This is the season ranking of "best companies"! Wednesday the companies in which to work were rewarded by the Great Place To Work Institute, PepsiCo and Octo Technology plebiscite. Thursday night, the third edition of "Randstad Awards", organized by the working group and temporary recruitment of the same name, has honored the attractiveness of employers to the general public.

The surprise of the Top 20 "images employer" is not so much the identity of the winner, Eurocopter (EADS subsidiary), already No. 1 last year, the criteria that determined the choice of 12,000 respondents and 224 companies that tie in the race.

Compensation in effect makes a comeback in the criteria put forward by the French. She even takes the top spot with 71% response rate, the highest level since the beginning of the study in France, when she held the third position for two. Sign that the issue of purchasing power is becoming more and more in the public and among employees, it is women who put most clearly in the lead compensation criteria of attractiveness.

Aeronautics and media are reversible

The working environment (63%) and job security (54%) are respectively second and third place in respondents' answers, while questions about why companies are investing heavily in time, money and action, seem much more secondary to the general public, be it social responsibility (11%), the diversity policy (10%) or training (16%). As for the interest of jobs or good-life balance working life, are arguments also down this year in the concerns of public opinion payday loans.

Among the sectors that are most dreaming and the French in which they would one day work, aviation retains its pole position with 46% in favor, before the media (40%) and consumer goods industries (36% ). Probably related to the news she had experienced particularly negative in 2011 with the affairs of the Mediator or PIP prostheses, the pharmaceutical industry is one of four diving places and suffers from an image somewhat degraded.

If the helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter continues to lead the ranking of top 20 "Randstad Awards" behind several changes occur. Airbus assumes the second step of the podium, with a gain of four seats, followed by EDF winning eight seats. They succeed Canal + (ranked 8th in the ranking this year) and Thales (16th, down from thirteen seats).

Some companies make good growth, a sign of their appeal to the French, like the SNCF (7th, up 6 places), STMicroelectronics, which jumped 32 places in 18th position, or Safran ranked for the first time this year (19th).

But others simply disappeared from radar Randstad, like Club Med, Sanofi-or Air France-KLM (the company had received an award in 2009). "Even in times of crisis, you have to seduce, to attract and retain the best, in this continuity," Analysis Beharel Francis, president of Randstad in France. In other words, do not ease off on the analysis of its attraction: this must be the watchword for companies, even when unemployment soaring and that candidates are not lacking.

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2011, bad year for the Japanese economy. But less bad than expected. The gross domestic product (GDP) of Japan fell 0.2% in the fourth quarter of last year, bringing the decline in growth throughout the year to -0.7%. The Japanese government initially expected a decline of 0.6% between October and December, which would have increased to 0.9% GDP growth over the twelve months.

Struck by an earthquake and tsunami March 11, 2011 which were 19,000 deaths, Japan saw its number of damaged plants and encountered severe disturbances on its electricity production. At this natural disaster were added the slowdown in global demand, a stronger yen and floods in Thailand where many Japanese companies are based, in particular the automobile cash advance to savings account.

Today, the Japanese economy remains fragile. The government and the central bank of Japan (BoJ) hope however dig us out of slump with a series of measures introduced to boost consumer spending, business spending on support by providing funding solutions, and contain the surge of the Japanese currency.

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In the Pink City, the label high-tech is not confined to aviation. The textile industry may also be asserted. The Department of Defense – the Pentagon – just choose an SME Toulouse, Paul Boye Technologies, to provide the required protection in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC).

The contract of 96 million euros over four years concluded after months of effort sounds like a win for that reference SME of 201 people.

"Winning the bid to the Pentagon will help us win other international contracts," Boye hope Jacques, president of the family business, which carries 62% of its sales (63 million euros in total year past) in the area of ​​defense and security.

To succeed overseas, it created a subsidiary in the United States and has partnered with local partners, Tennessee Apparel Corp. and Creative Apparel Associates. "It was mandatory to win the decision in a market sensitive," says Jacques Boye. The contractor does not want to indicate whether a part of the production of combat clothing with high added value or not will be produced in one of his four French factories.

