By Pinar Ozcan, IESE professor

The recent purchases of BEA by Oracle and MySQL by Sun have accentuated the consolidation process currently underway in the corporate solutions market. It is a trend that will continue to be driven by a combination of two factors: the growing demand for wholly integrated solutions and the slowdown in growth, which together challenge the viability of independent software providers.

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Title: Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future
Source: Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and the British Library
Date: January 11, 2008
Abstract: Those born after 1993, the so-called “Google generation,” have Internet as their primary tool for research and knowledge, unlike previous generations, who used conventional books and libraries for such tasks. This is reflected in a report published by the British Library and the Joint Information Systems Committee, which analyzes the changes in people’s habits with information research and the related consequences.
The report highlights how users now perform horizontal searches: 60% of those who consult academic journals in electronic format read an average of just three pages and 65% never return to the same article. It is true that the Google generation has greater technological expertise but it is dangerous to believe that this means they know how to find information.
What will the scenario be like in the year 2017? Professors and researchers will benefit enormously from the digitization of books, while students will prefer the Google search method to that of libraries, whose resources are more sophisticated but also more time consuming. Researchers of the future will not only expect to find references, but also the option to download entire documents.
In order to adapt themselves to this new environment, some librarians have started to adopt Web 2.0 practices, such as enriching their catalogs with reviews and ratings, or participating in social networks such as MySpace or Facebook. Nevertheless, the report points out that there is a major difference between being where the users are and being useful to the users where they are.

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Results from 2007 have been very positive for the large technology providers. However, forecasts say their growth will slow down in the coming months. That is the case for Apple and Adobe. The latter, for example, expects that the 23% growth it saw during its 2007 fiscal year will be 13% in 2008.
On the whole, the major ICT providers in the US will offset the country’s sluggish market with their exports. Particularly in markets that are experiencing the most growth. Intel, which in 2007 had a turnover of more than $38 billion, and 8% growth, sells more than 70% of its products outside the United States.
IBM in 2007 grew 2% in the American market but its revenues shot up by 14% in Europe and 11% in Asia. A report by IDC predicts that ICT spending in Latin America this year will represent a total of $48.6 billion, with a growth of 12.6%. These providers may find that the weak dollar helps bolster their exports.

Articles about Apple and Adobe
Studies by IBM and IDC

Generally speaking, 2007 was a good year for risk capital, which broke records in Spain, although not so much for technology projects. A preview of the study entitled “Actividad de Capital Riesgo” [“Risk Capital Activity”], prepared annually by the specialized online site Webcapitalriesgo.com, cites that a total of €4.298 billion was invested last year, which means a 44% increase in comparison with the previous year. To specify, 4% of the total was invested in technology-based projects (seed and startup), equating to a drop from 2006, which in turn was up 9.3%.
The report’s director, José Martí Pellón, points out that the confidence crisis over the economic situation has been causing problems since the end of the previous year for large transactions requiring major financing. This situation could have a negative impact on the overall volume of investment in 2008, though not necessarily on the number of transactions carried out.

Study on Risk Capital

Year after year, Catalonia’s Official Association of Telecommunications Engineers hosts “La Nit de les Telecomunicacions” (“Telecommunications Night”). This year marks the 13th edition, whose tagline is “Las telecomunicaciones al servicio de la sostenibilidad” (“Telecommunications Serving Sustainability”). The event will take place on February 26 at “L’Auditori” in Barcelona, starting at seven o’clock in the evening.

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