Tuesday, June 30, 2015

An Open Door Policy for the Digital Age Business Essays

Business Essays 

Business essays are mainly the essays that are developed to provide business solutions. The main purpose of the development of a business essay is to generate new attempts to develop new business strategies. The business essays are mainly developed to address the essay questions by providing right answers to different business problems in a structured way. Writing a business essay is a very difficult task because it is based on both theoretical and practical knowledge of the students, as well as their personal insight into the topics of business essay. Business essays are not always written on business related subjects.

Business essays are written on specific business organizations, as well as in general, in order to analyze the business statuses of the organizations, as well as providing them with specific recommendation to make improvement in their business practices and strategies. The knowledge for writing business essays is required to be retrieved from specific information sources and business reports of the organizations. The business essays are written in a specific format, in which the entire information is organized under a set format or pattern. Business essays can be written on any subject, including marketing, finance, accounting, management, etc.

Business essays can be defined as writing of an essay, related to some business related topic under consideration. Business essay, basically, can be defined as writing the view points of the writer on some business related strategies and factors. A business essay describes the business related factors and terminologies from the writers point of view and provide a detailed description of the matter related to the topic under consideration. It is written in terms of providing the knowledge about the business related factors, which are in discussion among the people in current business scenario. This includes the discussion about the topics, on which the writer feels comfortable and can have excessive knowledge. The business essays include the discussion about several related topics and sections of business, including the fields of marketing, human resource, finance and accounting and current market conditions.

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Drug store chain CVS Health (CVS) will acquire big-box retailer Target's (TGT) pharmacy and clinic business for $1.9 billion, the companies said Monday.

More than 1,660 Target pharmacies in 47 states will be rebranded as CVS/pharmacy. Target's clinics, nearly 80 in total, will be renamed MinuteClinic.

The retailers are getting cozier on another front, too. They said Target is seeking locations for new small-format stores that would also have a CVS pharmacy inside.
"This relationship with Target will provide consumers with expanded options and access to our unique health care services that lead to better health outcomes and lower overall health care costs," CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo said in a statement.
CVS will offer comparable positions to Target's 14,000 pharmacy and clinic workers. Target appeared to leave the door open for cuts at the corporate level, saying it will "further evaluate the business impact and related support needs at its headquarters locations."

CVS said it would open 20 new clinics in Target stores within three years of the deal's closing.

The deal is worth $1.2 billion to Target after taxes. The company said it would use the cash to boost its "long-standing capital priorities," including share buybacks.

To finalize the deal, the retailers will have to secure regulatory approval from the U.S. government. Officials suggested the deal could be finished by about the end of 2015, though they said the timing is uncertain. UNIR1 Login Logo

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Fewer Than Half of UK Uni Students Say Courses Worth the Money



According to a recent study from the BBC, four in ten students believe that courses they have participated in are a good value for the amount they paid, with over half reporting they would not retake the course if given the opportunity. A little over half of participants reported their classes being of good value, while 8% said they were unsure. The study, which took place between May 1 and May 7 of this year by ComRes, surveyed 1,004 undergraduates in their final year of schooling. This was done because 2015 was the first year that students paid higher tuition fees of $ 14,153, or 9,000 pounds, per year. Results of that survey show that a large number of participants were unhappy when asked whether or not their college courses had been worth the money they had spent on them. Over half of participating students said if they could do their education over, they would either change their university in order to take the same course, or change courses entirely. In addition, 3% reported that they would not go to college at all, writes Alexander Ward for The Independent.
“What I would like to see is universities telling their students exactly where their money is going,” Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute told the BBC.
Hillman went on to say that many universities “don’t have much money” as a result of cuts to government funding. However, because of the increase in tuition fees, “students are more demanding.”
“What I would like to see is universities telling their students exactly where their money is going,” he added.
After tuition fees increased in 2012, and university grants saw deep cuts made to them by the government, students became responsible for the majority of their higher education costs. According to Hillman, as this happened, students began to choose courses “more obviously linked to jobs.” Despite rising expectations of what is to be included in courses, teaching time has barely risen 12 hours per week. Arts courses promote independent study, with classroom time being as little as 8 hours per week. Meanwhile, science courses, which offer additional teaching hours as well as access to laboratory and specialized equipment, show a much higher student approval rating. According to the survey, 75% of those who participated in courses that involved more teaching time such as science, technology, math and engineering, reported being happy with the value of their courses. However, only 44% of humanities students shared the same sentiment. Humanities classes typically carry less teaching time. According to the last national survey completed in the UK, 86% of students had been satisfied with their courses.

