Facebook Inc. ( FB ) reported flat year-over-year earnings growth in the second quarter of 2012. The social networking platform provider earned 12 cents per share in the quarter that exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate by three cents.
However, including stock-based compensation, payroll taxes and income tax adjustment, Facebook lost 8 cents per share compared with earnings of 11 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.
Quarter Details
Facebook's revenue jumped 32.3% year over year to $1.18 billion, slightly ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.15 billion. The year-over-year growth was driven by strong advertising revenue (84% of the total revenue) that climbed 28% year over year to $992.0 million. Facebook generated the rest of the revenue from payments & other fees in the quarter.
The strong upside in advertising revenues was primarily driven by an 18% increase in the number of ads delivered based on growth in the user base and an increase in average number of ads per page from the prior-year period.
However, strong growth in mobile user base continued to hurt Ad impressions, particularly in the US, where number of ads delivered decreased 2.0% year over year in the quarter.
Average price per ad increased 9.0% year over year, primarily aided by a 20% increase in CPMs in US due to the roll out of sponsored stories in news feed during the quarter for PC and mobile users. Price per ad growth was also strong in Asia and rest of the world, which fully offset a decline in Europe.
Monthly Active Users (MAU) improved 29% year over year to 955 million at the end of June 30, 2012. Mobile MAUs surged 67.0% year over year to 543 million at the end of quarter. During the same period, Daily Active Users (DAU) increased 32.0% year over year to 552 million.
Average revenue per user (ARPU) was $1.28 in the quarter, up double-digits in the US, Asia and rest of the world. ARPU grew 8.0% in Europe in the quarter.
However, this healthy growth in revenue and user base was partially offset by higher costs and operating expense in the quarter, particularly due to stock-based compensation, which totaled $1.3 billion in the quarter. Excluding this effect, operating expenses shot up 60.0% year over year to $669.0 million, driven by headcount growth and costs incurred related to infrastructure development.
Facebook's operating income increased 8.0% year over year to $515.0 million. However, including stock-based compensation and payroll-tax expenses related to share based compensation, the company reported an operating loss of $743.0 million.
Net Income was up 3.5% year over year to $295.0 million. However, including stock-based compensation, payroll-tax expenses related to share-based compensation and income tax adjustments, the company reported net loss of $157.0 million in the quarter.
Facebook ended the quarter with cash & cash equivalents of 10.19 billion. The company generated $242.0 million as cash flow from operations in the quarter.
Outlook
Facebook expects operating expenses to increase at a much faster rate compared to the second quarter in the second half of this year. The company expects steep rise in research & development expenses mainly due to continued investments in product development for mobile segment and infrastructure.
Our Take
We believe that Facebook has significant growth opportunities from increasing online advertising spending as compared to traditional formats. Facebook's massive user base and its ability to track personal details over time make it a formidable force in the online ad market. Facebook can use this massive database to help advertisers target relevant ads going forward.
However, increasing competition is the primary headwind for Facebook over the long term. Besides competition from Google+, Twitter, Orkut in its core markets, Facebook is also competing against small regional platforms, which not only limit its expansion opportunities but also hurt its profitability.
Facebook is facing significant competition in the display advertising market from Google ( GOOG ). Rising concerns over the effectiveness of Facebook ads as compared to Google's AdSense has been a headwind lately. As per eMarketer, Google is set to grab the #1 position in the display ad market by the end of 2013. We believe that Google's increasing popularity has the potential to limit Facebook's ad revenue growth going forward.
Further, Facebook's popularity is based on the engaging apps from its third-party developers, particularly Zynga ( ZNGA ). However, Zynga's narrow product portfolio has been primarily blamed for a waning interest in social games on the platform. Zynga's low-paying customer base and stiff competition from other established players are also hurting its top line. This does not bode well for Facebook, as the company earns the majority of its non-ad revenue from Zynga.
Apart from increasing competition, lack of visibility around mobile monetization remains a concern. Although Facebook has made a number of acquisitions (such as Snaptu, Instagram) to enhance its mobile offerings, we believe that lack of adequate ad coverage for the mobile platform will continue to hurt its revenue earning capacity going forward. Moreover, continued investments to expand mobile offerings are expected to hurt margins in the near term.
We remain Neutral over the long term (6-12 months). Currently, Facebook has a Zacks #3 Rank, which implies a Hold rating in the near term.
However, including stock-based compensation, payroll taxes and income tax adjustment, Facebook lost 8 cents per share compared with earnings of 11 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.
Quarter Details
Facebook's revenue jumped 32.3% year over year to $1.18 billion, slightly ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.15 billion. The year-over-year growth was driven by strong advertising revenue (84% of the total revenue) that climbed 28% year over year to $992.0 million. Facebook generated the rest of the revenue from payments & other fees in the quarter.
The strong upside in advertising revenues was primarily driven by an 18% increase in the number of ads delivered based on growth in the user base and an increase in average number of ads per page from the prior-year period.
However, strong growth in mobile user base continued to hurt Ad impressions, particularly in the US, where number of ads delivered decreased 2.0% year over year in the quarter.
Average price per ad increased 9.0% year over year, primarily aided by a 20% increase in CPMs in US due to the roll out of sponsored stories in news feed during the quarter for PC and mobile users. Price per ad growth was also strong in Asia and rest of the world, which fully offset a decline in Europe.
Monthly Active Users (MAU) improved 29% year over year to 955 million at the end of June 30, 2012. Mobile MAUs surged 67.0% year over year to 543 million at the end of quarter. During the same period, Daily Active Users (DAU) increased 32.0% year over year to 552 million.
Average revenue per user (ARPU) was $1.28 in the quarter, up double-digits in the US, Asia and rest of the world. ARPU grew 8.0% in Europe in the quarter.
However, this healthy growth in revenue and user base was partially offset by higher costs and operating expense in the quarter, particularly due to stock-based compensation, which totaled $1.3 billion in the quarter. Excluding this effect, operating expenses shot up 60.0% year over year to $669.0 million, driven by headcount growth and costs incurred related to infrastructure development.
Facebook's operating income increased 8.0% year over year to $515.0 million. However, including stock-based compensation and payroll-tax expenses related to share based compensation, the company reported an operating loss of $743.0 million.
Net Income was up 3.5% year over year to $295.0 million. However, including stock-based compensation, payroll-tax expenses related to share-based compensation and income tax adjustments, the company reported net loss of $157.0 million in the quarter.
Facebook ended the quarter with cash & cash equivalents of 10.19 billion. The company generated $242.0 million as cash flow from operations in the quarter.
Outlook
Facebook expects operating expenses to increase at a much faster rate compared to the second quarter in the second half of this year. The company expects steep rise in research & development expenses mainly due to continued investments in product development for mobile segment and infrastructure.
