All made difficult individual decisions in the belief that they were all in this together, and they have spoken publicly and privately in support of the strategic framework they developed to guide defense spending decisions over the next decade.

CNN: Who's to blame for defense spending cut threat?

Here is a guide to determining the right spending rate in pursuit of growth.

FORBES: How Impossible Dreams Can Destroy Value In Mid-Sized Firms

The simple awareness of where you are ultimately heading has an amazing power to subconsciously guide you toward smarter daily spending choices.

FORBES: Practice Radical Financial Simplicity

If history is a guide, this could lead to cuts in consumer discretionary spending.

FORBES: April U.S. Retail Sales Up 8.8% - Highest YOY Growth Since May 2006

In December Italy's competition watchdog fined Auditel, which compiles the ratings which guide ad spending, for practices which may give an unfair advantage to Mediaset and RAI.

ECONOMIST: Mediaset

Previewing ideas he will set out in full with a speech on Tuesday to the independent Resolution Foundation - whose work is devoted to diagnosing the problems affecting low to middle income earners - Mr Boles proposes a philosophical shift that should guide the next round of spending cuts due for 2013 or 2014.

BBC: UK Politics