My Opinions

You do not mess with the IRS. While Facebook made its IPO, which will make its share of millionaires shareholders, two U.S. senators are considering a bill that would prohibit the territory Americans who renounce their citizenship for tax reasons.

In their sights: Eduardo Saverin, associated from the very beginning of Mark Zuckerberg, the company ousted in 2005 but still shares amounting to nearly 4%, and now investor in Singapore. He renounced his citizenship last September, but the information was released by U.S. authorities until recently. While it could pay up to $ 100 million tax with the IPO of Facebook, this coincidence of timing aroused suspicion.

Faced with the inclinations of the U.S. legislature, Eduardo Saverin was quick to respond. "I have paid and continue to pay any tax due on all that I acquired when I was an American citizen, he said in a statement. It is unfortunate that my personal choice has led to a public debate based not on facts but on speculation and misinformation. "

To defend himself, one who has paid the first servers to Facebook insists on the calendar of his approach cashadvance. He moved to Singapore in 2009, "interest in working and living in Singapore." His request to renounce his U.S. citizenship was filed in January 2011 and accepted in September. It also ensures not be "a tax expert."

But rumors of a future IPO of Facebook started swelling late 2010, while valuing the start-up exceeded 50 billion dollars on the gray market. Then, in January 2011, Goldman Sachs and the Russian fund Digital Sky Technologies remettaient the pot. The amazing assembly proposed by Goldman Sachs then allowed to cross Facebook the 500 shareholders threshold which required the company to make its public accounts or the stock market is quoting within 120 days of the closing accounts of the year in which this threshold was exceeded. Which would have allowed Eduardo Saverin anticipate there eighteen months the heavy tax bill that would introduce him.

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"All that remains of the old Thomson is a part of the debt," exclaims Frederic Rose, CEO of Technicolor. Inheritance is heavy, but Technicolor also received shares in a beautiful portfolio of 40,000 patents that generates 13% of turnover and 73% of the EBITDA of the group. On the one hand, a debt "excessive", according to Frederic Rose, more than 1 billion euros, which swallows every year 120 million euros of financial expenses. Other, patents essential technologies in audio screens or images that drive essential any industry consumer electronics. "Today, 80% of electronics manufacturers worldwide use patent licenses held by Technicolor," boasts the DG.

Debt and patents. It is around these two faces of Janus that will crystallize the future of the former flagship of French industry of electronics. The activist funds Third Point and Apollo, who are its shareholders first, salivating over the potential jackpot of patents. It is true that these intellectual properties has become the real challenge of the technology world. Last summer, Google acquired Motorola's $ 13 billion to get their hands on patents that will ensure a future in the mobile. Apple, Samsung, Yahoo!, Sony are fighting in court about patents AOL, which has sold 800 patents to Microsoft for $ 1 billion. The stuff of dreams funds activists are upset that Technicolor weighs only 400 million euros in stock! Their idea is simple: he would sell the patent portfolio to pocket a windfall, even after the repayment of debt. The remaining activities of Technicolor? They will find many buyers!

This is the heart of the dispute between the direction of Technicolor to its shareholders. For Frederic Rose, it is not about to dismantle the group. The patent portfolio has value only if it is fed regularly by the group of 400 scientists – including more than half in France – working in industrial activities free business cards. "We file patent enough each year to maintain the portfolio at its level. These are our main activities in the world of images and technologies of houses connected to power this portfolio, "Analysis Frederic Rose. In services industries of the image, Technicolor works with most production studios film and audiovisual. It is the world leader in the industry, and this accounts for half of its turnover, with an EBITDA margin of 13%. This is the basis of activity and the growth drivers of Technicolor.

