(Computerworld) IBM has issued layoff notices to more than 400 workers, according to the Alliance@IBM/CWA Local 1701, an employee organization that has been the principal source of layoff information at the company. The Alliance's online job cuts board was abuzz today with news from employees, all anonymous, who had received layoff notices.

A few years ago, Kraft Foods decided to lose a lot of weight. And today, it's starting the new year 150 million pounds (116 million kilograms) leaner – having eliminated enough material from its supply chain since 2005 to exceed the company's packaging reduction goal two years ahead of schedule! "Our global team of employees is doing a phenomenal job creating opportunities to reduce packaging material while assuring convenience and safety," said Jean Spence, Executive Vice President, Research, Development & Quality. "We've invented a tool to help us design more efficiently. And we're finding smarter source materials, reducing our footprint and thinking differently about packaging end of life. We're sharing ideas, challenging and motivating one another, so this is truly a collaborative team effort."

BDO, one of the nation’s leading professional service organizations, today announced that thirty-one of its offices have been named winners of the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility during the past year. Sloan awards are presented to companies that offer excellent workplace flexibility practices and use flexibility as a business tool to strategically enhance organizational effectiveness and benefit employees. The Sloan Awards are part of When Work Works, an ongoing initiative of the Families and Work Institute in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce and the Twiga Foundation, with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Finnish oil company Neste Oil has been selected for the fourth consecutive year for the Global 100, a list of the world's 100 most sustainable companies, based on an analysis of 3,000 publicly traded organizations. The Global 100 includes companies from 24 countries encompassing all sectors of the economy.

In 2010 Continental is continuing to put stock in fresh expertise, new ideas and, thus, increasing innovative prowess in the form of highly qualified junior staff. “This year we plan to hire around 1,000 university graduates and young professionals worldwide, including about 250 in Germany,” reported Continental Executive Board member Heinz-Gerhard Wente in Hanover. The international automotive supplier recruits primarily engineering and natural science majors but also graduates in business and economics.

Statoil is the first company in Norway to offer 5 per cent bioethanol to general consumers. From January 2010 onwards 40 per cent of Statoil’s stations will be selling the new biofuel “Bensin 95”. The new biofuel will reduce carbon emissions by about 11,000 tonnes annually. All petrol driven vehicles can use Bensin 95 containing 5 per cent bioethanol without making any adjustments to the engine or the fuel system.

Credit Suisse has decided to strengthen its position in Central and Eastern Europe by further developing its presence in Poland. Credit Suisse plans to strengthen its local Investment banking business in Poland by re-establishing Warsaw-based equity trading capabilities and by increasing research coverage for Polish companies in 2010. In 2009, Credit Suisse launched its Private Banking business in Poland.

Department store chain operator Sogo & Seibu Co said Friday it will offer two robots made to look like the people who buy them as a special sales event for the new year. The look-alike robots, which will be produced by robot maker Kokoro Co, will sell for 20.1 million yen each, Sogo & Seibu said.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) has acquired corporate performance management (CPM) business Paragon Consulting Group. The group will become part of PwC Advisory’s consulting business with immediate effect.

Kennedy Information, the leading research and advisory firm, has placed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as the clear market leader in the Global Crisis and Recovery Consulting market in the Kennedy Information Global Crisis and Recovery Consulting Marketplace 2009-2012 report. The report reflects Kennedy Information’s analysis of the global crisis and recovery consulting marketplace, estimated to grow by 40% from $5.4 billion in 2008 to $7.5 billion in 2009.

The Big Mac, long a symbol of globalization, has become the latest victim of this tiny island nation's overexposure to the world financial crisis. Iceland's three McDonald's restaurants - all in the capital Reykjavik - will close, as the franchise owner gives in to falling profits caused by the collapse in the Icelandic krona.

Henkel has been named as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Speaking from Shanghai, CEO, Asia-Pacific, Jan-Dirk Auris and head of HR, Monica Sun, tell Sarah O’Carroll about how they increased their investments in and focus on HR As the global economy slowed over the past three years, many global companies relied on their Asia-Pacific departments to help the company carry their global business through. This was the case with Henkel Asia-Pacific, which had to increase its investment in HR strategies and acquisitions.

