Border Busters!

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Have your plans to go global stalled?

Well get global here!

Sourcing Abroad Gives Tiny Players An Edge

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Sonia Seye spends her days braiding hair and turning multicolored hair extensions into intricate, fashionable coifs.

But running a busy Los Angeles salon is just the start for this 30-year-old immigrant from Senegal. Ms. Seye has dreams of a bigger, more profitable future: building franchises of her salon, Hair Universal, across California -- then supplying those salons with popular human-hair extensions.

And to make that happen, Ms. Seye is looking abroad.

A hat tip to Paul Barsch, Global Services Marketing, Teradata, a division of NCR, for bringing this article to our attention.

Global Fast-Food Invasion

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After its first lap, globalization gets really interesting. The stuff you invented -- in this culinary case, fast-food hamburgers, fried chicken, pizza and doughnuts -- gets sent out into the world, is replicated by other countries and then comes back to you all crazied up, like a giant game of telephone. And if you hold that piece of Filipino fried chicken up to your ear and are really quiet, you can hear what the rest of the world is thinking about us.

Listen in here.

Global Timber Smugglers

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In a grainy undercover video (click here to watch), the smuggler stands surrounded by stacks and stacks of lumber, large bales of freshly milled planks held together with steel bands. His gold watch glints as he begins counting money, methodically placing each bill on a desk. Sitting nearby, his partner watches through Coke-bottle glasses. They both appear to be in a good mood, laughing and joking with their clients.

The unwitting star of the video, Frankie Chua, managed an import/export business. Let's hope you don't run yours this way. The men Chua regarded as potential clients were, in fact, undercover employees of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

Interesting.

The Translation Quoting Process

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International business is hardly an instant gratification activity. Many firms are often in contact with prospective clients for years before they are privileged with their patronage.

Find out more here.

Reaping International Rewards

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Shortly after leaving church one Sunday, Mark Twain and fellow writer William Dean Howells were caught in a heavy rain shower. "Do you think it will stop?" Howells asked. Replied Twain: "It always has."

What does this have to do with anything international? Find out here.

Get Noticed Globally: Scribd

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We posted this information in our Borderbuster e-newsletter today (4/5) but in case you are not a subscriber yet, check out the following.

Scribd -- the YouTube for documents! -- is a free online library where anyone can upload. Use their embeddable PDF player to publish and view documents right in your web browser. How cool is that? Try it out! We did here.

Be sure to view full screen for it looks a little better that way. For our first attempt, it's not bad. Give it a whirl. What an amazing way to track who reads what -- globally -- on your work!

World Wide Web Conference May 8-12

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The International World Wide Web Conference Committee (IW3C2) and the University of Calgary cordially invite you to participate in the 16th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW2007), to be held at the world-famous Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff National Park May 8-12, 2007.

The World Wide Web Conference is the global event that brings together the key innovators, decision-makers, technologists, businesses, and standards bodies shaping the Web.

Organized by the IW3C2 since 1994, the WWW conference is the annual gathering place of the international community to discuss and debate the future evolution of the Web.

Find out more here.

Gone Global

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A fun, interesting read and so true!

Why expanding overseas is your ticket to new markets, new ideas, and a world of adventure.

Foreign markets are like children's shoes: They offer plenty of room to grow. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, 95 percent of the world's consumers reside outside the United States. Some of those people have holes in their lives the exact size and shape of your product.

While you're there, look for a bunch of slideshows by Inc. on going global. Good stuff.

Girl, Interrupted? Try Package, Intercepted

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Ever sent a global package (think vacations ... think romance ...) that included a Dear John or Jane letter and just when you put it in the hands of UPS, wished that you could get it back because you had second thoughts? Well help is on the way. And this works great for global small business transactions too.

Is Anyone Not Looking at China?

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HP and Dell are exporting their rivalry and starting to challenge Lenovo. What about you? Are you looking at China for business opportunities?

Immigrants Gain Global Edge Doing Business at Home

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Especially for immigrant entrepreneurs building a business in the U.S. Selling back to their lands where they have cultural knowledge just feels right. Read more on how they do it here.

Handicapping the Best Countries for Global Business

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If you are an executive of a multinational looking for geographies in which to expand your markets, operations, and investments, is China more attractive than India? South Africa better than Mexico? Does Russia have more promise than the United States? The answer you devise can be crucial to your company's future.

