The Great Global Divide

The global recession is opening up a big gap in output performance between the chemical industries of the developed and developing worlds, which will continue to widen over the next few years.

Chemical producers in the emerging economies of countries such as China, India and Brazil are using expanding domestic demand to grab a larger share of the global chemicals market.

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.

The Great Global Divide

The global recession is opening up a big gap in output performance between the chemical industries of the developed and developing worlds, which will continue to widen over the next few years.

Chemical producers in the emerging economies of countries such as China, India and Brazil are using expanding domestic demand to grab a larger share of the global chemicals market.

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.

Encyclopedia of Small Business

Always discovering something new and in this case, Encyclopedia of Small Business with a focus on globalization; basic but still interesting nonetheless.

Some people view globalization in positive terms, as a key force in promoting worldwide economic development. But others believe …

More here.

Photo (unrelated): Eartha, The World’s Largest Revolving and Rotating Globe

Encyclopedia of Small Business

Always discovering something new and in this case, Encyclopedia of Small Business with a focus on globalization; basic but still interesting nonetheless.

Some people view globalization in positive terms, as a key force in promoting worldwide economic development. But others believe …

More here.

Photo (unrelated): Eartha, The World’s Largest Revolving and Rotating Globe

Make the Holidays Your Own

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you’re home.” ~ Carol Nelson

Photo credit: Laurel J. Delaney (12/26/09), The Global Small Business Blog

SMEs Are the Backbone of Many Economies

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of many economies, including Ireland, and international business is an engine that seems to be running out of steam across all continents.

For example, take this excerpt:

''SMEs are the backbone of this economy and it's time the government sat up and took notice of this,” said Curran.

''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.

Further:

''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.”

Additional resources mentioned in article:

Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME)

Not mentioned in the article but of interest:

ISME & FORD Guide to Surviving in a Downturn

Ford teamed up with ISME to produce a useful guide for small business in the current climate ‘Keeping the small business moving – A guide to surviving in a downturn’, it gives advice on cash flow, general cost reduction and marketing as they relate to smaller business.

ISME & FORD Guide to Surviving in a Downturn (PDF)

SMEs Are the Backbone of Many Economies

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of many economies, including Ireland, and international business is an engine that seems to be running out of steam across all continents.

For example, take this excerpt:

''SMEs are the backbone of this economy and it's time the government sat up and took notice of this,” said Curran.

''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.

Further:

''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.”

Additional resources mentioned in article:

Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME)

Not mentioned in the article but of interest:

ISME & FORD Guide to Surviving in a Downturn

Ford teamed up with ISME to produce a useful guide for small business in the current climate ‘Keeping the small business moving – A guide to surviving in a downturn’, it gives advice on cash flow, general cost reduction and marketing as they relate to smaller business.

ISME & FORD Guide to Surviving in a Downturn (PDF)

Make the Holidays Your Own

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you’re home.” ~ Carol Nelson

Photo credit: Laurel J. Delaney (12/26/09), The Global Small Business Blog

Wishing You a Bright and Shining Holiday Season Worldwide

It’s a most wonderful time of year! All of us worker-bees at GlobeTrade.com (www.globetrade.com) join in saying “Thank you” for your readership (and your comments). We wish you a Happy Holiday and a Successful New Year.
May 2010 be your year to take your business global!

Here’s a look at Christmas in ten top cities in the world. Enjoy.

1. Sydney, Australia

2. Rome, Italy

3. Istanbul, Turkey

4. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (home of GlobeTrade.com)

5. Berlin, Germany

6. Barcelona, Spain

7. Paris, France

8. London, UK

9. New York City, New York, U.S.A.

10. Tokyo, Japan

Posted by Laurel Delaney from the Global Small Business Blog.

Global Small Business Trends; How We Fared

How much came true of what we predicted in our top 10 global small business trends for 2009? I’d say we nailed nine out of ten (No. 2 — dotMobi is still up in the air) but see for yourself here.

We’ll put together another trusty list for 2010 soon. Watch for it.

Guess Who's Leading the World Out of a Downturn?

If you immediately thought Asia is leading us out of the downturn, you’re right. Specifically, Hong Kong shows a burst of activity in consumer consumption.

An excerpt from the WSJ article, “Consumers Spend Asia Out of a Downturn.”

“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.

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.

Still, Asia must rely on its exports to not just survive but to really thrive. More here.

Graphic sources: J.D. Power Assicates, Asia (car sales), Asian Development Bank (consumption)

Note: In observance of Christmas tomorrow, be sure to watch for our special holiday post.

Guess Who's Leading the World Out of a Downturn?

If you immediately thought Asia is leading us out of the downturn, you’re right. Specifically, Hong Kong shows a burst of activity in consumer consumption.

An excerpt from the WSJ article, “Consumers Spend Asia Out of a Downturn.”

“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.

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.

Still, Asia must rely on its exports to not just survive but to really thrive. More here.

Graphic sources: J.D. Power Assicates, Asia (car sales), Asian Development Bank (consumption)

Note: In observance of Christmas tomorrow, be sure to watch for our special holiday post.

Wishing You a Bright and Shining Holiday Season Worldwide

It’s a most wonderful time of year! All of us worker-bees at GlobeTrade.com (www.globetrade.com) join in saying “Thank you” for your readership (and your comments). We wish you a Happy Holiday and a Successful New Year.
May 2010 be your year to take your business global!

Here’s a look at Christmas in ten top cities in the world. Enjoy.

1. Sydney, Australia

2. Rome, Italy

3. Istanbul, Turkey

4. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (home of GlobeTrade.com)

5. Berlin, Germany

6. Barcelona, Spain

7. Paris, France

8. London, UK

9. New York City, New York, U.S.A.

10. Tokyo, Japan

Posted by Laurel Delaney from the Global Small Business Blog.

Global Small Business Trends; How We Fared

How much came true of what we predicted in our top 10 global small business trends for 2009? I’d say we nailed nine out of ten (No. 2 — dotMobi is still up in the air) but see for yourself here.

We’ll put together another trusty list for 2010 soon. Watch for it.

The Do-It-Yourself Global Economy

There’s certainly no good reason why you can’t do this same project across borders. An excerpt from Thomas L. Friedman’s Op-Ed column in The New York Times (12/12/09):

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.

"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.

Read the entire column here. When you attempt to access cheap tools and focus on your value add, take it global.

The Do-It-Yourself Global Economy

There’s certainly no good reason why you can’t do this same project across borders. An excerpt from Thomas L. Friedman’s Op-Ed column in The New York Times (12/12/09):

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.

"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.

Read the entire column here. When you attempt to access cheap tools and focus on your value add, take it global.