July 4 –Charlie’s Group founders Stefan Lepionka, Mark Ellis and Simon Neal, along with other majority shareholders, have agreed to sell the juice-maker for $129.3 million to Japanese brewer, the Asahi group.

The local unit of the Japanese drinks giant, Asahi Beverages New Zealand Ltd., is offering 44 cents apiece to Charlie’s shareholders, a premium of 57% to the juice-maker’s closing price of 28 cents on Friday.

Asahi already has 52.17% approvals, and intends to take full control, requiring at least 90% to achieve a takeover.

Charlie’s board of directors has recommended shareholders accept the deal unless a better offer eventuates or the independent adviser’s report says the price falls short of the valuation range.

“Asahi’s intended offer represents a very strong premium over market for shareholders to consider,” chairman Ted van Arkel said in a statement. The independent d

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Having trouble finding a way to thank employees for their hard work when your business is having trouble getting by? USA Today has some advice from SBA head, Karen Mills, that may help.

Many employees understand the financial constraints that come with running a business during bumpy economic times and appreciate creative efforts to recognize their contributions. Here are some ways to provide rewards without breaking the bank:

Think 365. Many firms reward employees once a year — usually in conjunction with a performance review. A better approach is to sincerely reward workers throughout the year. T

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Who knows your community better than you? If you know where all the great places to visit and eat are at in your town and city, why not start your own tours for tourists?

That is exactly what Julia Segal is doing with her own business, Kingston By Fork. According to Frontenac EMC, she started a food tourism business with some help from The Entrepreneurship Centres Summer Company program.

Segal offers two tours: Homegrown Eats, which allows participants to experience the local food scene in Kingston and ends with lunch at Aqua Terra by Clark Restaubistro, and A Taste of the World, which focuses on the diverse tastes that can be found in the Limestone City.

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Just a bout of weakness or completely anaemic? In any case, the world economy has lost its dynamic momentum as it pulled out of winter 2011. The US economy began to slow down as of the first quarter, falling back to an annualized growth rate of barely 2%. Eurozone growth has held up better at an annualized rate of nearly 3.4%, thanks notably to Germany, which accounts for half of this figure. But economic surveys suggest that growth is stalling. They depict a rather sluggish spring and early summer that will spare few countries in the Eurozone. In June, the main US business confidence index provided by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) could approach the threshold of 50, which marks the beginning of a contraction in industrial activity.

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June 30 – State-owned enterprises Genesis Energy Ltd. and Solid Energy Ltd. m

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• The second hurdle of Parliamentary approval was passed yesterday, increasing the chances for Greece to receive the next bailout tranche, worth EUR12 billion, while opening the doors for a second bailout package from the EU/IMF, issue that will be discussed in detail when European Finance Ministers meet on July 3rd.

• Ekathermerini, Greek news webiste, however warned that Wednesday’s vote it is not necessarily home free as Thursday’s vote – on a bill outlining the implementation of the measures set out in the first bill – must also be secured if the next tranche of rescue funding is to be released by the Troika and snap elections are to be averted.

• “This could still stall the process but should be more of a technicality than anything else” says Kathy Lien, Director of Currency Research at GFT.

• The Euro surged for a fourth consecutive day in Asia, printing new highs at 1.4513, as hopes are growing that Greece will be able to avoid an immediate default. Dur

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In 1975, 80% of all deaths on a motorcycle occurred in people 29 years and younger. Today greater than 30% of all deaths are in people 50 years and older. The 29 and younger crowd only account for about 25%.

Whats this mean? If youre trying to sell motorcycles, or motorcycle-related accessories to the youth, youre targeting the wrong market.