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Kristin Decarr

Kristin Decarr


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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Wisconsin Bill Would Allow Opt Out of More Standardized Tests



The Wisconsin legislature is considering a bill that would give students the choice to opt out of standardized test given by local school districts. This comes after more than 8,000 Wisconsin students opted out of a statewide standardized given to measure academic achievement, known as the Badger Exam. The Superior Telegram’s Gilman Halsted says the debate is centered on the state’s adoption of the national Common Core standards. Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), the author of the bill, said it would force districts to better explain how test results are used.
“There are a lot of people questioning standardized testing,” said Thiesfeldt. “If you can’t explain it then you should really re-evaluate why it is that you’re having this test being taken.”
Those opposed to the bill say that local standardized tests are necessary to allow teachers to determine if the curriculum is working so they can improve student learning, and test results will be unreliable if too many students refuse to take the test, they say. Jeffrey Pertl, a senior adviser at the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI), says the decision to opt-out of local achievement tests should be made by the local districts. Pertl adds that there is a significant achievement gap between the scores of white and black students which has been revealed by standardized tests. He is afraid that allowing more opt-outs could skew the results and make it impossible to evaluate schools accurately. The increase in opt-outs is significant, up from 1% last year to 2% of all public school students this spring, reports Molly Beck of the Wisconsin State Journal. But state officials are quick to note that the percentage of students opting out this year is not as high as in states like New York, where the opt-out rate was 14% for one of its standardized tests. The DPI says there is a countrywide movement of parents protesting testing. These parents are asking why there are so many tests, how scores are used to determine school accountability, and whether the tests are a sound way to evaluate teachers. Gov. Scott Walker, in his 2015-2017 budget, has included removing the test altogether. He has also signed a bill to do away with this year’s scores for measuring schools’ progress and evaluating teachers’ performance – yet another reason parents may choose to have their children sit out this year’s test. The opt-out bill will increase the number of tests students could choose not to take. Thiesfeldt does not believe, however, that the state’s test participation rate will drop below the 95% level required by the federal government. If participation drops below that percentage, federal sanctions could occur. It seems that most of the parents who are having their children opt-out of the tests are not living in low-income households and do not have children in special education classes. Opposition to the tests is growing among parents who do not like the number of tests that are given and who are opposed to how scores are being used by lawmakers. One parent, Brad Werntz, says he wants his kids’ days spent learning and not “memorizing what might be on the tests.” He adds that he would like the tests to be part of his children’s’ school year, but not a part of their daily existence, writes Molly Beck of the LaCrosse Tribune.

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Grace Smith

Grace Smith


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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

YouTube goes to Hollywood???!


YouTube is getting into the movie business, although its films will be getting their premieres online rather than in cinemas.

Google's online video service has announced a partnership with multi-channel network (MCN) and DreamWorks Animation subsidiary AwesomenessTV to make a series of films featuring YouTube stars.

“The films will all premiere globally on YouTube before they become available elsewhere, setting what we believe will become a new distribution paradigm for years to come. We hope to release our first film this fall, with more details to come soon.”

Robbins had already announced at the recent MIPTV conference that AwesomenessTV is producing six feature films, having topped Apple's iTunes chart in December 2014 with Expelled, a film featuring online star Cameron Dallas.

“This film accomplished in four months what it takes most studios four years to do: create a hit movie that resonates with the audience most important to follow,” said Robbins, whose company was bought by DreamWorks in 2013.

YouTube is funding a new show from Prank vs Prank.

YouTube has also announced deals with four popular creators to launch new shows exclusively on its service, including scripted comedy shows from Smosh and The Fine Brothers; a new series of trickery show Prank vs Prank featuring celebrities; and a “murder mystery reality” series fronted by vlogger Joey Graceffa.

