Email marketers are about to be swimming in new ways to reach their subscribers. This week Facebook will begin letting brands target their email subscribers with ads on Facebook, and on Tuesday (Sept. 4) marketing technology platform Epsilon announced the ability for brands to email consumers based on what device theyre most likely to read and click a link contained in the message at a given moment in time.

As the svp of Epsilons strategic initiatives group Quinn Jalli explained, most people have consistent, device-specific email-checking habits. In the morning most check email on their smartphones or tablets. During the work day most use their desktops to check emaisthen it's back to mobile devices at the end of the day.

But marketers are typically limited in both device and time of day targeting. Epsilon says it can change that by borrowing targeting tactics from the display ad world.

On Tuesday Epsilon launched the Email Response Network, which Jalli said emphasizes clicks over opens. Among the email marketing suites features is the ability to personalize email delivery. Since the network houses email performance data for all Epsilon email marketing clients, the company is able to see how individual consumers respond, such as when they open emails, on what devices and whether they click through to a landing page.

For example, through the network Epsilon can see when an individual subscriber opened a brands email on their iPhone. Because consumers are more likely to act upon an email when it's opened on desktop, Epsilon is able to resend that email at a time when that consumer is more likely to check email from their desktop computer (and thus are more likely to respond). Conversely a marketer could make sure to send an email announcing their mobile app when a subscriber would more likely check it on his smartphone and therefore more likely to click through to download the app, said Jalli.

In addition, the Email Response Network also lets marketers build their email campaigns on the shoulders of each others data. More specifically, a brand is able to identify if some of its subscribers who arent opening emails are also ignoring emails from other clients who are participating in the cooperativethough Jalli said that Epsilon doesnt share data among brands.

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Epsilon Promises More Personal Email Ads

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

iWalk, the leader in Personal Bionics, will demonstrate its BiOM Ankle System at the American Orthotics and Prosthetics Association (AOPA) National Assembly in Boston this week. It is the first time the BiOM Ankle System, the personal bionic intervention enabling natural movement for lower-limb amputees, will be showcased at the U.S.s largest gathering of O&P professionals.

iWalk has created a golf course-themed booth (#117) to illustrate the BiOM systems applicability for amputees to return to the everyday activitiesat home and on the joband the recreational endeavors they enjoyed prior to injury. Attendees can expect a fully interactive experience as walkers, including four-time Paralympian Brian Frasure, will be on hand to provide live demonstrations. The company will also conduct fittings and adjustments of the BiOM system in the booth.

Personal BionicsOvercoming Limitations of Traditional Prosthetics

Personal Bionics emulate a specific individuals muscle and tendon function. While traditional prosthetics only replicate bone structure, the BiOM system emulates the calf muscle and Achilles tendon to help normalize function1. The BiOM system features Powered Plantar Flexion, which is the push-off that enables people to walk with a natural gait and the same metabolic energy as a non-amputee.2

Because it reacts in real time to the terrain and the environment, the user does not have to wait for the device to respond. The Personal Bionic Tuning capabilities enable certified prosthetists to further enhance the user experience by adjusting natural movements to personal preference within normative human performance standards.

Personal Bionics are transforming the prosthetic industryits not enough to simply improve mobility any more, we now have the technology to normalize function and enable people to return to work and other important daily activities faster and with greater ease than ever before, said Tim McCarthy, president and CEO of iWalk. Were only just scratching the surface with the BiOM Ankle System. Stop by our booth at AOPA to get the full Personal Bionics experience and learn more about how our products will redefine the orthotic and prosthetic fields.

As someone who both fits patients with and wears the BiOM Ankle System, I know that Personal Bionics are changing livesI see it every day and truly feel it myself, said Shawn Brown, CPO, vice president of clinical operations of SRT Prosthetics & Orthotics, an iWalk Certified Bionics Center (iCBC). Brown is himself an amputee and a two-time Paralympian. iWalks incredible setup at the AOPA conference will provide a fun, compelling setting to demonstrate the power of the technology. No simple prosthetic could possibly empower me to walk a slope and play a golf ball that is lower than my feet with the confidence and capability provided by a Personal Bionic device like the BiOM system.

