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Shipping Costs, Globalization and Small Manufacturing

by Steve King on 08/04/2008 03:14   0 comments ,19 views
Tags: myventurepad, transportation costs+globalization, small business+transportation

The NY Times has an article on the impact of rising transportation costs on globalization.  Key quote on rising container shipping costs:

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"The cost of shipping a 40-foot container from Shanghai to the United States has risen to $8,000, compared with $3,000 early in the decade, according to a recent study of transportation costs. Big container ships, the pack mules of the 21st-century economy, have shaved their top speed by nearly 20 p...

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Where Would We be Right Now Without Small Business??

by Jeff Cornwall on 07/30/2008 08:35   0 comments ,26 views

The ADP National Employment Report and ADP Small Business Report released today show that small businesses are continuing to be the only reliable engine for new jobs in our economy.  During the month of July small businesses - defined as businesses with fewer than 50 workers - added 50,000.  During the same month, medium businesses (50-499 employees) lost 9,000 jobs and large businesses (500 employees and larger) lo...

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Book Review: The Logic of Life

by Tom Pick on 07/30/2008 07:32   0 comments ,25 views

A book written by an economist, that attempts to use economic theories to explain pretty much everything in life, probably sounds more like a cure for insomnia—perhaps even masochism—than a page-turner. But in The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World, author Tim Harford, writer of the Undercover Economist column for the Financial Times, pulls off a truly amazing feat, making economics not merely interesting, but fascinati...
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Economic Gardening

by Steve King on 07/17/2008 03:20   0 comments ,27 views
Tags: economic gardening

Economic gardening is a local or regional economic development strategy that focuses on supporting local entrepreneurs and small businesses instead of "economic hunting" - attempting to attract new businesses from outside the area.  The idea was developed in Littleton, Colorado (they have a great description of economic gardening on their website) in the late 1980s and has since spread to many communities across the US. 

The intere.....

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Getting the Right Advice From The Right Business Experts

by Robin J Elliott on 06/28/2008 14:26   0 comments ,54 views
Tags: business coach+selection, consultants+selection
Too many people take advice from people who should not be permitted to give advice. The blind, it seems to me, spend far too much time leading the blind. This is particularly true when it comes to small business. People sign up for government-run “Self Employment Programs”, often conducted by low-paid people who failed in [...]
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The Art of Change

by Guy Kawasaki on 06/24/2008 19:48   0 comments ,51 views
Tags: managing change, change, books+bonvoisin
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Over at the Sun Microsystems blog I published an interview about the art of change. It features Ariane de Bonvoisin, the founder and CEO of The First Thirty Days, Inc. She recently published a book called The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Any Change (and Loving Your Life More). Learn about the crucial first thirty days of making a change, "change muscle, and "change quotient" by clicking here.


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Business embraces blogging and integrated marketing...so do I

by Paul Chaney on 06/11/2008 09:42   0 comments ,72 views
Tags: marketing strategy, small business+blogging, integrated marketing, entrepreneurship+marketing, marketing tactics
The more I understand marketing, the more I see the need for an integrated approach which spans a wide range of tactics. I've commented on the use of blogs and email, but that's only one way. The kind of integration...
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What's Next in Media

by Gavin Heaton on 06/11/2008 00:33   0 comments ,49 views
Tags: managing change, social media+change, traditional media+change, regional brand strategy
There is some great discussion going on around the nature, role and function of media. Neil Perkin has put together a great deck that digs into the impact of social media, while Craig Wilson looks at the potential of social...
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Collective Intelligence in the Age of Conversation

by Mario Vellandi on 06/09/2008 16:19   0 comments ,57 views
Tags: collaboration, blogging, social media, communications, market research, conversations
One year ago, I wrote an article for a nonprofit multi-author book project called “The Age of Conversation“. At the time, social media in the form of online blogs and other interactive/collaborative content was a very hot topic in sociology, journalism, and business circles among others.   While I saw the obvious benefit for social media [...]
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