Are you brewing your own coffee? If so, you might be part of fast developing minority, at least if the industry lead by Pepsi can decide. They are selling cans and bottles of coffee drinks, aimed at convenience-obsessed Americans who want an indulgence and an energy boost, but don’t want to actually dump grounds in a pot, add water or even worse- wait. And soon, the Chinese might be following suit…

A new report finds a number of multinationals overcoming obstacles that once threatened to make the drink appear unhealthy, opening up consumption opportunities and broadening the target market by turning the original ready-to-drink-coffee concept on its head.

Continue reading “World Waits, as China is Set to Wake Up and Smell the Coffee in a Bottle” »

China’s rural co-operative financial institutions have largely shown remarkable improvements in relation to how they are managed, their ability to withstand risk and the standards of their service.

In particular, there has been tremendous progress made in the creation of a group of rural commercial banks based on the principle of a shareholding system. A new report says that rural commercial banks have shown such healthy development that they have obtained the necessary credentials to transform into modern financial enterprises.

Continue reading “China’s Rural Co-operative Financial Institutions Gearing Up for IPOs” »

Are you a stressed-out driver, looking for a sign from above more often than not while on the road? Stop. You could turn to your car instead, if it is kitted out with advanced driver assistance systems.

These systems not only give the driver ‘operational level’ advice such as suggesting he/she breaks on an emergency footing when the vehicle in front abruptly decelerates, they also offer ‘tactical level’ advice such as telling the driver when to change lanes depending on traffic congestion ahead. Research has also shown that driver assistance systems can significantly help prevent accidents, which aids car safety in particular as well as road safety in general.

Continue reading “Specially Equipped Cars Could Help Prevent Accidents” »

The Chinese Government has extended the nationwide crackdown on shoddy food into the new year in a bid to re-establish confidence in the ‘made in China’ label.

A new report says that 2007 was marked by recurring food-safety scandals which called into question the quality of China’s food output. For instance, an Associated Press article says a list of Chinese food rejected at American ports includes pesticide-laden pea pods, drug-laced catfish and crayfish contaminated with salmonella.

Continue reading “Chinese Government Extends Crackdown on Poor Quality Food Manufacturers” »

The Phillipines is in the midst of an internet revolution – with more and more people connecting to the web using their mobiles as well as computers. News published by the Inquirer finds that the broadband market will serve 50 million Filipinos by 2015.

Analysts believe that the falling cost of broadband, increasing uptake of online gaming and decreasing hardware prices have all worked as promoters for the increase in the number of people who use the Internet.

Continue reading “Decreased Hardware and Broadband Prices and Interest in Online Gaming will help Drive 50 Million Filipinos Online by 2015″ »

India is fast emerging as a strong base for clinical trials in recent times. The reason? For companies eager to launch their products, the country offers a large patient pool, which can be used to recruit drug-testers more quickly than it is possible to recruit patients in the west.

A new report which looks at the key competitive advantages and disadvantages India has when it comes to conducting clinical trials, concludes the country is rapidly growing as a centre for conducting clinical trials for many international companies. In fact, it goes on to predict that by 2011, pharma companies will be conducting more than 15% of the total global clinical trials in India.

Continue reading “15% of World’s Clinical Trials Will Be Conducted in India by 2011″ »

Jet-setting businessmen may once have had breakfast in London, lunch in Paris and a (very late) dinner in New York. In today’s world, however, it could be healthcare that’s prompting people to cash in on their airmiles. According to a new report, they’re flocking to Thailand, which is fast emerging as one of the world’s hotspots for medical tourism.

That’s a buzzphrase created by travel agencies and mass media to describe the fast-growing trend of people traveling to another country to obtain health care.

Continue reading “Thailand: Fast Becoming a Medical Tourism Hub” »