globalEDGE Blog Archive March 2010

When I think of Brazil, coffee, tropical fruits, and sugarcane come to mind. This is not only because I enjoy all three things, but also because Brazil leads the world in production of these goods.  Over the years, exporting these goods has been a key factor in generating growth for Brazil’s economy. Speaking of economic growth, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has been working towards poverty alleviation and economic growth for the past several years. In 2007, the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), an infrastructure development program meant to improve the country’s energy supply, road, rail, and other infrastructure needs, was established.

Greece has made top headlines across the world recently as a result of significant financial problems. Similar to what has happened across the globe, the government is yet another victim of the difficult financial times. What has caused this problem? What events led up to it? How do the events in Greece impact you and your international business?

Tourism is an area that many countries have been looking at in order to expand their economies and generate more revenues.

A country that recently has decided to expand its tourism industry is India as shown by a BBC video. The country is viewing it as a main generator of future growth. Some important issues that the government needs to address are the lack of enough tourist attractions, and more importantly, to identify its target market. An important question is whether the country will focus on attracting holidaymakers or luxury travelers. This is the first of many choices that need to be made in order for tourism in India to become one of the country's main industries.

Looking for international trade leads? The U.S. Commercial Service can help. Recently, they released the International Sales Leads gadget on iGoogle. The gadget contains pre-screened, time-sensitive sales leads and Government Tenders gathered by the many U.S. Commercial Service offices around the world. International sales leads are updated regularly with the newest leads appearing on the top of the list.

Check out the U.S. Commercial Service's International Sales Leads Gadget!
 

You may have heard about the StartUp Visa Act, proposed by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.).  It would be to help small businesses grow and add jobs to the U.S. and encourage international business and entrepreneurship as well.

Looking for a new place to expand your business? Why not Peru? It has become apparent that U.S. exports to Peru are getting simpler and simpler. The U.S.–Peru Trade Promotion Agreement that was signed a few years ago has really expanded the opportunities for U.S. businesses in Peru. With this agreement, many goods can be shipped into Peru duty-free. The certificates of origin and other forms are also becoming more uniform to make exporting easier and simpler.

Since 2000, I have studied how companies localize their web sites for the world's Internet users. In the early days, a company would have been content with half a dozen languages and little in the way of cultural or product-specific localization.

Today, however, web globalization is serious business. Companies such as Google, eBay, and HP generate more than half of their revenues outside of the United States and web globalization plays a fundamental role.

It's time for more market briefs! This time, Doug Barry, of the U.S. Commercial Service, conducts two interviews. The first is with Aileen Crowe Nandi, the principle commercial service officer in Chennai, India. In the interview, Ms. Nandi describes the ample number of opportunities for U.S. businesses in the southern region of India (Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai). She also discusses a number of other issues, including cautionary advice for U.S. firms looking to do business in South India, the necessity of being able to compete in an industry based on price, the current infrastructure and consumer base of South India, how these are shifting, and how these shifts should affect the approach when entering into the South India market.

Recently, the European Union signed the largest aid deal ever with Mauritius (93 million Euros, to be exact). The aim of the package is to serve as a means to social and economic reform for the island nation. The timing of the deal couldn’t have been better. Only three days earlier, Mauritius’s Minister of Education and Human Resources expressed his nation’s desire to expand and modernize its textile industry. What implications might these events have on current and potential investors, and the textile industry as a whole?

Imagine a scene that many of us carry out everyday: You are driving through a remote part of town, and you approach an intersection. At the intersection, there is a traffic signal where you stop and wait. As you look around, you see no traffic for miles! Wouldn’t it be great if the traffic signal knew the current traffic and changed the light to green? Welcome to the concept of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

For years, Airbus and Boeing have split the market for big passenger jets. But a series of shifts in the sector could start to eat away that dominance, leading to big changes in the commercial aircraft industry. The prospect of increased competition is already forcing the two large companies to consider making costly changes to their most popular models. Airbus executives were expected to meet this week to discuss upgrade options for the top-selling A320 family, though they said a decision wasn't expected to be made right away. Boeing will decide in the next few months whether to embark on a revamp of its 737 single-aisle jetliner line. So why would these top-tier manufacturers have to make sudden changes?

Approaching business challenges requires an open mind and willingness to take a fresh look. This couldn’t apply better than to opening new export markets. An interview with the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shed light on the opportunities opening in the Middle East. The Ambassador provided an insightful view of Saudi Arabia which presents great opportunities for businesspeople to view the country as a place to export.

It all began in 1945 with a renewed relationship between the United States and the King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz. Since then, the country has experienced significant population growth as well as improved social and political climates. In fact, Saudi Arabia is in the process of creating 250,000 graduates of a vocational school. Education is paramount to the country’s development and will fundamentally change it from a purely oil driven economy to one that is more diverse moving ahead into the future.

