the week was International Education: Inspiring Students Locally to Succeed Globally.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stated that they are “passionate about providing all of our children with an education that will enable them to succeed in a globally competitive economy where knowledge and innovation are more important than ever,” in a press release found on ED.gov, the Education Department’s website.

Most of the activities listed for the week involved information sessions on international internships and education abroad programs. The University’s Honor Program held an event concerning the CUA Oxford Program on Thursday for honor students on campus who are considering the program.

Some events that were held on campus include an Education Abroad Social that took place on Wednesday by the CUA Global Ambassadors and the CUA Cultural Thanksgiving Potluck on Thursday hosted by Campus Activities, Campus Ministry and the Center for Global Education. (more…)

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University of Michigan launches two satellites into space on back of NASA rocket

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

With 30 seconds to go before two satellites they built were due to rocket into space, the 20 students or so gathered early this morning in a University of Michigan lab grew quiet.

There wasn’t a large celebration when the rocket blasted off.

Instead, there was a sense of fulfillment in the lab and an acknowledgment that the work wasn’t over – the satellites would soon be deployed in space and need monitoring.

U-M put two satellites into space this morning – M-Cubed and RAX. They hitched a ride on a NASA rocket and satellite. U-M was one of three universities across the nation to send satellites into space on this rocket.

M-cubed, which about the size of a square tissue box, – 10 cm by 10 cm by 10 cm – is designed for taking pictures of Earth. But more importantly, it is also flying a prototype of a specialized computer that private industry is testing for future space flights. RAX, which is about three times the size of M-Cubed, will be conducting a variety of experiments and measurements of the atmosphere.

U-M has a long tradition of being involved in the space program. It currently has one satellite in orbit. It has funding for two more missions.

It’s taken four years to build M-Cubed. Ken Gmerek, now a senior and the project manager, joined the team the second week of his freshmen year.

“I’m excited and a little nervous,” he said about 5:40 a.m. this morning, eight minutes before the launch. “I’m also a little relieved to get to this point. It’s been a long time coming.” (more…)

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University of Colorado researchers look to pythons for clues to heart health

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

DENVER—Python blood may hold the road map to effective treatments for human heart disease, according to a new biomedical study by University of Colorado researchers.

Researchers at CU’s Biofrontiers Institute have discovered three key fatty acids in python blood that, when reproduced, have the same positive effect on mammal heart growth as that observed in pythons.

A day after a Burmese python feeds, the mass of the snake’s heart increases by 40 per cent and the triglycerides in its bloodstream grow 50 times beyond normal levels. Since triglycerides are the main component in natural fats and oils, this results in massive amounts of fatty acids circulating through the python’s bloodstream.

“Fats in blood is usually associated with bad things in humans,” lead researcher Leslie Leinwand said. “We wanted to find out how the python manages to not have something toxic happen to it.”

The researchers discovered no evidence that the fats in the python’s blood deposited in the reptile’s heart. In fact, they found an increase in activity of a key enzyme that protects the heart from damage.

The research team was able to identify the three key fatty acids that could be used to mimic the chemical makeup of a python’s post-feeding blood. (more…)

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White House asks Supreme Court to rule on healthcare law

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

The White House has asked the Supreme Court to uphold its healthcare law, inviting a possible high-stakes legal showdown just before the 2012 election.

The administration’s move came after a challenge to the reform from 26 states and small businesses.

The justice department asked the Supreme Court to declare the law’s key provision, requiring everyone to buy health insurance, constitutional.

The legislation extended health coverage to an extra 32 million people.

Passed in 2010, the Affordable Care Act was a long-held dream of Democrats.

Challenge ‘will fail’

The White House’s move on Wednesday followed an August decision by the 11th Circuit appeals court, in Atlanta, that the individual insurance mandate exceeded Congress’ powers.

While the court said the remainder of the law was constitutional, it struck down its core requirement that Americans who can afford it must buy health insurance or pay a penalty from 2014.

The case was brought by 26 Republican attorneys general and governors, and small business owners, who oppose a provision forcing them to cover their employees’ healthcare at a level set by the government.

The justice department said in a statement on Wednesday: “Throughout history, there have been similar challenges to other landmark legislation such as the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, and all of those challenges failed.

“We believe the challenges to the Affordable Care Act – like the one in the 11th Circuit – will also ultimately fail and that the Supreme Court will uphold the law.” (more…)

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HP Expands Telecom Offerings through New Consulting Services and Management Software

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Information technology major HP Enterprise Services has expanded its telecom offerings to assist customers in the planning and execution of transformation strategies.

Aimed at strengthening its consulting services and management software businesses, HP has expanded two portfolios that support communications service providers (CSPs).

The new businesses include HP Solutions Consulting Services (HP SCS) and HP Operations Support Systems Transformation solutions for network and service management.

Telecom service providers can gain as these two portfolios offer expertise and tools for business transformation, including strategic and financial advisory, operational analysis, transformation management, and a full portfolio of operations support systems (OSS) software and integration services.

“CSPs can plan and execute transformation strategies with HP Solutions Consulting Services and HP OSS Transformation solutions,” said David Sliter, vice president and general manager, Communications and Media Solutions, HP Enterprise Services.

“To grow, CSPs need to enhance the customer experience, and that means fact-based transformation strategies, tight governance and automated solutions,” Sliter added. (more…)

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HIV Care System Is Getting Swamped

Friday, March 18th, 2011

The U.S. HIV care system is being swamped by a rising tide of new patients, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report warns.

As HIV treatment continues to improve, people with HIV are living much longer. Meanwhile, the CDC’s universal HIV screening program is bearing fruit, identifying more people who are infected with the AIDS virus.

The result is a widening gap between the number of Americans with HIV and the resources available to treat them.

“Our system is getting stretched,” IOM panel chair Paul D. Cleary, PhD, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, tells WebMD. “There is going to be a dramatic change in the number of people with HIV detected and cared for. When we start treating this many more people … we find there are barriers to getting them into available treatment facilities.”

Over 20% of the 1.1 million Americans with HIV don’t know they are infected. Learning they have HIV is good for the individual, as earlier treatment means better health. It’s also good for society, as people who know they carry HIV are less likely to infect others — and treatment actually makes a person less infectious.

“There is a moral imperative that if we do testing, we have to get people who test positive into care,” Michael Saag, MD, tells WebMD.

But there’s a raft of problems with actually providing this care, notes Saag, director of AIDS research at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and immediate past president of the HIV Medicine Association.

Saag’s state-of-the-art AIDS clinic is a prime example. In 2000, the clinic was caring for 750 patients. Now the same clinic, with pretty much the same funding and same staff level, is caring for 1,800 patients. (more…)

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