Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals Volume 2 Issue 22

[Federation of International Trade Associations]

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Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals Volume 2 Issue 22
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November 12, 2002
Issue 46
VOLUME 2 Issue 22

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. WELCOME
2. MEXICO BUSINESS RESOURCES
3. KISS, BOW OR SHAKE HANDS  --  HOW TO DO BUSINESS IN SIXTY
COUNTRIES
4. INDUSTRY RESEARCH DESK
5. MEDJET ASSISTANCE: PEACE OF MIND WHEN TRAVELERS NEED IT MOST
6. TWO RECIPE SITES

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WELCOME
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Here's your latest issue of Really Useful Sites for
International Trade Professionals. This free bi-weekly
newsletter reviews useful Web sites from the Web Resources
database at FITA's International Trade/ Import-Export Portal at 
http://www.fita.org, an excellent source for trade leads, 
news, events, and a link library of 4,000+ sites related to
international trade. 

My name is John McDonnell, and for years I've been writing about 
useful Web sites for businesspeople, in various publications.
Now I've focused on international trade, using my Web research
skills to find sites that are useful for international
businesspeople, and some sites that are just plain fun for
anyone.

Here are the sites:

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MEXICO BUSINESS RESOURCES
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I visited Mexico in 1980 and was impressed with its friendly
people and vibrant culture, although the economy was not so
vibrant -- there had been two devaluations of the peso in four
years, and the government imposed many restrictions and tariffs
on trade. These days, the story is different -- many trade
restrictions have been lifted with Mexico's participation in the 
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and that has helped 
the economy. With a ten-year average annual growth rate that is
almost five times faster than Japan's, Mexico may soon overtake
Japan as the second largest U.S. trading partner. The 100
million people of Mexico represent a huge market for exporters.


If you want to research opportunities in Mexico, a good place to 
start is the Mexico page at the University of Kansas
International Business Resources Web site at
http://www.ibrc.bschool.ukans.edu/country/northA/Mexico/mexico.htm.
This page has links to chambers of commerce, guides to starting
a business in Mexico, business directories, legal guides, stock
market news, trade statistics, travel information, and much
more. 

There are lots more links to Mexico at the FITA site. Go to FITA's 
International Trade Web Resources at www.fita.org/webindex, click on 
Regional Resources and Multi-Lateral Trading Areas in the left column 
or "Search by Country or Region" in the right column, scroll down to 
Latin America and then select "Mexico." Or simply type "Mexico" in the 
search box at www.fita.org. 



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KISS, BOW OR SHAKE HANDS  --  HOW TO DO BUSINESS IN SIXTY
COUNTRIES
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To succeed in international trade you need more than business
savvy -- you also need a cultural IQ. That means knowing what to 
say and how to behave so that you make the right impression on
your business partners. For instance, if I'm ever at a business
meeting in Nigeria I'll make sure I don't use the "thumbs up"
sign, which has a negative meaning there. I learned this from
the "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: How to do Business in Sixty
Countries" site at http://www.getcustoms.com/omnibus.html, which 
has a wealth of information about cultural issues in business. Some 
of the things you'll find here are: tips on dressing for success, a 
guide to making toasts in various countries, gift-giving
etiquette, guidelines on greetings and terms of address, hints
on when to give flowers, and much more.


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INDUSTRY RESEARCH DESK
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In the early days of the Internet, I interviewed a business
researcher who said the Net would never be a useful tool for his 
profession, because the information on it was too unreliable.
These days you can't afford not to use the Internet in your
research, because there is so much information out there, and
some of it is surprisingly good. There's an excellent guide to
using the Net for business research at the Industry Research Desk
at http://www.virtualpet.com/industry. This site, created by researcher 
Gary Polson, has a step-by-step guide that will show you exactly how to 
find sources, both in print and online. He shows you information-rich 
sites that will give you the inside scoop on companies,
industries, etc., worldwide. He also has links to the best
search engines, address and phone number finders, package
tracking sites, maps, and more.


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MEDJET ASSISTANCE: PEACE OF MIND WHEN TRAVELERS NEED IT MOST
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Mike Paull left Seattle on May 10 for Shanghai, China. Paull's trip ended 
a week later with an accident that resulted in three broken ribs, a 
fractured collarbone and internal bleeding. Immediately following the 
accident, Paull, 48, was taken to the only medical care available - a 
hospital in Dezhou, China. Not knowing how he was going to get home to 
the proper medical care he so needed and desired, Paull contacted MEDJET 
Assistance. 

"I joined MEDJET Assistance just prior to my trip," said Paull. "Once I 
contacted them, I was able to rest easier. They took care of everything. 
They monitored the medical care I was receiving in China, made all of the 
transportation arrangements and had me back home in Seattle in several days." 

MEDJET Assistance is an annual membership program for U.S-based travelers 
providing air medical transportation to its members should they become 
hospitalized due to accident or illness virtually anywhere in the world. 
The program transports members, free of charge, to the hospital of their 
choice, most often in medically equipped and staffed jets. Click on 
http://www.fita.org/travel/medjetdescript.htm) to become a MEDJET Assistance 
member now at reduced FITA rates.



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TWO RECIPE SITES
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I love to eat, and as a byproduct of that passion I learned to
cook. I haven't had to buy a cookbook, though, because there are 
hundreds of great recipe sites on the Web. Here are two of them: 
 
- Recipezaar at http://www.recipezaar.com. This site has over 
42,000 recipes contributed by visitors. You can search by keyword 
or category (Main Ingredient, Special Diets, Time to Make, etc.).  
- Recipe Source at www.recipesource.com. This one has 70,000 recipes, 
and is especially strong on ethnic and regional cuisines. You can 
search by keyword, or browse by region or type of dish. 


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_________________________________________________________________
Published by Federation of International Trade Associations 
(mailto:address@hidden)
Copyright (c) 2002 Federation of International Trade Associations. All rights 
reserved.






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