Johnson & Johnson announced global restructuring initiatives designed to strengthen the company’s position as the world’s leading global health care company. The company is taking steps to prioritize its innovation efforts around the many growth opportunities in health care and to execute aggressively on bringing key new products to market.

Hyundai Motor Company opened a new research and development center at Hyderabad in India, the company’s fourth overseas R&D center.Set up with a US$ 25 million investment and located in the HITECH City of Hyderabad, the new 200,000 square-foot facility, Hyundai Motor India Engineering Pvt. Ltd (HMIE), will further accelerate local content development and enable Hyundai to respond even more quickly to changing customer needs across the world.

The L’Oréal Libramont plant announced the opening of a biomethane centre developed by Eneco and Bio Energie Europa. The plant now uses 100% green energy and is carbon-neutral. The first of its kind in Europe, the centre employs state-of-the-art technology to transform biomass from local farmers and the agro-alimentary industry into methane gas, which provides electricity and heat to the L’Oréal Libramont plant. This announcement represents an important step forward in L’Oréal’s commitment to cut carbon emissions in half by 2015.

BASF s figures for the third quarter of 2009 demonstrate the company s operational strength in the global economic crisis. Third-quarter sales increased by 2% compared with the second quarter but fell 19% compared with the same period of 2008. Income from operations (EBIT) before special items was 9% higher than in the second quarter and 20% lower than in the third quarter of 2008. All operating divisions contributed positive earnings. BASF s strong cash flow increases the company s financial strength and has enabled it to reduce debt.

Accenture reported a fall in quarterly profit, in line with previous guidance, but its outlook for the new fiscal year fell slightly short of market expectations. For the fourth quarter ended Aug. 31 net revenues were $5.15 billion, a decrease of 14 percent in US dollars and 7 percent in local currency and in line with the company’s previously guided range. Diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $0.39, compared with $0.67 in the same period last year, and reflect a negative $0.24 impact from the previously announced $253 million restructuring charge.

Adjusting for currency changes, PwC revenues fell in the firm's tax and advisory services business but rose slightly in its audit business. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said total gross revenues from operations for its worldwide network of member firms rose marginally at constant exchange rates for the fiscal year ended 30 June 2009.

The World Diversity Leadership Council honored Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT) and its member firms with the 2009 Global Diversity Innovation Award for DTT’s Mass Career Customization™ (MCC) program targeted at offering employees a structured approach to identifying career-life options. MCC is active in North America, Europe and Asia.

Bombardier Transportation announced that its Chinese joint venture, Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd., has been selected by the Chinese Ministry of Railways (MOR) to supply 80 ZEFIRO 380 very high speed trains (1,120 cars) for the country’s rapidly growing high speed rail network. The contract, including 20 eight-car trainsets and 60 sixteen-car trainsets, is valued at an estimated 27.4 billion Chinese Renminbis ($4 billion US, 2.7 billion euros).[1] Bombardier’s share of the contract is estimated at 13.5 billion Chinese Renminbis, ($2 billion US, 1.3 billion euros). The first train is scheduled for delivery in 2012 with final deliveries expected in 2014.

Robert Half International Inc. announced that it has been ranked first in its industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of World's Most Admired Companies. This year FORTUNE has combined the former America's Most Admired Company survey with the former World's Most Admired Company survey to create this new list.

Barclays PLC and its investment banking division, Barclays Capital, continue to post good news. Barclays announced a 10 percent rise in profit for the first six months of 2009, while also saying it will hire another 1,000 employees, largely in its equities, advisory and emerging markets units in Asia.

Manpower Inc. announced that the company has been named to Newsweek's first list of the Greenest Big Companies in America and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). "From championing carbon-free virtual work platforms to building one of the world's greenest headquarters, Manpower's commitment to people, knowledge and innovation drive our authentic commitment to green business practices," said Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres. "Strong environmental performance is key to our identity as a leader in contemporary working - and our charge to create practical solutions that help our clients attract, engage and retain winning talent."

The Inditex Group strengthens its position as member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World (DJSI World) achieving better scores in all criteria considered in the assessment. This prestigious index, which assesses companies in terms of sustainability, has just launched the 2009 annual review which will be effective as of September 21st. Inditex has been part of the DJSI World since 2002.

