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Unicamp-based startup offers 13 free courses with certificate

FM2S, an Education startup located in the Science and Technology Park of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), is13 100% online and free courses. Topics cover technical knowledge (hard skills) and social skills (soft skills), ranging from the fundamentals of data science, projects, quality and leadership, to self-knowledge, use of LinkedIn and the world of continuous improvement.

“Offering these free courses reflects our mission to expand access to knowledge and promote inclusion. They are an excellent opportunity for anyone to gain training, whether they are an experienced professional, someone looking for a new job or someone just starting out in their career. These training courses can make a difference in job interviews, career changes or even in reaching higher positions within an organization,” highlights Virgilio Marques dos Santos, founding partner of FM2S.

The classes provide solid concepts and practical examples, with real cases of how to apply theory in daily life and in the professional environment.The teachers are trained by institutions such as Unicamp, USP, Unesp, FGV and ESPM, in addition to having extensive experience in consultancies.

The initiatives are open to all interested people and registrations must be made by January 31st, athttps://www.fm2s.com.br/cursos/gratuitosYou can enroll in as many courses as you wish. Access is valid for one year after registration, with one month of support andcertified even.

Check out all available courses:

– White Belt (8 hours) and Yellow Belt (24 hours), to embark on the world of Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement, withinternational certification;

– Introduction to Lean (9 hours);

– Fundamentals of Quality Management (9 hours);

– Fundamentals of Project Management (5 hours);

– Fundamentals of Industrial Production Management (8 hours);

– Fundamentals of Logistics Management (6 hours);

– Fundamentals of Management and Leadership (5 hours);

– Fundamentals of Data Science (8 hours);

– OKR – Objectives and Key Results (5 horas);

– Kanban method (12 hours);

– Professional development: self-knowledge (14 hours);

– Advanced LinkedIn (10 hours).

Are you really getting everything you sell?

When it comes to financial management, many entrepreneurs immediately focus on expense control. And, although this is essential, does just managing costs guarantee the financial health of the business? There is another equally important aspect: ensuring that what was sold is being effectively received.

Payment inconsistencies: a more common problem than it seems

Recently, a franchisee in the footwear sector reported an unexpected situation. Upon reviewing your operations, you noticed that not all sales made were being deposited into the company's account. But how was this possible? Although the transactions were recorded in the point-of-sale system, the amounts did not appear on the card payment report. The task of manually checking the large volume of daily transactions was unfeasible, leading her to seek a technological solution.

The response came with the implementation of a card reconciliation software, which automatically identified recurring discrepancies between what was sold and what actually entered the bank account. It was discovered that some sales, although recorded in the store's system, were not included in the acquirers' reports, which meant that amounts simply went unpaid.

After eliminating the possibility of internal problems, thoroughly reviewing the store's operations with the receipts from the card machines in hand, the franchisee found that the problem lay in operational failures by the acquirer itself.

Cases like this are more common than one might think. To give an idea, between 2022 and 2023, F360, through its card reconciliation feature, helped clients recover R$159 million in amounts that might have otherwise been lost.

Automation: the key to avoiding financial losses

In addition to identifying unpaid sales, reconciliation systems also detect improper charges on the applied fees, which may differ from the amounts negotiated with the card brands. This represents another significant source of losses for retailers.

In retail, where sales volume is high, manual reconciliation is almost impossible. Technology, in this context, becomes a great ally, allowing discrepancies to be quickly identified and values not to be lost amidst the complexity of the financial flow. Even seemingly small inconsistencies, such as 0.1% of sales, can result in significant losses over time. There are cases of retailers who recovered thousands of reais by correcting errors detected through the use of software.

Although credit and debit cards are considered secure means of payment, the merchant must be attentive to all stages of the process. This includes not only the verification of sales made but also the applied rates. Franchisors, for example, often negotiate special conditions with the brands for their networks, but it is crucial to verify if the agreed-upon values are being correctly charged on a daily basis.

