Global Design And Business

One of the leaders in wireless fleet tracking, Networkfleet has recently announced their new vehicle tracking device which has the ability to notify fleet managers when their vehicles are moving faster than the legal speed limit in an area. Known as Posted Speed Reporting, it allows managers to view speed violation reports online, and receive either text or email alerts when the vehicle has exceeded the speed limit. Posted Speed Reporting acts as a sort of internal speeding ticket to prevent accidents and ensure the driver’s safety, as well as reducing fuel consumption.

Along with the fuel card, sold by the gas station brand or a third party company, Posted Speed Reporting is an essential measure to insure driver behavior and watch over any non-work related fraud. The US Department of Energy states that speeding and aggressive driving can lower the highway gas mileage by as much as 33 percent and city mileage by 5 percent. Gas mileage also decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 miles per hour. Networkfleet’s online fleet management system can wirelessly monitor each vehicles performance for their exact speed, GPS location and even engine diagnostics. Thus combined with fuel cards and the Networkfleet’s management system, companies with volumes of vehicles can reduce unwanted costs by an employee’s fraudulent acts.



Nano2market Project researchers have provided guidelines for technology transfer, intellectual property standards and licensing agreements in developing nanotechnology projects. The Office of International Projects at the University of Alicante (UAL) has led the European consortium.

Traditional models of technology transfer were inappropriate for nanotechnology. However, the transfer models are essential for all sectors related to R & D, allowing the market and protect the results of the investigation. Therefore, it was considered essential to carry out a research project to deal with issues relating to the transfer of nanotechnology.

Intellectual property rights (IP) are applied to different stages of product development, from basic research to commercialization. The first step therefore was to examine the value chain and intellectual property right model for the transfer of technology to twelve case studies from five sectors: electronics, energy, life sciences, materials, and water and the environment.

Secondly, Nano2market partners conducted a mapping exercise of existing technology to develop a list of areas of innovation “nano.” Models and strategies were validated by a panel of experts.

As a result, the project has created a guide to intellectual property in nanotechnology research. Includes instructions on how to develop guidelines for licensing agreements, the consortium, and comments and suggestions for managing intellectual property in nanotechnology projects. The guidelines depend on the type of application, the level of research development and the size of the organization – small research centers or large, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and large companies.

The size of the organization is important because it affects strategies. For example, partners Nano2market found that lack of funding meant smaller organizations that use strategies that differ from the largest. Also saw investors and companies were more confident working with large institutions or companies. The youngest, however, had to wait until the technology was in an advanced stage before licensing.

An interactive toolbox

Nano2market has also designed an interactive toolbox. The toolbox includes a set of tools for companies wishing to collaborate on nanotechnology projects. It is also useful for investors and business angels, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs venture capitalists. The toolkit also offers, reports of good business practices and useful information about how to place a market development through an appropriate business plan for entrepreneurs.

Rahiman Abdullah explains, Office of International Projects of the AU, “We used to have some guidance for the protection of IP but were on nanotechnology as a whole and not areas. These guides also incorporated the business perspective that is essential for the development of this technology, especially in Europe where venture capitalists to date have only selected those more mature applications, such as nanomaterials, because they were considered safer than other emerging , as is the case of biotechnology. Now find that there is a whole range of possibilities. ”

Both the legal department, as technology transfer technical AU worked on the analysis of IP models. Although experienced in these matters, was the first time they made a thorough study on nanotechnology. Also collaborated in the development of the guide was written without much legal or scientific terminology in order to make it accessible to researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors. Instead of giving guidance on the steps, said Abdullah, opted for self-assessment because it is a different business model, riskier but also higher returns.

The article, researchers led by Malavika Subramanyam and S. V. Subramanian Harvard University, collects data from national family health surveys conducted in India during 1992-93, 1998-99 and 2005-06 by the National Surveys of Family Health, which used stratified representative samples of population of all states of the India-with a total sample of 77,326 children.

“We used measurement data collected in these studies (weight for age, height relative to age and the relationship between weight and height) to classify each child nutrition within the categories of ‘underweight’, ‘delay growth ‘or’ thinning ‘, according to child growth standards defined by the World Health Organization, say the experts.

The study indicates that the prevalence of ‘underweight’ fell from 49.1% in 1992-93 to 43.8% in 1998-99 to 40.2% in 2005-06. The prevalence of ‘stunting’ also fell, however, reducing the ‘thinning’ was minimal, only 24% in 1992-93 to 22% in 2005-06. Also during the study period, India’s economy grew at an annual rate of 7% -9%.

It comes down to any level of malnutrition

From these data, the authors studied whether changes in the economic growth of the different states were associated with a reduced risk of a malnourished child in a particular state.

“We found no consistent evidence showing that economic growth leads to reduction of child malnutrition in India. Direct investment may be necessary and appropriate interventions for public health to reduce the malnutrition, “they conclude.

Unemployment and economic problems such are the main problems for the Spanish as the latest results for the CIS barometer February, followed by “political class” (17.8%) and immigration (12.6%) .

Also, 79.2% of citizens rate the overall situation of the Spanish economy as poor or very poor and only 20% think the situation within a year will be better, compared with 73% who think it will be less worse.

On the other hand, 68.8% say that Spanish citizens are “somewhat ” or “nothing” equal before the law and 82.6% stated that laws “favor some more than others”and point to “the rich “(48.6%) and politicians (26%) as beneficiaries of this difference in treatment.

Confidence in the law in rights before a conflict is also low. More than half of the population thinks that little or nothing to defend against a large company or a bank, 67.2% “somewhat “or “no”against the public administration and 74.7% compared to a national rich or influential.

