IBM and Internet Security Systems, Inc. today announced the two companies have entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire Internet Security Systems, Inc., a publicly held company based in Atlanta, Ga., in an all-cash transaction at a price of approximately $1.3 billion, or $28 per share. The acquisition is subject to Internet Security Systems, Inc. shareholder and regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Luxury consumers' confidence plummeted during the second quarter 2006, dropping 14 points down to 99.2 from a high of 113.2 at the close of the first quarter. This follows two consecutive quarters of rising luxury consumer confidence. The index is based upon the results of a survey of over 1,000 luxury consumers (average income $147.9k) conducted in July 2006
Wireless technology, now the networking backbone in homes and offices worldwide, is about to see widespread adoption where it will have, perhaps, its most profound impact: on the plant floor and out in the field. The worldwide market for wireless technology in manufacturing is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26% over the next five years. The market was $325.7 million in 2005 and is forecasted to be over $1 billion in 2010, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.
Visa USA reported that its volume on purchases less than $25 in targeted small ticket segments totaled $27.3 billion in the first six months of the year, an increase of 17 percent over the same period in 2005. The double-digit growth indicates that Visa payment cards are increasingly being used instead of cash and checks for everyday purchases less than $25.
62 percent of customer relationship management (CRM) users surveyed in the UK think that the financial services sector, compared to any other, is leading best practice when it comes to client management. That is according to a survey of CRM users commissioned by CDC Software, a leading global provider of enterprise software applications.
Over 250 Chinese companies worth in excess of $14 billion have been bought by international acquirers over the past year, with the United States, UK and Singapore leading the way in establishing a foothold in China's rapidly-expanding economy, according to an analysis by Grant Thornton.
More and more American consumers are carrying less and less cash. A "Consumer Payments Survey," commissioned by MasterCard and conducted by Ipsos, shows that 74% of respondents no longer carry large amounts of cash with them, and 62% say they have switched to other forms of payment. More than half (56%) said they usually could find stores that accepted other forms of payment besides cash.
Hitachi Power Systems America, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., today announced that it has been awarded a contract to retrofit wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems to five of Ameren Corporation's power generation units at its Sioux, Coffeen, and Duck Creek plants. The scrubbers are capable of removing sulfur dioxide (SO2) from either low sulfur or high sulfur coals, providing continued flexibility for Ameren to use the least cost fuels for each plant.
