value chain

Smartphone sales highlight new trends in consumer markets

Smartphone markets continue to provide early warning of the major changes taking place in consumer markets. And Q4 data confirms the old rules are becoming less and less relevant:  As the chart shows, market positioning is now all-important. Apple are stretching their lead in the ‘sweet spot’ of the value chain – design – and

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Chemical companies squeezed in the value chain

It is hard to imagine a more difficult outlook for the rest of the year:

• Speculators have increased oil prices, funded by expectations of new central bank quantitative easing programmes
• Consumers are suffering from stagnant incomes, high level…