The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany stabilized in May 2008. The indicator slightly decreased by 0.7 points and now stands at minus 41.4 points after minus 40.7 points in the previous month. This…
The labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods is mandatory in the European Union. Nevertheless, it is easy to unsettle consumers when it comes to differentiate between GM foods and non-GM foods. This is the…
Non-cognitive skills such as persistence when solving a problem, discipline, concentration or the capacity for motivation are relevant to success or failure at school, the vocational training or the job. The…
Firms outsourcing services for information technologies (IT) to external providers produce more efficiently than firms which render IT services themselves. Moreover, employees who predominantly work at a…
It is often asserted that the costs of apprentices considerably exceed their productivity. However, in comparison to the alternative to hire unskilled or semi-skilled employees, this is not the case for most…
In the future, banks will strengthen their focus on branches as distribution channels. In particular, branches will offer more counselling to their customers. To attract customers to branches, banks are…
Worldwide mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities have decreased considerably in the first quarter of 2008. The ZEW-ZEPHYR M&A-Index finished at 113 points in March 2008. In December 2007 the Index had been…
The economic optimism for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) continues to rise in April. This is signalled by a considerable increase of the CEE indicator by 9.9 points to now minus 12.5 points. It is the largest…
The Financial Market Test Switzerland, carried out by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in cooperation with the Credit Suisse, revealed in April a nearly unchanged picture regarding the prospects…