| This week's sponsor is Aricent. | 
| Webinar: Capitalizing SON – How to Implement SON for LTE to reduce OPEX and Increase Revenue
Tuesday, January 29th, 11am ET / 8am PT LTE is the fastest growing communication technology of all time. In this webinar our experts will discuss how Network Equipment Manufacturers can leverage the concept of Self Organizing Networks (SON) to not only manage highly complex LTE networks but also reduce operational expenditures and enhance customer satisfaction. Register Today! |
Today's Top Stories
1. Judge orders Apple, Amazon to talk 'app store' infringement settlement
2. Facebook unveils Graph Search, squashing mobile OS speculation
3. RIM's mobile payment security tech earns Visa approval
4. Shopkick reaches profitability, touts $200M in 2012 partner revenues
5. Imangi rolling out 'Temple Run 2' for iOS Also Noted: Globalstar
Spotlight On... Samsung extends Android Jelly Bean to Galaxy Note 10.1
Microsoft embraces iOS, Android with Cloud OS; Chownow raises $3M and much more... Feature: Mobile payments in 2013: Will it be user-driven or vendor-driven? Why the Hackulous, Installous shutdown won't end iOS app piracy
 The nature of mobile app piracy is that those who perpetuate it do so in a way that makes it particularly challenging to track and evaluate whether or not they are losing business or merely attracting interest from early adopters. This issue came to a head again earlier this month when Hackulous, a longtime hub for piracy within the iOS community, abruptly announced it was shutting down. In a one-paragraph statement posted on its Web site, the administrator behind Hackulous claimed that it had run out of steam. Feature
| This week's sponsor is Bandwidth. | 
| Webinar: OTT Voice and Messaging: The future of Telecom
Thursday, February 21st, 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT
When there is an app for everything and a phone becomes less of a "thing" and more of a capability embedded in something else, what does the future hold for providers of traditional telecom services? Please join Sean Buckley, Senior Editor of FierceTelecom and a panel of VoIP experts, to learn about what you need to know to not get hamstrung in the regulatory morass. Register Today! |
| Sponsor: Kontagent FierceLive! Webinars > Globalstar's New "Wi-Fi" Super Highway - Tuesday, January 22nd, 11:00am EST/8:00 am PST
> Capitalizing SON – How to Implement SON for LTE to reduce OPEX and Increase Revenue - Tuesday, January 29th, 11am ET / 8am PT
> Webinar: OTT Voice and Messaging: The future of Telecom - Thursday, February 21st, 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT
Events > Wavefront Wireless Summit - Vancouver, BC - Feb 4-6, 2013
> App Planet @ GSMA Mobile World Congress - 25-28 Feb 2013 - Fira Gran Via, Barcelona
> Fierce Innovation Awards 2012 Live Announcement of this Year's Winners - Now Available On-Demand
Marketplace > Brief: Secure Android Capability
> Whitepaper: New Research on LTE Usage in Korea, Japan, and the U.S.
> Whitepaper: Key Strategies To Unleash Roaming Profits Through Signaling
> eBook: How Cloud Communications Reduce Costs and Increase Productivity
> eBook: Knowledge Management: 5 Steps to Getting it Right the First Time
Jobs > RF Engineer Job - Beaverton, OR, USA – Yoh
> Test Engineer Job - Overland Park, KS, USA – Yoh
> Implementation Manager II Job - Bellevue, WA, USA – Yoh
> Transport Engineer Job - Gardner, KS, USA – Yoh
> Manager Business Process II - Business Intake - Denver, CO - Cricket Communications
* Post a classified ad: Click here.
