Top 10 Japanese Companies To Buy For 2014

Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) is apparently taking DISH Network's (NASDAQ: DISH  ) $25.5 billion buyout proposal seriously.

The wireless carrier's board of directors has formed a "special committee" of independent directors to evaluate DISH's unsolicited bid, the company announced today.

The committee will review DISH's bid with financial and legal advisors to determine whether it will be a superior offer to the one previously proposed by Japanese telecom SoftBank. The merger offer from DISH is equal to $4.76 cash per share -- which it labels as an 18% premium over the implied $4.03-per-share offer of Softbank for 70% of Sprint -- and 0.05953 DISH shares for each outstanding share of Sprint stock.

DISH's bid for Sprint came last week in a surprise announcement by the company and its chairman, Charlie Ergen. DISH had been attempting to purchase Sprint's longtime network provider Clearwire with a counteroffer to Sprint's own proposal.

Sprint did not indicate when its special committee's determination would be made. The special committee consists of Larry C. Glasscock, James H. Hance, Jr., V. Janet Hill, William R. Nuti, and Rodney O'Neal. Glasscock will serve as Chairman of the special committee.

5 Best Airline Stocks To Invest In 2015: Pacific WebWorks Inc (PWEB)

Pacific WebWorks, Inc. (Pacific WebWorks), incorporated on May 18, 1987, is an application service provider and software development firm that develops business software technologies and services for business merchants and organizations using Internet and other technologies. The Company�� product family provides tools for Website creation, management and maintenance, electronic business storefront hosting and Internet payment systems for the small- to medium-sized business and organization. Its four wholly owned subsidiaries include Intellipay, Inc., TradeWorks Marketing, Inc., FundWorks, Inc and Pacific WebWorks International, LTD.

Visual WebTools Version 4.1 (V4.1)

V4.1 is a suite of software programs that fit together to perform the basic business functions that are effective on the Internet. The products in this suite include WebWizard, ClipOn Commerce, WebContacts, WebChannels, Web Profiling tool, WebStats, Auction Connection and Increase My Margin. WebWizard is a Web page design program that possesses a user interface and templates for the novice, has a functionality for Web design professionals. In 2010, the Company released WebWizard 5 and it incorporates site components like tables, frames, flash and other multimedia capabilities in a straightforward, menu driven process.

The Company�� customers can manage their sites' layout, colors, contents, tables and graphics. WebWizard includes a library of hundreds of graphics that are freely accessible by its customers. WebWizard allows its customers to create, update and modify their Websites. ClipOn Commerce is an e-storefront and product management system, coupled with shopping cart technology. ClipOn Commerce allows the Company�� customers to build an Internet storefront. They can create a product catalog, organize and search products by unlimited categories and import/export to and from their database. ClipOn Commerce is designed to function with a third-party merchant account and is integrated with t! he Company�� Intellipay payment system, which allows its clients to accept all major credit cards online. ClipOn Commerce has support for QuickBooks accounting software enabling the Company�� customers to update between their accounting records and Internet storefront. ClipOn Commerce also features uninterrupted power supply (UPS) shipping integration.

WebContacts is a contact management program. Companies that use the Company�� system can utilize WebContacts to organize information about all the entities they do business with, including customers, suppliers and distributors. WebContacts will also enable them to capture information about people who visit their Website, if those visitors elect to supply contact information at the site. WebChannels is an e-mail distribution program that enables Pacific WebWorks��customers to send customized e-mails in either plaintext or hyper text markup language (HTML) format to their WebContacts database of visitors. By using WebChannels, a client can send out a weekly newsletter, coupons or special offers to an entire customer base, certain visitor types or to a segment of their customers.