Automating financial reconciliation is an essential strategy. Small daily mistakes, if ignored, can accumulate and have a significant impact on year-end closing. Imagine a poorly calculated rate applied to each installment of a installment sale: without a tool to identify these discrepancies, the retailer would hardly notice the problem, but the impact on revenue would be real.

Therefore, do not let money slip away due to reconciliation errors. In retail, every cent makes a difference, and ensuring that all sales are properly received is essential for the business's sustainability.

Meta fact-checking change raises concerns for new format

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced the end of fact-checking in the United States. The executive also announced that the program will be replaced by the "community notes" verification system, the same one used by X (formerly Twitter).

For Marcelo Crespo, professor and coordinator of the Law course at ESPM, this substitution has long-term political and legal implications, including in Brazil. In the previous system, fact-checking was carried out by independent third parties and had a technical and unbiased focus. By adopting a "community notes" system to evaluate content, a wide path for organized manipulation by groups with biased viewpoints can be opened. In a highly divided society, like Brazil, the subjectivity of participants will result in a much more favorable opinion of the divided and misleading content and much less of the discussion.

The professor emphasizes that, despite the new approach seeming innovative, it does not dispense with methods that can be technically applied to effectively combat misinformation. In Brazil, this change is likely to strengthen the debate about the responsibility of the involved companies, making Meta even more dependent on responsible moderation. Additionally, the system will need to be launched transparently and in compliance with national regulations. This change could have a significant negative impact, both politically and legally.

Bruno Peres, a digital marketing professor at ESPM, points out that the decision proposes a different approach to content moderation with the idea of promoting greater freedom of expression, but without confirmation of it being an effective system. There are no tests, studies, or detailed explanations that prove the fact, so this raises a series of concerns about the effectiveness of this new format in combating misinformation. Peres also highlights that the movement may have political ties and that the lack of clarity in the change raises concerns for the new format.

Meta's decision could impact user trust, according to Rafael Terra, a digital marketing professor at ESPM. The professor emphasizes that change can intensify polarization on social networks, making it even more crucial for companies and individuals to act ethically to maintain public trust. Although the change promotes greater participation, it may raise concerns about credibility and misinformation control. It is a model that requires users' digital maturity to avoid manipulations and biases. The professor emphasizes that it is necessary to educate the community for this system to function properly. Furthermore, it is important to stay alert, as the removal of professional fact-checkers can lead to the amplification of false news and harmful information. "This is especially dangerous in political or sensitive contexts."

Federal Revenue Service monitors Pix, digital currencies and donations since January 1st

Starting in 2025, a new regulation established by the Federal Revenue Service will impact the way financial transfers made via Pix, among other transactions, will be monitored. From now on, transfers exceeding R$ 5,000 to individuals and R$ 15,000 to legal entities must be reported to the Revenue Service by credit card operators and payment institutions, such as payment apps and digital banks. The measure, which came into effect on January 1st, is part of the Federal Revenue Service's effort to improve control over financial transactions in the country.

The new rule was established by Normative Instruction RFB No. 2,219/24, announced last September, and now the information must be obligatorily submitted via e-Financeira, the Federal Revenue Service's electronic system that is part of the Public Digital Bookkeeping System (Sped), already used for collecting data on bank accounts, investments, and private pension plans. With the change, credit card operators and payment institutions will also have to provide this information to the Tax Authorities, expanding the scope of oversight.

Informal workers –According toAndré Felix Ricotta de Oliveira, professor with a PhD in Tax Law and partner at Felix Ricotta AdvocaciaWith the implementation of these new rules, the Federal Revenue will begin receiving information about the amounts that informal workers, such as freelancers and self-employed individuals, receive throughout the month, whether through Pix, PayPal, or other platforms. This will allow the Tax Authorities to verify if the amounts received have been properly declared by the taxpayers.

“For those who earn more than R$5,000 per month, from now on, there is no longer an exemption. These people will have to declare their Income Tax, and the Tax Authorities will cross-check the information on financial transactions with the declarations,” explains Oliveira.

Earnings and donations –In light of these new rules, it is essential that the taxpayer correctly declares all sources of income to the Income Tax. This includes not only earnings from work and capital but also any other received amounts, such as dividends, income, and donations.