Close the Angers plant

However, the group is faced with major strategic decisions to be taken on its third business: decoders. If Technicolor wants to preserve the activity of design and software for decoders, it can not continue to produce them in France. Hence decided to close the Angers plant this summer. "Since 2008, I promised to keep the Angers plant for three years. We lose 10 million euros a year on this plant. I had warned the government that lower tariffs on these products would ruin the opportunity to perform in France, "said Frederic Rose. The loss of the supply contract to France Telecom Livebox precipitated the decision to close the factory that employs 350 people. "The president of Thomson Angers talks with four potential buyers for the conversion of the site," says CEO Technicolor.Un serious social issue. But beyond the problem of this plant, Frederic Rose explains that he seeks to consolidate the industry in 2012 with one of the other global players in the sector. In this market, Technicolor competitor for Pace, Sagemcom and Motorola. "The goal is not to lose money in the decoders in 2012."

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The Bourdonnec: "The butcher recruits … by Cadremploi

Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec is the ambassador of charm of a sector that needs workers. The butcher in Paris is quite a vocation. 300 entrants in its various training centers for 100 outbound. While the sector would need, just in Paris, to recruit a thousand young.

Then the butcher star, one that snapped the magazine, is looking elsewhere. Among his collaborators? A criminologist, a former entertainer or an intermittent former marketing manager. This may be anecdotal, but the trend is there: the skilled crafts are attracting more and more graduates who had a priori nothing to do. Universities are creating pathways that guide to small business under the guise of entrepreneurship. And recruitment side, Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec has his technique: he breakfasts. "We see how to eat a candidate if he is smart, he will be friendly with customers, he likes the food trade." And if he does not eat the fat of the steak? It will not pass the qualifications …

In short, crisis effect or impact Top Chef, become craftsman is no longer the symbol of a downgrade for the tray 3 and Bourdonnec has understood. He communicates as if it had launched a start-up and works his personal branding as a leader. The man knows how to talk to the media, but there's a reason. "When very young I started my business in Asnieres-sur-Seine, three days later, opened a butcher shop next door. To survive, I were to suggest something different. "

Then the butcher decided to settle in the landscape. Meat long matured, offset pictures in the shop, the butcher parts shown in Japanese, hanging meat as if it were exhibits in an art gallery. He recounts with relish the Russian client came to buy his steak as if it were the windows of jewelers

. Place Vendome

That's why the butcher, who just opened a second shop at 172 Avenue Victor Hugo in Paris, seduces. And we made a business of his storytelling that could serve many entrepreneur.

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The homes of the French shrink. According to a joint network and broker Meilleursagents.com Empruntis.com, the surface that can be acquired with average incomes fell by 20M2 between 2000 and 2011. Eleven years ago, and could buy only 50 and 70 M2 M2 today.

Soaring property prices is responsible for this situation, which affects all French but not with equal force. For more than income disparities, it is the location of purchasers who will play on their purchasing power. Thus, although holders of the highest average income (4710 euros a month by households according to INSEE), Parisians can not afford that 31 m2, two rooms is a small or a large studio in a city where the m2 reached 8500 euros! In comparison the Rennes and Strasbourg, whose average income is lower by more than 40% (2665 euros a month) than in the capital, however, can lay claim to 62 m2 of housing low rates payday advance. Twice!

Nantes is ranked second among cities in the real purchasing power stronger. With the average income for the city one can acquire 58 m2. In Toulouse and Bordeaux, are accessible 55 m2, 51 m2 in Marseille, Lille and 46 m2 to 38 m2 only Nice.Cependant buying power tends to melt everywhere. In one year, Rennes lost 4 m2, 3 m2 of Lille, Lyon 2m2, m2 and one for Bordeaux and Nantes.  

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Twitter teams, the United States, could not believe it. On Tuesday, the name of their president, Jack Dorsey, was one of the hottest topics on the microblogging platform in France.

Nothing too surprising, however: the co-founder of the website was visiting Paris to meet several presidential candidates. In the morning, Jack Dorsey visited Francois Bayrou and Francois Hollande, before holding talks with Nicolas Sarkozy.