Our Take
We believe that Facebook has significant growth opportunities from increasing online advertising spending as compared to traditional formats. Facebook's massive user base and its ability to track personal details over time make it a formidable force in the online ad market. Facebook can use this massive database to help advertisers target relevant ads going forward.
However, increasing competition is the primary headwind for Facebook over the long term. Besides competition from Google+, Twitter, Orkut in its core markets, Facebook is also competing against small regional platforms, which not only limit its expansion opportunities but also hurt its profitability.
Facebook is facing significant competition in the display advertising market from Google ( GOOG ). Rising concerns over the effectiveness of Facebook ads as compared to Google's AdSense has been a headwind lately. As per eMarketer, Google is set to grab the #1 position in the display ad market by the end of 2013. We believe that Google's increasing popularity has the potential to limit Facebook's ad revenue growth going forward.
Further, Facebook's popularity is based on the engaging apps from its third-party developers, particularly Zynga ( ZNGA ). However, Zynga's narrow product portfolio has been primarily blamed for a waning interest in social games on the platform. Zynga's low-paying customer base and stiff competition from other established players are also hurting its top line. This does not bode well for Facebook, as the company earns the majority of its non-ad revenue from Zynga.
Apart from increasing competition, lack of visibility around mobile monetization remains a concern. Although Facebook has made a number of acquisitions (such as Snaptu, Instagram) to enhance its mobile offerings, we believe that lack of adequate ad coverage for the mobile platform will continue to hurt its revenue earning capacity going forward. Moreover, continued investments to expand mobile offerings are expected to hurt margins in the near term.
We remain Neutral over the long term (6-12 months). Currently, Facebook has a Zacks #3 Rank, which implies a Hold rating in the near term.
( Nasdaq )
BBC Sport Olympics
BBC Sports has launched a new free application for Android and iOS operating system based devices that will offer live events coverage, comprehensive schedule and results pages, and daily news stories which can be saved for offline reading. It is also available for BlackBerry devices.
Alongside live streaming, catch-up coverage and highlights, the app ensures that users always have a games guide even on-the-go. Offering facts, stats and information, the app generates pages for every athlete, country and sport, updated in real-time. You can also access live daily text commentaries, news stories and a detailed schedule and results section covering every Olympics event.
The app allows stories to be saved for offline reading, ensuring the latest information is accessible even when mobile reception is unavailable. Additionally, iOS users can personalise the app by adding their favourite Olympics sports to the customisable tab bar, enabling quick access to the latest live action.
The iOS app is optimised for handsets with iOS 5.0 and above installed. The Android version is optimised for handsets with OS 2.2 and Flash installed.
The Android app can be downloaded now from the Android App Store. The iOS app can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store. A shortcut app for Blackberry users, which creates a bookmark for the BBC Olympics mobile website, is available from Blackberry App World.
BBC coverage of the 2012 Olympics can also be enjoyed on mobile phones via the mobile browser version of the BBC Sport website.
Official Olympics London 2012
The London 2012 results app is meant to offer all the latest updates, news, schedules and results. These updates will be almost live so that users can be updated with the results. Apart from live updates there will be details about the sports, athlete profiles, schedules and medal tables.
The app also allows people to follow the live schedule that offers details of the sports events in progress and lets users share the results in real-time over social networks. This app will offer loads of multimedia in terms of photos and other information. There is no mention of live videos or videos on demand.
The London 2012 Olympics app will feature 36 sports of the Olympics and 21 sports of the Paraolympics.
It is available for Android, BlackBerry and iOS devices.
Reuters Olympics London 2012
Available only for iOS devices, the app provides some best Olympics pictures captured by the Reuter's photographers.
You can check Olympic records and schedules and results of various events by events or date. It also provides photos by sport through its Photo Filter option. These pictures can also shared on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
It is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad. It requires iOS 5.0 or later.
PlayUp of Samsung
Samsung India, which is the official sponsor of the Indian team to the London 2012 Olympic games, has launched an exclusive Olympics app called 'PlayUp', which will be available to users free of cost from the Samsung app store under the special 'London 2012' category and from Google Play store as well.
The app is designed to keep the users up to date with the latest action at the biggest sporting event on the planet. Its home screen features a running countdown to the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics and provides access to various sports. The app has been designed to provide live updates. Country based geo-targeting in the app will give users the most relevant content for the country that they support. 'News Tiles' will display news segregated by location and sport
The app will also track the social media action, segmented by location and sport. The app will also feature tiles for medal tally, schedules, key events, player ranking, etc.
PlayUp app is also available for iOS devices.
Besides these, there are many other apps on Android, iOS, and BlackBerry devices which you can search for on their respective application stores.
( Mobile Indian )
BBC Sports has launched a new free application for Android and iOS operating system based devices that will offer live events coverage, comprehensive schedule and results pages, and daily news stories which can be saved for offline reading. It is also available for BlackBerry devices.
Alongside live streaming, catch-up coverage and highlights, the app ensures that users always have a games guide even on-the-go. Offering facts, stats and information, the app generates pages for every athlete, country and sport, updated in real-time. You can also access live daily text commentaries, news stories and a detailed schedule and results section covering every Olympics event.
The app allows stories to be saved for offline reading, ensuring the latest information is accessible even when mobile reception is unavailable. Additionally, iOS users can personalise the app by adding their favourite Olympics sports to the customisable tab bar, enabling quick access to the latest live action.
The iOS app is optimised for handsets with iOS 5.0 and above installed. The Android version is optimised for handsets with OS 2.2 and Flash installed.
The Android app can be downloaded now from the Android App Store. The iOS app can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store. A shortcut app for Blackberry users, which creates a bookmark for the BBC Olympics mobile website, is available from Blackberry App World.
BBC coverage of the 2012 Olympics can also be enjoyed on mobile phones via the mobile browser version of the BBC Sport website.
Official Olympics London 2012
The London 2012 results app is meant to offer all the latest updates, news, schedules and results. These updates will be almost live so that users can be updated with the results. Apart from live updates there will be details about the sports, athlete profiles, schedules and medal tables.
The app also allows people to follow the live schedule that offers details of the sports events in progress and lets users share the results in real-time over social networks. This app will offer loads of multimedia in terms of photos and other information. There is no mention of live videos or videos on demand.
The London 2012 Olympics app will feature 36 sports of the Olympics and 21 sports of the Paraolympics.
It is available for Android, BlackBerry and iOS devices.
Reuters Olympics London 2012
Available only for iOS devices, the app provides some best Olympics pictures captured by the Reuter's photographers.
You can check Olympic records and schedules and results of various events by events or date. It also provides photos by sport through its Photo Filter option. These pictures can also shared on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
It is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad. It requires iOS 5.0 or later.
PlayUp of Samsung
Samsung India, which is the official sponsor of the Indian team to the London 2012 Olympic games, has launched an exclusive Olympics app called 'PlayUp', which will be available to users free of cost from the Samsung app store under the special 'London 2012' category and from Google Play store as well.
