Bazaarvoice’s IPO Prospects

Within the U.S. alone, Forrester estimates social media marketing to be worth $3.1 billion by the year 2014. The market was worth $0.72 billion in 2009, which makes for a projected annual growth rate of 34%. Texas-based Bazaarvoice is a leading marketing company that is helping more than 1,200 brands tap into the social media market.

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Xilinx Positioning Itself As A One-Stop-Shop

Last month, both Xilinx (NASDAQ:XLNX) and Altera (NASDAQ:ALTR) cut their guidance for the third quarter. Earlier in the year, Xilinx was on an acquisition spree, buying AutoESL, Omiino, Modelware, and Sarance Technologies. Let’s take closer look at the recent performance of programmable logic device (PLD) market leaders, Xilinx and Altera.

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As Enrollment Declines, Apollo Group And DeVry Look For Expansion Strategies

Driven by the tighter government regulations, declining student enrollments in the for-profit education sector continued to be a cause for concern. A quarter since the gainful employment regulation came into being, new student enrollment has fallen by more than 15% over the year. To help drive growth, the industry’s players are looking out to acquisitions.

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Hulu’s Sale Looks Uncertain

Hulu’s willingness to be bought, announced earlier last quarter, has raked in numerous bids. To sweeten the pot for the buyer, Hulu recently reported improved viewership statistics, increased market reach and an expanded library offering. But recent news suggests that despite their success, selling Hulu may not be all that easy.

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Jive’s IPO Prospects

While the consumer social networking market has grown phenomenally, reflected in the more than 750 million Facebook users, the enterprise social networking market is only marginally tapped. LinkedIn is the largest professional network with more than 120 million members, yet it does not fall in the enterprise social networking segment. IDC estimates that the enterprise social business software market will be worth $10.3 billion by 2013. Palo Alto–based Jive Software is one company targeting this segment. Other companies include Salesforce.com with their Chatter product, and a startup called Yammer.

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Rovio Moves Steadily Ahead

According to Mobile Gaming – U.S. – May 2011, published by researcher Mintel, annual mobile phone and tablet gaming sales in the U.S. have more than doubled over the past five years to reach $898 million in 2010. The market estimates the revenues to double again in the next five years to reach $1.6 billion by 2015. Finland-based Angry Birds developer Rovio is counting on this market growth.

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Adobe Focuses On Web Tools

Adobe yesterday announced several major initiatives targeted at tablets including a cloud service and web design tools. It also announced the acquisition of web typography innovator Typekit and its agreement to acquire Nitobi, creator of PhoneGap. The shift in focus toward Web technologies is a welcome development especially in the wake of Microsoft joining Apple in not supporting Flash on tablets. Let’s take a closer look.

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Accenture Poised To Benefit From IT Outsourcing Upswing

A recently released study by IDC, “U.S. BPO Contract Analysis 2006–2010 by Vertical,” revealed that during the five-year period, BPO contract values soared in 2008 and have since declined because of the recession. However, the situation should improve in the coming years. Gartner’s projections state that the ITO market will grow 6.9% over the previous year to end 2011 with revenues of $313.2 billion. The industry is also expected to grow at a compounded rate of 4.6% over 2010–2015. Market leader Accenture is already witnessing such growth.

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Electronic Arts Shifting Heavily Toward Social & Mobile Gaming

NPD Group estimates that U.S. retail video game sales fell 20% over the year in July to $707.7 million because of a significant drop in console gaming revenues. The researcher estimates that retail video game full-year revenues to fall 2% over the year. In July, sales of video game hardware, which includes hand-held game systems and gaming consoles like the Wii and Xbox 360, fell 29% to $223 million. Software sales fell 17% to $336.2 million, while sales of game accessories fell 8% to $127.8 million. Declining console gaming revenues are making game developers focus on social and mobile games instead.

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Qihoo: A Chinese Internet Powerhouse

Thomson Reuters data shows that 21 Chinese companies with VC backing raised $2.2 billion last year when they went public in the United States. From 2000 to June 2010, mainland Chinese companies raised $188 billion in 495 deals on leading global stock exchanges, including the NYSE, Nasdaq, LSE, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. During the same period, worldwide there were 1,114 deals raising $366 billion. Ernst & Young estmates that China will lead the IPO market in the coming years. Beijing-based Internet player Qihoo 360 Technology, is one recent entrant to the NYSE who raised $200 million as part of their IPO funding round. >>>