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Hello International Traders! Spain has a fast-growing economy and plenty of trade
opportunities, so in this issue I profile a site that will get
you up to speed on the Spanish economy in no time. Next, I have a
site with detailed country profiles, so you can get the inside
story on hundreds of economies around the world. If you have
questions about international taxes, I have a site that will
answer them. Finally, I found a site with enough links to kid-
friendly sites to keep a young Internet surfer busy for hours!
If you'd like more information about international trade, go to FITA's
International Trade/ Import-Export Portal ( http://fita.org ), an excellent
source for trade leads, news, events, and a link library of 7,000 sites related
to international trade.
| SPAIN -- OUR FEATURED COUNTRY
With its location on the tip of Europe, Spain has long been a
crossroads for traffic between Europe and Africa. Trade is a big
part of the Spanish economy, with US $172 billion in exports and
US $222 billion in imports during 2004. Another good thing is
that Spain is part of the European Union, and has lowered many
trade restrictions as a result. If you want to research trade
opportunities with Spain, a good place to start is STAT-USA
Market Research Reports (
http://strategis.gc.ca/epic/internet/inimr-
ri2.nsf/en/gr-01000e.html ). This is a page at Strategis, a
Canadian government site, that links to STAT-USA, a U.S. agency
that has a wealth of research information about countries
worldwide. Simply scroll down the country list till you come to
Spain, then click on one of the six different reports that are
available. The reports have everything from overviews of the
Spanish economy to detailed reports on specific industries, and
you can also find information on trade leads, contacts, laws & regulations, and useful tips for trade with Spain.
And FITA's Global
Trade Book Store has a many books about doing business in Spain. Check out
especially Spain (Culture Shock!), Passport Spain, and Doing Business with Spain.
There are many more links to Spain at the FITA site. Go to
http://fita.org/webindex/index.html, click on Regional Resources
and Multi-Lateral Trading Areas in the left column, then scroll
down to Latin America and Caribbean and click on Spain in the
drop-down box. Or simply type "Spain" in the search box at
http://www.fita.org.
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OECD COUNTRY WEB SITES
I'm always looking for sites with good statistics about
countries, so I was pleasantly surprised when I came upon the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Country Web Sites (
http://www.oecd.org/countrieslist/0,3025,en_33873108_33844430_1_1
_1_1_1,00.html ). The OECD is an organization that was formed
after World War II to foster economic development, and it
currently has 30 member countries, and active relationships with
70 other countries. At this site you'll find a trove of
information about OECD member and non-member countries. Just
click on a country name, and then on "Statistics", and you'll
find links to statistical profiles that are rich with
information.
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MEDJET ASSISTANCE: PEACE
OF MIND WHEN TRAVELERS NEED IT MOST
http://www.fita.org/travel/medjetdescript.htm
A medical doctor from West Virginia was on vacation with his wife in Rome recently
when they had an extreme medical emergency. As MEDJET Assistance members, they
made a collect call to the 24 hour hotline and received quick assistance.
They wrote, "My wife and I wish to express our deep appreciation for
your rapid and professional response to our medical emergency in Rome. We were
amazed at how you took care of the most minute detail and made it possible for
us to return to medical care in the States as quickly as possible. When we tell
people about our experience and how expertly you handled our return to the United
States they cannot believe that this could be done so expertly and efficiently."
MEDJET Assistance is an annual membership program for U.S-based travelers providing
air medical transportation to its members should they become hospitalized due
to accident or illness virtually anywhere in the world. The program transports
members, free of charge, to the hospital of their choice, most often in medically
equipped and staffed jets. Click on www.fita.org/travel/medjetdescript.htm
to become a MEDJET Assistance member now at reduced FITA rates.
MEDJET Assistance publishes a free brochure, "A Guide To Traveling Smart".
Contact MEDJET Assistance directly at (800) 963-3538
to order it. Make sure to mention FITA to get the FITA discount if you
enroll. |
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INTERNATIONAL TAX LAWS BY COUNTRY
Doing my annual tax return is not my favorite activity -- in
fact, reading the instructions is enough to make me reach for a
drink. But taxes are a fact of life, and if you can't love them,
you at least need to try to understand them. That's why
International Tax Laws By Country (
http://www.law-library.info/page/tax-international.htm ) is such
a useful site. Here you'll find links to hundreds of sites about
taxes, categorized by country. There are sites about tax policy,
regulations, instructions, advice, various types of taxes, tax
software, and much more. Visiting this site will probably make
things easier for you when it comes time to file your taxes.
ALA GREAT WEB SITES FOR KIDS
Although I've heard teachers say the Internet is a tremendous
learning tool for children, I often wonder about that, when I see
my kids spending hours at the keyboard playing games or gossiping
with their friends online. Now I can tap into the Internet's
educational potential, because I discovered ALA Great Web Sites
For Kids ( http://www.ala.org/gwstemplate.cfm?section=
greatwebsites&template=/cfapps/gws/default.cfm ). This American
Library Association site has hundreds of recommended sites, and
they're fun, educational, and worthwhile. On my quick tour of the
site I discovered links to sites about beekeeping, insects,
dinosaurs, the solar system, the Amazon river, science
experiments, museum exhibits, and much more. One really neat
thing about this site is that the links are categorized by age
(Pre-K through Middle School, or parents/teachers), and there are
descriptions of every site.
FULL PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS POSITION FROM FITA'S CAREER HQ
In the new FITA Career Headquarters job seekers can now apply for jobs online and post their resume--free of charge--in an exclusive database that will be searched by hundreds of industry employers seeking employees with international degrees and/or related work experience. A featured job this week is
for an Full Professor Position in International Business in the Department of Marketing & International Business at the Zicklin School of Business of Baruch College (City University of New York). Click here to browse more than 700 other positions!
And click here if you are an employer looking for uniquely qualified internationally-skilled staff.
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GIVE US FEEDBACK!
Please tell us what you think of these Really Useful Sites! Send us your
comments (newsletter@fita.org) about this or past issues or to give us suggestions about future editions!
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If you'd like to see all back issues of Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals, the full list is at http://www.fita.org/useful/archives.
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