The app is designed to keep the users up to date with the latest action at the biggest sporting event on the planet. Its home screen features a running countdown to the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics and provides access to various sports. The app has been designed to provide live updates. Country based geo-targeting in the app will give users the most relevant content for the country that they support. 'News Tiles' will display news segregated by location and sport
The app will also track the social media action, segmented by location and sport. The app will also feature tiles for medal tally, schedules, key events, player ranking, etc.
PlayUp app is also available for iOS devices.
Besides these, there are many other apps on Android, iOS, and BlackBerry devices which you can search for on their respective application stores.
( Mobile Indian )
How religious issues are still prevailing in 21st century and how it is being translated in to action, we can figure out from the incident, The Hindu boy accepting an Islam religion in Pakistan and the process was broadcasted live. The exact inspiration behind this might be anything from at will to fear, but it might stir up some religious debate across the globe, as one can clearly translate the story as it is favorable to be Muslim in Pakistan. People from two different religious group ( Hindu & Muslim ) might provoke the matter as it was being sensitive to religions.
An editorial in the Dawn on Friday said that it's been apparent for a while now that the country's electronic media will go to extreme lengths to spice things up and "religion is now fair game too".
"In yet another example of how the industry's commercial goals trump ethics, open-mindedness and common sense, on Tuesday a television show broadcast an imam leading a Hindu boy through a live conversion to Islam carried out in the studio as part of the show, complete with the audience joining in to suggest Muslim names for the new convert.
"There is no reason to think the boy was not converting of his own free will, but the whole event had the distinct air of being carried out to give viewers something new and different to watch, even if that meant dragging an intensely personal and spiritual experience into public view," the daily said.
The editorial said that "more disturbingly, what the channel obviously didn't stop to consider is the message this broadcast would send to the country's minorities".
"The joy with which the conversion was greeted, and the congratulations that followed, sent a clear signal that other religions don't enjoy the same status in Pakistan as Islam does. In a country where minorities are already treated as second-class citizens in many ways, this served to marginalise them even further," it rued.
The daily observed that the problem with Pakistani media is that "it is missing a responsibility chip, hurtling ahead with what seems like exciting content without stopping to consider the ethical implications or appropriateness of its programming, or the message it will send to all Pakistanis, not just those it considers the mainstream".
( IANS )
First Commercial Tidal Wave Power Project In U.S. This Summer
Tidal power is something that hasn't yet been commercially tried as a green electricity source in the U.S., but that changes this Summer with the TidGen project in Cobscook Bay, near to Eastport, Maine. Turbines will be anchored to the ground in water that's about 50 to 100 feet deep and will spin to generate power as the tide surges into and out of Cobscook Bay during the day. The system will initially power between 75 and 100 homes, but ultimately will generate enough to power 1,200 homes--a power of about 3 megaWatts. The project comes from the Ocean Renewables Power Company, which has been working with the Department of Energy.
Fab Rolls Out Mobile Sharing Features, Facebook Connect
Fab's mobile users, who drive 30 to 40% of the shopping site's daily traffic, are twice as likely as web-based users to make a purchase. And shoppers who use the site's social features, such as the Live Feed that shows what people are purchasing in real time, buy twice as much as those who don't. So it makes sense that Fab is adding a host of social features to its mobile app, which it launches as Fab 3.0 for Mobile today. It's also adopting Facebook Connect, so users who were previously able to see what their Facebook friends were buying on Fab can now also log into the site through Facebook. Fab, which now has 5.5 million users, says more than 20% of its daily traffic comes from social channels.
Path Adds Personal Voice Messages, Photo Filters, Movie And Book Reviews To Sharing App
Personal social network Path has added a few features in version 2.5 of its sharing app. Among those, the photo feature has been updated with filters, and Path has slapped on a bigger, better display in which to enjoy them. Invites to friends not on the intimate social network get even more of a personal touch--those can be sent along with a voice message recorded and attached. Path has also added a catalogue of movie and book reviews, through partnerships with Apple and Flixter. Path noticed updates often involved photos of movie posters or books, cofounder and CEO Dave Morin told The Verge, so they decided to add a feature that would make those shares more effective. In its latest funding round, Path added $30 million from the investors like Greylock Partners and Richard Branson.
AOL Reveals Quarterly Finances: Revenues Slip Again, But At Slower Rate
AOL has just reported its second quarter finances: Revenues of $531 million are down 2% on the same period in 2011, but which the firm notes to be AOL's smallest slip in seven years. Net income was $970.8 million, largely driven by a pre-tax gain on "disposal of assets" of $945.8 million, which is essentially its patent sale to Microsoft. That's a dramatic change from the $11.8 million loss the company managed in the same period last year--although it doesn't paint a picture of an extraordinarily healthy AOL at all, because you can only sell the family jewels once, and a more representative income figure (without the patent sale) would be around $25 million in profit.
More promising is the fact AOL reports its global advertising revenues were up 6%, the fifth consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth. Part of that positive figure is attributed to "the lowest rate of search and contextual revenue decline in over three years of 1%, driven primarily by continued double-digit growth in search revenue on AOL.com." Which is AOL saying that though its overall search engine-driven incomes are declining, they're doing so much more slowly.
BitTorrent Makes DJ Shadow A First Of A Kind Revenue Deal
While the rest of the world tries to shut them down and debate if BitTorrent shares help in real album sales, BitTorrent has struck its first revenue deal with an artist. The partnership runs contrary to the traditional music selling model but could present an amiable truce between two warring sides that comes with benefits for each. GigaOm explains that the music is still free for the downloader, but DJ Shadow now gets a cut thrown his way if the downloader also installs a BitTorrent software bundle which includes media from BitTorrent's advertising partners. BitTorrent has struck sharing deals with artists before through its uTorrent program but this is the first time the company and an artist are sharing cents.
Facebook Begins Hiring Engineers In London
Facebook is adding an engineering team to an office in London, and has put up a jobs posting including five software engineers. Facebook first moved to London in 2009 and moved into its current Covent Garden office in late March this year. London is a busy chapter in Europe's Silicon Valley Edition, with high-profile U.S. tech firms like Google, Qualcomm buying up office space in the area. The most recent addition is Amazon, who announced its purchase of a 8-floor office in London's "Silicon Roundabout" area to develop its streaming TV business.
ARM Reports Profit Rise Of 23%, Bucking Industry Trend
British firm ARM, behind the innovative low-power chips that are enabling the smartphone and tablet revolutions, has just reported its second quarter finances, including profits of £66.5 million ($103.25 million) on sales of £135.5 million. The totals beat analyst expectations, and the profit figure represents a rise of 23% over the same period last year--while revenues are up 15%. The results are impressive given the difficult global economic environment and that ARM's industry peers have variously been down-adjusting their forecasts to suit consumer nervousness and the financial crisis that's affecting Europe so badly. ARM's strong performance is attributed to good global sales of tablets, smartphones, and other devices like smart TVs, and that its licensing revenue streams performed particularly well. Apple licenses ARM designs for its own-branded A-series of chips that power the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.
