#casuallyversed

England Matters / Tom Cleverly x Daniel Welbeck

This is the 2nd instalment to Nike's 'England Matters' footy series. This brief clip follows Man Utd duo Tom Cleverly and Daniel Welbeck, as they describe how it feels to represent England at senior level, building up the world cup in Rio next year. 

Both are quality players, capable of becoming mainstays in the team, but have to elevate their game to the next level in order to do so. Here's to hoping that can be realised in the not so distant future. 

 Computer giant Microsoft today announced a deal to acquire Nokia’s mobile phone business. It is thought the deal is to be worth in excess of $7 billion and includes both their mobile phone manufacturing unit and licensing on their patents.

Over the past few years the iconic Finnish company have experienced financial difficulty, in stark contrast to just over a decade ago where they were the monopoly in the handheld telephone industry.  To put their plummet into context their market share in 2007 was almost 50%, yet in the first half of this year it was a measly 3%. Many have cited different reasons for this decline varying from complacency, poor development of their operating system, to the incredible work and impact of Steve Jobs at Apple and the rapid emergence of Samsung.  It’s a pretty sad story for a firm that not so long ago produced a good that was found nestled in the trouser pockets / handbags of millions of people around the globe. It’s even worse for shareholders in the Finnish firm who have seen the share price drop 93% since its 2000 level, albeit seeing a 40% rise in recent days in response to this news.

Here are some finer details of the deal:

In total, the deal is rumoured to be worth around $7.2 billion, to be completed in early 2014

 It is said 32,000 Nokia employees will transfer to Microsoft

 Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop, who previously served as an executive at Microsoft, will once again join the software giant, heading up the phone-making division that Microsoft just bought.

Nokia will retain its patent portfolio, but will give Microsoft a 10-year license to its patents at the time of the deal closing.

I personally think this is good deal that will potentially, and hopefully, shake up the mobile phone market. Saying that, both Microsoft and Nokia have struggled to make an impact individually with Google, Apple and Samsung dictating the industry of late, and there are no guarantees this acquisition will change anything to challenge this stronghold.

Those at Nokia state that this deal will allow them to explore other tech ventures and to expand their presence in these fields. On the other hand, in acquiring Nokia, Microsoft can now gain valuable insight into mobile phone production as opposed to specialising in just operating software.  The deal will allow Microsoft to tap into Nokia’s specialist product managers, as well as providing them with the ownership of their patents for the distant future. Economies if scale produced by factors such as this should see more cost efficient and technologically advanced products being launched into the market. As a consumer, one can only hope this will lead to more competitive prices and better quality products across the board.

Bose absolutely got it right when choosing a song to accompany their latest Television ad.

Awesome song - wait for the drums to drop around the 2:48 mark.

And we're back baby.

After a good couple of months away, its time to get back to business. Hip hop super producer Just Blaze, and the man that brought you the Harlem Shake, Baauer, have teamed up for this monster track. Oh and there's a guy called Jay Z on the track as well, you might have heard of him. 

The two producers sample Jay Z's 'You Don't Know' -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlT_Jt-dQ00 - on the track, to help produce an upgraded banger. Just Blaze and Jay Z go back a long way, in fact Just Blaze can be attributed to some of Jay Z's greatest ever tracks ('Girls, girls, girls', 'Show me what you got', 'Song Cry') .

To put that in perspective, if we're talking about Jay Z's greatest ever tracks, that basically means some of hip hop's greatest ever tracks. Baauer, fresh of the success of Harlem Shake, brings a youthful, fresh perspective to a track. 

Bloomberg Data:

Projected GDP Growth 2013-2017 : 45.9%

Inflation Rate : 3.0%

Gov. debt as a % of GDP : 14.9

Ease of doing business : ranked 91

Total score : 77.5

Of course it had to be China! The powerhouse came top in Bloomberg's top 20 emerging markets list, surprising very few. The story of China's emergence over the last 10-20 years has been magnificent, and now it stands today as potentially the most significant country in the world. 

