Wages, pensions, unemployment insurance, welfare benefits and collective bargaining are under attack in many areas as governments struggle to reduce debts swollen partly by the cost of rescuing banks during the global financial crisis. The EU, which long trumpeted a European social model with a generous welfare state, social partnership between unions and employers and…
European countries must implement the structural reforms that Germany has already carried out over the last couple of decades to ramp up competitiveness, the European Union’s top economic official said recently. Economics and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said Germany’s economy entered the crisis on a stronger footing than others within the EU because it…
Like most other markets, Mexico real estate offers investors a broad range of styles suitable for investment. The style each investor chooses will be determined by purpose, personal taste, etc. The following are a few different styles, and some suggestions.Constant incomeInvestors looking for a constant and steady income, rental properties are the best way to…
Egypt has substantial reserves to avoid an external payments crisis but these could be seriously depleted within weeks if political protests continue, while its banks may struggle to cope with a rush of withdrawals. In the days after the protests erupted, Egyptians and foreign investors transferred hundreds of millions of dollars out of Egypt, currency…
Dealmaking is back on the agenda as CEOs step up the hunt for ways to put a multitrillion-dollar cash pile to work, triggering the busiest January for M&A in 11 years. There is still plenty to worry about at this year’s meeting of the global elite in Davos, from fiscal deficits in the developed world…
If you were to invest in stocks, whose would advice would you trust, and who would you choose to work with? Some who tells you, “Trust me, I’ve bought stocks before …” A qualified broker who backs years of experience with certifications and up-to-date knowledge? The answer is obvious. For some reason, however, it seems…
A record monthly jump in prices drove British inflation to an eight-month high in December, piling pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates and show it is not letting inflation get out of control. The Office for National Statistics said the annual rate of consumer price inflation rose to 3.7 percent from…
Anglo-Australian funds house Henderson is buying troubled British rival Gartmore, to create one of Britain’s largest retail asset managers with £78bn ($122bn) under management. “By bringing across fund managers and integrating the (Gartmore) business onto our own platform we will be able to enhance margins significantly,” Henderson chief executive Andrew Formica said. “Its recent travails…
From what France calls “economic warfare” as it probes a Chinese link to industrial espionage at Renault to currency confrontation and commodity rivalry, economic conflict is increasingly impacting businesses. President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office has asked French intelligence to probe suspected industrial espionage at the car giant. Renault suspended three executives at the start of January…
Prasert BunsumpunAge: 58Education:Harvard Business SchoolMBA, Utah State UniversityCareer highlights:2003 President and CEO, PTT Group2001-2003 Senior Executive Vice President, Gas Business Group, PTT Public Company When Prasert Bunsumpun, then 51, was appointed President of Thailand’s national energy company, PTT Plc in 2003 it was yet to join the ranks of the Fortune 500 elite. By 2004,…
