What Effect Will Environmental Sustainability Have on Your Business? In this week’s newsletter, and in our webinar last week, we focused on the topic of environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability and other new, “green” industries and will soon be affecting you, whether you know it or not. One report we found claimed that by 2010, some 10 percent of new construction is expected to include at least some environmentally friendly materials or design, making for a $38 billion industry. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is becoming a priority on the political front as well, and the recent climate conference in Copenhagen highlights this fact.
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Better Business: Going Green Is Good for Business
Why it is important: When businesses go green it saves money. Also, when combined with existing marketing strategies, being green can make money for your company. Businesses that are ready to step up and embrace the green initiative will stand above the competition and get noticed.
This article concludes that people will go out of their way to purchase goods and services from companies that they believe are conscientious and responsible actors in their own community. It gives three sound reasons why going green is good for business: it helps companies become more responsible, it saves money, and it makes money for your business.
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10 Practical Suggestion To Grow Your Business in 2010
Why it is important: This article gives you practical suggestions that you can use within your company in 2010. The key word in the article title is practical - these are easy steps you can take to improve your business.
It's that time of year again when we read articles about the coming year and make resolutions to improve our businesses. But this article actually gives you easy and practical advice to use in your business. Advice includes building or improving your company's website, adding personal touches when working with customers, taking advantage of Search Engine Optimization and social networking technologies, building relationships, and reviewing the operations of your business.
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More Companies Going Green to See Green
 Why it is important: Businesses are now being held accountable for their contributions (or thereof) to the environment, and consumers are noticing.
Being environmentally conscious is one way companies are trying to project a greener image and capture new clients. Forbes magazine canvassed a study ranking the 100 Best Corporate Citizens, using categories such as employee relations, human rights, and philanthropy, as well as the environment and climate change, which were both heavily weighted.
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Reading the Greens: Four Questions From First-Time Exporters
Why it is important: If you are thinking of expanding your business internationally in the next year, you may want to read this article, especially if you are unsure of how to export.
This article answers simple questions about how to get started exporting. The topics included include: How do I get started? How do I determine the best markets and find qualified buyers? What paperwork, documentation, and licenses do I need to export my products? How can I get the proper financing to ensure my global business will be profitable?
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Drive Big IT Projects by Thinking Small
Why it is important: Though it is focused on IT projects, the tips in this article can relate to other types of big projects. The key, this article claims, is to think small because "it is easier to think shallowly about a big problem than deeply about small ones."
By generating business value early and often, delivering a portion of the ultimate solution with each part of the project, and by spending the project funding correctly, you can effectively work through big projects.
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Keys to Economic Sustainability
Why it is important: There is an evolution in how companies endeavor not only to attain profitability, but also to ensure the planet’s future. Where is your company?
This article explains how sustainability is inclusive of products, inclusive of processes, and people. It describes how the most successful and innovative companies view sustainability as a multilayered issue. They view it as a collaboration between corporate executives, employees, suppliers, clients, consultants, and even competitors.
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Business Summit: Business and the Environment
Why it is important: A panel at Harvard's Global Business Summit believes that sustainability will drive business in the next 25 years. How will this affect your business?
At Harvard's Global Business Summit, experts met to discuss the topic of business and the environment. The article calls on governments, business, and consumers to act to address climate change. It talks about how businesses must deal with resource supply issues and renewable energy, as well as with demand issues.
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Book Manufacturers: Going green
Why it is important: Consumers look for the use of recycled materials in the products they want to buy and make decisions based on how “green” they are. From a corporate perspective, it seems to be very smart to invest money in your business to make it greener.
Book manufacturers have been part of the “green” movement for several years, but recently have picked up their efforts to be more environmentally friendly. Many publishing companies are now striving to achieve Forest Stewardship Counsel (FSC) certification, which encourages supply chain processes recognized as having a minimal impact on the planet. According to Tad Parker, president of New Hampshire-based Odyssey Press, “FSC is a method of certifying that the materials you are using have been grown, procured and treated in an environmentally sustainable way.”
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This Year "In Top Five Warmest"
Why it is important: Increases in world temperatures are a sign that we as a global community are not doing out part to keep the earth we live on inhabitable for those to come.
Summary: This year will be one of the top five warmest years globally since records began 150 years ago. Met Office says there is a 50% chance that global temperatures will hit an all-time high. Additionally, the last ten years have been in the top 15 warmest on record. Click here to view full article.
Ask Our Experts
At IntellaCore we are available to answer any question you may have about the global internet economy. We assist companies to compete and win in today's globalized, Internet economy.
- Is there something that is stumping you about an international aspect of your current marketplace?
