The world is so big, getting the attention of business leaders is difficult.

Last year the Swiss business leaders we asked placed the country 56th overall on a world scale and it actually dropped to 79th this year. There was a tangible higher sense of pessimism.

All around the world the stress levels of business leaders shot up last year, whether economic activity in their country was picking up or slowing down. Thailand was no exception, with business leaders increasing their stress levels to find opportunities in the current economic climate and also worrying about future political and environmental factors.

Business leaders cannot be bystanders.

The Hilton Prize was established in 1996 to call attention to organizations that are effective and innovative leaders in addressing humanitarian needs and to encourage others to contribute to their good work,

German political leaders and business leaders should encourage more German private equity firms to get started -- don't wait for the Americans to show up but support and encourage Germans to start their own funds and to do the same kind of things that the Americans are doing.