globalEDGE International Business Blog

Greenland is covered by ice on nearly 80% of its surface, making business activities in this area rather difficult. However, as we all know, the northern ice caps are beginning to melt due to rising global temperatures. In fact, it has been predicted that in the next few decades the Arctic Ocean will be almost all open water. While this is bad for the environment, it does open up new opportunities for business.

Greenland is rich with several valuable natural resources. It has an abundance of lead and zinc, both of which have been rising in prices. With ice no longer standing in the way, there is a lot more mining potential. One company in particular from Australia, Ironbark, already has plans to open a zinc and lead mine in the northern part of the country. There are also several Canadian companies that have expressed interest. Not only do the warmer temperatures reveal previously hidden resources, they allow the mines to operate year round, leading to even more profits.

Metal isn’t the only thing that can be found in Greenland,  there could be large amounts of oil under the ice as well. This has caught the eye of Cairn Energy, a Scottish oil company, and they plan to begin drilling as soon as 2011.

The melting ice caps may cause problems for the environment, but it could allow oil and mining companies who expand to Greenland to freeze out the competition.

So this past week being sick with the flu, gave me an excellent idea. What should you do as a business as flu season approaches? There is a possibility of a widespread H1N1 outbreak, and employers around the world need to take important steps. Employees are a crucial resource at any business, and especially small businesses. There are steps you can take now, and during the flu season, to help protect the health of your employees.

Gary Locke, now a prominent figure in the U.S. Government is charged with the responsibility of forming U.S. Commercial policy across the globe.  Gary is a recent appointee into the Obama administration and career politician.  Prior to his current position, Mr. Locke served two terms as the governor of Washington.  Given his new role, the obvious question becomes: How will Mr. Locke’s policies impact global trade?  Here are two points to consider:

Many managers are feeling under pressure at work due to the current state of the economy. In their desire to boost up morale at work, many of them actually tend to reward bad behavior in the office which can be costly to the company. The following are some well-intentioned practices that tend to backfire and ways to fix them:

Sadly, this is the final chapter in our China and America blog series. We hope you enjoyed learning the many different aspects that make the U.S.-China relationship one of the most important in this day and age for the current global business climate. This especially holds true for the energy sector.

Companies worldwide are expressing concerns because about 77% of employees have Facebook accounts and more than half access it during work hours. This decreases productivity by 1.5%. Are employees simply wasting time on the website or is there a better reason for it?

"If you can't measure it, it doesn't exist."

So says the old adage about the importance of quantifying results. If we're applying it to environmentally friendly products, then our progress is almost non-existent. Customers at the store don't have the time or information to calculate the environmental impacts of various products, and so they are forced to balance their taste for saving mother earth with their suspicion of empty greenwashing.

A recent survey done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that employees who who went into work while sick were 53 percent more likely to take a sick leave of two weeks or more and 74 percent more likely to take a sick leave of two months or more.

My last blog post summarized the negative effects that come from stress. The number of "super stressed" work environments is steadily increasing, especially in Asia . Here are some tips for managers on how to make the working environment more stress-free: