A good number of managers of sub-Saharan companies have told me that when it comes to their efforts to internationalize, South Africa is off their radar screen. These countries see industries in South Africa as already quite developed and think it would be pointless to try to compete in that market. With this in mind a quick…

The recent victory of the leftist party Syriza and the defiant attitude of its Government towards its lenders (EU, BCI and IMF, the so called troika) has thrust Greece into the headlines once again. Here we look at the numbers (from Eurostat, 2013), the problems and the negotiation alternatives of both sides – the Greek…

Syriza's victory was received as a victory for Europe's generous and compassionate South, versus the stingy and vengeful North. We have no way of knowing if the South would have behaved better than the North if it had found itself in the role of creditor, nor are we entirely certain that the "slap in the…