Availability

The BiOM Ankle System is generally available nationwide through the iWalk Certified Bionics Center (iCBC) network as well as VA Medical Centers and the Department of Defense. For more information on the BiOM system, visit http://www.iwalk.com. Medical professionals and prosthetists interested in learning more about iWalks products and bionic certification course should visit Booth 117 at the AOPA conference or send an email to contact@iwalk.com.

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iWalk Showcases First Commercially Available Personal Bionics System at the 2012 AOPA National Assembly

San Diego State coach Steve Fisher is hoping a move to the Big West will help elevate the entire league.

Kent C. Horner/Getty Images

With 11 NCAA tournament bids in the last three seasons, and at least three more looking very likely this upcoming year, Mountain West men's basketball is at its competitive apex. There is significant talent spread across the league, extremely well-regarded head coaches at many of the programs, and some of the loudest, toughest homecourt environments in the country. The product is undeniably good.

In theory, the rise (and presumed staying power) of MWC hoops should be a valuable asset for a conference reexamining its broadcast rights in light of the shuttering of the conference's The Mtn. Network this past spring. But when asked about the value of basketball in ever-changing broadcast rights negotiations, league commissioner Craig Thompson made a sobering and salient point.

"I think the greatest example a couple summers ago was Kansas," Thompson said, noting how at one point, the Jayhawks looked like they were going to get squeezed out of the realignment picture when a Pac-16 and a defunct Big 12 appeared possible. "... Really, Kansas basketball was arguably not an issue in anyone's mind."

If no one values Kansas basketball as a piece of this ongoing national shell game, then you can forget about UNLV, San Diego State or New Mexico moving network needles. It's a football-driven world, which explains pretty much everything that's gone on the last couple of years in the Mountain West, and what's still to come as the reinforced league continues to try to find its footing.

Given the shortcomings that helped lead to The Mtn.'s demise -- very limited distribution outside of a premium tier on DirecTV, no high-definition broadcasts for basketball outside of the conference tournament -- it's easy to forget that it was the first conference-specific TV network. The league, tired of what it considered second-class treatment from ESPN in terms of broadcast times and dates, struck out on its own in a precursor to networks that are now printing sheaths of money for the Big Ten and Pac-12. Six years after the launch of The Mtn., the concept clearly has been validated, but the football product in the Mountain West was never good enough or stable enough or in markets large enough to make other vendors want to pay for distribution or for the BCS to fully let the MWC into the party.

So, faced with earning around $1 million a year from Mountain West rights, schools like BYU, Utah, TCU, Boise State and San Diego State all made financially prudent (if, in some cases, geographically curious) decisions. Most are grabbing many times that from a BCS conference while BYU elected to go independent and control its own product with its own TV network that has five times the distribution (65 million homes) The Mtn. was able to claim. It's hard to blame any of them for the moves, but the result is, as the Mountain West continues to try to shore up its football side, a really good basketball league dangles a bit in the wind.

Perhaps it's positive spin on a move forced upon him by administrators trying to offset massive budget cuts in the California state school system, but San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher actually seems enthusiastic about his program's looming move to the heretofore low-prestige Big West starting in 2013-14. His Aztecs, who are loaded this season and also likely will bring a ranked team into the Big West next year, are set to become the latest program attempting to thrive with a Gonzaga/Memphis model: Load up for bear in nonconference play and try to use your program to elevate the rest of the league closer to your level. But for Fisher, the potential for better TV exposure could be the biggest plus to switching leagues. Not coincidentally, the Big West has a broadcast deal with ESPN.

