globalEDGE Blog - By Author: Taylor Hill

It is well known that entrepreneurship has been declining over the last few decades, but what is the real cause behind it? There are many different theories, from schooling systems, religion, student debt, economic hardships, a change in attitudes, and a more talk, less action society.

A big topic in finance, and more specifically tax, is base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). The BEPS project is a way to readjust the taxation of profits with the location of economic activities. The goal is to eliminate incidences of tax avoidance around the world once BEPS is implemented. The OECD, G20, and the United States are currently working together to recommend and propose policies to take place under BEPS.

It has been in the news a lot, many countries trying to increase bilateral trade, but it seems that Russia is one country taking the initiative to a higher level. Russia has a goal of increasing its bilateral trade with China, Pakistan, and Ethiopia.

One of the main sections of globalEDGE is the Tools and Data section. The tools provided include a diagnostic tool, a comparator tool, and interactive rankings. The diagnostic tools are used to evaluate important international business decisions such as international partners and distributors. The comparator tool is used to compare countries across a variety of economic indicators including GDP, inflation, and exports. The final tool is the interactive rankings, a tool designed to rank countries or states based on key economic indicators.

There has been a lot of research lately into the effects of gender diversity on a company and the results are impressive. The research found that it pays off in multiple ways to have more women, who are treated equally, at a company. The advantages to companies include higher returns, less volatility in returns, higher performing stock, lower probability of a major drawdown, superior decision making, lower accruals, and attracting the top talent. Businesses are not only driven to diversify by the profit motive but also by the workforce itself.

Cap and trade programs are being implemented in many countries and regions all over the world. A cap and trade program is a system that sets a “cap” limiting the amount of pollution a company, institution, or household can emit. The trade aspect of the program refers to a market where companies buy and sell allowances depending on if they will be over or under the cap. In essence, it’s a polluter-pays principle. Cap and trade allows the market to decide where emissions can be condensed with the lowest cost, while cutting down on the pollution that is causing climate change.

The globalEDGE team has added a new market to the Economic Classification section. The mature markets section is brand new and highlights the world's most developed countries, based on the Russell Index Global Guidebook Country Classifications. A statistics section provides data on 17 different fields for each of the mature market countries, allowing users to compare countries with one another along with a market average. There is also a risk comparator tab that allows users to compare credit risk and economic risk among mature market countries. A resource segment is provided to offer access to outside mature and developed market resources. Make sure to check out the mature markets section today, along with the emerging and frontier markets sections under globalEDGE’s economic classification section.

South Africa’s economy is in a crisis, with its growth forecast for 2016 dropping from 1.7% to .9%. Making matters worse, the rand, South Africa's national currency, has depreciated by 30% over the last 18 months. Currently, the government is taking many different measures to stop the country from entering into recession and to please the rating agencies who are threatening to downgrade South Africa's debt to junk status. Both of these could have dramatic effects on the country and its relationship with foreign investors.

Venezuela's economy is spiraling downward with no end in sight. The country has the highest inflation in the world, topping countries such as Sudan and Iran. There are five apparent causes that have led to the downfall in Venezuela's economy, including political instability, food crisis, oil prices, currency exchange rates, and the country's default. Because of Venezuela's hurting economy, many companies from around the world are taking hits on profits and cutting back business within the country.

Is work the same now, in 2016, as it was back in 2015? For the most part yes, but there are some changes to work that have already happened in 2016 and some that are still bound to occur. It is the freelance work world that is setting the trends for how work will continue to change during 2016. Some of the workplace trends that are expected to have the farthest-reaching effects in 2016 include: remote-first businesses, independent consultants, shift in media, work-life balance, leadership expectations, and consumer-grade design.

2015 was a year of reality checks for Asia, realizing no country can grow at double digits forever, commodities dug out of the ground can't be sold at ridiculously high prices, and cheap U.S. money doesn't last forever. Now what will 2016 hold for Asia?

Infrastructure is the foundation of economic and social well-being anywhere in the world. Currently, all across the globe, there is a gap widening between infrastructure in place and what is truly needed. It is estimated by EY, a multinational professional services firm, that to close this gap by 2030 it will require upwards of $50 trillion U.S. dollars. It is now more important than ever to get this infrastructure procurement right through project financing and public-private partnerships (PPPs).