For the microblogging platform, which begins to deploy its commercial offer, these appointments were an opportunity to push the use of social networks as part of election campaigns. Overseas, Twitter has become an essential tool to launch polemics or defuse bombs during the Republican primaries.

"Learning lessons"

Its use in the French presidential campaign is also a good way of raising its profile and its use by the general public, a prerequisite for any advertising monetization.

French candidates themselves have sought to "learn from [the experience of Jack Dorsey, Ed] to promote the development of innovative French" (with Francois Hollande), and especially mentioned the opening of an office Twitter in France. The U.S. start-up is already established in London and announced in late January, will soon open an office in Germany.

A promising innovation system and tax revenues, while Nicolas Sarkozy presented his project on the table to tax U.S. Internet players for their activities in France, through a tax on online advertising or subjection to the corporate tax. Jack Dorsey also visited some French media, including broadcasting group TF1 and media group Le Monde.

How will change employment in France in the second quarter of 2012? A little better than the first quarter 2012 but a little worse than the second quarter 2011, according to the latest Manpower employment outlook released Tuesday.

"For the second quarter 2012, the companies surveyed by Manpower Group in France expect a slight increase in employment opportunities. The net employment stood at 2%, one percentage point increase over the first quarter of 2012, but down one point compared to second quarter 2011, "said the giant temporary employment and recruitment. The general trend is still a huge wait because, for the period between April and June 2012, 88% of employers surveyed do not foresee any changes in their workforce, while only 6% anticipate an increase in their numbers.

These results compare employment opportunities in the world, where the results are generally much more positive. "Employers in 32 of 41 countries and territories surveyed expect to increase their workforce in varying proportions for the second quarter of 2012," says the barometer Manpower.

In Europe, the most optimistic outlook are observed in Turkey (26%), Israel (17%), Romania (13%), Norway (11%), Germany (9%), Sweden (9 %), Slovenia (9%), Bulgaria (8%), Poland (6%) and Austria (6%), Manpower said. In the "Americas", the ten countries studied show a positive net balance in the quarter. This is Brazil, with a positive net balance of 39%, which remains the most optimistic countries in the area. Finally in Asia-Pacific, eight countries in the region show a positive net employment for the second quarter, but on the previous year, the trend is towards degradation since six of the eight countries are reducing their net. According to Manpower, the recruitment programs the most important will be located in India (44%), Taiwan (+31%), China (+21%) and Singapore (20%).

The West and the South of France most dynamic

All French regions are not as dynamic in terms of jobs and recruitment. For Manpower, only employers in South and West show a net positive employment for the second quarter 2012 compared to the first, 7% and 8% respectively. However, the North and the Ile de France display a net negative employment of -3%.

The record is darker on a yearly basis for comparison: three of the five regions studied announce a reduction in employment opportunities, with a decline of 6 points in the East, by 3 points in the Ile-de-France 2 points in the North.

The manufacturing sector will be the less buoyant

To which sectors should be directed to hope to get a job? The Manpower emphasizes that for the second quarter, employers in seven sectors of the ten surveyed anticipate an increase in their numbers. These are public services, hotels and restaurants (3%), transport-logistic (3%) and trade (3%). Conversely, employers in the sector of manufacturing and the extractive industries project a decrease in their numbers. From one year to another, only five out of ten sectors are seeing improvement in their net employment (trade, transport and logistics, utilities, hospitality industries, extractive industries). Manufacturing is the sector with the largest decrease, with -7 points over one year.

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Germany has been shaken Monday by a wave of strikes in public services. Consequence of the good health of the German economy, despite the crisis in the euro area: trade unions Ver.di and DBB are demanding wage increases of 6.5% after ten years of effort. The failure of negotiations started last week caused a series of movements that need to occur across the states throughout the country until the end of the week.

Monday, nurseries and kindergartens in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, were closed while the garbage was not picked up in Hamburg. "Several thousand" civil servants took part in the movement in Hesse, according to the services union ver.di Approximately 3,000 others were on strike in the neighboring state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The city of Frankfurt, the financial capital of the country, was particularly affected traffic in metro and tram stops completely. Cruises on the Elbe are canceled and administrative services will run at idle in the north on Tuesday.

