With increased awareness of environmental change in today’s business world, more and more companies are looking for innovative resources to reduce their “footprint” in any way possible. Some have started cutting down on packaging; others have redesigned their containers with recycled material. Certain companies are one step ahead of these methods and have turned to agricultural products to eliminate packaging wastes.
globalEDGE Blog - By Author: Ashley Alexander
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Forbes recently came out with an article outlining a list of the top Global High Performers. This list targets companies around the globe that are doing well in regards to profit growth, the return to stockholders, return on capital, and sales growth. These main categories help show an interesting shift to companies not many instantly think of and others that are continuing to blow us away.
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In a recent Forbes article, they highlighted the top 10 green companies in the world. These companies have all in some way contributed a global environmental management system by reducing emissions, adjusting their manufacturing process, becoming environmentally certified and doing the best to adjust their performance records into a more positive light.
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Everyone sees the recycling label, the organic food label, and sometimes something similar to the Rainforest Alliance label on their food and home products. These let us know what the product stands for and where it came from. Now a new label may be appearing on many of your household products, the WindMade label.
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With the recent concerns in Japan over nuclear power hazards, many around the world are questioning the use of nuclear energy. Some ask if the benefits outweigh the costs while others just question the precautions necessary when using nuclear energy. Of the questions asked, Germany has an answer. Don't use nuclear energy at all.
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To increase productivity and save large amounts of money on labor costs, many companies are either setting up outposts overseas or contracting third parties in other countries to do some of their work for them. This trend is known to most as offshoring, and while it continues to grow, many predict that we haven't seen the worst of it.
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Valentine's Day, contrary to popular belief, is a holiday filled with history and tradition worldwide. There are several different legends that surround Valentine's Day and Saint Valentine himself. Legends vary from culture to culture, and so do the traditions and the ways that the holiday is celebrated.
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To cap off our Blog Series this week I decided to interview a local Microfinance organization started by some of our own Spartans. The Spartan Global Development Fund was started officially on July 4, 2009, when they made their first four microfinance loans.
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In a recent Wall Street Journal article the idea of more and more students taking off a year before college was raised. These students would instead travel, volunteer internationally, and even study fields they are interested in pursuing. After seeing the increase of those engaging in the "gap year" as they call it, it further begs the question "why"?
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If you wanted to start a business anywhere in the world where would you pick? According to a Wall Street Journal article, the best place would be Denmark. The article talks about a collection of surveys that show a glimpse of entrepreneurship around the world and the factors that might help your next business make it in the global marketplace.
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The Flower Market has a budding future ahead of it. Though there may be slow growth in some places, changes are taking place worldwide as flower markets emerge and disappear every day. New markets like Russia emerge and disappear while others like Ecuador and Kenya emerge and find the competitive push back from India and China.
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There are 33 CIBERs within the United States. These Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBERs) were created by Congress under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, the purpose being to increase and promote the nation's capacity for international understanding and competitiveness.
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The green movement is something we have been hearing a lot about. Reduction in paper, reusable products, solar energy, you name it and it has been in the news. The refreshing news now is to see who is actually making the changes.
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Discussion about the BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, has become widespread as global trade continues to see growth in the near future. Doug Barry, the Director of Marketing and Communication at the United States Commercial Service was able to emphasize this growth in his article Building with BRICS. These countries are on everyone's radar when looking for potential market growth and investment. They have proved their worth so far in the past couple years and there doesn't seem to be much slow down in the next decade. Now the only question is where to focus the most attention and what actions are being made to ensure we don't miss out on a great opportunity.
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The world is continuously changing with new markets, international trade and political movements as well as educational and cultural fluctuations. The only question is where exactly is all this change occurring? A new study by A.T. Kearney has just come out with the Top Global Cities of 2010.
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Say goodbye to your flat-screen TV and that new car battery you were going to buy. In late July China announced that they would be decreasing the supply of rare earth metals to the rest of the world. Now it may not seem like an obvious connection but these rare earth metals in question are the materials that help produce our flat-screen monitors, car batteries, and many more products we manufacture and sell. Now the question comes to, why is China doing this?