Tidal power is something that hasn't yet been commercially tried as a green electricity source in the U.S., but that changes this Summer with the TidGen project in Cobscook Bay, near to Eastport, Maine. Turbines will be anchored to the ground in water that's about 50 to 100 feet deep and will spin to generate power as the tide surges into and out of Cobscook Bay during the day. The system will initially power between 75 and 100 homes, but ultimately will generate enough to power 1,200 homes--a power of about 3 megaWatts. The project comes from the Ocean Renewables Power Company, which has been working with the Department of Energy.
Fab Rolls Out Mobile Sharing Features, Facebook Connect
Fab's mobile users, who drive 30 to 40% of the shopping site's daily traffic, are twice as likely as web-based users to make a purchase. And shoppers who use the site's social features, such as the Live Feed that shows what people are purchasing in real time, buy twice as much as those who don't. So it makes sense that Fab is adding a host of social features to its mobile app, which it launches as Fab 3.0 for Mobile today. It's also adopting Facebook Connect, so users who were previously able to see what their Facebook friends were buying on Fab can now also log into the site through Facebook. Fab, which now has 5.5 million users, says more than 20% of its daily traffic comes from social channels.
Path Adds Personal Voice Messages, Photo Filters, Movie And Book Reviews To Sharing App
Personal social network Path has added a few features in version 2.5 of its sharing app. Among those, the photo feature has been updated with filters, and Path has slapped on a bigger, better display in which to enjoy them. Invites to friends not on the intimate social network get even more of a personal touch--those can be sent along with a voice message recorded and attached. Path has also added a catalogue of movie and book reviews, through partnerships with Apple and Flixter. Path noticed updates often involved photos of movie posters or books, cofounder and CEO Dave Morin told The Verge, so they decided to add a feature that would make those shares more effective. In its latest funding round, Path added $30 million from the investors like Greylock Partners and Richard Branson.
Zynga Releases Q2 Report, Cuts Back Forecasts
Zynga has released its second quarter earnings results, reporting revenues of $332 million which fall short of analyst expectations of $343 million. Acknowledging the trend, but perhaps worryingly, Zynga also cut back its forecasts for bookings this year (its revenues minus its Facebook fees, the New York Times explains) from $1.47 billion to $1.15 billion. Part of the reason behind Zynga's disappointing results is its purchase of Draw Something maker OMGPop for $183 million earlier this year, as the game's initial rush of popularity seems to have fizzled. It's the company's second earnings report since it went public in December. Facebook itself is about to reveal its first quarterly earnings since its May IPO later today, but the Washington Post notes Facebook's share price is being dented by Zynga's news.
Mountain Lion Sighting At The Mac App Store
Mountain Lion, the newest operating system from Apple named after a stern-looking wild cat, is out at a Mac App Store near you and downloadable for $19.99. The new OS integrates applications on the Mac with those on Apple's iPhone and iPad iOS even tighter than its predecessor Lion did--its iMessage messaging service, for example, is making a debut on the Mac in a big way. The update is likely to go well if last year's Lion release is any indication--in fact, 9to5Mac reports that some early downloaders are already running into issues. Last June was the first time Apple released an OS update over the air, and Lion was downloaded more than 1 million times on its first day out. Apple's next mobile OS iOS 6 should also do rippingly well in terms of adoption, when it arrives in the Fall--the last iOS update hit 61 percent adoption in just fifteen days.
Zynga has released its second quarter earnings results, reporting revenues of $332 million which fall short of analyst expectations of $343 million. Acknowledging the trend, but perhaps worryingly, Zynga also cut back its forecasts for bookings this year (its revenues minus its Facebook fees, the New York Times explains) from $1.47 billion to $1.15 billion. Part of the reason behind Zynga's disappointing results is its purchase of Draw Something maker OMGPop for $183 million earlier this year, as the game's initial rush of popularity seems to have fizzled. It's the company's second earnings report since it went public in December. Facebook itself is about to reveal its first quarterly earnings since its May IPO later today, but the Washington Post notes Facebook's share price is being dented by Zynga's news.
Mountain Lion Sighting At The Mac App Store
Mountain Lion, the newest operating system from Apple named after a stern-looking wild cat, is out at a Mac App Store near you and downloadable for $19.99. The new OS integrates applications on the Mac with those on Apple's iPhone and iPad iOS even tighter than its predecessor Lion did--its iMessage messaging service, for example, is making a debut on the Mac in a big way. The update is likely to go well if last year's Lion release is any indication--in fact, 9to5Mac reports that some early downloaders are already running into issues. Last June was the first time Apple released an OS update over the air, and Lion was downloaded more than 1 million times on its first day out. Apple's next mobile OS iOS 6 should also do rippingly well in terms of adoption, when it arrives in the Fall--the last iOS update hit 61 percent adoption in just fifteen days.
AOL Reveals Quarterly Finances: Revenues Slip Again, But At Slower Rate
AOL has just reported its second quarter finances: Revenues of $531 million are down 2% on the same period in 2011, but which the firm notes to be AOL's smallest slip in seven years. Net income was $970.8 million, largely driven by a pre-tax gain on "disposal of assets" of $945.8 million, which is essentially its patent sale to Microsoft. That's a dramatic change from the $11.8 million loss the company managed in the same period last year--although it doesn't paint a picture of an extraordinarily healthy AOL at all, because you can only sell the family jewels once, and a more representative income figure (without the patent sale) would be around $25 million in profit.
More promising is the fact AOL reports its global advertising revenues were up 6%, the fifth consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth. Part of that positive figure is attributed to "the lowest rate of search and contextual revenue decline in over three years of 1%, driven primarily by continued double-digit growth in search revenue on AOL.com." Which is AOL saying that though its overall search engine-driven incomes are declining, they're doing so much more slowly.
BitTorrent Makes DJ Shadow A First Of A Kind Revenue Deal
While the rest of the world tries to shut them down and debate if BitTorrent shares help in real album sales, BitTorrent has struck its first revenue deal with an artist. The partnership runs contrary to the traditional music selling model but could present an amiable truce between two warring sides that comes with benefits for each. GigaOm explains that the music is still free for the downloader, but DJ Shadow now gets a cut thrown his way if the downloader also installs a BitTorrent software bundle which includes media from BitTorrent's advertising partners. BitTorrent has struck sharing deals with artists before through its uTorrent program but this is the first time the company and an artist are sharing cents.
