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EconSouth		  In This Issue 

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   Editorial Director

Lynn Foley
   Managing Editor

Jean Tate
   Staff Writer

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Kristin Shelton
   Designers

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   Vice President and
   Public Affairs Officer

B. Frank King
   Vice President and
   Associate Director
   of Research

Thomas J. Cunningham
   Vice President
   Research Department
   Regional Section

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ISSN 0899-6571

Cover illustration by John McGee
          Volume 1, Number 1, First Quarter 1999

CURRENT ISSUE

A New Perspective

COVER STORY

The Internet: Changing Businesses'
Approach to Business

It's fun and entertaining, but it's also big business. What is it? The Internet, and it's changing the way companies do business with one another and with consumers. This article looks at how several southeastern companies are using this online technology to improve their efficiency and reach new markets of potential customers.

FEATURES

Preparing for a Natural Disaster:
A Business Perspective

During the 1990s, natural disasters have wreaked havoc on many communities in the Southeast. In addition to the human suffering they inflict, disasters cost businesses millions of dollars each year. But, as this article points out, many recovery costs can be avoided if businesses take steps to prepare before disaster strikes.


Brazil's Policy Changes Dampen Outlook
for Latin America
Brazil is a key part of Latin America's economy, and in recent years it has become a more important trading partner with the United States. But how closely are the hemisphere's economies tied to Brazil's? To provide some answers, the Atlanta Fed offers a perspective on Brazil's recent monetary policy changes and how these changes may affect Latin America and the United States.

DEPARTMENTS

Research Notes
     Dollar Index

The State of the States

Southeastern Economic Indicators
     Southeastern Manufacturing Survey