Wednesday, all municipal utilities will be affected in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populated of Germany, and in Baden-Wuerttemberg, one of the richest. And a touching move 10,000 civil servants in Bavaria was announced Thursday. Only the city-state of Berlin is spared for the moment.

Claims up sharply

With this "warning strike", the unions agreed to lobby in wage negotiations began last week, but did not give any result yet. They cover employees of the federal government and municipalities, but not those of the Länder, which depend on another collective agreement.

Ver.di and DBB (union officials) demanding an increase of 6.5%, with a minimum of 200 euros per month on the paychecks of two million civil servants concerned.

Besides the public, other major sectors of the German economy lead or are about to open negotiations, for which the unions, who agreed to wage demands put on mute during the crisis to safeguard employment, have reviewed their claims up sharply.

Negotiating the most anticipated, for the 3.4 million employees in the metal, due to open March 6. Led by IG Metall, which claims 6.5% increase, it affects steel, machine tools, machinery, automobiles, appliances or semiconductors.

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Are we delivering. Sunday, the countries of the euro area seemed to want to push a key decision: that of increasing, or not, the size of the firewall in place to deal with the debt crisis. The issue was the focus of discussions at the G20 summit in Mexico, attended this weekend finance ministers and central bankers of the twenty most powerful economies in the world.

The United States, the emerging and most European countries believe that the firewall would not be enough if we had to help Spain and Italy. Currently consists of the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF), which will be replaced by the European Stability Mechanism (MES), the device said firewall may lend 500 billion euros. Many argue for an increase in its lending capacity to $ 1000 billion (750 billion euros).

But Germany was opposed. This increase in lending capacity "would create a disincentive for countries to continue the consolidation and reform," said Mexico City on Saturday to German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble. The latter then suggested Sunday that the decision on the size of the firewall would not necessarily be taken at the EU summit on March 1 and 2 next, as was previously planned. "Mars goes from 1 to 31," stressed Wolfgang Schäuble. "Between 1 and March 31, we will examine whether the volume of the stabilization mechanism is sufficient in light of recent events."

Requirements of emerging

For Germany, this calendar is compatible with the international deadlines. In April in fact, that the question of more resources for the IMF (International Monetary Fund) to be determined, as was to clarify the G20 communiqué. But the two issues are linked. The Bric (Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa) do not want to contribute more to the IMF on two conditions: they have more power within the international body that Europeans and reinforce their own barrier fire. They reiterated Saturday on the sidelines of the G20. Just as they emphasized their opposition to the rule that the presidency of the World Bank, renewable in June, back in the United States.

Ultimately, the final communiqué of the G20 would be a difficult balancing act, recalling that the strengthening of the countries of the euro zone's firewall, point to consider in March, is "essential" before the IMF's resources can be identified . The text should also state that the rise in oil prices threatens the global economy. The United States examine the possibility of dipping into their strategic reserves. But they do not call the other G20 countries to do likewise.

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After a slump, exports of French military hardware recovered strongly in 2011. "The total is expected to reach 6.5 billion euros, which allows France to maintain its position as the fourth largest exporter of arms," ​​said Wednesday Laurent Collet-Billon, general delegate to the Armaments (DGA).

The sale of two buildings Projection and Command (BPC) Mistral class in Russia, the contract for upgrading the Mirage 2000 in India or the sale of large 4 × 4 Aravis protected in Saudi Arabia accelerated to 27% export activity compared to 2010. Lack of large contracts, it had fallen to 5.1 billion euros last year.

Laurent Collet-Billon notes that "French exports are made up two-thirds of small contracts which constitute a solid base." More sophisticated, large contracts are part of longer timeframes. They are subject to deadlines and time consuming to negotiate very detailed, especially as the client country is no longer content to "sign a check," but hopes to capture some of the expertise of the selling country via transfer technology.