It's part of what Carloss described as “an even bolder step to invest in ambitious projects from our top creators” as YouTube faces the prospect of growing competition for its stars from the likes of Yahoo and Facebook as well as Snapchat and Vessel.

Related: YouTube backs digital star Stampy's new Minecraft show Wonder Quest.

YouTube has also acquired exclusive rights to the first series of Wonder Quest, the new educational show launched by British Minecraft gamer Joseph Garrett (aka Stampy) which made its debut this week. “ Google saw potential in the show,” Garrett told the Guardian in an interview.

Carloss signified YouTube's willingness to stump up for exclusive shows in a previous blog post in September 2014.

“We've decided to fund new content from some of our top creators, helping them not only fulfill their creative ambitions but also deliver new material to their millions of fans on YouTube,” he wrote then.

“We'll experiment with new formats and ideas. We'll get our hands dirty. We'll make some mistakes. Together, we'll (hopefully) create some fantastic new content on YouTube. But one thing is certain: there's no one we'd rather go on this adventure with than our creators.”

How do you feel about the situation?? Leave a comment.

Monday, June 15, 2015

CVS Health to buy Target’s pharmacy business for $1.9 billion

By Sruthi Ramakrishnan and Nathan Layne

(Reuters) – Drugstore operator CVS Health Corp <CVS.N> will buy Target Corp’s <TGT.N> pharmacies and clinics in a $ 1.9 billion deal that should help it bargain with drug makers for lower prices, while freeing Target from a costly business where it struggled to make a profit.

CVS, the second-largest U.S. drugstore operator with 7,800 stores, said on Monday it will acquire Target’s more than 1,660 pharmacies in 47 states with about $ 4 billion in annual sales. It will also acquire Target’s nearly 80 clinics.

The pharmacies will continue to be located within Target stores but carry the CVS brand.
The move was the CVS’ second large acquisition in as many months, coming on the heels of its $ 10.1 billion deal for healthcare services firm Omnicare Inc <OCR.N> in May.

The transaction will significantly expand the drugstore chain’s retail presence and should bolster its bargaining power with pharmaceutical companies.

“The healthcare industry is evolving rapidly,” CVS Chief Executive Larry Merlo said on a conference call. “In this environment, success is all about effectively managing costs, quality and access.”

For Target, the deal divests a business that was “modestly negative” in terms of profits. While Target will lose revenue, its sales, general and administrative costs will drop by $ 1 billion.

Target Chief Executive Brian Cornell said the move fits with the company’s focus on a handful of categories where it believes it can be most competitive including apparel, items for children and health and wellness-related goods. Target will continue to handle the sale of over-the-counter drugs.

Cornell, who has been remaking the retailer’s strategy since taking the helm in August, said the deal will allow it to focus resources on reviving its food business, for instance.

He also said it should bring more customers into Target stores. The companies hope CVS’ price advantages, including in generic drugs, will attract more customers to the pharmacies who then buy other items from Target.

“They bring scale, cost efficiency; they bring expertise that we just could not bring to a space that we were operating as a subscale player,” Cornell said of CVS.

CVS shares were up 0.7 percent at $ 102.88, while Target shares rose 1.3 percent to $ 80.51 in morning trading.

The two companies said the 80 Target clinics will be rebranded as MinuteClinics, as will the 20 additional clinics they plan to open within three years of the deal closing, expected near the end of 2015..

Target and CVS also said they plan to co-develop five to 10 small-format stores, potentially accelerating Target’s strategy of finding growth through smaller outlets in urban areas.

The deal will also affect both companies’ plans for share buybacks.

Target said it would likely use some of the expected $ 1.2 billion in after-tax proceeds for shares repurchases. It doubled its share buyback program to $ 10 billion last week.

In contrast, CVS cut its 2015 share repurchase program by $ 1 billion to $ 5 billion as a result of the transaction, which it will finance with debt. The move adds to the strain on its finances, already under pressure from the Omnicare deal.

CVS’ reduced buyback target led it to lower its 2015 and 2016 adjusted earnings forecast.
Barclays is CVS’ financial adviser, while Target’s is Goldman Sachs.

