The launch of Disney+ has brought a bit of magic to a company whose stock had taken a nosedive after the coronavirus shut down theme parks and movie theaters. WSJ explains how Disney’s streaming platform has become a top competitor in an already crowded field. Photo illustration: Jacob Reynolds/WSJ
Category Archives: Analysis
Business Analysis: ‘Work From Home’ & The Rise Of Williams Sonoma (Video)
In the midst of the pandemic, Williams-Sonoma has stood out as a company, its stock price reaching a new all-time high in January 2021, despite many businesses declining. Paired with its strength in e-commerce, the company’s ongoing success is due in large part to consumers staying at home more than ever before. Still, the company faces potential headwinds as the shift to online shopping impacts home furnishing sales and rivals like online furniture retailer Wayfair increase their market share. As a retailer known for its brick-and-mortar locations, can the brand keep up its success?
Science: ‘Insane Biology Of Ant Colonies’ (4K Video)
Ants are social insects which form small to large colonies. A typical colony contains an egg-laying queen and many adult workers together with their brood (eggs, larvae and pupae). Workers are by far the most numerous individuals in the nest. They are responsible for nest construction and maintenance, foraging, tending the brood and queen, and nest defence.
While all workers are female, they are sterile and do not lay eggs. Winged queens and males are present in the nest for only a short period. Soon after emerging they leave the nest to mate and establish new nests. Queens are generally similar to the workers, differing primarily in having larger bodies. In some species, fully winged queens are lacking and egg-laying is undertaken either by typical workers or by individuals which are morphologically intermediate between typical queens and workers (these are called ergatoid queens). Males are generally about the same size as the workers or smaller, and have smaller heads with large ocelli, very short scapes and small mandibles. In many cases males look more like wasps than ants.
Covid Vaccine: ‘What Went Wrong With U.S. Rollout’
The U.S. coronavirus rollout has been anything but smooth. States are reporting limited supply of vaccines, leading them to delay appointments and close clinics to the public. Some states lack staff and essential resources to get the job done. With little guidance from the previous White House administration on how to effectively administer vaccines, it’s up to states and local health officials to get the job done. President Joe Biden announced the administration will buy 200 million more vaccines and institute a national vaccine program to vaccinate 100 million doses in his first 100 days. But can it be done? Here’s what went wrong with the U.S. coronavirus vaccine rollout and how a new White House plans to turn things around.
Analysis: The Rise & Fall Of E-Cigarette Maker ‘Juul’
In 2017, Juul catapulted to the top of the e-cigarette market. But the company’s valuation has fallen just as quickly, as a series of crises have led to hundreds of lawsuits alleging that the company marketed its products to teens. Photo Illustration: Jacob Reynolds/WSJ
Analysis: ‘Can Prefab Homes Fix U.s. Affordable Housing Crisis?’ (Video)
The affordable housing crisis in the United States continues to be a problem and it’s only getting worse. And in places like San Francisco, where construction costs are some of the highest in the world, overcoming the housing shortage seems impossible. However, one solution is gaining traction that could dramatically reduce the cost and time to build new housing – factory-built apartments.
Remote Work: ‘How Big Tech Is Revamping It’ (WSJ)
Prominent tech companies are embracing remote work amid an exodus of skilled labor from Silicon Valley. WSJ looks at what that could mean for innovation and productivity and what companies are doing to manage the impact.
Analysis: ‘2021 iPhone 13’ – New Technology (Video)
Clues to the Next iPhone Are in Samsung’s New Galaxy S21 Years of smartphone launches all plotted on one evidence board. A fingerprint sensor embedded in the screen? An ultra-zoom camera? A faster 120Hz display? Samsung’s latest tells us a lot about what might come from Apple this year in the iPhone 13. WSJ’s Joanna Stern sifts through years of Galaxy and iPhone evidence. Photo illustration: Preston Jessee for The Wall Street Journal Personal Technology With Joanna Stern
Analysis: Multiresistant Bacteria That Outsmart Antibiotics (Video)
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest medical challenges of our time. Among the causes are industrial livestock farming, poor hygiene in hospitals, and the misuse of antibiotics. This documentary looks at approaches to fighting multiresistant strains of bacteria.
Each year 33,000 people in Europe die after becoming infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Hygiene specialist Dr. Ron Hendrix has been working for years to prevent outbreaks of infectious disease in hospitals. Dr. Hendrix says that he and other experts in the Netherlands recognized early on that they’d have to fight the spread of bacteria just as actively as they would the actual infection.
Hendrix has convinced a number of German hospitals to re-open their diagnostic laboratories, as well. In the early 2000s, many of these labs had been shut down as a cost-cutting measure. And farmers in Denmark voluntarily chose to sharply reduce their use of antibiotics, after evidence showed that intensive livestock farming caused multiresistant bacteria to multiply.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Patrick Soentjens was able to convince Belgium’s health ministry to allow the use of “phages” to treat stubborn antimicrobial resistant pathogens. Phages are special viruses that kill bacteria. Dr. Soentjens is certain that this well-known, but largely forgotten option could save many lives. Belgium has become the first western European country where phages have been officially recognized as a legitimate medical treatment.
Europe: An Economic History Of Iceland (Video)
Iceland’s Economy had a banking debt ten times larger than its GDP. Iceland was that one Economy which went left when everybody else went right. Whilst most thought the banks were too big to fail, Iceland thought they were too big to save. It let its largest banks go bankrupt and threw dozens of bankers in jail. And yet despite its unusual approach, its Economy recovered. Going on to enjoy a decade of unbroken economic growth and high standard of living. But why did an island just outside the arctic circle have a financial crisis? What strategies did it deploy to rack up such monumental debts? How did it recover? And does its future rely on impressive tourist growth and crypto currencies?
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