"Performance" of France is good news for 100,000 jobs, half of which direct exports that depend on contracts. But it is still far from its target of 10 billion euros in exports, a level considered ideal by the CEO because it would be equivalent in value to the national command.

Franco-British axis

In 2011, France spent 10.7 billion euros in R & D and equipment purchases for the armed forces such as NH 4 90 transport helicopters, six Tiger combat gear, more than a hundred armored (VBCI) or 4000 devices to the Felin infantry fast cash loans.

In terms of budget, continuity is crucial. We must continue its effort of R & D to prepare "defense systems" wars of the future. Among the sites are open marine robotics, cyber warfare or UAVs (unmanned aircraft). Because of defense budgets on, part of the answer lies in "pragmatic cooperation" with our European neighbors, said the DGA.

This is why France and Britain, the first two European military powers, have decided to advance by creating a UAV industry – the small tactical UAV through a viewing device and an unmanned fighter (read our editions of 17 and 18 February). This, based on their respective champions – Dassault Aviation and BAE Systems – bilaterally. With the prospect later to make the two engines of future European programs.

The French army should be equipped, like its British counterpart, Watchkeeper tactical UAV, built by Thales UK, by 2013. "In a few weeks, the DGA will ask BAE and Dassault to launch the assessment phase of the future UAV observation Male," said Laurent Collet-Billon, indicating having received "an offer last week from Dassault" about the future of UAV platform through Israeli (Heron TP).

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Organic products seem immunized against the crisis. Last year, sales were nearly $ 4 billion euros, an increase of at least 10%, as estimated by the Bio Agency. A sacred performance. Over the same period, sales of consumer products (food and hygiene products) have indeed stagnated in volume, and increased by only 3% in value.

Despite prices 20% to 50% higher, organic products, which represent less than 2% of the food market, continue to attract consumers. However, they are less likely to try the bio. In 2011, 40% of French reported consuming at least once a month for organic products, when they were 43% in 2010 and 46% in 2009, according to a survey by the CSA institute. "In a crisis, the curiosity of consumers is less, recognizes Elizabeth Mercier, Director of the Agency Bio. But market growth in 2008, the year of crisis, was 25% and 19% by volume. " In contrast, 18% of those who consume at least one organic product a week they intend to increase their intake this year. "This allows us to expect a further growth of organic products in 2012," said Elisabeth Mercier.

More visibility on the shelf

"The potential of new consumer stays there, half the French having no problem purchasing power," said Didier Perreol, group president Ekibio (Priméal, Bisson, My life without gluten?), Which states that Organic consumers are mostly from the wealthier classes.

"The market continues to grow as a supply effect contributes mechanically to increased purchases," says Isabelle Senand, author of a study on the bio for Xerfi instant payday loan. This is the result of the number of openings specialized brands (Naturalia Biocoop, La Vie Claire?), Pioneer of organic and enlargement of the assortment in supermarkets and hypermarkets. Today, 10% of milk sales are conducted in organic section, over 15% of sales? Eggs but only 6% of sales of fruits and vegetables. Last year, innovations in the organic section have increased among the national brands, ham Fleury Michon Pom'Potes Materne to Mont Blanc.

"The distributors have established themselves in this market with their brands and national brands, explains Isabelle Senand. All signs now have their own organic brand, which is largely the democratization of the market. "

The price gap has in fact reduced in grocery, fruit and vegetables or dairy products. "In five years, our prices are down 15% due to higher volumes, which allowed us to increase productivity," says Daniel Tirat, CEO of two cows, the brand of organic yogurt from Danone, the second mark market.

In three years, the market for organic fresh dairy products has doubled to 100 million euros. "We are in a logical recruitment of consumers, two thirds of our buyers who have never eaten organic yogurt, adds Daniel Tirat, which will test next month at Monoprix sales of butter and cream The two cows. We need the bio is even more visible rays. "

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