The next question on your mind: But isn’t it hard to get started in the Middle East? Actually, Saudi Arabia is a capital rich environment where companies feel comfortable both manufacturing and selling products that are highly sensitive to intellectual property (IP) rights protection. As part of the current administration, IP protection has gone up because of the educational initiatives. Instead of stealing technology, the country is able to create its own.

If you are considering new countries in which to export your products, keep an open mind. Saudi Arabia is an example of a great opportunity for the right company to come in and provide solutions. China, India and Russia have recently earned over $19 billion in business that has traditionally gone to American firms. This is the time to regain confidence in the partnership that originated over 50 years ago.
 

We know that green energy and fuels have been a hot topic for the past few years. Electric vehicles seemed so strange when they first came out but now many environmentally conscious people have made the switch. There are a lot of pros to these little cars; they don’t use any fuel and still get you from place to place just as a gas-guzzler would. However, is it likely that everyone in the future will drive an electric car? Maybe, but right now fuel cars continue to be what are selling.

When planning a trip one of the first things to consider is what type of transportation to use.

The most popular method for long distance trips is flying. Air travel is still a large industry even though it recorded huge losses last year and the year before. It has also played an important role in promoting international business through the years as it has made international travel more convenient.

Be sure to follow our blog as our team presents a series on transportation. Transportation comes in multiple forms for both people and products. Whether you are doing business locally or internationally, it is a key component in daily operations. This week, the topics you will be able to read about include fuel efficiency, planes, trains, automobiles, and shipping.

“Fast and growing” is how the Turkish market is described by Jim Fluker, Senior Commercial Officer of the United States Foreign Commercial Service.  With a population of over 72 million and a growing middle class, Turkey is poised to be an ideal export market.  The country is uniquely positioned between Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where the political climate is relatively mild in comparison to many of its neighbors.

Business is booming for suppliers of basic materials, food and medical supplies.  Due to the earthquake disaster in Haiti, businesses around the world are seeing huge spikes in sales thanks to relief funds coming from the around the world.  Rebuilding infrastructure is a significant component to disaster relief, but so is rebuilding local economies.

The European Union and Vietnam recently announced that they have started free-trade negotiations. This is another step the European Union has taken to secure new markets following signing agreements with South Korea, Peru, and Colombia.

The U.S. Commercial Service is now offering information on international markets via free webinars! These webinars are conducted by U.S. Commercial Service and industry trade experts, and are aimed at helping companies increase their international sales.

Bhutan is a country that is not known for its exports. Last year their total exports were only $350 million. Nearly all of that was energy exports to India, yet they have a lot more potential for agriculture exports. The majority of their workforce is in the agriculture industry, but currently it is not one of their exporting strengths. That is where hazelnuts come in. Hazelnuts could be the future of exporting for Bhutan.

Would you like to spend four fun-filled days tasting mouthwatering foods and sipping on delightful drinks in Birmingham, United Kingdom? For many Food and Beverage industry lovers, I’m hearing screams of “Yes!” Since much of the world is experiencing long months of wintery weather right now, the Food and Drink Expo 2010 from March 21st through 24th may be just the pick-me-up you need.

Think of California's Silicon Valley back in the early 2000's. Think of the many companies that had to cut back or fail in the middle of the dot-com meltdown. Telewave Inc. became an expert at making two-way radio equipment. How did a small company such as Telewave Inc. stay alive? They followed a conservative investment strategy that didn't rely on the stock market and borrowed money. The company also focused on lower- to mid-level technology products instead of the breakthrough gadgets. Finally, they grew and spread business-cycle and industry risk across new markets. Now Telewave makes over 1,000 products, which include a ceramic autotune combiner, or "black box." It decreases the number of dropped cell calls, reduces electricity usage by 20 percent, and monitors equipment which in turn lowers personnel costs. But diversifying products can't be the only reason Telewave is still around in this global economy.

Is “off-grid” the new “on-grid”?  Bloom Energy thinks so. The company is a start-up based in Silicon Valley, California and it claims to have found a solution to both reducing harmful byproducts and providing energy at lower costs than the current average market rate.  Their compact power plants are run on everyday elements such as oxygen and can be as small as a lunchbox.

This is just a quick reminder of the webinar that will help you tap into the 95% of the world consumers outside of the US! We did a blog post earlier on it this month and we're just giving you a friendly reminder so you don't miss out on this great opportunity! It starts today and runs each week until May.

For years, Cricket has been India’s most popular sport, with millions of people following and supporting the teams. In India, Cricket has a value of over $1 billion! However, football fans, and value, are growing in numbers as well. Football is valued at roughly $65 million. The sport still has quite a ways to go to catch up with Cricket, but the die hard fans in the northeast part of India are trying to make that happen.

When choosing a major, one that most students do not consider is ice cream making. However, in Italy it is a field of study that has seen an increase in enrollment.

There is one university located close to Carpigiani that is dedicated to instructing in gelato making. Since the economic downturn has started it has seen an 89% increase in enrollment. Many executives who have been laid off from all over the world have been looking into switching their career to ice cream making and opening their own gelaterie in their home countries.