globalEDGE Blog - By Author: Liz Drahos

Everyday, business professionals all over the globe buy into myths about how to market and build their brand. Here are some of the most common.

Myth 1: Offering a consistent and great product will produce a successful business.
Unfortunately, a great product doesn’t equal success. However, you can improve your chances of success by launching a beta test for your service or product on a social networking site. Create a survey for readers to give feedback on, and then use this information to shape the product/service in the best way to succeed.

What do Michigan and China have in common?  They are both involved in the production of a triple junction amorphous crystalline solar cell. In layman’s terms, solar energy.  These roof-mounted solar cells will generate much more electricity than silicon because of it is lightweight and flexible structure which holds up more efficiently in real-world conditions.

McDonald’s Corporation is now starting Hamburger University in Shanghai as a place to train the latest generation of managers.  This decision is influenced by the fact that China is McDonald’s fastest-growing global market, increasing 10 percent annually. Part of this growth is because collectively, Chinese spend nearly 300 billion dollars a year on eating out at informal restaurants.

Who knew a volcanic eruption in Iceland could put such a damper on things?  As airports throughout Europe shut down flights due to the volcanic ash, many business professionals are coming to the realization that they aren’t going to make that 2 o’clock meeting.

In many parts of the world, food is emphasized as a part of culture. Whether it is dining out at an authentic restaurant, or staying home to make a family recipe, there is no doubt that the food and beverage industry is prominent worldwide.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In a new market, including overseas, it can be tough to build a stable reputation. The initial interaction someone has with your company, products, and services, establishes a first impression. With that in mind, I’d like to give you some pointers for shaping your brand internationally.

Stores Magazine provides the Top 250 Global Retailers list made in 2010 using revenues from 2008. The combination of great marketing, good customer service, and the ability to reach multiple demographics, has shaped these companies into the successful international businesses they are today:

“Ladies and gentlemen welcome aboard flight 283 nonstop service to Tokyo. Our flight time today is 11 hours and 45 minutes. Please make sure that all carry-on items are....”

When you own or work at a business that operates internationally, your marketing strategies are going to vary a little bit from that of local business strategies. Yet, a budget still needs to be established. To do that, the right questions need to be asked and answered. What options do you have, and how do you know if the money you are investing for marketing is giving you the return you want?

Each culture has its own set of business customs and rules to live by. By growing up in one culture, it can be difficult to properly acknowledge and understand another. Most cultural errors made by businessmen and women start with simple things like business dress, appropriate conversation, or how to address someone. Since business etiquette varies between cultures all over the world, it is very important to be humble and open to learning. Here are some of the most common errors made by businessmen and women today.

Owning a business that operates internationally provides multiple opportunities that a local business may not. On the other hand, all the meetings, trade shows, and other important events you have may not take place near your office. This is where traveling by plane, train or automobile come in. If you manage these expenses properly, you can reduce your company’s costs. Fasten your seatbelts; this could be a bumpy ride.

Did you ever wonder what happens to airplanes when they “turn in their wings?” Well, when airlines can’t fill seats or sell their old, inefficient jets, they send them to an airplane scrap yard.  Kemble Airfield, located in Cotswold, Britain, is now the hot spot for the dismantling, crushing, and recycling of aircrafts that are out of a job.

How would you like to get out of traffic jams, have cheaper parking, and still get to work on time? Well, if you live in China, now you can! China is the world’s new automobile capital, estimated to sell more than 12 million cars this year. However, China also produces an electric bicycle called the e-bike.

This week, multiple oil companies are battling for control over Iraq’s 15 fields, located in Baghdad. These fields contain at least 41.121 billion barrels of oil. This is the biggest cut of Iraq's existing oil assets of 115 billion barrels in decades! A total of 44 companies, which include Exxon Mobile Corp, Chevron, and Britain’s BP Group PLC, will be placing their auction bids this week. After all, how could they pass this up?

Going green has become a global event. Billions of dollars are spent every year to improve our environment, better businesses, and to improve customer service. In 2010, the amount of global investments in alternative energy projects will increase from $130 billion to nearly $200 billion! Too bad it isn’t cheaper to be eco-friendly!  Even so, multiple projects are being funded and new technologies are being introduced on a day to day basis. These technologies include clean coal, wind turbines, solar, and hydroelectric, just to name a few.

Some people say Wal-Mart, others say Carrefour, but Iran is saying Hyperstar. Hyperstar, found in western Tehran, is Iran’s first large U.S.-style supermarket, financed by a businessman from the United Arab Emirates. It is becoming incredibly successful with an average of 15,000 customers a day! Shoppers consist of mainly middle-class residents who show an increasing interest in shopping and traveling.

Now-a-days, students have the opportunity to study in numerous countries. Each year, thousands of students travel abroad to enhance their academic and cultural experiences. Open Doors Institute of International Education’s 2009 International Educational Exchange was released on November 16th. It included everything from leading destinations and primary sources of funding to regions and popular fields of study.

As it gets colder outside and we head into turtleneck and snow pant season, it’s a good time to start thinking about what you will get your loved ones for the holidays. Many retailers are preparing for the rush of shoppers, but the suffering economy is kind of raining on their parade. The economic downturn is affecting people all over the globe. In Mongolia, factory workers were ready for the demand of their stylish and cozy cashmere sweaters, but are finding that the demand is not what it used to be.

Generally, when something is put to a vote, the most popular vote wins. This is not the case for the Kraft Foods Australia product, Cheesybite. If you don’t know what Cheesybite is, it is a jar of caramel-brown, salty, gooey yeast paste (also known as Vegemite, an immensely popular Austrailian spread), that is mixed with cream cheese. Sounds appetizing, huh? Well to many Australians, it is. In a recent New York Times article, Bill Granger, a well known Sydney chef, said that Vegemite is “One of the only foods that is unique to Australia, and people see it as being quintessentially Australian.”

Congratulations on your new business! There are a lot of new and exciting opportunities to choose from. How do you know what will be best? By following these tips, your business can avoid frequent run-ins with the phrase, “There’s just one catch.”

There is no need to carry around all those books any longer! You can thank Amazon’s Kindle, an electronic device sold in the U.S. made for reading e-books and other digital media. Books and other content are downloaded through Amazon’s Whispernet, by using free internet access. Kindles have a 6 inch (diagonal) screen, it holds over 200 titles, and it only weighs 10.3 ounces. Let me know if you find a book like that!

You have to pay to ship your products to another country, but you don’t want it to cost you an arm and a leg. So what can you do? To be successful internationally, you must know how to get your products to your customers all over the world in a timely manner and at the lowest cost.

Now-a-days, Starbucks isn’t the only place you can go to grab a cup of joe. McDonald’s McCafés can now be found all over the globe offering a multitude of delicious, caffeinated beverages. This coffee chain was created in Melbourne, Australia in 1993. Ten years later, in 2003, it grew to be the largest coffee shop brand not only in Australia, but in New Zealand too!

Many people across the globe wake up every morning and require coffee within minutes to function during the day. The caffeine gives a kick-start to the long day at the office, in class, or wherever you may be. However, imagine waking up to a tea that can give you more than half the caffeinated zap of coffee plus tons of antioxidants and fewer jitters. I’m not asking you to totally end things with your old love, but simply, see other… beverages?

With raw sugar prices soaring to a high of 24 cents per pound and the possibility of rising to 30 cents per pound, Brazil, the largest sugar-cane growing area in the world, has a few options. Brazilian factories can either continue producing ethanol, which is used for more than 90% of new cars in Brazil, or they can produce sugar, which can be sold 40% above cost.