http://clynchinternational.com/blog Asking the Right Questions About International Business Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:20:24 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The recent Summit of the Americas in Trinidad marked a positive change in US attitudes towards Latin America. Much has been made of the interchanges with Hugo Chavez but the real story is that the Obama Administration has decided to approach Latin America as an equal rather than the big ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2009/04/30/summit-of-the-americas-a-positive-step-by-the-obama-administration/ Hillary Clinton's visit to Mexico last week centered around ways to deal with the violence surrounding the trade in illegal drugs. The Mexican government has been cracking down on the cartels, resulting in open conflicts with the authorities and among the drug runners. Now the violence has landed on our ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2009/03/31/drug-violence-and-latin-america-implications-for-businesses/ We're in a position in the world economy that few in America would have imagined one year ago. And yet there are lots of examples from countries around the world that went through similar crises -- we just never thought it would happen to us. I'm shifting the focus of the ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2009/02/28/some-lessons-from-japans-lost-decade/ The New York Times ran on January 16 an analysis of the dramatic drop in international trade since last summer. Virtually every major economy has suffered a drop. (See this graphic which sums it up quite nicely). There has been undoubtedly a reduction in demand as economies turn into recession. ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2009/01/30/sharp-drop-in-international-trade-accelerated-by-credit-crunch/ The New York Time has been running an oustanding series entitled "The Reckoning" which explores the causes of the global economic crisis. I recommend the one published this week entitled "Chinese Savings Helped Inflate American Bubble" by Mark Landler. Landler pointed out how Chinese money (from the huge export surplus ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/12/29/the-poor-lending-to-the-rich/ I ran a roundtable discussion on international markets at the Fifth North Bay Growth in Innovation Forum in Santa Rosa on November 13. (I organized these in conjunction with the City of Santa Rosa  -- Nancy Mancester -- and some great Chamber member volunteers, this time led by Mike Adler) ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/11/30/during-the-crisis-should-i-focus-on-my-domestic-markets/ Recently, a former student of mine wrote from his first overseas position with an international company. He told me that though he appreciated my class, he felt that there was one area that I didn't address -- how tough it was to be the expatriate. He was excited by the ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/10/24/the-life-of-the-expat/ With the current credit crisis, one question that continues to arise is "Is my money safe?" That certainly is a major consideration for personal banking and it is to a degree also important for international business. If you look at the banking landscape, there are lots of banks offering services -- and ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/10/01/how-do-i-find-the-right-bank-to-support-my-international-business/ A number of months ago, I blogged about the interconnectedness of modern financial markets. The events of the last month have clearly demonstrated this.  We have to look back about a decade for the origins of the crisis which had its origins in the US policy to promote home ownership. In 1997, the ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/09/29/the-meltdown-why-global-markets-punish-poor-economic-policy/ This year's Olympics were a triumph for China and awakened considerable interest in this rising power. Here are a couple of great resources for you to check out on doing business in China. Song White, who has incredible experience in doing business in China, has developed Beijing Show and Go which ... http://clynchinternational.com/blog/2008/08/28/resources-for-doing-business-in-china/