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| http://go.mobi/ |
dotMobi’s Director of Engineering, Ronan Cremin, said, “The study demonstrates that apps are shifting to become a part of a broader mobile Web strategy rather than the strategy itself. While some brands build individual apps for multiple platforms like iOS, Android and BlackBerry, businesses are increasingly choosing a mobile Web solution for their content, as many of the Alexa top 1,000 have already done.”
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| Findings from the 2010 dotMobi "Mobile Web Progress" |
Highly controversial and greatly overused, the term “globalization” generally characterizes the phenomenon by which multiple economies have apparently begun to move in sync with one another. The pundits may all have their own opinions on the merits of global inter-connectedness, but statistics tell many different stories regarding whether international economies have really converged to move in a synchronous global business cycle.Read the entire article here. Agree or disagree? We'd welcome hearing from you!
The logic, drawn from textbooks, is that a decline in the dollar will make U.S. exports cheaper for foreign customers, so they will buy more, and will make Asian exports more expensive, so the world will buy less. It's no magic elixir.Illustration credit here.
"B.C.'s nimble, resilient small businesses are leaders in creating jobs and increasing wages, while boosting our province's GDP and export numbers."Read more about this here.
With a $1.28-million grant from the state Community Economic Revitalization Board, WSU Spokane will host two export readiness centers; one will be in the Seattle area, the second will likely be in the Sirti building, at the Riverpoint Campus. The grant runs for two years.
To encourage software developers, the bank is holding an “Apps for Development” contest with $45,000 in prizes and financial support. Entries are due by Jan. 10 and must include data from at least one of the bank’s data-sets and relate to one of the bank’s eight key development goals that range from environmental sustainability to reducing childhood mortality.Sounds like this will move us a step closer toward solving some of the world's most pressing problems.
Tesla vehicles liberate their owners from the petroleum-burning paradigm and associated inconveniences. The idea of time-consuming and costly detours to the gas station, routine oil changes, and frequent maintenance quickly becomes rather "last century." Owners drive their Roadsters all day long - to work, to errand, and on joy rides; at the end of the day, they simply return home and plug in. While the car quietly charges, the owners enjoy their evening, and wake up to a fresh, fully-charged car each morning.Doesn't that sound like a winning formula towards a sustainable, solar electric global economy?
10. Industrializing Countries Emerge as the New Engine for Global Growth.
Imagine a world where businesses big and small cater to a new middle class who lives outside of their traditional markets.
In the coming 10 years, consumer spending will increase in the developed world, but not to prerecession growth rates. Aging population, depleted savings and a debt hangover will restrain spending rates for these countries. However, the developing world will experience significant economic growth with more than 1 billion new middle class consumers fueling global consumer spending. Successful businesses will adjust their products and services to meet the needs of these new middle class consumers.
The maximum for International Trade and Export Working Capital loans also has been increased from $2 million to $5 million.Read more here.
SBA also permanently increased microloan limits from $35,000 to $50,000, raised the limit on Export Express loans, from $250,000 to $500,000, and made the program permanent.
SBA Express loan limits have been temporarily raised from $350,000 to $1 million for one year.
The dollar hit fresh lows against several currencies Thursday, raising pressure on global leaders to address worsening tensions among countries vying to keep their currencies weak and exports competitive.FX Outlook: U.S. dollar to get a respite after recent selloff | Reuters
The US needs to create about 200,000 jobs a month in order to keep up with population growth, let alone bring down the unemployment rate, and the weakness of the labour market since the spring has been one of the most troubling signs that the economic recovery has hit a soft patch.IMF's Blanchard says no need for more U.S. stimulus | Reuters
We will be expanding. We will be growing organically and we will be growing by acquisition. We had tremendous success in Europe, so Europe is a major focus for us. We’re expanding in Central Europe, and right now we have two major facilities in Bucharest and Romania, and we will be adding a third one. And that part of the business is growing very rapidly. We will be making acquisitions, most probably in Latin America. We’re looking at Chile, Argentina, and Columbia for acquisitions right now. We will be expanding our virtual event offering, which is a relatively new business for us. And we are number one in the world in the apparel industry space.Read the entire interview here.
For decades the United States attracted more than a quarter of all foreign students in college or graduate education. Recently that has begun to change. While the continuing boom in study overseas — an explosion largely unaffected by the economic downturn — means that the number of foreign students going to the United States has continued to grow, the U.S. share of the foreign student market has fallen to just 18.7 percent, according to the most recent report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Meanwhile countries like Australia, Russia and New Zealand have all seen their share of the market rise sharply.Read all about the rapidly changing international education landscape here.
If you are located in Georgia (U.S.A.), it's your lucky day. Free expert advice -- yes you read that right, FREE -- is available for the small business owner through the University of Georgia's Small Business Development Center in Gwinnett.ExportGA is a program offered to those businesses that are ready to expand into international markets. Additionally, the SBDC offers online classes through SmallBizU.Learn more here.
Is the United States threat to China right or wrong?
Re-visiting an article I wrote back in early 2009 that is still relevant to today's times:
What can an entrepreneur or small business owner learn from Inditex (owner of Zara), the world's largest clothing retailer? Plenty.The goal for every luxury company, wherever their clients are, “is to keep people coming back into stores with new products,” analyst Farren said. “That’s what consumers want.”(Lesson: To get and keep global customers you must continually hit the refresh button on your product and service offerings. Are you?).
