6,775,235,700

That's the world population 2009 according to Google who uses World Bank, World Development Indicators as its source (illustrated).

According to About.com Geography:  World population as of May 11, 2011 is 6,852,472,823.

What percent of the world population are you selling?  Do you think we will hit 7 billion by 2012 or sooner?

Related post(s) on worldly population issues.

Why Would You Pay More More For Your Wireless Cell Phone Service?

Coverage Coast-To-Coast...Border-To-Border!

Your Money! Your Life! Your Cell Phone! This Changes Everything! Why would you ever want to pay more for your wireless service plan?

*No Contracts! *No Credit Checks! *No Cancellations Fees! *No Overages! *No Surprise Bills! No is a good thing! Smart Plans Beginning At Only $29.95

PLAN DETAILS

Unlimited Talk & Text Plan.......$44.95/month
Voice Minutes................Unlimited
Text Messages................Unlimited
Data Allowance...............20MB

Talk & Text 1200 Plan............$29.95
Voice Minutes.....................1,200
Text Messages.....................2,000
Data Allowance....................100MB

-Communications with anyone, on any network, even land-lines, any time of day - Nationwide.

-Both plans include: Call Forwarding, Voicemail, and Caller ID.

All Of This on One Of AMERICA'S LARGEST AND MOST RELIABLE NATIONAL NETWORKS!

We Need Cell Phone Distributors Now! Contact: harry@carconcerns.com

No. 2 Most Difficult Market to Enter in the World?

China is considered the No. 1 most difficult market to enter and the United States is No. 2 despite attractive growth opportunities.  That's according to a new global report by international legal practice Allen & Overy.

The United States ranks third globally for growth opportunities behind China and India, but second behind China for perceived barriers to entry.

 Read the entire report here.

Results run counter to the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Rankings which shows the United States No. 4.  Once you break into the market, one could say it's easy to do business in USA?

Photo courtesy:  USA at Night (NASA)

Just Say "Yes" to Free Trade

Daniel Griswold (pictured), director of the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute and author of “Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization” (2009), says:

Republican leaders in Congress have been ready from day one to advance free trade by approving three pending trade agreements, with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. President Obama also favors the agreements, as do enough congressional Democrats to ensure their passage.

While the agreements probably will not put a visible dent in the U.S. unemployment rate, they will create better-paying jobs and more prosperity for American households.

Read the entire commentary here.

Related post:

Mad About Trade and By Golly, I am Going To Do Something About It!

The Tale of Cheescakes Exported Nearly On Open Account

Our latest contribution for the American Express OPEN Forum via Small Business Trends.

Making Tough Decisions in the Global Marketplace
by Laurel Delaney

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

SCORE's Outstanding Woman-Owned Business Winner

And the SCORE 'Outstanding Woman-Owned Business Winner' is:

School House run by Rachel Weeks!

Instead of searching the world for her goods, they are Made in America (as illustrated).

Learn more about all the SCORE winners by reading Steve Strauss's Ask the Expert column over at USA Today.

Congrats to all the winners!

Your Car Call! Be Empowered!

Yes auto journalist, critics, and reporters are geared to tell the prospective retail auto consumer the positive points of the vehicles that they drive and review!

There is so much more to tell and Harry shares these details with you on the "Car Call" which will empower you as a retail automotive consumer. Harry rides and drives them all at the Car Concerns Radio Proving Grounds and then takes them out on the road.

Our Goal is 100% Customer Satisfaction

Just added for 2011: Long Time New Car Dealer Harry Douglas now offers Ready-To-Buy Retail Automotive Consumers the opportunity to pick his brain on Automotive Retailing. Absolutely Automobile Consumer Information that is Priceless on "YOU CAR CALL" that is all about you and your Car Deal.

Harry was an award winning new car dealer since 1975.

For details on how to get "YOUR CAR CALL" email: harry@carconcerns.com

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

Our promise to you is that the price presented for the selected vehicle will be the lowest price available at the time of purchase within our client's market area. You absolutely, positively will not find a better price, PERIOD!

Harry will work hard to earn your trust. Our goal is to make certain that you are 100% satisfied. Customer satisfaction is our main priority and the livelihood of our business. It is as simple as that. There is nothing to lose! Once we have proven the value of our services, we hope you will recommend us to your friends and family.

The good, the bad, the ugly...The Car Call!

