What's Happening Around The World?

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Contributors from around the world at Globespotters write about what's happening in their cities, from cultural events to hot new restaurants.

Before you take off to button down that overseas deal you've been working on for months, take a minute to see what you can do in between your business appointments. You won't be disappointed.

Very nice.

What's China Buying?

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As the fifth largest importer in the world, China is a country worth doing business in.

Not sure where to look to see if your product is a good fit? Try the World Importers Net, a trade promotion website aimed at promoting international trade by providing both Chinese and overseas companies with trade information. It is a part of the China national public information service system for international trade and economic cooperation -- funded by the Chinese government, with all services provided free of charge.

You must register first (complimentary) to access data.

Exporting to India Gets a Whole Lot Easier

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The Commercial Service's Trade Information Center (TIC) has a established a new business information center for India. It will help U.S. companies take advantage of emerging market opportunities and the fast-growing purchasing power of the middle class in India.

A Web portal contains up-to-date information about doing business in India. They have a toll-free number 800-USA-TRAD(e) for counseling and are taking the initiative to raise awareness of opportunities in India for U.S. businesses.

Have you been waffling over whether to look at India for new business? Well now is your chance to get on board! Contact Abdul.Shaikh(at)mail.doc.gov if you require personalized assistance.

Is Going Global Right For Your Small Business?

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Have you been feeling the itch to take your small business global? Then maybe this article will motivate you to get started.

Great Global Productivity Starts With No Complaining

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In a world where everyone is connected 24/7, being positive is a powerful force that enables people to get things done.

Whether you are based in Mumbai or Memphis, this new book, authored by Jon Gordon, helps you establish positive ways to deal with negativity at work.

Find out more here.

Invest In Emerging Market SMEs

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The Social Equity Venture Fund (S.E.VEN), just launched a competition to develop new indicators and models for investment in emerging market small and medium-sized enterprises.

The competition is open to everyone, and is offering U.S. $50,000 in funds awarded for the best ideas. Entrepreneurs in developing markets often cite a lack of financial capital as the biggest barrier to growing their business. This competition, and its results, are one concrete step in demonstrating the power of entrepreneurship, and business, as a sustainable solution to world poverty.

S.E.VEN hopes that by opening up the discussion to anyone interested in participating that they can come up with more diverse and effective ways of looking at investment in emerging market SMEs.

Full details of the competition are available here.

Best-In-Class Global Trade Compliance

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In an increasingly global marketplace for manufacturers, the role of trade compliance is taking on more prominence in separating the winners and the losers.

Find out why here.

How To Foster Successful Cross-Border Mergers

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Try a little cultural due diligence. It works. Read Worlds Apart.

Living Unbuttoned Goes Global

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Levi's offers a campaign and a jean fit for all 110 markets. Think it will work?

Catch the story here: Levi's Marketers Hope One Size Fits All

Ireland's Love Affair With Entrepreneurship

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Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan T.D. launched the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report for Ireland for 2007. The report found that 8.2% of the adult population living in Ireland is engaged in entrepreneurial activity, an increase on the 2006 level of 7.4%. So don't let the peaceful photo above fool you. Ideas are flourishing here and the Irish (my people) are making it happen.

Directed by Babson College, GEM reviews entrepreneurial activity and perceptions of 42 countries and is the world’s largest research project focusing on entrepreneurs and how they affect national economic growth.

The report findings include:

The number of entrepreneurs in Ireland increased in 2007. In 2007, 1 in 12 of the adult population in Ireland (aged 18-64) was involved in actively planning or had recently started a new business. This rate of 8.2% is an increase on the 2006 level of 7.4%.

The 2007 report shows a significant increase in the number of women entrepreneurs. Over 1,000 women in Ireland are starting new businesses each month. The number of women setting up new businesses or actively planning to do so increased to 5.9% (of all women aged 18-64) in 2007, up from 4.2% in 2006.

The level of informal investment (investing in someone else’s start-up business) was 3.3%. This is the highest rate reported by GEM in the last five years and brings Ireland into the top 10 of 20 selected OECD countries.

The 2007 GEM Report is available on www.enterprise-ireland.com and www.forfas.ie as well as on www.gemconsortium.org.

Trade Shows Attract Global Customers

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Trade shows are an important vehicle for finding overseas customers. Sometimes you have to start local to go global.

Trade Show Handbook claims to be the most comprehensive online resource guide for the trade show, exhibition and event industry. See what you think here.