CVS’ legal adviser is Fried Frank and regulatory adviser is Dechert LLP. Target’s legal advisers are Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and Dorsey & Whitney.

(Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru and Nathan Layne in Chicago; Editing by Savio D’Souza and Cynthia Osterman)

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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Canada’s Abel, Mexico’s Garcia win diving gold, earn Rio berth

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada’s Jennifer Abel and Mexico’s Ivan Garcia won gold medals in their diving events at the Pan American Games on Sunday to earn automatic qualifying spots for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Abel, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, led the women’s 3m springboard final nearly the entire way and sealed the win with a reverse 2-1/2 somersault pike to score a total 384.70 points.

Canada’s Pamela Ware (326.00) won the silver and Mexico’s Dolores Hernandez (323.10) took bronze.
Garcia, a silver medalist in London, delivered a forward 2-1/2 somersault with three twists to cap his performance and score a total 521.70 points.

Colombia’s Victor Ortega (455.15) took the silver and Mexico’s Jonathan Ruvalcabra (437.35) won bronze.

The two events are among a handful of disciplines in 10 sports at the July 10-26 Pan Am Games that offer athletes a chance to secure a spot in the Rio Olympics, which are scheduled for Aug. 5-21 next year.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Greg Stutchbury/Peter Rutherford)

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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Wall Street ends flat; S&P 500 snaps three-day losing streak

By Caroline Valetkevitch

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks ended flat on Tuesday though the S&P 500 snapped three days of losses as financial and consumer staples shares bounced.

Shares of biotech companies were among the biggest drags, including Biogen <BIIB.O>, down 1.1 percent at $ 382. The Nasdaq Biotech Index <.NBI> was down 0.7 percent.

The S&P financials <.SPSY> were up 0.3 percent, helped by prospects for higher interest rates, while S&P consumer staples <.SPLRCS> rose 0.5 percent, led by a 1.5 percent gain in Procter & Gamble <PG.N>
“People are sick of timing the Fed when it comes to this sector. People don’t want to miss the boat,” said Andrew Frankel, co-president of Stuart Frankel & Co in New York regarding the rise in financial shares.
Another batch of strong economic data underscored views that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates in September.

Data showed that U.S. job openings surged to a record high in April and small business confidence increased in May, signs that the economy was regaining momentum after stumbling at the start of the year.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 2.51 points, or 0.01 percent, to 17,764.04, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 0.87 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2,080.15 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 7.76 points, or 0.15 percent, to 5,013.87.

The Dow Jones transportation average <.DJT> ended down 0.3 percent, just shy of correction territory, which would be a drop of 10 percent from its Dec. 29, 2014, record close of 9,217.44.

“It’s a market that’s searching for a rationale at this point … and waiting for next week’s (Fed) meeting,” said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial, which is based in Newark, New Jersey.

Shares of Procter & Gamble climbed 1.5 percent to $ 78.90, leading gains in the staples sector, after Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, reported late Monday that Henkel & Co <HNKG_p.DE> and Coty Inc <COTY.N> made binding offers to buy separate parts of Procter & Gamble Co’s beauty businesses.

Shares of Hovnanian Enterprises <HOV.N> dropped 9.8 percent to $ 2.86, the lowest since 2012, after disappointing results.

Lululemon <LULU.O> shares rose 11 percent to $ 68.27 after the Canadian yogawear retailer raised its full-year revenue and earnings forecast.

Sage Therapeutics <SAGE.O> jumped 15.4 percent to $ 86.71 after its experimental injectable drug was found to be effective in treating postpartum depression.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 1,976 to 1,066, for a 1.85-to-1 ratio on the downside; on the Nasdaq, 1,645 issues fell and 1,093 advanced for a 1.51-to-1 ratio favoring decliners.
The S&P 500 posted 10 new 52-week highs and nine new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 88 new highs and 46 new lows.

About 5.9 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, about even with the 6.1 billion daily average for the month to date, according to data from BATS Global Markets.

