The existence of fluctuations is part of the narrative, especially when there is a slowdown (or worse, a contraction) in economic activity. The presence of long waves with a period of about 50 years as proposed by Kondratieff is one of the most controversial and fascinating theories about...

Over the past two decades increasing transformations involving the commodities pricing mechanisms jointly with relevant innovations introduced in financial markets spurred controversial issues both among policy-makers, practitioners and scholars about resulting overall effects on the economy....

Rapid technological change is ever more characterizing today's markets and business decisions. Such a situation is to afford with complex tools not always available to all firms. This holds true, especially as far as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are concerned. Traditional and consolidated...