With layoffs rampant, holding on to workers ought to be the least of a company's worries -- unless those employees are scientists and engineers. According to the National Science Foundation, nearly 40% of these skilled workers in the U.S. are more than 50 years old, and the pipeline of talent to replace them is shrinking. IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates predicts a 7% to 11% shortage of experienced engineers in 2011. America is not alone; industrial powerhouses Germany and Japan face similar demographic challenges.
European shares closed virtually unchanged after a volatile session on Tuesday as concerns about the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis continued to haunt the market.
European shares returned to negative territory in choppy trade at midday on Friday as mining and chemical stocks slipped while concern mounted that a global credit crunch could slow growth.
Britain's Imperial Chemical Industries has opened its books to Akzo Nobel after receiving an improved £8 billion ($16.3 billion) takeover proposal from its Dutch suitor, it said Monday.
Dow Chemical, the biggest chemical company in the United States, is considering making a bid for Britain's Imperial Chemical Industries, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said Wednesday.
Lyondell Chemical ranks no. 349 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $18.6 billion in revenues, up 211.8% from the previous year. Its 2005 profits were $0.5 billion, up 883.3% from a year earlier.
DuPont ranks no. 205 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $28.5 billion in revenues, up 1.8% from the previous year. The Wilmington, Delaware-based company was ranked no. 188 on the 2005 list. Its 2005 profits were $2.1 billion, up 15.3% from a year earlier.
BASF A.G. ranks no. 94 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $53.1 billion in revenues, up 13.8% from the previous year. The Ludwigshafen, Germany-based company was ranked no. 91 on the 2005 list. Its 2005 profits were $3.7 billion, up 59.5% from a year earlier. 2005 was a banner year for most Global 500 companies.
With layoffs rampant, holding on to workers ought to be the least of a company's worries -- unless those employees are scientists and engineers. According to the National Science Foundation, nearly 40% of these skilled workers in the U.S. are more than 50 years old, and the pipeline of talent to replace them is shrinking. IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates predicts a 7% to 11% shortage of experienced engineers in 2011. America is not alone; industrial powerhouses Germany and Japan face similar demographic challenges.
European shares closed virtually unchanged after a volatile session on Tuesday as concerns about the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis continued to haunt the market.
European shares returned to negative territory in choppy trade at midday on Friday as mining and chemical stocks slipped while concern mounted that a global credit crunch could slow growth.
Britain's Imperial Chemical Industries has opened its books to Akzo Nobel after receiving an improved £8 billion ($16.3 billion) takeover proposal from its Dutch suitor, it said Monday.
Dow Chemical, the biggest chemical company in the United States, is considering making a bid for Britain's Imperial Chemical Industries, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said Wednesday.
Lyondell Chemical ranks no. 349 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $18.6 billion in revenues, up 211.8% from the previous year. Its 2005 profits were $0.5 billion, up 883.3% from a year earlier.
DuPont ranks no. 205 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $28.5 billion in revenues, up 1.8% from the previous year. The Wilmington, Delaware-based company was ranked no. 188 on the 2005 list. Its 2005 profits were $2.1 billion, up 15.3% from a year earlier.
BASF A.G. ranks no. 94 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $53.1 billion in revenues, up 13.8% from the previous year. The Ludwigshafen, Germany-based company was ranked no. 91 on the 2005 list. Its 2005 profits were $3.7 billion, up 59.5% from a year earlier. 2005 was a banner year for most Global 500 companies.
Bayer AG ranks no. 163 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $34.8 billion in revenues, down 6% from the previous year. The Leverkusen, Germany-based company was ranked no. 124 on the 2005 list. Its 2005 profits were $2.0 billion, up 164.6% from a year earlier.
Dow Chemical ranks no. 114 on FORTUNE's Global 500 this year, with $46.3 billion in revenues, up 15.3% from the previous year. The Midland, Michigan-based company was ranked no. 104 on the 2005 list. Its 2005 profits were $4.5 billion, up 61.4% from a year earlier. 2005 was a banner year for most Global 500 companies.
If plastics was once the future, corn is now the future of plastics. NatureWorks, a subsidiary of agricultural giant Cargill, has pioneered a cheap way to turn the crop into a substance that's well...
You think we already live in a global economy? You ain't seen nothin' yet. Here's how Procter & Gamble recently expanded its research staff: With the help of an Internet startup named InnoCentive, ...
In summer 1998, Bill Braddy traded in the Pentagon for Schneider National, a big transportation and logistics outfit in Green Bay, Wis. The former Army colonel had just finished a stint as deputy d...
You might be suspicious of a single pill that reportedly helps treat depression, osteoarthritis, liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and migraine headaches. You'd be even more s...
There's an episode of Seinfeld in which Elaine--during her days as the brassy CEO of J. Peterman--can't manage to fire an incompetent mail clerk. Why? The clerk, a former soldier who sports militar...
Crawling among pipes and valves at manufacturing plants around the world, technicians wearing radio headsets are relaying to companions carrying portable computers the locations of digital time bom...
Okay, the big slide in the dollar is kaput, and you can't count on exchange rate windfalls from investing overseas. But for the long-term investor, now may be just the time to invade Germany. Funda...
GERMANY'S WORST recession in four decades is now nearly 15 months old, and forecasters increasingly believe the end may be in sight. But don't be fooled. Even after growth resumes, Europe's largest...
VIDEOTAPE VALUES. Next time you eye a gleaming rack of gold-lettered, techno- chic, black-boxed blank VHS tape cassettes priced at $15.99 (suggested retail), remember this: Standard grades for less...
A list of the world's 100 biggest industrial companies is a picture of the global economy -- and as this year's compilation shows, the picture is changing. The titans of 20th-century industry, moto...
Inevitable as December slush, employee-benefits election forms have been popping up in workers' In boxes around the country in recent weeks. Once again, 'tis the season to make crucial decisions ab...
Stretching for more than three miles along the east bank of the Rhine River in Ludwigshafen, West Germany, is BASF, Europe's largest chemical complex. From the second floor of the squat main admini...
Quick -- what do the following business enterprises have in common: Boise Cascade, Sundstrand, the Winery Employees Association (of San Francisco), and Hormel? Answer: They are among the numerous e...
''PSST! Wanna buy a piece of a used acetylene plant?'' In effect, that's what Borden Inc. is asking as part of its plan to raise returns on shareholders' equity while coping with the cyclicality of...
The page you requested cannot be found. The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.
Please try the following:
• If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly.
• Open the edition.cnn.com home page and look for links to the information you want.
• Use the navigation bar above to find the link you are looking for.
• Click the Back button to try another link.
• Enter a term in the search form below to look for information on CNN sites or the Internet.
