business

blog： GREEN COMPANY LOCATES NEWEST OFFICE IN PHILADELPHIA REGION

Posted by admin on September 13th, 2009 | 7 comments

Five Winds International, a sustainability management company with locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe, announced the opening of their newest office in the Philadelphia region. The company, located at 20 Paoli Pike in Paoli, Pennsylvania, had identified the need for an additional site to meet the growing demand for their services in the Northeastern U.S. Locating in the Philadelphia area was seen as a positive move with win-win potential.

We are thrilled that our latest office is located in a region that shares our commitment to the environment and sustainability,” says Five Winds Managing Director Dr. James Fava. As a carbon neutral business, we are impressed with some of Philadelphia’s advantages – like great transit, an impressive pool of talented professionals from which to hire, and a push for greener operations. In turn, I think we have a lot to offer Philadelphia . The City and businesses operating in and around the area can now tap into our ‘local’ expertise to help them meet their own social and environmental goals.”
Five Winds has been in operation for over ten years, helping clients in North and South America, Europe and Australia to incorporate environmental business practices and social responsibility into their core business activities. The advantages to this approach are two-fold: it allows corporations, businesses and other organizations to operate within the best interests of the environment and – in turn – of society; and it provides a competitive business advantage where the returns of operating in this capacity are financially advantageous. While sustainability management is a fairly new concept to many businesses, it is based on practices that have been adopted internationally for well over a decade.

blog：Nissan and Chrysler scrap tie-up

Posted by admin on September 13th, 2009 | 6 comments

The two firms agreed the swap deal last year, which would have seen Nissan supplying Chrysler with compact cars for global markets from next year.

In turn, Chrysler would have supplied Nissan with a pick up truck from 2011.

Since then, US carmaker Chrysler has filed for bankruptcy and has signed an alliance with Italian carmaker Fiat.

Japanese carmaker Nissan and Chrysler scrapped the plan “in light of significant changes in business conditions since the projects were announced”.

A massive slump in demand for its cars led to Chrysler filing for bankruptcy in April this year.

In June, it signed a deal with Fiat, giving the Italian firm a 20% stake in Chrysler. As part of the deal, Fiat will supply its US partner with technology for small cars.

blog： US smoker’s daughter gets $13.8m

Posted by admin on September 13th, 2009 | 5 comments

A US jury has ordered tobacco giant Philip Morris to pay $13.8m (£8.4m) to the daughter of a lifelong smoker who died of lung disease.

The jury in Los Angeles decided in favour of Jodie Bullock, whose mother Betty died of lung cancer in 2003 aged 64. She had smoked for 47 years.

Philip Morris said she could have given up smoking at any time as the harmful effects of cigarettes were known.

Philip Morris is a part of Virginia-based tobacco-products group Altria.

Betty Bullock had sued Philip Morris in April 2001 on the grounds of fraud and product liability.

In 2002, a jury recommended that Philip Morris should pay $28bn in punitive damages to Mrs Bullock, but a judge later reduced the award to $28m.

In 2008, the US Court of Appeal overturned the jury’s decision and sent the case for a new trial, with Philip Morris arguing that the $28m was excessive.