UK transport group National Express has announced its acquisition of one the largest student transport service providers in the US.

Cincinnati, Ohio-based Petermann Partners Inc is the fifth largest provider of student transport services in the US, with operations across 10 states in the Midwest, West and Southwest.

Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc, has announced a 9 percent increase in mineral reserves from 286.2 million to 312.2 million pounds of contained molybdenum at its Endako molybdenum mine located near Fraser Lake, British Columbia, extending its mine life by 20 months through 2028.

Ireland’s Kerry Group has announced its acquisition of the German sweet ingredients and flavours producer SuCrest.

The Co. Kerry-based company said the move would significantly expand its sweet ingredients and flavours business in the EMEA region.

SuCrest has production and product development facilities located in Hochheim, Germany and Vitebsk, Belarus, as well as a sales representative office in Moscow. The company is a leading provider of sweet ingredients to the bakery, ice cream, confectionery, cereal and snack sectors in European markets.

Leading in business is never easy, but if you do it with your head down, blocking out input from employees, you’re making a huge mistake. OfficeMax Founder and former CEO Michael Feuer explains that when you miss out on employee input, you miss out on big-time innovation.

In today’s tough economy, small business owners are faced with the difficult task of doing much more with a lot less. Ed Hess reminds them that even though they might be making cuts to their prices and budgets, now is not the time to start cutting great customer service out of their business plans.

Improving working capital has become a focus for every CFO and is crucial to business growth and profitability, says David Taylor. Yet current strategies often fail to recognize the role accounts receivable can play in reducing the cost of working capital, while also having a positive impact on customer relationships and even the wider economy.

As a business leader, you can’t always get all your employees’ input on big-time decisions. Often, you have to make a decision quickly or risk losing the opportunity altogether. Michael Feuer offers advice on how to make profitable mind-to-market decisions without getting sidetracked by consensus overload.

Marcy Phelps offers some key research resources for learning about your customers and competitors.

Whether you're starting a business, introducing new products or services, or adding locations, it's always a good idea to first do your research. Informed decisions make the best decisions, and – especially when credit is tight – we often need to show that we have a solid understanding of our target markets.

Companies aiming to maximize the potential of social media need to think carefully about integrating the three pillars of people, process and technology, says Michael Brito.

Businesses in the US and the UK are paralyzed by a lack of self-confidence, says Stephen Archer. Processes and systems do not create wealth. Only organic growth through entrepreneurial innovation can do that.

We know that consumer confidence is weak and that business confidence is patchy. I have written about the dynamics of confidence on the economy in the past. However, I want to discuss a much more specific aspect of confidence and how it is holding back the US and UK economies.