* General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. Judge orders Apple, Amazon to talk 'app store' infringement settlement
A judge has ordered Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) to hold settlement talks in an attempt to resolve their battle over the term "app store" before the case goes to trial this August. In a court filing issued Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Laporte in San Francisco instructed Apple and Amazon, their lead attorneys and executives with full authority to negotiate and settle the case to meet on March 21. "No participant in the settlement conference will be permitted to leave the settlement conference before it is concluded," Laporte wrote in her order. Neither Apple nor Amazon responded to requests for comment. In 2011, Apple filed suit against Amazon in an effort to block the online retail giant from using "app store" in relation to its Android application storefront. Apple argues that the Amazon Appstore for Android could mislead users looking for Apple's own App Store for iOS. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled Amazon is not falsely advertising Appstore for Android, stating "Apple has presented no evidence that consumers or customers understand 'app store' to include specific qualities or characteristics or attributes of the Apple App Store, or that any customers were misled by Amazon's use of the term." Apple still has five additional claims pending, including trademark infringement and unfair competition. Apple introduced the App Store in 2008 and now touts more than 775,000 applications optimized for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, including 300,000 native iPad apps. Last week, Apple announced consumers have now downloaded more than 40 billion apps from the store, including 20 billion in 2012 alone, generating iOS developer revenues in excess of $7 billion. Amazon Appstore for Android went live in early 2011, launching in the U.S. and subsequently expanding to international markets including Europe and Japan. The storefront--which promises a user experience rooted in the company's e-commerce and marketing expertise--consistently generates substantially greater revenues per user than the rival Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play storefront, according to data published last year by app store analytics firm Flurry. For more:
- read this Bloomberg article
- read this All Things D article Related articles:
Amazon wins ruling on 'app store' case vs. Apple
Amazon expands Appstore for Android to European market
Amazon Appstore for Android begins accepting promotional images
Amazon Appstore for Android streamlines developer payouts
Amazon dumps $20 pricing limit on Android in-app purchases
Apple sues Amazon.com over 'App Store' trademark Read more about: App Store, Amazon Appstore for Android
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| This week's sponsor is Kontagent. |  | Whitepaper: 5 Lessons on Driving More Revenue, Loyalty and Lifetime Value to Your Mobile Apps
Learn the five primary lessons that apply to 99% of businesses trying to succeed in the mobile app space. Download Now.
|
2. Facebook unveils Graph Search, squashing mobile OS speculation
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) confounded expectations at its much-anticipated Tuesday media event, quieting rumors it would launch its own smartphone, mobile operating system or new mobile services by introducing a new Graph Search tool designed to offer users deeper insight into their social media relationships.  | | Graph Search indexes a wealth of Facebook data. | Calling Graph Search "the third pillar" of Facebook's platform alongside its News Feed and Timeline features, co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the new service indexes a wealth of Facebook data including friend connections, location updates, 'likes,' comments and tags, helping users identify potential new contacts, recommended music and videos, friend-endorsed restaurants and other content. "Our mission is to make the world more open and connected, and we do this by giving people tools so they can map out the stories of their lives," Zuckerberg said, according to The Verge's live blog of the event. "We believe in this concept called the social graph, [which is] the sum of all these connections. That map can be the basis for all kinds of services." Zuckerberg stressed that Graph Search--developed in collaboration with Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Bing--is not synonymous with conventional Web searches. "Graph Search is designed to show you the answer and not links to answers," he said--for example, which of a user's friends live in San Francisco, which of them like fencing and which match both criteria. Facebook will introduce a blue Graph Search bar that runs across the top of the user's page--instead of inputting keywords, users can type specific questions or query parameters, like "Dentists liked by my friends" or "Friends of friends