November 9, 2012
Weekly roundup: African consumers, B Corps and modern monogramming
Posted by: Jessica Vaughn - New York in North America
-Obama’s victory in the U.S. presidential race points to “tectonic demographic shifts in American society,” as The Wall Street Journal reports.
-Economic growth will slow over the new few decades as the globe’s population ages, according to a new OECD report.
-While Latin America’s middle class is expanding, its societies aren’t yet middle-class, reports The Economist.
-A McKinsey report details “The Rise of the African Consumer,” examining demographics, behavior and needs.
-The Economist spotlights a report that looks at how important mobile phones have become to poor Kenyans.
-McKinsey looks at why women remain underrepresented among senior management in Asia, Europe and North America.
-The accuracy of Nate Silver’s predictions for the U.S. election signals a shift away from “fuzzy thinking” to reliance on machines and software, according to ReadWrite. The Guardian says Silver’s success shows why businesses should embrace Big Data.
-Bloomberg Businessweek looks at “The Coming War Over Wireless Charging” as a range of companies vie to dominate this fast-growing market.
-The New York Times spotlights the rise of B Corps, a corporate format for socially conscious companies and one of our 100 Things to Watch in 2012.
-In MIT’s Technology Review, Nicholas Carr examines whether MOOCs (free online college courses) could drive a needed overhaul in higher education.
-Millennials are passionate about “food, fashion and friends,” according to research from the Boston Consulting Group, according to MediaPost. But, in a “shift of biblical proportions” for the restaurant industry, today’s Millennials are less inclined to dine out than young adults before them, reports USA Today.
-Fast-food brands are seeing sales slump, explains Brandchannel.
-As Americans continue to limit spending and with many not covered by health insurance, the market for prescription drugs is faltering, Business Insider reports.
-LinkedIn endorsements could have a dramatic impact on search results and potential leads for business development, according to Inc.
-The Atlantic takes a look into “What’s Going to Kill the TV Business?”
-A new report from GfK MRI shows tablet owners to be “voracious multi-taskers,” reports Adweek.
-The Atlantic reports that with advances in technology, women freezing their eggs is “rapidly going to become commonplace.”
-Some climate change scientists believe previous models were wrong, predicting harsher weather earlier than expected, according to The Guardian.
-Rising temperatures will likely cause extinction of the arabica coffee crop, according to The Guardian.
-Retailers are modernizing the monogram, which has a new appeal in the digital age, reports The Wall Street Journal.
