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” »

Having already weathered a significant degree of consolidation in the past three years, the Documents and Records Management (DRM) market is braced for further and more radical change according to a new report. DRM is emerging as one of the fastest growing markets in the enterprise technology space.After a spate of consolidation in the last three to four years, the DRM market is now in the midst of post-consolidation blues. Most leading vendors sport multiple platforms and product lines within their DRM portfolios and are yet to come to terms with unified product strategies. The technology landscape is largely flat, with little to differentiate between major vendors in terms of product capabilities. As much as this paints a picture of transformation well in progress, shifting enterprise priorities are forcing another wave of change – quite possibly a second round of acquisitions and entry of a newer breed of players into the market. Continue reading “Documents and Records Management market braced for more upheaval” »

According to new research, when the estate agency industry does recover, it will be dramatically different from the industry today. Given the growing power of the Internet, many industry observers believe that the industry will not bear any resemblance to the one we see today. It is expected that a period of restructuring will result in a smaller market and that more people will be selling property without using an estate agent.

Consumer research for the report reveals that 57.7% of consumers said that they would search the Internet if they wanted to move home. While slightly lower than the 2007 figure (58.4%), this confirms the importance of the Web among potential homebuyers; men and women were equally likely to take such action. Despite this, 81.2% of adults still said they would visit an estate agent’s office if they wanted to move home. Continue reading “Estate agency industry is in for big changes…” »

In June 2008, Brazil’s telecoms regulator Anatel approved changes to Brazil’s telecoms laws so that a single telecom operator can hold two separate operating licences, effectively paving the way for Telemar, trading as Oi, to complete its takeover of Brasil Telecom (BrT). The deal is still awaiting final government approval, but should be finalised before end-2008.

Continue reading “Telecoms: Brazil Sees Merger Between Oi and Brasil Telecom” »

In the years to 2010, the Internet enters its fourth decade and is reaching two important limits which are inherent in the current architecture. Firstly, the exhaustion of previously unused IPv4 address space, and secondly a set of inter-related scaling problems in the BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) routing system which drive up the cost of the core routers used by every ISP and large end-user network – such as those of corporations and universities.

Continue reading “Internet: Forecast says Fresh IPv4 Address Space will be Impossible to Obtain around 2010″ »

New research says the low-cost internet option could be used to rope in patients participating in trials. Analysts find that while only 20% of patients are currently recruited online, this is a method that will become increasingly important.  According to the report, “Online Patient Recruitment and Its Impact on Patient Relationship Management” internet surfers tend to be more interested in clinical trials than those viewing posters in the clinic.

Continue reading “Pharma Companies turn Webwards to Recruit Patients as 90% of Clinical Trials Face Delay” »

In a more and more individualized society, it is no surprise that it has also reached the pharma industry. The next step forward is ‘personalized medicine’ or ‘individualized treatment’. This means that your genotype or gene expression profile could be used to tailor medical care to your needs.

Continue reading “Have your Healthcare Costs Reduced with Personalized Healthcare” »

Looking at the figures of food wastage in the UK, something clearly needs to be done – we throw away £10.2bn of avoidable food waste every year. This equals 16-18 million tonnes of waste food that is buried as landfill each year.

Sweden is a nation which intends to lead the world in renewable fuels. It is not surprising then that it is one of the leading countries in turning leftovers into – yes – electricity. This is the start of a new generation – anaerobic digestors (AD).

Continue reading “Electricity could be Generated from Waste Food” »

The food and drinks exports from UK touched a new record of £11.5 Billion in 2007, an upshot of 9.1% over 2006, fuelled mainly by rising demand and the weakening pound.

Britain registered a new record in food exports during 2007. The total value of produced and processed food exports was pegged at £11.5 Billion, an increase of 9.1% over 2006, according to the UK government’s export agency, Food from Britain.

Continue reading “Weak Pound Drives Export of Food and Drinks in the UK” »