The global recession is over. At least that’s the word from the International Monetary Fund. According to the IMF’s chief economist Olivier Blanchard, recovery has begun. Blanchard tempered this announcement with caution: Recovery will be a long, slow path and a lot will need to be done to keep the economy heading in the right direction. And there likely will be bumps along the way.
Businesses are starting to notice a change in reports on the economy. In a recent interview with EDN, Avnet Electronics Marketing president Harley Feldberg said: “Clearly the bias and the color of the industry has turned positive. … No one wants to step out and announce happy days are here again. But clearly there are more positive bias then there were even 90 days ago. That sure is exciting. I’m now looking forward to seeing how we and the rest of our competitors come out of this and who comes out the strongest.”
That cautious optimism – the latest buzzword in reports about the economy – signifies a definite shift in how businesses are approaching business. More attention is being paid to the future rather than solely focusing on surviving the now.
And that’s a good shift. Planning is what allows companies to see opportunity and be ready to take advantage of those opportunities when they arise.