I am going to refrain from writing about China, in the same way I wrote a little about the other 19 countries. Why? Well, because I am going to be lucky enough to actually experience China and it's business world first hand - next week!!!

For two months I will have the privilege of working within a company's finance team, on a two month internship. Based in Shanghai, I hope to fully immerse myself in all that China has to offer - and I'm sure I'll have an incredible time.

When I get back I will write an entry about my experience working in China, as well as applying my first hand experience to uncovering just why it is the top emerging market in the world.

Bloomberg Data:

Projected GDP Growth 2013-2017 : 22.9%

Inflation Rate : 2.9%

Gov. debt as a % of GDP : 27.3

Ease of doing business : ranked 8

Total score : 67.4

…And in second place comes South Korea!

Some say the best period for emerging economies is when the global economy starts to pick up. So basically now. South Korea, like any other emerging economy, can benefit from that - but they can specifically gain from the fact that, historically, they are top performer during times of economic expansion. 

South Korea joins a small list of countries that managed to avert the global recession. They expect to see a 3% growth increase in 2013 up from 2.2% in 2012. A 3% growth rate would mirror the target expected over in the US, however whether the Americans will achieve that is another question. 

There are 2 big differences between South Korea and other countries such as the US or other European ones. Unemployment is one of the lowest in the world, at around 3%. This reflects their buzzing and thriving economy, and this can't be matched around Europe or the States. South Korea are also very financially stable. Public spending equates to only around 30% of GDP, and they even have an ever growing current account surplus.

Companies here are also secure and stable, with little leverage required for them to exist. This means they are not at risk/exposed to a government debt crisis, unlike the above mentioned, if a similar crisis were to occur. Since late July last year stocks have risen by 12%. Hyundai and Samsung are just two companies that made a great name for themselves overseas as well as domestically, and highlight South Korea's expertise in mass manufacturing and technology. 

Having already seen a great deal of FDI they could also soon see much more, as the country is very close to being classified as a 'Developed' nation as opposed to an 'Emerging Economy'. 

Business ties with China are strong here too. If investors are looking to invest in China, they should consider South Korea too. Growth in China would require them to invest in more raw materials. South Korea supplies goods like steel (for automobiles) to semi-condutors(for high end electronics), to China.  Investing in South Korea taps into the benefits from investing in China. 

However issues such as the weak yen will continue to hurt South Korea exports, and with it expected to remain weak a long term strategy needs to be drawn up by South Korean policy makers. In addition, whilst tension remains between South Korea and North Korea, foreign and domestic investment may well be postponed too.

Bloomberg Data:

Projected GDP Growth 2013-2017 : 25.9%

Inflation Rate : 2.7%

Gov. debt as a % of GDP : 49.4

Ease of doing business : ranked 18 

Total score : 58.7

So Thailand takes the bronze medal. 

FDI in the country has grown at a fantastic rate in recent years. Between 2000 and 2008 it grew at a rate of 12% per annum. 2007 saw a peak of $11bn, and in 2010 and 2011 it stood at $10bn. 

The economy was expected to expand by 6% in 2012, not bad given world wide occurrences. However this was mainly due to a 13.5% increase in fixed investment - focussed on buildings, factories, etc - after the devastating floods seen in 2011. For the period 2013-17 growth is expected to grow by 5.1% per annum. A large reason for this being due to a rise in private consumption (boosted by a rise in the minimum wage and subdues placed on significant items like rubber and rice). 

Tourism remains a very strong sector here. In 2011 it saw 19m visitors - up 20% from the previous year. It is a hotspot for tourists of all ages, from all over the world. The world class facilities found in resort areas also help attract more FDI.

Labour and land, when considered as inputs, are very competitive in Thailand compared to other countries in the region. They represent good value for money, attracting many investors. Coupled with a very diverse and welcoming culture, investors are also made to feel at home by the natives. 

Great business links to China and a good standard of infrastructure throughout the vas majority of the country, all help Thailand cement its place in this list.