This firm, which already dressed firefighters and some French soldiers, won the famous contract masks to protect from flu "H1N1". This investment of 3 million had allowed a turnover of 70 million. "We managed to be better than the Chinese," recalls Jacques Boye who participated in the conquest of America and coveted markets on other continents.

Defender said most of the nuclear in government, Eric Besson was not afraid of being labeled a provocateur. This is not just a few hundred of the four reactors at the Japanese central Fukushima Daiichi destroyed by the tsunami on March 11 that the Minister of Industry on Tuesday reaffirmed that "France continues to believe in the future a nuclear with the highest standards of safety. " At the invitation of the Japanese Minister of the Environment, the young Goshi Hosono, Eric Besson is the first member of a foreign government to visit the site of the plant.

After two hours of visit, the French minister said he was "reassured by the overall situation." Precautions taken to this particular field trip, as Le Figaro followed, give a first impression otherwise. First, stop sign at the entrance to the perimeter evacuated twenty miles of the plant, the J Village. The training center of the football team of Japan has been converted into a basic life for 3,000 workers who work day and night at the bedside of the atomic plant. Village of J, departure by bus, duly equipped with a white suit, two pairs of gloves, shoe covers as many plastic full mask and two dosimeters.

No lethal dose

First observation of the Minister of Energy, "there is no strong radioactivity around the plant," he relativized. During the visit mainly by bus, with two stops, one at the foot of reactor number 4 disemboweled, Eric Besson has received a dose of 0.033 millisieverts (mSv), about 140 mSv if he stayed all year. The equivalent of seven times the annual dose permitted for an employee of nuclear power in France, and a still higher threshold to 100 mSv, above which the risk of cancer were found no fax needed payday loans. This reassured the Minister in relation to what he expected dosimetry is reduced in some villages in the forbidden zone. Mayor Kawauchi has asked the government authorization of the return of its approximately 2000 to 3000 administered at home.

Other ground of relief to Eric Besson: health outcomes unrelated to the "astronomical figures that have been circulating." If the tsunami of March 11 caused about 20,000 deaths, not one worker has received a lethal radiation dose, Akio Komori confirmed, a director at Tepco, the plant operator. Twenty-eight have received over 150 mSv, which "some more 500mSv". None of this symptom to date, according to Akio Komori. The 3000 employees who are working to ensure the cooling of reactors have restored the control of the situation. However, Akio Komori fears the consequences of a new powerful earthquake on spent fuel pools, not yet secure. Tepco said the head of three challenges: the treatment of contaminated water, soil remediation throughout the area and dismantling of the reactors.

In the situation room installed since March 11 in an earthquake-proof building of the plant, Eric Besson has launched a hundred busy workers behind their screens: "Your job, in difficult conditions, is important for the future of the sector. "A future, he added, that does not exist" without the confidence of the people. " In Japan, despite the persistence of "divers" of Tepco, that confidence has been permanently shaken.

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New episode in the folder Veolia Environnement. Its CEO, Mr. Frérot, is on trial. Borloo could indeed take control group of utilities and largest private employer in France. According to Les Echos, hostilities between the former boss of Veolia now head of EDF, and the runner Proglio Antoine Frérot, arrived at the helm of Veolia end of 2009, could be decided during the next meeting of the Board of Directors on February 29. Following this meeting promises to be choppy, several administrators of the group would seek a dismissal of the CEO. Conducted by a sling Proglio which intends to show that he still holds the strings of the group he led for many Annes before moving to EDF. According to Liberation, Proglio have discussed the replacement of Mr. Frérot by Borloo with Nicolas Sarkozy on February 12 when the two men met to discuss the rescue by EDF of Photowatt. The daily added that "history seems to have really played Tuesday, Feb. 14, on the plane. Proglio and Sarkozy publicly come to seal the resumption of Photowatt. The company is saved and Isère Proglio intends to turn the matter Veolia on the carpet. "

"I am driven by two major groups"

However, the facts disputed by the Minister for Ecology Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet. "I was on the plane, there were no apartments and there is no discussion on this topic. So that's false, "she said. But surrounding the ouster of Mr. Frérot to head the group, the spokesman of the candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, however, said she could not "confirm or deny" the information.

