globalEDGE Blog - By Author: Mallory Johnson

One of the most iconic home brands that has been in business for the last 70 years, Tupperware, is in jeopardy of not being able to “contain” its losses. With operations in over 100 countries and over 10,000 employees, Tupperware has a large international presence, and its products are used by thousands of people every day.

The 2022 Market Potential Index (MPI) has been released on globalEDGE! This study ranks the market potential of the largest economies, focusing on the United States, by compiling statistics from several sources and analyzing the results based on eight dimensions. This study can help businesses determine which international markets best fit for them to enter.

While COVID-19 infection rates may be dropping, healthcare systems in several countries are falling apart. Britain's public healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS), has been overwhelmed like never before. The NHS, once a source of pride for many citizens of the United Kingdom, now has citizens criticizing the system and calling for improvements.

With more than 1 billion users across the globe, TikTok has taken the social media world by storm. Users of all ages across the world spend time on the app daily, engrossed in the latest trends, dances, products, and more, making the app the second-most popular web domain worldwide. While the platform may have experienced exponential growth over the last few years, this trend might start to reverse, thanks to new bands countries are placing on the app.

COP 27, which stands for “Conference of the Parties”, is a yearly conference in which leaders from across the world meet to discuss different topics within climate change. This year, the conference took place from November 6th to November 18th in Egypt and saw more than 33,000 attendees, making it the second-largest COP in history. Specifically, there were record numbers of attendees from African countries and small, less-developed countries and islands, which helped give them a bigger voice at this year’s conference.

Trade partners are seeing a ripple effect throughout their economies following disagreements regarding established regulations. In 2020, NAFTA was replaced by USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, to help facilitate trade regulations in North America. Even though this agreement was only enacted two years ago, some of its rules are already being questioned and even ignored.

A new Ebola outbreak is occurring in Uganda. The outbreak is believed to have started with one man in August of 2022 but has now spread to almost 50 people. This outbreak approaches as the Ugandan healthcare system is still struggling to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several other African countries, such as Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan are starting to screen travelers for Ebola symptoms to mitigate the spread.

Thanks to U.S. railway unions, the United States has avoided another massive supply chain disruption, but other countries might not be so lucky.

Across the globe, water scarcity is beginning to affect more and more people. Climate change, broken pipes, and poor water infrastructure systems have all played a role in causing water scarcity for residents in various parts of the world.

Subscriptions are the newest sales tactic for companies across all industries. Some of the earliest forms of subscriptions date back to the 1800s, when milkmen would deliver milk to residents weekly in the United Kingdom. Companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, and more have entire business models based on offering subscription services.

“Breaking up” is the latest trend for large corporations. This trend is not isolated in one single industry; companies such as Johnson & Johnson, GE, Toshiba, and many others have all decided to split up into two smaller companies. This trend began in 2021, has continued through 2022, and is likely to continue to expand for some time to come.

Since the beginning of February, some Canadians have been deep into a series of protests called the "Freedom Convoy." This protest is led by truckers in response to vaccine mandates from the Canadian government, which says that you must have a COVID-19 vaccine to cross the United States-Canadian border. Hundreds of trucks and truckers have participated in this protest. They began their blockade at the busiest route that links Canada to the United States and has since spread out into the surrounding areas.  In an act of rebellion, the trucks have been honking their horns for hours on end. Canadian citizens living near the protests grew increasingly frustrated, which led to Prime Minister Trudeau invoking the Emergencies Act, which allows the Canadian federal government to have temporary powers to do whatever may be necessary to stop the protests. The enactment of the Emergencies Act has led to arrests and decreased protests. Additionally, those who engage in the protests now run the risk of having their funds frozen by their banks, which could prevent some people from paying their own bail after being arrested for charges related to the protests.

With the rise in cryptocurrencies over the last several years, it is possible that we could be experiencing the downfall of cryptocurrencies in the coming months and years. With constant innovation comes new rules and regulations, which many countries across the globe have had to think about recently.

The new year in Kazakhstan had a tumultuous start. This blog will be analyzing the events of the new year in Kazakhstan and how it is affecting not only themselves, but other countries as well. 