To be informed order your "Car Call" now: harry@carconcerns.com

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EMAIL: harry@carconcerns.com

2011 Infinity G37 Coupe Journey Rules!

Have you ever tried on a sport coat and just knew that it was that perfect fit for you? When you first sit yourself in a 2011 Infinity G-37 Coupe Journey chances are that you will get that exact same feeling. This car just fits!

If your looking for a luxurious ride with that sporty feel then the 2011 Infinity G37 Journey may just fill-the-bill.

It fits-just-right!

Engine & Performance- Base engine size: 2.5 L
Cam type: Double overhead cam (DOHC), Cylinders: V6
Valves: 24, Valve timing: Variable
Torque: 187 ft-lbs. @ 4800 rpm, Horsepower: 218 hp @ 6400 rpm
Turning circle: 35.4 ft.

Base engine type: gas

DriveTrain- Drive type: rear wheel drive
Transmission: 7-speed shiftable automatic

Suspension- Double wishbone front suspension
Multi-link rear suspension, Four-wheel independent suspension, Front and rear stabilizer bar

Safety & Security- 4-wheel ABS, Front and rear head airbags
Dual front side-mounted airbags, Child seat anchors
Remote anti-theft alarm system, Emergency braking assist
Front and rear ventilated disc brakes, Rear door child safety locks
Engine immobilizer, Front fog/driving lights, Auto delay off headlamps
Xenon high intensity discharge headlamp, 2 front headrests, 2 rear headrests
Passenger airbag occupant sensing deactivation, Rear center 3-point belt
Front seatbelt pretensioners, Stability control, Traction control
Electronic brakeforce distribution, Emergency interior trunk release
Front height adjustable headrests, Rear integrated headrests
Passenger head restraint whiplash protection system
Driver head restraint whiplash protection system
Tire pressure monitoring

Warranty: Basic: 4 yr./ 60000 mi.
Drivetrain: 6 yr./ 70000 mi.
Roadside: 4 yr./ 60000 mi.


To hear the full details on the 2011 Infinity G37 Coupe Journey that we test-drove order "Your Car Call" and learn all the details. harry@carconcerns.com

CAR CONCERNS ROCKS IN THE USA EVERY WEEK-DAY MORNING
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The 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Black Diamond Edition Eats Road-Pavement For Lunch!

And then there was the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Black Diamond Edition. General Motors Cadillac Division has answered the call for those of us who has that "need-for-speed!"

This 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition not only looks the part but can deliver as promised with its 6.2 liter V-8 Power-plant that produces 556 Horse-power with a six-speed manual transmission. The 19" black satin graphite wheels just adds attitude to this bad-boy of the road.

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition Specifications
Engine Location Front
Drive Type Rear Wheel Limited-slip

Engine
Engine Configuration V
Cylinders 8
Aspiration/Induction Supercharged
Displacement 6162 cc | 376.0 cu in. | 6.2 L.
Valves 16 valves.
2 valves per cylinder.
Valvetrain OHV
Horsepower 556 BHP (409.216 KW) @ 6100 RPM
Torque 551 Ft-Lbs (747 NM) @ 3800 RPM
HP / Liter 90.2 BHP / Liter
Max RPM 6200
Compression Ratio 9.1:1
Fuel Feed Fuel Injected
Block Cast-Aluminum
Head Cast-Aluminum
Ignition System Direct-mount ignition coils

To hear the full details on the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Black Diamond Edition that we test-drove order "Your Car Call" and learn all the details. harry@carconcerns.com

CAR CONCERNS ROCKS IN THE USA EVERY WEEK-DAY MORNING
CALL HARRY MONDAY THUR FRIDAY...9:00 TO 11:00 A.M.(EST).
BORDER-TO-BORDER...COAST-TO-COAST...USA TOLL-FREE: 1-888-454-3378
HEARD ON THE CAR CONCERNS RADIO NETWORK: Boston 1460 WXBR Chicago 1230 WJOB Las Vegas 970 KNUU Pittsburgh 1550 WLFPGuam 560 KGUM Orlando/Winter Springs IPR RadioSeattle/Bothell Big R Radio
Now On Saturday's in 33 Great New Radio Markets!
EMAIL: harry@carconcerns.com

1964: The Tallest Residential Buildings and the Tallest Reinforced Concrete Structures in the World

Marina City Towers, ©Laurel Delaney 2011

The Marina City Towers (as shown) were designed in 1959 by architect Bertrand Goldberg and completed in 1964 at a cost of $36 million. When finished, the two towers were both the tallest residential buildings and the tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world.

