Facebook isn't good at getting data to help brands do better user experiences for brands, or figure out what a company could be doing to best serve their most loyal customers. Forrester Research says that Facebook fans are 79% more likely to purchase than non-fans. Social amplification is significant as well: 74% of fans are likely to recommend the brand to their network compared to 38% of non-fans. Another study by Bain Consulting shows that an Apple fan is worth about 90% more to Apple than a non-fan.

Is Microsoft's tablet Surface off to a slow start because it's going the way of the Zune media player, which Microsoft killed? Analysts say maybe. According to sales insiders, Microsoft sold a little more than a million Surface RT's and 400,000 Surface Pro tablets. By comparison, Apple's iPad has been flying off shelves.

Toyota is recalling about 310,000 of FJ Cruiser SUVs, the majority of which were sold in the United States, due to a seatbelt problem. The announcement is the latest in a series of safety-related problems for the maker which topped the list among manufacturers in terms of the number of vehicles it recalled in the U.S. for three of the last four years. According to Toyota, the problem involves seatbelts that could fail because of excess wear.

A California judge yesterday ruled to allow the entire lawsuit filed against BP West Coast Products LLC by more than 900 BP and Arco franchisees, as well as the owners of AmPm mini-marts, to continue. The operators are accusing BP West Coast of undercutting them by selling cheaper generic gasoline to rival gas stations, along with making other claims against the company.

Samsung's splashy launch party for its fourth-generation Galaxy S mobile device isn't going have much of an impact in its war with Apple. That's because the battleground for dominance in the mobile space has shifted away from the hardware and physical design of phones and toward their software, specifically the operating system. The real battle for mobile dominance looks like this: Apple, with its iOS ecosystem, is in one corner, and Google, with its Android system, is in the other.

March is said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. But March Madness will come in like Bulldogs (Gonzaga), Wildcats (Creighton), Blackbirds (LIU Brooklyn), Jackrabbits (South Dakota State) and Blue Devils (Duke), and, as Sean McManus, the chairman of CBS Sports, and Turner president of sales and sports David Levy, reveal in this Q&A, even they don't know how it will come out.

"Within the coming years, we will build at least ten more plants - seven of those in China," Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn said today in Wolfsburg. By 2016, Volkswagen will have capacity for more than four million units in China. More factories go up in India, Russia, and Mexico. Volkswagen has more than 100 plants worldwide, twelve of those in China.

On St. Patrick's Day or thereabouts Arby's is introducing a Mint Chocolate Swirl Shake; Smashburger has introduced a Mint Oreo Shake as a seasonal limited-time offer, available through June. Cinnabon has introduced an Oreo Mint Chillatta. Einstein Bros. Bagels is offering green bagels from March 15-17, as well as Shamrock Sugar Cookies topped with green icing.

McDonald's will launch its first egg-white breakfast sandwich April 22, the company has confirmed. The Egg White Delight features egg whites cooked on a grill with a spatula and topped with white cheddar and Canadian bacon on an English muffin. Egg white versions will also be available for the company's other breakfast sandwiches.

Is JCPenney's new partnership with affordable Canadian brand Joe Fresh a potential lifeline for the struggling retailer? Joe Fresh will be a test of the retailer's "branded sales space" concept in 700 stores, where everything is under $70. Said one analyst, "If Joe Fresh doesn't work, this could be the worst Ides of March since Brutus greeted Caesar on the floor of the Senate." Et tu, Joe?