Tag: USA

FedEx Kinko's partners with Adobe

Posted by | Jun 7, 2007 | |

FedEx Kinko’s and Adobe Systems Inc. Wednesday announced a partnership to extend the reach of Kinko’s online applications.

With connections to Adobe’s Reader and Acrobat software, Kinko’s Print Online customers will be able to send documents for printing to any Kinko’s store in the country.

“By enabling FedEx Kinko’s Print Online functionality with Adobe Reader and Acrobat, people can simply and conveniently access FedEx Kinko’s printing services, which provides more options for working with PDF files — including professional printing and shipping via FedEx, right from the desktop,” said John Brennan, senior vice president of the Platform Business Unit at Adobe.

The free Adobe Reader 8.1 has a “Send to FedEx Kinko’s” option in the file menu as well as a button on the main toolbar, represented by the Kinko’s icon. Later this month, Acrobat 8.1 will also feature the FedEx Kinko’s functionality as an option in the file menu.

With Kinko’s Print Online, customers may upload and combine multiple files, customize jobs with tabs and inserts, preview orders, track job status, choose to ship their orders or pick up at a local center, and pay online.

A variety of delivery options are available, including FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services. Users may store contact and billing information, reprint previous orders, review order history, receive discounts and special offers, set up preferences for a favorite center location and default recipient information.

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US calls for more transparency in privatization of Japan Post

Posted by | Jun 6, 2007 | |

The United States raised concern about the transparency of the privatization of Japan Post, the giant postal service that also provides banking and insurance services.

But US Trade Representative (USTR) Susan Schwab said new measures undertaken by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government would help further open markets, encourage new business opportunities and stimulate competition.

The USTR published the sixth annual joint report prepared by the US and Japanese governments under the US-Japan Regulatory Reform and Competition Policy Initiative.

Highlights of the joint report, which reflects a range of measures that Japan has either taken in recent months or will take in the near term, include the streamlining of import procedures for certain agricultural and other products as well as further opening Japan to foreign investment.

Other steps include increasing transparency of regulatory and policy decision making in sectors ranging from healthcare to information technology and strengthening protections against anti-competitive acts.

The report also incorporated new measures Japan has taken in response to US recommendations on the importance of creating a level playing field in the privatization of Japan Post with private companies in the banking, insurance and express delivery sectors.

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Online retailers need to innovate more: eBay’s Briggs

Posted by | Jun 6, 2007 | |

The online retail space is growing with bandwidth expansion, and retailers need to match the growth with innovative ideas, according to a panel here at yesterday’s Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition.

In his presentation titled “How eBay will Continue Reshaping the E-Retialing Industry,” Gary Briggs, chief marketing officer at eBay, challenged his counterparts in attendance at the show to think more outside the box.

“Online retail is rapidly maturing but we are not doing enough to innovate,” Mr. Briggs said. “I am offering a call to action to the industry to innovate more.”

One problem with the retail industry today is that online is not given the credit for what it is, according to Mr. Briggs. Online spending is often much less than traditional retail spend.

Also, retailers are not coming up with their own ideas but merely copying others.

“There is a lot more to offer than just free shipping,” Mr. Briggs said. “Free shipping is important but when I go to Web sites and look at how the marketing is done, there has to be more than free shipping to compete.”

Mr. Briggs said the way to innovate is for the brand to give up control and listen more to the consumer.

One example is the introduction of eBay Motors. EBay noticed a trend of users selling cars on its site, but it did not have a category for it on www.ebay,com. Users were listing cars in categories like toys and this was not increasing the sales. Since eBay added eBay Motors, the online retail giant has sold 2.5 million cars a year.

“Our system of innovation is more than what is inside the four walls of our company,” Mr. Briggs said. “We are trying to let the users help us shape how we create our Web site and offer products to customers.”

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The U.S. Postal Service's USD 61 million settlement

Posted by | Jun 6, 2007 | |

The Postal Service has agreed to pay USD 61 million to resolve a set of claims involving workplace disability discrimination.
The claims were filed by more than 7,500 current and former postal workers. According to Denver labor law attorney Kim Ryan, it’s the biggest case of its type.

A Denver man – who was injured on the job, put into a rehabilitation position, but then was never moved from that job or promoted – is the USPS worker who initially filed the lawsuit.

The USPS vigorously fought against allegations it discriminated against its employees, but ultimately – it did settle. It will also have to train its managers on workplace discrimination as part of the settlement.

Ryan says this case is a reminder that although workplaces should do their best to accommodate disabled employees, they shouldn’t pigeonhole them into one job for an extended period of time, because they may be able to a lot more.

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DMA asks USPS to extend rate relief for flats

Posted by | Jun 6, 2007 | |

The Direct Marketing Association is calling on the U.S. Postal Service’s Governors to quickly implement the rate reductions recommended by the Postal Regulatory Commission for Standard Mail flats. The DMA is also asking that the temporary rate relief be extended beyond the Sept. 29 deadline recommended by the PRC.

The PRC’s Second Opinion and Recommended Decision on Reconsideration, which was issued May 25, establishes a transitional temporary rate reduction of 3 cents for all Standard Mail Regular flats and 2 cents for Standard Regular nonprofit flats.

In a letter to the Governors submitted June 4, the DMA asked the them to approve the rate reduction without the deadline, leaving it in effect until the next postal rate change, likely in mid-2008, under the new procedures established by the postal reform law, which was signed by President Bush on December 20.

In the letter, the DMA noted that the PRC “responded positively to the Governors’ and the mailers’ concerns regarding the excessive increases initially recommended for Standard Regular flats. Now it is the Governors’ responsibility to implement the revised rates, and the DMA urges the Governors to approve the commission’s recommendation and provide mailers just as soon as possible with the rate relief recommended by the commission.”

However, the DMA also cautioned that the temporary discounts offered to flat mailers would only postpone substantial cuts in mailing volumes and a further decrease in revenues for the USPS.

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