Business

By Erich Schwartzel The Wall Street Journal Sun., Nov. 18, 2018 LOS ANGELES—Harry Potter’s spell on moviegoers is proving more effective overseas. “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the latest installment in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World series, opened to a franchise low in the U.S. and Canada this weekend while posting robust returns in international markets. The movie, starring Eddie Redmayne and Ezra Miller, collected an estimated $62.2 million (U.S.) stateside, about 16% below the 2016 debut of the original “Fantastic Beasts.” Overseas returns, however, added $191 million for a world-wide tally of $253 million. The Harry Potter series has always generated international returns exceeding domestic grosses, one of several major franchises across Hollywood with such a lopsided dynamic. The original “Fantastic Beasts” went on to gross $234 million domestically and an additional $580 million abroad. … [Read more...] about Less-than-‘fantastic’ start for Harry Potter spinoff

Issara Dejakaisaya, AIS head of Solutions Business Unit, told The Nation that the project helped boost the company’s competitiveness.  Data analytics is the science of extracting 'insights' from raw data sets with the aid of special software and tools, providing core information to companies in their decision-making process.  AIS currently has a workforce of more than 13,000. The company started the project in 2016 with the formation of the New Analytics Transformation & Data Science Unit to spearhead its development, said Gwynpong Chatranon, manager of the unit.  Setup of the Analytics Centre of Excellence followed in the same year, tasked with developing a series of intensive training courses in collaboration with the company's partners in the technology and academic circles. The programme was designed to groom AIS staff for the positions of data analysts, data engineers, and data scientists. The courses took off last year and had already trained about … [Read more...] about Ambitious AIS aims to be the leading data-driven organisation

By Suzanne Kapner The Wall Street Journal Khadeeja Safdar Sun., Nov. 18, 2018 As Americans gear up for the year-end shopping spree that marks its start with Black Friday, those who order online will have some tough choices to make. They can pick up items in a local store, or have them delivered to their car in the parking lot. They can reserve clothing online and have it waiting in a fitting room to try on. Or they can take advantage of an expanding menu of free shipping choices, some with guaranteed next-day delivery in a direct challenge to Amazon.com Inc. Retailers, from Walmart Inc. to Nordstrom Inc., say the burgeoning number of choices are designed to allow shoppers to get their purchases in whatever way is most convenient for them. But the new services, particularly those that encourage shoppers to retrieve online orders in stores, also are aimed at defraying shipping costs, reducing returns and boosting sales. “Fulfillment, years ago, was done in … [Read more...] about Black Friday shoppers beware: online shopping gets more complicated

By Ted Mann The Wall Street Journal Sun., Nov. 18, 2018 General Electric Co. learned from a consultant’s report this past summer of corruption allegations against key business partners in Iraq, where the company is trying to shore up its position in one of the most important foreign markets for its struggling power business. The industrial giant said it has a robust compliance operation and doesn’t believe it has violated any federal laws, including ones covering foreign corruption. However, that confidential report, parts of which were reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, underscores the dilemma GE faces as it chases new business in one of the few places with demand for its multimillion-dollar heavy duty gas turbines. The study, prepared for GE by corporate intelligence firm Hakluyt & Co., paints a portrait of widespread corruption and bribery in the Iraqi power sector, accusing high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Electricity, from which GE is … [Read more...] about GE seeks power sales in Iraq, but report spotlights corruption concerns

By Andy Pasztor The Wall Street Journal Robert Wall Sun., Nov. 18, 2018 Aviators around the globe have long recognized potential hazards of malfunctioning flight-control sensors similar to the one implicated in last month’s Lion Air jet crash. Now, investigators are examining how plane maker Boeing Co. heeded those earlier warnings. The latest investigation has expanded to delve into whether Boeing—as well as regulators specifically responsible for certifying the sensor system—fully incorporated those earlier safety lessons into the final design of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, the model that crashed in Indonesia, according to industry and government officials. The Federal Aviation Administration, which oversaw the design and testing of the suspect sensor and related hardware, has said it is reviewing risk analyses and pilot-training requirements originally developed by Boeing. These actions are part of the crash investigation led by Indonesian … [Read more...] about Lion Air crash probe eyes sensor hazards stretching back years