Making Scents at the World Economic Forum

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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And for our last word in business, we go to the Swiss Alps, where more than 1,000 CEOs, state ministers and other movers and shakers are gathering for the World Economic Forum in Davos. The word is: economic sense. The global financial turmoil is dominating discussion this year, and as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bill Gates and the CEOs of Google and Citigroup hash out solutions, they'll be aided by unusual aromas. Conference organizers have set up perfume machines to pump fragrances into the rooms, apparently to enhance discussion.

The French chemist who oversaw the job reportedly spent months experimenting with the odor of market turmoil. He says, quote, "The aroma of subprime was particularly interesting." The fragrances he came up actually have names like Gigabyte and Happiness. He says the goal was to have the perfume overcome the gloom. A corporate executive at Davos calls the whole idea, quote, "bizarre."

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