The “E-Shopping-Trends 2006″ study by novomind comes up with important findings for any internet shop operator. Among other things it reveals that virtually one third of women questioned shop on the internet due to the fact that they are bored or do not have anything better to do. Thus, about half of them start out on their shopping trips from their sofas at home. Only one tenth of female buyers go shopping during their midday break. more…

Having a positive image in the eyes of the public is a competitive advantage. In order to underline the value added by their products and services companies not only commit themselves to efficient marketing and advertising but also to public relations. In his book “Öffentlichkeitsarbeit” Mr Markus Reiter describes any effective methods of communication known. Among other things the field of public relations comprises press statements, press kits, press conferences, professional articles, press events and press trips. more…

A joint study by the impulse magazine (11/06 issue) and the Forsa-Institut on the subject matter of innovation management shows that the readiness of banks to support innovations is seen to be quite limited or very small by most small and medium-sized entities. Just twenty percent of entrepreneurs have the impression that their innovative ideas meet with support on the part of their banks. more…

The Federal minister of justice, Brigitte Zypries, has met today her Chinese colleague, Wu Aying, in order to discuss issues concerning the legal co-operation between both countries. Among the questions discussed were topics which are of high importance to German companies doing business in China: besides questions about the safeguard of intellectual property they also talked about legal issues concerning the capital market, product liability as well as questions with regard to the registration of real estate (cadastral issues). more…

For the fourth time the Deutsche Messe AG sponsors an international technology award, i.e. the Hermes Award 2007, which is to draw the attention to forward-looking new developments presented on the occasion of the Hannover Messe fair. The award is endowed with 100.000 Euro which means that it is one of the most prestigious international industry prizes. For the participating companies it provides an outstanding opportunity for marketing their image. more…

Well timed with the start of the Systems fair, the MittelstandsWiki know-how portal for small and medium-sized entities has officially been brought online. This new portal provides a common frame to the MittelstandsBlog, the ITK-, KMU-, Pod- weblogs as well as the SME Journal. All journals, the MittelstandsBlog and the comprehensive MittelstandsWiki are online magazines published by the just 4 business GmbH which is in the course of formation. more…

The nationwide “Going International 2006″ survey organised in the summer this year by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Trade (DIHK) came up with interesting findings. In contrast to the accepted opinion, commitments abroad created more jobs in Germany than were made redundant. According to the study about 41 percent of companies operating abroad increased their staff, only 25 percent reduced them. more…

One year after its introduction the Entry Standard has established itself as an alternative stock exchange segment for small and medium-sized entities with less stringent admission requirements. “The 66 companies listed, the high liquidity and the growing number of banks attending to the needs of SMEs going public are a proof of the high acceptance of this segment”, is the opinion of Mr. Rainer Riess, managing director stock market business development with Deutsche Börse voiced in a press statement. more…

Many small and medium-sized entities think that they could do completely without innovations. This finding which is alarming with regard to the competitiveness of German companies was brought to light by a Forsa survey among more than 500 companies with up to 1000 employees. Thus, 41 percent of those questioned consider the pressure on their company to develop innovative products to be „virtually zero”, whereas another eight percent think that this pressure is low. Only 23 percent believe that there is a strong necessity for innovation, while 28 percent feel it to be medium. more…

According to a new survey by the Verband der Vereine Creditreform e.V. the financial resources of small and medium-sized entities in Germany are still inadequate. Although the number of underfunded companies (an equity/balance sheet total ratio of less than 0.1) has fallen by 7.3 percent to 29.3 percent, the number of soundly financed companies (equity/balance sheet total ratio above 0.3) has not increased. It has, on the contrary, slightly fallen by 0.1 percent now standing at 22.1 percent. more…