German car manufacturer Daimler has reported a steep rise in its quarterly profits, boosted by record sales of Mercedes-Benz cars.

The company’s net profit for the first quarter of the year increased by 20 per cent to €1.42 billion, with revenue rising nine per cent to €27 billion.

Royal Dutch Shell reported results for Q1 2012 today, with profits up through a combination of improvements in performance and volumes, as well as strong oil prices.

Shell’s first quarter 2012 earnings were $7.7 billion compared with $6.9 billion in the same quarter a year ago – an increase of 11 percent.

“We are making good progress against our targets to deliver a more competitive performance,” said chief executive officer Peter Voser.

Schneider Electric is in the business of improving energy efficiency; but rather than just telling others what to do, Jeff Daniels has discovered that Schneider has also shown the world what to do.

The world wouldn’t be quite as white as it is without an expanding titanium minerals mining operation in the wilds of Mozambique, as Alan Swaby learns from managing director Michael Carvill.

Raleigh, one of the UK’s best-known brands, has been sold to Netherlands-based Accell Group for €60 million.

Accell said the acquisition of Raleigh adds well-known global brands to its portfolio, further strengthening its position in North America and the UK in the markets for bicycles and bicycle parts & accessories.

Anglo American has announced the sale of Scaw South Africa, completing its divestment of the Scaw Metals Group.

The company has sold Scaw South Africa to an investment consortium led by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa, Izingwe Holdings, Shanduka Resources and the Southern Palace Group of Companies.

Planetary Resources, Inc has announced a spectacular plan to mine near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) for raw materials, ranging from water to precious metals.

The newly formed company has the financial backing of industry-launching visionaries including Google CEO Larry Page and Ross Perot, Jr, chairman of Hillwood and The Perot Group.

Eve Chiapello, co-creator of the specialised ‘Alternative Management’ programme, has analysed a large body of literature on the criticisms of capitalism dating back over 150 years. Here, she cites the lessons history has taught us in the face of its newest critic—ecology.

Craig Sullivan, vice president and general manager of International Products for NetSuite, outlines eight ways in which outdated ERP systems can damage your business.

Over the past decade, technology has transformed the broader world of business and consumer applications. Workers interact through mobile devices and social media, with applications increasingly connected over the web. But many ERP deployments remain static in spite of these changes.