Long considered Africa's leading economy, South Africa has struggled to maintain momentum in recent years, leading to rising unemployment and a contracting economy. A renewed emphasis on industrial development zones is seen as one way to preserve the country's regional FDI crown.

Derby has a history of innovation dating back to the industrial revolution, a mindset that continues to serve it well into the digital age. Local authorities – keen to make the city somewhere to live as well as work – have spent the past few years improving Derby's leisure offering, all of which is enabling the city to continue to punch above its weight.

The UK's manufacturing decline of recent years seems to have bypassed Derby, which has met the challenge of low-cost competitors in the developing world by focusing upon quality.

The service levels shown to foreign companies locating in Macedonia's free zones have come as a pleasant surprise to even the most seasoned of professionals, giving the country a further competitive advantage on top of its tax incentives and cheap labour.

Three US players in the automobile industry describe how they have fended off the economic downturn by investing in technology and realigning internal practices.