who are single men in San Francisco." A persistent "Refine This Search" box hangs on the side of the screen at all times, enabling users to modify search equations on the fly. Facebook adds that while people, photos, places, and interests form the foundation of Graph Search, all results are privacy-aware, meaning users can only search content already shared with them or content that is publicly available. For now, Facebook is rolling out Graph Search as a limited beta release for the desktop, launching to the public over the coming weeks and months. Zuckerberg said Facebook's mobile engineering staff is "busy revamping" its mobile apps to incorporate the Graph Search feature, adding "It's hard for us to estimate how long [mobile integration] will take." Zuckerberg also said Facebook will likely expand the pool of data sources shaping Graph Search results over time, perhaps leveraging data from Instagram, the mobile photo-sharing application it acquired last year. "Instagram data is on the list of things we will one day get to," he said. "It's so clear how much stuff out there you'd want to have in a product like this." Julien Blin, directing analyst of Consumer Electronics & Mobile Broadband at Infonetics Research, believes Graph Search could pose a serious threat to competing service providers ranging from to Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) to Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) to Yelp, especially if Facebook were to introduce its rumored Want button to simplify mobile purchases. "You can clearly see how [Facebook] could monetize on mobile," Blin told FierceMobileContent. "Imagine a case where someone is looking for friends who bought shoes in San Francisco. They could pull up a list of nearby stores with comments from friends, or even send a gift." The introduction of Graph Search follows days of speculation that Facebook would unveil a branded smartphone or mobile OS designed to power devices from multiple manufacturing partners. While Facebook has repeatedly denied plans to expand its business into the mobile hardware segment, a recent TechCrunch report once again reignited the rumors. Blin said the speculation is likely not going away, although he still questions why Facebook would want to enter the smartphone arena in the first place. "I don't see what's in it for Facebook," Blin said. "Zuckerberg wants an agnostic approach. The way to win is by putting Facebook on multiple platforms across multiple OEMs." For more:
- read this Verge live blog
- read this Facebook webpage Related articles:
Report: Facebook readying radical overhaul of mobile news feed
Facebook reportedly launching mobile OS, not Facebook phone, at upcoming event
Facebook adds voice messaging to Messenger for iOS, Android
Facebook opens Messenger for Android to non-Facebook users
Facebook trials automatic photo sync for Apple's iOS
Facebook extends Gifts platform to Apple's iOS
Facebook introduces device, OS targeting for mobile advertisers
Facebook: 14% of ad revenue comes from mobile Read more about: Mobile Social Networking
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3. RIM's mobile payment security tech earns Visa approval
Visa has approved Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) Secure Element Manager technology for Near Field Communications-enabled mobile payments. By adopting the Secure Element Manager backend solution, carriers can securely manage credentials on SIM cards installed in all types of mobile devices supporting NFC, RIM said. "The approval from Visa is an important step in that it will enable carriers to support Visa issuing banks and financial institutions," said Frank Maduri, RIM's senior director of NFC Services and TSM Product Management. Visa's endorsement helps make a RIM a player in the hotly contested mobile payments field as the company ramps up for the Jan. 30 launch of its overhauled BlackBerry 10 operating system. BlackBerry 10, which runs on the same QNX-based software powering RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, features the new BlackBerry Flow UI, which includes BlackBerry Hub, as well as BlackBerry Balance, which separates personal applications and information from encrypted work profiles, enabling organizations to protect their data while giving users the flexibility to optimize their devices for personal use. Although Canadian operator EnStream recently deployed mobile payment services leveraging RIM's SEM solution, it remains to be seen whether any U.S. carriers will follow suit. Isis, the NFC-based mobile commerce network spearheaded by Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) and T-Mobile USA, also incorporates secure element SIM cards sold directly by the carriers. Isis kicked off consumer trials in the Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City markets last fall. RIM also faces competition from the Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Wallet contactless payment application, which enables consumers to make purchases by tapping their device at more than 200,000 MasterCard PayPass-enabled merchant terminals across the U.S. Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), U.S. Cellular and MetroPCS (NASDAQ:PCS) sell Android smartphones supporting Google Wallet, but Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile USA do not offer Wallet-capable devices. For more:
- read this release Related articles:
RIM: Developers submit 15K BlackBerry 10 apps in less than two days
RIM issues finalized BlackBerry 10 SDK to developers
RIM rebrands BlackBerry App World, adds music and video for BB10
RIM confident of BlackBerry 10 launch, will release first devices in February
RIM launching BlackBerry 10, new smartphones on Jan. 30
RIM now accepting BlackBerry 10 apps Read more about: Near Field Communications, BlackBerry
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4. Shopkick reaches profitability, touts $200M in 2012 partner revenues
Shopkick, whose location-based consumer rewards application is now in use across more than 7,500 retail stores and malls nationwide, achieved its first profitable quarter during the fourth quarter of 2012, a little more than two years after the company first rolled out its service. Although Shopkick declined to specify total sales or related profitability metrics, the startup said it has now driven more than $300 million in revenue for its retail and brand partners, including more than $200 million in 2012 revenues alone. The free Shopkick app, which is available for devices running Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android, offers its 4 million users rewards points called "kicks" for entering traditional brick-and-mortar stores, scanning consumer goods and making purchases. To collect kicks, shoppers must physically step inside brick-and-mortar locations--Shopkick leverages patent-pending location technology which automatically identifies the user's presence in partner stores, crediting rewards and delivering relevant offers directly to their account. Consumers can redeem kicks to claim prizes like gift cards, movie tickets, Facebook Credits and iTunes downloads. Shoppers also can sign up to receive special in-store coupons and discounts. According to Shopkick, the app has generated more than 16 million verified walk-ins for partners like Target, Macy's, Old Navy, American Eagle, Best Buy, Crate & Barrel, Toys"R"Us and ExxonMobil, including an average of 2 million per month during the fourth quarter. Shopkick also reports 26 million product scans. Forty-seven percent of all U.S. smartphone owners use mobile shopping applications, according to a Nielsen report issued last year. Shopkick ranked fourth in terms of unique audience size, trailing only eBay Mobile, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Mobile and Groupon. For more:
- read this release Related articles:
Macy's rolls out Shopkick rewards app to 800 U.S. stores
MasterCard, shopkick team for consumer rewards program
Shopkick partners with Target for nationwide mobile loyalty program
Shopkick tops 3M active users, 1B in-app deals and offers viewed
Visa teams with shopkick for mobile purchase rewards
Shopkick's CEO talks entrepreneurship, mobile marketing and the future Read more about: iOS, shopkick
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5. Imangi rolling out 'Temple Run 2' for iOS
Imangi Studios is launching the sequel to its blockbuster endless runner game Temple Run for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS.  | | Imangi releases Temple Run 2. | Touch Arcade reports the free-to-play Temple Run 2 surfaced in the New Zealand outpost of Apple's App Store this morning, and is slated to expand to territories including the U.S. throughout the day ahead. The title replaces the jungle environment of the first Temple Run outing in favor of a temple floating in the clouds, and it takes place during the so-called "golden hour" just prior to sunset. While the basic game mechanics remain the same, Touch Arcade notes significant improvements including a more fluid user interface and superior graphics and animation. Imangi released the first version of Temple Run in August 2011, expanding to Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android the following March. Last summer, the company teamed with The Walt Disney Co. for Temple Run: Brave, a tie-in to the animated Pixar feature Brave. Like the original Temple Run, the Brave spinoff challenges players to navigate a series of ancient temple walls, sheer cliffs and booby traps while collecting coins, but the game shifts the setting to the same magical Scottish forest depicted in Pixar's film. The tie-in edition also adds a new archery feature. Last week, Apple announced that Temple Run downloads topped 75 million in 2012. For more:
- read this Touch Arcade article Related articles:
Disney, Imangi team for Temple Run: Brave movie tie-in game
Report: 23 percent of app gamers play only on smartphones, tablets
NPD: Mobile gamers now largest gaming segment in U.S.
