The death of business travel has oft been predicted, but with airlines and hotel chains alike investing in expanding their capacity and improving their offerings, it seems as if the corporate travel sector is very much alive and kicking.

East Germany's automotive industry used to be the butt of jokes around Europe. Now, however, no one is laughing as the eastern state of Saxony has established a reputation for producing cutting-edge, luxurious vehicles that are in demand around the world.

Ecuador, for so long an underperformer in Latin America when it came to FDI, is experiencing an uptick in its investment fortunes. Its minister for foreign trade tells fDi how the country's growing middle class, new tax laws and links with trade partners are behind the turnaround.

As a family-owned company that has been producing paper for almost 100 years, Burrows Paper Corporation may have its roots in the past, but its sights are firmly fixed on the future, as it looks to emerging markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Eight years ago, Union Group started out as a blueberry farming business in Uruguay. Today, it is a pan-Latin American corporation concerned with mining, agribusiness, oil exploration and logistics. Its president and founder tells Jason Mitchell about the group's meteoric rise.