05-06/2016 A measured future 
The beginning of a new year usually also triggers a spate of gazing into the crystal ball, which in turn produces a plethora of predictions and hypotheses of how business will develop in 2016. Only one aspect thereof can be considered a fact so far, however: the optimists are... more
01-04/2016 Opening a new chapter
The new year has started with a degree of continuity that may not be to everyone’s taste. I have to admit, though, that anyone who wanted to paint a bleak picture already found plenty of prompting in 2015, and does not have to find a new hobby at the beginning of 2016 either.... more
49-52/2015 Change welcome!
There are words of wisdom that can sometimes be rather irritating. One of these is the sentence «nothing is more constant than change». It is so tiring precisely because it always stays true. The question remains whether we should allow ourselves to be inundated by change, or... more
47-48/2015 Turbulent times
I don’t think anyone will deny that we live in turbulent times. In this context the key question once again rears its head, as it has done so frequently before in similar situations – do politics influence business; and if so, to what extent? It is not only the very serious... more
45-46/2015 A lesson or a fairy tale?
Not even Akbar Al Baker, who is rarely embarrassed about making huge statements, would have expected such a steep take-off: while we witnessed two-and-a-half years ago within the framework of the World Cargo Symposium held by Iata at the very same location how the head of Qatar... more
43-44/2015 New bondings
«The timing is never ideal», Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said recently, referring to his line’s planned initial public offering at the end of October. The question of whether an ideal moment as such exists in general is probably open to discussion. What is a fact,... more
41-42/2015 Paradoxical, but true
There is no sphere of life without contradictions, and the business world has to live with them too. Observations from modern everyday life – larger houses for smaller families, wider roads but more one-way streets, more comfort but less time – apply to companies too. Greater... more
39-40/2015 Too much drama?
For already the second time this year, the Greeks went to the polls on 20 September to elect a new parliament – that is, 55% of the electorate did, the smallest number since democratic rules were introduced again in the country in 1974. And a majority of those voting endorsed... more
37-38/2015 Moving times
Europe is moved. Thousands upon thousands of people are fleeing to the continent, often after harrowing and perilous odysseys. Ever more of them are headed for Germany. The government of the country turned a blind eye to the gravity of the situation for a long time. Other... more
35-36/2015 Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
A readiness to take risks is one of the cardinal entrepreneurial virtues. Even if a company’s boss banks on a well-balanced mix of tried-and-tested products as well as promising innovations – even then there is always a degree of residual risk remaining. Proven recipes may be... more