(Additional reporting by Sinead Carew; Editing by Nick Zieminski and James Dalgleish)

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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Study Abroad Expands Educational Experience



By Thomas J. Botzman
President, Misericordia University

With each advance in technology, our world gets a little smaller. Whether it is Twitter, Skype or the latest gadget, people are drawn closer together by the simple click of a mouse or by postings on websites and blogs. To complete that loop, it is important that our next generation of nonprofit leaders, health care practitioners, teachers, and business professionals experience the world around them. I am not talking about taking a drive into the big city, but rather to overextend yourself a bit and leave that comfort zone of campus and study in Australia, Italy or elsewhere.

It is difficult not to be informed nowadays. You can remain up to date on your favorite sports teams, reality television stars, current events and every topic in between. Glancing at the latest headlines from afar, though, does not truly educate the heart and mind on real-world issues.

There is no better way to expand upon classroom lectures and lessons than by taking your studies abroad. You want to learn more about the economic problems dragging down the euro and the countries that form the European Union, go study in one of the 28 member states. As a government, law and national security major, for example, there is no better way to learn more about Russia and the former Soviet states than to spend a semester studying in Lithuania or Kazakhstan.

The same can be said about so many other academic disciplines. This approach of adding life experiences to educate yourself more fully brings traditional class instruction into context, while simultaneously developing an understanding and appreciation of different cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, politics and more.

Our recent commencement ceremony culminated study for more than 350 new graduates, many of whom wore on their gown a variety of items ranging from honorary society pins to bedazzled messages. The most eye-catching, however, were the stoles that displayed the national colors of the places they had studied or served outside of the United States.

Next academic year, Misericordia University will have students studying for a full semester in Australia, England, Ireland and Italy. These opportunities are critically important as research studies consistently point to longer-term study abroad – those lasting more than six consecutive weeks – as having the biggest impact in providing students with intercultural understanding.

Additionally, Misericordia students are traveling to Italy, Guyana, and Jamaica this summer to learn to succeed in a foreign environment.  As a former study abroad director and expatriate resident of Luxembourg, I am thrilled to see an increasing number of our students take the opportunity to apply their classroom learning in a far-away, real-world environment.

A recent report by the Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development noted that Luzerne and Lackawanna counties (Pennsylvania) continue to attract migration from other nations, including over 700 new residents from Bhutan and 400 from Russia, in addition to our growing in-migration of Latino residents. Clearly, our new neighbors present business, cultural and educational opportunities, and the opening to further develop our region for future growth in a number of dimensions. We must engage in education that seeks to understand various cultures, languages and beliefs that arrive with each new resident to our area.

In my opinion, the benefits of study abroad are numerous and vital to our collective well-being.

There’s no doubt that the personal growth for a student is accelerated, with maturity and confidence increasing rapidly. Further, the student is now able to view issues and challenges with a lens that is separate from previous perspectives.  They can, it seems, walk into the same room a second time and see things in a very different way. The ability to take alternative views is a core skill related to effective problem solving, resolving and dissolving. Intercultural misunderstandings, in particular, can through mutual experiences be dissolved without any threat or change to either the host culture or the newly-arrived resident culture. One of the great joys of northeast Pennsylvania life is our delightful mixing and blending of the cultures that arrived in the early years. We celebrate in so many ways.

It is also exciting to note that Misericordia’s expansion of study abroad opportunities is consistent with our mission of service. Our occupational therapy students, for example, are visiting Jamaica with a vision to permanently improve the physical lives of residents. Their work to provide wheelchairs will transform lives that were trapped into an inability to do the routine things we take for granted, such as shopping and meeting others in a park or restaurant.

The real-world clinical experience of our students, adapting to solve and serve under unique circumstances, is a key part of how they will transform their academic programs and majors into a career of serving others. Higher education has long used internships, student teaching and clinical experiences as a means to focus the entire academic program. International practicums have the added value of creating understanding of differences in cultural and personal values.

