1 Cloud earns big profit for Microsoft (khaleej
Times) Microsoft reported that its quarterly earnings was lifted on the back of
its shift to focusing on computing services hosted in the Internet cloud. The
US technology giant said it made a profit of $6.5 billion in the recently-ended
quarter as revenue rose to $23.3 billion.
About $7.4 billion of the revenue in the quarter
came from "intelligent cloud" offerings that are part of Microsoft
shedding its legacy of packaged software and embracing a future in which
computing power is hosted online as a service. "Innovation across our
cloud platforms drove strong results this quarter," Microsoft chief
executive Satya Nadella said in a statement.
Microsoft uses the term "intelligent
cloud" to refer to services that let businesses take advantage of
computing power online in its data centres, coupled with insights or analysis
by artificial intelligence software.
The pioneering software firm had more than 121,000
employees worldwide at the end of March, according to its website. It is
seeking to be a first port-of-call for businesses relying on cloud computing,
as the industry moves away from packaged software. Microsoft's cloud computing
platform will be used outside China for collaboration by members of a
self-driving car alliance formed by Chinese Internet search giant Baidu, the
companies announced this week.
2 Change management as a precise science (Aisha
Sarwari in Dawn) Change management in an ever changing world is perhaps the
most important thing a corporation can invest in today. Fast-paced changes in
organisational structure and mission, objectives and goals need rapid response
from senior management and this is where the doctrine of change management
graduates from an art into a precise science.
You can never over-communicate when you ask your
organisation to change. Employees are fearful and apprehensive of change. Few
executives realise that change communication is less about driving change
within an organisation than it is about the models of communication used to
convey messages to the target stakeholders. The bottom line is that the old
methods no longer work.
What should this communication aim to achieve? First
it must counter resistance from the employees and align them to the overall
strategic direction of the organisation. This can be achieved by providing
counselling to overcome change-related fears or apprehensions.
Secondly, it should inform the stakeholders about the
reasons why the change is being effected, the benefits of successful
implementation of such change as well as the details of the change (the
modalities and logistics of change). The communication must also devise an
implementable plan for re-training and re-educating key members of the
organisation.
3 Oil declines as supplies surge (Gulf News) Oil
declined after tanker-tracker Petro-Logistics SA said Opec’s supply in July
will be the highest this year. Futures fell as much as 0.5 per cent in New
York, erasing a weekly gain. Supply from Opec members is set to exceed 33
million barrels a day this month, more than 600,000 barrels a day higher than
the first-half average, according to Petro-Logistics.
The data could reinforce scepticism about the
effectiveness of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ production
cuts as officials from the group gather for meetings in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Oil remains in a bear market on concern that growing
output in the US, Libya and Nigeria is offsetting other producers’ curbs,
meaning stockpiles aren’t shrinking fast enough. The report from
Petro-Logistics found that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Nigeria are behind the
extra barrels. The latter is exempt from making cuts as it tries to recover
from disruption due to theft, sabotage and attacks by rebels.
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