Franchising itself in South Africa continues to prove to be very resilient,” states the Chairman of the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA), Derek Smith. “Analysis conducted by Bendita Gordon of Franchise Directors showed that between 2008 and 2010 in the aftermath of the global recession hitting the country showed that, while the rest of the economy lost well over one million jobs, franchising actually created 25,000 new opportunities for people.”

Pricing is often overlooked as a strategic lever essential for revenue and profits. The global economic slowdown has heightened consumer sensitivities to pricing and value, however, prompting a resurgence of interest in integrated pricing policies and strategies.

Solar power is a great idea, but it is no good at night or when the sun does not shine – right? Wrong! In southern Spain there's now a solar power plant that can run constantly. We are used to seeing solar panels on houses and in solar arrays. These work by converting sunlight directly into electricity using photoelectric cells, but Torresol Energy was formed to introduce and test new technologies that make concentrated solar energy an economically competitive option and a real, viable, ecological and sustainable alternative to traditional energy sources.

The reserve quantities of fossil fuel are well understood by the energy industry, which uses tested indicated and proven reserve assessment to aggregate the resources that will be available in years to come. Renewable energy is usually expressed in terms of annual capacity, often ignoring the lifetime potential of wind and biomass projects.

In what is the latest in a series of announcements aimed at transforming the Atlantic’s role as an oil-producing region, the consortium, which also includes Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron, has said that drilling has already begun on the first of five wells planned over the next two years. Up to 12 wells could be drilled, depending on initial results.

Clair, located to the west of Shetland, is already known as a "monster" field, holding eight billion barrels of oil. However, up until now it has been technically difficult to bring this ashore.

Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP) originally developed its Oxygen Concentratorin 2011 as a way of delivering life-saving oxygen to frontline battlefields. It works by cycling air pressure in chambers filled with a gas absorbing substance to concentrate atmospheric oxygen to 95 percent purity.

The pact will allow both countries respective central banks to swap local currencies worth up to 190bn yuan or 60bn reais. Officials said this will ensure smooth bilateral trade, regardless of global financial conditions.

The deal, signed on the side-lines of the fifth Brics summit in Durban, South Africa, is all the more significant given that China remains Brazil’s largest trading partner.

Every child, at some point, will be asked what they want to do when they grow up. Few will declare themselves set for a life as a ‘hacker’ and fewer still declare themselves CEO material. Yet, with many production lines either grinding to a halt or manned by robots, technology has become the beating heart of many organisations. Dominique Karg, proud hacker and co-founder of AlienVault, asks whether we should be nurturing a different skillset in our young.

It was in 1993 that, with the passing of the Communications Act, the government of Tanzania began to plot a course to liberalise the communications sector within the country. In the years since competition has gradually increased in the fields of mobile cellular services, radio paging, internet and data communication services, helping to affirm the communications sector as one of pillars of Tanzania’s social and economic development.