Comment
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Dissecting investment flows
Economic growth is always the key to the future, now more than ever if membership of the European Union is to attain sustainable meaning. In the first phase of the post-Independence era, the emphasis had to be on economic development, as distinct...
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Competing with illegal competitors
An agreement intended to exclude a competitor from a particular market is in breach of competition law, even if such a competitor is operating unlawfully on the market in question, the Court of Justice of the European Union has recently concluded.
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Emerging markets’ growth gains momentum in January
The HSBC Emerging Markets Index, a monthly indicator derived from the Purchasing Managers Index surveys, rose from 53 in December to 53.9 in January – the highest figure since February 2012, and only slightly lower than the seven-year long-run...
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Where to, from here?
Listening to the Sunday homily at one of my favourite Parisian churches, Notre-Dame d’Auteil recently, I was struck by the comments of the celebrant, a former banker. He said the Church document Towards Reforming the International Financial and...
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Changing trends in holiday choices
Traditionally, Europeans plan their holidays in the winter months when newspapers and magazines often make suggestions on where the best destinations could be found. This year has been no exception, even if the trends of planning and booking summer...
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Public officers, not partisans
Official details were not released – it is expected that they are not – on the state of play during the late negotiations on the EU Budget for 2014-20. Leaks and rumours provide grist for preying journalists and analysts. Some are close to the mark,...
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Trademarks under the spotlight
A spate of recent rulings delivered by the Courts of the European Union spell out the methodology for assessing whether a name, word, symbol or a graphic representation is a trademark. A trademark is a recognisable sign or expression that...
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Managing the knowledge held within family firms
Knowledge represents a valuable organisational resource and a primary source of competitive advantage. Strategy, leadership, organisational culture and technology are all enablers of knowledge management and each must be designed and managed in...
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Valuing non-financial performance
Laudable corporate social responsibility practices often involve the development of network relations, as both private and government actors are increasingly investing their discretionary resources in social capital. Societal governance is...
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Opportunities attached to a motoring facility for Malta
The Malta Motorsport Federation has invested countless hours of hard work into examining the potential of a multifunctional road safety and motorsport facility over these past few years. The realisation of this long-overdue road safety training...
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Switching on new energy strategies
The election campaign sparked an important debate on Malta’s future strategy for generating an affordable, environment-friendly and safe source of electrical energy. As was to be expected in an electoral contest the debate was characterised by very...
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Challenges for microenteprise
Small businesses are considered to be the backbone of European economies. They are a major driver for economic growth, innovation, regional development and job creation. Out of 20 million enterprises active within the European Union in 2005, 99.8...
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Regulating the gaming market
A gaming company cannot be granted exclusive rights to operate in a particular State. This is the case unless the liberalisation of the market is incompatible with the level of consumer protection which a State wants to offer to its citizens and...
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Positioning your business
At last there are some positive signs within the broader European community that suggest the beginnings of economic stability, as evidenced by various indicators such as the first major private capital inflow into Spain since mid-2011, as well as...
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What about family businesses?
During this (already) long electoral campaign not a single party has to date, and as far as I know, proposed specific and targeted assistance for family businesses. In addition, I believe that assistance for start-ups is misguided. Any government...
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A tough year for investors
Investors have weathered difficult times in the last five years as a result of the turmoil in international financial markets and 2013 will be no different, even if it seems that the worst may be over. Most analysts agree that in 2012 the bonds...
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Bonds and sinking funds
Deposits in banks are guaranteed for up to €100,000 by a Special Compensation Scheme should any bank fail. Corporate bonds do not have such a guarantee but, to compensate, the bondholder has the comfort of a promise in the prospectus that the...
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Women’s employment rate
An overview of older workers given from time to time by the National Office of Statistics provides detailed evidence of under-utilisation of resources prevailing in Malta’s economy. It extracts information from the Labour Force Survey. The analysis...
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Standard technical norms for construction
Buildings come in a wide variety of shapes and functions. Throughout history, the construction of buildings has been adapted to the building materials available, to weather conditions, to land prices, ground conditions, specific uses and aesthetic...
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The campaign and the feel good factor
Malta, like Italy, is in the thick of an election campaign. The styles of campaigning will be different as the circumstances leading to these elections could not have been more diverse then they are. Italy has just ended a short experience with a...
