News And Analysis | Global Delivery Report. In 2012, Think Global, Innovation and Cloud | Global Delivery Report. By Robert L. Scheier After an eye-opening year watching the fast-changing Nearshore and global services industry, I offer (pardon the cliché) five suggested resolutions for outsourcing customers in 2012. 1) Think global - even more global than before. The more I see of global services companies, and of startups hoping to go global, the more I realize the world is already “flat” and getting flatter more quickly than you may think. 2) Look beyond the headlines. 3) Clean up your act as a customer. 4) Get smart about the cloud. 5) Don’t let ‘em see you sweat.
A final tip: Don’t worry, be happy. High commodity prices will drive innovation in industry. Has the global economy entered a long period of persistently high, volatile commodity prices? That’s a question asked recently by international consultancy McKinsey & Co., which analyzed a century of data and found that the trend – for at least the next 20 years – doesn’t look good. The previous 100 years told a different story. Since 1910, it found that the average combined price (inflation-adjusted) of food, agricultural raw materials, metals and energy reached its lowest historical level in the late 1990s.
Sure, there were big dips during the post-World War I depression and the Great Depression a decade later. But major technological advancements in areas such as exploration, extraction and cultivation allowed us during prosperous times to satisfy the demands of a growing global population, while keeping commodity prices at record lows. “This ability to access progressively cheaper resources underpinned a 20-fold expansion of the world economy,” according to McKinsey’s analysis. Global Education Strategies. Innovation is in the air. The European Comission presented the New Agenda Horizon for Innovation that stresses the idea that Europe must regain its Internal Competitive Advantage focused on a more effective attitude towards the creation of added value in the competitive global market.
The primal vision for this new horizon is centered in innovation and it is essential that the different actors understand the key message that comes from this new agenda of change. Innovation is in the air and the time is for believing in the future. Innovation is a new solution to Europe. Reinventing Europe and giving the European Actors (States, Universities, Enterprises, Civil Society) the opportunity of developing new challenges focused on innovation and creativity is in a large sense giving a central contribution to a New Global Order. The Reinvention of Europe is the reinvention of its people and institutions. We need a Europe of Innovation. In a certain sense, we need a new third way for Europe.
Iskandar Malaysia Gets 12 New Investments Worth RM1.7 Billion. How the role of equities may shrink - McKinsey Quarterly - Economic Studies - Country Reports. UK students lack global outlook, says British Council. 8 December 2011Last updated at 03:37 By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Carol singers in Shanghai this week: Are UK students ready for a globalised economy? Business leaders are warning that students in the UK are lagging behind in developing an international outlook needed for a globalised economy. A British Council survey suggests many employers are struggling to recruit staff with a "global outlook". The report says UK students need wider horizons if they are to compete with rising economies such as China. The "UK economy risks losing global competitiveness", says Jo Beall of the British Council.
The Global Skills Gap report reflects concerns that UK students remain too insular in their outlook. 'Emerging economies' Multi-national companies, with staff and customers in many different countries and cultures, have told the survey of the importance of recruiting employees who can "think globally". Continue reading the main story “Start Quote End QuoteBritish Council report. E-Commerce: Cultivating E-Commerce Trust Across the Globe. Opening your business to overseas prospects raises the potential for more sales, but it also increases the possibility for fraudulent behavior. The good news is that some payment methods have come a long way in preventing fraud and guaranteeing payments. PayPal's global seller protection service, for example, has been in place since 2010. It extends to international payments, making the method safe for use outside the U.S. ManageEngine OpManager, a powerful NMS for monitoring your network, physical & virtual (VMware/ HyperV) servers, apps & other IT devices.
Deploy and start monitoring in less than an hour. Online retailers considering selling their goods overseas need to know the expectations of consumers in the countries in which they want to do business. A consumer in Germany, for example, expects to see a retailer with a German address and prices posted in euros, not U.S. dollars. This also applies to the payment methods that customers expect at the checkout. Fraud Prevention. Resource revolution. The Innovation Economy - Blog | Join us for “Innovation and the Global Marketplace” Join us for “Innovation and the Global Marketplace” by Editor@TheInnovationEconomy | December 2, 2011 The Innovation Economy Over the next 20 years, the size of the global middle class is set to grow dramatically from 1.8 billion (today) to potentially 5 billion people in 2030, according to a 2010 Brookings Institution report.