In the case of donations received from family members, the amount will be subject to the ITCMD (Tax on Transmission Cause Mortis and Donation) rule. Depending on the state, the taxpayer may be exempt from this tax. "It is important that the taxpayer correctly declares their sources of income, avoiding problems with the Federal Revenue," adds Oliveira.

Monitoring of digital currencies –In addition, the Federal Revenue Service also expanded the Public Digital Accounting System (Sped) database to include information on movements in digital currencies and post-paid accounts, further expanding oversight of financial transactions carried out in an unconventional manner.

New regulations- Oliveira also emphasizes the importance of taxpayers being attentive to changes in declaration rules. "The Federal Revenue will begin to monitor a larger volume of financial transactions, which may lead to a significant increase in oversight. Therefore, it is essential that the taxpayer complies with the new legislation and declares all sources of income transparently," concludes the tax expert.

Tax reform: 5 points of attention for e-commerce

Tax Reform is on the agenda in Brazil, bringing significant changes that will affect various sectors, including e-commerce. Companies in this market should re-evaluate, primarily, cash flow, purchase and sale prices of products, and the supply chain.

Felipe Beraldi, economist and manager of Indicators and Economic Studies at Omie, a cloud management (ERP) platform, explains that the Reform is one of the most profound structural changes in the Brazilian economy in recent decades, considering its impact on businesses of all sizes. With this, the coming years are expected to be marked by a significant improvement in management within companies. The economist lists below everything an e-commerce professional needs to know regarding the new rules.

1 – Unification of taxesThe package of measures to regulate the Tax Reform is under debate in the Legislature, with the main proposal to unify five taxes — ICMS, ISS, IPI, PIS, and Cofins — into two: CBS (federal) and IBS (state/municipal), in addition to the Selective Tax for a specific list of products. This change will result in the creation of VAT (Value Added Tax), simplifying tax collection and making the process more transparent.

“By reflecting the tax burden on the stages of the production chain in a more transparent way, e-commerce companies will have greater clarity in defining their pricing policy. It is necessary to pay attention to the changes that the Reform will introduce into the market, whether it be the redistribution of the tax burden between sectors or the broader mechanism of tax credits in production chains,” explains the economist.

2- Impact on purchase and sale pricesThe practice of crediting and debiting on a specific tax was, until then, more common in ICMS (Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services). With the tax reform, the crediting will be expanded to consumption as a whole.

To adapt to the new tax burden, a thorough analysis of the pricing policy will be necessary. Leaving the adjustment of the values of products sold online all at once may require significant increases. "A sudden change affects the relationship with clients and suppliers, who may choose not to buy anymore, which influences the viability and growth of the business," comments Beraldi.

3 – Impact on cash flowThe economist recalls that, with legislative changes, online selling businesses will need to handle more data and better understand the financial elements of the business. "Lack of preparation can lead to an inadequate structuring of the financial flow and basic business indicators, including the risk of paying too much or too little in taxes, which can trigger tax audits and investigations by the Federal Revenue Service," he adds.

4 – Gradual transitionThe Tax Reform should bring positive effects on the country's potential GDP in the medium and long term. More growth also means more business opportunities, which will come with complex challenges. Beraldi emphasizes that the implementation of the IBS will be gradual, with a transition period of up to eight years. During this period, the old taxes will coexist with the new system, requiring companies to adapt and plan. "It is essential that e-commerce professionals are prepared for this transition, adjusting their systems and processes to ensure compliance with the new rules," he/she/they recommends.

5 – Supplier chain assessmentCarrying out good tax planning will become an essential element for survival – it will involve a thorough assessment by the entrepreneur, aiming to maintain their competitiveness in the market, without completely compromising their margins.

“At this time, e-commerce leaders must be aware of regulatory developments and potential specific impacts on their segment, seek to organize their business’ financial information and, especially, approach their accountant – a professional who will play a very strategic role for companies in this context”, highlights the economist.

