Retail sales, producer prices slide in Europe

Retail sales, producer prices slide in Europe

In Europe, the fall in February's producer prices outstripped predictions by economists, and the drop in retail sales set a record, raising concerns that the region is on the verge of deflation. Prices at the factory gate in the eurozone declined 1.8%, the most since April 1999, and retail sales fell 4%, the biggest drop since the rate was first collected in 1996

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Sun shares drop on failed IBM talks

Sun shares drop on failed IBM talks

Shares of Sun Microsystems Inc tumbled 24 percent on Monday after the company rejected rival computer and software maker International Business Machines Corp's $7 billion offer.

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Investors' confidence strong for Brazil, China, India

Investors' confidence strong for Brazil, China, India

Despite the recession, investment capital is flowing into funds that focus on the emerging markets of Brazil, China and India, while investors are growing negative about Russia, Turkey, and Eastern and Central Europe, according to a survey of 156 financial institutions conducted by the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association. Of the respondents, 77% said they anticipate returns of more than 16% from equity investments in emerging markets during the next three to five years

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Hong Kong in worst economic crisis since WWII

Hong Kong in worst economic crisis since WWII

Hong Kong's economy, ravaged by rapid deterioration in the trade, property and finance sectors, is in the midst of its greatest challenge since World War II, said Donald Tsang, the Chinese territory's CEO. The government is prepared to implement another round of stimulus spending, about midyear, if necessary. With nearly $60 billion in reserves, Hong Kong is well positioned to act decisively, Tsang said

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What is the Balanced Scorecard?

What is the Balanced Scorecard?

The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system used to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organizational performance against strategic goals

The four perspectives


The grouping of performance measures in general categories is seen to aid in the gathering and selection of the appropriate performance measures for the enterprise। Four general perspectives have been proposed by the Balanced Scorecard:

Financial perspective;
Customer perspective;
Internal process perspective;
Innovation and learning perspective.

The financial perspective examines if the company’s implementation and execution of its strategy are contributing to the bottom-line improvement of the company। It represents the long-term strategic objectives of the organization and thus it incorporates the tangible outcomes of the strategy in traditional financial terms. Some of the most common financial measures that are incorporated in the financial perspective are EVA, revenue growth, costs, profit margins, cash flow, net operating income etc।

The customer perspective defines the value proposition that the organization will apply to satisfy customers and thus generate more sales to the most desired (i।e. the most profitable) customer groups. The measures that are selected for the customer perspective should measure both the value that is delivered to the customer (value proposition) which may involve time, quality, performance and service, and cost, and the outcomes that come as a result of this value proposition (e.g., customer satisfaction, market share).

The internal process perspective is concerned with the processes that create and deliver the customer value proposition। It focuses on all the activities and key processes required in order for the company to excel at providing the value expected by the customers both productively and efficiently.

The innovation and learning perspective is the foundation of any strategy and focuses on the intangible assets of an organization, mainly on the internal skills and capabilities that are required to support the value-creating internal processes. The Innovation & Learning Perspective is concerned with the jobs (human capital), the systems (information capital), and the climate (organization capital) of the enterprise

IMF Executive Board Concludes 2009 Article IV Consultation with Pakistan

IMF Executive Board Concludes 2009 Article IV Consultation with PakistanPublic Information Notice

Public Information Notices (PINs) form part of the IMF's efforts to promote transparency of the IMF's views and analysis of economic developments and policies. With the consent of the country (or countries) concerned, PINs are issued after Executive Board discussions of Article IV consultations with member countries, of its surveillance of developments at the regional level, of post-program monitoring, and of ex post assessments of member countries with longer-term program engagements. PINs are also issued after Executive Board discussions of general policy matters, unless otherwise decided by the Executive Board in a particular case.

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German companies adjust approach to deals in Russia

German companies adjust approach to deals in Russia

German companies looking to Russia for opportunities to expand are not discouraged by the economic downturn, but they have sharpened their focus on retailing, particularly the food sector. Major German supermarket chains, including Aldi and Liddl, are looking for acquisition targets in Russia. Analysts said Russian companies that handle about 27% of food retailing in the country are looking for buyers

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Your Money - What the Bank Does

Your Money - What the Bank Does



This pamphlet discusses the work of the Bank in a short and accessible way for the general public. It outlines the importance of low inflation, trust in banknotes, and a stable financial system.



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Courtesy bank of England

The Production Possibilities Frontier

The Production Possibilities Frontier (Introduction)

The PPF curve shows the possible combinations of goods and services available to an economy, given that all productive resources are fully and efficiently employed.

When the economy is at point i, resources are not fully employed and/or they are not used efficiently.

Point g is desirable because it yields more of both goods, but not attainable given the amount of resources available.

Point d is one of the possible combinations of goods produced when resources are fully and efficiently employed.

SWOT ANALYSIS

SWOT ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION

SWOT stands for:
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

A SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the Threats, Opportunities and Strengths, Weaknesses, involved in a project or in a business venture or in any other situation requiring a decision.
This is an important tool in order to formulate strategy. This Matrix is an important matching tool that helps managers develops four types of strategies: SO Strategies (strength-opportunities), WO Strategies ( weakness- opportunities), ST Strategies (strength-threats), and WT Strategies (weakness-threats).

Strengths are attributes of the organization that are helpful to the achievement of the objective.

Weaknesses are attributes of the organization that are harmful to the achievement of the objective.

Opportunities are external conditions that are helpful to the achievement of the objective.

Threats are external conditions that are harmful to the achievement of the objective.

Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. For example, strength could be your specialist marketing expertise. A weakness could be the lack of a new product.

Opportunities and threats are external factors. For example, an opportunity could be a developing distribution channel such as the Internet, or changing consumer lifestyles that potentially increase demand for a company's products. A threat could be a new competitor in an important existing market or at echnological change that makes existing products potentially obsolete.

Conclusion

Successful businesses build on their strengths, correct their weaknesses and protect against internal vulnerabilities and external threats. They also keep an eye on their overall business environment and spot and exploit new opportunities faster than competitors. SWOT analysis is a tool that helps many businesses in this process.

SWOT analysis is based on the assumption that if managers can carefully review such strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, a useful strategy for ensuring organizational success will become evident to them.