PopCap: Half of gamers favor mobile devices for playing games at home Read more about: iOS
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Also Noted | This week's sponsor is Globalstar. | 
| Webinar: Globalstar's New "Wi-Fi" Super Highway
Tuesday, January 22nd, 11:00 am EST/ 8:00 am PST
This webinar will discuss the innovative technology, public benefits, and regulatory outlook of providing a new 22 MHz channel under the existing 802.11 IEEE standard. Join to learn technical aspects of TLPS deployment and the outlook for near-term relief from the FCC. Register Now! |
SPOTLIGHT ON... Samsung extends Android Jelly Bean to Galaxy Note 10.1 Samsung Electronics continues overhauling its device portfolio to run Google's Android 4.1, a.k.a. Jelly Bean: The manufacturer is now rolling out the update to its Galaxy Note 10.1 phablet, hours after partnering with AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) to upgrade its Galaxy Rugby Pro smartphone. The update is available as an over-the-air download or through Windows and Mac computers via the Samsung Kies content sync and software application. Alongside core Android 4.1 features such as the Project Butter UI engine, a revamped homescreen and Google Now, which includes personalized information such as local weather and traffic updates, Samsung's Jelly Bean update integrates customized enhancements including a new live camera and camcorder filters, the Pop Up Play picture-in-picture video window and Easy Mode, which offers widget-based access to users' favorite apps as well as a blocking mode that silences incoming calls, alerts and notifications. Article Quick news from around the Web @FierceMobiCo: Feature: Why the Hackulous, Installous shutdown won't end iOS app piracy http://bit.ly/13wrOOe Article | Follow @FierceMobiCo > Microsoft embraces iOS, Android with Cloud OS. Article > Chownow raises $3M for mobile food ordering platform. Article Wireless News > T-Mobile days away from launching LTE in Las Vegas, Kansas City to be next. Article > AT&T's femtocell policy raises net neutrality concerns, group warns. Article And finally… RIP director and provocateur Nagisa Oshima. Article
Mobile payments in 2013: Will it be user-driven or vendor-driven? By Sandhya Raman 
In the early 1900s, the burgeoning automotive industry created a sort-of gold rush, with a variety of players chasing a piece of this new market. With that, explained Yankee Group principal analyst of mobile money, Nick Holland, some players would fail, some would be acquired or vanish into the ether, and a select few would succeed. The current state of mobile payments is also a gold rush, Holland said, and the product that scales the best for all, not necessarily the best technology, is the one that will succeed. Indeed, mobile payments are already a multibillion-dollar industry. Forrester Research issued new data predicting that U.S. mobile payments will climb to $90 billion by 2017, a 48% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from the $12.8 billion spent in 2012. Last year Gartner predicted that worldwide mobile payment transaction values would surpass $171.5 billion in 2012, and Juniper Research predicted global Near Field Communications retail transactions alone will grow to $110 billion by 2017. The way the mobile payment ecosystem is currently set up has most of the major players in one of two camps: vendor-driven or user-driven initiatives. The vendor-driven approach includes companies such as Square and PayPal, which offer devices to attach to a vendor's phone to process credit and debit cards. On the other side there are the user-driven mobile payment services like Isis and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Wallet, which incorporate mobile payments as a part of an ecosystem. With these, a business isn't forcing you to use this technology, rather it's another option to pay for items. "One is when the phone becomes a surrogate for the card, and one is when the phone becomes a surrogate for the terminal," Holland said. It's difficult to predict whether mobile payments will become the norm. The situation is further stymied by the fragmented nature of the ecosystem and the number of players vying for a piece of the market. Thus, it makes much more sense to compare the players to others within their own camp, and to look at whether that camp at large will succeed. > Globalstar's New "Wi-Fi" Super Highway - Tuesday, January 22nd, 11:00am EST/8:00 am PST This webinar will discuss the innovative technology, public benefits, and regulatory outlook of providing a new 22 MHz channel under the existing 802.11 IEEE standard. Join to learn technical aspects of TLPS deployment and the outlook for near-term relief from the FCC. Register Now! > Capitalizing SON – How to Implement SON for LTE to reduce OPEX and Increase Revenue - Tuesday, January 29th, 11am ET / 8am PT LTE is the fastest growing communication technology of all time. In this webinar our experts will discuss how Network Equipment Manufacturers can leverage the concept of Self Organizing Networks (SON) to not only manage highly complex LTE networks but also reduce operational expenditures and enhance customer satisfaction. Register Today! > Webinar: OTT Voice and Messaging: The future of Telecom - Thursday, February 21st, 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT When there is an app for everything and a phone becomes less of a "thing" and more of a capability embedded in something else, what does the future hold for providers of traditional telecom services? Please join a panel of VoIP experts, to learn about what you need to know to not get hamstrung in the regulatory morass. Register Today!
