Today in Global Small Business: Rebranding DEI

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• In the US, DEI is under attack. But under a different name, it might live on.  Let's hope so.  Further, the speed at which some large corporations have shed their DEI policies raises the question of how genuine their commitment to diversifying their workforces was in the first place [Laurel Delaney agrees].
• Trump's The State of Chaos address on Tuesday, March 5, 2025.  What will he say?  
• Quote of the week:  Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has said that he would cut "stupid" DEI costs even without Donald Trump. However, he has also reaffirmed the bank's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 
• The White House is making clear it views President Donald Trump’s Friday Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an overwhelming failure that underscores Trump’s “America last” leadership, dispatching top officials and allies to muzzle Trump’s handling of the situation even as European leaders are expressing zero support for Ukraine and its leader.  That my fellow readers is fake news.  Here's the real messaging the White House crafted here.
• Goodbye Skype.
• How facilitating cross-border payments is helping build businesses and communities worldwide, while fostering a new generation of global small business owners.

A Shared, Global Movement: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

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The conversation around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has never been more pressing, as organizations worldwide navigate complex landscapes shaped by local policies, cultural expectations, and evolving workplace demographics.  It is a shared, global movement.

To explore these challenges and opportunities, Seramount recently hosted a webinar titled “DEI Lessons from Around the World,” featuring insights from their partners at Inditex and Kellanova alongside their expanding Global Advisory Network. With expert voices from six countries—the UK, Canada, UAE, Ireland, Spain, and Germany—the webinar offers a nuanced look at how DEI is evolving worldwide.

You can access key takeaways from the conversation from around the world here.  Check out their diversity calendar 2025.

Today in Global Small Business: What Are Tariffs and Why Are They Rising?

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• What are tariffs and why are they rising?
• What every multinational company should know about…implementing an international compliance program (Part II).
• Quote of the week:  "Many economists and industry experts agree that the United States faces unfair competition and artificially low prices that have damaged the domestic steel industry. But they don't agree that a tariff is the right approach for addressing the problem." – Annie Lowrey
• BIS sets higher KYC standards for companies and universities over Russia diversion concerns.
• Why the increase focus on ESG?
• 3 ways to make DEI training stick, according to a global DEI exec.

Bain Offers a Sampling of Their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Efforts

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Sustained progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) means taking a fresh look at every aspect of how Bain runs their organization. They have devoted significant resources to a wide range of local, regional, and global efforts and are testing and learning from multiple ideas, interventions, and new ways of working designed to ensure that all Bainies thrive.

The sections below offer a sample of their efforts.

• Leadership Responsibility
• Talent Pathways
• Support to Thrive
• Inclusive Leadership
• Building Community
• Agents of Change

How are you progressing in this area?   Read Bain's full report here.

Elevate Equity Inside and Out

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Consumers want to support brands that represent them and their values. And organizations that have made DEI efforts a core priority also recognize that it’s just as important to feature representation in front of the camera as it is behind the scenes.

How can global marketers do this? There are multiple ways across an organization’s ecosystem, of which Deloitte has highlighted three within their Authentically inclusive marketing article.  While you are at it, check out their Global Marketing Trends 2022.