Author information

Thomas J. Botzman

Thomas J. Botzman, Ph.D., is president of Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., the oldest four-year institution of higher education in Luzerne County. Misericordia University ranks in the top tier of the Best Regional Universities – North category of U.S. News and World Report’s 2015 edition of Best Colleges and was designated a 2015 Best Northeastern College by the Princeton Review.
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Monday, June 1, 2015

U.S. consumer spending flat; manufacturing gains some speed



By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. consumer spending was unexpectedly flat in April as households cut back on purchases of automobiles and continued to boost savings, suggesting the economy was struggling to gain momentum early in the second quarter.

But there are signs a rebound from the first-quarter’s slump is under way, with other reports on Monday showing manufacturing activity picked up in May and construction spending surged in April to a nearly 6-1/2-year high.

Still, soft consumer spending and muted inflation pressures, after a price index for consumer spending in April recorded its smallest gain since late 2009 on an annual basis, suggest the Federal Reserve will probably not raise interest rates before the end of the year.

“Neither of these developments make the June policy meeting a more likely date to begin hiking rates than was already the case,” said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.

The Commerce Department said the unchanged reading in consumer spending followed a 0.5 percent increase in March. Consumer spending was also curbed by weak demand for utilities as temperatures warmed up.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, increasing 0.2 percent in April.

In a separate report, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity was 52.8 in May, up from April’s reading of 51.5. A figure above 50 indicates expansion in the manufacturing sector.

The new orders index rose to its highest level since December.

The dollar rose against a basket of currencies, while prices for U.S. government debt fell.

When adjusted for inflation, consumer spending also was unchanged in April after rising 0.4 percent in March.

In a second report the Commerce Department said construction spending jumped 2.2 percent to an annual rate of $ 1.0 trillion, the highest level since November 2008. The percent increase was the largest since May 2012.

The manufacturing and construction reports added to business spending plans, employment and housing data in suggesting some momentum in the economy early in the second quarter even as consumer spending and industrial production have been soft.

The economy is slowly rebounding from its first-quarter slump, hamstrung by a strong dollar and deep spending cuts in the energy sector, which has been slammed by a plunge in crude oil prices, as well as the penchant by households to hoard cash.

Gross domestic product contracted at a 0.7 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year.
But with the output figure held down by a confluence of temporary factors, including a problem with the model the government uses to smooth the data for seasonal fluctuations, the decline in GDP likely overstates the economy’s weakness.

With the tightening jobs market expected to boost wage growth, consumer spending is expected to accelerate in the coming months, also supported by the massive savings households accumulated from cheaper gasoline.

In April, personal income rose 0.4 percent after being flat the prior month. That reflected a jump in wages and salaries. With income outpacing consumer spending, the saving rate increased to 5.6 percent from 5.2 percent in March.

With consumption muted, price pressures were benign in April, pulling inflation further below the Fed’s 2 percent target.

A price index for consumer spending was unchanged after rising 0.2 percent in March. In the 12 months through April, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index edged up 0.1 percent, the smallest gain since October 2009.

Excluding food and energy, prices ticked up 0.1 percent for a third straight month. The so-called core PCE price index increased 1.2 percent in the 12 months through April, slowing from an increase of 1.3 percent in March.

The core PCE price index is closely monitored by the Fed for monetary policy. The soft reading is in sharp contrast with April’s consumer price index report published in May, which showed a pick-up in inflation over the last couple of months.

The core PCE price index and core CPI are showing a divergence because medical care prices are treated differently in both reports.

“The PCE measure is being depressed by sharp declines in the administered prices that the government pays Medicare and Medicaid providers,” said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics in Toronto.




(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

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NetJets names new CEO in midst of labor dispute with pilots

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Berkshire Hathaway’s NetJets unit has named new leaders in the midst of an ongoing contract dispute with its pilots union.

NetJets, which sells partial ownership interests in business jets, said Monday that Jordan Hansell is stepping down as chairman and CEO.

A group of NetJets pilots protested outside Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in May because they object to the concessions NetJets has been seeking since 2013 in contract talks.

Previously, Berkshire’s CEO Warren Buffett had praised Hansell’s cost-cutting leadership of NetJets since 2011. Buffett didn’t immediately respond Monday to questions about the changes.

NetJets said Adam Johnson will become chairman and chief executive of the Columbus, Ohio, firm. Bill Noe will be president and chief operating officer. Both men are longtime NetJets executives.

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