Ways Out of the Crisis for Smaller Businesses

Press Release February 11, 2010

How do the crisis strategies of smaller businesses differ from those of large, international businesses? Are smaller businesses suffering from a credit crunch? Do they need additional support programs? Will short-time allowances suffice to prevent massive layoffs? Would a comprehensive tax reduction package help given the budget situation?

Prof. Joachim Scheide, Head of the Forecast Center of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy,
Minister Georg Fahrenschon, Bavarian Minister of Finance,
Dr. John Feldmann, Board Member at BASF SE,
Heinrich Haasis, President of the German Savings Bank Association,
Consul Nikolaus Wilhelm Knauf, Co-Owner of Knauf Gips KG, and
Prof. Dennis J. Snower, President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy,

will provide answers to these questions during a podium discussion at the Annual Meeting of the Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Instituts für Weltwirtschaft. The discussion will be prefaced by a speech by Prof. Scheide. The host for this year’s meeting is Knauf Gips KG, in Iphofen, Germany. Manfred Grundke, managing co-owner of Knauf Gips KG, will hold the opening speech. The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Joachim Scheide.

We would like to invite you to attend. The participants in the discussion will be available for interviews following the discussion. Please let us know whether you would like to attend by sending a short email message to .

The discussion will be held on

February 23, 2010, 6.00 p.m.
Knauf Gips KG,
Am Bahnhof 7,
97346 Iphofen
Germany

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Federico Foders
Phone +49 (0) 431 8814-285