In recognition of American companies that support the spouses of military members, Military Spouse magazine has once again listed its top 10 "Military Spouse Friendly Employers". Kelly Services Inc., a world leader in human resources solutions, is the only Michigan-based company to make the list. For the third consecutive year, Kelly Services is listed as one of the magazine's top 10 employers for military spouses. Kelly was chosen for its efforts and success in recruiting military spouses and for offering both traditional and non-traditional perks for its employees through its employee portal, www.myKelly.com.

The International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (IGLCC) has named KPMG International, the global network of professional service firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services, as International Corporation of the Year for its diversity and inclusion initiatives. The award is presented to businesses that demonstrate leadership, support and commitment to the IGLCC, and to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities (LGBT) on an international level.

The global financial crisis has struck one of Australia's leading universities with Melbourne University's shock announcement last week that 220 full-time equivalent academic and administrative staff positions would be cut following a A$30 million (US$25 million) decline in investment returns.

Manpower Inc. announced that it has been recognized as one of PINK Magazine's 2009 "Top Companies for Women," and is the only employment services firm named to the list for the second consecutive year. PINK's exclusive annual ranking recognizes organizations that make women's advancement a part of everyday business, especially in demonstrating a commitment to placing women in top leadership positions and among top earners.

The partners of KPMG CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) and KPMG Turkey have overwhelmingly voted to join KPMG Europe LLP (ELLP) alongside the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Deloitte has reported business performance in the UK for the year ended 31 May 2009 with net revenues (billings excluding client disbursements) reaching £1.7 billion, the same level as in the previous year. Gross revenues were £1.97 billion, 2% lower than in 2008.

Accenture has agreed to acquire Nokia's Symbian Professional Services unit responsible for Symbian OS customer engineering and customer support.

Despite the mood in the graduate market being somewhat despondent following a contraction in the number of graduate recruitment opportunities this year, there are still vacancies available at PwC for those wishing to enter the business world according to Sonja Stockton, head of recruitment, at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the UK.

The companies say the combined company will be positioned for sustainable growth and profitability with a broader portfolio and wider geographic footprint.

PwC was ranked in 7th position in Brand Finance's Top 50 ranking of Best Brands of British Origin - the highest position of any professional services firm. Vodafone, Orange and Tesco held the top three positions in the ranking of the most valued British Brands but PwC was ahead of a range of brands that included M&S, BBC and Virgin.

2009 research and development budget of specialty chemicals group up 10 percent / Number of employees working in research and development staff 11 percent higher than in 2007 / 200 experts from the company present their projects at the second Innovation Day / Research minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Andreas Pinkwart presents “LANXESS Innovation Awards” to outstanding development teams

Opera has signed an agreement with TeliaSonera International Carrier to provide Opera with colocation in establishing a new data center in Poland. As Opera's fourth data center worldwide, the facility will operate as the server hub for Opera Mini, allowing the mobile browser to expand its network in Europe. By relieving other servers of the processing responsibilities, Opera's Poland-based servers will enable significantly faster page downloads for users.

Apple confirmed its plans to build a server farm facility in North Carolina. Gov. Bev Perdue officially welcomed Apple to North Carolina after signing a bill giving the company a state tax credit worth $46 million. Changes in the tax laws were not without opponents. Last week when the House voted in favor of the tax credit by a vote of 80-34, House Minority Leader Rep. North Carolina said the Apple server farm will have about 50 full-time employees. One of the regulations that Apple has to follow is that the average wage in the facility exceed the wage standard in the county where it's located.

(pte) - Der Videospielkonzern Nintendo sucht verstärkt nach externen Games-Entwicklern. Um das Spielesortiment für seine Wii-Konsole zu erweitern, will das Unternehmen laut einem Bericht des Wall Street Journal in Zukunft deutlich mehr Drittentwickler an Board holen. Vor allem im Bereich von Kampf- und Sportspielen, die ernsthafte Gamer ansprechen, scheint Nintendo sein Angebot deutlich zu erhöhen wollen. Wie US-Konzernchef Reggie Fils-Aime am Dienstag in einem Interview sagte, soll der Prozentsatz von extern entwickelten Games auf etwa 70 Prozent der gesamten Wii-Bibliothek anwachsen. Derzeit seien es etwa 55 Prozent.