There are many risks associated with frontier markets, but there may be even more reward for investors.  Compared to the popular emerging markets, frontier markets are even higher on the risk-reward scale. It is a smart move for investors now to make a move to invest some of what is already invested in emerging market into frontier markets, generating more diversification for their portfolio and to generate higher growth potential.

Over the last month, India has been making quite a few changes to its foreign investment policy with a goal of facilitating more money coming into the country. So far, India has eased local-sourcing requirements for international businesses setting up shop in the country, lifted foreign investment restrictions in a multitude of industries, and has publicized a series of other measures meant to invite investment from overseas.

A new segment has just been added to the resource tab of the country pages within the global insight section of globalEDGE. For all countries with available information, the U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA) Offices resource has just been added and now provides user with contact and address information for almost 200 ITA centers worldwide. For example, the United States resource tab has information for every ITA office located within the U.S. The ITA provides companies with advice on exporting, international sales, logistics, finance, and trade dispute resolutions. This has the potential to become a very useful resource for globalEDGE users of any kind. From a company trying to contact an ITA office for advice or help to a student doing research, having access to the ITA offices around the world opens many doors and allows globalEDGE to bring even more global business knowledge to its users.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) trade bloc has six member states within the Middle East: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. The trade bloc was entered into force on December 1, 1981, covering goods and services as well as military trade between the countries.

After multiple offers, Anhesuer-Busch (AB) InBev has reached a $106 billion takeover deal with SABMiller. AB InBev, owner of Budweiser, Stella Artois, and Corona, will now become the controlling player in the international beer market after the purchase of SABMiller, owner of Miller Lite, Peroni, and Fosters. As a result of the merger, the newly created company will hold about 30% of the global beer market share. The $106 billion deal is atop the record charts for beer acquisitions and is one of the highest-dollar corporate takeovers in history. AB InBev and SABMiller’s combination sets the stage for many shifts in the international beer market.

Under the new economic classification section of globalEDGE, the emerging markets classification has an abundance of resources to offer to users. These resources range from internally generated indices to Bloomberg’s Emerging Markets News site.

A great resource for all small businesses in Michigan is the Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC). With services that range from no cost to a small fee, Michigan business owners and entrepreneurs can take advantage of business plan development, financial management, business workshops, raising capital, export strategy, and technology commercialization. The Michigan SBDC provides invaluable resources to the Michigan business community. With a global market that is changing everyday, having these types of resources at your fingertips could make a world of a difference in keeping a business competitive. Make sure to check out other globalEDGE Michigan resources for access to other sites that could help take your business from a single location to a global brand.

Even though global market trade has been in a bit of disorder lately, great advances are expected in trade between Asia, Africa, North America, and Europe by the year 2020. Currently, China's trade is growing, just not at margins seen in the past. With only an expected annual growth rate of 5% over the next five years, China's slowing trade growth comes at a cost from weaker growth among emerging markets. This slowing of China's trade will lead to new trade expansion in the global market.

There are presently many different happenings all across the globe that are affecting emerging market (EM) currencies. A lessening demand for commodities, a devaluation of China's currency, stalled global trade, and an expectation that the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates are all bearing down on EM currencies. Some of the countries on the more drastic end of this are Russia, Colombia, and Brazil, whose currencies have fallen more than 30% over the past year, according to Bloomberg Business. Currently, emerging market currencies are in a "free fall" and according to Stephen Jen, a former International Monetary Fund economist, we should expect "a violent sell-off in some emerging market currencies in the second half of this year".

The business risk companies are now facing has increased greatly due to global interconnectivity and its associated danger. These risks are quick to evolve and there is little a company can do besides being prepared, which hopefully allows it to bounce back and emerge even stronger.

The mass globalization being realized in business today is drastically changing the way people communicate within a company. Obvious trends in the workforce recently are the acceleration of work processes, globally dispersed teams, and increasing outsourcing of knowledge-intensive work. The boost of globalization represents both an opportunity and significant risk for companies. Now, companies are able to pull in new employees from larger, more competitive international pools, but it is a known struggle for employers to retain these highly qualified workers for the long term. In order for businesses to stay competitive today, thinking and planning for the workplace of the future is imperative. Only companies that are able to communicate successfully will be able to stay competitive in an international market and keep themselves in the running as a potential employer.

With small entrepreneurial business growing, it is important to know the resources that are out there to help grow your business. The U.S. Small Business Administration provides many different ideas to help expand your small business successfully, whether it is to a neighboring state or country, or to the other side of the world. Some of the suggestions include the use of technology, forecasting, building your own franchise, and developing a marketing plan. In the rest of this post, we will look a little deeper into how you can plan for successful growth for your business.