“The five aspects most valued by tourists on their way to the European Mediterranean countries are leisure activities, events, routes, excursions, cultural activities, weather, and the variety of cuisine. By contrast, the least valued aspects are the quality of accommodation, the cleanliness of the place visited and the lack of hospitality or treatment from the citizens, “he explains to SINC Mercedes Jiménez García, UCA researcher and lead author of the study .
The research, published in the journal Tourism Studies, was based on interviews with tourists of Spanish nationality, aged between 15 and 64 years. It was felt by those who had visited at least two of the four Mediterranean countries to analyze the study: France, Spain, Italy and Greece, between 2002 and 2006. Of total respondents selected a representative sample of 317 individuals. It also took into account data from the questionnaire of the Spanish Inbound Tourism (FAMILITUR) “conducted by the Institute for Tourism Studies (2006).

“Many visitors cite the low level of French and Italian hospitality in comparison with the Spanish. By contrast, 90% of respondents made reference to the Spanish hotel calls it very diverse, with a wide choice and excellent value for money, “said Jiménez García.

Regarding cleanliness, the majority of comments show a lack of cleanliness in Italy and Greece, not only with reference to its streets, but also its monuments, its state of degradation and dirt.

The worst aspect valued by the respondents is the deal-entertainment of the public regarding the visitor. “Most tourists are not positively valued this option, especially when referring to Italian and French people,” said the expert.

Halting the loss of tourists

Historically, Europe has been the top tourist destination globally, according to the two main parameters used by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): arrivals and receipts from international tourism (tourism ratio).

Approximately 70% of international tourist arrivals to Europe are concentrated in 10 countries, and is the southern Mediterranean area which receives a greater number of arrivals and receipts. “Only four countries (Spain, France, Italy and Greece) in 2006 represented over 40% of total international arrivals to the continent and 40% of its revenues from international tourism according to the WTO in 2007,” the report said.

However, these countries have experienced a decline of tourism ratio compared to other emerging destinations and new competitors like China, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Poland and Croatia.

“The projections made by WTO for 2020 do not foresee a change in this trend, although it notes that Europe will maintain its position as a predominantly tourist area in 2020 estimated a market share of 45.9% compared to the world’s total” , states the study.

“We need swift action in the European Mediterranean countries to maintain their global competitiveness. Must adapt their tourism adapting to the requirements of demand, “says Jiménez García.

Reasons for repeat

About 20% of Spanish tourists visiting argues that impels them to an area not to repeat the visit to them. However, only 0.9% are unfavorable to the replay of the visit to a European Mediterranean country did not fulfill their expectations.

Finally, 1.3% cited other reasons that encourage them not to return, among which we can mention the high prices in Italy or the lack of interest in certain parts of the south of the country.

At work explaining the results of studies in the rocky outcrop of Inkapintay, near the town of Ollantaytambo, where a rock anthropomorphic representation is attributed to a gesture of Manco Inca, one of the last Inca Empire of Tahuantinsuyu.

The team of vertical progression of the UJI Ukhupacha Project led by Salvador Guinot provided technical assistance to archaeologists, since the scenario is in a place not easily accessible.

The Andean-Amazonian territory is one of the most varied geographic settings of South America. This fact, coupled with the extraordinary diversity achieved by native, allowed the creation of a type of cultural material consisting of all varieties of rock art, where the landscape and historical occupation of space is perceived articulated in the process analysis social pre-Columbian past.

Conservation of natural landscape

The paper “Inkapintay: Pictograph Inca in the Valley of Yucay. Cusco “presented by archaeologist Ukhupacha, Víctor Falcón Huayta, in the International Rock Art Symposium (SIAR) held in San Miguel de Tucumán (Argentina) late last year in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán, raised the need join forces to work together to preserve this site. This taxation is the most important regular meeting of archaeologists and specialists in the study of rock art.

During the event also presented the poster “Rock art and rock vertical progression: the case of Inkapintay” which explains the features of the rugged landscape of Inkapintay, technical procedures necessary to achieve vertical progression of pictographs and registration by archaeologists.

The poster was delivered to the Society for Research on Rock Art of Bolivia (SIARB) which will organize the next symposium in the city of La Paz in 2012.

A couple of months we have changed the software to manage our insurance broker. It is a task that had fallen behind in most of the time because it seemed that it was never the right time. In practice this is so, it seeks by all means that this process is completely transparent to companies, and most importantly support for customers. But it is very difficult to make the decision to halt the administrative process even for a few days, the duration of the migration of data and their corresponding settings.

The main reason we made the decision to take this important change came when we realized that we had with the software were not able to effectively harness the information of our portfolio with the aim of increasing the number of customers integrals.

Much has been said, even in this blog, the importance of cross-selling and the potential of CRM programs. For all its virtues we add a filter that under our opinion should be taken into account before launching any campaign and is not one that we mark the famous phrase that I read somewhere some time on advertising:

Targeted advertising becomes information

It’s easy to understand what we want, do not suffocate with bulk mailings to customers who have given us their confidence to manage their insurance, it seems unproductive and can have the opposite effect to that is to be able, with the information We provide our clients, meet the needs of them and offer insurance solutions.

As a last point we want to remember something as important as self-evident, but nevertheless often the main reason for the poor design of a campaign.

The databases were not filled or updated own

Gástese you a huge amount of money on the best management software ever developed which will not yield any benefit if you do not have efficient staff that is responsible for keeping the data current.

I sincerely believe that these issues have always be able to provide better service to our customers.