Day: May 1, 2023

IT outsourcer sees huge tech demand

The Thai unit of Vietnamese IT outsourcing firm VMO Holdings aims to grow its corporate customers to more than 100 by 2025 amid increasing demand for high-tech industry workers in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Chris Pham, chief business officer at VMO Thailand, said the company’s objective was to leverage its experience in consulting and implementing digital transformation to revolutionise traditional businesses in Thailand.

“We consider this start an excellent opportunity to enhance customers’ experiences, dedicate our expertise to the Thai technology market, and accompany Thai businesses while elevating the region’s IT position,” said Mr Pham.

The company sees business growth opportunities in Thailand, which is one of the top six digital regional economies, deeming it a potential technology market that is expanding strongly with government support and investment from major hedge funds.

According to a World Economic Forum 2019 survey, technology is expected to significantly affect 1.1 billion employees. However, Thailand has only 14% of highly skilled professionals among the 141 nations surveyed.

“After two years of the pandemic, the Thai technology market continues to grow rapidly, leading to demand for IT human resources in Thailand surging significantly. The shortage of skilled professionals is rising as domestic workers are insufficient in meeting that huge demand,” he said.

“It should be no surprise that IT outsourcing services have emerged as one of the foremost human resource trends.”

Founded in 2012, the Hanoi-based firm has delivered more than 600 projects for hundreds of clients worldwide and pioneered the Internet of Things (IoT) industry as well as the build and transfer model in 2017 in Vietnam.

The company offers technology solutions such as web and mobile development, offshore development centres and IoT services.

Sectors that have used the company’s services include startups, automation, e-commerce and financial technology.

Mr Pham said the Thai unit aims to be a top five IT outsourcing company in Thailand within five years.

“VMO Holdings commits to bringing its top-notch IT services to Thailand and meeting the demands of the IT human resources shortage in the region,” he said.

“With our capability and experience with offering technology services to businesses in the Thai tech market, I believe VMO is well-positioned to solve the issue of manpower shortage.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is “determined to forge an even stronger relationship” with the U.S. ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington.

“We will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our long-standing alliance as an instrument of peace and as a catalyst of development in the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world,” Marcos said in a speech livestreamed on Sunday before leaving for his U.S. visit. The two leaders will meet at the White House on Monday.

The visit comes months after the Philippines granted the U.S. greater access to its military sites, paving the way for greater American presence in Asia Pacific amid heightened tensions with China over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea. Earlier, the U.S. accused China of harassing Philippine ships after vessels from the two nations nearly collided in the South China Sea a week ago.

Marcos is expected to discuss defense deals with Biden. He also intends to tell the U.S. president he is determined to build stronger ties “in a wide range of areas that not only address the concerns of our times,” but also on critical areas including food and energy security and climate change.

The Philippine leader said one of his priorities for the visit, which runs through May 4, is “to push for greater economic engagement” between the two nations including in semiconductors and renewable energy. He will be joined by his economic team and some private sector executives to explore business opportunities.

During their first bilateral meeting in September, Biden reaffirmed the United States’ “ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines.” In February, the U.S. won access to four more Philippine military bases.

Trigger warning: This piece contains descriptions of sexual assault that may be disturbing to some readers.

Technology has solved a lot of issues in our world today — but can it really solve, or at least deter, sexual assault? The number of anti-assault gadgets and tech devices on the market seems to make the argument for it. From wearable devices that alert friends and family who can call 911 to text services to tracking apps, several products “promise” to give women an invaluable edge when it comes to personal safety. But are they actually all that effective?

“Any gadget that makes a woman feel more safe, secure, and confident is helpful to some degree,” Carrie Conrad, an expert in prevention, protection, and self-defense specifically for moms, tells Scary Mommy. “I, personally, do not support living in terror. There are a ton of items on the market that do just that. I encourage items that empower a woman with her capability of taking action. That can mean different things to different people.”