Over the past few weeks, the term “metaverse” has been growing in popularity. Yet, the concept of the metaverse is still being developed and enhanced.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, supply chains all around the world have experienced disruptions. Specifically, the logistics industry has felt a great deal of disruption. Trucks move 72% of the goods we consume in the U.S. economy, so they are a key part of many supply chains. Countries such as Germany, France, Denmark, and Norway are also experiencing truck driver shortages. As the trucking workforce ages, recruiters face challenges recruiting and keeping women in the workforce, the Coronavirus pandemic, and much more have all led to a decrease in the number of working truck drivers; there is no central cause for this shortage, but rather it is several issues and concerns that have led to this shortage. To combat this shortage, supply chain experts are starting to utilize different technologies and alternative solutions to replace drivers.

The holiday season may not feel like “the most wonderful time of the year” for many supplies chain and logistics companies this upcoming holiday season. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has come to understand what supply chain management is, as just about everyone has been affected by a supply chain management issue in one way or another; stockouts, delayed package deliveries, and struggling to find certain products on the shelves are struggles that many of us have faced over the last year and a half. Yet, despite the increasing number of vaccinated individuals, we are still expecting to feel the impacts of the pandemic in our supply chains for months to come.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic outlook for retail stores did not look promising; as countries put “stay at home” orders in place, it looked like online shopping was going to become the future of retail. Yet, recent research shows that retail stores might be more popular than we thought, and they are expected to make a big comeback.

Across California, the term “Boosters” has been gaining popularity, and rightfully so. “Boosting” is formally known as a form of organized retail crime. It consists of a network of organized crime professionals and it has stolen $50 million in products in northern California over the last 5 years. They commonly steal from large chain stores such as CVS and Walgreens and then resell the product on online storefronts such as Amazon or eBay. In some areas, the crimes have become so frequent that Walgreens closed 17 of its stores.

In 2015, Iran, the United States, and several other world powers came together to sign the Iran nuclear deal. This deal places restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, and in return, they are granted sanctions relief. In 2018, President Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in pursuit of a more effective solution. Iran began ignoring restrictions on the nuclear program about a year after the deal was signed.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has had an extremely busy year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the IMF to respond to situations faster than ever before, and with new and innovative responses. The IMF is made up of 190 countries, including the United States, China, and the U.K., which are all original members. In the early weeks of the pandemic, the IMF saw more than 100 countries request their financial assistance, which led to the approval of $8.7 billion in emergency financing.

The pandemic has led to millions of people relying on technology more than ever. From phones to laptops to televisions and much more, technology has become the center of our lives over the last year. One thing that all modern technology has in common is the use of microchips. Microchips help with memory, logic, and functionality in electronic devices. The increase in demand for different forms of technology has finally caught up to microchip suppliers, and now multiple industries are facing shortages and shutdowns.

Gas prices across the globe have seen dramatic changes over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet within the last month, many different factors have been giving rise to a series of high gas prices.

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of workers across the globe have been forced to work from home. Yet, when new obstacles are encountered, new opportunities are created. Companies and their employees have been taking advantage of the virtual workspace and incorporating video games, and video game-like aspects into everyday tasks.

As Inauguration Day nears in the U.S., talk of the Keystone XL Oil Project is on the rise. President-elect Joe Biden has been rumored to revoke the permit for the pipeline, reversing the decision made by President Trump and the Supreme Court in 2019 to approve the pipeline and grant the project a permit.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020, consumption levels and prices of petroleum and other fossil fuels have dramatically decreased. With many people working from home, and not traveling for the holidays and vacations, almost every corner of the world has seen a dramatic decrease in oil demand and consumption, but will this be the future for fossil fuels?

Since the United States of America was founded, food has played an important role, especially meat on holidays; burgers on the Fourth of July, turkey on Thanksgiving, and much more. Yet, within the last two decades, different meat alternatives have started to disrupt sales in the meat industry. Does this mean the meat industry as we know it is coming to an end?

In late September, Climate Week took place in New York City where a large “Climate Clock” was on display in Union Square. This clock revealed that we have less than 7 years to reverse the environmental damage humans have created. The clock was seen all over social media and was a brutal wake-up call for many. As a result of events such as this, many companies are taking large steps to become more sustainable.

For years, retailers have been criticized for having their employees work long hours between Thanksgiving and Black Friday. This year, retailers have been forced to reevaluate what their holiday shopping will look like amidst a global pandemic.

Since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and scientists have told the public that a vaccine will be the most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19. More than 6 months later, the United States, China, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom all have vaccines going through testing in phase 3.