- Is there an obstacle that is preventing you from expanding your business into new markets?
- Are you having trouble determining how to use the Internet practically for your business?
Frequently Stated Challenges
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I can't find good, actionable market intelligence to know what is really going on in my marketplace, let alone new markets.
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I need to find a partner in a new market to help me export my product.
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I am trying to find new suppliers to diversify my supply chain or reduce costs.
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My website is not right and is just not executing my business plan for visibility and revenue growth.
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We are overwhelmed trying to manage all of our external distribution, sourcing, and partnering relationships. The relationships are not achieving the goals we set for them.
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We are not a truly collaborative organization where people are working together, sharing information, and propelling the company forward in the best manner possible.
Ask us your question by clicking here.
Intelligent World Archives
Volume 1, Issue 1
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Volume 1, Issue 10
Volume 1, Issue 11
Volume 1, Issue 12
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IntellaCore is known for bringing the best in class services for companies looking to become globally competitive. Our VAT services continue this strategy.
Value Added Tax (VAT) and similar sales taxes are charged on most goods and services throughout Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan. In order to encourage trade, this tax can generally be reclaimed by business travelers to these territories.
Unfortunately, many eligible companies do not reclaim this money, even though the sums involved can be quite considerable. In a world where “time is money,” many business people save time and trouble by using a tax reclaim agent. VAT services over 5,000 clients in over 40 countries worldwide from 10 global offices. VATit has the knowledge and experience to successfully reclaim all VAT claims.
Click here to learn more
Pathfinder Scorecard
Every company needs to know its “Path to Success” in executing its business plan and reaching its business objectives. IntellaCore’s Path to Success methodology starts with the Pathfinder Scorecard.
Pathfinder is low risk, high impact, and fast. It is designed to get past the talking so that business leaders can take action, take one step. It was developed from our years of international experience and work in technology projects. To reach good decisions quickly in new relationships, both parties need to make a commitment to execute one task together, and then judge the results.
Pathfinder achieves two outcomes within 3 weeks by taking only 4 hours of leadership time, while IntellaCore performs two weeks of market intelligence research and company analysis.
First, it clarifies the business situation of the company by evaluating and scoring 8 areas of the business from our global, Internet point of view. It concludes by prioritizing actions to take in order to achieve the stated objectives of leadership.
Secondly, it is a confidence building measure that allows IntellaCore and the business leadership to work together in a quick, low risk, and efficient manner. This three week period will demonstrate concretely how IntellaCore performs, delivers, and our ability to share a similar perspective with leadership about the future for the business.
The Pathfinder Scorecard
evaluates 8 key areas to sustaining
your regional business in this global, Internet economy:
• Market Awareness
• Market Strategy
• Internet Presence and Activities
• Product/Service Readiness
• Operational Readiness
• Technology Readiness
• Personnel Readiness
• Collaboration
Click here to learn more about the Pathfinder Scorecard
IntellaCore has launched a webinar series to help small and mid-sized businesses. Top 10 Tips will be a twice a month series of 30 minute webinars with specific tips on how to compete and to win in today’s marketplace. Participants can download a whitepaper after the webinar dedicated to the topic of the day.
Top 10 Tips Webinar Series
The next Top Ten Tips webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 12th, 2009 at 2:00 ET. The topic will be Top 10 Tips for Building Business Relationships without Traveling.
Click here to sign up
Top Ten Tips is a series of practical, fact-based webinars using the Path To Success methodology developed at IntellaCore. The webinars are short, hard-hitting, and are always combined with a whitepaper. Each webinar breaks down an important way that a company can increase revenue, reduce costs, and become a sustainable, competitive business.
How many times have you heard "It's not what you know - it's who you know?" Sometimes in business, there is truth in this saying. Join this webinar to learn how to build business relationships without significant travel. Learn how to meet people, build your network, communicate, collaborate, and strengthen relationships.
Click here to register. Please enter NEWSLETTER in the Invitation Code text box.
The Top 10 Tips you will learn more about in the webinar are:
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Conference calling strategies
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Video conferencing best practices
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How to conduct successful webinars
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Building your relationships and network worldwide
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How to be personal if you are not talking face-to-face
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Determine the best collaboration strategies to work effectively
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Follow-up with your contacts regularly
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Set goals when collaborating
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Make your meetings focused and powerful
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Evaluate the business and the relationship continuously
While there are many international experts or technology experts, we are both. IntellaCore has a unique point of view because we are positioned at the critical crossroad where very few are -- that place where the global economy meets the Internet. Based on decades of experience in both International business and Internet-based activity, Path to Success aligns technology to the business plan, internally transforms the operations of the business, and expands their market presence into new domestic, international, and virtual markets.
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