Facebook Begins Hiring Engineers In London
Facebook is adding an engineering team to an office in London, and has put up a jobs posting including five software engineers. Facebook first moved to London in 2009 and moved into its current Covent Garden office in late March this year. London is a busy chapter in Europe's Silicon Valley Edition, with high-profile U.S. tech firms like Google, Qualcomm buying up office space in the area. The most recent addition is Amazon, who announced its purchase of a 8-floor office in London's "Silicon Roundabout" area to develop its streaming TV business.
ARM Reports Profit Rise Of 23%, Bucking Industry Trend
British firm ARM, behind the innovative low-power chips that are enabling the smartphone and tablet revolutions, has just reported its second quarter finances, including profits of £66.5 million ($103.25 million) on sales of £135.5 million. The totals beat analyst expectations, and the profit figure represents a rise of 23% over the same period last year--while revenues are up 15%. The results are impressive given the difficult global economic environment and that ARM's industry peers have variously been down-adjusting their forecasts to suit consumer nervousness and the financial crisis that's affecting Europe so badly. ARM's strong performance is attributed to good global sales of tablets, smartphones, and other devices like smart TVs, and that its licensing revenue streams performed particularly well. Apple licenses ARM designs for its own-branded A-series of chips that power the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.
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• AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) Sales Hit Hard by Generic Competition More...
• Sanofi (France) (SAN.PA) Earnings Rise on Lower Restructuring Costs More...
• Agenus (Formerly known as Antigenics Inc. - Lexington, MA) (AGEN) to Report 2nd Quarter Financial Results on August 2, 2012; Conference Call to Follow More...
• Genzyme Corporation (GENZ) Ordered to Fork Over $50 Million to Settle Patent Fight More...
• Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Uncovers Clues that Could Lead to AIDS Cure More...
• American Academy of Neurology Publishes Results From Pivotal Study of Eisai Inc. (ESALF.PK)'s Perampanel More...
• Maxwell Biotech Venture Fund's Portfolio Company, Infectex, Receives Russian Regulator's Approval to Conduct Pivotal Clinical Trial for Sequella, Inc.'s Antibiotic, SQ109, for Tuberculosis More...
• Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ONXX) Announces Kyprolis™ Study Published in the Medical Journal Blood More...
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• Stress May Cause Women's Brains to Age Prematurely, University of California, Berkeley (CAL) Study More...
• Research Ban for Surgeons After Probiotic Experiment, University of California, Davis (UCD) Reveals More...
• Research & Diagnostic Antibodies Receives Notice of Allowance for Second Key Sepsis Diagnostic Patent in Japan More...
• Advanced Cell Technology Issued Broad Patent for Human RPE Cells Derived From All Types of Pluripotent Stem Cells More...
• Novartis AG (NVS) Resumes Production of Excedrin More...
• UK Authority Backs Down in Novartis AG (NVS) Eye Drug Dispute More...
Any time double money! A faulty ATM in the UK started dispensing double the amount requested as people squabbled with each other to avail the sudden windfall.
Police were called to calm crowds that had gathered after the cash machine at the Nacton Road Lloyds TSB in Ipswich started dispensing "free money".
A spokesman for Lloyds TSB said it would be difficult to trace the customers affected and said it was unlikely they would try to reclaim the money.
Some 30 people are thought to have benefited from the glitch. Police officers were called to the bank at 8:05pm (local time) on Tuesday night after a concerned member of the public reported arguments breaking out among the crowd.
"The incorrect dispensing of cash is not a police issue, but we remained on scene until staff from the Lloyds bank arrived and turned off the cash machine," a Suffolk police spokesman was quoted by the Ipswich Star as saying.
Ipswich resident Emma Hutchinson said she received a phone call from an anonymous friend at around 7 pm (local time) telling her the cash machine was dispensing "free money".
"Word got around pretty quickly," she said. "My friend asked for 40 pounds and the machine gave out 80 pounds." "I initially thought I would try my luck, then got paranoid the bank would be able to find out who took the money and ask for it back," she added.
A spokesman for Lloyds TSB said: "For a very short period of time, the ATM at Nacton Road was mis-dispensing cash whilst the branch was closed. The machine was put out of service. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Last month there was a run on a Sainsbury's ATM in central London when it started paying out double money after an employee accidentally loaded the 10 pound tray with 20 pound notes.
Police were called to calm crowds that had gathered after the cash machine at the Nacton Road Lloyds TSB in Ipswich started dispensing "free money".
A spokesman for Lloyds TSB said it would be difficult to trace the customers affected and said it was unlikely they would try to reclaim the money.
Some 30 people are thought to have benefited from the glitch. Police officers were called to the bank at 8:05pm (local time) on Tuesday night after a concerned member of the public reported arguments breaking out among the crowd.
"The incorrect dispensing of cash is not a police issue, but we remained on scene until staff from the Lloyds bank arrived and turned off the cash machine," a Suffolk police spokesman was quoted by the Ipswich Star as saying.
Ipswich resident Emma Hutchinson said she received a phone call from an anonymous friend at around 7 pm (local time) telling her the cash machine was dispensing "free money".
"Word got around pretty quickly," she said. "My friend asked for 40 pounds and the machine gave out 80 pounds." "I initially thought I would try my luck, then got paranoid the bank would be able to find out who took the money and ask for it back," she added.
A spokesman for Lloyds TSB said: "For a very short period of time, the ATM at Nacton Road was mis-dispensing cash whilst the branch was closed. The machine was put out of service. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Last month there was a run on a Sainsbury's ATM in central London when it started paying out double money after an employee accidentally loaded the 10 pound tray with 20 pound notes.
( Press Trust of India )
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan carried the London Olympic torch in London on Thursday, a day before the opening ceremony of the Games. The actor was a part of the relay team which carried the torch.
Bachchan, 69, had already tweeted that he would be carrying the torch in London on Thursday at 10.30 am.
"OK !! HERE IT IS: Have been invited by London Olympic Organizing Committee to carry the torch in the relay tomorrow...," Bachchan had tweeted.
"Honored to be asked to carry the Olympic Torch in London at Southwark around 10:30 AM !! A proud moment for me and country," he added.
Check out the video:
Bachchan, 69, had already tweeted that he would be carrying the torch in London on Thursday at 10.30 am.
"OK !! HERE IT IS: Have been invited by London Olympic Organizing Committee to carry the torch in the relay tomorrow...," Bachchan had tweeted.
"Honored to be asked to carry the Olympic Torch in London at Southwark around 10:30 AM !! A proud moment for me and country," he added.
Check out the video:
The days of cheap samosas in Pakistan is over. Ending a legal wrangle over the price of the humble samosa, the Supreme Court has set aside a notification of the Punjab government whereby the price of one 'samosa' was fixed at Rs 6.
The samosa, till early this week, was caught up in a legal tussle between the provincial government and Punjab Bakers and Sweets Federation.
