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China Economics Trend Watching

Living in China: Beijing more expensive than Paris

Beijing is the most expensive city on the Chinese mainland for expatriates, ranking the 20th highest in the world for costs of living, according to an annual report released by Mercer, a US-based consulting company […]

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China Consumer Behavior Economics Trend Watching

China, Socialism & Consumer Behavior: Super-rich in growing passion for investment

Demand for art, watches, rare wines, vintage cars and other offbeat investments expanded in 2010 as the world’s super-rich rebounded from the financial crisis, according the latest World Wealth Report […]

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China Consumer Behavior Economics Trend Watching

China, Socialism & Consumer Behavior: Chinese travelers shop until they drop

Spending by Chinese travelers nearly doubled from 2010 due to the growing number of affluent shoppers and the yuan’s appreciation, Hurun Report said recently […]

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Consumer Behavior Economics Trend Watching

Watch Joseph Pine’s “what consumers want” talk at TED

Customers want to feel what they buy is authentic, but Mass Customization author Joseph Pine says selling authenticity is tough because, well, there’s no such thing. He talks about a few experiences that may be artificial but make millions anyway […]

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China Economics Trend Watching

Intellectual Property: China accounts for 85% of fake goods seized in EU

Just a couple days after Chinese Ministry of Commerce declared that China’s piracy problem is not “extremely serious”, the European Commission reported that European customs intercepted one billion euros worth of counterfeit goods last year, with 85 percent of the fakes originating from China […]

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China Economics Software Trend Watching

Intellectual Property: China says piracy problem not “extremely serious”

China said recently its crackdown on pirated goods has made great strides, a claim borne out by government statistics but not necessarily by a trip to one of Beijing’s many shops where pirated software, movies and clothes are readily available […]

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Consumer Behavior Economics Trend Watching

Watch John Gerzema’s “The post-crisis consumer” talk at TED

John Gerzema says there’s an upside to the recent financial crisis — the opportunity for positive change. Speaking at TEDxKC, he identifies four major cultural shifts driving new consumer behavior and shows how businesses are evolving to connect with thoughtful spending […]

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China Consumer Behavior Economics Trend Watching

China, Socialism & Consumer Behavior: World’s top luxury brands compete to tap Chinese market

Prominent luxury brands are scrambling to get a slice of the competitive Chinese market. The 2011 Tianjin International Luxury Exhibition was held recently, right after the World Luxury Association WLA released its 2011 annual official report recently in Beijing […]

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China Economics Trend Watching

Living in China: Shanghai now more expensive than New York

Tokyo is still the world’s most expensive city to live in and Oslo and Osaka still make the top five, but the Worldwide Cost of Living 2011 survey just released from the Economist Intelligence Unit also revealed some dramatic changes in the last year […]

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Design Economics Innovation Software Trend Watching

How 3D Printing Will Make US self-sufficient

Autodesk’s Jeff Kowalski on how manufacturing will change in five years […]