Rain boosts sales after poor festive season
[Mayibongwe Maqhina] Retailers feel the pinch after interest rate hikes.

Kenya's troubles are rooted in the past… and the present
[Robin Parker] The current turmoil in Kenya is redolent of its history. In spite of a largely ineffective guerrilla war waged largely on white farmers in the Aberdare's and an equally barbaric response from the British to the Mau-Mau rebellion, independence passed generally quietly into the hands of Jomo Kenyatta. But it has been far from plain sailing since then.

World ad spending growing faster than US in 2008
According to a new study from GroupM, Advertising spending in US measured media is expected to increase almost 4% in 2008 compared with 2007, when spending was up about 3%. Worldwide spending is expected to go up 7% in 2008, after an anticipated 6% increase in 2007.

Time for E-tailers to up the ante
Companies that are able to create an "experience gap" between their offering and competitors' offerings will reap rewards for many years to come. Take, for instance, Apple's iPod. Apple created and delivered a compelling and positive customer experience, one that Microsoft and others could not quickly match.

Foodex Mauritius 2008
The International Trade Exhibition for Food and Beverage Industries takes place at the Swami Vivekananda International Exhibition Centre Port Louis, Mauritius, September 25-28, 2008.

Price hikes fail to dent spending spree
[Guy Rogers] Recent increases in the interest rate and fuel price have had little impact on the Eastern and Southern Cape restaurants and hotels reporting a bumper season.

Marketing execs say basics are most important in 2008
As senior marketers face an increasingly complex world, sticking to the basics is going to be crucial.

Lessons from 2007 E-commerce debacles
E-commerce vendors have spent a lot of money recently advertising on social networking sites, but these investments did not generate much of a return. "It does not make a lot of sense to promote your products to a MyFace Web site focused on a person's dog. After all, the dog is not going to buy any products," said Gene Alvarez, research vice president at Gartner.

An organic experience at Woolies
Woolworths is launching a whole new organic line in February, with more than one hundred new certified organic product lines. All the new grocery products are certified by independent organic certifiers who conduct stringent audits to ensure the authenticity of both organic ingredients and organic production processes.


French carmaker sees strong 2008 sales growth after 2007 pickup
French automaker Renault says it expected global sales growth of more than 10% this year after a 2007 gain of 2.2% to some 2.49 million vehicles.

Toyota triumphs, Ford fades
Toyota Motor overtook struggling Ford Motor Company for the number-two spot in the US market in 2007.

It's still a Barbie World
[Gabisile Ndebele] Barbie, one of the biggest selling Christmas gifts since 1959, is facing stiff competition from newcomers Elmo, Action Command Spider-Man, and the Walking Angelina Doll.

US survey finds easy returns makes for happy consumers
Fifth annual holiday shopping and returns survey reveals majority of consumers want to return from home.

What drives people to submit online reviews?
Keller Fay Group and Bazaarvoice study finds altruism drives online reviewers: A United States survey of over 1,300 reviewers shows strong majority are motivated by a desire to give back to brand and community.

A recycled laptop's journey, Part 1: Exporting toxic waste
"For years, [the e-scrap and e-waste problem] was a dirty little secret, both on the production and disposal side -- it's an energy and materials intensive industry, many of which are extremely toxic," said Robin Schneider, vice chair of the Electronics Take-Back Coalition and executive director of the Texas Campaign for the Environment.

"Scraping" is dangerous game
"Scraping" is the practice of taking data from other online firms and reorganizing or improving on it. The article's lead anecdote shows that scraping is risky business--you can either have an instant Web business or an instant lawsuit, depending on the case.

If you intend to fly to the US, read this…
The United States FAA has banned lithium batteries in checked baggage.

Mobile... The lost opportunity
[Robin Parker] Mobile has found its market, but the pioneers have lost their opportunity and it will take a far-seeing executive to challenge for the position again.

Lenovo leaps into consumer market melee with new laptops
Lenovo has thrown its IdeaPad line of laptops into the no-holds-barred cage match that is the U.S. consumer PC market. The Chinese brand, which purchased its ThinkPad and ThinkCentre lines from IBM in 2005, has already made a mark in the business market; now it aims to distinguish itself in the consumer realm on looks and features.

Tech pathfinders to watch in 2008
From a distance, it often seems that Google has all but cornered the market on Internet advertising, but plenty of entrepreneurs believe opportunities remain. Michael Leo, the CEO of New York-based Operative, is one of those businesspeople, and his background gives him an insider's view.