In 2009, the City District Government Lahore had fixed price of one samosa at Rs 6 and magistrates imposed fine on shopkeepers for selling the same at a higher price.
The Punjab Bakers and Sweets Federation, through its President Chaudhry Muhammad Afzal, had challenged this order at the time, but the LHC had dismissed the petition.
The petitioner moved an appeal in the Supreme Court Lahore Registry arguing that Samosa is not an item notified under the Punjab Foodstuffs (Control) Act 1958; therefore, its price cannot be fixed by the provincial government.
The Punjab government's counsel submitted that the government had the power to fix prices of items that were being sold to the public at large.
The apex court, however, allowed the appeal of Punjab Bakers and Sweets and set aside the impugned notification on Tuesday.
The samosas are consumed with great relish by Pakistanis around the year but the sales skyrocket during Ramazan as it is a staple of the Iftar spread.
The apex court's involvement in issues such as fixing the prices of food items invited derision from sections of the media.
In an editorial titled "Samosa justice", the influential Dawn newspaper said: "While the commercial bakers will rejoice at the verdict, others waiting for justice in Pakistan's ever-clogged judicial system may be wondering when their turn will come".
The daily questioned whether the "superior judiciary should devise some rules and a system to fast-track more urgent and serious matters for justice rather than spend valuable time on a regulation that is virtually unenforceable in any case".
It said a visit to any market in Lahore would show that samosas are "openly being sold for much higher than Rs 6".
The editorial said: "Samosa-makers may be happy and another case struck from the superior judiciary's docket, but was it the court's best use of time at this stage?"
In the past, the apex court tried to fix the price of sugar at a time when there was an artificial shortage of the commodity in the market.
However, traders largely ignored the rate fixed by the court and sold sugar at higher prices.
The Supreme Court is currently locked in a standoff with the government over reopening graft cases in Switzerland against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The government has refused to act, saying the President enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad.
The court on Wednesday gave the government time till August 8 to act on its order
The samosa, till early this week, was caught up in a legal tussle between the provincial government and Punjab Bakers and Sweets Federation.
In 2009, the City District Government Lahore had fixed price of one samosa at Rs 6 and magistrates imposed fine on shopkeepers for selling the same at a higher price.
The Punjab Bakers and Sweets Federation, through its President Chaudhry Muhammad Afzal, had challenged this order at the time, but the LHC had dismissed the petition.
The petitioner moved an appeal in the Supreme Court Lahore Registry arguing that Samosa is not an item notified under the Punjab Foodstuffs (Control) Act 1958; therefore, its price cannot be fixed by the provincial government.
The Punjab government's counsel submitted that the government had the power to fix prices of items that were being sold to the public at large.
The apex court, however, allowed the appeal of Punjab Bakers and Sweets and set aside the impugned notification on Tuesday.
The samosas are consumed with great relish by Pakistanis around the year but the sales skyrocket during Ramazan as it is a staple of the Iftar spread.
The apex court's involvement in issues such as fixing the prices of food items invited derision from sections of the media.
In an editorial titled "Samosa justice", the influential Dawn newspaper said: "While the commercial bakers will rejoice at the verdict, others waiting for justice in Pakistan's ever-clogged judicial system may be wondering when their turn will come".
The daily questioned whether the "superior judiciary should devise some rules and a system to fast-track more urgent and serious matters for justice rather than spend valuable time on a regulation that is virtually unenforceable in any case".
It said a visit to any market in Lahore would show that samosas are "openly being sold for much higher than Rs 6".
The editorial said: "Samosa-makers may be happy and another case struck from the superior judiciary's docket, but was it the court's best use of time at this stage?"
In the past, the apex court tried to fix the price of sugar at a time when there was an artificial shortage of the commodity in the market.
However, traders largely ignored the rate fixed by the court and sold sugar at higher prices.
The Supreme Court is currently locked in a standoff with the government over reopening graft cases in Switzerland against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The government has refused to act, saying the President enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad.
The court on Wednesday gave the government time till August 8 to act on its order
( Press Trust of India )
Few days ago, we have seen headlines in Gujarati newspapers that more than half of the pharmacy seats are vacant and suddenly nobody interested in studying pharmacy. What happen to the profession of pharmacy in Gujarat, Why it was suddenly came down. Why half of the seats are still vacant in Pharmacy colleges, Should you be careful while taking admission in Pharmacy colleges in Gujarat, It is bad situation of pharmacy profession in Gujarat or in all over India, Are pharmacy graduates getting jobs, Should you join Pharmacy profession in Gujarat, India.
All these questions are raised after seeing the situation of Pharmacy colleges in Gujarat, India. The straight forward answer to all of the above questions is No one should even consider joining Pharmacy college and Pharmacy profession. Let us explain you what is actually happening in the field of Pharmacy in Gujarat and How and When it can be changed or improved.
Pharmacy education and profession are considered under paramedical sciences and should get respect in society as a elite profession to be in. People should respect pharmacy profession as they are dealing with medicines, from raw materials, testing, manufacturing, quality control to marketing of medicines. All of the tasks to be performed by sound pharmaceutical professionals as per the definition of pharmacy profession is concerned.
But the reality is not somewhat deviating from this standards, but the definition of pharmacy profession has changed completely. Below are some shocking truths, that even you might observe around.
Most of the Pharmacy Stores are running with out pharmacist
If you go to your nearby pharmacy stores and ask them that who is the Pharmacist. Most of the time, he will not be there or you might not see him ever. As per the rules, Pharmacist should be present and deal with medicines all the time since opening till closing of medical stores. What actually wrong is Pharmacist are giving their licenses for rent to some non paramedical graduates who even doesn't know writing correct in English. Pharmacist are getting rent between Rs 1000 to Rs 4000. The person who is running a Pharmacy store is highly unprofessional person and only do a business like other business. They are interested in selling medicines which give them higher profit margins irrespective of its effectiveness. Even new pharmacy graduates, who are starting their business and do marketing. These unprofessional people running Pharmacy stores are simply ignoring them by one or another reason. They just discourage you that as a Pharmacist you can't sell your own product although it's good and effective. Means being in your own pharmacy profession, some commerce graduate or non-graduate will decide that your product is good or bad. Unprofessional people judging you that you should earn money by being a pharmacist or you just feel happy to get a monthly rent on your Pharmacy License.
It really hurts. and now Pharmacy professionals have started realizing that and new students avoiding to get into this mess.
