SAP

SAP: Claus Heinrich resigns from executive board

Oct 31, 2008 - "SAP will boost sales with new software packages to help businesses weather the tough economy, McDermott said, while predicting Oracle's "Frankenstein operation" will scare off software buyers."
~ Dennis Howlett - ZDNet

SAP Global Operations CEO Cites Steep Drop In Customer Buying

Oct 29, 2008 - "In an email sent to all SAP employees today, Claus Heinrich announced that he intends to resign from the company on 31st May, 2009 the same date when co-CEO Henning Kagermann intends to leave the company."
~ Mary Hayes Weier - InformationWeek

Global Trade

"Credit crisis tsunami" threatens world trade

Oct 29, 2008 - "Richard Burnett's lumber company had started loading wood onto ships heading for China. More was en route to the docks. It was all part of an order that would fill 100 40-foot containers."
Gulf News

CRM

A Bundled Report Examining the CRM Software & Application Management Services Market to 2010

Oct 30, 2008 - "Increase of investments in improving customer service, productivity of customer-facing employees, marketing automation and sales force automation are driving sales of CRM applications. Further, the recent slowdown in the US economy creates opportunities for CRM vendors as companies are in a cost-cutting mode and are forced to rethink how and where they spend their marketing and sales promotion dollar. In addition, due to the increased cost of customer acquisition, customer retention has become much more important."
~ Laura Wood - MarketWatch

CRM and SME's in the current climate

Oct 29, 2008 - "The worries and fears created at a time like this perhaps serve to highlight the advantages of Customer Relationship Management and the growing need for such applications, particularly for smaller companies. In one recent study, it was suggested that 41 per cent of SMEs recorded customer losses in 2008. Now, more than ever, SMEs need to ensure their long-term survival by growing, creating and exploiting opportunities, and building strong relationships with customers."
~ Chris Lindsay - Financial Times