Tag Archives: revenues

News Websites Should Target “Reward Seekers”, MU Researcher Finds

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Website designers should strive for simplicity, invoke emotion to boost online revenue

As newspaper sales continue to decline, many news organizations are searching for ways to improve readership and revenues from their online presences. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that news organizations should target readers with certain personality traits in order to optimize their online viewership. Paul Bolls, an associate professor of strategic communication at the MU School of Journalism and a 2011-2012 MU Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow, has found that news consumers who have “reward-seeking” personalities are more likely to read their news online and on mobile devices, and to engage with websites, by leaving comments on stories and uploading user-generated content.

In a study accepted for presentation at the 2013 International Communication Association conference in June, Bolls surveyed more than 1000 respondents and placed them into two personality groups: reward seekers and threat avoiders. He found that reward seekers tend to use the Internet liberally, searching out entertainment and gratification, while threat avoiders tend to be more conservative, looking only for information that directly affects them. Bolls found that respondents identified as reward seekers were much more likely to engage with news websites as well as more likely to use mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to consume news. He says this knowledge should direct news organizations to target these reward seekers. (more…)

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Study Reveals Microsoft Partner Ecosystem Revenues of $580 Billion in 2010

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*Leading analyst firm points to opportunities for Microsoft partners both in cloud computing and with current Microsoft products.*

REDMOND, Wash. — March 24, 2011 — Today, global research firm IDC issued a new white paper which estimates that members of the worldwide Microsoft ecosystem generated local revenues for themselves of $580 billion in 2010, up from $537 billion in 2009 and $475 billion in 2007. This demonstrates strong revenue growth when total worldwide IT spending increased less than half a percent, and validates the substantial opportunities and benefits available through the Microsoft Partner Network, the program that equips Microsoft partners with training, resources and support they need to successfully compete in today’s marketplace while allowing customers to easily identify the right partner for their technology needs.

Through the Microsoft Partner Network https://partner.microsoft.com, partners can extend their market reach for greater opportunities and profitability while delivering innovative solutions to help customers achieve their business goals. The IDC study estimates that for every dollar of revenue made by Microsoft Corp. in 2009, local members of the Microsoft ecosystem generated revenues for themselves of $8.70. In an additional study on Microsoft Core Infrastructure Optimization, IDC found that partners that invested in more difficult or a greater number of Microsoft competencies enjoyed 68 percent larger deals and 28 percent more revenue per employee, compared with partners that invested less. (more…)

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IBM Reports 2010 Second-Quarter Results

By Economy, Technology, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ARMONK, N.Y. – 19 Jul 2010:

  • Diluted earnings per share of $2.61, up 13 percent;
  • 30 consecutive quarters of EPS growth, 12 of last 14 at double digits;
  • Full-year 2010 EPS expectations raised to at least $11.25;
  • Net income of $3.4 billion, up 9 percent;
  • Pre-tax income of $4.6 billion, up 7 percent;
  • Pre-tax margin of 19.3 percent, up 1 point;
  • Revenue of $23.7 billion, up 2 percent, as reported and adjusting for currency;
  • Growth markets revenue up 14 percent; first-half revenue as large as total Euro zone revenue;
  • BRIC countries revenue up 22 percent;
  • Business Analytics revenue up 14 percent;
  • Software revenue up 2 percent, 6 percent excluding divested PLM operations;
  • Systems and Technology revenue up 3 percent;
  • Services revenue up 2 percent;
  • Services backlog of $129 billion, up $1 billion, adjusting for currency.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced second-quarter 2010 diluted earnings of $2.61 per share compared with diluted earnings of $2.32 per share in the second quarter of 2009, an increase of 13 percent.

(more…)

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