Opinions

The Italian touch is about acknowledging the value that artisans, tailors and seamstresses bring to the fashion product. Not easy in a globalized economy, but one company is putting craftspeople in its stores to show customers just how skilled a true artisan can be

Six traits of corporate behavior can be warning signs of potential wrongdoing; among them are artificially fast growth, financial trickery, short-term thinking and plain old greed. It is easy to pinpoint such faults after a crisis, but regulators should monitor them as a preventive measure

FIAT and the others: the industry is changing; a careful balancing of institutional relations and production priorities is now the rule of the game. The national identity of a product is complicated by global supply chains, brand loyalty versus territorial presence and new twists in labor relations

A number of factors contributed to the Greek financial crisis, most of them linked to the EU's weak governance. Convergence of fiscal and budget policies among member nations was left to wishful thinking rather than enforceable policy, and the results are plain to see

Legislation has been passed to guarantee the origin of upscale Italian products, but it could end up having some unintended consequences. It also signals a siege mentality, a protectionist frame of mind that could ultimately run against the market priorities of Italian exporters

Market share of more expensive products is growing: in 2009, one out of three goods was priced 30% more than the average. In a context where cheap discount distribution is also gaining share, the middle ground is shrinking as consumer loyalty is courted by the extremes