In this special report, students from the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies present new perspectives on some of the latest developments in the global economy.

The articles cover a wide variety of topics related to consumer markets around the world — including online dating and consumer credit in China, e-commerce in Brazil, retail chains in Russia and tourism in Colombia — showing how advances in technology and traditional market forces blend together to produce new opportunities for companies.

The transformation of more established industries in the wake of the financial crisis is another topic that is driving innovation. German beer companies, Colombian coffee firms and French wineries are analyzed with a view to identifying the prospects for global growth in well-established product categories.

People and human resources are vital components of the knowledge-based global economy of the 21st century. Articles on education in Brazil, Colombia and India report on new institutional arrangements and private initiatives in this area.

Entrepreneurship and managerial careers are the topics of articles that cover new developments in high-income markets such as France and Japan along with those in emerging economies such as Colombia and China. In addition, the report offers an in-depth look at silicon wafers and semiconductors in the Gulf.

Finally, this year’s report analyzes private equity in Brazil and Colombia, two intriguing new markets, and explores the issue of water scarcity, one of the world’s biggest challenges in the coming decades.

Download the entire report:

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ASIA

Consumer Credit in China

‘An Iron Hand in a Velvet Glove’: Challenges Facing Chinese Female Managers

The Entrepreneurship Vacuum in Japan: Why It Matters and How to Address It

Dating in a Digital World: Trends in 21st Century China

‘Needs Improvement’: Despite Progress, India’s Primary Education System Has a Ways to Go

Apple’s Foray into China — and the Mind of the New Chinese Consumer

EUROPE

Water Scarcity: A Daunting Challenge with a Hopeful Future

Innovation and Regulation: Friend or Foe to the French Entrepreneur?

Retail Chains’ Race for Russia

Is the End of the German Beer Industry Near?

The Future of French Wine: Overcoming Terroirisme and Stagnation

THE MIDDLE EAST

Silicon Wafers and Semiconductors: A New Black Gold for Abu Dhabi?

LATIN AMERICA

Private Equity in Brazil: ‘The Music Hasn’t Stopped’

Entrepreneurship in Colombia: ‘Try Fast, Learn Fast, Fail Cheap’

Education in Brazil: Can the Public Sector Keep Up with the Emerging Middle Class?

Tourism in Colombia: Breaking the Spell of Negative Publicity

The Private Equity Landscape in Colombia

Baby’s First Birthday: Lessons from a Brazilian E-commerce Start-up

Education in Colombia: Is There a Role for the Private Sector?

Coffee in Colombia: Waking Up to an Opportunity