Retrospectiva: os cursos mais procurados pelos brasileiros nas áreas digitais em 2024

The pursuit of developing digital skills has been increasingly in demand, especially in the job market. Areas related to technology, data, design, and even those professions that use the digital environment for sales or promotion of products and services – such as social media – already have a strong presence within companies.

But, to become a professional capable of occupying these positions, qualification is the first step towards finding good opportunities. And Brazilians are seeking to improve themselves in these areas, according to a report.study carried out byDataCamp, an online technology, data and artificial intelligence course platform, which showsthe most sought after courses in 2024 aimed at developing digital skills

Below, you can check the ranking of the fifteen most sought-after courses in the areas of technology, data, design and digital communication:

Technology

In technology, there is a noticeable intense search for fundamental knowledge in the field, such as in computer science and information technology courses, which are directly related to the production, storage, transmission, access, and security of information. Another area that generates interest is programming, which can be seen in searches for courses in systems analysis and development, as well as interest in specific programming languages such as Power BI and Python.

Data

The data area has been growing significantly in recent years, with a focus on 2024. Furthermore, many professions related to data analysis and usage appear to be promising for 2025. Among the most sought-after courses, computer science, information systems, and data science demonstrate the growing interest of Brazilians in these areas, which, in addition to offering promising opportunities, promise quite attractive salaries.

Design, marketing and social media

Still within the development of digital skills, but this time more connected to branches of communication, digital marketing and social media courses are gaining more and more space, especially at a time when social networks are a source of income for many – from bloggers to small entrepreneurs who rely on platforms to generate income. The more traditional graphic design course remains quite popular among Brazilians, ranking third. Areas tend to attract people who enjoy the combination of technical knowledge and creativity.

AI and general knowledge

Some knowledge is closely linked to the digital universe sectors but can be applied across various market segments. This is the case with Excel, the Office suite, and more recently, artificial intelligence. These are tools that enable their use from a more basic level to a quite advanced level, which makes them quite present in the daily life of various professions.

With the emergence of artificial intelligence and its established use in the routine of part of the population, learning tools like ChatGPT has proven to be strategic for professionals in all fields and positions, as it appears as a facilitating instrument for task execution. With artificial intelligence becoming increasingly present in daily life, in addition to learning its functions to assist with various tasks, more and more job openings are emerging for those who become specialists in using the tools.

For Martijn Theuwissen, COO of DataCamp, in the digital realm, especially after the accelerated advances observed with artificial intelligence, it will become increasingly rare for someone not to need to regularly improve themselves, taking new courses almost annually. "The market is already demanding diverse skills and rapid adaptations, making courses—truly applicable in daily life—fundamental for those who wish to stand out and remain professionally relevant," he says.

Methodology

To discover the most sought-after digital skills courses in 2024, DataCamp started by investigating the terms commonly used by Brazilians for this search, such as: "course," "course of," "learn," and "learning in." Searches from internet platforms such as Google, Bing, YouTube, TikTok, X, and Pinterest were conducted. Then, the available data from the last year were analyzed, covering the period from November 2023 to October 2024. For the creation of the ranking, the fifteen courses with the highest search volume over the past twelve months were selected.

Investment Crowdfunding: How Finme Connects Investors and Companies Through Crowdfunding

Brazil hosts numerous entrepreneurs with promising ideas and innovative solutions. However, many of these projects, with the potential to transform entire sectors, end up falling by the wayside; without the necessary investment, they miss the chance to achieve their true impact, which can affect market and economic growth.

Thinking of streamlining access to resources for real projects, Finme was born, founded in 2023 by Felipe Vergasta. She proposes an affordable and sustainable alternative, financing projects through the model ofcrowdfunding, or collective investment, and creating opportunities with great potential for profitability. The company has positioned itself in the market as a modern and efficient solution to connect investors and businesses in an agile, strategic, and secure way.

“During my experience in the financial market, I always noticed that many operations and projects were rejected because they did not meet all the requirements to receive financing. This caught my attention, as they were good projects, with great potential for innovation, for sectors that would certainly attract investors. There was a lack of something that would connect these two parties. Finme was born when I realized this pain, and the idea arose of working with companies that had been rejected by the market”, says Vergasta.

