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Restricting Self-Preferencing in Digital Markets May Do More Harm Than Good: UMD Smith Researcher

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COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Self-preferencing (when a platform favors its own products or services over those of third parties) by large tech companies is scrutinized as anticompetitive in legislation proposed in Congress to restrict the practice. However, passage of the bills could unintentionally raise consumer prices by reducing competition between sellers, according to research co-authored by Associate Professor of Marketing Bobby Zhou at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

The American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) restricts the nation’s largest tech companies from not only engaging in self-preferencing but also other acts, like limiting the number of products competing companies can put on large digital platforms. The Open App Markets Act keeps app marketplaces from engaging in self-preferencing and prohibits marketplaces with over 50 million users from forcing developers to use an in-app payment system owned or controlled by the app store.

“Regulatory agencies in the U.S. are worried that the fate of millions of consumers is being determined by a few big firms,” says Zhou. Under AICOA when a shopper searches for a product, a large online retail platform would have to first display “whatever product aligns with that consumer’s personal preferences with the one with the best fit coming up first,” says Zhou. So, if you always buy Stanley water bottles, when you search for water bottles, Stanley drinking cups would be displayed first instead of one of the platform’s own brands.

Research by Zhou in separate papers — “Antitrust Regulation” with Daniel Sokol at the University of Southern California and “Self-preferencing and Search Neutrality in Online Retail Platforms” with Tianxin Zou at the University of Florida — finds this kind of regulation may lead to higher prices.

If self-preferencing by the largest digital markets goes away, the seller whose product appears first during a search may decide to raise prices because it has enough well-matched customers to extract that profit or surplus. The seller whose product appears second might also charge more for the same reason. “This is a situation where both sellers have very strong incentives to keep their prices high, so they don’t really compete head-to-head,” Zhou says. “To some extent, this ex-ante (preventative) regulation backfires.”

The European Union has already enacted regulations that ban big tech companies from making sure their products are displayed before those of other firms. The rules have been highly criticized and the European Commission recently opened an investigation into whether Apple, Alphabet and Meta are complying with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. 

In their paper, Zhou and Sokol assert that digital markets have become increasingly important for the economy, as they enable new forms of innovation, competition and value creation in the process of exchanging goods, services and information. And Zhou says, “The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are justified in looking into big tech platforms. I just caution against hasty decisions that are nearly impossible to reverse.”

About the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Contact: Greg Muraski, gmuraski@umd.edu

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/restricting-self-preferencing-in-digital-markets-may-do-more-harm-than-good-umd-smith-researcher-302262711.html

SOURCE University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business

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Media Advisory – From space to Earth: handling medical issues more autonomous fashion

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LONGUEUIL, QC, Nov. 22, 2024 /CNW/ – On November 25, Sameer Zuberi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, will attend the unveiling of a telemedicine pilot project called “Telehealth Station.” Dan Gabay, CEO of the Montreal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) President Lisa Campbell and CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques will also be there.

Telehealth Station will leverage technologies integrated by Baüne as part of the CSA’s Connected Care Medical Modules, an initiative that aims to find solutions to help astronauts handle their own medical issues when they are far from Earth.

The CSA invites media to attend this technology demonstration organized by the Montréal West Island CIUSSS. A question period will follow.

Media who wish to find out more or attend the event are asked to contact the Media Relations Office.

Date:

November 25, 2024

Time:

10:00 am ET

What:

Unveiling and demonstration of a telemedicine pilot project

Who:

Sameer Zuberi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity,

Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities

Dan Gabay, CEO of the Montreal West Island Integrated University

Health and Social Services Centre

Lisa Campbell, CSA President

David Saint-Jacques, CSA astronaut

Where:

CLSC de Pierrefonds

13800 Gouin Boulevard West, Montreal

H8Z 3H6

Website: www.asc-csa.gc.ca

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SOURCE Canadian Space Agency

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Postal Ranked Number 34 Fastest-Growing Company in North America on the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™

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Postal attributes 5,216% Revenue Growth to a collaborative team strategy focused on building a scalable revenue model and making calculated financial decisions

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Postal today announced it ranked No. 34 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies in North America, now in its 30th year. Postal grew 5,216% during this period.

“I credit Postal’s success and growth to the grit of our employees and the impact of this offline channel to our customers.” – Postal CEO, Erik Kostelnik

Postal’s Chief Executive Officer, Erik Kostelnik, credits a collaborative team strategy focused on building a scalable revenue model and making calculated financial decisions to fuel the company’s 5,216% revenue growth. He said, “I credit Postal’s success and growth to the grit of our employees and the impact of this offline channel to our customers. Direct mail and gifting as a managed channel continues to outperform traditional digital channels, especially in Account Based Marketing. We are honored to be recognized as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the country.”

“For 30 years we’ve been celebrating companies that are actively driving innovation. The software industry continues to be a beacon of growth, and the fintech industry made a strong showing on this year’s list, surpassing life sciences for the first time,” said Steve Fineberg, vice chair, U.S. technology sector leader, Deloitte. “Significantly, we also saw a breakthrough in performance of private companies, with the highest number of private companies named to the list in our program’s history. This year’s winners have shown they have the vision and expertise to continue to perform at a high level, and that deserves to be celebrated.”