As the infamous COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, it is also changing billions of lives. Simple activities such as going shopping at the mall or going out to eat at your favorite restaurant have become merely a dream, as millions of people are forced to follow social distancing mandates. Countries like Italy and China have been on lockdown for months, while other countries like Spain and the United States only started their lockdown and social distancing orders a few weeks ago. No matter what county you’re from, odds are you have been affected by this pandemic in one way or another. Yet, now experts are beginning to wonder what the world will look like after the pandemic fades out, and if some of the coronavirus preventions may stay in place.

The recent spread of the COVID-19 has caused the sports world to practically shut down. College spring sports are canceled, the March Madness Tournament has been canceled, baseball spring training has been canceled, the NBA has suspended all games for the next month. Yet, these sporting events, games, and tournaments bring in billions of dollars in revenue. So, how will this affect businesses and economies around the world?

Back in October, we ran through the financials of hosting the Olympics. Five months and millions of dollars later, hosting the Olympics may remain a dream for Tokyo thanks to the coronavirus. Since the first coronavirus update on the globalEDGE website, officials have discovered thousands of new cases of the virus, along with a new strain, bringing the total number of cases to more than 113,000. About 71% of cases have been found in mainland China, specifically in the Hubei Province, but new and major outbreaks have been found in Italy, South Korea, and Iran. While officials say the overall threat to the United States is moderate, they are worried about the potential that this virus possesses. They say the virus could mutate and become weaker or stronger; it is unpredictable.

2019 was a turbulent filled year for many airlines, while others seemed to have smooth flying all year. Two of the main contributors to the success of airlines this year were the companies’ ability to schedule flights around bad weather and compliance between employees and a company’s management.

Although the news of the Australian bushfires has only become popularized in the last two months, firefighters have been battling the fires since September of 2019. Since the start of the fires, more than 15.6 million acres of land have burned, and the fires are not expected to stop for at least another month.

Just a few years ago, video games were no more than mindless games children and teens played to pass time. Parents would gripe about how their children spent too much time on their phones or gaming systems and, instead, they should focus more on schoolwork that would better prepare them for their future. But what if playing video games could make someone more money than going to college, earning a degree, and working a typical job could? Well, the world of eSports is doing just that.

Technology has always been a common interest for many people across the globe. It crosses physical and cultural barriers to create common interests or goals among individuals and groups. Technology is always changing and will only continue to evolve in the future. The constant evolution of technology has created some impressive economic effects in recent years. S&P 500 technology sector has seen a 41% gain for the year, and this number is only expected to grow in the future. Despite the tariff war between China and the United States, technology stocks are still expected to rise in the near future. Some of the areas in which technology will grow are car innovations (smart cars, virtual and augmented reality, and healthcare).

With the holidays quickly approaching, shopping for holiday parties, friends, family, and even yourself will begin soon. Around the world, shopping for the holidays looks a bit different, but they all contribute to a country’s economic growth.

With the rapid changes in our world, it can be difficult to predict how our economy will change in reaction to international and domestic events. Despite a multitude of negative factors and events in the world today, the global economy is set to grow by about 3% in the next few years.

The Olympic Games have become a cherished tradition for millions of people all over the world. There is something special about a country uniting over one common goal: winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games. As incredible as the Olympic Games may seem to the viewers at home, the host countries often have an unpleasant experience with Olympic preparations. A country will work for over a decade to prepare for the games, and at the end of the Olympics, most host countries are stuck in debt. As Japan prepares its capital city, Tokyo, to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, they may be realizing they are going to lose more money than they will gain by hosting the Olympics. 

On Friday, September 20th, thousands of people poured through the streets of capitals and major cities all over the world to march for climate change. Over 150 counties held climate strikes organized by youth advocates and had participants of all ages. The climate strikes attracted the media and have caused numerous political and business leaders to promise change.

The month of September began with a sudden evacuation for many residents of the Bahamas and southeastern parts of the United States. The slow-moving Hurricane Dorian began its course of destruction with severe flooding and winds the first week of September. In the Bahamas alone, authorities predict it will take billions of dollars to repair the damages created by the hurricane. A country can prepare all they can for a hurricane—whether that means boarding up houses and stores, packing up belongings, or evacuating—but an economy can never be prepared for the deadly effects of a hurricane.