The markets for consumer electronics and information technology continue growing worldwide this year. In 2008 consumers will spend 9% more for products from the fields of audia/video, foto, IT and telecommunications. Total global spending on these products will probably amount to 462 billion Euros. Driving force behind this growth is innovation. These figures are based on the “GfK Retail Tracking” by the GfK which is carried out in 73 countries. more…

About 20% of all IT projects have to be stopped, half of them last longer or become more expensive than originally planned. Consequences are a damaged image and unnecessary costs. Frequently the main reason for such problems is insufficient risk management. Furthermore, the longer a project lasts and the more complex it is, the higher is the probability of failure. These are some findings of a study by the Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. more…

According to first estimates by the Federal Statistical Office, consumer prices increased by 3.1% in August 2008 as compared to August last year. Thus, inflation is slowing down a little bit (in July: +3.3%). In comparison to July this year consumer prices have probably fallen by 0.3%. This decrease is due to lower prices for energy carriers. The price for heating oil, for instance, fell by between -8.6% and -11.6% in several Federal laenders and by between -4.9% and -6.4% for fuel. more…

More than 12 billion Euros Germans will presumably have spent on digital consumer electronics by the end of this year, as is predicted by the German Association for Information Management, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) in the run-up to the international radio and television exhibition in Berlin. This would correspond to an increase by 5.4% on the previous year. BITKOM base their prediction on a recent study by the GfK company which does research on consumer habits. more…

For young professionals major IT companies in Germany are among the most popular employers. However, job opportunities are very unequally distributed from a geographical point of view. Just one in thirteen vacancies are currently offered y IT companies in the north or east of Germany. On the other hand, 51% of vacancies can be found in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. This north-south-divide has even grown over recent years. more…

A “meeting of internet visionaries” has been announced by the organizers of the “IdeaLab!” congress which will take place at the WHU business university. Participants in this congress will discuss which business ideas are currently receiving most attention, what are the visions of internet entrepreneurs and which fields are worth investing in. more…

A prize money amounting to 10,000 Euros is waiting for innovative ideas from the field of mechatronics. As of today individuals or project groups from businesses or scientific institutions may apply for the “Mechatronik 2009″ innovation prize awarded by the association of German engineers (VDI). However, applicants should be able to provide an exibihit which may be presented to the general public. more…

It seems that German companies are more successful in China than the German athletes who took part in the Olympic Games which came to an end yesterday. 644 German companies are currently operating in China which places Germany in the third position behind Japan and the United States. This is the result of a study carried out by D&B which is a provider of business data. more…

When personnel managers in high tech companies recruit young and highly qualified engineers and scientists they base their choice on their personal impressions but also to a large extent on university diplomas presented by applicants during the selection process. Doing so personnel managers often consult the university ranking by the Shanghai Jiao Tong university. This ranking is said to be the most independent and professional ranking worldwide. The ranking for the year 2008 has just been published. At the top of the few German universities which made it into the top 100 are the two elite universities in Munich. more…

The European market for games consoles and video games is currently doing very well. The number of pieces of hard and software sold this year increased both in the European guide market of Great Britain and other core markets such as Germany, France and Spain at two-digit growth rates. more…