Economy

In May, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued its much anticipated, semiannual Report to the Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies. The report’s key conclusion, that China is not a currency manipulator, was met with incredulity on the part of a number of members of Congress, some who suggested that the Treasury’s...

Question: Globalization is affecting manufacturing. What’s the good and the bad? Answer: The integration of traditional manufacturing, new technologies, national markets, and improved supply chain management— all spawned by globalization—is transforming American manufacturing. In the process, resources have shifted to sectors with competitive advantages...

Advancements in technology—especially those that have made the Internet, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), and supply chain management possible—have empowered consumers to shed the chains of proximity, and to search, locate and obtain goods and services virtually anywhere. No longer constrained by geography, consumers are now free to choose among the world’s most attractive offerings...

Global demographic shifts are changing the size of national markets, impacting consumer behavior and affecting investment decisions worldwide. How are they affecting your markets?

The U.S. economy is undergoing one of the greatest periods of transformation in history. The convergence of powerful technological, political, economic and cultural forces is shaping the 21st century. But as many U.S. industries seize global opportunities derived from today's economic realities, some are experiencing difficulty. This is causing fear and anxiety among workers similar...

<p>If there is one thing about America that inspires the rest of the world, it is its level of economic freedom. Or at least it used to. According to the 2005 Index of Economic Freedom, published jointly by The Heritage Foundation and &#8220;The Wall Street Journal,&#8221; the U.S. is no longer among the world’s 10 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>It is evident that isolated, short-term thinking no longer works. I hear many leaders say &#8220;I will control the things that I can.&#8221; While this is a tempting way to think in our increasingly complex and interdependent world, it does not serve the organizations and systems that we are a part of. Bigger systems thinking [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Increasing economic opportunity and strengthening homeland security are the two major goals of the U.S. government. Advancing free trade is essential to reaching both of these goals. Hence, the Bush Administration and Congress should be praised for significantly advancing free trade with Australia, Morocco, Chile and Singapore. The U.S. now has an even more important [&hellip;]</p>

International trade is a primary generator of business growth in the U.S. And millions of higher-paying, higher-skilled jobs are dependent on it. Importantly, companies that export grow faster and fail less often than companies that don’t. What’s more, their workers and communities are better off. Unfortunately, many Members of Congress have made trade the scapegoat...

International trade is a primary generator of business growth in Western New York. And a tremendous number of jobs are dependent on it. How do we know this?

Are the U.S. government’s new antiterrorism policies and regulations for cross-border commerce serving, in effect, as non-tariff barriers? If so, are they trumping the long-standing objective of maintaining a relatively open and easily crossed international border between the U.S. and Canada? What are the principal costs involved in complying with the new security mandates? And, [&hellip;]

Many Americans fear an increasing U.S. deficit and believe it will ultimately lead to economic crisis. The facts, however, may surprise you...

<p>This article is not only about expanding your business. It also is about expanding your thinking. Leaders expanded thinking creates expanded possibilities for their businesses. It is critical to understand the latest trends and shifts in the world, and to postulate how they might impact your organization. It&#8217;s also important to ask what the implications [&hellip;]</p>

Since day one, as world traders and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) alike will admit, the 24-Hour Rule and container targeting have been far from perfect in design and implementation. In the weeks following 9/11, CBP didn’t have the luxury of time in formulating a grand design for cargo security. Instead, the agency [&hellip;]

It’s daybreak at a major Asian seaport and there’s a dirty bomb in a shipping container. The sealed container looks exactly like the thousands of worn boxes that move in and out of the port each day on truck and train. And aside from a single lead-lined crate that conceals the deadly explosive, there is [&hellip;]

Since the emergence of local, regional and national economies, there has been a constant evolution in the stages of cultural and economic development. Globalization is another step in that evolution. It is not a unique event just bursting onto the scene, but rather, the 21st century version of a predictable age old dynamic...

<p>We’ve Merged. Are We Paying Attention to all the Right Components? All merged and acquiring companies want the best outcome from the acquisition in order to deliver the expected return on investment. These companies focus on the most advantageous combination of systems, technologies, processes, financials and organizations. Is this enough? No. An area often overlooked [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Are you getting all the information and feedback you need to lead your organization effectively? Unless you work in an extraordinary organization, the answer is an emphatic &#8220;No.&#8221; In most organizations, there are the &#8220;undiscussables: the items that everyone knows exist, yet do not feel free to talk about in a way that they could [&hellip;]</p>

<p>New research and analysis reveal that companies linked to the global marketplace perform better than those that only operate domestically. And the employees and communities of globally-engaged firms prosper more. But the benefits don’t just apply to exporters. The data reveal that companies that import, invest abroad or are recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI) [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On several occasions since World War II, and currently, the U.S. economic locomotive has been instrumental in pulling the rest of the world out of periods of poor economic growth. As this occurs, global markets improve, creating new opportunities for traders and investors. Today, new opportunities are emerging in Europe, Latin America and Asia, as [&hellip;]</p>