Description: Western businesses have been pulling out of Russia as a signal of displeasure about the invasion of Ukraine. Fast food giant McDonalds has been among those joining the protest with its announcement that its 850 locations in Russia would close. The response by the Russians was perhaps a bit unexpected, with one politician announcing… Read more »
Posts Categorized: International Business Operations
Role Model
Description: Janet De Silva is the CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade. She recently offered several key observations about her career path and success. One particular piece of advice that stands out is don’t pretend you are an expert when you take on an overseas assignment. Date: March 5, 2017 Source: theglobeandmail.com Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/janet-de-silva-one-thing-that-has-enabled-me-to-succeed-in-business-is-not-pretending-im-the-expert/article34201870/… Read more »
Dow hits record
Description: On Wednesday, January 25, 2017, the Dow Jones Index busted through the 20,000 barrier for the first time ever. In March of 2009, the financial crisis drove the index to 6,440. But growth has been consistent for several years and the election of Donald Trump seems to have boosted investor confidence. Date: January 25,… Read more »
Will Apple face America First pressure?
Description: Donald Trump has put pressure on US automakers to keep manufacturing jobs in America. But what about Apple? The wealthy computer maker doesn’t actually make its devices in the United States. Globe and Mail columnist Eric Reguly points out that many of Apple’s products owe a debt to government funded technological advances, so perhaps… Read more »
Ford changes gears quickly
Description: Ford Motor Company has changed gears on its plans to build a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico. In the face of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to invoke a border tax, the auto builder decided to rethink its position. Canadians may be wondering about what all this means for the automakers’ plans to… Read more »
Canada’s export edge
Description: A December 2015 report from the Conference Board of Canada discusses Canada’s growth potential in the expanding world market for services. Information processing and professional services are a couple of the key areas offering opportunities in this global marketplace. The report notes that one of the important strategic moves that will help fuel growth… Read more »
Europe and deflation
Description: In December, Europe officially entered the deflationary zone, with a 0.2 per cent drop in the consumer price index. The European Central Bank is being pressured to respond to this situation. A deflationary environment, if it persists, can be very damaging if people begin to expect a future of declining prices. Source: Globe and… Read more »
Bitcoin: Be prepared for the rise of digital currency
One bitcoin is worth $720 Cdn Each day, Lorne Lantz buys his lunch with bitcoin. Some say the burgeoning digital currency has no real value — but his sandwiches say otherwise. Cryptocurrency? Bitcoins and other “cryptocurrency” have started to rise from the fringes of the internet to the cusp of mainstream use — a remarkable… Read more »
Global trade deal reached after 2 decades
The World Trade Organization has forged a deal that could add $1 trillion to the world economy. It’s aimed at cutting red-tape to help poorer countries sell their goods to wealthier nations. A deal to boost global trade has been approved by the World Trade Organization’s 159 member economies for the first time in… Read more »
Late to the party, Hortons finally unveils cup sleeve
In the fall of 1993, a struggling realtor in Oregon named Jay Sorensen patented a cup sleeve. He’d been driving his daughter to school, coffee in hand, and burned himself. He figured there had to be a better way. Battle with Starbucks He got into a battle with Starbucks, which later came up with a… Read more »