As we end the year and begin a new one, many lists of top trends surface – recapping the past and forecasting the future. I have to admit that I take pleasure in reading these and am always drawn to a good top 10 list. Last week on www.CNN.com several lists caught my eye, mainly
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There has been a great deal of talk of the “decline of America,” and in this narrative the 2008/09 crisis is the tipping point. Contrary to this view, I believe that the United States remains the magnet for global talent, endowing its economy with unmatched capacity for self-renewal. The United States is experiencing a productivity
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International shoppers coming to U.S. merchant websites are precisely the type of shoppers merchants dream of: They’re highly motivated to seek out the goods they want and willing to spend once they find what they like. These foreign consumers provide a powerful benefit beyond the sheer volume they deliver by building brand recognition in markets
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Italian premier Mario Monti has decided to ban cash payments of more than €1,000 ($1,340) in an effort to get more taxes out of the Italian consumer. Fair enough, but as the Bloomberg BusinessWeek story points out, most Italian landlords prefer to receive their rent in cash rather than—checks. What’s wrong with this picture? The
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The other day I was walking down the street in New York City and noticed a group of about five young boys—in their early teens, if that—sitting together at a cafe. What struck me was that none of them was talking to each other. They were all staring at their mobile phones—iPhones. I was surprised
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