You Don't Have To Go It Alone to Go Global

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Did my first global business blog entry for Anita Campbell who runs Small Business Trends and serves as the newly appointed chief blog editor for the American Express OPEN Blog where such famed authors as Anita and Guy Kawasaki contribute. I am honored and excited!

See what you think of it. If you like it, click on the Found This Useful button! Look for more in the future. Many thanks and have a great Labor Day weekend.

Globalization's Winners Should Aid Poor

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Four Nobel Laureates in economics argue that governments should intervene to try to help those at the bottom.

But what about companies? Don't you think they should give a helping hand too? We should all pitch in to spread the wealth.

Read the article here.

Globalization Helps Win Olympic Golds Aplenty

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On Monday, The Wall Street Journal published a terrific commentary by George L. Priest and Minor Myers III entitled, "How Freedom Turned Talent Into Olympic Gold."
Promise me you will read every word. It's a wonderful detail about how nation-against-nation, Olympic ranking is deceptive because the achievements of athletes seldom derive purely internally from within a single nation. Maybe Olympic games are a metaphor for globalization? Many athletes, as noted by the authors, have crossed borders to perfect their skills. Even the market for Olympic coaches is affected by globalization.

"Olympic achievements are evidence of the benefits of globalization," the article states. Read it here where co-author Mr. Priest teaches a "Capitalism" course at Yale Law School.

Building a Global Business

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There are many ways to build a business global, but what it really requires is guts (a willingness to go outside your comfort zone).

Here's a four-step process for selling your products abroad.

The Power of Strategic Alliances in the Global Economy

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The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency will celebrate the achievements of minority entrepreneurs and business leaders during the 26th Anniversary of the National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference on Sept. 3-5 in Washington, D.C.

This year’s MED Week event—“The Power of Strategic Alliances in the Global Economy”—will focus on international trade, highlighted by a joint SBA/MBDA forum on the benefits to small businesses of free trade agreements. Joint initiatives by SBA and the Department of Commerce on international trade also are on the agenda, including the first-ever International Trade Symposium, held earlier this year.

Other international trade forums include the “Managing Global Strategic Relationships” and the “Free Trade in the Global Economy” sessions. The conference also will feature a White House Reception for award winners (Invitation only) a MED Week Welcome Reception, a Business Expo and Trade Show, a Meet Your White House breakfast with keynote address by Ambassador Susan C. Schwab, the United States Trade Representative, a Business-to-Business Linkage forum where small businesses are paired with government agencies and private sector companies to discuss potential contracting opportunities (pre-registration required and invitation only) and several award ceremonies honoring minority entrepreneurs, minority business advocates and leaders in the corporate community, including a closing MED Week awards gala.

WOW! More about the MED Week conference schedule can be found here (click on National MED Week Conference Website).

Watch The World Contribute Ideas

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The term "crowdsourcing," was coined by Jeff Howe, Contributing Editor of Wired Magazine which simply put, is outsourcing work using the Internet to a large group of people.

More recently, crowdsourcing has hit the design community and has become a viable way for small businesses that cannot afford big name design powerhouses yet want something more than stock clip art to get great design results. There are freelancer listing sites like Guru and Elance along with crowdSPRING.

crowdSPRING, although only 4 months old, has already garnered 5,000+ creatives in over 125 countries. Projects are posted every day from non profit organizations, small businesses, rock bands and just about everyone else on the planet!

The small company of eight in Chicago has greatly expanded since its inception, and its thriving community shows that crowdsourcing is a viable alternative to the traditional design model.

Check out crowdSPRING to see the diversity of creatives and projects, and see what you think. Maybe post a creative project; watch the world contribute ideas; and, choose one you like.

Worldsourcing

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An interesting blog by Lenovo called Worldsourcing. The author, Reid Walker, is also covering the Beijing Olympics.

Buying on a Global Scale

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What are corporate decision-makers thinking about global services and outsourcing? Are they planning to increase or decrease their spending? Does your organization lead its peers in global sourcing? Or is your enterprise a follower?

The article, Is Global Sourcing an Item on Your Strategic Plan of Action, examines what buyers are thinking when it comes to sourcing services on a global scale.

How Well Do You Know Your Regional Economics?

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Question 7: What country saw its gross domestic product rise nearly as fast as China's in the first quarter?

a. India
b. Brazil
c. Slovak Republic

ANSWER is here along with eleven other questions and answers.

Eye on China

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As China rapidly evolves into a more service-oriented economy, U.S. manufacturers need to adjust their China strategy to remain competitive.

America's Trade Agreements

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A new web site, TradeAgreements.gov, has been launched to provide the public with the latest information on America's trade agreements.

The site will be updated frequently with news about existing agreements, as well as pending free trade agreements with Peru, Columbia, Panama and South Korea.

Your job is to figure out how to leverage these trade agreements that claim to open up foreign markets for U.S. exporters.

Will Your Brain Be Outsourced Next?

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Should you prepare to either work in India or lower your salary to the level of those in India? Due to tough times, many people feel it's time to redefine the "American Dream." Others think we should just sit tight and wait for the next big prosperity bell to ring and then act on it.

What do you think? See what's on the minds of others here.

Does Offshore Outsourcing Affect Customer Satisfaction?

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Outsourcing has taken the heat lately. Many claim there are language problems and the exporting of jobs.

What do you think? Let us know!

Unsure? Read more here. Find out exactly how offshore outsourcing affects customer satisfaction. You'll be surprised.

Going Local

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You can't do it all on your own, especially in a new country. Even with global knowledge, you need a team of local service providers. They are your point people who can facilitate global trade.

How To Do Business in China

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This informative workshop on doing business in China presents numerous case studies synthesized with more than 20 years of first-hand experience with conducting business in China.

Issues to be addressed include but are not limited to: cultural sensitivities, steps to company formation in China, negotiation with the Chinese government and business community and more.

The workshops will be conducted in six different key cities within the United States. Find out if yours is scheduled here.

Go Global, Go Green

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With a sluggish U.S. economy, rapid economic growth in Asia and other international markets, and a currency exchange rate favoring U.S. exports, U.S. small- and medium-sized businesses are increasingly looking to markets overseas. For those who haven’t taken the plunge, the time is NOW.

A major obstacle standing between smaller businesses and the global marketplace is complicated documentation involved in international shipping and returns. In fact, the #1 reason packages are delayed in Customs is missing or incomplete paperwork. What's more, research shows 70% of businesses don’t have a formalized process to handle international returns.

Want a quick fix? When you go global, go green, or paperless with your international documentation. Find out more here. It will save you time, money and trees while you’re at it.

American Knowledge for Global Power

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A whole new world of educational opportunities is being offered by Cornell Medical School, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, to name just a few, to Middle Eastern, South Asian and East Asian students .... and to think the best is yet to come.

• Education City Qatar
• Dubai's Knowledge Village
• Saadiyat Island (where the likes of the Sorbonne, the Guggenheim and soon New York University will all join in on developing cultural and education programs).

The full article, authored by Martha Bayles, can be found at Strangers in a Foreign Land.

When you achieve your worldy degree, find your global job here.

Burj Dubai

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Dubai Tower (pictured by Michael Travica) is a skyscraper under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure on Earth. It is expected to be completed and ready for occupation next month: September 2009.

Are you looking at Dubai for business?

Reaching Beyond Borders

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We've been preaching the value of using technology to go global for a long, long time. Here's a good article that backs us up!