“Innovation, transformation and disruption of the status quo are at the forefront for this year’s Technology Fast 500 list, and there’s no better way to celebrate 30 years of program history,” said Christie Simons, partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP and industry leader for technology, media and telecommunications within Deloitte’s Audit & Assurance practice. “This year’s winning companies have demonstrated a continuous commitment to growth and remarkable consistency in driving forward progress. We extend our congratulations to all of this year’s winners — it’s an incredible time for innovation.”

Overall, 2024 Technology Fast 500 companies achieved revenue growth ranging from 201% to 153,625% over the three-year time frame, with an average growth rate of 1,981% and median growth rate of 460%.

About the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500

Now in its 30th year, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 provides a ranking of the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies — both public and private — in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2020 to 2023.

In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500 recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or technology that is sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company’s operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least US$50,000, and current-year operating revenues of at least US$5 million. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of four years and be headquartered within North America.

About Postal

Postal is a leading intelligent gifting platform that helps thousands of businesses increase their pipeline, retain customers, and reward employees. The engagement platform and its global marketplace enable customers to automate direct mail, manage branded company swag, and send personalized gifts, all while centralizing cost and reducing waste. Postal integrates natively into existing systems like Salesforce, Hubspot, Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and other Sales and Marketing solutions.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 8,500 U.S.-based private companies. At Deloitte, we strive to live our purpose of making an impact that matters by creating trust and confidence in a more equitable society. We leverage our unique blend of business acumen, command of technology, and strategic technology alliances to advise our clients across industries as they build their future. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Bringing more than 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte’s approximately 460,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.

Media Contact

Patricia Duchene, Postal, 1 805.305.1293, patricia@postal.com, https://www.postal.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/postal-ranked-number-34-fastest-growing-company-in-north-america-on-the-2024-deloitte-technology-fast-500-302313803.html

SOURCE Postal

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GenNx360 Capital Partners finalizes the sale of ITsavvy to Xerox Holdings Corporation

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NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — GenNx360 Capital Partners (“GenNx360”), a New York-based private equity firm, is pleased to announce the final sale of its portfolio company, ITsavvy LLC (“ITsavvy” or “the Company”), a provider of end-to-end IT infrastructure solutions, to Xerox Holdings Corporation (“Xerox”) for $400 million. This transaction marks a significant milestone for GenNx360, as its first investment in the technology services sector.

ITsavvy is an Oak Brook, Illinois-based technology solutions and services provider that delivers frictionless IT experiences by designing, developing and delivering technology infrastructure solutions and services that accelerate business outcomes on behalf of its clients.

During GenNx360’s investment, the Company experienced impressive organic growth, completed an acquisition of a highly strategic AIOps-enabled managed services provider (“MSP”) and significantly increased overall profitability through several well-executed margin enhancement initiatives. A committed focus to the Company’s services strategy further fueled organic growth and strengthened the Company’s overall value proposition. Through the support of GenNx360, the Company also successfully launched an AI and Intelligent Automation strategy. This strategy included commercializing an AI offering to better serve the Company’s clients, as well as optimizing the Company’s internal operations.

“The completion of this transaction marks a significant milestone for ITsavvy and for GenNx360. Over the past two years, ITsavvy has undergone exceptional growth and transformation under the leadership of Munu Gandhi and his team. Their dedication and collaboration with our firm have been critical to the company’s success. We are proud of ITsavvy’s achievements and confident it will continue to thrive as part of Xerox,” said Ron Blaylock, GenNx360 Founder and Managing Partner, and Chairman of the ITsavvy Board of Directors.

“We appreciate GenNx360’s support and strategic insights over the past two years. They have been an outstanding partner to work with to enhance and evolve our platform,” said ITsavvy CEO, Munu Gandhi. “We are excited to join forces with a longstanding company in Xerox, one of the great global brands, and we look forward to supporting their next stage of growth.”

“As part of our Reinvention, we have created a greater organizational focus on our emerging IT Services capabilities,” said John Bruno, President and Chief Operating Officer at Xerox. “ITsavvy’s complementary offerings, combined with our reputation, position us to accelerate growth across key markets and unlock new opportunities to help clients transform the way they work.”

“It has been a privilege to work with Munu and the ITsavvy team over the past two years. We are incredibly proud of the Company’s growth and look forward to following their success in the future,” said Peter White, Principal at GenNx360 and ITsavvy Board Member.

This transaction underscores GenNx360’s focus on driving operational excellence and delivering strong outcomes for our investors.

Loeb & Loeb and Greenberg Traurig served as legal advisors to ITsavvy and GenNx360.

About ITsavvy LLC

ITsavvy is an industry-leading IT infrastructure solutions provider with comprehensive value added resell capabilities. Founded in 2004 in suburban Chicago, ITsavvy provides frictionless client experiences through the deployment of holistic solutions that deliver client business outcomes. For more information on ITsavvy, please visit www.itsavvy.com.

About GenNx360 Capital Partners

GenNx360 Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on acquiring middle market business services and industrial companies. GenNx360 partners with companies having proven and sustainable business models in expanding industries with the objective of implementing and supporting value-enhancing organic and inorganic initiatives to accelerate growth, deliver cost efficiencies, and generate strong financial returns. GenNx360 was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in New York City. For more information on GenNx360, please visit www.gennx360.com.

For media inquiries about this press release, please contact:

Alicia Francis, Head of Investor Communications

investorrelations@gennx360.com

Phone: 929.287.6107

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gennx360-capital-partners-finalizes-the-sale-of-itsavvy-to-xerox-holdings-corporation-302314576.html

SOURCE GenNx360 Capital Partners

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