With a new development by an engineer at Michigan State University, soon a sky scraper could generate enough energy from its windows to supply all of the energy it needs. Researcher Richard Lunt, of Michigan State University, has been able to do what many have tried in the past, making a fully transparent solar concentrator. This new technology, within the next couple of years, could change the face of solar energy and global business. This new technique could change the windows in any building or the glass face on a mobile device into a solar power harvesting application. 

In hopes of inspiring nearly 1 trillion dollars worth of economic activity, African leaders will officially announce a new pact known as The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) at an upcoming summit of the African Union in South Africa. The new free trade zone will cover 26 countries in the area from Cape Town to Cairo, becoming the largest free trade zone on the continent. Three current trade blocs within Africa are to merge as one, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Some may think that the key to expansion is growing, but it is becoming more popular in the global business world today for companies to divest in order to achieve desired growth. Many CEO's are saying that divestitures are the key to unlocking hidden potential and value within a company and also help improve corporate performance. A growing abundance of divestitures is being seen throughout industries around the globe, even in industries where M&A activity like this is anything but the norm.

A group of five of the world's largest banks are due to pay a large fine after manipulating the world foreign-exchange market. These fines were brought to the banks by U.K., U.S., and Swedish regulators late last year after finding out that currency traders were using chat rooms to manipulate exchange rates. Included in these banks are JPMorgan, Barclays, Citigroup, UBS, and RBS. Many of the banks have come forward with guilty pleas, which has been unheard of in past litigations against such institutions, as most of the time banks settle litigation without any admission of fault.

With business becoming more and more global every day, small and medium sized companies are being pushed to start exporting if they want to stay competitive. This poses a challenge for these businesses however, as exporting has become more complex. For this reason, the U.S. Department of Commerce has made available its 11th edition of A Basic Guide to Exporting; this edition has been tailored to fit small and medium size businesses' needs for exporting in today's world.

It has been big news in the world economy that The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is trying to implement a single economic community called the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). What does this mean for ASEAN and the entire world economy? The AEC is expected to lead to a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development, and a region fully integrated into the global economy.

Now that the cutoff date to sign up for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has come, there is a lot of talk about why some countries chose not to participate and also what the AIIB has to offer to its members and the world. The last two countries to seize the membership opportunities were Taiwan and Norway, just days before the deadline. The plans for the AIIB are to help finance construction of roads, ports, railways, and other infrastructure projects throughout Asia.

It has been 5 years since Haiti was struck with one of the worst earthquakes in recent times. The country has been trying to bounce back from the devastation and finally the government is saying Haiti is open for business. Foreign investment is a major focus right now for Haiti, as its aid from around the world is starting to dry up. Many international investors are expressing great interest in Haiti, specifically in the telecommunications, manufacturing, and beverage industries.

With a lot of business areas in developed markets and industries becoming saturated, many companies are starting to look into newer product categories in emerging markets. A key driver in making this transition into emerging markets successful is implementing a diversified strategy. Companies need to be innovative in these new markets, as existing capabilities are not often in line with the wants and needs of the newer prospects.

At a recent G20 finance ministers’ meeting, the main topic of conversation was economic growth and policies to implement. The OECD was in attendance, and expressed the need for countries to focus on policies that won’t just establish economic growth, but that will foster global recovery. The desire for economic growth needs to be coupled with a focus on combating growing inequality around the world.

Is it possible that the newest form of renewable energy could come from volcanoes? If Iceland becomes more than just an example, but a leader in the energy industry, this new form of geothermal energy will no longer just be conversation. Currently, Iceland’s volcanic geography is contributing geothermal resources that account for nearly a quarter of the country’s electricity. While the world is currently dominated by hydrocarbon economies, taking a lesson from Iceland and tapping into volcanic geothermal sources could open access to a powerful renewable resource for the world.

The coming 2015 year will prove to be a very important twelve months for the world economy. There are large issues still at play that could bring either forceful restoration or another global recession. Guardian News and Media published an article explaining the five main topics that could either make-or-break the world economy in the current year.

Africa is currently a point of interest for many companies. This continent offers opportunities for rapid growth for both newly formed companies and already mature businesses that are looking to expand. However, starting operations in Africa comes with its share of risks. With an unproven economy, one needs to do research to make sure all facts are collected before breaking ground. Part of BBC's African Dream series is an interview with self-made African billionaire Mike Mlombwa. In the interview, Mlombwa provides tips for growing a successful business in Africa and dealing with red tape.