The complex consists of two high rise corncob-shaped 65-story towers (including five-story elevator and physical plant penthouse), at 587-foot (179 m) tall. It also includes a saddle-shaped auditorium building, and a mid-rise hotel building, all contained on a raised platform adjacent to the river. Beneath the raised platform at river level is a small marina for pleasure craft, giving the structures their name.

Learn more here.

Photo credit: ©Laurel Delaney 2011, "Marina City Twin Towers, Chicago, Illinois, United States"

If You Are a Band, Here's What You Need to Do to Go Global

An interview at Undertheradar:

Going Global is about getting bands to recognize what they need to do to be successful overseas. What are your recommendations for New Zealand bands if they were going to the UK to get their music on radio or to get noticed more generally?

Radio play is something where the sound needs to be right for the UK audience and obviously I don’t know everything that’s going down here but I feel like there is New Zealand stuff over in the UK that is appropriate and that perhaps some New Zealand bands wouldn’t travel as well. If a band’s going to go all the way to the UK don’t just go for a week. They should go, have a ...

Read more:  Jen Long (BBC1) - Interviews at Undertherader

Photos from Going Global Music Summit 2011 (pictured above)

Share Your Export Success Story

Deadline extended to:  September 30, 2011

One Way to Expand a Small Business Is To Export

More and more small businesses are positioning themselves to go global.

"According to small businesses, the only way a business can expand is to export," said trade consultant Al Elgendy at a recent San Bernardino Economic Development Agency workshop for entrepreneurs looking to expand globally, as quoted by the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. "It reduces the dependency on the domestic economy. When there's a downturn in the economy, the only way to expand is to go global."

Read more here.

Fiesta RS? A New Ford XR?

Ford has been turning the rumour mill this week, with hints that a new Fiesta RS may be on the line up this year. Ford has also made it very clear they still own the XR badge which brought us cars like the fiesta XR2 and the Escourt XR3i Ford said the XR badge is merly taking a long term holiday and is not retired yet. I'd like to see a fiesta RS first personaly but a new sporty fiesta with any badge wouldn't go a miss.

The sad news is ford did say the chance of us ever seeing a cosworth badged ford is HIGHLY unlikely and with Subaru showing there new cosworth off it looks like a ford cosworth is dead in the water. Very high demand in america for a sporty fiesta thou could bring a sporty fiesta to our roads for this time next year. The fact that Ken Block drives a WRC Fiesta shows that it can be done and with Ken Block driving it all petrol heads want a peace but there's alot to change to make a road going version.

Ofcourse Ford will follow the golden rule, release a fiesta ST, get good sales then bring out an RS and ofcourse if that does well maybe a WRC or XR? least we can dream it will get that far we all need a small toy.

The main problem is the UK is a odd market were one of a few global markets to fords and were about the only one who likes small sporty hatchbacks.

Global Study On How Family Businesses Manage Companies During Uncertain Times

In a study conducted by the executive search firm Egon Zehnder International, 720 executives were asked about their experience of family businesses.  Respondents included family business owners and executives from the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. 

One of the biggest challenges for family businesses is recruiting top talent and integrating them into structures that have evolved over the years and that are often perceived as being short on transparency. When asked why they would not work for a family business, 40 percent of the executives surveyed name a lack of career prospects.  

Read more here.

Illustration credit here.

Let the Good Times Roll; Let the Small Businesses Go Global

More on how small businesses are going global.

Just the facts:

Facilitating small-business exports of goods and services is a top priority for the Small Business Administration and Export-Import Bank of the United States, which are following Obama administration goals to double exports by 2014.

The U.S. exported a total of $178 billion in goods and services in July -- an all-time high, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis as cited by the Export-Import Bank.

In the Jobs Act signed into law in September 2010, President Barack Obama allowed for the SBA to increase its ability to provide export-related financing by raising SBA 7(a) loan limits to $5 million from $2 million on export-related loans.

The law made the SBA Export Express loan permanent, with a 90% guarantee for loans up to $350,000 and 75% for loans between $350,000 and $500,000, according to the SBA. It also provides three-year state grants of up to $90 million to help small-businesses owners grow the exporting side of their businesses.

In early August, the Export-Import Bank said it had hit a record $24.5 billion for export-related loan authorizations. The bank's financing supports more than $31.5 billion of export sales and 213,000 U.S. jobs, including 2,548 small-business export jobs.