Study burden, Time spent and Tuitions fees are just not worth it as other cheap options are available
Study burden in Pharmacy is much higher than other professional fields. For example Pharmacy graduates deals with Engineering ( Engineering Drawing, Pharmaceutical Machinates, Working Principles ), Science ( Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology ), Medicine ( Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, Toxicology ), Chemistry ( Inorganic chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry ), Statistics and other field of studies. All these fields are separate and one can graduate in individual fields. Pharmacy Graduates can't excel in those fields as they are being entitled as a Pharmacy graduates and after graduation, when you are considered for job no one even consider that you have studied above subjects and you should be considered as multi talent. If you select one of the above subjects, you can graduate in each of them separately. That is much less and focused effort towards your selected profession. You are spending less time, be concentrated and thorough. So you can be genius in each of the above subjects. If you take a stance based on purely financial side, You will realize that you can graduate in other field with less amount of money as well as time spent.
For example, if you decide to be a science graduate ( B.Sc, M.Sc ) in any field, you are spending less amount of tuition fees and time ( 3 years for B.Sc, compared with 4 years of B. Pharm ). Both the profession has same chances to get a job in private sector ( Pharmaceutical Companies ) with almost equal pay scales. So, you are loosing on both the fronts like spending more money and time to graduate and still considered same as B.Sc or M.Sc. What is the meaning to be a graduate in Pharmacy, because companies are considering science graduates specialized in individual fields of chemistry, biology, biotechnology, biochemistry, physics etc. to perform the duties in respected specialized areas.
Another example of comparing a Pharmacy Graduate with Engineering Graduate. In Engineering, If you study just diploma ( 12 +3 ) you are easily getting a pay scale in five figures, the same as if you do post graduation in Pharmacy ( M. Pharm ). Nowadays, Post graduates in pharmacy are getting 7000 as a starting scale in the open market ( Not selected from campus interviews ). If you calculate the number of years, then you are spending 3 years of diploma ( D. Pharm ), 3 years of degree ( B. Pharm )and 2 years of master degree ( M.Pharm ) means 12+3+3+2 ( 8 years of study after 12th ) and you are getting less than diploma engineer ( 3 years of study after 12th ). Right now due to the supply of so many pharmacy graduates, average waiting period after graduation is almost 2 years. You are spending more than four lakhs for B. Pharm and another four lakhs in M.Pharm in Self financed colleges. You are earning 84000 initially after waiting for two years. You have to manage everything in 7000 Rs a month including your transportation ( Approx. 3000 Rs / Month), your rent ( 5000 Rs/ Month ) because all the pharmaceutical companies are situated nearby city or town, so you have to stay in city and afford such high expenses. ( Not like someone who can survive 34 Rs a day as just not considered poor as per our Government's Planning Commission ). Other expenses are eating and drinking which will cost you around 5000 Rs a month. If you just calculate these three main expenses, you are already spending 70 % more than you are earning. How one can survive in such a high expenses.
Starting your own business will not help you as well.
We are talking of those who are risk takers and want to do something as an entrepreneur after being a graduate in Pharmacy. In Pharmaceutical business, you need to do either manufacturing by your own or contract manufacturing. In either case, the most important thing is to sell your own products in Pharmacy stores and convince physicians to prescribe your medicines. Now as we have discussed earlier that most of the Pharmacy store owners are non professionals and don't care about you, if you take your products to them. They will simply deny by saying that your offer price is too high or he can keep those medicine which nearby doctor can prescribe. Your licenses are already in the hands of non pharmacy graduates, who doesn't know the effects or side effects of prescribed medicines. They don't want you to earn money by doing pharmaceutical business. They will be one of the biggest barrier for you to sell your own medicines. Now if you go to a doctor and try to convince them, they will ask for their shares as other big companies are already giving them free trips and other articles or cash. The share is not some small amount, but ranging from 30 % to 50 % value of medicines. You will screwed up as you started a new business, so your company is not famous brand and your MRP is not as high as other branded medicines available in markets by big pharmaceutical companies. Big pharmaceutical companies can afford it, because their MRP is high. You can't afford either case ( To put MRP such a high or to give 50 % share to doctor ) Let's consider you have agreed to give 50 % to doctors for prescribing your own products, so you are squeezing your margin. But, Pharmacy Store owner ask for schemes ( up to 20 to 30 % besides a regular 20 % margin ) to put your products in his pharmacy store although doctor agreed. Again you have to squeeze your margin and you will end up with the amount of money that you have spent on your petrol to visit the doctor. It is even more frustrating and you will start compromising the quality of products to earn something decent. The outcome is you will loose your company's image as a quality product manufacturer and lined up with others to sell products as a vegetables in vegetable market.
What can be done to improve Pharmacy profession?
As such even few influenced people can't change this mess, but one can start an initiatives by being aware and make people aware about this.
No one should give their Licenses to others for Pharmacy Stores.
Always encourage our profession and small entrepreneurs like you.
Make a marketing network and help our own professional people.
Unite all together on social networking sites like Facebook to share solution & discuss ( Our group page is already on Facebook ( Support Indian Pharmacist ) )
We have started an initiative to make people aware and will soon launch a campaign with a non profit organization to help Pharmacy Graduates, we wish all the pharmacists to join and help. We will announce it on our Facebook page, so please join there.
Let's help pharmacy profession together. Also Read our story The Indian Pharmacist
Copyrights Stockinvestips.com
Material can't be copied, redistributed or rewritten.
All these questions are raised after seeing the situation of Pharmacy colleges in Gujarat, India. The straight forward answer to all of the above questions is No one should even consider joining Pharmacy college and Pharmacy profession. Let us explain you what is actually happening in the field of Pharmacy in Gujarat and How and When it can be changed or improved.
Pharmacy education and profession are considered under paramedical sciences and should get respect in society as a elite profession to be in. People should respect pharmacy profession as they are dealing with medicines, from raw materials, testing, manufacturing, quality control to marketing of medicines. All of the tasks to be performed by sound pharmaceutical professionals as per the definition of pharmacy profession is concerned.
But the reality is not somewhat deviating from this standards, but the definition of pharmacy profession has changed completely. Below are some shocking truths, that even you might observe around.
Most of the Pharmacy Stores are running with out pharmacist
If you go to your nearby pharmacy stores and ask them that who is the Pharmacist. Most of the time, he will not be there or you might not see him ever. As per the rules, Pharmacist should be present and deal with medicines all the time since opening till closing of medical stores. What actually wrong is Pharmacist are giving their licenses for rent to some non paramedical graduates who even doesn't know writing correct in English. Pharmacist are getting rent between Rs 1000 to Rs 4000. The person who is running a Pharmacy store is highly unprofessional person and only do a business like other business. They are interested in selling medicines which give them higher profit margins irrespective of its effectiveness. Even new pharmacy graduates, who are starting their business and do marketing. These unprofessional people running Pharmacy stores are simply ignoring them by one or another reason. They just discourage you that as a Pharmacist you can't sell your own product although it's good and effective. Means being in your own pharmacy profession, some commerce graduate or non-graduate will decide that your product is good or bad. Unprofessional people judging you that you should earn money by being a pharmacist or you just feel happy to get a monthly rent on your Pharmacy License.