These devices are well-intentioned. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in every five women and one in 71 men will be raped. While some anti-assault devices can prove helpful, factors exist that can render them useless and/or even increase the risk of harm. Here’s why and what you should focus on instead when it comes to your safety.

Why are some anti-assault gadgets ineffective or, worse, potentially dangerous?

According to Conrad, while the premise of these devices is positive and can prove effective in some cases, most of them have underlying efficacy issues. “One example of increased harm would be a tracking feature being used for stalking instead of for friends and authorities to offer help,” she says. “Also, you’ve got devices that alert authorities and/or family. How long does it take for help to come? It’s more time than it takes to complete the assault. On the other side, if it’s used ‘too soon’ or frequently and you aren’t able to prove that a sexual assault was close to becoming a legitimate reality, I see the potential for friends, families, or authorities to scoff at times. While asking for and receiving help is great, I just don’t want my fate or my safety in someone else’s hands.”

As Conrad points out, belts, underwear, and wearable devices used to protect a potential victim and deter a perpetrator could also end up causing harm. “[You will] still experience the trauma of someone making an attempt, even if it fails to be completed,” she says. “Also, what happens when the perpetrator can’t get what [they] want? What if the device doesn’t work as intended? Everything about this is still unsafe. I don’t feel it’s self-defense to trade one horror for another.”

Conrad says items that make noise to draw attention, such as whistles or horns, might prove helpful if it is convenient and the wearer is willing to set it off before a concern becomes a threat. “My experience in training women, though, is that these tools, more often than not, will not be used soon enough,” she says. “To be clear, though, that noise doesn’t stop someone from hurting you; it’s only a possible deterrent.”

Which anti-assault gadgets might work?

Tools and weapons used to physically fight off an attacker, like rings, keychains, pepper spray, etc., have a better chance of preventing an assault, says Conrad. However, “women need to be trained in not only the use of these items but also in retention because quite often a bigger, stronger attacker takes them and even uses them against the victim.”

This is why the practice and training in its use of a sexual assault prevention tool are just as important — if not more important — than the purchase and use of it. “That’s where the real value is,” says Conrad. “The experience empowers the person with proof of what they are capable of, which makes them less likely to be targeted or victimized.”

What is needed more when it comes to sexual assault prevention?

Perhaps what’s most concerning is that for all the hype of these gadgets, most people will not be wearing or using them at the time of an attack. As Andrew Pickett, a lead trial attorney at Andrew Pickett Law who practices sexual abuse cases, points out, research suggests most sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, “meaning that most victims are not thinking of wearing or having any of these anti-sexual assault gadgets because they do not perceive that someone they know is a threat.”

From his experience, devices such as safety alarms and pepper spray effectively deter assailants in certain situations. “However, these are not foolproof protection methods for all victims — it ultimately depends on the individual situation,” he tells Scary Mommy. “It’s also important to note that while physical safety devices are beneficial, they cannot stand alone against sexual violence. Organizations must create an environment focused on prevention, such as providing education around consent and bystander intervention and encouraging reporting of incidents.”

As a woman, Conrad says she believes she’s “within my rights to use deadly force to defend myself from great bodily harm; however, even with a conviction, the penalties of sexual assault can be negligible in comparison. While making changes to our system may be out of reach, as women, we can be sure to become prepared. Prepared means proactive, responsible, empowered, perceptive, aware, resilient, equipped, and decisive.”

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to the efficacy of anti-sexual assault gadgets is why we need to use them at all. “I think organizations should focus more on prevention rather than trying to present sexual assault as a software glitch that can be fixed,” Pickett says. “Teens must be taught about consent, bystander intervention, and reporting incidents. People must learn to take ownership of their safety and understand how important it is to look out for a fellow peer who might be at risk.”

And if you wear an anti-sexual assault gadget that fails to help you in an attack? Good luck suing the company. Pickett says it would be “difficult” as each case is individualized and must be evaluated on its merit.

It seems that while it’s imperative to protect ourselves, it’s even more important to question why we need to in the first place. Instead of fostering an environment where it feels like women should have to use these safety gadgets, more investment should be geared toward changing a culture that normalizes and tolerates sexual assault.

