Julia Santos, head of global business optimisation for the Johnson & Johnson Group, explains to Barbara Njau why outsourcing is essential to the company’s business strategy.

As the global economic balance of power shifts from west to east, international financial centres in Asia are growing in prominence at the expense of their developed world counterparts. But is this shift a permanent one?

Indonesia has achieved significant economic growth in the past three years and now, with the help of a new development plan, its government has set the ambitious target of transforming the country into a major economic power by 2025. Can Indonesia compete on the same stage as Asia's behemoth economies such as India and China, or will the basic issues of infrastructure and inflation continue to hold it back?

While most investment promotion agencies are yet to define a social media strategy, there is almost unanimous agreement that such a strategy can prove key to investment promotion efforts.

At the inaugural Global Special Economic Zones Summit in Malaysia, the country's officials were keen to promote the success of  the country's many SEZs, attributing the growth in Malaysia's economy to the influence of these zones.

The city of Brisbane, Australia recently unveiled a plan to double  its already lucrative resources sector by 2031, giving investors the  perfect opportunity to invest in the area.

The political uncertainty in Syria is affecting the country's real estate sector, and is also spilling over into Lebanon's. However, nearby Jordan is proving resilient in this sector.