For its part, Borloo does not dispute some meetings with "people of Veolia," said Liberation. The daily notes that "at least five members of the board, fully identified, reportedly met Borloo, Thursday and Friday." The applicant further states that the daily Veolia is "a company that I know well as a former minister. They have problems and if I believe what is said, there are a number of shareholders who believe the group needs a class to his head. " The question is whether Borloo could be this character. For now, the former minister is cautious and says that "the only thing I can say is that now I am driven by two major international groups that are not Veolia. And contacts with them are very advanced. "

Other names circulating

But other names than that of former Minister of Ecology would be approached to head the former Generale des Eaux: Augustin de Romanet, CEO of the Caisse des Depots, "but denies the entourage contact, "according to Les Echos, Jacques Veyrat, the former head of Louis Dreyfus and Daniel Bouton, former CEO of Societe Generale.

The poor performance of the group explain, in part, the disallowance of certain directors of the group. Last year, Veolia has indeed passed successively two profit warnings and should show a loss of 200 million for fiscal 2011, according Challenges. The plunge on the stock exchange, which has lost nearly 60% of its value in one year, also feeds the sling administrators. This morning, the title company specializing in water, waste treatment and transport loses more than 4% to about 9 euros, the biggest drop in the CAC 40. The flagship index of the Paris ahead of his 0.6% to 3455 points.

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SNCF will release on February 16 as "good" annual results, in the words of its leadership. Yet they will undergo a severe movement of the plane. On 14 February, the president of SNCF, Guillaume Pepy, unveiled to participants of a seminar on "business model TGV" that his group would carry out an impairment of € 700 million on its TGV . "The value of TGV, now in the books of the SNCF, amounts to nearly 4.5 billion euros," he said, according LaTribune.fr who reports his remarks. We will depreciate the 700 million euros because we have too many trains and they are mostly old. "

The fleet has 457 SNCF trains whose average age is 17 years. This decision comes as the SNCF profitability of the branch TGV group – very profitable long – has deteriorated in recent years. An evolution largely attributed by the public company to the concomitant increase in tolls which it must pay with Réseau Ferré de France (RFF), owner of the tract. Since late last week, SNCF and RFF have agreed on changes in rates of tolls until 2018. Guillaume Pepy was this medium-term visibility a prerequisite for engaging in orders for new trains. He said Tuesday that such investments would only be possible when the operating margin of the travel industry would reach 20%. Or it tops out at 14% today.

Until 2015, the fleet will continue to welcome new trains: 15 "Euro Duplex" will be delivered by Alstom in 2012, 11 in 2013, 11 in 2014 and seven in 2015. According to its chief financial officer, David Azema, who intervenaitle February 15 parliamentary days when the rail is in fact particularly after 2025 that the station should replace trains end of life.

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PSA announced this morning its annual accounts. The group recorded an operating profit of 1.31 billion euros, against 1.79 billion a year earlier. The net profit is not apparent at 588 million euros, against 1.13 billion euros in 2010. Meanwhile, turnover rose by 6.9%, to 59.9 billion euros.

Peugeot loses money on its core business, namely to build and sell automobiles. To be precise, the industry grouping of PSA Peugeot Citroen and recorded an operating loss of EUR 92 million in 2011. In the second half, the deficit in the division has even approached the 500 million euros. Outside this perimeter, the Chinese subsidiary is profitable but it remains small (404,400 vehicles sold).

After a brief stint in the green, the action has continued to sink throughout the session. At 16 hours, as the same fall of 6.9%, to 14.07 euros.  

Peugeot said it plans to open the capital of its subsidiary Gefco, specializing in logistics. He also plans to sell the walls of his Paris headquarters. This is to return cash to the group. It is perhaps this aspect that worries investors.

These efforts include a major program of asset sales of 1 instant payday loans.5 billion euros. This amount includes the sale (completed in February) of the car rental company to quote an American group for 440 million euros, the IPO of the highly profitable logistics subsidiary Gefco, which PSA could take about 560 million, and dispositions of real estate assets – including the walls of the Paris headquarters of the Avenue de la Grande Armee – to 500 million.

