International News

 

A textile company, for lack of sewers it needs for its plant in Quimper, creates a pathway of learning to train its future recruits? The SME Armor Lux, well known for its white wine, made the headlines this week, at a time when all candidates for president are the re-industrialization of the country one of their campaign themes.

This situation is not isolated and number of industrial jobs – welders, boilermakers, milling … – are pulling their hair to find candidates and encourage vocations. "There is a real paradox between a high level of unemployment in France and companies who are not candidates for positions in recruitment, whether welders, millers, coppersmiths, payroll technicians, seamstresses …. In total we estimate that roughly fifty so-called shortage occupations. In our business we miss about 30% of requests from our customers because we do not have the resources and this situation has been deteriorating for a decade, notes François Beharel, group president of Randstad and staffing agencies. Concretely, this means that our group could generate 30% of turnover and more. "

For him, the problem is essentially related to the collective image What these professions in public opinion. "We imagine that in the textile industry and is like 50 years ago, while the environment has changed, that wages were revised upwards and that career paths are possible." "We have to get into people's heads, and young people in particular, that the industry is clean and not necessarily noisy. In this regard, the construction was successful for several years to reverse its bad image, "says Anne-Marie Bjornson, Director of Transitions AFPA.

Develop learning

A UIMM, Joel Mendez, Director Employment and Training, said that one communicates primarily on job losses. Yet in all sectors of metallurgy, the recruitment needs estimated over the period 2007-2015 are always evaluated. Between 60,000 and 80,000 jobs per year, including 30 to 40% reserved for graduates, according to a study by the study-which will be updated in early 2012 over a 2013 to 2020 -. "There is a big educational effort and support to achieve with the companies to become more involved in processes of looking management of jobs and skills (GPEC) and assessing their future needs" says he.

According to Anne-Marie Bjornson Afpa transitions, there are ways to mount training particularly in the context of operational readiness to employment (job center) or as part of training contracts. "We are also working on the issue of transferable skills, which allow for example to a textile worker to work in the weld or a working precision to go in the car." But anticipating needs is a prerequisite and essential step, she insists.

For Joel Mendez, it is also essential to adapt the training devices to the needs, both in initial training in continuing education. And take the example of learning where the numbers in the branch of metallurgy grew 6% in 2011 (with a total of 26 000 apprentices). "At the last school year, nearly a thousand offers of learning could not be met and at the same time, the same volume of young people did not find any company. This shows that learning can be further developed and the various mechanisms put in place recently should help solve these problems. "

A situation that in any case, Francis led Beharel hammering: "stop sending generations of young people in jobs without opportunities. Spend money to know that jobs are to be filled with real careers, especially if the areas are not attractive. "

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Shop for less cost on your insurance policy and you'll soon find that even your present insurance carrier may be able to assist you with a low rate car insurance policy.

 

Zadig & Voltaire is poised to succeed his conquest of the West. Not only the French glam rock label founded in 1995 multiplies the openings across the Atlantic, where it already 8% of sales: in the end, she will inaugurate its eighth shop, 200 square meters on the prestigious Madison Avenue.

Better yet, Thierry Gillier, founder, owner and patron, comes to do business with a prestigious U.S. investment fund, TA Associates. After five months of negotiations, he signed on March 30 a memorandum of understanding, under which TA Associates will take 30% stake in Zadig & Voltaire. Reportedly, the agreement, which should be completed and made public in the next few days, values ​​the company 380 million euros. For its last fiscal year, ended July 31, Zadig & Voltaire has indeed achieved a turnover of 130.6 million euros and an Ebitda (EBITDA) of 34.2 million.

The investment firm TA Associates who invested since 1968 in hundreds of medium-sized enterprises with high growth in finance and the Internet, the bank was advised by Rothschild & Company for the operation. It will pay 11 times earnings of Zadig & Voltaire to diversify into ready-to-wear clothing. A multiple close to that achieved at the entrance to the capital of Eurazeo Moncler, last June.

Professionalise the governance of society

For Thierry Gillier, advised by Laurence Danon, Edmond de Rothschild Corporate Finance, this operation is the culmination of a long reflection no faxing payday loan. The contractor pushes for four years because of advances investment funds, as TowerBrook Capital and L Capital, and large banks. HSBC has thus approached several months ago for an introduction to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. But it was too early to Thierry Gillier, because the claw is not yet established in China.