In light of our increasingly interconnected world and expanding global middle class, The Innovation Economy conversation this year has focused on the vital role of innovation in the global marketplace, specifically – the critical connections between American jobs, the exchange of ideas, global trade and U.S. relationships around the world. Earlier this year, we hosted a conversation at The Aspen Institute with Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative, on how best to access the promise of global markets, the connection between open markets and the innovation economy, and the priority of saving and creating American jobs as we pursue economic growth.
C. How Culture Controls Communication. A Quick Resource Guide for Exporting. 17 Ways to Grow Your Blog From Top Bloggers. Do you want to grow your blog? Are you looking for new ways to attract and retain more readers? We asked the finalists of our Top 10 Social Media Blogs contest for their best tips on how to grow your list of blog subscribers. Here are their best tips. I think you’ll agree there are some excellent ideas here. #1: Be Active in Other Communities First Here’s what Mitch Joel, author of Six Pixels of Separation and the blog at Twist Image, recommends: “You’ll have no semblance of community unless you’re an active community member in other spaces. Top 10 Social Media Blog Nomination: Laurel Mackenzie likes Mitch Joel's Six Pixels of Separation blog because "not only is his written content intelligent and thought-provoking, but his podcasts feature discussions on relevant topics with true industry thought leaders. " #2: Write About What You Love Here’s how Michael Brandvold grows subscribers on his blog: #3: Write Insanely Great Content “Blogging is not my full-time activity.
. #5: Offer Real Value. Richard Li-Hua on Innovation in China. China’s ambition of become an innovation-oriented country by 2020 is an important part of the nation’s long-term strategic plan. Being the second largest science and technology thesis producer, and running the second largest economy next to the US, a lot of things are happening in China. Innovation Management spoke to Professor Richard Li-Hua, word-leading expert on innovation about his thoughts on China’s innovation.
How would you describe the importance of innovation to China? The debt crises threat the very future of the Euro and still overshadow the slow recovery of the US economy. The uprising in Middle East and North Africa, in particular in Libya, presents uncertainty and instability. The global economy is at a crossroads. In the meantime, Japan and Europe are feeling uncomfortable with China’s pro-active merger and acquisition strategy. IMF produces even bolder forecast that China’s GDP will exceeds the US by 2016.
What are the goals connected with innovation in China? About CAMOT. A Silicon Valley Dream Grows in Guatemala City. A new era for commodities - McKinsey Quarterly - Energy, Resources, Materials - Environment. Has the global economy entered an era of persistently high, volatile commodity prices? Our research shows that during the past eight years alone, they have undone the decline of the previous century, rising to levels not seen since the early 1900s (exhibit). In addition, volatility is now greater than at any time since the oil-shocked 1970s because commodity prices increasingly move in lockstep. Our analysis suggests that they will remain high and volatile for at least the next 20 years if current trends hold—barring a major macroeconomic shock—as global resource markets oscillate in response to surging global demand and inelastic supplies.
Podcast Rethinking natural resource management DownloadGrowing demand for energy, materials and food, and water will present companies with both challenges and opportunities. Demand for energy, food, metals, and water should rise inexorably as three billion new middle-class consumers emerge in the next two decades. Exhibit Enlarge About the authors. Canada must change its innovation ecosystem.
William Polushin is founding director of the Program for International Competitiveness at the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, and President of AMAXIS, an international business and operational development services firm. The Competing to Win blog series can be foundhere. In my last entry, I cited value as one of those words in business that stands out among the rest in the minds and hearts of owners, entrepreneurs and managers.
In our increasingly competitive and integrated global economy, innovation is another word that carries significant weight and meaning - but not just for the for-profit element of our society. Over the period 2007-2009, 6,233 enterprises across Canada, with at least 20 employees and $250,000 in annual revenues were surveyed, representing 67 unique industries. Key findings of the survey are as follows 1: The most frequently displaced business activity was production of goods, mostly to or from the U.S. and China.) Either way, the message is clear. Customer Experience: The Key to Growth in Foreign Markets. Companies who wish to grow business overseas are faced with a difficult path. In 2011, 78% of people in North America, 58% in Europe and only 11% of people in Africa have internet access. Europe and Africa both have large populations who are not currently online but will be in the coming decade.
It is clear that with the majority of future internet users emanating from somewhere other than the United States, finding ways to service these new customers is paramount. Establishing a rapport and being persuasive with overseas markets is not simply a matter of offering one's products in the new market. In the European Union, 42% of internet users state that they will not buy a product in anything but their native language, and another 38% of them do so only occasionally. Communication and Growth Barrier The primary problem that prevents companies from communicating effectively with potential new customers overseas is the translation of marketing and other customer-facing materials. China’s confident consumers - McKinsey Quarterly - Retail & Consumer Goods - Sectors & Regions. The Chinese have taken to consumerism with ease, embracing thousands of new products, services, and brands. But the flipside is that the Chinese market changes at a speed capable of leaving all but the nimblest of companies breathless, as McKinsey’s 2011 survey of Chinese consumers highlights.
