How has our world changed in 2012, and in what direction will it be going moving forward? Unlike previous years where there have been definitive actions that have set the world into motion for better or worse (ahem, 2008), 2012 has been a fighter year; one where we’ve seen unrest, turbulence, but a thread of continued trends. No definitive resolutions offered, but not a decline either, we’ve gotten through 2012 by our hopes for a better future.

So what does that future entail and what are the trends from the past year that will help put us one the right path?  One marked by connectivity and transparency thanks to technology and innovation, we’ve also seen shifts in terms of the economy with a slowdown of emerging giants such as China and Brazil, and an introduction to MIST: Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and India. Is BRIC slowly moving out of the picture? Should we prepare ourselves for a new acronym every couple of years from here on out? In the following discover highlights from the year in global trends, and how things are shaping up for the coming ones.

October and November are exciting months here at WOBI because they are filled with events in major cities all over the world.  After the World Business Forum took over the Radio City Music Hall® in New York City in the beginning of October, last week the event arrived in Buenos Aires with presentations that covered a range of themes from entrepreneurship to the state of the world economy to improving leadership.

Finally, tomorrow and Wednesday (November 5-6) the World Business Forum reaches Milan, bringing an exciting line up of speakers who will aim to challenge, inspire and transform the way you do business. In the following we give a sneak peak of what is to be expected.

The past couple of years have seen a tremendous amount of change, transformation, strife, and geo-political revolution, as well as a hard-hitting, global economic recession. Could it be that at the heart of these struggles lies a serious crisis in leadership? Today in Los Cabos, Mexico the Group of 20 (G-20) summit meeting is being held, marking the seventh meeting of the G-20 heads of government. Will this meeting help mark the path to a new perspective of global leadership? Read on for more on the global leadership situation, as well as insights on the subject from last month’s World Leadership Forum speaker Peter Senge.

The whole world has been watching with baited breath as the financial situation in Europe has escalated to what some experts would argue is quickly entering into a point of no return.  The recent €100 billion bailout of Spanish banks and continued uncertainty in Greece form the backdrop to IMF President Christine Lagarde’s recent comments that there are only months to save the euro. It seems that not even the experts know where to look for answers.

What is going to happen in Europe? And how will it affect the rest of the world? Speaker at last month’s ExpoManagement, Nouriel Roubini, is one man stepping up to the challenge of addressing this tumultuous situation. One of the world’s most admired economists, in the following two videos he presents his views on the current value of the euro and its impact on growth in the Eurozone, as well as outlining the only two scenarios left facing Eurozone leaders: to move forward or disintegrate. Don’t miss these two exclusive clips!

Trying to explain the current and future state of the global economy is no easy task.  But this was the challenge set before Nouriel Roubini as he took the stage to close this year’s ExpoManagement in Madrid.  Roubini became a household name as one of the few economists to have predicted the global economic crisis that hit in 2008.  Known by the moniker “Dr. Doom”, his reputation is one of an untra-realist who is not afraid to say things as he sees them.

His style is direct and to the point.  He doesn’t sugar coat.  Instead he lays out the situation as he sees it without pulling punches.  His hour long, whirlwind tour of the global economy, required his audience to hold on tight in order to keep up – the amount of ground he covered was considerable, and made one realize just how many interconnected elements there are shaping our economic future in the short, medium and long term.

His words were always going to have a special resonance to the Expomanagement audience in Spain, a country whose current economic problems are well documented and seemingly far from being resolved.   But what he had to say during his hour long key note speech was fascinating to anyone with an interest in possible future scenarios for the global economy.

Read on to discover just what he had to say, including:

• 5 reasons why the Eurozone recession is only likely to get worse
• 2 future scenarios for the Eurozone
• The outlook and challenges for the USA, Middle East and emerging markets
• 5 reasons for optimism for the future
  

On everyone's mind: Where is the global economy headed and what will be the consequences for your business and wallet for the medium to long-term? Uncertainty in the context of a recession and shifting markets is always worrisome, and questions can emerge without their accompanying answers.

To respond to a couple of your queries, we would like to share with you an extract from an interview with Nouriel Roubini, the economist recognized as correctly predicting the real-estate crash in the U.S. and recession of 2008, by wobi.com Editor Chris Stanley.

 Nouriel will be appearing live this year at the World Business Forum Buenos Aires, World Business Forum Milan, and ExpoManagement Madrid 2012.