Your USA Economy

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The Edward Lowe Foundation has created an online resource that tracks business activity in communities across the United States.

Visit www.YourEconomy.org, and you can see the breakdown of business establishments-along with the jobs they generate-at state, MSA and county levels.

New features and information (e.g., available early 2009, the entrepreneurship view will track establishments and jobs according to key entrepreneurial indicators to be determined) will be added to YourEconomy over the next few months.

Check it out.

Bring Overseas Customers To Your Door

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If you run a service business, instead of exporting, think about bringing overseas customers (hopefully a lot of Europeans) to your door.

This article does a good job talking about how it's done and why you should consider.

Take On The World

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Should a big company like Sony appoint the midsize ad agency that helped make Bravia flat-panel television famous in Europe, Fallon Worldwide, to lead a global ad campaign?

If it were your decision, would you run ads for every part of the world with one unified message? Is it better to make ads that can run anywhere in the world or to tailor spots to regional sensibilities?

Tough questions. Find out more here.

Minority Businesses Matter in the Global Marketplace

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The Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference, initially instituted by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, is the largest federally sponsored event held on behalf of minority businesses.

Small businesses can learn about the U.S. Small Business Administration’s International Trade initiatives, including its first-ever International Trade Symposium with the Department of Commerce during this year’s 26th Annual MED Week conference. MED Week is co-hosted by the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency and the SBA and will be held on September 3-5, 2008 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The theme for this year’s event is: "The Power of Strategic Alliances in the Global Economy." There will be an SBA/MBDA workshop on Free Trade/Export Enforcement entitled: "Small Business Benefits - Free Trade Agreement." The workshop will be held on the afternoon of September 5. For more information, visit MED Week 2008.

Express Yourself Globally

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First, there was Second Life.

Now, there's Lively by Google (beta).

Express yourself globally.

One World Yellow Pages

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Let your fingers do the clicking at One World Yellow Pages (in beta stage).

Law in China

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From the New York offices of Global Trade & Technology Center:

Join "Lawyer in China" on Facebook -- your online legal advisor!

The Chinese economy is booming. Have you considered exploring the business opportunities in the People's Republic of China? Do you need legal advice for your business in China? If so, register on Facebook and join the group "Lawyer in China," the online legal advisor for your business in China.

If you are a lawyer interested in the Chinese legal service market, you are welcomed to join the group too. The group is looking for lawyers to serve the group members, they will appoint one to two lawyers for each major city worldwide: i.e. Shanghai, Beijing , Shenzhen, New York, Tokyo, London, and Berlin. Lawyers can submit their vitas and profiles to the members to illustrate their legal expertise by answering questions submitted by members.

Please note that only one to two lawyers will be appointed for each city. Their policy is on a first come first serve basis for lawyers to be listed for respective cities.

Description of the group:

• A platform for legal professionals to demonstrate their legal expertise;
• A platform for non-legal professionals to seek legal advice.

If you have any legal questions, please feel free to post it on the homepage of the group so that the moderator, officers or even other members may respond with valuable assistance.

Note from Laurel: Be careful here. No clue as to the expertise of the site creator nor the legitimacy of the platform itself. We are not endorsing the work, rather, just letting you know about it.

Separately but related and with the help of an expert IP attorney, just finished working on a great article for Entrepreneur magazine on global trademarks which I think will be very helpful to you, especially if you are thinking about protecting a logo, slogan or product name internationally. Watch for it in October.

Small Businesses Outsource Work Around the Globe

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Have you considered outsourcing some of your work overseas to free up time that could be spent developing a great global strategy? It is worth a look, especially to see what these folks are doing to improve their businesses' bottom line.

The article, Mom-and-Pop Multinationals, mentions a couple of places to begin your outsource search. If you have other destinations that are currently working for you, please share, thanks.

Happy Birthday, America!

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Happy 4th of July to all Americans. We invite everyone around the world to celebrate freedom and independence with us by way of barbecues, picnics, family gatherings and watching, of course, a little fireworks. Enjoy and be safe.

MultiLingual

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Complimentary subscription offer to eight issues for first-time subscribers of MultiLingual. Sign up online here and choose "MultiLingual print" and enter promotional code GSBB.

Go for it!

Finding Top Salespeople Abroad

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Locating top sales performers abroad is not easy but this brief piece sheds light on how to go about it.

After you line up potentials, take a trip and meet with them. Nothing beats being on the ground and seeing what's happening first hand.