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Whether the media reports on the EU's struggles portray the country as a model of fiscal responsibility or a stern parental figure, Germany has been seen as Europe's economic rudder. So what is the key to Germany's steady approach? "Family," says Olaf Plötner . As in, family-run-businesses. In a post at Forbes.com , Plötner, dean of executive education at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin, points to successful German firms that take a long-term view on business success: These organizations have been able to avoid the focus on the short-term shareholder that dogs so many large companies elsewhere because of an ownership structure that seems unique to Germany. A considerable number of successful German companies, such as Metro AG, the Oetker Group, and Fresenius, to name just a few, are family owned and therefore not constricted by immediate market demands. According to a 2012 study by the Institute for SME Research (IfM), in Bonn, the 4,400 major family-owned industrial firms with revenues of more than 50 million euros accounted for 43% of all German exports in 2011. In 85% of these businesses, at least one family member is active on the board. It’s a clear demonstration of the importance these companies give to uniting ownership and management. Furthermore, the study found that the main management ideals within these enterprises were securing the family business and an orientation toward long-term goals. Of course not all of Germany’s most high profile companies are owned by families. But of those that are not, many are owned, at least in part, by foundations. In a model that has been common in Germany for more than a century, foundations do not have return on capital as their principal goal. Contribution to society has always played an important part. The Robert Bosch Foundation, for example, owns 92% of Bosch the home appliances giant and focuses on long-term growth and employee welfare. The Bertelsmann Foundation holds a 75% stake in the media group Bertelsmann AG, and the legendary optics firm Carl Zeiss AG is completely owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, which states that its mains goals include the economic security of the company and social responsibility. Read The Family Secret That Makes German Companies So Successful here .

When it comes to valuable sports franchises, football is king. Whether it be the original football (aka futbol or soccer) or American football, the top teams in Europe and the US make up 8 of the top 10 on the 2012 Forbes list of the 50 most valuable teams. Here is the top 10: #1 Manchester United ($2.23 billion) #2 Real Madrid ($1.88 billion) #3 New York Yankees ($1.85 billion) #3 Dallas Cowboys ($1.85 billion) #5 Washington Redskins ($1.56 billion) #6 Los Angeles Dodgers ($1.4 billion) #6 New England Patriots ($1.4 billion) #8 Barcelona ($1.31 billion) #9 New York Giants ($1.3 billion) #10 Arsenal ($1.29 billion) American football rules when it comes to the full list, with the NFL's 32 teams all making the list. TV contracts seems to be the key: The future looks even brighter for all NFL teams thanks to a new labor agreement, as well as a new round of TV contracts. The league and its players endured a four-month lockout last year, but no regular-season games were lost. The new collective bargaining agreement ensures labor peace for 10 years and gives owners a bigger piece of the pie, as players settled for a salary cap based on 48% of total revenues versus roughly 54% in previous years. The NFL inked extensions to its TV deals with CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC last year. The nine-year deals (ESPN is for eight years) start with the 2014 season and are worth $5 billion a year collectively, a 62% bump on the prior contracts. The average NFL team is worth $1.04 billion. Read about the full list here .

Brenna Sniderman , Senior Director of Research at Forbes Insights , shares an interesting breakdown of types of innovators. She says that Forbes Insights research shows there are five key types of innovators. Here they are: Are some types of innovators more inclined for success than others? That isn't completely clear, though there are some signs that two of the types may be more inclined to take more risks, while others may be better equipped to lead others through innovation. Sniderman writes: No one group can be considered the purest “entrepreneurial group,” but Movers and Shakers and Experimenters may be the closest. They have the strongest tendency to be internally driven, in control and bridle the most at others telling them what to do. Younger, more innovative firms generally need Movers and Shakers at the top, channeling the energy of Experimenters into a vision that can be implemented. As organizations grow larger and more established, however, they need Star Pupils who can translate that vision into a strategy and lead it forward, Controllers who can marshal the troops to execute it and Hangers-On who can rein it in. A firm reaching maturity has greater need for strong processes, as well as those who value control. Read The Five Personalities of Innovators: Which One Are You? here