Vague and cautious outlook from Moody's

Beyond the figures, investors are sensitive to the perspectives of PSA. THERE is no forecast of operating margin. It is unclear whether Peugeot will be profitable this year. The group expects a 5% drop in sales in Europe, including a 10% decline in France. Growth should be at the rendezvous in emerging countries.

For its part, Moody's placed under surveillance in his note on the group. If the rating agency's rating deteriorates, Peugeot would be in the category of junk bonds.

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An annual net income of $ 41 billion, up 34% over one year for the staff of the majors. The American Exxon Mobil in 2011 remained the world's leading oil company. The results reflect an exceptional year for all of the hydrocarbon industry driven by a barrel of Brent posting a record annual average price of $ 112.

Altogether, the net results of the ten important are around $ 200 billion. These figures however do not prevent spectacular analysts point several concerns about "Big Oil", the nickname of Western majors. The first production. That of the leader Exxon declined 10% (400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day), that 3% of Chevron. "BP has also disappointed," said Luca Baccarini, an analyst with Energy Funds Advisors, an investment advisory firm specializing in the oil market. "The Western majors are struggling to renew their reserves and production, he says, and position themselves increasingly to natural gas."

These are national companies of producing countries that have the greatest potential for oil production, adds substantially Luca Baccarini. And example is the Brazilian Petrobras, Russian Rosneft or Colombian Ecopetrol, companies controlled by their respective states but publicly traded. Petrobras, including a woman, Maria das Graças Foster – unprecedented in this masculine world – just take the reins, saw its annual net profit to decline by 5%. At issue: the rising costs of exploration.

Chinese acquisitions

Chinese companies for their part, became for some years now the leading players, CNOOC, PetroChina and Sinopec continue to show strong growth primarily driven by acquisitions.

In addition to slower production of international companies, analysts point out the poor health that suffers refining in Europe and the United States of overcapacity and insufficient margins. "If you are in the upstream, to drill for oil, you make money, says James Williams, WTRG Economics quoted by the Los Angeles Times. But if you are in the downstream in refining, you lose. "

In 2012, the results of the oil companies should continue to be powered by a barrel high, around $ 100 (Brent crude exceeded $ 117 Friday), especially if tensions around Iran persist. And despite a forecast of weaker global demand anticipated, depending on the monthly report of the International Energy Agency on Friday. This should increase by 0.9% in 2012, of 800,000 barrels per day, 300,000 barrels less than in the projections published in January.

The stock market bounce this week has been facilitated by the concerted action of major central banks. The markets now await a response to the crisis of the euro and they still fear a return to recession is not yet integrated into the course.

• Central banks have put out the fire. Policy is to act.

To rebound, stock markets were expecting a strong gesture. A kind of kick in the bottom of the pool after the distressing spectacle of the leaders of member countries of the euro unable to agree on rescue Greece. The first impetus was given by central banks that have decided to tackle the funding problems of European banks. By providing all the liquidity they need dollars, they have the most urgent and avoided a new banking crisis. But the most difficult tasks lie ahead.For central banks are independent organizations, they therefore have the flexibility of movement that do not have the seventeen Member States of the euro. Now it is in the field of European governance, the ability of states to reduce their debt and the solidity of the European financial stability that is expected the euro area. Subjects whose implementation is far from certain and have not finished putting markets under pressure.

• Focus on growth, defensive stocks do not pay more.

The crash of August brought down one of the last great stock market myth: the resilience of defensive stocks in times of crisis. The numbers speak for themselves: Veolia Environnement and Suez, specializing in utilities, a sector traditionally very defensive, yielded 42 and 20% over the last three months.EDF and GDF Suez lost their next 18 and 12%. France Telecom, Vivendi and Vinci also fell sharply. During the summer, these values ​​have not only shown no ability to resist, but they often fell as much as "cyclical" as Lafarge, ArcelorMittal, Saint-Gobain or Peugeot. The only values ​​that really are resilient growth companies in these emerging countries have low debt and strong brands. LVMH is the case, Essilor International, SEB, Air Liquide, Bic or Hermes International. The clear market preference for growth stocks at the expense of defense is not surprising in times of crisis. It is precisely because investors fear a slowdown in the richer countries, that growth is so sought after by scholars.The famous guru of Wall Street, the American Peter Lynch, who long prospered the famous Magellan fund, has shown: in the long run, only the values ​​of growth are able to enrich shareholders. His motto: there is no fortune by multiplying the stock market moves, but the success by joining the best companies at the time.

