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World Bank Group: “Customer is King” – Toward More Effective Development?
“Customer is King” is an old business saying that accentuates the importance of customers in every business. The private sector generally knows that satisfied customers are cheaper to serve and easier to deal with while unhappy customers will result in
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Brian Cox: Science for the Masses
Amongst the remains of Kolmanskop, an old mining town in the Namib Desert, a scrawny metrosexual soliloquizes about the nature of the universe in a Lancastrian accent. After another minute of establishing shots, the presenter sits down on a dune
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World Bank Supports New Innovative Financing to Reach SMEs and Exporters in Turkey
The World Bank’s Board of Directors today approved a US$250 million equivalent loan for the Innovative Access To Finance Project for Turkey whose main development objective is to improve access to longer-term Islamic finance and to factoring for small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs)
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OECD: Achieving a Resilient Economic Recovery
The recovery from the Great Recession has been slow and arduous, and has at times threatened to derail altogether. However, the major advanced economies are finally gaining traction and momentum. Private-sector confidence is rebuilding. After years of weakness, investment and
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From Nigeria to UK – Dr Solomon Fubara: Helping the Diaspora Break into Business
Nigerian-born Dr Solomon Fubara did not quite set out to become a member of the UK diaspora community. In fact, he came to get a university degree in 1983 and had every intention of using his education to get ahead
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From Croatia to Chile – The Luksic Family: From the World’s Driest Desert to the Forbes List
In Chile, everyone knows the Luksics and their remarkable story that started with Policarpo Luksic who left his native Croatia as a young man to try his luck in the mineral-rich Atacama Desert in Chile’s far north. Here, in purportedly
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European Policy Centre on Financial Transaction Tax (FTT): Why the EU Needs the FTT but the FTT Does Not Need the EU
Background The nature of the continuing crisis in the euro area has changed several times. With the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 and the subsequent outbreak of the global financial crisis, Europe’s banking sector was on the verge
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From Armenia to France and Back – Francis Kurkdjian
Fragrances from the Past Though born in France, celebrated perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has remained in close touch with his Armenian roots. On the most recent of his many visits to Yerevan Mr Kurkdjian was received by Minister of Diaspora Affairs
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Connie Hedegaard, EU Commissioner for Climate Action: Breaking Europe’s Imported Fossil Fuels Addiction
Europe is by far the largest importer of fossil fuel in the world. Recent developments in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq highlight once again how vulnerable our economy is to price spikes, external energy shocks and other regimes’ wishes. Like a
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George Ryan: A Flawed Man Taking on a Flawed System
George Ryan is a hero tainted by scandal. As governor of Illinois, Mr Ryan followed in the wake of two of his three predecessors and was convicted, in 2006, to over six years in prison for taking bribes. He was
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