The classic American outfitter, J. Crew, currently available only in North America and Japan, has plans to spread its global wings through a new agreement with Net-A-Porter that will take them first into Canada and next into the U.K.
Hard to believe:
"We're not capable of shipping outside of the United States," Lyons explains. "We have received an overwhelming request from our customers to be available overseas."
Working on strategic global marketing plan for your business? Trying to figure out how many of your particular widgets are sold in a specific overseas market? Finishing up a term paper for school that requires the latest foreign trade balance? Just curious as to where the numbers are at and what it means? Look no further.
1.) Press Release: December 2010 Trade Data --------------------------------------
"The Nation's international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $380.7 billion in 2009 from $695.9 billion in 2008."
a.) GET THE BASICS from the "U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services - Highlights" ----------------------------------------------------------
b.) GET MORE DETAILED DATA from the full "U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Press Release" ----------------------------------------------------------
An old research document (11 pages) by Michael Porter that is still relevant to our times. Porter is generally recognized as the father of the modern strategy field. He shares where and how to compete globally.
What a great job to have! The U.S. has asked UPS to help double exports for small and medium-sized U.S. businesses. UPS will use shipping data to identify those SMBs.
President Barack Obama set a goal of doubling exports to more than $3 trillion over the next five years to help create or support 2 million American jobs. Less than 1 percent of America's 30 million companies export, which is significantly less than in other developed countries, the Commerce Department said in a statement. Of those that do export, 58 percent export to only one country, providing what U.S. officials see as a big opportunity to expand exports.
Is Facebook your window to your social world? Is your mobile device the last thing you put aside before shutting the light out at night? Or does the deluge of digital information leave you flat and the ring of your cell phone leave you cranky?
Find out what kind of user you are at Pew Internet by taking a quick quiz here. The range is:
"Digital Collaborators"
"Media Movers"
"Tech Indifferents"
"Off the Network"
When you press the 'Calculate My Results' button, a new page will tell you in which group you fit, along with a description of the general characteristics of that group.
The Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, Rawi Abdelal (rabdelal(at)hbs.edu), is the author of Capital Rules: The Construction of Global Finance (Harvard University Press, 2007). He pens this piece as well:
After Putin became Russia’s president in 2000, Goldman Sachs predicted that Brazil, Russia, India, and China would soon be among the world’s most important economies and coined the term BRIC. However, Russia’s economic growth, which averaged a healthy 7% from 1998 to 2007, has been undermined by the global economic crisis. Russia’s economy was projected to contract by 6.8% in 2009, according to the OECD, and Brazil’s by 0.8%, while India’s and China’s were projected to grow by 5.9% and 7.7%, respectively, despite the global recession. Is Russia in danger of falling out of the BRIC grouping? Would companies be better off entering other emerging markets, particularly given the complexities of doing business in Russia? How do companies craft successful Russia strategies?
Since July 20, 2004, we have posted more than 1,000 times at The Global Small Business Blog (http://borderbuster.blogpost.com). We hope you will follow us for another 1,000 posts! Many thanks.
And here's an article indicating global data continues to reinforce the idea that the world business cycle has bottomed and that growth is starting to advance.
The administration’s National Export Initiative calls for a 20 percent increase in next year’s budget for the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, bringing it to $534 million. This would enable ITA to hire up to 328 trade experts to help U.S. companies find customers in foreign countries, with a particular focus on high-growth markets like China, India and Brazil.
The ITA aims to help 23,000 businesses to start exporting or grow their international sales next year. Over the next five years, the agency is shooting for a 50 percent increase in the number of small- and medium-size businesses that export to more than one market.
The administration also wants the Export-Import Bank to increase the financing it makes available to small- and medium-size businesses from a record $4.4 billion last year to $6 billion next year.
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that provides loan guarantees, export-credit insurance and direct loans to finance sales of U.S. exports.
Socialgraphics is how to measure how customers use social technologies, where they are online, and how it influences them in the context of the customer life cycle.
More commentary, seemed fairly poignant, so it gets its own post: I'm not sure anyone reads this blog any more, but I'll give my last 2 cents worth of commentary.
Truism: A business exists to benefit the owner, not the employee. It is what it is. The sad fact is, it seems Essent only cares about corporate earnings statements and not the people who support the business; customers and employees.
That being said, what has happened to this community is a terrible thing. Many previous posters have talked about every issue possible, offered their solutions to many, many problems only for them to fall on deaf ears. Most didn't have Harvard MBA's but had experience a degree couldn't provide.
Although Essent is reading these comments, they are much like the current administration in Washington and that is; "Full speed ahead, damn the torpedos."
It's too bad that they didn't listen to the troops on the ground. After all, it wasn't their money and prestige they were squandering, it was other peoples.
