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Why did you make this decision? It surprised many people and many companies.Read the entire interview here.
Google is a different kind of company than many others. The issue of operating in China was always complex for us. We were asked to accept a system of censorship that we were very uncomfortable with. But we had come to the conclusion that operating in China was better for everyone—us, the Chinese people—than staying out of the country. We have decided that we cannot participate in censorship anymore.
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China,
Eric Schmidt,
Fareer Zakaria,
Google CEO,
Internet censorship,
Newsweek
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KnowEm was developed to assist everyone - from individuals to Fortune 500 companies - in discovering where their names, brands, or trademarked terms are available (or stolen) on Social Media networks. KnowEm will not only help you secure your name across the vast social media landscape but we can also show you how to contact each site in order to have the name released and returned to you.Check it out. Let us know if it's useful to you or not. Don't see too much global here.
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KnowEm,
social media networks
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Bare Escentuals Inc.,
Japan,
Shiseido
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China,
cyber attacks,
Google,
Open Socity Institute,
Rebecca MacKinnon
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The President has been receiving updates on the urgent situation in Haiti late into last night and throughout the day, and top members of his team have been convening to formulate the government response.Families of Americans living in Haiti are encouraged to contact the State Department at 888-407-4747.
You can also help immediately by donating to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting "HAITI" to "90999." Find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information.
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donations,
earthquake,
Haiti,
The Global Small Business Blog
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Business First of Columbus,
export plunge
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China,
global domination,
Snuggie
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never lose money,
Warren Buffet
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10 technologies,
2010,
Erick Schonfeld,
rock your world,
techtip2u,
Verio
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Burj Dubai,
Dubai Khalifa,
world's tallest building
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The best books on globalization this year offer insights into three directional trends that are changing the topology of global trade and influence: the deepening of regional ties across emerging markets; the continuing rise of powerful new global players; and, finally, the intractability of risk factors inherent in emerging markets and regional networks, and how best to analyze them.Get ready to feed your global mindset and chart your business course. The five featured are:
An unmistakable conclusion that we share with all the books featured in this essay is the assertion that the U.S. has lost its status as the preeminent driver of globalization. Thus, we predict that two trends will typify the next phase of globalization: First, stronger regionalism in terms of deepening economic integration in areas such as East Asia, Latin America, and the Arab world will be driven by local powers such as China, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. Second, the global playing field for firms, capital, and strategies will become much more level as Western companies lose the automatic edge they once held in trust and credibility. (See “Capturing the Asian Opportunity,” by Andrew Cainey, Suvojoy Sengupta, and Steven Veldhoen, s+b, Winter 2009.) Companies in emerging and frontier markets may not become global leaders in their own right, but they will surely be powerful players in their own domains and beyond.Care to share other enlightening books you read on globalization in 2009? We'll highlight them here on The Global Small Business Blog.
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China is already accounting for 17 per cent of the world's chemical output,' says Thomas. 'The high growth in chemical production will continue in 2010 because of the large number of new chemical plants due to come on stream in the country during the year. Their output will slow down the big inflow of imports into China.'Read more about this topic here at Chemistry World.
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Some people view globalization in positive terms, as a key force in promoting worldwide economic development. But others believe ...More here.
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‘‘SMEs are the backbone of this economy and it’s time the government sat up and took notice of this," said Curran.Further:
‘‘We need to look at improving the export policy of these businesses, but the cost of competitiveness and a reduction in rates and other charges - such as energy - must be addressed. SMEs have done all they possibly can to cut costs.
‘‘We are still reliant on the international economy, and I would be very worried about the first few months of next year. This has probably been the worst year for SMEs in 20 years."Read more at "SMEs Hanging On In Unforgiving Climate."
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Irish entrepreneurs,
Nicola Cooke,
SMEs,
The Post
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"Chinese consumers are buying," says Dong Tao, regional Asia economist for Credit Suisse in Hong Kong. "Job prospects are good." Add what he calls "the spice of asset appreciation" in property and stocks, and folks feel richer.Still, Asia must rely on its exports to not just survive but to really thrive. More here.
All of that is good news for the world economy, which has relied on Asia to pull the world out of recession. The International Monetary Fund forecasts inflation adjusted growth in developing Asia will be 7.3% in 2010, compared to 3.1% globally. China has accounted for more than half of the world's economic growth the past three years, according to the IMF.
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Asia,
leading world out of downturn,
WSJ
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Two examples, one small, one large: The first is my childhood friend, Ken Greer, who owns a marketing agency in Minneapolis, Greer & Associates. The Great Recession has forced him to radically downsize, but the Great Inflection has made him radically more productive. He illustrated this by telling me about a film he recently made for a nonprofit.Read the entire column here. When you attempt to access cheap tools and focus on your value add, take it global.
“The budget was about 20 percent of what we normally would charge,” said Greer. “After one meeting with the client, almost all our communication was by e-mail. The script was developed and approved using a collaborative tool provided by www.box.net. Internally, we all could look at the script no matter where we were, make suggestions and get to a final draft with complete transparency — easy, convenient and free. We did not have a budget to shoot new footage, yet we had no budget either for stock photography the old way — paying royalties of $100 to $2,000 per image. We found a source, istockphoto.com, which offered great photos for as little as a few dollars.
“We could easily preview all the images, place them in our program to make sure they worked, purchase them online and download the high-resolution versions — all in seconds,” Greer added. “We had a script that called for 4 to 5 voices. Rather than hiring local voice talent — for $250 to $500 per hour — we searched the Internet for high-quality voices that we could afford. We found several sites offering various forms of narration or voice-overs. We selected www.voices.com. In less than one minute, we created an account, posted our requirements and solicited bids. Within five minutes, we had 10 to 15 ‘applicants’ ” — charging 10 percent of what Greer would have paid live talent.