THEcrowdfundingInvestment is regulated and supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM). The model resembles social crowdfunding, the famous online "vaquinhas," with the difference of providing financial return. Nele, people invest collectively in a project and, in return, receive contracts or securities that grant credit rights or participation in the invested business.

Finme coordinates public (for the general market) and private (for selected investors only) offerings to finance projects with real assets, with lower operational costs compared to traditional assets, while offering potentially higher returns. One of the company's early projects, focused on agribusiness, exemplifies the potential of crowdfunding: raised R$ 640,000 in a private offering, demonstrating how the model can boost strategic sectors with real assets.

“Our first private offering was a true trial by fire, and its success proved the demand for what we do. As it was a private model, the offer could only be directed to customers with whom we already had a relationship. Still, we managed to bring together a group of investors who approved the business model and are now reaping monthly dividends,” adds Vergasta.

Focusing on strategic sectors such as real estate, agribusiness, and renewable energy, Finme is becoming a reference in the market. For entrepreneurs seeking funding, the company conducts an in-depth analysis of the financial structure and develops customized marketing and publicity strategies.crowdfunding, ensuring an effective approach to obtaining the necessary credit.

“Entrepreneurs seeking financing for their projects usually seek credit from the bank. Often, they don’t even know that they can go through other avenues, such as crowdfunding, and end up opting for more expensive lines of credit. The idea is to show both those seeking investment and those who want to participate in new businesses that there are profitable and safe alternatives,” he concludes.

Innovations in push notifications via App help e-commerce sales

Personalization and the strategic use of push notifications have become an increasingly powerful solution for increasing sales in e-commerce.

Push notifications involve reminders for contact maintenance, sales promotions, payment information, and service status updates. All of this creates personalized opportunities for interaction between companies and customers.

One of the major new features of the tool for 2025 is its integration with artificial intelligence (AI), which enables mapping of consumer preferences and habits within the company's app or website, for example. In this way, it is ensured that messages arrive at the right time and with content tailored to each consumer's interests. In other words, the brand's message tends to reach the consumer at the moment when they are most likely to open, read, and stay connected to the company's app or website. This enhances the effectiveness of campaigns, helping to boost sales.

But this is just one of the innovations related to this technology. Follow, in my view, the six main trends in push notifications for the coming year:

1 –Use of media (GIFs, images and videos):Push notifications are evolving beyond simple informational texts, incorporating multimedia content such as GIFs, images, and videos. This provides a more engaging experience for the user, highlighting the communicated product or service and making the notification more interactive and attractive, which increases the chances of being accessed by up to 45%, thus establishing itself as a powerful engagement channel.

2 –Interactive buttons:With the addition of buttons, push notifications offer direct action options such as "Buy Now," "Learn More," "Chat on WhatsApp," or "Add to Cart." This approach simplifies user interaction with the brand, reducing the number of steps to complete an action, such as making a purchase or accessing an offer. These buttons are still customizable with multimedia content, such as GIFs and images, resulting in a higher conversion rate.

3 –Artificial intelligence:The integration of AI into push notifications is becoming a dominant trend. AI can identify the best communication channel with the customer, such as WhatsApp, push notifications, email, or SMS, and optimize campaign targeting based on previous interactions. Furthermore, AI determines the ideal timing for sending the notification, increasing the chances of opening, response, and engagement with the communication.

4 –Group segmentation:Advanced tools enable much more precise segmentation of customer profiles, using behavioral, demographic, and individual preference data. This allows grouping users into specific segments, such as purchasing habits, interests, interaction history, and even geographic location. With this segmentation, push notifications are sent in the right context and at the most opportune moment, significantly improving the user experience.

5 –Encryption:Encrypted push notifications preserve privacy and ensure the security of exchanged information, preventing fraud and unauthorized access. This technology protects sensitive information, such as personal data and financial transactions, throughout the entire communication process. This feature is widely used by banks and financial sector companies, replacing channels like SMS with encrypted push notifications.