In addition, Zadig & Voltaire, little debt and very profitable, does not need money. His boss has always maintained that it had enough cash to open 30-40 new stores worldwide this year. Zadig & Voltaire, which already has 70 outlets in France and 75 abroad (including booths in department stores, shops and franchised malls in Dubai, Moscow and Casablanca), will open this year a third store in Hong Kong, shops in Barcelona, ​​Moscow and in Germany, and a dozen corners in department stores like Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom in the U.S.. The transaction with TA Associates allows one hand to Thierry Gillier to achieve part of its capital and the other at Zadig & Voltaire entered a new stage of its growth and move beyond small family . The company may professionalize its governance, improve its financial structures and especially benefit from the expertise of TA Associates in the International Markets.

Thierry Gillier wants Zadig & Voltaire makes this year half of its sales overseas. Reportedly, he aims for the fiscal year began in early August up 19% of consolidated sales and an even more rapid Ebitda.

 

SunPartner, a start-up of Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhone) specializes in solar energy, has signed a partnership with the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) to develop and build a demonstrator of the second generation of photovoltaic power plant at low concentration. SunPartner has already shown with the development by its subsidiary Wysips a transparent film photovoltaics to recharge his mobile in the sun.

The project developed by its subsidiary Axiosun with CEA and one of its laboratories, the Institute Liten, specializing in new energy and nanotechnology, will compete with conventional photovoltaic market is now taken in a squeeze between fierce competition from China and declining subsidies in France and other European countries.

"The solar modules are not the optimal solution. Concentration yields lower costs by 20% to the cost of panels Chinese "and thus become competitive, says Ludovic Deblois, the founding president of SunPartner. Photovoltaic power plants developed by Axiosun make it possible to focus with concave mirrors up to 12 times the sun's rays, which reduces the cell size implemented for the same energy. In addition, advance Ludovic Deblois, these modules retain a high yield of about 19%, despite the increase in temperature due to the concentration, whereas with the standard modules, the yield decreases by 1 or 2% per degree additional.

Reduce costs

Axiosun is positioned in the segment of small and medium power (to drive a company, a village or small town) in area to strong sunlight.

He installed the first plant at low concentration in France in Saint-Cannat near Aix-en-Provence and two in Morocco. The issue of partnership with the CEA signed for three years with a budget of 2.2 million is to improve the technology. The objective is to achieve a cost per kWh up to 40% lower than with a central ground to conventional panels. One key is the development of a manufacturing process to local costs well below Chinese costs by investing ten times lower.

The project is part of the proposed City of energies, initiated earlier this year by CEA Cadarache, near Aix-en-Provence. This platform of several dozen hectares is home to companies that CEA helps innovate and where demonstrators can be built. Axiosun going to make a pilot. Eight other partnerships have been forged by the CEA for a total of 26 million euros, including a solar desalination unit developed with Veolia.

"Our bet is that innovation makes it possible to reduce costs at all stages of production, to make solar competitive," says Pierre Joubert, head of the antenna to the direction of technological research, CEA Cadarache. "On the technology concentration, there is no viable competitors. Our goal is to develop a sector in France. "

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Incident at Free Mobile: late Tuesday afternoon, a number of Free Mobile subscribers showed no longer have network access. Result, can not send SMS or make a call. The situation seemed to gradually return to normal around 19:30. A similar incident had first touched the network on March 2.

"It appears that an incident on a Free network equipment has severely disrupted communications with their customers. Because of congestion, a small portion of calls made by Orange customers was affected but the situation quickly returned to normal for Orange customers, "said a spokesman of Orange, stating that" the contract of Homelessness is not involved cash advance america. "

For several weeks, specialized sites mention problems of interoperability between 18h and 20h, preventing subscribers Free to join their correspondents. On 01net, the professionals argue the thesis of a "saturation of interconnection links between the network and the Orange Free".

Iliad, parent company of Free, threatened to sue "anyone denigrating the reality of its coverage or its investments." Last week, it recognized with the specialized site PCINpact that the problem existed, saying it depended on the regions. Free, however, ensure that "all of the added capacity."