Web profiling tool is a form and survey creation tool that helps capture feedback and demographic information from customers and Website visitors. The Company�� clients can create customizable forms, surveys and interactive questionnaires. The Web profiling tool includes a catalog of pre-designed questions, such as education level, hobbies and satisfaction level. The profiling forms may also be custom created by the Company�� customers. WebStats enables the Company�� customers to analyze visitor activities on their Websites in order to track pages viewed, hits and time of access. WebStats is a statistics program that provides detailed reports and graphs related to referring pages, geographic location of visitors, browsers and the operating systems Website visitors are using, what Web pages generate hits and what pages are the most popular. Au! ction Con! nection is a module that allows Visual WebTools users to list inventory items with eBay. Increase My Margin is a tool that allows eBay users to analyze information and data related to the sale of thousands of products sold on eBay over a period of time.

Intellipay Payment System

The Intellipay payment system group of products offers payment technologies for business-to-business and business-to-customer uses on the Internet and in physical store locations. These products allow the Company�� customers to accept real time credit card payments from their Website, Internet appliances, kiosks or at remote locations through their Nextel cell phone or at the physical point of sale. Point-of-sale professionals provide technical support and ePayment professionals help the business locate an Internet-approved merchant account if needed. Once customers enter the necessary data in a secure form, Intellipay processes the transaction in real-time (2 to 5 seconds) and returns the customer back to the business site. Intellipay also provides methods for enterprise-level businesses to link Intellipay products, services and features into their e-commerce Websites and transmit transactional data for use in back office systems.

The Company�� ePayment System supports all major card types, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club and JCB. It also provides support for Visa and MasterCard debit (check) cards and Level Two corporate/commercial cards through various bank networks. Transaction types include normal authorizations, pre-authorizations intended for delayed settlement, force allowing a transaction authorized offline (possibly a voice authorization) to be settled, credits for refunds, and Intellipay's address verification system (AVS) allows merchants to retrieve a score and verify the account validity. This Intellipay product allows the Company�� customers to control transaction level behavior depending on AVS scores and duplicate transaction attemp! t detecti! on. Intellipay also automatically settles merchant batches nightly so its customers are freed from forcing settlement via manual or programmatic methods. The Intellipay system is transportable meaning that a customer can switch Website hosting companies, move between e-commerce software programs or change to or from many merchant account providers.

ExpertLink is Intellipay's connection protocol for high-volume Internet businesses requiring high velocity real-time transaction authorizations linked to their own secure Website and/or back office systems. ExpertLink is a standards-based secure communications method allowing Web developers and application developers to build in the ePayment processing and various features, including batch management commands, duplicate transaction detection and management. The Company�� customers purchase ExpertLink or LinkSmart, and both come with Smart Terminal and the Secure Account Management System (SAMS).

LinkSmart provides the Company�� online customers with ePayment features with minimal technical installation on their side. With LinkSmart, the Company�� customer does not need to pay for installation and maintenance of secure servers since LinkSmart serves the secure, customizable payment pages for them. LinkSmart offloads mission-critical, e-commerce tasks from the merchant.

Smart Terminal allows Pacific WebWorks��customers to securely log into their Intellipay account from any Internet browser and authorize manual transactions and orders they have received through offline methods. Smart Terminal supports transactions, including normal authorizations, authorization-only for delayed settlement, settlement for non-Intellipay authorized transactions, credits and partial credits. Most clients receive Smart Terminal along with LinkSmart or ExpertLink, but Smart Terminal can also be purchased as a standalone product.

Secure Account Management System (SAMS) allows Intellipay customers to securely log into Intellip! ay's SAMS! from any Web browser to configure and control various Intellipay components and behaviors. Customers can also view transaction histories for any day in the past 180 day period. IntelliPay Desktop Terminal (IDT) brings all of the functionality of a virtual terminal application to the customers��desktop, while supporting hardware, such as a card reader and receipt printer. IntelliPay Wireless Terminal allows a merchant to accept either swiped or keyed transactions using a Nextel Cellular/Data phone using a card reader.

The Company competes with AuthorizeNet and VeriSign.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, PWEB remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.0231 with 1,000 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 9:30AM EDT July 16, 2013).