Having said that, if having an anti-assault tool or device does make you feel safer, by all means, carry one.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org.

I first heard the word consent in a junior high sex ed class. Over the years, I learned along with my peers what it is and what it is not, but the last place I thought I’d have to worry about it was not at a frat party or in some dark alley, but in my own long-time and trusted midwife’s exam room. At the end of my fourth pregnancy, I learned that consent is a term that extends far beyond the bedroom and romantic relationships: I had become the victim of a cervical sweep I didn’t consent to, and I was far from alone.

In a 2019 study in Reproductive Health, researchers concluded that one in six birthing people experienced mistreatment in pregnancy or delivery, such as loss of autonomy, being threatened, ignored, refused, or even shouted at. The study also shows people of color, younger women, birthing people with a Black partner, and birth location, among other factors, impacted those rates further. My experience was much less obvious, leaving me wondering whether anything “wrong” had happened at all or if I’d misunderstood the order of events.

I’d come into my provider’s office, who had been nothing but understanding and informative my entire pregnancy, past my due date. She recommended a membrane sweep, a procedure in which the provider uses their gloved hand to loosen the amniotic sac from the uterus. It’s a common procedure after 39 weeks to induce labor “naturally,” Cleveland Clinic reports. For me (and other mom friends who have had it), it’s a physically uncomfortable and even painful procedure, but it only does last a few minutes.

The problem is, I had yet to decide I wanted to do that.

As the midwife conducted a cervical check to see how dilated I was, we discussed whether I should do the sweep. I vacillated back and forth, trying to decide if I should wait longer for my body to go into labor or give it a “boost” with this procedure. As we chatted, the cervical exam got more painful, and it became apparent she was moving forward with it despite an official decision or conclusion. She said something to the effect of, “Well, I’m already up here, so…”.

In talking to obstetric violence expert Cristen Pascucci, founder of Birth Monopoly, I have since discovered that this is a standard turn of events in the world of obstetric violence.

“I’ve heard women say that for 10 years now… they went in and thought they were having a cervical check, and suddenly it got super painful. Maybe there was a little blood later; they had some bleeding; they had some cramping; and a lot of times, the provider would after the fact say, ‘Oh, I went ahead and did a little sweep to get you going or help things out,'” she says. “Sometimes they go back for another appointment and actually find out they had a membrane sweep without their consent.” She calls her own consensual sweep “so freaking painful — I remember every second.”

Pascucci shares another example of a woman who also had doula training and thought she was in labor getting a cervical check. The provider did a cervical sweep without her permission. She contacted Pascucci to ensure that it was, in fact, a violation of consent, as she felt. She met with the hospital, but they told her, “This is appropriate medical care, and when you signed a consent to be admitted to the hospital, you agreed to treatment,” she says. “One of them actually used the phrase ‘already up in there,'” pointing to the fact that once a provider is doing something else within the vagina and cervix, sometimes providers take more liberties to make their own decisions without seeing an issue or need for consent with each procedure.

The issue? Failing to ask and inform a patient every step of the way is against the “legal, ethical and professional requirements for physicians,” Pascucci explains. It’s called the “informed consent process,” and it says that what happened to me — and the other patient in the hospital — shouldn’t have happened.

“Informed consent is a basic human and legal right in healthcare, based on the idea that each of us owns our own bodies, and that extends to our decision-making in medical treatment. It means that for any suggested procedure or treatment, we have the right to full information about the risks and potential benefits of what’s being recommended, as well as its alternatives, and the right to accept or decline,” she says. “Medical providers have legal and ethical obligations to have these discussions with their patients and then support their patients’ autonomous decisions.”

So, I was left to process what had happened, even in the presence of my supportive and attentive spouse, with a provider I otherwise trusted. Pascucci says these conversations are essential because birthing people end up feeling like “somebody made a choice for me.” “It’s disempowering, it’s disrespectful, but a lot of times, it’s traumatizing,” she says, noting that it’s much more so for those who have previously experienced other sexual violence.

