Today sees the opening of the Motorsport Business Forum at the Grimaldi Forum here in Monaco. Over two days attendees will be able to network, visit the exhibition and attend conference presentations related to business management, marketing and investment in motor sport and Formula 1.

One of the leading Canadian satellite technology companies has opened an office in Monaco. Norsat International say in their press release that they hope to use the base to enter markets in Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

The Junior Chamber of Monaco is holding a breakfast debate on Thursday 6 December in the Salon Bellevue of the Cafe de Paris, on the subject of brand protection on the Internet. Speakers include Cédric MANARA and Dominique MORVAN. Mr Manara is Associate Professor of Law at the EDHEC business school in Nice, and Mr Morvan is General Manager of NameBay.

A report just published by the WWF has criticised luxury companies for their poor performance in sustainable development. "Deeper Luxury" ranked leading luxury brands by comparing their own environmental claims against media reports and comments of non-governmental organizations.

Wikipedia has been one of the great success stories of the Internet, but as you all know, teachers prefer you to use edited, reliable and trustworthy sources for your research and assignments. Unfortunately, Wikipedia is not always reliable, but now, there's a new product being developed from it that provides expert validation of the content. This is a great benefit for both teachers, students and researchers.

One of the modules of my advanced research and communication course, is about evaluating other people's research. It's really important to check how research has been carried out if you're going to use the results for your own purpose, whether that's for use in an assignment, or to help you make a real life business decision.

The Junior Chamber of Commerce in Monaco has organized its second investment forum, Do It In Monaco! The purpose of the event is to promote investment and entrepreneurship in Monaco and to bring together advisors, investors and business people. Last year there were presentations by successful Monegasque businesses, and discussions about the different company structures.

If you haven't already picked up the press reports, you may be interested to know that the French luxury food company Hediard, has been bought by a Russian businessman. The company was sold by our very own Monegasque Michel Pastor, and becomes part of the Luxadvor group. Will we start to see more caviar for sale in the stores?

The Fall 2007 supplement to Time magazine contains what they call the Global Luxury Survey, which investigates the markets for luxury brands in China, Russia and India. We have a paper copy in the library that you can consult.

I just watched a great video (about an hour long) of a talk by Barry Schwartz, who wrote a book called "The Paradox of Choice".