Patent trends – the state of global innovation

The Intellectual Property and Science business of Thomson Reuters has released its annual analysis of global patent trends.  The State of Innovation report tracks patent activity across 12 key technology areas.

Key findings include:

·         Computers and peripherals had the largest volume of activity in the whole of the technology sector.  There were 232,000+ filings in 2012.  Scanners declined by 34%
·         Medical devices saw a 15.7% increase in patent activity. 
·         ‘Tobacco-related innovation’ increased by 58%
·         ‘Sugar related inventions’ increased by 56%

The full report can be found here.

Pearson reveals mobile traffic statistics

According to Pearson's 2012 annual report, 30% of FT.com's traffic is coming via mobile devices - including 15% of new subscriptions.

Pearson has continued to invest in mobile technology, including the launch of a Windows 8 app.  The Financial Times passed the 50% digital subscriptions milestone in 2012.

Penguin e-books accounted for 17% of global book revenues (up from 12% in 2011).

Source: The Appside

Business book of the year winners announced

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has announced the winners of this year’s Business Book of the Year competition.

The competition is sponsored by Henley Business School and run in association with the British Library.   

This year’s overall winner was The Management Book: How to Manage Your Team to Deliver Outstanding Results written by the entrepreneur Richard Newton.  Newton identified his top three tips: 

·         The management role is made, not given. You need to shape it rather than let it shape you.

·         If you let your team be successful, you will be successful.

·         Being a manager is something to be proud of. Fundamentally every organisation builds from its management.”

Category winners:
Management and Leadership Textbook
Managing Equality and Diversity: Theory and Practice by Savita Kumra and Simonetta Manfredi

Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Winning at Innovation: The A-F Model by Fernando Trías de Bes and Philip Kotler

The New Manager
The Leadership Skills Handbook: 50 Essential Skills You Need to be a Leader by Jo Owen

The Commuter’s Read
The Strategy Book: How to Think and Act Strategically to Deliver Outstanding Results by Max Mckeown

Which business book(s) should you read?

If one of your new year’s resolutions is to read more business books you may have found yourself overwhelmed by the quantity of books available. 

Over on the State of Search website Bas van den Beld has come up with some great ideas for your next business book read.  An infographic designed by Koozai helps take you to choices in a number of subject areas, including:

·         Branding

·         Web analytics

·         Business development

·         Content marketing

·         Paid search

·         SEO

·         Web theory

·         Social media

The post is well worth a look.

BvD releases updated Orbis

Business information publisher Bureau van Dijk (BvD) has released an updated version of Orbis, the company database. 

Orbis contains information on over 100 million companies from around the world sourced from more than 100 information providers.  

 

Enhancements include the addition of over 11,000 CICI (company identifier) numbers; and two additional measures of financial strength and user access to additional original documents.

More information via Information World Review.

Apps for information professionals

In our December issue we will be publishing an article by Scott Brown in which he describes mobile apps that are relevant to information researchers and professionals, both in their own work and in the services and products which they offer to their clients.

It's a great, practical article outlining some of the ways in which apps are being developed and rolled out by vendors and other providers.  Brown explores how new developments such as augmented reality are helping create a new generation of mobile information products.  

Scott's articles are always full of practical advice.  Here's one of his tips ahead of the December publication date:

"Be sure to ask your current information vendors if they are making apps available for their products, and include mobile access as part of your discussions with current and potential vendors as you negotiate access and contracts".

The coolness of social media

Coolbrands.co.uk produces an analysis of Britain’s ‘coolest’ brands and has just released its latest findings.  Brands may be nominated by members of the public and the coolest are selected by an expert council and members of the public before the top brands are identified.

Coolness, as Coolbrands admits, is subjective.  The judging criteria they use are:

·         Style

·         Innovation

·         Originality

·         Authenticity

·         Desirability

·         Uniqueness

(Usefulness, value or impact do not seem to get a look-in.)

The latest top 10 features Apple, BBC’s iPlayer, Google, Twitter and YouTube.  (Luxury brands such as Aston Martin, Liberty and Bang and Olufsen also appear).   ‘Attractions and the arts’ features as a category (cool brands in this category include the Glastonbury Festival and the Royal Albert Hall). 

Unfortunately libraries do not feature at all, even though there are innovative, stylish and unique libraries out there.