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Marketing executives are under growing pressure to show a return on investment for their programs, but many are struggling and finding the process complex, according to a report by The Conference Board, the global business research and membership organization.

The Chief Executive magazine's CEO Index reached its lowest level ever in November, hitting 50 points (set at 100 points when polling began in October 2002). The CEO Index, the nation's only monthly CEO Index, has now dropped 56 percent in the preceding 12 months.

Health insurance premiums have slowed to less than half the growth rate from five years ago, yet higher costs, increased utilization and waste in the health care system continue to fuel underlying health cost increases, a new report finds.

Despite concerns over the costs of international assignment programs and ongoing trepidation about the weaker global economy, international assignments remain on the upswing, according to the results of KPMG's 2008 Global Assignment Policies and Practices Survey, conducted by the International Executive Services (IES) practice of KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm.

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to reduce the official Bank Rate paid on commercial bank reserves by 1.0 percentage points to 2.0%.

GDP declined by 0.2% in both the euro area (EA15) and the EU27 during the third quarter of 2008, compared with the previous quarter, according to first estimates released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In the second quarter of 2008, growth rates were -0.2% in the euro area and 0.0% in the EU27.

If the federal government stopped the Medicare and Social Security programs tomorrow - collecting no more payroll taxes and allowing no more accrual of benefits - it would still owe up to $52 trillion to those who have already earned these benefits, according to a new study by the National Center for Policy Analysis.

The EU will soon have a simpler, standardised system for the type-approval of motor vehicles, following a vote on Tuesday by Parliament's Internal Market Committee. Members of the committee decided to beef up plans to introduce new rules on the registration, sale and use of cars, with the aim of improving road safety and protecting the environment better.

No wonder the Big Three American car companies have returned to Washington with their begging bowls outstretched, asking for billions more than the $US25 billion offered by US politicians last month.

Fitch believes that growing event risk associated with economic, competitive and regulatory pressures will weaken the credit profile of most operators within the U.S. telecommunications and cable sector in 2009. Growing unemployment, continuing home foreclosures, the acceleration of cord-cutting, evolution of wireless smart-phone-based data services, and a changing regulatory environment with a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) make-up and key regulatory programs up for reform represent some of the challenges to the industry in 2009. These challenges will result in a changing landscape and difficult operating environment for many companies.