| > Wavefront Wireless Summit - Vancouver, BC - Feb 4-6, 2013 50 billion connected devices by 2020 – how are you going to stay relevant? Hear how leaders at HP, Google, Deloitte and more are using mobility solutions to fundamentally change business operations. Learn more and register at wavefrontsummits.com. > App Planet @ GSMA Mobile World Congress - 25-28 Feb 2013 - Fira Gran Via, Barcelona App Planet at Mobile World Congress connects the developer community and ecosystem. App Planet features exhibition, product and service demonstrations, networking, and workshops from some of the most influential mobile industry companies > Fierce Innovation Awards 2012 Live Announcement of this Year's Winners - Now Available On-Demand Please join Jason Nelson, Publisher of FierceWireless, FierceTelecom, and FierceCable as we announce the winners of the Fierce Innovation Awards 2012. Click here to RSVP today.
| > Brief: Secure Android Capability Securing mobile devices is crucial because the same capabilities that increase our social interactions and business effectiveness can be subverted and used for unintended uses. Download this Brief to explore how Wind River has combined extensive experience with our capabilities in secure certified embedded systems to develop an advanced security strategy that also ensures compatibility with the commercial Android development model. > Whitepaper: New Research on LTE Usage in Korea, Japan, and the U.S. Mobidia and Informa share their latest analysis of mobile data usage on LTE networks. Identified trends include increased mobile data usage, decreased Wi-Fi usage, and a decrease in unlimited plans. Download this paper to understand more about how mobile subscribers are using LTE networks > Whitepaper: Key Strategies To Unleash Roaming Profits Through Signaling Armed with smartphones and tablets, consumers are demanding constant connectivity and consistently high quality of service, anytime and anywhere, at home and abroad. As a result, roaming traffic is expected to grow rapidly. Will your roaming profits grow as well? Download Today. > eBook: How Cloud Communications Reduce Costs and Increase Productivity Download this new eBook to quickly learn how cloud communications deliver cost savings, Communication Features and more... Request Now! > eBook: Knowledge Management: 5 Steps to Getting it Right the First Time This eBook sets out 5 simple steps for optimizing customer service and support with an effective, best-practice-led knowledge management initiative. Download today!
| > RF Engineer Job - Beaverton, OR, USA – Yoh Yoh has a (12) months contract opportunity for a RF Engineer to join our client in Beaverton, OR. Job responsibilities include designing RF system block, creating specifications and characterizing subsystem from antenna through digital conversion. Minimum three (3) plus years RF engineer experience...Learn more. > Test Engineer Job - Overland Park, KS, USA – Yoh Yoh has an exciting contract opportunity for a Test Engineer II to join our client in Overland Park, KS. The Test Engineer II to provide technical support in the execution and maintenance of the production network. The Test Engineer II candidate should have a thorough understanding of IP routing, switching and the OSI model...Learn more. > Implementation Manager II Job - Bellevue, WA, USA – Yoh Yoh has a contract opportunity for an Implementation Manager II to join our client in Bellevue, WA. Responsibilties include to manage all aspects of telecom equipment deployment from: customer relationship, project plan of record, project schedule, cost, and inventory. Minimum of five (5) years of experience...Learn more. > Transport Engineer Job - Gardner, KS, USA – Yoh Yoh has an exciting contract opportunity for a Transport Operations NOC to join our client in Gardner, KS. This position understands in-depth equipment specific maintenance procedures and can assist field operations in card swaps and equipment restoration. Ability to manage multiple tasks on time, including ticket administration, communications, and follow up activities required...Learn more. > Manager Business Process II - Business Intake - Denver, CO - Cricket Communications Cricket Communications, a subsidiary of Leap Wireless, is the pioneer and leader in delivering innovative value-rich prepaid wireless services with no long-term contracts serving approximately 6 million customers. The Business Intake Manager will provide oversight and management of the Business Readiness Board and delivery of a consolidated calendar of system & commercial launch dates. Bachelor's Degree - business, marketing or related field; or equivalent experience required...Learn more. | |
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