"What is going to happen [next year], we're going to have a much more impactful TV schedule when we're not burdened with what we've had to deal with since we went away from ESPN. It's been an albatross on everybody," Fisher said last week. "First, [it will help] internally, administratively, financially, then exposure-wise, people would laugh and say [San Diego State's] in the witness protection program because no one could see you. We could not have a nonconference home game on ESPN. That will all change dramatically for the better, so we're already ratcheting up our nonconference schedule to fit what we're going to be."

Original post:
Andy Glockner: Mountain West hoops success hasn't translated into broadcast gold

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cruise Planners - American Express Travel, the nations largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the cruise industry, recently found that the majority of new franchise owners are entering into cruise sales with no prior working experience in the travel industry, according to an internal audit of new franchise owners.

From stay-at-home moms to former pet sitters and retired real estate agents, Cruise Planners has seen an influx of new franchise owners from all walks of life with no previous familiarity in selling cruise or land travel, yet have exceeded all expectations by selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel bookings. The host agency attributed this high level of success to its training programs, innovative marketing materials, business development coaching and overall expertise in the travel industry.

Its rewarding to see how our new travel advisors are excelling in this competitive business without any previous experience selling travel or prior understanding of the market and how much it has changed over the years, said CEO/Co-founder Michelle Fee. The data we collected on our new franchise owners is clearly a testament to our turn-key business model.

Cruise Planners positions franchisees with an introductory training course held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida that defines the travel market, while teaching them about technology, travel trends, social media and giving proven marketing strategies and tips.Whether a new or seasoned travel professional, Cruise Planners further develops sales skills with continued learning through Cruise Planners University (CPU), which offers new programs and technology to streamline and enhance home-based business models. What allows Cruise Planners franchise owners to flourish is our business in a box strategy that ensures each franchisee has the tools to be effective and, of course, their own personal motivation and drive is the icing on the cake, continued Fee.

As a working mother, it is important that I have everything I need easily at my disposal so that my business can run smoothly and efficiently, said Monica Pollack, a New Jersey based franchise owner since June 2011 and stay-at-home mom. Cruise Planners is constantly offering me something new, from upgraded marketing and training materials to stronger connections to cruise lines and travel vendors in the industry, which has been the key to building my successful business in such a short time.

Headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida, Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Services Representative, has more than 800 franchisees across the country that independently book cruises and associated travel. For more information, visit http://www.cruiseplanners.com, http://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com, or visit the companys Facebook page.

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Success at Cruise Planners, No Experience Necessary

Public release date: 3-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Emma Knott emma.knott@kaizo.co.uk 020-317-64715 European Science Foundation

The aim of the study was to assess the applicability across Europe of a generic framework for the professional development of researchers based on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF). The RDF is a UK-context framework set up with the purpose to better define researcher's professional profiles and to develop guidance for the continuous professional development of researchers. The report reveals that there is a real demand among researchers for a more structured approach towards researchers professional development and active career planning.

This new ESF-co-funded study, with its members from the ESF MO Forum on Research Career Development, has applied the existing Vitae Researcher Development Framework in Europe. The RDF has been designed for:

The testing of the RDF in different European settings gave encouraging results in overcoming some of the identified deficiencies and in progressing towards a shared understanding of the skills and attributes that characterise modern researchers. Furthermore, the RDF proved to be a solid basis for making researchers reflect on their skills and attributes and on their career aspirations in general. It provides an important potential to support the professional development of researchers in any national or institutional environment.

The report detailed that there are big differences between countries in their overall awareness and readiness to engage and invest into the general development and career development of researchers. However, there is a real demand among researchers for a more structured approach towards researchers professional development and active career planning.

The report contains five key recommendations:

Commenting on the study, Martin Hynes, CEO, European Science Foundation said: "The continued progress of the European Research Area and more acutely the development of researchers has always been top priority for us. This new study has revealed that within Europe there is a clear need for a European Researcher Development Framework which can aid researchers professional development. The adoption of the RDF, adapted as recommended in the report, would also be a great tool for supporting intersectoral mobility".

