ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

The Economist Intelligence Unit(EIU) has created a corporate barometer to survey businesspeople's confidence levels. The Corporate Expectations Barometer takes about five minutes to complete, and can be helpful in gauging the expectations of fellow businesspeople in one's own industry as well as other industries. Additionally, the EIU will prepare a customized briefing for those who complete the survey which will allow them to track their results over time and receive monthly updates, as well as being able to compare results with the EIU's own findings.

This could be a very helpful tool for the small business owner, as it helps connect different business peers and can give them an idea of where their industry could be headed. Check it out !

The international consulting firm Mercer recently released its list of the . The implications of the study on global business are substantial. With all of the outsourcing that has taken place, companies will be much more guarded in where they move their businesses to. Many times, companies provide compensation packages to employees living abroad, and it will cost them considerably more to help support employees abroad in cities which are expensive to live in.

Although there may be a demand for their business, companies will likely choose cities which are cheaper for their employees, which means they spend less on employee compensation and can gain more profits. What implications does have for you?
 

The Top 5:

"If you can't measure it, it doesn't exist."

So says the old adage about the importance of quantifying results. If we're applying it to environmentally friendly products, then our progress is almost non-existent. Customers at the store don't have the time or information to calculate the environmental impacts of various products, and so they are forced to balance their taste for saving mother earth with their suspicion of empty greenwashing.

The rising stock of Twitter and Facebook as valuable business assets is a surprise to nobody, but just how big of a role they play may be overlooked. , which is currently going through a tourism slump due to the global economic downturn and the swine flu epidemic, is .

The managing director of Tourism Australia, Geoff Buckley, asserts that Twitter and Facebook are helping to pull the Australian tourism industry through the recession. “Tourism Australia’s activities on Twitter and Facebook are connecting people around the world who have visited Australia and getting them to share their experiences with a community of travelers who are equally passionate about our country.”

Now, more than ever, it is important for the business world to employ people who are willing to continuously grow and expand their knowledge. Technology is changing constantly and what is needed is people who can adapt to different situations rather than those who do things “by the book”. Furthermore, it is important that people learn to not be afraid of failure. A big mistake can cause someone to lose their job, but risk-taking can also lead to innovation and career advancements.

The recent acquisition of the automobile retailer Saturn by Penske has reawakened an old debate in business: to co-brand or not to co-brand? Co-branding is the collaboration of two companies in marketing their product, aimed to create synergy and draw interest. If Pillsbury Brownies are enhanced by Nestle Chocolate, then brand recognition and desirability is increased for both parties. Too often, though, co-branding has been relegated to large businesses, because small businesses stand nothing to gain by co-branding because they cannot reach as many people with their products. However, for small businesses as well.

France is one of the leading countries with employees taking long vacations and working short work days. For the French, Sunday has always been a day to relax, visit family, or go to church. However, the government is trying to pass a bill making Sunday a working day for stores.

Some believe that if stores in the big cities and in tourist areas are open on Sundays it will be good for business and add a boost to the economy. This seems quite logical, since it will be more convinient for tourists and will also increase the income of those working. However, many disagree with the idea. They are used to regarding Sunday as a work-free day. Therefore, in order for the idea to reach its desired success, it is necessary to keep workers enthusiastic about work on Sundays.

Imagine a 3D videogame like environment, except instead of a game, you are attending a virtual trade expo, with other real people, over the internet.  Could this ever catch on?  Personally, I think there is no replacement for meeting in person, however, this has a lot of potential applications for international businesspeople that can't afford to travel overseas often. 

Here's an interview with the CEO of InXpo, talking about his product:

If the norm at the moment is that countries don’t want to invest in other countries due to the economic downturn and volatile markets, then the exceptions are and . Currently, the country of Qatar is looking to invest heavily into the exporting powerhouse, and they have the money to do it. As of 2007, Qatar has attained the highest per capita income in the world, primarily through the means of revenues. ?

Surprisingly enough, Qatar has its sights set on Germany’s . The oil giant is primarily concerned with the German brands Volkswagen and Porsche, brands which are very numerous and very popular in the , especially in the country looking to invest, which had an $80,900 GDP per capita in 2007.

Here's how it could be possible:

economies have recovered much better from the current economic downturn than many countries. Their industrial production has reached previous levels not seen since the global crisis hit. Less and less it seems to have been because of net exports and more because domestic demand fell. When a surge in food and energy prices occured, a tighter monetary policy curbed inflation but further squeezed the demand. The recovery has come from the ending of destocking by manufacturers and the large fiscal stimulus that most governments put forth.

However these are only temporary solutions. With exports forecasted to still be low in the near future, consumer consumption should become a forefront for the Asian economies.