 

The European Investment Bank (EIB) – the financial arm of the European Union – has granted 61 billion in new loans to about 70 countries in 2011. A level down compared to the historical peak reached in 2009 (79 billion euros), years during which the Bank was actively involved in the economic recovery of the Old Continent. But a level that remains particularly high compared to the average pre-crisis.

Most of these loans – 54 billion on 61 – was awarded to Europe. One way for the EIB to support the activity declining in Europe. In this context, France has been particularly well served. The Hexagon has received over 5 billion euros in loans, representing 9.2% of EU commitments. A figure up from 7.78% awarded in 2010.

Research projects

The Bank took part in the financing of the LGV Sud Europe Atlantique, TGV and Britain Pays de la Loire. It has also been associated with the electric car developed by the Bolloré Group and funded to the tune of 100 million euros of joint research projects with Pierre Fabre Laboratories.

Outside of the European Union, the EIB lent 7 billion in accession countries and has been linked directly to the Partnership in Deauville, which followed the Arab Spring. Nearly 1 billion euros in loans have been granted to the private sector in 2011, especially for infrastructure development in Arab countries that experienced democratic revolution.

An oil close to $ 100

Oil markets have returned to their highest in the summer of last week. In New York, a barrel of light sweet crude for December delivery ended the week and to 93.32 dollars, pocketing 11.5% in five days, while in London, Brent crude gained 4% over the same period at 110.02 dollars. These levels were no longer observed since last August.

This surge is due to the euphoria that followed the agreement on a plan to end the crisis in Europe. As the equity markets, the announcements of European leaders were welcomed by a jump in current operators rejecting the idea of ​​"economic calamity," said John Kilduff, of Again Capital. In addition, China's second largest consumer of oil in the world, issued a manufacturing PMI at highest level in five months.U.S. GDP also rose by 2.5% yoy in the third quarter and increased consumer spending by American households has accelerated in September to 0.6%. Another factor is bullish: "There are investors who claim that the Americans withdraw from Iraq, it will add to the volatility in the Middle East. It was also the new regime in Libya during a test, "noted Rich Ilczyszyn, MF Global no faxing payday loans.

The higher prices could have been even stronger if there had been publishing a weekly report on bad stocks Wednesday. Surprised, analysts questioned the causes of such weekly increase, especially imports have continued to slow in recent weeks. Phil Flynn, analyst at PFG Best Research, put forward a hypothesis: "the oil accelerated their pace to arrive before the hurricane Rina.The metal was also supported by the ongoing tensions in the global supply. Thus, the American Freeport-McMoRan said Wednesday the "force majeure" for its Grasberg mine in Indonesia (site producing between 3% and 4% of world supply), paralyzed from mid-September by a violent strike.

Aluminium was supported by a decline in world stocks (5% in September, its lowest level since December). The course is finished in 2221 dollars per tonne (3.6% for the week). Tin is always paid by the interruption of exports from Indonesia (30% of world production of tin), decided in early October by domestic producers in order to trace the course. The stocks of this metal on the LME have since decreased by 21%. Classes end at 21,870 dollars (0.55%).

The draft budget for 2012 Social Security will be voted on Wednesday by the House, before leaving the Senate. But a detailed examination of the text was to end Friday night. The Assembly amended several key points … until they know the consequences of the revision to 1% of projected growth. Lack of knowledge, "the dice are loaded," protested the Socialist Marisol Touraine. The rapporteur of the text, Yves Bur (UMP), was estimated at 1.5 billion shortfall, the government does not confirm.

Half a solution for excess fees

MEPs adopted an amendment to try to remedy the excess fees excessive. They left until the end of January to physicians, the social security and complementary health for themselves conclude this endless soap opera.

These doctors are the "fall guy," said Yves Bur UMP. Xavier Bertrand has promised, without further detail, to consider their case, "that they are not satisfied with a handshake." The Minister of Health has recognized, with several members of the left and right, that the real problem was the insufficient appreciation rates Safely surgeons for years low fee cash advance. But open the sector a future system would have displeased the French Mutuality and part of the majority. The Bloc, the majority among specialists involved, says it is ready to discuss, exchange, regulation of excess fees in sector 2.

