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| Wednesday, July 10,
2002 |
Issue 37
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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 14
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WELCOME
http://www.fita.org/
Here's your latest issue of
Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals.
This free bi-weekly newsletter reviews useful Web sites
from the Web Resources database at FITA's International Trade/ Import-Export
Portal at www.fita.org, an excellent source for
trade leads, news, events, and a link library of 7,000+ sites related to international trade.
My name is John McDonnell, and for years I've been writing
about useful Web sites for businesspeople, in various
publications. Now I've focused on international trade,
using my Web research skills to find sites that are
useful for international businesspeople, and some sites
that are just plain fun for anyone.
If you'd like to search back issues of Really Useful
Sites for International Trade Professionals, there's
a search page at http://fita.org/useful/search.html.
Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to others.
Here's your latest issue:
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EMERGING MARKETS
http://www.emdirectory.com/
I had an Internet account in
1993, so I knew about it before a lot of other people,
but I never cashed in on my knowledge by inventing a
search engine, an online auction site, or some other
way to make money -- so I guess I'm not a visionary.
All is not lost, however. I can still be a visionary
in international trade, by going to Emerging Markets Directory
at www.emdirectory.com. This site provides background
information on emerging markets, which are defined as
countries that are making an effort to change and improve
their economies to get to the level of the world's more
advanced nations. Here you'll find a glossary of emerging
market terminology, links to stock markets in these
countries, links to companies with knowledge of emerging
markets, and news of conferences. With any luck, you'll
spot a country that's on the rise.
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OUR
FEATURED REGIONAL SITE -- MERCOSUR RESEARCH
http://www.idrc.ca/lacro/investigacion/mercosur.html
In 1995 Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay,
and Uruguay united to form Mercosur, a customs union
bringing together 200 million people with a combined
annual gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$900
billion. I found something called the IDRC
Mercosur Economic Research Network's Web site at
www.idrc.ca/lacro/investigacion/mercosur.html that has
a lot of Mercosur research data, and it's very useful
for anyone who wants to establish trading relationships
in these countries. Scroll down to Mercosur Trade and
Business Information, click on one of the countries
listed, and you'll find detailed reports, forecasts,
statistics, news, and information. For instance, I learned
that although Argentina is one of the world's top food
exporters, it is importing increasing amounts of prepackaged
convenience foods (especially snack foods) and processed
fruit and vegetable products. If I were a manufacturer
of cupcakes, I'd check out the Argentine market.
There are lots more links to these countries at the
FITA site. Go to FITA's International
Trade Web Resources at www.fita.org/webindex,
click on Regional Resources and Multi-Lateral Trading
Areas in the left column or "Search by Country or
Region" in the right column, and then scroll down
to Latin America. Or simply type "Latin America" in
the search box at www.fita.org.
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TWO
ETIQUETTE SITES
http://www.hbcollege.com/management/students/bus_etiquette.htm#5
As business becomes more global,
many of us have realized that manners and etiquette
-- knowing how to behave in various business settings
-- are at least as important as price and product quality.
For some useful pointers on this, visit Business
Etiquette at www.hbcollege.com/management/students/bus_etiquette.htm#5,
a site with articles that show you how to behave in
business situations. It's well worth a look, if you
want to learn how to negotiate any business situation
with style and grace.
And here's a similar site.
I've never traveled to Tajikistan, but I'll know
how to behave if I ever do. I'll know, for instance,
that it's good manners to take off my shoes (but not
socks) if I enter someone's house, and never to turn
bread upside down. I learned this at the Bag-Lady at
www.the-bag-lady.co.uk, which is a valuable reference
tool for people doing business internationally. Simply
click on "Countries A-Z" at the home page, then select
a country, click on the type of information you want
(social profile, business profile, demographics, etc.),
and click on "Build profile" at the bottom of the
page. In seconds you'll get detailed information about
the country you selected.
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EMBARK
http://www.embark.com/
When my kids get ready to start
looking at college (and when I'm ready to bankrupt myself
paying for it) I'll go to Embark at www.embark.com.
This site describes itself as "a resource for millions
worldwide to research, prepare, apply online, finance
and get ready for higher education". You can do a search
for a school, then read a profile of it, visit its Web
site, even apply to it online. There are resources for
international students, graduate schools, and much more
here. |
For archived issues of Really Useful Sites for
International Trade Professionals, click on http://fita.org/useful/archives.html.
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Full archives
can be found at http://fita.org/useful/archives.html.
Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals can be
searched at http://fita.org/useful/search.html
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