Environmentalists around the world had special reason to enjoy the triumph of Barack Obama last week. The election of the new president has put the wind back into the sails of the renewable energy sector. His landslide victory should see the introduction of a major climate change bill in an attempt to kickstart the new US environment policy.

Continue reading “Will Obama’s Victory Provide the US Green Energy Market with the Spur it Needs?” »

Sanofi-Aventis and Pfizer are the latest in the list of pharma companies to stop development of a class of anti-obesity drugs that were thought to have excellent potential.

Continue reading “Sanofi-Aventis and Pfizer Stop Development of a Class of Anti-obesity drugs” »

With news of Europe’s biggest economy, Germany, entering recession after shrinking for the second successive quarter, it is no surprise that a new study reports concern about the future development of Germany’s car market.

Earlier this year authors of the report predicted that sales were going to remain lower by almost 5% in 2008. They say overall production is expected to be higher at 6.3 million units, including passenger cars and commercial vehicles, with a major boost coming from commercial vehicle output which is expected to increase by almost 6.5% by the end of 2008.

Continue reading “Profound Effects on Car Industry when Europe’s Largest Economy Enters Recession” »

The festive season is approaching fast and, for many of us, the run-up to Christmas means attending a never-ending stream of Christmas parties. In most of these merry gatherings, the consumption of wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages is as self-evident as pulling the Christmas cracker.

Continue reading “Regulatory Threat to Cheap Booze will Force Innovation in Alcohol Industry” »

Nanoparticles, the tiny particles used increasingly in skin care products to make them easier to put on and transparent on the skin, need further testing for safety, says U.K consumer watchdog Which?. These particles are also used in electronics, food containers, sunscreens, and a variety of applications including delivering medicines.

Continue reading “Nanoparticles in cosmetics may need further testing for safety, says consumer watchdog” »

Some commentators call the global economic crisis the lucky break which made it possible for Barack Obama to win the US elections. Gerard Baker writes for the TimesOnline: “The financial gale that has blown through the American landscape in the past month has upended the presidential race, ripped the roof off John McCain’s Straight Talk Express, propelled Mr Obama gently aloft and landed him, feet first, on the threshold of the White House.”

Continue reading “Can the Economic Gloom Equal a Personal Win?” »

Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we didn’t have to fiddle around with so many different cards – there’s the travel card, the gym card, the debit card – you name it! For a time now technology has been around which allows you to do these payments with your mobile phone. However, as the report Commerce on the Go: Mobile Payment Systems and Solutions shows, despite the predicted success of mobile payments, the market remains immature in most countries. This can be explained by a number of technical and business issues – mobile technology environments are becoming more complex, uncertain, and disruptive.

Continue reading “Will Mobile Phone Payments Soon Become Reality Despite Immature Market?” »

Attempts to align IT strategy with an abstract business vision or strategy are doomed to failure according to a new report. It says that in order to improve competitiveness, organisations must urgently address the growing dislocation between the business requirements and IT deliverables. This, it says, is directly impacting the enterprise’s ability to make quick, accurate decisions and is causing slow implementation of the IT strategy. The gap between IT capability and business needs cannot be allowed to continue. Instead, the adoption of an end-to-end architectural approach and the development of an enterprise model can help with IT strategy planning and execution. Continue reading “Enterprise Architecture must take a leadership role in IT strategy and service delivery” »

Although the recent credit crunch and resulting economic uncertainty are affecting the growth potential of the European express industry, the main effects will be on the use of different modes of transport and profitability rather than on overall levels of parcel volumes. Indeed, supply chain rationalization, internationalization and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce are continuing to drive industry growth.

The credit crunch has hit individual markets and companies differently, leaving those relying on the US and intercontinental routes the most exposed. In general, its effects are felt to widely varying degrees depending on companies’ exposure to the most affected verticals, country markets and trade lanes. Continue reading “European parcel volumes resilient against economic adversity” »

New research forecasts that UK consumers will spend GBP82.3bn with retailers in the final quarter of 2008 or GBP1,363 per head. Though this is an increase of 2.0% on 2007, it is the second lowest growth rate in 20 years and the GBP1.6bn extra shoppers will be spending will be more than eaten up by food inflation. Not surprisingly food & grocery accounts for the largest share of shoppers spending over the Christmas period (38%), and with food inflation running at 6.3% this quarter, consumers are facing a more expensive Christmas feast.  But unavoidable though this extra expense will be, shoppers will be more careful in what they buy, balancing spending on treats with cutbacks on everyday foods. Continue reading “Christmas 2008 – Shoppers spending more, but buying less” »