Three findings stood out. Even in the face of rising inflation, Chinese consumers are more confident this year than in 2010 about their financial prospects. Among urban consumers, the number of first-time buyers—a group that has been a major driver of category growth in China—is declining. Finally, although brand awareness is rising, we see little sign that brand loyalty is following suit.
In fact, more and more consumers choose among a growing number of favorite brands. These and other findings from this year’s survey have clear implications for companies seeking to capture the next wave of consumer-spending growth in China. Consumers and inflation Consumers and category growth Consumers and brands.
Stanford gets $150 million gift. Stanford University's Graduate School of Business has received a $150 million gift -- one of the largest in the university's history -- to create an institute to alleviate poverty through entrepreneurship, officials have announced. The gift from Dorothy and Robert King of Menlo Park was inspired by 40 years of hosting international students in their home. As hosts, the Kings saw the impact that education and entrepreneurship can have on individuals and on a larger scale, they said in a Stanford announcement.
The funding will create the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (SIID, but referred to as "SEED"), which will help develop entrepreneurship in countries where the per-capita income is less than $1.25 per day. An estimated 1 billion people worldwide live at that level, business school officials said. Robert King is an investment partner at Peninsula Capital in Menlo Park and a 1960 Stanford graduate business school alum. Demographics Are Not Destiny. Most people generally recognize the role that demographic trends play in shaping societies, mature economies, emerging markets, and the environment. China and India, for example, have become immense economic engines in part because each has more than a billion people. A bulge in the youth population has been a major factor in the recent unrest in the Middle East: Young people are compelled to protest because they feel they deserve opportunities and a voice in society that reflects the strength of their numbers.
Europe and Japan, conversely, are known to be suffering economically because of their aging workforces: The proportion of people who are retired, and thus dependent on others to support them, is rapidly increasing. The conventional wisdom says that there’s nothing one can do about these kinds of demographic trends, that every country must live with its demographic destiny.
But that isn’t true. This proactive approach to demographics is underpinned by two analytical concepts. America: Excelling at Mediocrity - Umair Haque. By Umair Haque | 2:26 PM October 28, 2011 Recently, I’ve been around the world and then back to the US of A. And what strikes me is how fast many parts of the globe are forging ahead — and how decrepit coming home can feel in comparison (JFK airport, I’m looking at you). It’s got me wondering: what is America still the best at? Consider this thought experiment. If you were really, really, really rich — say, not just part of the routinely opulent 1%, but a card-carrying member of the eye-poppingly decadent .01% — what part of your life would be American? If you had the money, I’d bet you’d drive a German car, wear British shoes and an Italian suit, keep your savings in a Swiss bank, vacation in Koh Samui with shopping expeditions to Cannes, fly Emirates, develop a palate for South African wine, hire a French-trained chef, buy a few dozen Indian and Chinese companies, and pay Dubai-style taxes.
How did we get here? Let me be clear. Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov calls for innovation - Europe News. Hong Kong aims to drive economic growth with innovation and technology development. Call to action key on innovation. A game of catch-up. Gallup chief: Prepare for jobs war. U.S. Retail Industry Update - 264 Store Closings, 864 Openings, U.S. Retail Chains Leave W Recovery Behind and Defect to 14 Countries with Money to Sp. American Eagle Closing Up to 100 U.S. Stores Through 2013 | Retail News. Gap closing about fifth of U.S. stores, expanding in China. Have You Restructured for Global Success? Announcing Innovation Canada Working Groups. The Island. IBM offers qualified SMEs access to Global Financing.
Global Creativity Index ranks Finland best for technology and talent | The Next Silicon Valley. INDEPENDENT online. The site is under construction. XCom Global Named TechAmerica High Tech Awards Finalist. Gmail: Email from Google. The World’s Leading Nations for Innovation and Technology - Technology. Awaken-group-releases-2nd-annual-global-leadership-and-innovation-report-131173873. Kimberly-Clark Announces Global Innovation Centers in Korea, Columbia. The challenge of global creativity|Zhongguancun Special. Localization World Conference: The Leading Conference for Localization and Translation Professionals. Finland opens tech network in New Delhi. NAIR-IT and Global TechInnovations to cooperate | Central regions, Technology & innovation | MarchmontNews.com.
Three Global Innovation Barriers.