Import prices rose by 1.3 percent in September 26. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot According to the Federal Statistical Office, the index of import prices was 1.3% higher in September 2007 than in September last year (August 2006/2007: -0.6%; July 2006/2007: +0.4%). Compared to August 2007 the index increased by 0.6% in September this year.
Consumer goods from China very popular in Germany 25. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot Whether it be clothes, footwear, toys or electronic products of all kinds – an ever increasing number of products on the German market come from China. According to provisional figures by the Federal Statistical Office, in 2006 already 6.7% of German imports amounting to 48.8 billion Euros were produced in China. Thus, China is Germany´s …
Moonlighting still a problem in the EU 25. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot The first Europe-wide survey on the issue of moonlighting conducted by the European Commission reveals that this fact is still a problem. The survey reveals the main factors for the black economy as well as countermeasures planned at the European and national levels.
SMEs from East Germany use subsidies more than those in the west 25. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot Only 8% of small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) from West Germany draw on subsidies. The situation is different with regard to SMEs from Berlin and the east: for them subsidies are a well-established financing instrument used by 40% of SMEs in the east which is five times as many as in the west. The same …
Majority of specialists satisfied with number of holidays 24. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot About two thirds (62%) of the German executives and specialists are, according to their own statements, satisfied with the amount of annual holidays. This fact was revealed by a survey conducted by the StepStone online job market. Only 30% of respondents believe that the number of free days was not sufficient in order to relax. …
Internet has become indispensable to business 23. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot Virtually all German companies (98%) are by now connected to the internet. At the same time also smaller companies, which three years ago were still lagging behind, have caught up with bigger companies in this respect. In addition, an always growing number of employees have internet access at their places of work: while at the …
8 percent less non-remunerated overtime hours 22. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot The number of non-remunerated overtime hours worked by specialists and executives in Germany is falling. This is the result of an international survey conducted by the StepStone online job market, in which 9880 German executives and specialist took part. The study showed that for 79% of interviewees overtime hours are still a part of their …
Security problems of the internet often underestimated 22. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot The global »Global Security Studie« study carried out by Deloitte on the security situation in the international financial industry revealed that almost half of all respondents stated the risk awareness of employees to be the most decisive security factor. However, it turned out that there is a gap between the awareness of the problems by …
E-Learning still rarely used in small and medium-sized entities 22. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot The Institute for Labour and Technology (IAT) at the university of applied sciences in Gelsenkirchen is currently dealing with e-learning in small and medium-sized entities (SMEs). The usage of e-learning might help SMEs to increase their competitiveness on the European market. However, so far e-learning is hardly made use of by SMEs. How is it …
Loans more easily obtainable for small and medium-sized entities in the hightech sector 19. October 2007 by Thomas Jannot Small and medium-sized high-tech entities meet with better conditions for business financing this year. This is demonstrated by a new survey conducted by the KfW-Bankengruppe and the German Association for Information Management, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM). 20% of small and medium-sized high tech companies said that access to loans had become easier while last …