International Economic Growth
Taking your business globalAccording to a report by the International Monetary Fund, Latin American and Caribbean economies will grow by 4.9 percent this year and by 4.2 percent in 2008, down from 5.5 percent last year.
The IMF reported that Venezuela and Argentina’s economies will continue to grow thanks to record oil prices and massive soybean exports. Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Central America and the Caribbean will also experience see slight decreases, while Chile and Brazil will grow by 5.2 percent, and Brazil by 4.4 percent, respectively.
Source: Miami Herald www.miamiherald.co
Community Involvement
Your company’s key to successBanesco Universal Bank, a leading financial institution in Venezuela, supports many charities and non-profit organizations such as:
- Fe y Alegría - a “Movement of Social Promotion and Integral Popular Education” directed towards excluded and poverty-stricken sectors for strengthening social participation and personal development.
- The Salesian Ladies Association - a non-profit organization formed by Catholic women from various walks of life, who volunteer their work in service of the needy, in an attempt by the organized community to alleviate the problems caused by extreme poverty and lack of social assistance.
- Venezuelan Red Cross – Venezuela’s division of the American Red Cross
Source: Banesco www.banesco.com, Fe y Alegria www.feyalegria.org, Red Cross www.redcross.org
Innovation
Concept of exploration – Innovations and Inventions around the worldRecycla, of Santiago de Chile, is the first company of its kind in South America. Recycla is involved in recycling electronic waste and has won international awards because of its commitment to social rehabilitation; sixty percent of its employees are ex-convicts. Its service involves creating an inventory of electronic equipment in large companies in order to later dispose of their waste materials and return them to the plant where the recycling process begins. The equipment is dismantled into components and raw materials, transformed into e-scrap that is exported as raw materials to organizations in Europe and North America.
Source: Wharton University www.wharton.universia.net
International Advocacy
Facts of doing international businessBrazil has five times the charm, as it is the fifth largest country in the world, is the only country to ever win five World Cups, and has received five papal visits; four from Pope John Paul II and one recent visit from current Pontiff Benedict XVI. The latter is no surprise, as Brazil is also the country with the second largest Christian population in the world, after the United States.
When planning to do business in Brazil, it is imperative to know at least a few phrases of the native language, Portuguese. Brazilians do not like to do business with outsiders unless they have been properly introduced, and you'll be viewed as rude and arrogant if you leave a meeting before your Brazilian counterparts.
Source: ThinkQuest www.library.thinkquest.org
South America Live
LANIC http://lanic.utexas.edu/
South America Daily http://www.southamericadaily.com/
Prensa Latina http://www.plenglish.com/
World Newspapers.com http://www.world-newspapers.com
Business News Americas http://www.bnamericas.com
ComCast http://www.comcast.net/news/international/latinamerica/
Bloomberg.com http://www.bloomberg.com/news/regions/latinamerica.html
Yale University http://www.library.yale.edu/Internet/latinamericanews.html
Latin America on Yahoo News http://news.yahoo.com/i/734
RSS: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/worldCNN.com http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/americas/archive/
RSS http://www.cnn.com/services/rss/
