Forbes has just released its list of "Best Countries for Business" and this year has reached the top. Canada jumped up from last year’s number 4 spot to claim the top spot on the list. Countries were ranked based on “property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom (personal, trade and monetary), red tape, investor protection and stock market performance.” Through a variety of reliable sources, Forbes was able to evaluate based on these characteristics and rank the countries in order of business attractiveness.
globalEDGE Blog - Page 232
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and Vietnam recently expanded their economic ties by signing financial cooperation and partnership pacts. Last year bilateral trade exceeded 5 billion dollars between these two countries and Germany was Vietnam’s largest trade partner in the . These countries are not only looking to increase trade, but also to create welcoming working conditions for businesses in each other's country. This partnership aims to benefit both parties in ways far beyond just trade.
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While most economies in the European Union are slowing down, is going in the complete opposite direction. Estonia currently has the fastest economic growth rate in the with a solid eight percent growth rate in the first quarter of 2011. Joining the European Union in 2004, Estonia has come a long way to establish itself as a prominent economic force in Europe. The country experienced some hindrances along the way but has overcome these obstacles while continuing to grow economically. There are that account for this positive growth rate in Estonia.
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As global food prices continue to rise, rice is no exception. In Thailand, extreme rain and government regulation are also expected to contribute to a sudden hike in rice prices.
has around 8 million rice farmers, and currently accounts for about . However, the Thai government is stepping in to , so that share is likely to drop. The Thai government hopes the increase in prices will benefit local struggling farmers increase their income. Unfortunately, the increase in prices also means that Thailand rice exports will be less competitive internationally. Some say that other countries, such as and , will be able to make up for what Thailand does not export but global price increases are still likely. With other countries becoming larger international players in the rice market the Thai government may end up rethinking its rice pricing policy.
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If you are a small business counselor looking to improve your skills as an export and trade advisor, online training certification may be of interest to you. The webpage is a great resource to achieve this goal and is provided by the U.S. Commercial Service of the Department of Commerce. This page offers small business counselors the opportunity to receive certification after viewing several webinars on exporting information and guides.
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China’s image as a is likely to change due to the rapid increases in worker wages. In fact, wages for the average manufacturer worker in China are expected to double by 2015. As this has begun to unfold, many foreign manufacturers have begun looking for alternative low-cost production bases and have been largely unsuccessful in finding better options. Foreign reliance on China for inexpensive production will likely be a thing of the past as these wages continue to climb.
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Last week globalEDGE experienced some technical issues causing a few blog posts to be deleted from the site. To correct this problem, we will be re-posting three deleted blog posts today from last week. We are sorry for any inconveniences this may have caused and we look forward to getting the blog going again. We are also open to hear some ideas from you, our readers, on international business topics you would like us to cover. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog suggesting future blog topics or you can also comment on various blog posts throughout the week that you find interesting.
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Mining for gold has traditionally been viewed as a toxic business that harms the environment leaving mercury and other harsh chemicals in the atmosphere. However, this view is beginning to change as gold mining practices turn to fair trade. The set social, environmental, and economic measures to eliminate child labor and minimize the use of toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide. The major goal of this movement is to avoid the negative impacts that mining causes in the environment while also aiming to help the millions of people who depend on the for employment.
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In 2011, the globalEDGE embarked on a full site redesign to increase the interactivity and usability of the entire website. We wanted to add to the user-friendliness that our users have come to count on. In addition to the statistics, resources, and trade information in our sections, the new globalEDGE now includes additional maps, interactive rankings, and easier-to-use pages. The purpose of today’s blog is to highlight these new features of the next generation of globalEDGE.
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Are companies that have implemented carbon reducing practices performing better financially? The recent release of the CDP Global 500 report by the answers in the affirmative. In fact, this report has revealed that the companies working to decrease their carbon emissions are outperforming those that have not begun this change. These same companies are said to be performing better in the stock market as well.