How to make going Green good business sense – In a shrinking economy, it would be easy to believe that reducing the business' environmental impact will slip down the CIO's agenda. But being green still makes excellent business sense.

Rail, retail and reality – The rail industry has seen a steep rise in demand is gearing up to absorb further changes: passenger and journey numbers will climb, while aggressive revenue growth targets will concentrate decision-makers’ minds.As it morphs into a modern, massmarket consumer proposition and leaves behind an era of undifferentiated utility service, what can rail learn from the retail sector?

Real outsourcing for retailers – Despite the continuing stream of signifi cant contract awards, IT outsourcing has not been able to shake off a reputation tarnished in the retail sector by some high-profile early terminations and moves to bring components back in-house. It’s our opinion that, provided four simple rules are followed, outsourcing will generate real value and strengthen the core of any retail business.

Self-service Revolution – The evolution of retail is marked by increasing customer empowerment. But in a multi-channel world, retailers are in danger of losing their grip on what customers want – and how they want to get it. It’s our opinion that retailers must make self-service about customers rather than technology.

Sharing best practice across sectors – Original thinking will always be a valuable asset. Increasingly organisations are also waking up to the art of 'borrowing' - often from seemingly unrelated sectors.

The new generation of vending machines – Chocolate bar…soft drink…mobile phone? A new generation of vending machines selling high-value items is hitting the market

The Rise of Self-Service – Gone are the days of self-service being a differentiator. Customer demands for convenience are on the rise and businesses need to respond if they are to enhance the end-to-end experience and free up resources for new revenue opportunities.

What's In Store? – With e-commerce growing at an annual rate of around 20%, you could perhaps be forgiven for assuming the physical store is on the wane. Think again. The in store experience is being rejuvenated with state-of-the-art technology.

What customers really want – With customers' expectations sky-high, the pressure is on retailers to deliver an innovative shopping experience.

Why are my customers so disloyal? – The empowered consumer, faced with a multitude of choices about where, when and how they shop, is leading to increasingly high expectations. A competitive retail sector, facing an uncertain economic future is being challenged by consumers to compete for their custom: in this environment, only the fi ttest and those really listening to what their customers really want are likely to survive.