Europe's leading business hub, the Netherlands' attraction lies in its strategic location, relative ease of doing business, favourable tax incentives, excellent logistics and distribution infrastructure.
The strong fundamentals in the
Dutch economy with regards to investment climate will ensure that the Netherlands remains stable in
the current state of the market.
Because the Netherlands is part of the harmonised trade system of
the European Union, Singaporean exporters can access a larger
market on top of the Netherlands.
UPS STRAW POLL RESULTS
By Mary Yeo, Managing Director, UPS Singapore
One thing was unanimous from our recent straw poll survey of inews readers: no one expects the US economy to rebound in 2009. Survey results show that 50 percent of respondents believed that the US economy will rebound only in 2010. The other 17 percent and 33 percent of respondents believe that the US economy will rebound in 2011 and beyond 2012 respectively.
The pessimism in the US economy is understandable given what we read in the news everyday. However, what is interesting is that 33 percent of respondents believe that their company will perform better in 2009. The rest expect their company to take a turn for the worse.
Of those who believe their companies will do better in 2009, only one organisation actively conducts business with counterparts in the US.
Despite the present challenging economic conditions, there is that oft-heard saying, "Behind every dark cloud is a silver lining." So where can we look for silver linings in these times?
Look at where you can streamline your business. When a business is growing at a steady pace, the management often overlooks areas of excess spending because they can afford to. However, as businesses prepare for challenging times, they need to look at how and where they can reduce costs. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Once a company has trimmed its fats and the economy picks up, it will naturally emerge a stronger company among its competitors, resilient and ready for the next phase of growth.
UPS has been in business for 101 years. Having been through several economic downturns, the company has learnt to be more prudent and in doing so, has come out stronger and better than before.
Build your people. Some companies view their employees as expendable assets, and will use such times to take advantage of their employees. In doing so, the staff will leave at the first chance they can when the economy picks up. Instead, companies should use this time to build up their employees and develop their skills.
At UPS, we take succession planning very seriously. We believe that as our employees grow with the company, they become greater assets. As we help them grow, they will help the company grow in turn.
Share with us what you see as silver linings as you look ahead to 2009. We will be giving away a set of Beijing Olympics commemorative pins to each of the five best "silver lining" contributions.
A complimentary service by www.iadvisory.com.sg
Name: Sunny Chia
Company: UPS
Expertise: Import/Export
Market: Asia Pacific, Europe
Share with us what you see as
silver linings as you look ahead to 2009! Best answers will win Beijing Olympics commemorative pins.
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