Abandonment of the CSG on parental leave

The idea was unanimously against it: the government has decided not to submit to a CSG 6.2% of compensation paid in case of parental leave.And are defrauded to the detriment of social organizations will be excluded from debt cancellation plans in case of insolvency.

Cooling-off period on sick leave benefits

The government had reduced by 6% allowances of sick leave, saving 220 million. Outcry, including the right, Yves Bur proposed an alternative: a fourth day waiting period before paying those benefits. It would cost to low-wage "twenty euros, once a stop, instead of 30 or 40 euros a month," he said. People in long illness would be less penalized, unlike those that increase stops short. Xavier Bertrand has promised to think about before the final vote of the text.

"It will take place, and this is probably a matter of months, the issue of financing of our welfare. It will probably include the participation of imports. "In two sentences, the head of state made it clear that social VAT probably figure prominently in its program during the next presidential campaign. The mechanism is to fund Social Security by a consumption tax, so among other products imported from countries practicing "social dumping". In exchange, the contributions that affect the cost of labor is lightened, in order to gain competitiveness – a leitmotif of the presidential intervention on Thursday night. Social VAT is not exactly a topic that shares the political class on the line right to left as usual low fee payday loans.Manuel Valls, only the PS, is favorable, as the centrist Jean Arthuis or UMP Jean-Francois Cope and Valérie Pécresse, Xavier Bertrand and others in the majority are reluctant, fearing an inflationary effect, so a loss of purchasing power of households.

The president has however ruled out any attempt at protectionism to fight against offshoring. Establish tariffs would "make sense", he decided, in a clear allusion to the "de-globalization" praised by Arnaud Montebourg.

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The general crisis of confidence in the financial system can benefit the socially responsible investment (SRI), this offer of investment products which, in the traditional financial measures, add the dimensions called ESG (environmental, social / societal, governance) ? At first glance, yes. Assets invested in SRI in France have soared in recent years. End of 2010, they reached 68.3 billion euros, against 50.7 billion in late 2009, an increase of 35%. And the year 2011 looks very good. According Novethic, a subsidiary of Caisse des Dépôts, which publishes research and analysis on the SRI market since 2001, these assets had already reached 47 billion euros at the end of June.

Small flat, struggling to win these investments from individuals.Institutional clients (pension and insurance plans, public pension funds, private insurance companies, mutual companies, etc..) Still accounted for 70% of SRI assets in late 2010. A study conducted by Ipsos agency for non-financial rating Eiris * 60% of French investors, however, now give prominence to environmental, social and ethical issues in their investment decisions. But 64% of respondents have never heard of SRI, and only 9% are on the page.

Latent demand unsatisfied

"There is a latent demand unmet in a number of individual investors now significant," says Marion de Marcillac, responsible for developing the French office of EIRIS.This view is shared Bertrand Fournier, president of the Forum for Responsible Investment (FIR): "The offer is not visible and distribution networks do not talk about SRI." For Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Minister Ecology and Sustainable Development, however, the context is conducive to flight. "SRI is probably an answer to the financial and banking crisis we are experiencing," said the minister during the presentation of the study, on October 6. "Reconnect citizens with finance is a vast undertaking, which requires industrial issues to reconnect with the financial issues and give concrete meaning to financial products," she said.

Therefore Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet calls to market players, foremost among banks and insurers, to commit themselves to "promote a responsible offer of financial investments."She stressed the need to provide transparent information to individuals, especially as the multiplicity of approaches to SRI in Europe scrambles some tracks. In France, the multi-criteria approach called "Best in Class" prevails. This is to select the best companies in each sector according to the famous ESG. Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians, in turn, prefer a strategy of exclusion. In this case, certain industries such as armaments or tobacco, are simply discarded SRI funds.

The French approach in question

According to EIRIS survey, 36% of French investors said they were very tempted by an approach that would exclude certain companies because of the nature of their activities or practices such as child labor. Only 19% of respondents say they are, however, very tempted by the method of "Best in Class".Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, "no subject is taboo. The 'Week of SRI' * is an opportunity to initiate discussions, particularly on the definition of criteria for responsible investing. "

* Survey conducted among a sample of 1040 French adults aged 16-64 years from 16 to 19 September 2011.

