Located at the heart of Europe and housing one of the world's busiest airports, the German region of Hessen ticks plenty of boxes for would-be foreign investors. Add to that mix a vibrant ICT sector, a world-renowned financial services industry and a workforce that is as skilled as it is large, and it becomes apparent why Hessen has been a star FDI performer over the past few decades.

IT company Ciklum began operations with just four people in an office in Kiev. So, asks Michal Kaczmarski, just how did it get from there to the multimillion dollar, multinational operation it is today?

Mobile apps may be a mainstream business, but the requirements of the companies working within this sector are somewhat unconventional. Therefore, the locations that want to attract these companies must focus as much on fostering the right culture as they do on educating their workforce and improving their business environment.

A joint venture between South Korea’s Posco Chemtech and Japan’s Mitsubishi is testimony to the ongoing vibrancy and relevance of South Korea’s chemicals industry.

With the newly widened Panama Canal due to open in 2015, ports on the east coast of the US are jostling for position to ensure that they can cash in on the post-Panamax ships that will be able to access them. But with competition so fierce, and their west coast counterparts also upping their game, no clear front-runner has yet emerged.

The economic crisis of 2008 and beyond made its presence felt across the property markets of the Gulf Co-operation Council, with some countries affected worse than others. Among the hardest hit was Dubai, but the emirate is showing strong signs of recovery.