IBT Staff Reporter

Software provider Salesforce.com Inc. said on Tuesday that it has acquired start-up Kieden Corp., which helps customers track sales leads generated with online advertisements on Google Inc..

Latest data reveals that Google's market share growth has dropped in July, prompting some observers to question whether the search giant has peaked.

Lowe's, the U.S. market's second largest home improvement retailer, posted a rise in net profit for the second quarter on higher appliances sales but lowered its earnings outlook for the rest of the year.

Bolivian and Brazilian government officials continued negotiations with Guarani Indians who have threatened to seal a gas pipeline between the two countries. Guarani Indians are seeking to gain more control over previously promised investments in both South American countries.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe extended its deadline for the country's currency changeover until Monday, causing chaos throughout the country over the weekend as Zimbabweans went on whirlwind of shopping sprees.

South African financial services company Alexander Forbes confirmed on Monday it has agreed to sell its international risk services unit to Lockton International Holdings for a £67.6 million ($127.5 million).

The United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will sign a deal later this week to boost trade and investment, said Asean on Monday.

AOL's chief technology officer has resigned from the company, according to an internal company memorandum.

Greed and fraud are nothing new, but what has changed is the method. Scammers are increasingly going online to find their next victims in addition to offline efforts to get a quick dollar.

New gasoline-rich crude from Azerbaijan and Russia is blunting the impact of oil attacks in Nigeria this year but the relief will be shortlived as the world's available oil becomes ever more sulphurous.

The retail giant's push for profits with more upscale merchandise puts it on a collision course with Target Corp. the second largest retailer.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Friday that high energy and health care costs were interfering with Americans' ability to feel the benefits of a solidly growing economy.

China's one-child policy has led to an aging population and labor shortages that could undermine a key basis for the country's economic growth, its seemingly endless supply of cheap workers, a newspaper said on Monday.

The surprise timing of China's latest interest rate rise partly reflects political pressure and shows the central bank falls short of the transparency and predictability that are the hallmarks of its rich-country peers.

Employment in Europe appears to be rising in earnest following years of sluggish economic growth when companies either cut staff or shunned new recruits to safeguard profits.

Most Chinese see bribes and kickbacks as an indispensable part of doing business in the country, state media on Monday cited a survey as showing.

EchoStar Communications Corp. won a temporary reprieve on Friday when an appeals court said it could still sell digital video recorders that a lower court had ruled infringed on a TiVo Inc. patent.

Sandisk Corp. is expected to announce product enhancements and price cuts on Monday aimed at attracting interest in its digital music player, which competes with Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod, the Wall Street Journal said in a report that quoted Sandisk's CEO.

As increasingly harried consumers grapple with overwhelming fashion choices, inconsistent sizes and expanding waistlines, Web-based companies are casting themselves as personal shoppers, catering to every body type's special needs.

Major oil producing countries will not lower their oil production for the rest of the year as they work toward stabilizing oil prices, said OPEC's President, Edmund Daukoru on Thursday.

Dentsu Inc., Japan's largest adverising conglomerate, and CCI (Cyber Communications Inc.) announced Friday that they will start an audio ad streaming service for Apple iPod Podcast contents.

Ivory Coast cocoa-exporting farmers have asked their government to lower taxes to help them compete with more influential foreign exporters.

The Coca- Cola company said on Friday it will relocate its Africa Group office from Windsor, England to Johannesburg in South Africa starting in January next year, in a bid to increase business growth in Africa.

Palm Inc., handheld computer and phone maker, will unveil a new version of its Treo smart-phone next month, striving to revive sales amid tough competition.

Ford Motor Co. on Friday said it would cut fourth-quarter production by 21 percent and also reduce third-quarter production to accelerate its turnaround plan.

A British city known for its concrete cows is set to become one of the most technologically advanced in Britain after it said it would to be the first UK town to boast a high-speed WiMax wireless broadband network.

Apple Computer said on Thursday it has found no evidence of forced labor at a Chinese factory where its iPods are assembled, however added that its partner did violate some of Apple's code conduct.

Ford Motor Co. is considering closing more factories and eliminating more management jobs to cut North American salary costs by another 10 percent to 30 percent, the Wall Street Journal reported on its web site on Thursday.

President George W. Bush will wrap up conferring with his economic team on Friday on ways to keep the economy growing against a backdrop of higher interest rates, mixed data and fears of rising inflation.