7 posts tagged “international business”

BOP means "base of the economic pyramid" and there are 4 billion people in this market that have less than $5USD per day in discretionary income. Is this a viable market for the international business? The answer coming from Harvard's Working Knowledge says, "YES!" No surprise there. Back in the pre-blog days of Marketing Canapes, this subject was covered in terms of India where the average Indian could not afford a tube of toothpaste. Smart companies realized this and re-packaged their paste in smaller and more affordable sizes than are typically sold in the developed world. (Think sample sizes and travel-kit sizes as the norm). Consequently, they developed market share and have benefited as some of those poor have moved up the economic ladder and remain very brand loyal because, as people, they were treated with respect and in terms of what they could afford. Well, this article continues the coverage of that poor market. What the BOP market lacks in individual income is more than made up by the massive numbers in the BOP. 

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It is about time someone came up with a viable name for those of us who do business in several other places than our own country. Small Business Trends' Anita Campbell writes that she has noticed these businesses, although few in number. The other interesting tie-in with the scenario she writes about it the growth of the micro-virtual business - not virtual that it lives someplace like Second Life, but in the classic sense of being without fixed walls and permanent staff. You can use people from wherever that have the expertise needed on one project and a completely different collaboration for the next. 

Smart Mobs has a report on cell phones in Vietnam, calling their use a transformation agent for many developing countries. Citing an article on the Associated Press (Link is to a bad URL), SM quotes, "... Research shows that greater cell phone use can drive economic growth in emerging economies. Based on market research in China, India and the Philippines, consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that raising wireless penetration by 10 percentage points can lead to an increase in gross domestic product of about 0.5 percent..." 

Jeffery Teem makes a very good point saying the above on his blog, Inside the Cubicle. Here is his food for thought: "Let’s get one thing straight: All companies are global companies, from the mom and pop coffee shop on the corner to Starbucks. They are all global companies because in an environment where people have unfettered reach and access, they are competing for the same dollars, same workers, same time and attention." I couldn't agree more. Everyone is in a global business, they just haven't figured out how they connect to it. 

How not to be a cultural knucklehead in a global business world is an excellent post on Escape from Cubicle Nation. Among the excellent points are:

> use sports analogies that the audience IS familiar with

> avoid colloquialisms, lingo, metaphors, analogies

> be more formal in business-oriented international email, use salutations

> use GMT +/- time zones in your sig

Over at Free Exchange, this question leads off a short discussion concerning the Euro surpassing the dollar in terms of total circulation value. When it does so, will it be the first nail in the dollar's coffin? An interesting read. Extending the concept further by coupling that loss of "prestige" with the possibility of the dollar being joined by or superseded by the Euro as a reference currency, what impact would that have on the US economy? Interesting times. 

Semi-sorta old news as Home Depot agrees to buy Home Way, China's first big box hiome improvement stores. Direct Marketing has the story.