  Pacific WebWorks, Inc. previously reported the following business update. For the first six months of 2013 the Company has focused on revitalizing its internet technology business model. As previously reported, Pacific WebWorks has expanded its software suite and established a framework for reaching new markets with its software products. The Company believes there is strong demand for its products and is aggressively pursuing the opportunity to obtain new customers through a variety of marketing methods.

  Lance Bell, CEO, stated, ��e are excited to report a number of accomplishments during the first six months of 2013. We have rounded out our management team, finalized our infrastructure and have begun to market our software products. We are encouraged by the initial results of these efforts.��/p>

• [By CRWE]

  Today, PWEB remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.0185 with 2,891 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 9:34AM EDT July 19, 2013).

  Pacific WebWorks, Inc. previously reported the following business update. For the first six months of 2013 the Company has focused on revitalizing its internet technology business model. As previously reported, Pacific WebWorks has expanded its software suite and established a framework for reaching new markets with its software products. The Company believes there is strong demand for its products and is aggressively pursuing the opportunity to obtain new customers through a variety of marketing methods.

  Lance Bell, CEO, stated, ��e are excited to report a number of accomplishments during the first six months of 2013. We have rounded out our management team, finalized our infrastructure and have begun to market our software products. We are encouraged by the initial results of these efforts.��/p>

Top 10 Japanese Companies To Buy For 2014: CBOE Holdings Inc.(CBOE)

CBOE Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates markets for the execution of transactions in exchange-traded options. The company offers marketplaces for trading of options on individual equities, various market indexes, exchange-traded notes, and exchange-traded funds, as well as futures contracts and cash equities. It has strategic relationships with Standard & Poor's Corporation; Dow Jones & Co.; NASDAQ; and Frank Russell Co. The company was founded in 1973 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Mamudi]

  Exchange executives, long shielded from legal scrutiny in the U.S., have been put on notice that may be changing after federal regulators fined CBOE Holdings Inc. (CBOE) $6 million for unprecedented lapses in supervision.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  CBOE Holdings (NASDAQ: CBOE  ) offers micro-options on the Dow for which the price is based on a figure equal to 1% of the Dow's value. So for instance, at the close last Friday, you would have spent about $100 per contract to buy a put option with a strike price of 142 -- corresponding to a Dow value of 14,200 -- that expires in the middle of next month.

• [By Nandini Sukumar]

  CBOE Holdings Inc. (CBOE), the largest U.S. options exchange operator, delayed the start of extended trading of its volatility futures because the U.S. government shutdown is preventing regulators from approving its plans.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  It's not optional: Shareholders of record on May 31 will receive a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share on June 21 from futures and options exchange operator�CBOE Holdings� (NASDAQ: CBOE  ) , the company announced this week.
  

Top 10 Japanese Companies To Buy For 2014: Labor Smart Inc (LTNC)

Labor Smart, Inc., incorporated in May 31, 2011, provides temporary blue-collar staffing services. The Company supplies general laborers on demand to the light industries, including manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing, skilled trades��people, and general laborers to commercial construction industries. It provides unskilled and semi-skilled temporary workers to its customers. It pays its workers the same day they perform the job. In May 2013, the Company acquired Qwik Staffing Solutions Inc.

The Company is a provider of temporary employees to the construction, manufacturing, hospitality, restoration and retail industries. At March 31, 2012, the Company operated four branches located in two states.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  Even though the stock market rallied on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA) and Standard & Poor's 500 Index (NYSE: SPY) surging, the long term winners will be stocks in the staffing industry such as Paychex(NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), Robert Half (NYSE: RHI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  When looking at small cap stocks, it is useful to compare the company with others that have expanded in both share price and size. For those considering investing in the $100 billion staffing industry, the growth of TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) shows what could be the potential path for Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC), as both operate in the $29 billion demand labor sector. Other firms have done well in the staffing industry include Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) and ManPower Group (NYSE: MAN).

• [By idahansen]

  The more I read about how companies are responding to Obamacare, the more bullish I become for stocks in the demand labor market such as Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC), Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), and ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN).