6 –Centralization of communication through a “customer journey”:Automation, integration, and centralization of a company's communication channels with its audience are emerging trends. The unification of this entire flow into a single platform allows brands access to privileged information, data cross-referencing, and the adoption of strategies with close proximity to the customer, resulting in greater engagement with promotional messages via push.

7- Retargeting: same logic as using WhatsApp, but via push, which can be done either via an application or via a website.

Specifically about the centralization of communication. After checking out on the website, the customer can receive a message on WhatsApp or email, or even an audio message from the company's CEO thanking them. That generates satisfaction. Subsequently, when receiving a promotional push notification, the customer will be more likely to open it. This solution integrates the entire customer journey flow, automated on a single platform.

In conclusion, these innovations demonstrate the growing impact of technology on the global landscape, with companies from various sectors seeking more efficient and personalized solutions for sales in virtual environments. In the face of such a competitive market, assertive and efficient communication presents itself as a decisive differentiator, and technological resources for these processes prove to be indispensable.

IAS Launches AI-Powered Total Media Performance™ Solution to Maximize Return on Investment for Global Advertisers

Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), a leading global media measurement and optimization platform, announced today the launch of its AI-powered Total Media Performance™ (TMP) solution. Total Media Performance (TMP) allows advertisers to achieve better campaign results by integrating IAS's industry-leading media quality signals with real-time optimization.

Leveraging responsible and trusted artificial intelligence (AI) models to align media quality with cost and results, TMP empowers advertisers to drive ad effectiveness by optimizing the quality path with end-to-end transparency across the programmatic supply chain.

"The launch of TMP marks a significant evolution for IAS as we expand beyond media efficiency and brand protection to offer a unified marketing performance solution," said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of IAS. We are uniquely positioned to help advertisers unlock data to transform media quality insights into actionable and revenue-generating strategies and achieve superior results across the increasingly fragmented digital media ecosystem.

With Total Media Performance, global advertisers can now:

  • Increase results:IAS pre-bid protection offers ROI by prioritizing quality media that drives results and brand asset protection in a single cohesive solution. Advertisers can seamlessly synchronize quality protection across all DSPs for greater operational efficiency.
  • Achieve greater transparency:The TMP drives ROI by combining media quality and cost perceptions with the optimization of the IAS quality pathway. Advertisers are empowered with supply chain transparency to optimize the most efficient media for superior results.
  • Automate in Real Time:Dynamic Performance Profiles allow advertisers to maximize reach and performance and automatically adjust campaigns in real time with dynamic contextual targeting that is privacy-safe.

"With TMP, IAS can now equip advertisers with advanced tools to maximize their media investments, driving both efficiency and exceptional results," says Srishti Gupta, CPO of IAS. We are committed to developing the TMP to meet the needs of advertisers, helping them reduce media waste, achieve superior performance, and protect brand value in the evolving media landscape.

The IAS TMP is capable of demonstrating the true financial impact of media quality. By reallocating expenses to higher quality channels, IAS achieved a 25% reduction in cost per conversion and a 33% reduction in the cost of a quality impression for a leading global technology brand.

Meta: mudanças na moderação anunciadas hoje colocam consumidores em risco

Idec expresses concern about thechanges announced today by Mark Zuckerbergin content moderation for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Replacing fact-checkers with "community notes" and reducing moderation filters can increase the circulation of misinformation, hate speech, and harmful content on platforms.

These changes affront legitimate regulatory initiatives and directly impact users' daily lives, exposing them to fraud, abuse, and misleading information that can harm everyday activities such as online shopping and health information searches. In addition to being potentially dangerous during election periods, the weakening of moderation rules reduces platform safety, especially for more vulnerable groups such as the elderly, Black people, children, and adolescents.

Idec warns that the changes announced by Meta demonstrate the structural problem of power concentration in the hands of corporations that act as arbiters of the digital public space and prioritize corporate interests at the expense of user safety and rights. Such abusive change reinforces the need for a more robust regulation that holds platforms accountable for damages caused by their business models and prioritizes consumer protection in the digital environment. It is essential that users stay alert and that governments and organizations act to ensure a safer and more reliable online space.

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