In France, Switzerland, Finland and the Czech Republic, for example, Internet information services packaged for the thin-pipe network and small phone displays allow users to access their bank records, Internet mail and information services such as horoscopes, news and stock quotes.

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For all its success, for instance, Oracle Japan sells its databases through other Japanese software houses, which continue to charge for their services (now packaged with an Oracle database) on a fixed-price basis.

ECONOMIST: Software in Japan

The company's industry segments are primarily financial services and insurance comprising enterprises providing banking, finance and insurance services, manufacturing, enterprises in the energy, utilities, communication and services and retail, consumer packaged goods, logistics and life sciences.

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Its business has been built on chat-rooms for teenagers, e-mail, craftily packaged information and an unremitting quest to make its on-line services friendly to even the most technophobic web neophyte.

ECONOMIST: Internet riders

In the past three years Intuit has made a priority of replacing the no-growth packaged-software business with faster-growing online versions of its big hits and with subscription services such as online and mobile banking software.

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