As UK local authorities and community groups pack up from another successful bonfire night (November 5), pallet pool provider LPR is counting the cost to the environment of more than 140,000 serviceable wooden pallets going up in smoke.

Based on calculations by Europe’s second largest pallet pool operator, around £1.4 million could be wasted in the UK each year by bonfire organisers who use pallets to fuel the flames. Beyond the financial cost, LPR has also highlighted the environmental impact of burning the 28,000 trees required to make these pallets.

King Pie is a South African franchise and a member of The Franchise Association South Africa (FASA), just one of a number of fast food brands one might be tempted to think, but KP demands to be taken seriously. It claims to make the best pies in the world, assuring its customers that it really does take pies seriously: “It’s easy to get caught up with cooking trends and cost charts, but we know it’s the basic things that make a good pie – freshness, quality ingredients, and value for money.”

Africa is often referred to as the "dark continent," with internet and telephony penetration rates some of the lowest in the world. That, however, is changing rapidly, with projects like the West African Cable System (WACS) and the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) being planned and deployed to deliver much-needed connectivity to the continent. Infrastructure these days is not all about roads and bridges and railways.

WireIE, a licensed wholesale carrier specialising in the development of carrier ethernet networks to Canada’s underserved markets, has won the 2014 Capacity Global Carrier Award program’s Special Recognition for Corporate Social Responsibility. The winners were announced on November 4 at the annual Capacity awards gala dinner, part of the Capacity Europe conference taking place this week at the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam.

Whenever contaminated trucks from construction sites, mines, harbours, landfills, dumpsites or industrial areas drive out directly onto the public roads, the MobyDick Wheel Washing Systems can prevent dangerous contamination from getting onto the roads and highways. As a further positive effect, pollution of the air with dust around the areas is also reduced considerably.

Talent retention and engagement, as Deloitte’s 2014 Global Human Capital Trends survey recently confirmed, remain on-going human capital issues. According to Deloitte’s survey, 79 percent of business and HR leaders worldwide still believe retention and engagement are key issues they need to address. 

That raises the question: Should we be approaching this challenge in a new way?

People spend a large part of their lives at work and conflict between people and teams can have a serious impact on how they feel about their work and their motivation. Conflict can impact staff retention and result in talented people leaving organisations because they just can’t put up with it any longer. But what can managers and business owners do to better manage conflict in the workplace?

There’s no arguing with the fundamentals. Growing populations, reduction in arable land, changing dietary preferences, climate change and the escalating demands of emerging economies have placed food security at the top of the political as well as the economic agenda. World population is growing by some 75 million every year. By 2050 almost 9.3 billion people are expected to inhabit the earth.