This article talks about reforms India's Bharatiya Janata Party is making and provides some useful information about the nature of the Indian goverment and economy (e.g. subsidies make up nearly 14% of India's $400 billion economy).

This article examines the new M&A wave involving foreign investors in Japan. Makes some interesting predictions and offers some useful statistics and analysis. We'll see how it unfolds going forward.

Article offers an overview of the issues involved with dollarization, especially in Latin America.

Article discusses some limiting factors that could affect the future of online auction markets, including winner's curse and collusion.

This BusinessWeek article argues that the foreign exchange markets have shifted their dominating reliance on central bank actions (specifically interest rate interventions) to also consider equity markets and global M&A activity.

And customers couldn't be happier. Why flat rates and fixed prices rule.

Hiroshi Mikitani's Rakuten cybermall is growing at Net speed.

This article provieds an interesting look at the French government-private sector relationship, specifically with regards to the social welfare system (at least for outsiders like me). Also profiles the man at the heart of it all, Ernest-Antoine Seilliere.

Marketing too often concentrates on promotion ignoring the all important "P" - people. To see how customer focused your organization is check out this short article.

Authors of a new study claim vitality, integrity, tolerance, appreciation and latitude are the main elements to measure a healthy workplace. According to the researchers, trust and caring are the two most important aspects of a job. The pair also discovered that managers are the source of most of the problems. They interfere too much, punish or reward workers for results out of their control, and micromanage. Also, find their checklist of questions for companies to measure their emotional health.

Interesting article discusses how the old-line family dynasties in Asia are approaching the Internet and its impact on their economies and businesses. Highlights some interesting similarities and differences with the situation in the West.

Though somewhat dated (Feb '00) this interesting article is useful for the larger question it raises about the power of the yield curve as an economic indicator.

Political and economic changes in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have created substantial new business opportunities over the last decade. But how should companies respond to the process of enlargement that will see much of CEE admitted to full membership of the European Union (EU)?

Who should companies put in charge of their e-business operations? The answer, according to this special report by the EIU ebusiness forum, depends on where e-business sits in the corporate structure. Diplomacy is key if the company is attempting to integrate e-business into all operations; autocracy is feasible if the organisation has created a separate unit for e-business. Whatever the powers of the position, however, steady and explicit backing from the CEO and the board of directors is crucial for any e-business boss.

This interesting article (written before the dot.com shakeout) shows some interesting fallacies of thought but also makes some interesting and useful observations and analyses. Discusses three types of coprorations: Godzillas, Titans and Bystanders. Lists the following as features critical to Godzilla companies: Clarity of Focus; The Primacy of the Customer; Zero-Based Organization; Location Irrelevance; Value Chain Shortcuts; Pointcast vs. Broadcast; The CEO as CIO; Web-shaped Organizations; Global Reach; Growth Through Acquisition; and Reacting to Customers not Financial Markets.

E-commerce is so new that lawyers (and the law) are having a tough time keeping up with it, but that doesn't get the manager off the hook if something that should have been thought about slips through the cracks. Here are a few simple points to keep in mind as you work on any e-commerce project.

McKinsey & Co. surveyed 6,900 senior executives and young managers from 56 companies to figure out the secret to winning the battle for great people. Here is an excerpt from the report on the seven "talent imperatives" that are essential for winning the war for talent. The seven:
1. Instill a talent mindset at all levels of the organization -- beginning with senior management.
2. Create "extreme" employee value propositions ( EVPs ) that deliver on your people's dreams.
3. Build a high-performance culture that combines a strong performance ethic with an open and trusting environment.
4. Recruit great talent continuously.
5. Develop people to their full potential.
6. Make room for talent to grow.
7. Focus on retaining high performers.

Are there nattering nabobs of negativism you aren't aware of in the chat rooms and on the message boards? Are rating and review services like BizRate, Gomez Advisors and Open Ratings chiseling away at your once-solid, once-gleaming reputation? This article discusses why you ought to regularly convene a team to conduct Internet reputation management.

This pamphlet presents the results of an empirical analysis of the factors affecting economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa, using data for the period 1981-97 and a sample of 32 countries. The empirical work involved the estimation of a growth equation to identify the key determinants of per capita real GDP growth, including economic variables that reflect the influence of economic policy changes as well as other explanatory factors. On the basis of this analysis and a review of the evidence of economic recovery during 1995-97, using a much larger sample of countries, the pamphlet attempts to determine which policies appear to have been the most effective in terms of increasing economic growth and suggests the key elements of a policy framework that could promote sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

How do you set long-term strategy in an economy that moves at the speed of the Net? Is there a difference between a "business strategy" and an "Internet strategy"? And who makes strategy these days? John D. Noble, vice president of corporate Internet strategy at Putnam Investments, is wrestling with those and other questions.

This article discusses the research by U of Michigan professor Theresa Welbourne, which found that for rapidly growing IPO companies, the initial stock price, stock price growth, and growth in earnings over three years were higher with women executives. The article also provides links to related women in business links.

Short article discusses role of Internet in public relations.

The step from Chief Information Officer to Chief Executive Officer seems like it should be simple, but few manage to take it. Sure you've managed a budget, engaged in strategic planning, and saved the company a bundle of money. Experience like that just gets you in the game - your ace-in-the-hole is something you didn't train for.

The wage gap between men and women still persists, even among Internet Economy employees.

This article by Seth Godin, author of Permission Marketing and now Idea Virus talks about his self-coined term for increasing sales by giving away your product.