emerging markets - manufacturing

Global-production.com, a consulting firm based in Switzerland, is billed as a "key source of information and research on emerging economies as locations for global production." The web site offers a variety of resources centered around their services:

"The Global Production Scoreboard benchmarks emerging economies as locations for global production. It employs a set of indicators,combining state-of-the-art theory with insights from best-practice research. Listed in leading business information directories, the Scoreboard is today a widely used planning tool by manufacturing companies around the world.

For selected industries, we provide information and reports on the manufacturing competitiveness of emerging economies by product category.

Our research services support client organisations in the alignment of value activities with locations on a global basis."

The web site also provides links to additional resources for research on emerging markets and emerging economies.

Dual language search in Google

This search tool -- http://2lingual.com/ allows you to conduct a Google search in 2 languages on one screen, simultaneously. So, you can type in a search in English on the left while the right search box is translating and running the same search in Polish, Chinese, Hebrew, or one of about 35 other languages. Very nice!

GlobalEDGE - Hospitality and Travel Industry

GlobalEDGE from Michigan State University is a resource that I've highlighted in the past but it's worth repeating. The site also has a new look and feel.

The July GlobalEDGE newsletter is focused on the Hospitality and Travel Industry and includes news articles; an industry "risk description" from Coface; and a list of web-based resources for more information.

The newsletter also highlights featured resources such as the "Country Brand Index" and the online course modules which follow the book "A Basic Guide to Exporting" from the U.S. Commercial Service.

You can sign-up to receive the newsletter delivered via email each month. At the main GlobalEDGE web site, you can see more of their resources and also register for free value-added content.

Green labeling at Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart announced plans to develop a universal rating system for labeling the environmental sustainability of products, including all levels of production and distribution. The giant retailer is working with the University of Arkansas and Arizona State University and collecting data from its over 100,000 suppliers. The goal is to then have all retailers adopt the same system. The ambitious plan aims to inform consumers and, ultimately, compel the manufacture of more sustainable products. (NY Times, July 15, 2009)

Books on the financial crisis...

Emory University's Goizueta Business Library has witnessed more undergraduate and MBA students interested in reading books about the current financial crisis, outside of their required reading lists. "Reading the Economy: Books on the Current Financial Crisis" is a brief article in a recent issue of Knowledge@Emory that discusses this trend and highlights some recommended reading.

To locate related books in the USF catalog, search "financial crises" as a subject heading. Here are a few current titles in the USFSP library:

• House of cards : a tale of hubris and wretched excess on Wall Street / William D. Cohan (2009).
• Panic : the story of modern financial insanity / [edited by] Michael Lewis (2009).
• The return of depression economics and the crisis of 2008 / Paul Krugman (2009).
• The new paradigm for financial markets : the credit crisis of 2008 and what it means / George Soros (2008).
• The credit crunch : housing bubbles, globalisation and the worldwide economic crisis / Graham Turner (2008).
• The trillion dollar meltdown : easy money, high rollers, and the great credit crash / Charles R. Morris (2008).

Cause Marketing or Consumption Philanthropy or ?

The Stanford Social Innovation Review has an interesting, timely article "The Hidden Costs of Cause Marketing":

"From pink ribbons to Product Red, cause marketing adroitly serves two masters, earning profits for corporations while raising funds for charities. Yet the short-term benefits of cause marketing—also known as consumption philanthropy—belie its long-term costs. These hidden costs include individualizing solutions to collective problems; replacing virtuous action with mindless buying; and hiding how markets create many social problems in the first place. Consumption philanthropy is therefore unsuited to create real social change."

The article, by Angela M. Eikenberry, assistant professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, includes cited statistics, a list of references, and posted comments from readers.

The article was made available through Stanford knowledgebase, an email newsletter from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Ethics for finance professionals at all levels

"Your Career, Our Economy: Stakes are High When Finance Professionals Let Ethics Slide":

Bernie Madoff, AIG, and Allen Stanford all supply grand-scale 'teachable moments' for discussions about ethics in business. However, ethical behavior applies to all levels of professionals, not just those at the top of financial organizations. That's one of the lessons that professor Marianne Jennings at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is trying to impart to her undergraduate business students.

Jennings is also the author of the book, "The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse: Understanding What Causes Moral Meltdowns in Organizations."

"Why might some employees sabotage their companies?"

"Why might some employees sabotage their companies?" -- according to a researcher at Singapore Management University, self-esteem plays a critical role. In a working paper entitled, "When does self-esteem relate to deviant behaviour? The role of contingencies of self-worth," researchers found that it is not simply the level of self-esteem, but also whether an employee's self-esteem is tied to being a competent employee.

"They suggest that if an individual’s self-esteem is contingent upon being a competent employee – what they refer to as having workplace-contingent self-esteem – then regardless of whether self-esteem is low or high, they will be less likely to engage in deviant behaviours."

Read the article summarizing the working paper in the Knowledge@SMU newsletter.

New economics database: RGE Monitor

The USF Libraries recently added a subscription to the economics database RGE Monitor:

"RGE Monitor, named one of the world's best economic resources by Business Week, The Economist, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, delivers global economic insights to the business and academic community. Founded in 2004 by a prestigious team of economic and political experts, RGE Monitor defines key economic and strategic debates and presents arguments on all sides. Content and analysis is delivered through a variety of channels. “Spotlight Issues” are identified and set in priority order, searchable by either importance or date. “Global Daily Digests” are available on the website, through email, or by a continuously updated RSS feeds. “Working Paper Series” highlights the most relevant publications from the economic experts from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)."

Note: Requires the creation of an account. Once established, your user name is your email address.

To locate this database, visit http://www.lib.usf.edu and click on "Databases by Title/Subject" to begin.