The contract in question will see BAE provide a total of 12 Typhoon fighter jets and eight Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft.

Manufacturing work will begin in 2014, with delivery expected in 2017, and is expect to help protect as many as 6000 highly skilled technology and engineering jobs across the company’s UK sites.

While a final decision on the alliance is not expected to be made until March, 2013, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have stated that the benefits of the tie-up would far outweigh any reduction in competition. Such benefits include the ability to co-ordinate ticket prices and schedules.

Nobody’s perfect. What quality or ability do you wish you had?

There are lots of things I wish I could do better! Everything from eye-hand coordination to mathematics – the list is long. I often have a hard time being nice and it seems like I could be more patient with people. The ability to relax would be nice too…

What is the best business book you have ever read, and why?

Every election brings uncertainty to the business community. The latest US Presidential election is no exception. But here’s a word of advice: regardless of who occupies the White House, Downing Street or whatever the government buildings are called in your country, entrepreneurial small business owners will have to rely on who we’ve always relied on to be successful—ourselves, our employees, and our customers.

From buildings and bridges to clean energy and clean water, Bentley Systems has been sustaining some of the world’s most significant infrastructure projects for close to 30 years.

When we think of infrastructure we tend to think about the hardware involved, be it the materials used or the equipment and tools to bring structures and buildings to life. What we tend to take for granted are the software solutions involved and how crucial they are to the entire process.

By embracing change and innovation, PetroSA is opening up new horizons for South Africa’s energy sector.

As the leading economic power in Africa, it’s no surprise that South Africa is a key player in the African oil industry. Liquid fuels are an important component of its energy sector, with the 2012 BP Statistical Energy Survey revealing that, in 2011, South Africa consumed an average of 547,250 barrels of oil per day.

The Finnish telecommunications organisation Finnet is piloting a new concept in home computing that could revolutionise the way we operate. Jarmo Matilainen, MD of Finnet Association talks about delivering a complete cloud-based solution to the home user.

Through the successful implementation of its various projects, CAT Telecom is striving to lead the way in providing wireless multimedia services in one of Southeast Asia’s most economically dynamic nations.

With a GDP worth $602 billion, Thailand is the second largest economy in Southeast Asia. Having enjoyed the world’s highest growth rate from 1985 to 1996, during which time it averaged 12.4 percent growth annually, the country is today considered to be a newly industrialised, emerging economy.

Come 2017, the agency anticipates global coal consumption to stand at 4.32 billion tonnes of oil equivalent, compared to 4.4 billion tonnes for oil itself. In its report, the IEA states that increased demand from India and China is fuelling this push.

"Coal's share of the global energy mix continues to grow each year," says IEA executive director Maria Van der Hoeven. "If no changes are made to current policies, coal will catch oil within a decade."