Irrepressible spirit of entrepreneurs and SMEs will drive the economy in the next five years, despite obstacles and economic conditions

In developing countries, working women can actually make the difference required to lift a region out of poverty. Women also play a vital role in sustained economic growth and are helping bridge the skills gap where this issue is holding back economic development.

For the second year in a row, this study shows that exporting firms are enjoying greater revenue and profit growth than their domestically focused counterparts. Certain geographical areas in particular are being identified by more and more businesses as profitable for expansion, but setting up an operation abroad and the cost of establishing its initial business image are perceived as an obstacle.

It’s official – global workers have polled the main disadvantages of working from home and reveal it may damage your concentration and productivity, and is likely to undermine your ability to look professional

Around half of business people globally say that their stress levels have risen in the past year, with work, personal finances and customers identified as the main culprits.

The Regus Work-Life Balance Index, which surveys over 16,000 professionals in more than 80 countries, has registered 24% rise between 2010 and 2012. This is a positive indication that now even more workers globally believe that conditions are improving and that measures are being taken to help them successfully manage to balance their personal and their work time.

As business confidence stabilises, companies are looking for additional ways of containing and reducing overheads while also driving growth.

Flexible ways of working are becoming more the norm as businesses and employees enjoy the personal and commercial benefits these practices afford.

Evidence is presented in this report indicating that companies operating internationally are producing better financial results than their domestic counterparts in the current economic environment.

The latest global business survey from Regus reveals that companies across the world are almost evenly split between those that do have a disaster recovery plan in place for IT systems or workspace and those that do not.