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  For those looking to invest in real estate stocks, highly recommended is the Dr. Housing Bubble blog. In a recent posting, the "Dr." pointed out that there was a "Lost Generation" when it came to household income. That has not happened for those investing in staffing industry stocks such as Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).

Top 10 Japanese Companies To Buy For 2014: Darden Restaurants Inc (DRI)

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (Darden), incorporated in March 1995, is a company owned and full-service restaurant company. As of May 27, 2012, the Company operated through subsidiaries 1,994 restaurants in the United States and Canada. In the United States, it operated 1,961 restaurants in all 50 states, including 677 Red Lobster, 786 Olive Garden, 386 LongHorn Steakhouse, 46 The Capital Grille, 30 Bahama Breeze, 23 Seasons 52, eight Eddie V's Prime Seafood and three Wildfish Seafood Grille restaurants, and two test synergy restaurants, which house both a Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurant in the same building. In Canada, the Company operated 33 restaurants, including 27 Red Lobster and six Olive Garden restaurants. Through subsidiaries, it owns and operates all of its restaurants in the United States and Canada, except for three restaurants located in Central Florida that is owned by joint ventures it manages. On November 14, 2011, it acquired eight Eddie V's Prime Seafood restaurants and three Wildfish Seafood Grille restaurants.

As of May 27, 2012, the Company had 28 restaurants outside the United States and Canada operated by independent third parties pursuant to area development and franchise agreements, including five LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants in Puerto Rico, 22 Red Lobster restaurants in Japan, and one Red Lobster restaurant in Dubai. During fiscal year ended May 27, 2012, it opened 89 net new restaurants in the United States and Canada.

Red Lobster

Red Lobster is a full-service dining seafood specialty restaurant operator in the United States. It offers a menu featuring fresh fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops and other seafood. The menu includes a variety of specialty seafood and non-seafood entrees, appetizers and desserts. Red Lobster maintains different lunch and dinner menus and different menus across its trade areas.

Olive Garden

Olive Garden is a full service dining Italian restaurant operator in the United Stat! es. Olive Garden�� menu includes a range of authentic Italian foods featuring fresh ingredients and a wine list that includes a selection of wines imported from Italy. The menu includes flatbreads and other appetizers, soups, salad and garlic bread sticks, baked pastas, sauted specialties with chicken, seafood and fresh vegetables, grilled meats, and a variety of desserts. Olive Garden also uses coffee imported from Italy for its espresso and cappuccino.

LongHorn Steakhouse

LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants are full-service establishments serving both lunch and dinner. With locations in 35 states, primarily in the Eastern half of the United States, LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants feature a range of menu items, including signature fresh steaks, as well as salmon, shrimp, chicken, ribs, pork chops, burgers and prime rib.

The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille has locations in metropolitan cities in the United States. The Capital Grille offers seafood flown in daily and culinary specials created by its chefs. The restaurants feature a wine list offering over 350 selections, personalized service, and private dining rooms.

Bahama Breeze

Bahama Breeze restaurants bring guests the feeling of a Caribbean escape, offering the food, drinks and atmosphere found in the islands. The menu features Caribbean-inspired seafood, chicken and steaks, as well as signature specialty drinks. During fiscal 2012, it opened four Bahama Breeze restaurant.

Seasons 52

Seasons 52 is a grill and wine bar with seasonally inspired menus offering ingredients to meals that are lower in calories than comparable restaurant meals. It offers a wine list of more than 90 wines with approximately 60 available by the glass. As of May 27, 2012, there were 23 Seasons 52 restaurants in the United States.

Synergy restaurant

Synergy restaurant houses both a Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurant in the same building, but ! with sepa! rate front doors, dining rooms and brand-specific menus. It opened a second synergy test location during fiscal 2012.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Olive Garden owner Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI  ) reported Q4 and full-year earnings Friday. The news was not good.