* The second edition of the "Week of the Socially Responsible Investment" will run from October 10 to 16, under the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development.

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The U.S. stock markets opened sharply higher Tuesday. The Dow Jones climbed 1.61% to 11,231 points and the Nasdaq by 1.54% to 2254 points in early trade.

Monday, Wall Street had already finished in the green.

Since the beginning of the week, investors in Europe and the United States, is won over by a wave of optimism about the outcome of the crisis of sovereign debt. "The beginning of the week is placed under the sign of hope. Investors have decided to give credit to European policy makers and international willingness to find ways to resolve the sovereign debt crisis, "economists observe in Paris broker Aurel BGC. There are "high hopes that one is engaged in the right direction towards resolving the debt crisis in Europe," say experts on their side LBBW. Other analysts, however, want to caution.The strategists of the Crédit Mutuel-CIC believe that "the improvement should not last as rumors seem exaggerated. The expansion of EFSF does not solve the structural problems in Europe, while the challenge is there. "

The spokesperson of European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Olli Rehn, Europe is considering strengthening the capacity of the European support fund for countries in trouble (EFSF). Rumors press also reported a proposed quadrupling of the Fund's lending capacity to 2000 billion euros. In turn, an official of the ECB, the Austrian Ewald Nowotny, did not rule out declines in interest rates in the euro area.But soon, the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble assured that Europeans had "no intention of bailing out" the EFSF.

Political leaders are still clearly divided on the responses to the debt crisis, while discussions on the payment of a new international loan to Greece, vital to enable it to avoid bankruptcy dragged on. At the same time discontent rises and Athens was again paralyzed Tuesday by a wave of strikes in public transport.

Oil opened up in New York

The euro was weakening on Tuesday to below $ 1.35. Mileu in the day, the euro stood at 1.3496 dollars, against 1.3523 dollars late Monday.He had fallen in session Monday to 1.3363 dollars, its lowest level since mid-January, prior to recover.

As for commodities, gold has recovered slightly this morning at 1640 dollars an ounce after declining over the last three sessions. Oil falls sharply higher this morning in Asian trade after having dropped more than eight dollars last week. Oil prices were moving up sharply at the opening Tuesday in New York, driven by renewed optimism for the determination of the Europeans to resolve the debt crisis in the eurozone business cards design.On the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), a barrel of "light sweet crude" for November delivery traded at 82.64 dollars, up by $ 2.40 at the close on Monday night.

On the macroeconomic front, house prices in the United States remained stable in July compared with June, according to Case-Shiller survey released Tuesday by Standard and Poor's. The study, however, that over-year, declining home prices for sale widened in July to 4.1%, down less pronounced than the analysts thought.

As for values ​​to be followed on Tuesday:

As for values, Goldman Sachs will intensify its restructuring efforts, after a disastrous third quarter, which could be one of the worst ever recorded by the U.S. investment bank since it went public 12 years ago, says the New York Times.Goldman Sachs will be 1.2 billion to $ 1.45 billion savings goal of operation by mid-2012, the paper said on its website, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

The mysterious tablet that the online retailer Amazon.com Wednesday could present promises to be a star among the products' high-tech "of the season, even though the Seattle group has not yet revealed existence.Amazon Wednesday invited reporters to an event which he kept secret the subject, organized in a video production and music in Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.

Motorola Solutions is within the scope of an investigation by U.S. authorities, according to the Wall Street Journal, concerning a possible corruption in the course of its business in Europe.

The Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, listed on Wall Street, announced Tuesday it had increased to 49% its stake in Canada's Ivanhoe Mines, the upper limit is included in an agreement between the two groups that intend to operate an entire mine copper and gold in Mongolia.

ONEOK announced expect to achieve a net profit of between 355 and 400 million in 2012, against 325 to 345,000,000 dollars in 2011.For its part, ONEOK Partners expects a net 740 to $ 800 million for the year 2012 against 630 to 660,000,000 for the year 2011, while natural gas volumes processed are expected to increase more than expected.

Also note, Standard & Poor's is within the scope of an investigation by the SEC, the U.S. stock market regulator, who questioned its rating of an issue of structured securities in 2007 just before the market collapse real estate, announced its parent company McGraw-Hill.