For instance, according to market analysis firm OneStat, 27.23% of German web users browsed the web with Firefox in February 2008.

BBC: Firefox aims for download record

In fact, they plan to spend 20% more on preventing data theft and intrusion in the next year, according to research by the market analysis firm InsightExpress.

FORBES: Accounting For Human Error

Sun's bundling deals with the likes of Sony are move in the right direction, according to Chris Le Tocq, research director at market analysis company Gartner Group, based in San Jose, California.

CNN: Big names plan to pre-install Sun's StarOffice

According to the 2012 Experian Automotive Loyalty and Market Trend analysis, 47.3 percent of all Toyota, Lexus and Scion owners return to purchase another Toyota Motor Corp. vehicle, which is up from 41.6 percent a year ago, and is the first time Toyota garnered the top spot in corporate loyalty since 2009.

FORBES: Cars With The Most Brand-Loyal Buyers

French exporters have lost market share in recent years, according to analysis by the European Commission.

ECONOMIST: The euro-area economy

Scotland's jobs market showed "continuing improvement" in January, according to an analysis by Bank of Scotland economists.

BBC: Bank of Scotland jobs barometer shows further growth

Tudou had 90.1 million users as of June, or 16.2% of the massive China online video market, second to Youku with 21.5%, according to Analysis International.

FORBES: Tudou CEO Gary Wang On Online Video, Mobile and Producing Original Content

But these improvements have not been seen in Europe, according to the IMF's analysis, largely because of the failure to push through labour-market reforms, which has prevented Europe from benefiting as much as it should have from the hi-tech boom.

ECONOMIST: A time for caution | The

"Amazon retains more than three quarters of the market in the UK according to the publishers I've spoken to, " Benedict Evans, Enders Analysis's digital media expert, told the BBC.

BBC: Kobo unveils Aura 'high definition' ebook reader