Read more here.

Illustration credit here.

World: To Be Creative, Hide Your (Re)Sources

“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” ~ Albert Einstein

Photo credit ©Laurel Delaney 2011, "Horse Flower Power"

Safe & Sound Launch Photo's

We've finally been sent the launch photo's by Safe & Sound Warranty the only used car warranty with an endorsement from Sir Stirling Moss OBE.

Many of you may what to know what made us move from our current warranty provider, and the truth our old warranty company was great. The only reason to change to safe and sound was the level of cover was much greater for only a fraction more of the cost. We also have a much better level of marketing support. The most important difference between Safe&Sound and our old warranty company thou is all warranties our now FSA warranties giving you greater protection.

Are You Short On Core Competitiveness?

According to People's Daily Online, Chinese businesses ought to do better in the overseas market.

It is true that Chinese enterprises should improve themselves when going global. Compared with large European and American transnational enterprises, most of Chinese enterprises going global are low and middle-end industries. Most of them are traditional contractors. Their primary businesses do not involve science and technology as well as high added value, which make them short of core competitiveness.

Read the entire article here.

Not exactly sure what core competitiveness is?  I am aware of core competencies so I did some checking on core competitiveness ... a lot of Chinese reference this theory:

Identification, Formation and Maintaining of Core Competitiveness of an Enterprise

Discussions on the Core Competitiveness of Tourism Industry

How to Build the Core Competitiveness of Enterprises

America's Future Depends In Part on Globalization

That's according to: America Needs a Makeover

“America's future—and the future of the world beyond America—depends on how well we deal with” four issues, they argue ... globalization ...

Read more here.  And Thomas Friedman is quoted.

Illustration credit, Amazon.com:  That Used to Be Us:  How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Using Trade Data As Competitive Business Intelligence

Here's a great best practice on how to use international trade data as a competitive weapon for your growing global business. In this case, a vitamin manufacturer monitors their competition to get an international leg up.

One quick search by company, of imports from China could provide them with irrefutable facts of what was imported and where it came from, allowing them to continue selling their high-end product and protect their existing customer base.

Learn more here.

Illustration credit:  PIERS

Redefined: The 2012 Ford Focus Hatchback SEL

It had been sometime since we had the chance to experience a Ford Focus. This week the 2012 Ford Focus Hatchback SEL found its way to the Car Concerns Radio Proving Grounds and proceeded to amaze. After driving this offering from the Ford Motor Company we had to rethink the way that we had thought of this compact vehicle.

You could feel that this was not the Ford Focus of yesterday but a more redefined offering.

For Ford the 5-door SEL hatch represents a 'global performance car' that can compete with any vehicle in its class.

The 2012 Ford Focus sedan measures 178.5 inches long, 71.8 inches wide with mirrors extended and 57.7 inches high. The five-door hatchback is slightly shorter, at 171.6 inches, but the other external measurements are identical. Both models share a wheelbase of 104.3 inches. Our 2012 Focus SEL had 17' Alloy polished wheels.

Inside the interior has a new feel and design. The driver and front-seat passenger in the sedan and hatchback models have 38.3 inches of headroom and 41.9 inches of legroom. Rear passengers get 33.2 inches of legroom in both models. Rear sedan passengers have 38 inches of headroom, while passengers in the five-door hatchback get 37.9 inches.

For the power-plant Ford put a 2-liter, four-cylinder, direct fuel-injected aluminum engine gives the Focus 160 horsepower. A PZEV, or Partially Zero-Emission Vehicle, engine will be available in some states, but as of November 2010, complete specifications are not available for that engine, though its displacement, or size, is identical to the standard Focus engine.

Our Ford Focus can be equipped with a six-speed Power-Shift automatic transmission but a five-speed manual is available. Power-Shift is a transmission system trademarked by Ford and intended to deliver smooth and responsive shifting while maximizing fuel efficiency. Some models will also offer push-button shifting.

The front suspension will consist of independent struts connected by a hollow stabilizer bar, while rear suspension comes from Ford's 'Control Blade' suspension system, which Ford states reduces noise and provides better control. The front and rear wheels all use hydraulic gas-pressurized shocks. Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering turns the car, and some models are equipped with a tandem of front disc and rear drum brakes while others come with four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes.


