Classed as unconventional gas along with coalbed methane and so called 'tight' gas, shale gas is fast heading out of that category. In the USA it has already had a significant and irreversible effect on the economy, as evidenced by a recent report from consulting firm IHS which says the boom in domestic energy now directly or indirectly supports 1.2 million jobs and adds more than $1,200 to average disposable income – and that these figures will increase to 3.3 million jobs and $2,000 per household by 2020.

Almost twenty years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a major automotive parts supplier that was looking to significantly expand their business in the repair parts aftermarket. They saw this as a global opportunity, and one of the assignments I had was to describe the aftermarket environment as it evolved from the then-embryonic markets of countries like China and India to the differentiated markets of southern Europe and Brazil to the highly efficient and organized markets of North America and Japan.

In today’s world, where immediate access to information is literally at our fingertips, the need for speed can sometimes supersede due diligence, but in the absence of thorough background checks on potential employees, haste can result in waste – and sometimes worse.

The owner of beverage firm Orangina Schweppes has paid GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) £1.35 billion for the brands, which it hopes will allow the business to expand into new markets.

Ribena and Lucozade saw combined sales totalling about £500m last year, however GSK decided to offload the brands in April following a strategic review that advised a renewed focus on its core pharmaceuticals business.

The move by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa comes as emerging economies across the world have been hit by speculation that US may scale back its key economic stimulus programme soon, which has in turn prompted investors to pull out money, hurting the currencies of emerging countries.

Despite being Africa’s biggest oil producer, Nigeria lacks refining capacity. It is Dangote’s belief that in building what will be Africa’s largest refinery the country will be transformed into an importance petroleum exporter.

Dangote, who made his estimated $16 billion fortune in cement, flour and sugar, claims that the refinery will eventually go on to create thousands of jobs, something that is desperately needed in Nigeria’s oil-producing southern Niger Delta region, whose people are among the its poorest.

Despite being Africa’s biggest oil producer, Nigeria lacks refining capacity. It is Dangote’s belief that in building what will be Africa’s largest refinery the country will be transformed into an importance petroleum exporter.

Dangote, who made his estimated $16 billion fortune in cement, flour and sugar, claims that the refinery will eventually go on to create thousands of jobs, something that is desperately needed in Nigeria’s oil-producing southern Niger Delta region, whose people are among the its poorest.

The $130 billion deal represents the third biggest corporate transaction, behind Vodafone's 1999 deal to buy Germany's Mannesmann and AOL's purchase of Time Warner in 2000.

A large percentage of the money made from the deal will be used by Vodafone to invest in its business, with funds earmarked for high speed mobile phone networks.