• Economists fear a growing recession in the United States.

The euro crisis is not the only concern of the operators. According to a survey by the Wall Street Journal on a panel of 53 economists, they believe that there is one chance in three that the United States fell into recession in the next twelve months. This sharp deterioration in business expectations is a bad omen.American economists believe the Fed will be reactive at its meeting on 20 September, but they doubt the effectiveness of measures taken to revive the business. The survey, closely watched by traders on Wall Street, the trend weakens. Especially when we know that this feeling is shared by consumers, which contributes 70% to U.S. GDP.

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LE FIGARO. – Are you satisfied with the performance of Pernod-Ricard during the exercise?

Pierre PRINGUET. – Congratulations to the teams of Pernod Ricard. The group has an excellent performance, with both a strong acceleration of growth of our business and our operating profits. For the first time ever, our net income exceeds one billion euros. These figures show the relevance of our premiumisation strategy and innovation. Our high-end bottles account for 71% of our sales, against 69% last year. Our new products (Wild Tea Absolut, Malibu cocktails …) our limited series and our innovations in advertising and packaging met with success.With a new bottle of Ricard sales increased 5% in France, a market of aniseed stable.

You get ready for a worsening economic environment?

No, I fear neither slowing growth in emerging countries or return to recession in mature markets. The world faces a problem of public debt, with a unique in Greece, the country most fragile. But the political dimension is at least as important as the economic dimension. Everyone was betting on an acceleration of growth in mature markets: the targets are scaled down, but countries will experience low growth in 2011 (1.5 to 2%). And there is no reason for the dynamic growth of emerging countries is slowing. For 2012, the objectives are still serene. IMF sees faster U.S. next year. You can always play to be afraid.But the psychodrama of the summer on the state of the banking system has nothing to do with the situation of 2008 and the general crisis of debt at the time. It is a political problem, but not macro-financial.

There will be no effect on the growth of your business during the current year?

We expect continued moderate growth in mature markets for the fiscal year beginning in July (1.5% last year) and continued strong growth in emerging countries (17% last year) . These will drive our growth: built on solid economic fundamentals, these markets are naturally attracted to our premium brands.

The tension in the markets makes it more difficult to manage your debt?

For our bank debt, we have no due before July 2013.We have an active management of our debt, with two bond issues last year to EUR 1 billion and $ 1 billion respectively. Interest rates remain particularly low, we will seize every opportunity to issue bonds. We will continue our debt reduction, with the aim of achieving 30 June in a net debt / EBITDA of close to 4.

You will be able to resume your acquisition policy …

Does not expect to purchase several billion on 1 July. In the meantime, we will conduct no strategic acquisitions. However, we can make tactical acquisitions, such as tequila Avion in July. It is both a start-up and a brand ultrapremium, sold between 40 and 60 euros a bottle, which allows us to expand our portfolio in the United States.This is the type of operation we will focus in the immediate future. Acquisitions of Brazilian cachaça or baijiu Chinese are possible options. In our business, this is not the type of product that counts, but the brand. Pernod Ricard could also create one from scratch. This is one of the objectives of our internal team called BIG (Breakthrough Innovation Group), whose current head of our German subsidiary, Alain Dufossé, just take the lead.

This summer, Patrick Ricard, non-executive chairman of Pernod Ricard, said at that point the group should aim for first place in the spirits market. What is your strategy to achieve this?

This is the purpose of our project Agility. The goal is not size for size, but the growth momentum. Our sales have grown faster than our competitor's last year. We must repeat that performance this year.We take the market, we are the most innovative, we are well placed to achieve this.

Alexandre Ricard was promoted a few weeks ago. It is well positioned to succeed you …

Two things are certain. One is Alexandre Ricard has an excellent track. That's why I named Executive Vice President in charge of distribution networks. The second is that I leave my post January 31, 2015, when I turn 65, according to the statutes of Pernod Ricard.