I don't know of one single person, me included, that has left that place without bitterness in their heart. It used to be such a nice place to call home. And, it was home to thousands of people in Paris and surrounding areas. Not any more.
I believe the hospital will survive, but it will take many years to regain the trust of the people in Paris and NE Texas.
Lance Armstrong's philanthropic organization, LIVESTRONG, is taking its product line global. His company creates the iconic yellow bracelets (pictured) and other goods such as clothing and accessories.
The global push begins in July.
“We’re excited to embark on this new phase for LIVESTRONG and Nike,” said Lance Armstrong Foundation President and CEO Doug Ulman. “Lance’s return to cycling drew the eyes of the world to the fight against cancer and Nike’s support is allowing us to spread the message of hope and perseverance to new markets all over the globe.”
Since 95 percent of the world's population resides outside the United States, I thought you'd like to know what you are missing out on if you run a only a local business.
Technology is shrinking our world into a smaller, easier place to do business and is fundamentally reshaping our lives. Here are ten reasons why going global is advantageous to your company.
1. Increases sales and profits (especially if fixed costs are tied to domestic operations) = bigger chunk of growth gain.
2. Earns a greater return from a set of core competencies.
3. Generates economies of scale in production.
4. Enhances local competitiveness and paves the way to larger, more lucrative customers.
5. Create jobs, productivity growth, and wealth.
6. Enlarges the pie of potential investors.
7. Insulates seasonal domestic (local) sales by finding new foreign markets and selling excess production capacity.
8. Cuts costs through global outsourcing.
9. Reduces dependence on existing markets.
10. Capitalizes on tax advantages.
The knowledge you gain from learning the ropes of international business will make you open to new ideas, new approaches, new marketing techniques, new customers and new confidence to take on the world!
With Kraft's recent acquisition of Cadbury (take a visit, it's fun), will all the world love the Oreo, especially in emerging and other international markets Kraft is not in?
Cadbury gives Kraft an entrance without the expense (sans, of course, the acquisition itself) of breaking into such markets on its own. They might have to do a little tweaking (called adaptation) of the Oreo ingredients to meet the taste buds of consumers in markets they select to enter.
The economy has entered a new "phase of the recovery," said John Chambers, Cisco's chief executive, in a call with analysts, adding that he planned to hire up to 3,000 workers in coming quarters. "This is one of the most robust positive turnarounds I've seen in my career," he added.
Before he (Google CEO Eric Schmidt) got into the nitty-gritty of this year’s outlook, Google announced that revenue was up 17 percent in Q4 2009 ($6.7 billion) and up $23.65 billion for all of 2009 (for a net income of $6.5 billion).
Having had a dreadful start to 2009, NetSuite announced record earning for the fourth quarter and year ended 31st December, 2009. From the release: “Total revenue for the year was $166.5 million, a year-over-year increase of 9%. Total revenue for the fourth quarter was $43.0 million. Revenue from the Americas for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $35.0 million, while revenue from international regions was $8.0 million. NetSuite added approximately 295 new customers in the fourth quarter.
Moreover, IBM's full-year 2009 earnings of $10.01 per share were up 13% year over year, and net income of $13.4 billion rose 9% from fiscal year 2008. Earnings for the year were a record, despite the worldwide recession. Full-year earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.88 per share, as well as the company's own guidance of $9.85 per share. The company's spectacular amount of new services contract signings and a pick up in corporate IT spending figured into the improved guidance for fiscal 2010. Historically, IBM has raised its guidance for almost every quarter in the last two years. For fiscal year 2010, the company again raised its EPS guidance to $11 per share, up from a previously expected $10-$11 per share range last month.
Microsoft posted a bigger-than-expected 60 percent increase in quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by strong sales of Windows 7, and said it expected business technology spending to recover this year. The company said net profit came to $6.7 billion, or 74 cents a share, up from $4.2 billion, or 47 cents a share, a year earlier.
For the three-month period ending Dec. 29, 2009, Apple posted earnings of $3.4 billion, on a revenue of $15.7. Compared to the year-ago figures of $11.9 billion, that amounts to $2.3 billion in net quarterly profit. Apple shipped 8.7 million iPhones — more than double compared to the year-ago quarter — and 3.4 million Macintosh computers, up 33% from a year earlier.
Lots of good tips here on how to grow your business in a flat economy but we particularly like Tip No. 2:
Explore outside the local and domestic market.When it comes to horse racing, for years the leading buyers destination was Dubai thanks to the wealthy investments by the Royal Family. With Dubai in flux, many investors have backed off. Finley has been exploring Ireland now instead. “We were one of the first to buy and bring back horses from Ireland,” says Finley. “Now we have Irish investors interested in us.”
Related topic wise ... watch for upcoming post to the American Express OPEN Forum on "bold innovation." Follow us on Twitter to capture it@LaurelDelaney.