Today in Global Small Business: How to Deliver to Customers Globally

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• What you should consider before setting up an e-commerce site.
• How to reach and deliver to customers globally with an e-commerce site.
• Avoid these importing mistakes at all costs when sourcing a product.
• Why exchanging gifts the right way in Japan is the finest expression of appreciation.
• Tips from a European perspective on expanding a business into the United States.
• What role affiliates play in international expansion.
• Why global business schools aren't producing ethical graduates.

Free: Sunrises and Sunsets

©2014 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"There's a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them." – Jo Walton

Globalization Reconsidered: What Global Flows Mean in a Digital Age

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According to McKinsey & Company, global flows are creating new degrees of connectedness among economies—and playing an ever-larger role in determining the fate of nations, companies, and individuals; to be unconnected is to fall behind.

A new McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report, Global flows in a digital age: How trade, finance, people, and data connect the world economy, examines the inflows and outflows of goods, services, finance, and people, as well as the data and communication flows that underlie them all, for 195 countries around the world.

Learn more:  Global flows in a digital age | McKinsey & Company

4 Executives Share Their Experiences Managing Global Organizations

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Harvard Business Review asked four executives to share their experiences managing global organizations.

1. Luc Minguet, head of group purchasing at Michelin, a global tire company based in France, describes how the tire maker trains managers to embrace cultural understanding and flexibility.
2. Eduardo Caride, regional director for Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America at Telefónica, the Madrid-based fixed and mobile telephony company, explores the benefits of moving managers across borders.
3. Takeo Yamaguchi, corporate officer for human capital at Hitachi, a Tokyo-based conglomerate with operations worldwide, details the conglomerate's efforts to create standardized HR practices across 948 companies.
4. Shane Tedjarati, president and CEO, global high-growth regions at Honeywell (Shanghai-based), discusses how the industrial powerhouse is shifting its strategy toward new regions, such as China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Read:  Voices from the Front Lines - Harvard Business Review

Avoid These 9 Common Importing Mistakes

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Ready to source that new product idea of yours?  You can feel the excitement and want to shout out to the world "wait until you get your hands on this product!"  But then you realize, oh, I have to find a manufacturer for it first.  As you begin the process, keep these nine common importing mistakes top of mind.  By addressing these potential pitfalls, you will save yourself time and money, enjoy peace of mind and manage a flawless import.

Read:  9 Importing Mistakes to Avoid When Sourcing a New Product

Understanding Global Trade Flows

Today in Global Small Business: 10 Great Books on Globalization

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• How to find someone to make the product you just invented.
• What to consider before you set up an e-commerce storefront platform.
• Ten books on globalization you shouldn't miss.
• The pros and cons to taking a business global.
• Business owners can learn the benefits to taking a business international.
• Four mistakes small businesses make with e-commerce.
• Google features you should consider using for your small business (translation is one).