It really hurts. and now Pharmacy professionals have started realizing that and new students avoiding to get into this mess.
Study burden, Time spent and Tuitions fees are just not worth it as other cheap options are available
Study burden in Pharmacy is much higher than other professional fields. For example Pharmacy graduates deals with Engineering ( Engineering Drawing, Pharmaceutical Machinates, Working Principles ), Science ( Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology ), Medicine ( Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, Toxicology ), Chemistry ( Inorganic chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry ), Statistics and other field of studies. All these fields are separate and one can graduate in individual fields. Pharmacy Graduates can't excel in those fields as they are being entitled as a Pharmacy graduates and after graduation, when you are considered for job no one even consider that you have studied above subjects and you should be considered as multi talent. If you select one of the above subjects, you can graduate in each of them separately. That is much less and focused effort towards your selected profession. You are spending less time, be concentrated and thorough. So you can be genius in each of the above subjects. If you take a stance based on purely financial side, You will realize that you can graduate in other field with less amount of money as well as time spent.
For example, if you decide to be a science graduate ( B.Sc, M.Sc ) in any field, you are spending less amount of tuition fees and time ( 3 years for B.Sc, compared with 4 years of B. Pharm ). Both the profession has same chances to get a job in private sector ( Pharmaceutical Companies ) with almost equal pay scales. So, you are loosing on both the fronts like spending more money and time to graduate and still considered same as B.Sc or M.Sc. What is the meaning to be a graduate in Pharmacy, because companies are considering science graduates specialized in individual fields of chemistry, biology, biotechnology, biochemistry, physics etc. to perform the duties in respected specialized areas.
Another example of comparing a Pharmacy Graduate with Engineering Graduate. In Engineering, If you study just diploma ( 12 +3 ) you are easily getting a pay scale in five figures, the same as if you do post graduation in Pharmacy ( M. Pharm ). Nowadays, Post graduates in pharmacy are getting 7000 as a starting scale in the open market ( Not selected from campus interviews ). If you calculate the number of years, then you are spending 3 years of diploma ( D. Pharm ), 3 years of degree ( B. Pharm )and 2 years of master degree ( M.Pharm ) means 12+3+3+2 ( 8 years of study after 12th ) and you are getting less than diploma engineer ( 3 years of study after 12th ). Right now due to the supply of so many pharmacy graduates, average waiting period after graduation is almost 2 years. You are spending more than four lakhs for B. Pharm and another four lakhs in M.Pharm in Self financed colleges. You are earning 84000 initially after waiting for two years. You have to manage everything in 7000 Rs a month including your transportation ( Approx. 3000 Rs / Month), your rent ( 5000 Rs/ Month ) because all the pharmaceutical companies are situated nearby city or town, so you have to stay in city and afford such high expenses. ( Not like someone who can survive 34 Rs a day as just not considered poor as per our Government's Planning Commission ). Other expenses are eating and drinking which will cost you around 5000 Rs a month. If you just calculate these three main expenses, you are already spending 70 % more than you are earning. How one can survive in such a high expenses.
Starting your own business will not help you as well.
We are talking of those who are risk takers and want to do something as an entrepreneur after being a graduate in Pharmacy. In Pharmaceutical business, you need to do either manufacturing by your own or contract manufacturing. In either case, the most important thing is to sell your own products in Pharmacy stores and convince physicians to prescribe your medicines. Now as we have discussed earlier that most of the Pharmacy store owners are non professionals and don't care about you, if you take your products to them. They will simply deny by saying that your offer price is too high or he can keep those medicine which nearby doctor can prescribe. Your licenses are already in the hands of non pharmacy graduates, who doesn't know the effects or side effects of prescribed medicines. They don't want you to earn money by doing pharmaceutical business. They will be one of the biggest barrier for you to sell your own medicines. Now if you go to a doctor and try to convince them, they will ask for their shares as other big companies are already giving them free trips and other articles or cash. The share is not some small amount, but ranging from 30 % to 50 % value of medicines. You will screwed up as you started a new business, so your company is not famous brand and your MRP is not as high as other branded medicines available in markets by big pharmaceutical companies. Big pharmaceutical companies can afford it, because their MRP is high. You can't afford either case ( To put MRP such a high or to give 50 % share to doctor ) Let's consider you have agreed to give 50 % to doctors for prescribing your own products, so you are squeezing your margin. But, Pharmacy Store owner ask for schemes ( up to 20 to 30 % besides a regular 20 % margin ) to put your products in his pharmacy store although doctor agreed. Again you have to squeeze your margin and you will end up with the amount of money that you have spent on your petrol to visit the doctor. It is even more frustrating and you will start compromising the quality of products to earn something decent. The outcome is you will loose your company's image as a quality product manufacturer and lined up with others to sell products as a vegetables in vegetable market.
Government policies are written by private players and Laws are only on paper.
In one recruitment advertisement for the post of Junior Pharmacist, government authority had invited application from D.Pharm, B.Pharm, M.Pharm and Ph. D in pharmacy profession. This was something that will add more criticism from professional people, as for the post of Junior Pharmacist you are considering all Pharmacy graduates from bottom to top with same pay scale. Isn't it ridiculous?
As such even few influenced people can't change this mess, but one can start an initiatives by being aware and make people aware about this.
No one should give their Licenses to others for Pharmacy Stores.
Always encourage our profession and small entrepreneurs like you.
Make a marketing network and help our own professional people.
Unite all together on social networking sites like Facebook to share solution & discuss ( Our group page is already on Facebook ( Support Indian Pharmacist ) )
We have started an initiative to make people aware and will soon launch a campaign with a non profit organization to help Pharmacy Graduates, we wish all the pharmacists to join and help. We will announce it on our Facebook page, so please join there.
Let's help pharmacy profession together. Also Read our story The Indian Pharmacist
Copyrights Stockinvestips.com
Material can't be copied, redistributed or rewritten.
What is GiraDora project ?
GiraDora, a leg-powered washing and drying device, makes it easier, faster, and safer to wash clothes.GiraDora is the world's first human-powered washer and spin dryer designed specifically for people living on $4-10 per day to increase efficiency and improve the experience of hand-washing clothes. Its innovative design combats several health problems such as chronic lower back pain, tenosynovitis, and respiratory problems such as Asthma associated with mold. It also allows the user to begin to break the cycle of poverty by providing income generating solutions.
GiraDora is a blue bucket that conceals a spinning mechanism that washes clothes and then partially dries them. It’s operated by a foot pedal, while the user sits on the lid to stabilize the rapidly churning contents. Sitting alleviates lower-back pain associated with hand-washing clothes, and frees up the washer to pursue other tasks. It’s portable, so it can be placed nearby a water source, or even inside on a rainy day. It reduces health risks like joint problems, skin irritation, and mold inhalation. Most importantly, it uses far less water and cleans clothes faster than conventional hand-washing.