Spec Overview:

Engine: 2.0L Duratec in-linefour-cylinder DOHC with variable valve timing and four valves per cylinder.

Unleaded fuel EPA (08):, 27 MPG city, 37 MPG highway, 31 MPG combined and 385 mi. range. Gasoline direct fuel injection 12.4gallon fuel tank
Power (SAE): 160 hp @ 6,500 rpm; 146 ft lb of torque @ 4,450 rpm


NATIONALLY SYNDICATECAR CONCERNS ROCKS IN THE USA EVERY WEEK-DAY MORNING
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Red Light & Speed Trap Cams Zap American Motorist

Washington, DC – The following is the statement of U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN), Highways and Transit Subcommittee Ranking Member, from today’s hearing – which Rep. Duncan requested – on the utilization and impacts of automated traffic enforcement, specifically red light and speed cameras:“I can assure you that you can never satisfy government’s appetite for more money or land. The last decade has seen a technology boom that has awarded government new ways to take more money from the taxpayer. Already, governments on all levels are taking about 40 percent of the average citizen’s income and government will continue to look for new ways to nickel and dime the taxpayer to death.

"Red light and speed cameras are popping up all over the Country. In 2008, $3.1 million in red light camera violations were issued in the City of Knoxville. Knoxville received $1.1 million, while the vendor received $2 million. Redflex, the company that operates the red light cameras in Knoxville, is an Australian company, so most of this revenue is going to foreign markets. Three of the largest photo enforcement vendors declined to testify."

“Recently, the State of Florida passed legislation allowing the use of red light cameras and they expect annual revenue generated by these cameras to be $200 million by 2013. These large dollar amounts tell me that this issue is more about raising revenue than making our nation’s roads safer.“While there have been a variety of studies that tout photo enforcement as a cost effective way of improving safety, there are other studies that show an increase in vehicle crashes after red light cameras were installed.

“The Washington Post analyzed a District of Columbia database generated from accident reports filed by police. Since the cameras were installed, the analysis shows that the number of crashes at locations with cameras more than doubled, from 365 collisions in 1998 to 755 in 2004. Injury and fatal crashes climbed 81 percent, from 144 such wrecks to 262.“Another such study, conducted by the Virginia Transportation Research Council, found a reduction in red light running crashes after red light cameras were installed but an overall increase in crashes and injuries due to more rear-end crashes.

“Some states and localities may be too quick to install photo enforcement techniques without first exhausting other techniques that can reduce red light running and improve safety. Improving sign visibility, installing advance warning flashers and adjusting yellow light intervals can have a positive impact. Numerous studies have found that longer yellow signal timing can reduce the frequency of red light running violations by as much as 50 percent.

“While these solutions may not fill government coffers as much as photo enforcement could, we owe it to our taxpayers to explore these engineering improvements that make our roads and highways safer. “If these cameras are really about safety, then let those who are fined donate these fines to private charities where the money will do far more good. In a column I once read, William Raspberry wrote about how private charities spend on average about 85 percent of their funds on their beneficiaries and about 15 percent on administrative costs, while with government welfare programs the opposite is true – about 85 percent is spent on administrative costs and salaries, and only 15 percent goes to the beneficiaries.“I look forward to hearing from our witnesses."

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A New Concept: Business Without Borders!

Business without borders, borderless business, Borderbuster - call it what you wish but in this case, HSBC unveils its new international business website geared toward U.S. companies involved in international business.

“Business without Borders” is billed as a “knowledge exchange” tool that offers industry-specific articles and commentary about global business. It includes content from The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Master Class and The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Beyond articles, it also allows business leaders to track global trade trends and identify the most promising locations for international expansion. Certain information is available only to those who register as members of the site.

Business Without Borders (BWB)
www.businesswithoutborders.com

Read more about this here.  BWB claims to be the first-of-its-kind knowledge exchange in the United States.

Illustration credit: Business Without Borders | Trade Connections Tool

Posted by The Global Small Business Blog (founded in 2004 for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global).

Note to HSBC:  Come to us when you launch your small business channel.

Using Distance As a Global Opportunity

“From day one the idea was to go global.  We’re in such a small market for games, you really don’t have a domestic market so you’re forced to go across the pond. This is a blessing in many ways and has served us fairly well.” ~ Matias Myllyrinne, CEO of Remedy Entertainment.

Find out how an Espoo, Finland-based company, Remedy Entertainment, goes after the biggest gaming market in the world:  the United States.