Martin continued: "This project has been an important first step in identifying the potential opportunity of creating a pan-European professional development framework"

Janet Metcalfe, Chair and Head of Vitae commented "The adoption of the Vitae Researcher Development Framework across Europe would support the aims of the European Charter and Code, specifically the principles relating to continuous professional development, career development, access to research training and continuous development and access to careers advice. It would also provide a common language for researchers to talk about their expertise and professional development."

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New ESF-cofunded feasibility study calls for a single European researcher development framework

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Personal Communications Devices, LLC (PCD) (http://www.pcdphones.com), a leading provider of wireless devices to service providers in the Americas, Africa and the Pacific for more than 25 years, has elected George Appling as its new President and CEO. The selection of Mr. Appling, who brings 20 years of broad wireless industry experience, covering every aspect of PCD's business, provides PCD with a clear path into its next chapter in the wireless industry.

"George is the ideal person to take PCD into the future, focusing on the value-added services PCD provides like inventory management, forward and reverse logistics and product life cycle management and marketing," the PCD Board of Directors said in a statement. "Our customers and manufacturing partners will continue to experience the exceptional level of service they have come to expect from PCD."

In his new role, Appling will lead PCD's existing team of longtime industry executives

"This team has played an integral role in PCD's success in recent years," added the Board in a statement. "We're proud of their accomplishments and ability to help lead the company. Mr. Appling is joining a strong team and we are confident that under his leadership, the organization will continue to provide value to both our carrier and device manufacturer partners, while bringing to market the newest technologies to meet our customers' needs."

Mr. Appling comes to PCD from Booz & Company where he has been a Partner since 2009. Prior to that, he was a Principal at Katzenbach Partners and had served as both President of Global Solutions and Chief Operating Officer of Brightstar Corp. While at Brightstar, Appling was responsible for the operation of more than 60 distribution centers, global IT, human resources, indirect procurement and the division that marketed device management and supply chain services to mobile operators and retailers. Earlier in his career, Mr. Appling was founder and President of Xelibri the fashion phone business unit of Siemens Mobile, and an Associate Principal with McKinsey & Company in its Houston, Moscow, and Munich offices.

"I'm excited to join PCD and continue the company's unique place in the wireless industry as the only company to provide the right devices to fill the right needs with the right features to sell at maximum volumes," said Mr. Appling. "I want to assure our customers and partners that they can continue to expect the same high level of attention from the same PCD professionals with whom they are accustomed to dealing. This transition will be seamless as we look forward to building on a legacy of service and innovation."

For almost 30 years, PCD has built its reputation on the knowledge, experience and consistency of its management team by providing end-to-end product lifecycle services and support to both device manufacturers and carriers. Under Mr. Appling's stewardship, PCD will continue to focus on its core array of services, including:

Personal Communications Devices, LLC (PCD), formerly known as Audiovox Communications until 2004 and then UTStarcom Personal Communications Division, has been a leader in the wireless industry since 1984. Relying on a unique business model, PCD works closely with strategic design and manufacturing partners in Japan, Korea and China to bring innovative products to all of the major wireless carriers throughout the world.

Mr. Appling succeeds former President and CEO Philip Christopher, who was with the company for 28 years and shepherded it through its transitions from Audiovox to UTStarcom to PCD. He joined Audiovox Corporation in 1970 and was instrumental in launching Audiovox Communications Corp. (ACC) in 1984, where he served as President and CEO. In 2000, ACC formed a joint venture with Toshiba and was then acquired by UTStarcom in 2004. With this acquisition, UTStarcom Personal Communications Division was formed where, as president and CEO, Mr. Christopher is credited with growing the division's revenues and profits to record levels. In July 2008, Mr. Christopher spearheaded a management buyout of UTStarcom Personal Communications Division and created Personal Communications Devices.

