Abbey has increased its mortgage lending by more than 10% since last year.

Despite the slowdown in mortgage lending, which is at its lowest level in terms of new mortgages since January 1999, Abbey has increased its share of net lending in the UK mortgage market to 15.9%, up from 4.9% a year ago. This signals the bank’s intention to grow its market share while many of its competitors struggle amid the credit crunch.
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Ideally drug supply should be a simple and transparent chain that connects the manufacturer and patient in as few steps as possible. However, in practice it can be a highly circuitous one that includes several intermediaries before reaching a pharmacy. Notwithstanding the possibility that drug integrity can be compromised in transit, complex supply chains risk counterfeit drug entry.

Driven in great part by the lost revenues such arbitrage brings, manufacturers have implemented several strategies to tighten their grip on the drug supply chain, with direct to pharmacy distribution schemes implemented in the UK being one of the most recent. However, the legitimacy of such action is often unclear, and a recent European Commission recommendation spells bad news for manufacturers seeking greater supply chain control, according to a new report.
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The time has come to think strategically about systems management, and how it can be used in a co-ordinated and effective manner to deliver real business benefit. This is one of the key conclusions drawn in recently published report, ‘IT Systems Management’, as organisations demand the IT infrastructure delivers increased levels of availability and quality of service, the focus for IT managers is shifting towards a business service perspective.

Organisational IT structures are often characterised by many different silo’ed teams of technical specialists. These silos often drive the technology selection process in organisations, which to a large extent is governed by the existing skills within the IT department. Continue reading “Systems Management Evolving to Deliver Real Business Benefits” »

While Australia’s woes have attracted most media attention, all the wine-producing countries of the Southern Hemisphere face challenges in the year ahead. According to a recent report, wine production in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Chile in a marked state of flux.

Epitomising the “feast or famine” nature which sometimes besets agricultural commodities, 2008 sees Australia move from its much-publicised grape glut to a state of balance. However, that balance will not last long, the report warns. Having seen the last harvest hit by the country’s severe drought, further small harvests in 2008, 2009 and possibly beyond will leave the industry facing a serious shortage of grapes and struggling to meet global demand for its wines.

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According to a recent report, Europe’s road freight industry is set for strong growth over the coming five years. The eastward expansion of the EU has provided a big boost to the industry which has benefited from increased trade flows between Western and Eastern Europe. The inclusion of Eastern European countries has also opened up their industries for the free flow of foreign investment in individual sectors, thereby providing these countries with much needed capital to upgrade and expand existing infrastructure. Consumption levels have increased with better connectivity between urban and rural areas thereby increasing the overall demand for goods within the region.

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