Don't end up like a Mattel or Microsoft - doing business with China can cost you if you don't know your facts. There is no question that China has become a force to be reckoned with in global markets. They supply high quality products at outstanding prices - a very seductive offer - but all that glitters is not gold. 4 Sep 2007
A 'Center for Commercial and Agricultural Information' (PICA) for the collection and the publication of price lists via the internet has been launched in Togo to enable farmers and traders to interact over prices and availability of the products by ICT, Noel Kokou Tadégnon of the Highway Africa News Agency reports. 4 Sep 2007
The idea behind supply chain management (SCM) is that coordinating the activities of the different businesses on the supply chain can save costs while also adding value, writes Bob Scarlett. The simplest form of chain is where a series of firms supply each other along a continuous pipeline running from the point where raw materials are extracted to the point at which customers are supplied, but the situation is usually more complex than this. 4 Sep 2007
The food maker H. J. Heinz Co., one of Zimbabwe's first major foreign investors, has sold its Zimbabwe interests to Cottco, a government controlled cotton company, it was disclosed on Monday, 3 September. 4 Sep 2007
South Africa has new regulations requiring that containers of alcoholic beverages display messages highlighting the negative effects of alcohol consumption. The regulations have been published by Department of Health under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectant Act, following years of consultation with different stakeholders to address alcohol abuse in the country. 4 Sep 2007
Packard Bell, one of the leading consumer electronics brands in Europe, has announced the launch of its new EasyNote XS, a 7-inch notebook which combines advanced portability with a full featured PC running Windows XP Home Edition. 4 Sep 2007
This year's collection of wines to be sold in aid of charity on the Nederburg Auction range from an 84-year-old Burgundy to a current vintage Cabernet Sauvignon still in the barrel. 4 Sep 2007
Economic ties and various trade agreements have been signed to strengthen relations between the Limpopo Province and the four northern regions of Namibia. 4 Sep 2007
Ahead of the planned autumn launch in Europe of Apple's iPhone, and with the availability of the smartphone in the US, a number of mobility solution vendors are positioning themselves to support the device. Mark Blowers, senior research analyst with IT research and advisory organisation Butler Group, points out unapproved devices could compromise corporate information. 3 Sep 2007
Whether you're a publisher, magazine editor, retailer or someone in the entertainment or hospitality industry, your business is better geared to fly if you're up-to-speed on the latest trends. And when the competition gets tough, it's the well-informed who come out on top. Day two of multi-topic trend conference, the 2007 Flux Trend Review, presents an overview of the “state we're in” across several disciplines. 3 Sep 2007
Game console makers saw a surprising sales boom in July, traditionally one of gaming's slower months. Nintendo sold 425,000 units of its Wii console, more than double the sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Sony's PlayStation3, according to NPD Group. Sony focused on its increase in sales over the prior month, rather than wallowing in its last-place finish. Fred Aun of the E-Commerce Times reports. 3 Sep 2007
The previous columns looked at the circumstances and knowledge surrounding climate change, the impacts and aspects of consumer branding. To recap, climate change is having severe impacts on most facets of life, consumers are developing varying degrees of awareness and preference for environmentally sound brands but price premiums and resource scarcity complicate the process. 3 Sep 2007
Consumers are the new brand managers – they define the rules of engagement online, and brands need to engage with this change. So... are you moving fast enough? Join Andrew Felbert, Tom Acquaviva of Nielsen/NetRatings UK and Matthew Buckland of the Online Publishers Association in Joburg and Cape Town as they discuss 'A match made in heaven' and 'Rules of online engagement'. 3 Sep 2007
Heinz, a worldwide leader in ketchup, condiments and sauces, recently selected Creative Licence, a graphic design and brand mentoring company, to design the packaging of their new range of salad dressings. 3 Sep 2007
USA - Tropi-Ties Swimwear recently unveiled its swimwear collection for Spring/Summer 2008, at the Miami Swim Show. The look and feel for this year's collection is funky and off-beat with a touch of street savvy. There's lots of custom, vintage prints, some 60s hippie chic stuff, a couple of swash buckling, pirate influenced designs, as well as an earthly, environmentally sound group of hemp fabric bikinis. 3 Sep 2007
USA - UVA ultraviolet radiation is just as harmful as UVB when it comes to causing skin cancer and premature aging of the skin; and up to now, it hasn't been required to test sunscreens for UVA protection. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently announced the new proposed standards for formulating, testing and labeling UVA protection for over the counter sunscreen drug products. 3 Sep 2007
July's CPIX figure has risen by half a percentage point to 6.5% for July 2007, according to figures released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), on Wednesday, 29 August. 31 Aug 2007
Fancy savouring something deliciously different this spring? Of course you do – and Taste of Jo'burg will re-awaken your taste buds when it takes place for the first time in South Africa. 31 Aug 2007
Sony unveiled two new Walkman music players yesterday, 30 August - the NWZ-A810 and NWZ-S610. The two new players bring video storage and playblack capabilities to the iconic Walkman brand, and are the first in the digital players from the company not tied down to Sony's ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) audio format, writes Walaika Haskins of TechNewsWorld. 31 Aug 2007
Silver Stream Marketing has announced the launch of nTouch Loyalty, a complete marketing system enabling restaurants, and retail businesses, to reduce customer turnover, increase average order value and encourage repeat business. 31 Aug 2007
