The company's consultants recently logged on to do their holiday shopping and study the state of the e-commerce market at the same time.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Asia Buzz: Bah, Humbug

Every year we do a study about Holiday consumer spending trends.

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He called The Sea, about a man who confronts his past in a town where he spent a childhood holiday, "a masterly study of grief, memory and love recollected".

BBC: John Banville won a closely-contested prize

It became the number one "Most Desired Gift" on Amazon.com during last year's holiday season and, eventually, a Harvard Business School case study.

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According to a new CareerBuilder study, companies are planning to offer employees more perks this holiday season than last.

FORBES: Employers Plan to Give Workers More This Holiday Season

The CareerBuilder study found that 46% of employers expect to give their employees holiday bonuses this year, up from 40% last year and 33% in 2010.

FORBES: Employers Plan to Give Workers More This Holiday Season

The study found a correlation between the increase in stress and the number of days holiday taken by executives in the countries concerned.

ECONOMIST: A look at noteworthy articles from business journals

Holiday weight gain tends to be small--an average of a pound a year, according to one study--but it sticks with us and is a leading cause of obesity later in life.

FORBES: Magazine Article