Worldcrunch
Amazon is using free labor: unemployed Germans receiving state benefits. The German trade union Ver.di smells scandal while the American e-commerce giant and public job centers insist that the practice is the best way to match the unemployed with the righ
When it comes to public perceptions, Latin America still trails other regions. But there are changes afoot. In its annual “Country Brand” ranking, U.S. firm FutureBrand found Brazil’s reputation soaring. That’s not the case for Paraguay, a booming but eas
Silvio Berlusconi’s departure in Italy, and the arrival of the economic technocrat Mario Monti, is just the latest sign that market forces may weigh even more than popular will on who is governing in Europe.
Both the American and British coffee chains have big plans for expansion in China. Starbucks, which has opened 500 stores since it first arrived in China in 1999, is giving more autonomy to its Chinese managers to tailor shops to local tastes.
It is a showdown for the ages: Europe’s top economists (turned impromptu national leaders) and the European Central Bank vs. a panicking global investor pack.
Despite its huge market share in Peru, Spanish cell phone provider Movistar wanted a free ride on renewing its operating licenses. Peruvian authorities have handed the telecom giant a bill of nearly a billion bucks.
With the financial sector in crisis, many bankers won’t get their annual fat bonuses, which had even survived the 2008 crash. Facing more structural changes, this winter may mark the end of remuneration practices that have helped spark the Occupy
Scared off by security concerns and enticed by urban employment, Colombia’s rural coffee pickers simply aren’t around for this year’s harvest. Local governments are having to get creative in their efforts to bridge the labor gap.
China is starting to study the origin of its newfound wealth, and the behavior of those who possess it. A recent report shows China’s wealth largely comes from real estate and manufacturing, with a surprisingly high percentage of the money now invested ab
Profit losses have forced Germany’s Beiersdorf to scale back. The company will stick with its classic core products – including its iconic Nivea hand cream – but plans to dump some of its more expensive items. Everything over 20 euros must go.
Exploiting the oil reserves in the Caspian Sea has proven more difficult then expected. But after more than a decade of preparation, the Kashagan project – hailed as the largest oil project in the world – is finally inching its way towards completion.
In the small but wealthy town of Settala, near Milan, one community bank is spending extra time trying to calm a growing number of customers who worry that their savings are at risk in the face of Europe’s deepening economic crisis.
Russia garners top spot in the list of those countries whose businesses try to pay bribes when working abroad. There are two explanations: either Russians pay bribes out of habit, or because they couldn’t sell their products without them.
Chinese farmers are tired of selling their milk to Nestle at steeply discounted prices, and want an end to local bans on selling elsewhere. Some have threatened to slaughter their cows instead of letting Nestle and their government-backed local monopoly m
Essay: Recent charges that Gucci China workers faced sweatshop-like conditions expose bigger questions about Chinese society. The pursuit of luxury in itself is not a problem, but its side-effects can be.
As evidenced by new car sales, consumers in Chile and Argentina and out-buying their counterparts in some much larger countries, including Brazil and China, members of the much talked about BRICS club.
Op-Ed: Rescue plans were the focus of this week’s high-stakes EU summit in Brussels. But anyone really wanting to know how Europe is doing should stop looking to its leaders, and talk instead with the region’s struggling business owners and unemployed wor
This coming winter may become a test for Europe’s energy supply. For European countries that have counted on importing energy from German nuclear reactors, which are now slated for closure following the Fukushima disaster, Russian gas imports gro
German automakers already use trains to roll their products to market thousands of miles away in China. Europe’s economic storm clouds are compelling other German producers to follow suit. The German National Railways is making plans for a surge in train
In its thirst for foreign markets, Japanese brewer Kirin recently purchased a controlling share in Brazil’s second-largest beer producer. But not only did Kirin “overpay,” it also stepped unwittingly into the middle of a long-simmering family feud.
Shi Yuzhu is Chairman of Giant Interactive, one of China’s most successful online game companies. One of China’s richest men, he knows tech, understands customers, and is a genius at applying powerful marketing tactics. Still, he is no Steve Jobs
Analysis: Bad news is that the euro zone’s crisis and Greek (and other) debts are even deeper than previously estimated. Good news is that France’s Sarkozy and Germany’s Merkel have begun to face the crisis with the honesty and
Latin America fared surprisingly well during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, thanks in part to continued demand from China for the region’s commodities. But as Europe teeters on the edge of collapse, top South American economies are much more exposed now.
The European Commission has drafted a major new bill to ban bankers from accepting fees and commissions on financial products they offer to customers. Investors suffered major losses in the financial crisis from risky investments that quietly earned banks
Like its competitors, the French brand must contend in China with widespread counterfeiting, which can undermine the luxury label’s good standing. Finding the niche customers who spend everything on quality remains Hermès’ long-term strategy.
A new survey of small and medium-sized Chinese enterprises reports that rising costs of labor and raw materials are posing serious challenges as China’s boom shows first signs of backfires.
Weather problems and growing health concerns in the United States about the dangers of high-fructose corn syrup have led to a global sugar shortage. For consumers, the result has been a bitter increase in prices for the classic sweetener.
Europe’s financial stability agreement of 2010 is safe for now. But protecting the top credit ratings of the two biggest economies of the euro zone is the only way to ensure common currency’s survival.
Public officials have been caught repeatedly in usury-related scandals in the wealthy southeastern city of Wenzhou. Not only is it a betrayal of public trust, it exposes an economic system that too often relies on illegal money lending.
A recent court decision will force Gol, a Brazilian carrier, to plant trees around its hub in Guarulhos. The ruling stems from a suit filed by the city government in Guarulhos, which is choked by pollution from the adjacent Sao Paulo airport, Latin Americ
France is also seeing its baby-boomer generation reach retirement age. And many new French retirees, with the time and money to spare, are opting to take the RV route. Still, they could still have trouble down the road finding places to park.
Currency structures are wobbling perilously as U.S. investors unload foreign holdings. The recent dramatic reversal of flows in the capital markets could bring the global economy to a screeching halt.
With time running out, France’s Sarkozy and Germany’s Merkel have moved closer to a framework that would allow for a debt cut for Greece, and protect those French banks that might not withstand the partial Greek default. The health of th
From Heineken and Krups to Pierre Hardy and Peugeot, more and more companies are joining forces – and labels – in an effort to give their respective brands an added buzz.
The world’s second largest retailer, Carrefour, insists it is not pulling out of the massive Chinese market. Still, a closer look at the French company’s struggles offers a window into how quickly things can change when doing big busines
Economic difficulties in Europe and the United States may finally be landing to China. In Wenzhou, a mid-sized city near Shanghai, entrepreneurs are tightening their belts – and skipping town in some cases – as operating costs rise and loans become scarce
France’s universities have made major headway in attracting foreign students in recent years. But more needs to be done if the country’s top schools hope to score better on international rankings and draw more of the world’s best and brightest.
In the past few years, the Chinese government has decided to dust off quite a number of “dormant” taxes, including those levied on property and personal income, as well as a local education surcharge, all signs of both the causes and effects of its high-o
Alongside the changes emerging from the Arab spring, the fashion world in France’s southeast corner is shifting its focus away from Asia to its Mediterranean neighbors in North Africa, and establishing a textile industry network that is close at hand.
With fares as low as 250 rubles, Avianova made a splash when it entered the competitive Russian market two years ago. But plagued from the start by delays and cancellations, the low-cost carrier will be grounding its fleet for good on October 9.