Business

Internet service provider (ISP) NetZero announced late Wednesday it is pruning its staff by 26 percent and cutting back on its free Internet service in order to decrease costs and improve financial results. NetZero said it is reducing the number of free Internet hours that subscribers receive...

Although many financial services firms have revamped their marketing campaigns around "fear-inducing" messages, in an effort to attract and retain clients, a study released Wednesday by Forrester Research finds that these companies need to take a markedly different approach when dealing with affl...

Though some observers say that the Internet provides crucial value to life insurance consumers as a research and information tool, the Web might not be the best place to find good deals, according to findings released Tuesday by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). "We thought that term lif...

The latest quarterly report from Priceline.com shows that the company has successfully transformed itself from an overextended, money-losing dot-com into an online travel company poised for success, analysts said. Priceline shares soared in morning trading Wednesday, following news that the "nam...

European Union (EU) regulators cleared the way for the wide-scale implementation of electronic signature initiatives Wednesday, approving a global network set up by financial institutions worldwide to authenticate digital signatures and other aspects of e-commerce transactions. Meeting in Brusse...

DaimlerChrysler and Union Pacific announced Tuesday that they have formed a new Web-based company to track vehicle shipments from assembly plants to dealers. The new company, Insight Network Logistics, is expected to save Chrysler approximately US$280 million over the next six years as a result o...

One of the 2,000 employees who lost their jobs when Webvan shut down last month has found new work, as TRW, a US$17 billion-a-year auto parts and technology concern, named the online grocer's chief executive officer, Robert Swan, its new chief financial officer. Swan had been CEO at Webvan for a...

Yahoo! said Tuesday it has reached a multiyear agreement with Sony that encompasses online movie marketing, e-commerce and Web site development, and leaves the door open for additional deals between the two companies. "This agreement represents a significant commitment of two industry leaders to...

In a move that it says reflects an "aggressive focus" on growth and profitability, online brokerage Ameritrade announced Tuesday that it has inked a deal to acquire Deutsche Bank online subsidiary National Discount Brokers (NDB) for US$154 million in common stock. Omaha, Nebraska-based Ameritrade...

Online travel company Expedia.com announced Monday that revenue for the fourth quarter ended June 30th more than doubled from the year-earlier quarter, saying that demand for the company's services rose as a weak economy led travelers to search the Internet for bargains. The company also reporte...

GoTo.com announced Monday that it will spin off its auctions unit into a self-contained auction service provider called ChannelAdvisor. "As more large companies see online auctions as viable ways to liquidate more merchandise, services like those from ChannelAdvisor will become even more needed ...

Securities analysts, once regarded as independent authorities on the value of publicly traded companies, are finding their status diminished amid investor lawsuits and reports of conflicts of interest, particularly regarding cases involving high-tech stocks. Merrill Lynch's recent $400,000 settle...

Amazon.com and Toysrus.com extended their year-old brick-and-click marriage Monday, launching a co-branded children's learning site, Imaginarium.com. The site, which features educational toys and games for children, along with parent and teacher recommendations, is the third online effort the tw...

National discount retailer Kmart and its online unit, BlueLight.com, announced Monday that they have teamed up to launch a new unlimited access Internet service plan for US$8.95 per month. Kmart and BlueLight said that the offering, which is aimed at both new users and the ISP's existing 7 mill...

Internet portal Yahoo! announced Monday that it will soon launch a new co-branded version of its person-to-person (P2P) payment system, Yahoo! PayDirect, that will be powered by London-based banking giant HSBC Holdings. The companies said they also plan to license Yahoo! PayDirect technology to o...