  Sales at the company that runs not only Olive Garden, but the Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse chains besides, grew 11% in the final quarter of fiscal 2013. That didn't keep profits from heading the other way, however -- down 12% year over year, to $1.15 per diluted share. Thus continued Darden's year-long slump, which has seen fiscal 2013 profits fall an equal 12% in comparison with fiscal 2012. Darden ended fiscal 2013 with just $3.14 per diluted share in profits.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Darden Restaurants (DRI) has gained after a second activist investor disclosed a position in the struggling owner of Olive Garden and said that Friday’s announcement of a Red Lobster spinoff was not enough.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Darden Restaurant’s� (DRI) has given investors heartburn after posting one disappointing earnings report after another. But now that the company is looking to shed its failing Red Lobster chain, could 2014 hold better fortunes for the restaurant operator? Find out in today’s Stock of the Day.

Top 10 Japanese Companies To Buy For 2014: Oci NV (OCI)

Oci NV is a Netherlands-based company, which divides its activities into two groups. The first group is engaged in the design, construction and maintenance of industrial and commercial infrastructures and buildings, such as roads, ports, railroads, hospitals, stadiums and water treatment units. The second group is engaged in the production of fertilizers, such as anhydrous ammonia, granulated urea, calcium ammonium nitrate and urea ammonium nitrate, among others. The Company is a subsidiary of Orascom Construction Industries SAE, an international fertilizer producer and construction contractor based in Cairo, Egypt. In September 2013, it announced spin-off of its subsidiary OCI Partners LP. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ahmed A. Namatalla]

  OCI attracted $2 billion in commitments from a group of investors including Cascade Investment LLC, Gates�� personal investments vehicle, to help finance the move to Amsterdam, which it said would lower borrowing costs and boost its global profile. Yesterday�� settlement prompted Cairo-based investment bank Pharos Holding to raise Orascom to buy from hold, saying the construction and fertilizer company would proceed with an offer to investors to buy its Cairo-listed shares or swap them with OCI NV (OCI) stock.

Top 10 Japanese Companies To Buy For 2014: Trans World Entertainment Corp.(TWMC)

Trans World Entertainment Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of entertainment software products, including music, video, video games, and other related products through its retail stores and e-commerce sites in the United States. The company?s other related products include electronics, accessories, and trend items. As of January 29, 2011, it operated 376 mall-based stores under the For Your Entertainment (f.y.e.), Suncoast Motion Pictures, and Saturday Matinee brand names in regional shopping malls; 84 freestanding stores under the f.y.e. brand name; and 3 retail Websites, including fye.com, wherehouse.com, and secondspin.com. The company operates retail stores in the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Trans World Entertainment Corporation was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Albany, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  The safe and cheap undervalued stocks will go right up, but your chances of being destroyed when the party is over are diminished. Stocks like Richardson Electronics (RELL) and Transworld Entertainment (TWMC) have the ability to go up as the market bubbles higher but their asset value will act as sort of a floor in a decline.

Top 10 Japanese Companies To Buy For 2014: CCR SA (CCRO3)

CCR SA is a Brazil-based holding company primarily engaged in the operation of highways. The Company's businesses are divided into five main operating segments: Highway which includes concessions such as AutoBAn, ViaOeste, NovaDutra, RodoNorte, SPVias, Ponte, ViaLagos, RodoAnel Oeste, Transolimpica and Renovias; Subway which includes ViaQuatro, Sea Transportation which includes Barcas concession; Airport Concessions which include Quiport, Aeris and CAP, and all companies related to these concessions; and Services/Holdings which is related to sub-holdings CPC and CCR Espana, among others. It is involved in the collection of toll fees on highways and is responsible for repairing, conserving, maintaining and operating of these highways. It is responsible for national highways network in Brazilian states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Parana. Additionally, it is active in automotive inspection services, automatic toll payment and automatic vehicle identification systems operation. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ney Hayashi]

  Toll-road operator CCR SA (CCRO3) added 3.1 percent to 16.75 reais, snapping a five-day rout that drove shares 11 percent lower. Competitor EcoRodovias Infraestrutura e Logistica SA gained 1.7 percent to 14.75 reais today.