If the economy is to pick up in 2012, we will need to see some recovery in housing markets. Forbes is featuring a slideshow of US cities that are "ripe for a rebound." Here is the list: San Jose, CA, Houston, TX, Boston, MA, Raleigh, NC, Austin, TX, Oklahoma City, OK, Fort Worth, TX, Pittsburgh, PA, New Orleans, LA, and Rochester, NY. Note that cities like Las Vegas and Fort Myers--cities that saw home values seemingly drop off a cliff--are not on this list. The Forbes list features cities where housing didn't drop too much, as those cities simply have too far to climb to get back to level ground. Click here to roll through the slide-show and look at the data for each of the above cities. Then see what cities you would keep on this list, and what others you might add.

While we're watching to for signs of whether the economy will grow more quickly or slide back into recession, Forbes contributor Joe McKendrick suggests we watch new technology platforms for signs of recovery. And he says the new platforms "tilt the scales" in favor of entrepreneurs (and consumers) for the following reasons: 1) Technology platforms offer new recruiting and employment tools. 2) Technology platforms offer entrepreneurial resources 3) Technology platforms offer access to capital 4) Technology platforms offer economic boosts for distressed communities or regions 5) Technology platforms offer access to new innovation Read Five Ways Cloud, Social and Mobile Technologies are Lifting Our Economy here .

India's rise to the top of the global economy has been put on hold. Yes, the economy is still growing. But not at rates that we saw over the last few years. MIT Sloan School deputy dean and professor of management S. P. Kothari points to India's improve conditions for the more than 400 million Indians living in poverty. Without significant improvements in the education and overall standard of living for its citizens, India will always struggle to reach its economic potential. Kothari give a bit of a prescription at Forbes : First on the agenda: improving India’s hard infrastructure. The country’s power systems are woefully out of date. Its highways are congested; its roads are riddled with rocks and potholes. Its railways are limited, and its buses are overcrowded. Infrastructure is like a blood circulation system for an economy: It allows people and goods both physical and electronic to move quickly from one part of the country to another and out to the rest of the world. To make sure India’s economy is efficient and its exports remain competitive, India must make much-needed investments in infrastructure. Its soft infrastructure, especially its education system, is also in need of investment. Competing in the global economy requires an educated workforce, and though the country has made great strides in establishing a number of world-class universities, its primary and secondary schools are sorely deficient. India’s literacy rate is 74%. China’s, by comparison, is 92%. Rectifying this must be a priority. The country’s regulatory apparatus, also part of its soft infrastructure, needs an overhaul, too. Corruption is an integral part of Indian society. Bribery is common even among middle class households. So is tax evasion. Business owners routinely squirrel away undeclared profits. And regulators look the other way. Kothari goes on to write that more regulation is not the answer (just real enforcement of existing regulations), and no positive change will happen until India finds ways of increasing foreign direct investment. Read India's Faltering Boom, and How to Revive It here .

Do women want Harleys? Well, some certainly do. And it seems even a lot of women who don't own a motorcycle really like the brand. We'll leave it up to you to figure out why that is. But we mention Harley-Davidson because it scored very highly among women in a recent survey. Forbes contributor Caleb Melby took a look at the survey results, and he highlights a few of the brands that do well among women: Barbie, CVS, Kotex...and Harley Davidson. Melby writes: Harley Davidson, the traditionally male-associated brand, scored with women this past year – landing it a spot on the index for the first time at number 194. The iconic motorcycle brand staged a series of initiatives to celebrate the growing number of women enthusiasts, including women-only garage parties, a first-ever female “biker boot camp,” and the launch of “women riders month.” The company also gave women the chance to interact with fellow female riders on a new website, featuring tips and advice on how to turn their riding dream into reality. Read What Brands Do Women Want? here . Incidentally, Forbes has a lot of content focused on women in business right now. Click here for Forbes's list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women .