The OECD has found a link between a country's inequality and the decrease in percentage points of GDP Growth. This decline has been seen in countries including the US, who has lost almost seven points, and the UK, who has lost around 9 points of GDP Growth percentage. This is a shocking point which shows countries that if they want to promote strong and sustained growth, addressing inequality needs to be a central focus.

With an increase in the popularity of business-to-consumer (B2C) online retail, there has been a surge of fraud in e-commerce and online payments. Fraudulent activities including personal information breaches and untrusted online payments have been deterring consumers, all over the world, from partaking in B2C e-commerce.

Currently, businesses in the global mining sector are seeing “diseconomies of scale”, possibly due to the size and intricacy of the industry. Ernst & Young, one of the big four accounting firms, published a report titled Productivity in Mining: now comes the hard part, that dives deep into the current issues in the mining sector that are causing such diseconomies of scale.

Ireland has in the works plans to change some of its tax laws. These changes could have radical effects on global companies, who as of right now, are taking advantage of Ireland's “Double Irish” tax loophole. Global companies have been looking for ways to decrease their tax liabilities and have done so by registering their companies in Ireland and moving profits to offshore tax havens like Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. The exact amount of money being sent through this process is not known but is estimated to be around tens of billions of dollars.

A large number of new startup companies are appearing in Israel. What is making Israel such a sought after destination for these new enterprises? Part of it could be that the government is introducing new programs that encourage innovation in the country. The online edition of Entrepreneur magazine published a story highlighting the many reasons why Israel is a hotspot for current entrepreneurs.

As companies grow and expand, some start to lose focus on their core business, as focus is called to other areas. If these expanding companies want to keep a competitive edge on competitors, they will need to find an option that will allow them to regain focus on the core business.  One of the requirements for this strategic growth of a company is intellectual outsourcing.

In some of Thailand’s poor villages, there is a new business arrangement that is becoming ever so popular. People from all over Asia are headed to Thailand to seek out surrogate mothers. These families pay Thai women between $10,000 and $20,000 for successful pregnancies, which equates to a monthly allowance hovering around $450, along with free housing in Bangkok. Thailand has publicized itself as a medical tourist destination, providing cheaper options for people all over the world. Thailand is quickly racing up to take the place of the United States as the world’s largest paid surrogacy destination.

Regulations and guidelines involving international business have recently changed in Thailand. The Thai Department of Employment issued new guidelines for trade and investment related activities which streamline business activities in the region. These changes will make it easier for business travel to happen within the country and potentially increase the amount of international business that takes place with companies located in Thailand.

Businesses around the world are starting to realize the potential Africa has for global business growth. With more than half of its population being under the age of 35 and its middle class on the rise every day, companies especially in the US are funneling money into the continent in hopes to rope in some of the business opportunity.

For many corporations in the US, having to pay the high corporate tax rate is a problem worth avoiding. In order for these companies to avoid having to pay these taxes, they are reporting profits under the holdings of offshore subsidiaries. There is a lot of speculation that if companies could bring the money back over to the US, it would stimulate the economy and help the United States. In order for this to become reality though, the current tax rate would have to be much lower. There is in fact some myth to this. In order for the money to be considered "offshore" on the financial statements, the money simply has to be under a foreign subsidiary, even if it is invested in a bank in the US like a lot of companies' profit currently is. This allows them to avoid having to pay the US corporate tax rate on their offshore profits, while still having the money accessible in the US.

With draws such as competitive labor costs, profitable domestic markets, and a skilled workforce, India is a top candidate for foreign investment. India has very strong management and business education systems, leading to a working class of citizens that foreign companies can accept as the workforce in expanding business. India's infrastructure, consumer products, technology, media, telecommunications, and life-sciences sectors are expected to drive the country's growth over the next few years.

The most important way to ensure achievement of mergers and acquisitions is to make sure the integration process with the other company is successful. While this may not be the most exciting aspect involved in merging companies together, it is by far one of the most important phases. Companies need to focus tasks on the integration process and make sure not to over-look it in practice.

With organizations and supply chains becoming more and more global, international travel for business professionals is increasing. The perks are growing your resume and seeing the world, but traveling across time zones on a regular basis tends to throw a person’s body out of whack. There have been many studies as to how one can minimize these effects, and the studies show the importance of getting on a precise schedule while traveling.

