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The Herman Trend Alert April 9, 2008 Brazil's Bright Future When Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia travelled to Brazil in the 1990s to talk about their future, they characterized the country as "a sleeping giant---just about to awaken". The well-respected investment firm of Goldman Sachs has given the designation of "BRIC" to the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). In fact, the investment leader even offers an index fund of BRIC investments. The fund was created to tap these countries' "tremendous growth potential". Recently, a futurist colleague Stephen Aguilar-Millan, Director of Research for the renowned European Futures Observatory in the United Kingdom, highlighted the significant lack of western press attention to Brazil, compared to that given to Russia, India, and China. He conducted his own informal research and discovered since 1997, "The Economist" Magazine has featured 2,282 articles on Brazil, compared to 3,762 on India, 4,640 on Russia, and 6,845 on China. Aguilar-Millan adjusted "for continental bias" by looking at the United States' magazine "Foreign Affairs" and found strikingly similar results. While Brazil had 355 articles written about it, India had 603, Russia had 868, and China had 1,076. "On the face of it, there is a case to say that Brazil is being ignored in the western press" said Aguilar-Millan. However, further examination of the situation yields a slightly different conclusion. Though "Brazil does have vast potential in terms of resources, . . .it lacks the population mass of China and India and the military tradition of Russia", Aguilar-Millan added. Thus, it is unlikely to be a major geopolitical force within the next 15 or so years. Brazil's participation in MERCOSUR not withstanding, its 4 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for 2007 is dwarfed by the rates of increase in India and China. Thanks to the now cautious policies of the Brazilian government, inflation is no longer the front burner issue it used to be. Moreover, Brazil's wealth of resources in oil, gas, and biofuels position it well to handle a decline in the global economy. We expect Brazil soon to garner more attention on the global stage. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: RETENTION SPECIALIST PROGRAM A growing number of people have expressed an interest in attending our Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program. We'd like to schedule on that's convenient for those who want to attend, but need your feedback to do so. Please place RETENTION SPECIALIST in the subject line and Joyce will personally call you back to schedule the workshop. Or you can call Joyce directly at 336-210-3548 (PDT this and next week). BUSINESS IS PICKING UP Most employers are unprepared. The recovery will bring a new set of challenges for employers that have been in prolonged contracted mode. They will need more skilled workers or will need now to begin to upskill their current staffs. But organizations can not engage in Strategic Workforce Planning, when they don't know how. That's where The Herman Group can help. We can help you with your "People Review"----large or small---so that you will know who you will need and when you will need them. . . and we can also guide you to the best sources for the people you will need. For more information, call Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail joyce@hermangroup.com. FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES REALLY THINK AND FEEL Discover what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-416-7066, or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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