But the company is working on technology such as near-field communication (NFC) technology and point of sale integration, which could make coupons completely digital and transferable from your phone to the cashier.

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The combined forces of the Software-as-a-Service deployment model, the role of Salesforce.com as the master data aggregator and integration point, buying habits of marketing departments and cooperative efforts among vendors have created a situation in which IT plays almost no role in supporting the use of marketing technologies.

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But the key point today is the degree of integration among all economies.

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The pilot program will help test the efficacy of the Groupon model with large retailers, for whom multistore environments and easy integration with existing point-of-sale systems are big issues.

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National governments are another: politicians have mastered the possibilities of European integration to the point at which they, and not the commission, have become the real agenda-setters.

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Those who wish to paint a less alarming picture point out that success in battle requires the integration of new equipment with existing capabilities and doctrines, many of which remain deficient.

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The Nikkei makes the point that trends in technology and markets increasingly require the integration of products and technology from what were previously rather distinct and separate industries, e.g.

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Point of View (POV): Unlike Oracle and SAP who have spent billions addressing the integration problem through a comprehensive and heavy middleware strategy, ION take a more pragmatic approach.

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Overall, the air freight pounds are expected to grow at a modest 2-3% annual rate as the integration of world economies over time will increasingly drive movement of small shipments directly from the point of production to the consumer.

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At that point, most IT groups were late to the game and a greater or lesser degree of urgent running around looking for integration and management solutions ensued.

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