When out shopping and buying clothes and other apparel merchandise, a lot of people forget how far a product has come.  The supply chains of the apparel and textile industry have been under a lot of scrutiny and are in need of change.  Whether this change is for the rights and conditions of workers or to accommodate the ever changing online market, current conditions will not last much longer.

A big topic in business today is the evolution of the new digital world. It is vital to businesses that want to continue being successful to recognize and adapt to the new trends. Companies will either take flight in the new age or dwindle and faze out. This holds true for nearly every industry as global business has become technologically advanced.

Now that so many businesses are expanding into the BRIC countries, one major focus should be how are they going to secure the best and brightest to work for them.  The needs and wants from employers by professionals in countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China are unlike that of employees in developed countries. Companies need to learn how to tailor their workplace in these countries in order to identify, secure, and retain top talent.

Employee resource groups (ERGs) are very popular with companies in the United States, but it is becoming increasingly important for companies all over the world to adopt this workplace habit. Employee resource groups are groups of employees who join together in their workplace based on shared characteristics or life experiences. Global companies need to hone in on this, and take full advantage of what ERGs can do for a business.

Throughout the past year China has announced its plans to open industries to foreign companies. Since the Shanghai free trade zone was introduced in September 2013 China has made many attempts at opening up parts of the economy in hopes of stimulating economic progress in the country. Within the Shanghai zone the government is testing free trade in Chinese currency as well as allowing interest rates to be set by market forces. This provides a great opportunity for foreign companies who wish to harness the mass market China provides.

In recent findings, scientists have discovered how to turn a stream of algae into bio-crude oil, a  possible game changer for the role oil plays in global business and global dependencies. The high-tech pressure cooker that reaches temperatures around 660 degrees Fahrenheit and pressures of 3,000 pounds per square inch, is licensed by a Utah-based biofuel company Genifuel, who are now working with industrial partners to build a pilot plant.

Businesses are becoming increasingly global, causing teams to be spread around the world. This leads to greater success along with some unique challenges. In order to lead these teams, managers must learn to balance different cultures, time zones, computer software, and relationship styles.

When it comes to managing different cultures in a team the best way is to learn and immerse one’s self into the culture, this will allow complete understanding of where others come from. If you learn the country’s cultural tendencies, you will understand why team members are doing certain things. In some cultures for instance, people do not waste time in e-mails with small talk. E-mails are very direct and to the point. If one does not know that is a cultural norm of this person, they may feel uncomfortable in the situation, and take offense. It is a good idea to take note at the beginning of the project, of team members’ communication and working styles that way everyone is familiar and comfortable working with each other.

Now that 2013 is wrapping up people are interested in predictions for 2014. Two important predictions to look at are the global economy and global business. These two factors usually go hand in hand; if the global economy is looking brighter it may be due to the fact that global business is increasing. Since a large plummet in 2011, global business and the global economy have slowly been increasing and there is more confidence on what the future holds.

A topic becoming more and more popular in the business realm today is the differences of Generation Y, otherwise referred to as Millennials, and the rest of the workforce. The needs, wants, and leadership styles of Generation Y are drastically different from earlier generations; this is causing a great shift in the way businesses operate around the world. Generation Y is the generation born between the 1980’s and early 2000’s. Millenials are currently working in the business world and will continue entering for years to come. It is vital for companies everywhere to learn and adapt in order to retain Generation Y employees.

People around the world are questioning the objectives of China and Saudi Arabia, who are vying for seats this week on the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. The members of the General Assembly elect the members to the council’s forty-seven seats. The inquiry of these countries to the council comes on the grounds that the General Assembly is supposed to take into account the contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, while China and Saudi Arabia may be considered to some, two of the most infamous violators of human rights.

Ernst & Young, a Big Four accounting firm, conducted a fraud survey across the Asia-Pacific region, finding that there is a large disconnect between company policies, enforcement, and execution that is obstructing efforts to diminish fraud. The survey consisted of 600 senior level executives from companies in countries including, Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.

On July 1, 2013 Croatia was all festivities, celebrating their induction as the 28th member of the European Union (EU). Joining the EU will provide Croatia with more legal stability, a larger market for their goods, and a projected $18 billion earmark between 2014 and 2020. While this ensures great things for the Croatian economy, we cannot forget about the implications, good or bad, on the relationship between Croatia and the other Balkan Countries.