General Motors Corp. announced it had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a buyer for Hummer without disclosing the buyer's name or the price. The deal came one day after GM, one of the world's largest automakers, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The transaction is the result of GM's strategic review of the Hummer brand and the company's ongoing restructuring efforts. The sale is expected to be closed by the end of the third quarter this year, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals, GM said in a news release. Other terms and conditions specific to the sale are not being disclosed at this time.

Opera Software officially inaugurates its second office in Poland. The new R&D center will be situated in Warsaw. With this new office, the number of talented Opera engineers in Poland grows to more than 150. They will deliver the world famous browser to leading consumer electronics manufacturers and telecom operators and solidify Opera's commitment to Polish users.

Student survey company Universum has released results to its latest study looking at where students in the UK want to work. Despite signs that banking is losing its lustre, Universum's results suggest investment banks are still popular. 11,000 students were surveyed in total. Among the business students who responded, JPMorgan was their preferred graduate employer, followed by PWC, followed by Goldman. Here's the top ten preferred graduate employers among undergraduate students studying 'business' in the UK:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- General Motors' stock price plunged below $1 a share in Friday trading, reaching its lowest level since the Great Depression, as investors anticipated a bankruptcy filing by the beleaguered automaker. GM's stock has been flirting with 1930s-era prices in recent months as a bankruptcy seemed inevitable. The stock touched $1 in intraday trading on May 13, and hasn't closed that low since April 19, 1933.

Deloitte & Touche Middle East has been recognised as one of the Best Employers in the Middle East, following the results of a study by Hewitt Associates, the global human resources consulting firm.The announcement came during a special awards ceremony in Dubai on Wednesday April 29. Deloitte was the only professional advisory firm in the Middle East to make the list.

The US government has hired Boston Consulting Group to advise General Motors and Chrysler, as the automakers work to overhaul their operations, under a contract that can be worth up to $7 million.

Accenture will help BMW Group consolidate its information technology (IT) processes under a five-year application outsourcing contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Moventas has become the first Finnish Member of the World Economic Forum’s Community of Global Growth Companies. One of the leading global manufacturers of wind turbine gears and mechanical drives, Moventas has been invited to join the Community because of the company’s outstanding business record and its commitment to the Forum’s mission to improve the state of the world through a multistakeholder approach to problem solving, which is essential at this time of economic turmoil.

Chrysler, the third-largest American auto company, will seek bankruptcy protection and enter an alliance with the Italian automaker Fiat, the White House announced. The bankruptcy case, which officials envisioned as a swift, "surgical" process, was set to be filed in United States Bankruptcy Court in New York.

Profits at American Express declined by more than half in the latest quarter, the company said, as spending by cardmembers slowed and credit troubles continued to mount. The credit card giant also said, however, that it was hoping to soon pay back money it received from the government as part of last fall's financial rescue package. AmEx said it earned $437 million, or 31 cents a share during the first quarter ending in March, down 56% from $991 million, or 85 cents, during the same period a year ago. Revenues came in at $5.9 billion, down 18% from a year ago.

JPMorgan Chase reported a better-than-expected profit of $2.1 billion in the latest quarter, even as the bank aggressively set aside money to cope with rising loan losses, the company said. The New York City-based bank said its net income for the first quarter was $2.1 billion, or 40 cents a share. Profits were down 10% from a year ago, but still handily beat expectations. Analysts were anticipating JPMorgan Chase to record a profit of $1.38 billion, or 32 cents a share, for the quarter, according to Thomson Reuters.

Citigroup surprised Wall Street as the company delivered its first profit in more than a year, helped by strength within its investment banking division. The company reported net income of $1.6 billion during the first quarter, up from a loss of $5.1 billion a year ago. Yet, after taking into account the conversion price of a $12.5 billion preferred share offering from January 2008, and $1.22 billion in preferred stock dividend payments to the U.S. government among others, Citigroup reported a loss of $966 million, or 18 cents a share.