Tag Archive for 'european economies'

Against the windmills In Europe’s minds

Recently Ivo Spigel (Welcome!) opened one of his posts stating “We’re all used to the fact that most trends, paradigm shifts and business model disruptions originate in the US, and then, sometimes quickly and sometimes more slowly, make their way across the Atlantic, first to Western and then gradually to Central and Eastern Europe.”

This made me think. Not that I wasn’t aware of it, on the contrary. All those EU-sceptics should have a look at a world map – the US, China, Russia dominate it, and then there’s Europe with its pretty little gardens, well fenced in, enormously self confident when it comes to questions about “sovereignty” and stuff. When it comes to global questions, though, there’s a lot of hot air, but rarely solutions.

Anyway, that’s not my topic. My topic is Ivo’s introduction: “We’re all used to the fact…”. Although the paradigms have changed slightly (GSM came from Europe, etc), our minds are programmed to accept and adopt anything that’s labelled as “glamorous” from across the Atlantic.

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How will the coming recession affect your business?

A financial tsunami smashed through the world economy this month, sweeping away Wall Street titans and sending shock waves through Europe, Asia and Emerging Markets. The Hungarian stock exchange took a massive hit, dropping 40% this month. All Central European economies are affected, and analysts are asking aloud whether the region’s 10 year boom may be over, and whether the introduction of the Euro may be delayed in some markets.

It’s a confusing situation, and only when the flood waters recede will we understand how our economic landscape has been altered. While many speculate about technology recession, Google’s spectacular 3rd quarter results seems to suggest online marketing budgets are resilient.

I’d like to hear from nowEurope readers and contributors. What signs do you see? How will this recession affect your business, and what steps are you taking to meet the challenge? Please use the comments to let me know what you think.

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