In the 28 years Mr. Christopher has been involved in the wireless industry, he has worked with every top carrier in North and South America including Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and carriers in Canada and Latin America. He is responsible for bringing many recognizable brand manufacturers to the Americas, including Toshiba, LG, HTC, Pantech, Casio and Sharp. Additionally, he has served on both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of CTIA The Wireless Association since 1999.

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Personal Communications Devices Announces New President and CEO

TORONTO, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The EvoLLLution, an online newspaper for and by those who know higher education best, today announced the results of a study conducted to shed light on the growing need for continuing education within today's workforce. The research paper, entitled Lifelong Education and Labor Market Needs, suggests that continuing education increases both employee income and corporate productivity.

A third party research firm surveyed employers across North America to get their viewpoints on continuing education and professional development. The results showed that 96% of employers said continuing education improves job performance and 87% said it has a positive impact on pay scale, with many citing a direct correlation, especially in the healthcare field.

The research also showed that education allows employees to manage the skills gap between entry-level and mid-level positions, thus facilitating advancement with 78% of employers factoring continuing education into promotions. Furthermore, companies that support employee education for advancement can mitigate turnover costs associated with outside hires, thereby saving money and increasing efficiency.

"Education gives corporations a way to improve their productivity and reduce costs, while also giving employees a way to increase their income and advance within the company," said Amrit Ahluwalia, Managing Editor of The EvoLLLution. "The question that remains is how to increase corporate and individual participation in professional development education."

In an effort to answer this question, The EvoLLLution has dedicated September to fully exploring corporate training and professional development in a month-long special feature, kicked off with the release of this research paper. The month will consist of articles by top education experts including Chris Proulx, Executive Director at eCornell, and Dan Pontefract, Senior Director of Learning and Collaboration at TELUS, and will investigate topics ranging from how higher education institutions need to change to better serve corporations to whether the corporate training market is an effective strategy to combat shrinking higher education budgets.

To read the full research paper or view the results in an inforgraphic, please visit: http://www.evolllution.com/research

About The EvoLLLution

A grassroots online newspaper exclusively for, and by, those who understand higher education best, The EvoLLLution is the only place where you can find detailed opinions, news and research about the impact of non-traditional programs on the higher education industry and society-at-large. The EvoLLLution was crafted in recognition of the fact that there are innovators at every level of everyinstitution. From the college dean, to the state system president to the professional student, individuals everywhere are retooling, reorganizing and rethinking their way into the 21st century. These are the people writing articles on The Evolllution and shaping the future of lifelong learning.

For more information, please visit http://www.evolllution.com

Contact: Rachel Kuper media@destinysolutions.com(416) 480-0500 x214

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New Research Shows Continuing Education Increases Employee Income and Corporate Efficiency

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX--(Marketwire -09/04/12)- Nixon University being one of the pioneers of online education has always shown its dedication towards bringing and delivering excellence into its online educational processes. To facilitate this purpose it has officially unveiled its alliance with the world's best universities to provide quality education and up to date curriculum to all the working individuals who aspire to achieve career growth.

Nixon University has launched its partnership program; it is the learning link program which will enable students of either university to choose a major or module of their choice that is not being currently offered in their university. Being an online university gives them an opportunity to exchange and share video lectures on special modules. The second part of the program consists of shared researches, where faculty members and students from partner universities will be involved in research projects, this will result in increased efficiency and innovation.

The Dean at Nixon University commented on this occasion and said, "Nixon University's alliance with the world's renowned online universities has allowed Nixon to change the dynamics of online education and widen the scope and opportunities for students, it will not only benefit and create more flexibility for the learners but also the faculty will be benefited through shared resources and shared expertise. We are looking forward to providing our students the competitive advantage in the industry that we have always aimed for."

Furthermore, by combining the lectures and expertise of other universities with Nixon University will result in mutual collaboration between online universities to further bring advancement and responsiveness in the research fields as well as the online education itself according to the changing trends.