What was most confusing was I didn’t suspect any malintent from my provider, especially given our positive history. It was almost as if she was putting me out of my misery of struggling to make a decision. Pascucci says that from the provider’s perspective, they often don’t think they are doing anything wrong. She points to the misogynistic roots of women’s healthcare as part of the problem, creating this culture in the U.S. “It doesn’t just change overnight.”

Multiple times as I processed what happened, I almost called and discussed it with the provider herself. What stopped me? What stops many others: doubting if I was unclear. Doubting if I misread the situation. And doubting if it was unreasonable to have higher standards for care.

As I head into my fifth birth, I know now that it wasn’t my fault and my vagina isn’t a place for medical “gray area” decision-making, as I once wondered. And you can bet I will be having all conversations with all my clothes on before moving into any procedure… though I shouldn’t have to.

Even when a business is losing money, it’s possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

Given this risk, we thought we’d take a look at whether Canadian North Resources (CVE:CNRI) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we’ll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its ‘cash runway’.

See our latest analysis for Canadian North Resources

Does Canadian North Resources Have A Long Cash Runway?

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. When Canadian North Resources last reported its balance sheet in December 2022, it had zero debt and cash worth CA$11m. Importantly, its cash burn was CA$17m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from December 2022 it had roughly 8 months of cash runway. That’s quite a short cash runway, indicating the company must either reduce its annual cash burn or replenish its cash. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

How Is Canadian North Resources’ Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Although Canadian North Resources reported revenue of CA$92k last year, it didn’t actually have any revenue from operations. To us, that makes it a pre-revenue company, so we’ll look to its cash burn trajectory as an assessment of its cash burn situation. Remarkably, it actually increased its cash burn by 222% in the last year. With that kind of spending growth its cash runway will shorten quickly, as it simultaneously uses its cash while increasing the burn rate. Canadian North Resources makes us a little nervous due to its lack of substantial operating revenue. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow.

Story continues

How Easily Can Canadian North Resources Raise Cash?

Since its cash burn is moving in the wrong direction, Canadian North Resources shareholders may wish to think ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. We can compare a company’s cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year’s operations.

Canadian North Resources’ cash burn of CA$17m is about 6.4% of its CA$268m market capitalisation. Given that is a rather small percentage, it would probably be really easy for the company to fund another year’s growth by issuing some new shares to investors, or even by taking out a loan.

How Risky Is Canadian North Resources’ Cash Burn Situation?

On this analysis of Canadian North Resources’ cash burn, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. Summing up, we think the Canadian North Resources’ cash burn is a risk, based on the factors we mentioned in this article. On another note, Canadian North Resources has 3 warning signs (and 2 which don’t sit too well with us) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies insiders are buying, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here

 

By Henry Uche

With the heightened level of competition in modern business, marketers and sales representatives have been urged to maximize the enormous opportunities that are now available for everyone to explore through science and technology in the 21st century.

Speaking at the 2023 International Paper, Publishing and Printing Expo (IPPPEX) held in Lagos recently, managing director of Tripple Gee & Co Plc., Mrs. Adebimpe Giwa, who chaired the opening ceremony, said that there are myriads of benefits derivable from a strong virtual presence of any business organisation.

In a paper titled: “The Power of Face-to-Face Marketing in the Virtual Age,” the marketing and packaging expert maintained that the use of email marketing, blogs/websites, banners, newsletters, social media among others are worth investing in.

According to her, potential and prospective customers/clients could know about products or services via any online channel and develop interest to enter into contracts even before meeting with the marketers.

She said, “You can get potential clients and customers interested in your project even without your physical presence. Online presence boosts your visibility.

“The first important requirement for virtual marketing communication in the 21 century is for businesses to have online presence through websites and social media handles. One advantage of this marketing strategy is that it can speak for you even before your presence.

