business

Articles, videos, and related content associated with all aspects of Business and the culture surrounding business.

He Told the Truth at a Meeting. The Room Buried Him.
Chi Dawei sat at the long table of the branch democratic-life meeting, holding a sheet of figures he had copied from the finance office. Over three hundred thousand yuan for an imported sedan. The department’s entire annual hospitality budget was about that much. He spread the paper on the table and read item by item: the car price, customs duty, insurance, follow-up maintenance. When he finished, he added that if the money were spent on upgrading grassroots health stations, it could cover a certain number of sites. He did not look at Director Ma as he said this. His eyes stayed on the sheet of paper.
By Jin7 days ago in Journal
Platforms Don’t Make the Profit. They Decide Who Keeps It.
In a conference room in Seoul, a production company representative flips through a contract. The terms are detailed: number of episodes, delivery date, cost cap, global rights ownership. The platform buys at production cost and leaves a slice of profit above cost. The industry summarizes this as “cost plus 10%.” The production company boss puts a calculator on the table. He tallies art and props, then post-production effects, then the salaries due next month. The 10% keeps the company alive to open another production.
By Jin7 days ago in Journal
He Refused to Buy a Coffee at Starbucks. Then He Called the Police.
There was no cup in front of the man. On the table were only a phone, a jacket draped over the back of the chair, and a napkin pushed to the corner. When the employee walked over for the third time, she was holding a menu. She bent down slightly, kept her voice low, and said, “Sir, these seats are for customers who make a purchase. Would you like to order something first?”
By Jin7 days ago in Journal
Growth Was Never the Hard Part: Seven Things I Learned Scaling a Services Firm. AI-Generated.
Note: This story was written with AI assistance and edited by me. Note: An earlier version of this piece, "From $6M to $60M: 7 Lessons from Scaling a Software Consulting Firm," was published on DEV.
By Ashkan Rajaee7 days ago in Journal
Review a Vehicle Design with the Doors Open. AI-Generated.
A vehicle design usually arrives for approval with every door neatly closed. The side panel is uninterrupted. The rear message sits across a clean rectangle. Nothing covers the company name.
By Vladyslav Yanchenko7 days ago in Journal
A Small Packaging Change Can Create a New Buying Habit
In 1923, Coca-Cola already had a bottle people recognized. Getting several of those bottles home was another matter. Buying one drink for immediate consumption was simple. Carrying multiple glass bottles was awkward. Yet Coca-Cola saw an opportunity developing beyond soda fountains and individual purchases: more people were able to keep drinks cold at home.
By Human Business Works8 days ago in Journal
Five Percent for AI: Why the Order of the Cuts Matters. AI-Generated.
Note: This story was written with AI assistance and edited by me. On October 22, Barclays announced it will cut about 5% of its workforce, close to 5,000 jobs, mostly in support functions, as it moves more operations to AI systems. The next morning, American Express said it will eliminate 5% of its global workforce. Based on roughly 76,800 employees at the end of 2025, that is about 3,840 roles. CEO Stephen Squeri said the company needs "to become a more agile and efficient organization." Reuters counts Barclays among a long list of companies linking layoffs to AI this year, from HSBC to Kroger.
By Ashkan Rajaee8 days ago in Journal
The Panopticon in the Rearview: Georgia Lawsuit Exposes the Dark Side of License Plate Surveillance
In the quiet suburbs of Coweta County, Georgia, a legal battle is unfolding that could redefine the boundaries of digital privacy and police accountability in America. Tyler Murkerson, a local small-business owner, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office and Flock Safety, the prominent surveillance technology company that supplies the region’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. The lawsuit alleges a disturbing pattern of retaliatory surveillance, claiming that law enforcement officers weaponized the Flock system to conduct illegal, warrantless searches of Murkerson’s movements over many months, entirely devoid of probable cause or any legitimate investigative purpose.
By Mark Lim 8 days ago in Journal
From Bean to Bar: Sarawak’s Strategic Push to Revolutionize Malaysia’s Cocoa Industry
For decades, Malaysia has been a significant player in the global agricultural landscape, yet its cocoa industry has long been defined by a persistent structural vulnerability: a heavy reliance on imported dried cocoa beans to feed its domestic processing demands. While the nation possesses the agronomic potential to be a self-sufficient cocoa powerhouse, the historical focus on raw material exports and mid-tier processing has left a gaping supply gap. Now, a transformative initiative is underway in Borneo. Sarawak is poised to fundamentally reshape the country’s cocoa narrative by aggressively expanding cultivation areas and pivoting toward the production of higher-value, artisanal chocolate products. Backed by the Malaysian Cocoa Board and strategic allocations in the latest Malaysia Plan, this ambitious roadmap aims to narrow the import dependency within the next two to three years, transforming Sarawak into the epicenter of Malaysia’s premium chocolate renaissance.
By Mark Lim 8 days ago in Journal
My Family Took Over a Parcel Station for Free. Then Our Home Became a Waiting Room.
My family took over this parcel station without paying a cent. The second owner left the keys on a neighbor’s windowsill. “Take the equipment,” she said. “I don’t want a penny.” Her phone was dead the next day. She had rented the neighbor’s house, couldn’t keep the station running, and asked my family to take it. The old man said he was idle. A sign went up in our courtyard: Parcel Station.
By Jin8 days ago in Journal
I Let AI Write My Code for Four Years. The Skill I Lost Was Quiet.
Can four years of Codex create a large gap between a student who uses it every day and a classmate who does not? The answer depends on what “using Codex” means.
By Jin8 days ago in Journal
The Co-Branded Cup That Burst in Her Hand Was a Cost-Sheet Decision
At the end of October in Guangdong, the tap water had no temperature difference. A glass cup printed with a cartoon figure burst in the user’s hand. The broken edge severed blood vessels and nerves, and that night the person was taken into surgery. Photos of broken cups posted across the internet afterward formed a pattern. From the same batch, some cups shattered as soon as they were taken out of the box and touched a tabletop. Some cracked when they touched a sink. Some arrived by delivery already broken to pieces. No temperature difference, no impact, still unopened. The cups were breaking by themselves.
By Jin8 days ago in Journal