About Nixon University:

Nixon University is an accredited online university that stands to make quality education accessible to each and every student of the world. Nixon University is completely accredited by a globally renowned accreditation body Q.O.E.C.B (Quality Online Education Certification Bureau), which is an independent and self governing accreditation body that provides the status of accreditation after evaluating the applicant on tough educational standards. To know complete details about the program offerings and admission criteria, log on to http://www.Nixonuniversity.com.

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Nixon University Forms Strategic Partnerships and Alliances With Universities Across the Globe

By Hugo Miller - 2012-09-04T13:39:50Z

Desire2Learn Inc., an online- education startup from Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM)s birthplace of Waterloo, Ontario, raised $80 million in venture funding, aiming to prove that the area is more than just a BlackBerry town.

New Enterprise Associates Inc., a venture firm with offices in Menlo Park, California, and Omers Ventures, the investing arm of the Ontario Municipal Employee Retirement System, led the financing, according to a statement today.

Desire2Learn plans to use the money to hire more staff and step up its marketing and research spending. The company already delivers online teaching tools to 700 customers and 8 million students, John Baker, Desire2Learns founder and chief executive officer, said in an interview.

The partners were working with are believers in helping to transform the educational experience in the U.S., he said.

Desire2Learn joins OpenText Corp. (OTEX) in providing a second act for Waterloo, which is suffering through thousands of job cuts at RIM. The BlackBerry maker has been paring its operations as sales plunge and its market share shrinks. CEO Thorsten Heins is counting on a new lineup of phones, due next year, to reverse the companys fortunes.

OpenText, a 20-year-old maker of business software, saw revenue grow 17 percent to $1.21 billion in its most recent fiscal year and employs more than 4,500 workers worldwide. Desire2Learn has about 560 employees, up from 350 at the beginning of this year. It plans to add at least 150 more by the end of the year, Baker said.

For NEA, which recently completed a $2.6 billion fund, the deal continues its focus on the online-education market. Desire2Learn works with elementary schools, colleges and adult- continuing education across the U.S., including New York.

Desire2Learn is already profitable, Baker said. The cash injection, its first round of funding, will allow the company to ramp up its expansion, he said.

We didnt raise the money because we needed it but because we wanted to accelerate our growth, Baker said. We were a profitable high-growth company prior, and were hoping to remain a profitable high-growth company going forward.

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Desire2Learn, Startup From RIM’s Hometown, Gets Funding

Infographic by Kath Xu and connor kirschbaumThe Tech

Major players in online education market

Comparing Khan Academy, Coursera, Udacity, & edX missions, offerings

STAFF REPORTER

September 4, 2012

With most new markets comes competition, as is the case with online education. Today, there are four major platforms that produce content specifically for online instruction: Coursera, Udacity, and edX, which provide university-level content, and Khan Academy, which largely targets K-12 education. While they all offer content designed specifically for web-based instruction, they differ slightly in missions, delivery, and focus.

Khan Academy is an educational nonprofit founded in September 2008 by Salman A. Khan 98. According to its website, its mission is to change education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere.

Khan conceived the idea after making a website to help tutor his niece in 2004, and two years later he would post the first public video. The website has since grown to contain over 3,300 videos, most of which were made by Khan himself. There are also over 400 million interactive problems, grouped loosely into 47 courses, ranging from addition to linear algebra and macroeconomics. Khan Academy receives over six million unique users each month, has around 380,000 YouTube subscribers, and has had 179 million video views so far. The organization is supported by donors such as Google Inc. and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Most of the videos, which tend to be around 1015 minutes long, are on YouTube, with the exception of the Computer Science section, which contains integrated coding.

The instruction is oriented toward the casual learner as a supplement to traditional classroom learning. The videos have practice problems with hints and solutions, and there are no exams like in edX or Udacity. Users can earn badges based on their time spent on the site and how many assignments they have completed. Students have individual profiles, which allows teachers, coaches, and the students themselves to view summarized performance and achievement data. There are also forums that foster collaboration between students.

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Major players in online education market