“It also helps you talk less as a marketer. Products, services and/or goods can be made available on the internet through websites and social media. You can showcase your expertise through recorded webinars where your products and services are talked about and displayed and also through write-ups that can be available on your website or social media handles.”

She, however, admonished businessmen and women to leverage face-to-face communication to sell their offerings to the world as a second time to make first impression may be very difficult.

“Everyone who hopes to market in the virtual space must get familiar with interactive apps such as Zoom, Google Meet, and others. We all, especially those of us who are not so accustomed to the internet culture, must understand virtual marketing communication as the new reality and get used to the new trend,” she stressed.

The IPPPEX is an event that brings together professionals from around the world to showcase the latest printing innovations, technologies, and trends in the industry. The expo provided a platform for businesses to network, learn from industry leaders, and explore new opportunities for growth.

WASHINGTON (AP) —

President Joe Biden is set to host President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines for White House talks Monday as concerns grow about the Chinese navy’s harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.

Marcos’ visit to Washington comes after the U.S. and Philippines last week completed their largest war drills ever and as the two countries’ air forces on Monday will hold their first joint fighter jet training in the Philippines since 1990. The Philippines this year agreed to give the U.S. access to four more bases on the islands as the U.S. looks to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea.

Meanwhile, China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishermen in waters close to Philippine shores but which Beijing claims as its own.

Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Macros said he was “determined to forge an ever stronger relationship with the United States in a wide range of areas that not only address the concerns of our times, but also those that are critical to advancing our core interests.”

Monday’s Oval Office meeting is the latest high-level diplomacy with Pacific leaders by Biden as his administration contends with increased military and economic assertiveness by China and worries about North Korea’s nuclear program. Marcos’ official visit to Washington is the first by a Philippine president in more than 10 years.

The U.S. president hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit last week in which the two leaders introduced new steps aimed at deterring North Korea from launching an attack on neighbors. Biden is scheduled to travel to Japan and Australia in May.

The two sides are expected to discuss the security situation and come out with new economic, education, climate and other initiatives as part of Marcos’ four-day visit to Washington, a senior administration official told The Associated Press.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the visit, said Biden administration officials are looking to redevelop “habits of alliance building” with the Philippines as aspects of the historically complicated relationship have “atrophied” over the years.

Increased Chinese harassment of vessels in the South China Sea have added another dimension to the visit. On April 23, journalists from AP and other outlets were aboard the Philippine coast guard’s BRP Malapascua near Second Thomas Shoal when a Chinese coast guard ship blocked the Philippine patrol vessel steaming into the disputed shoal. The Philippines has filed more than 200 diplomatic protests against China since last year, at least 77 since Marcos took office in June.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Saturday called media reporting on the encounters a “stark reminder” of Chinese “harassment and intimidation of Philippine vessels as they undertake routine patrols within their exclusive economic zone. We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct.”

Close U.S.-Philippines relations were not a given when Marcos took office. The son and namesake of the late Philippines strongman had seemed intent on following the path of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who pursued closer ties with China.

Before Marcos took office last year, Kurt Campbell, coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the White House National Security Council, acknowledged that “historical considerations” could present “challenges” to the relationship with Marcos Jr. It was an oblique reference to long-standing litigation in the United States against the estate of his father, Ferdinand Marcos.

A U.S. appeals court in 1996 upheld damages of about $2 billion against the elder Marcos’ estate for the torture and killings of thousands of Filipinos. The court upheld a 1994 verdict of a jury in Hawaii, where he fled after being forced from power in 1986. He died there in 1989.

Biden and Macros met in September during the U.N. General Assembly, where the U.S. president acknowledged the two countries’ sometimes “rocky” past.

During their private meeting, Biden stressed to Marcos his desire to improve relations and asked Marcos how the administration could “fulfill your dreams and hopes” for that, according to the senior administration official.

Marcos is also slated to visit the Pentagon, meet Cabinet members and business leaders and make remarks at a Washington think-tank during the visit.

___

Gomez reported from Manila.