Game Theory:  Go Global or go home

Illustration credit:  Remedy Entertainment 

1973: The Tallest Building in the World

Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois, United States

Photo credit: ©Laurel Delaney 2011, "Photograph taken from car at a stoplight, looking straight up."

The Importance of Export Licensing Control

Related article:  How to Determine Whether a Product Requires an Export License (U.S.A. perspective)

Doing Good While Going Global

Over at the Crain's Chicago Business blog (under the "global" entrepreneurial banner), we interview Kate Koziol, the founder of Chicago-based K Squared Communications, to find out the importance of crossing borders to do good. In addition, Ms. Koziol shares her best practice on how to promote social-agency programs on a limited budget.

Read: Reaching Across Borders For Social Improvements

Illustration credit:  CIA, The World Factbook

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Reaching Mexico's Consumer Base

Based in Miami, GEE International, LLC is the U.S. based sales and marketing arm of Grupo Editorial Expansión, a Time Inc. Company since August, 2005. GEE International is the ideal source for American and international companies to reach Mexico's most affluent and diverse consumer base.

With more than 40 years experience, GEE is Mexico's leading publisher of high-end magazines.

Have a look at Expansion Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women of 2011.

Punish Americans Who Outsource?

I don't mind getting China to play fair but do you really think we should punish folks in the United States for outsourcing?  Refer to No. 5.

6 ways Washington could create jobs

Elizabeth, have you heard of President Obama's National Export Initiative?

Photo credit:  President Obama in Detroit, Michigan U.S.A. (9.5.11)

Car Adverts (15 RATED)

Hello all, I've been looking threw the web at some of the best Car Adverts that either got banned or just never made it threw to TV, The First Advert is for the Toyota RAV 4 great plot I won't say too much otherwise I will ruin a good laugh.

The Next advert is from our friends at VW its a very cute starwars ad with a young boy trying his best to use the FORCE.

 

Now this one is much more adult humour, but sure to make you laugh, it was to advertise the new Dodge but later got dropped due to.. welll your see.

This is one advert all horror fans will go hmm now I want a Smart car! its something we all think of when we get into our cars!

 Now if you've had your car broken into and driven away wouldn't you of like to of caught the person that did it? Well this Honda advert has a great selling feature of its auto memory seats.

Your cheating on your husband and your in a Hyundia what do you do? Well I can see why they banned this one, fancy trying to advertise the basic model without electric seats!

VW rarely show risky ads on British TV, but this risky advert almost made it to our TV, you can see why VW boss's decide to change there mind! but it did make a good point about the new Polo

Nissian only had one gender in mind with this next advert, and ofcourse its for us boys, am sure many men will love this advert and many women will hate it but we all know sex sells.

Now you know this advert is racy when the Italian PM bans it!

Thats all for today but keep checking back for more blog post's like this one.

Discover How To Use an Inspection Certificate

Inspection certificates 101:

When shipping high-value products or when you are dealing with a very conscientious customer, an inspection certificate might be requested. An inspection certificate provides proof that what you are shipping is, in fact, what the customer ordered, and is also of good quality. 

Learn more (including companies who do this sort of work) here.

Illustration credit:  SGS

Rebuilding Our World Together ... Hand In Hand

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands.  You need to be able to throw something back."  ~ Maya Angelou

Photo credit:  ©Laurel Delaney 2011, "Lend a Hand," Rogers Park, Illinois, U.S.A., artist mural

Made In China: Frisbee Versus a Stuffed Toy Animal

I love analysis and this one's a doozy.  Pass it along to anyone who might benefit.  It's interesting (don't know if it is all necessarily accurate)  I welcome your comments to challenge or agree with what's said.

An excerpt from, "Why is China Cheaper?"

Most people would say the answer is obvious -- lower wages in China compared to the United States. However, that answer is only partially true. Why? Because labor is only one part of the total cost of a product, and in many cases it's as low as 20% of the total cost.

Let's compare two simple products that are primarily made in China: a stuffed toy animal for a baby and a Frisbee.

And the winner of the product -- frisbee or stuffed toy animal -- made the cheapest in China is ...

5 Keys to Walton's Worldwide Success

My latest contribution over at the American Express OPEN Forum via Small Biz Trends.  Hope you get some ideas from it.  Sam (pictured) was quite the leader.

5 Lessons From Sam Walton

Photo courtesy:  Wal-Mart