The good news is that in today's hypercompetitive global economy, certain countries offer distinctive advantages to help your business but you need to choose wisely. Find out which are the best countries to invest in here.

Spanning the Globe in Real Time

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Global business agility relies on information flow. By using a digital dashboard, managers can track critical business metrics and "act on them" much faster.

For global corporations, business agility is not the same as speed. Anyone can move quickly, but at what financial and organizational cost? Truly agile companies are like star athletes. They move fast while maintaining a lower heart rate at higher levels of fitness and endurance. They adapt to any rhythm ... read more here.

International Business Multiculturalism and the Internet

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Lots of good stuff here.

Breaking Into The Global Marketplace

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Like many small entrepreneurs, you may think tackling global markets is better left to the corporate giants of the world.

After all, Asia might as well be Mars as far as you're concerned.

But before you write off going global, consider this:

By the year 2010, China is expected to have 149 million middle-class households, India 45 million and Brazil 18 million, according to Pearl Kamer, chief economist for the Long Island Association.

If you're not taking advantage of these potential markets, she says, you could be missing out.

Read more here but as a side note, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Jamie Herzlich on this Newsday piece.

Abridged Borderbuster: 3/5/07

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CONTENTS

If you are not a subscriber to Borderbuster, here's a glimpse of what you missed this month:

1. Welcome From The Publisher

2. Feedback from our Readers and Update to our Readers

3. Flawed Exports*

4. Business and Cultural Tips: Have Some Fun!*

5. Investing Worldwide*

6. How I Went Global: Ongoing Series // Ben Worthen

7. A Reader Asks: Q&A*

8. Everybody Loves a Freebie -- repeat: FREE OFFER*

9. French Wine and Spirits Exports to U.S. Up 22%*

10. Capital Rules: The Tensions of Global Finance*

11. Global Strength Will Boost U.S. Manufacturing*

12. Blog World: It’s Time To Go Global*

13. Laurel’s e-Book: “GODZILLA Global Marketing!”

14. Take A Walk On The Wild Side (TAWOTWS)

15. Wind Behind Your Sail*

16. Miscellany*

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

*Indicates exclusive to Borderbuster subscribers only.

Sample section:

8. EVERYBODY LOVES A FREEBIE: DOWNLOAD LEADING ACROSS CULTURES: FRANCE

Leading Across Cultures: France is part of a series of white papers focusing on leadership effectiveness in a variety of cultural settings. The authors explore the historical and cultural roots of leading effectively in France. Examples of leadership in France are contrasted with leadership in other cultures. In addition, the author concludes with a discussion of how leadership in France has changed in the context of globalization.

Download PDF file here (requires Adobe Acrobat).

###

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Building a Global Brand That Works Locally

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Great brands transcend geography. But to build a great global brand, you must understand the vital role that your company’s electronic "face" plays in your success, says says Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President of Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm, as well as a blogger. Read post.

Embrace Globalization!

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In case you missed it, The Wall Street Journal published an interesting article on Monday, February 26 entitled Global Trade Galvanizes Caterpillar. Despite the fact that you may not be the giant size of Caterpillar -- you're the car, not the truck, right? -- you can still pick up good tips from the piece.

Here are five (5) not shown in the online feature and I totally agree with each and every one of them:

5 Tips for Managing a Global Giant

1. ACT with integrity, value your people.
2. COMPLACENCY is incompatible with success.
3. STAY focused on bottom-line growth.
4. DON'T SHY away from tough debates.
5. EMBRACE GLOBALIZATION!

Read the entire article here.

Global Art

Permission to use:  Bryan Marovich (2/24/07)

My American brother-in-law, Bryan Marovich, sent the above wonderful sketch by his artist friend, Luis Christello, who happened to be hanging out with Bryan and other musically inclined friends at the Lgare Cafe (bar) in Rua da Rosa, which is in Bairro Alto, Lisboa.

The jam session players are:

Bryan -- guitar (USA and featured far right back corner)
Carlos -- charango (Portugal)
Andre -- banjo (Portugal)
Manuel -- percussion (Argentina)
Luis -- at the drawing table (Brazil)

At this moment, I bet they are making beautiful world music together.