Failure to Respect International Labour Rights Gets a Country Suspended Trade Benefits

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Shame on Bangladesh.  Due to their alleged failure to respect international labour rights, U.S. President Barack Obama suspended Bangladesh's trade (export) benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).

This came about after the collapse of a building in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,200 textile and garment workers.

Read more:  Obama Suspends Bangladesh's Trade Benefits Over Labour Rights (the picture in the article says it all)

Chicago Blackhawks: Work Hard, Play Harder and Win Insanely Great!

Congratulations to the

Chicago Blackhawks:

2013 Stanley Cup Champs!

Photos Courtesy: ©2013 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

5 Ways to Crank Your Business Up to Global

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

If companies want to grow, they have a couple of options to make it happen:  new product launch, buy a company, franchise, license an idea and export, to name but a few.

In the article, "Five Steps to Start Thinking Like An Exporter," London regional director Parveen Thornhill for UK Trade & Investment's (UKTI) talks about how small businesses want to reach out to Bric countries and beyond, yet it's not always clear where to start.  He shares five tips on how to turn your business into a global player.

While I have you, I am currently at work on a new book on exporting to be published February 2014 by Apress.  I'll keep you posted.  It will be an export game changer for small businesses.  You won't want to miss it.

Are We Globally Engaged?

Lifesize/Thinkstock

Are we a society that is globally engaged and driven by production and innovation?

According to the Brookings Institution:

"A growing chorus of leaders is calling for a new growth model, one that creates more and better jobs by engaging rising global demand and attracting global talent and capital. These leaders recognize that only by harnessing the power of ..."

Read the entire article:  Going Global:  Boosting Metro Denver's Economic Future

Meanwhile, view (immediate download of a PDF file) the 10 Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas case study for Denver

Teach a Man to Go Global and You Expand His Business Over a Lifetime

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." ~ Chinese Proverb

Similarly, give a man (or woman) an international customer and you satisfy his/her need to go global.  Teach a man (or woman) to go global and you expand his/her business over a lifetime. 

"One of the big things in international trade is that people don't go into something new because they do not understand it," said Mark Peterson, Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) President & CEO. "We want them growing, we want them adding jobs and we want them to be able to have the knowledge they need to grow as fast as possible."

Read the entire article:  International Business Council Helps Local Companies Go Global

How the Mighty Succeed Globally!

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

In the article below, I challenge you to determine whether you are strong enough to take your business to the next level.  I provide six super tips to update your business and help you become leaner, stronger and poised for greater global growth in the coming years. Are you ready?

How The Mighty Succeed Globally

The Faint of Heart Should Not Go Global

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

According to Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson, “The faint of heart shouldn’t be involved in this process."  And what he is referring to is a little of the Farnborough International Airshow (Paris), the talk of how doing international business is not easy and how companies face US export restrictions and more.

Read the entire article:  Going Global:  US Firms Grow Foreign Connections as Domestic Spending Stalls