“Best part,” he said, “within minutes we had sample reads, which could be placed into our film to see if the voices fit. We selected our finalists, wrote them with more specific instructions and within hours had the final read delivered to us via MP3 files over the Web. We could get any accent or ethnicity we wanted. For music, we used a site called www.audiojungle.net,” where he could sample thousands of cuts of music and sound effects with the click of a mouse, and then buy them for pennies.
By being able to access all these cheap tools, Greer got to focus on his value-add: imagination.
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Dr. Amy Vanderbilt,
Laurel Delaney,
Trend Watch List,
TrendPOV
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Even before last fall’s crash, sales at Lexington International, a 12-employee maker of a laser device for treating hair loss, started heading south. “People cut down on nonessential health care items, and we really felt it,” said David Michaels, managing director of the company, which is based in Boca Raton, Fla., and was founded nine years ago. When he analyzed his company’s performance, Mr. Michaels concluded that the possibilities for domestic sales growth were slim. But he had started exporting his product, called HairMax, to Canada and Australia in 2001. Perhaps expanding to other countries was the answer.Read the entire article here.
Mr. Michaels turned to the Gold Key Service of the Commerce Department, hiring consultants who spent several months conducting industry research and visiting a handful of countries, the better to pinpoint potential distribution partners. Then, Mr. Michaels traveled to those places to meet his partners in person. At the same time, the consultants helped him understand the regulatory issues he would have to tackle in each country. Ultimately, the licensing process took three to nine months, depending on the region. The most difficult country was South Korea, which, Mr. Michaels said, has a particularly rigorous licensing procedure for medical devices.
Now, he is also selling to Russia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, in addition to South Korea, where, Mr. Michaels said, “There are significant social advantages to having a great head of hair.” He figures that international sales have more than compensated for the decline in the United States.
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Christmas worldwide,
Wikipedia
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Twin brothers Richard and Antony Joseph founded Joseph Joseph in 2003, combining their respective experience in product design and business – Antony studied design at Central St Martins whilst Richard studied business at Cambridge University.
Specializing in contemporary kitchenware, Joseph Joseph is now internationally recognized for producing some of the most stylish and technically innovative products available, and has become one of the fastest growing companies in the worldwide homewares market.
Their unique ability to match form and function has earned them global recognition for their multi-award-winning designs.
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contemporary kitchenware,
Joseph Joseph,
UK
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"U.S. exports appear to be improving much faster than the domestic economy, suggesting that much of the improvement seen in the manufacturing sector reflects strengthening economic conditions abroad and the impact of the weaker dollar," said Nomura Securities economist David Resler.Read all about it here.
Stronger-than-expected net exports lifted growth prospects for the current quarter. The forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers raised its estimate for fourth-quarter growth to 3.8% from 3.4%.
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trade gap shrinks,
WSJ
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"One of the key goals of this year's fair is to build an efficient trade platform for domestic SMEs to expand their business in the global market," said Lin Ying, secretary-general of the organizing committee.Learn more here.
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China,
expand internationally,
global markets,
SMEs
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Crafts, baked goods and rummage - all of these will be on sale at the 1st Maple Guides Going Global Christmas sale, Saturday, Dec. 5.Learn more about it here.
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going global Christmas sale
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Norman Love® blends a master’s appreciation of the sensuous with the art of the chef to create handcrafted chocolates ... exquisite, silky, rich chocolates ... reserved for those who expect nothing less than perfection. Norman Love Confections® has been satisfying connoisseurs of fine chocolates since 2001, when the chocolatier first introduced the masterpieces he produces at his facility in Fort Myers, Florida.Think about someone special in your life -- employee, partner, spouse, friend, colleague, client, vendor, etc. -- and whether they might be in the mood for a nice surprise from you.
Today, Norman enjoys international recognition for the incomparable, handcrafted natural sweets with tastes and textures that arouse the senses.
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chocolate,
holiday season,
Norman Love
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Growth opportunities for Canadian private companies don't always come from north of the border or sea to sea. Increasingly, foreign markets are the places to be if an organization is to achieve maximum growth in today's global economy. Indeed, Canada's future prosperity depends to a large extent on Canadian businesses' ability to compete globally by expanding successfully beyond the country's borders, thus taking full advantage of global markets and opportunities.
The report documents the extent of private companies' foreign operations to date; sheds light on the benefits of global expansion for private companies, and the key challenges and risks of doing so; and provides information about local employee and supply resources in foreign markets.
Access report: Taking on the World
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1. When companies would need to add lots of new knowledge to innovate, such as figuring out how to work with an unfamiliar chemical compound to make a different line of pharmaceuticals.Take a further look here to find out how outsourcing innovation works and affects performance.
2. In the early stages of a project, when there are lots of technical hurdles to be overcome and the outcome is far from certain.
3. When intellectual property isn't well protected in the industry. In these cases, since new ideas spread quickly from company to company, it may not be possible to differentiate products with innovations. So, businesses turn to outsourcing to limit spending.
4. When companies have had lots of experience with outsourcing. Let's say all the factors above are equal—it's basically a toss-up between working on a project in-house and outsourcing it. In these cases, companies with a long track record of contracting tend to hand off the job to outsiders—three times as often, in fact, as businesses with average levels of experience in the practice. The costs and benefits of outsourcing are more certain for experienced firms, and they can better manage the situation to produce effective results.
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new ideas,
outsoucing innovation,
WSJ
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FedEx,
first time exporters,
reading the greens
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