Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) represent a rapidly growing sector of the U.S. economy – creating 30 million new jobs, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Exporters benefit from even faster growth, create more jobs and pay higher wages. Yet SMEs, which account for 99 percent of U.S. businesses, represent a mere 13 percent of the total U.S. export value.
From new regulations to the growth in large-molecule temperature-sensitive products to the frequency of disruptions, healthcare companies are operating in a risk-inherent environment that is at the same time rich with new opportunities. There are favorable demographics on the horizon as populations age, become more affluent and expand in a diverse set of geographies. Meanwhile, the supply chain must stretch to accommodate new distribution channels, product specialization and innovation.
South Korea and China agreed on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) that is expected to create the largest economic bloc in Asia. Once implemented, the Korea-China FTA will significantly boost bilateral trade between China, the world's second-largest economy, and South Korea, the fourth-largest in Asia.
New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council has released a report on air pollution in China citing shipping as a major contributor and recommending the introduction of emission control areas.
Shrink, comprised of shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and administrative errors, cost the global retail industry more than $128bn last year, $42bn in the US alone, according to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer. This represents 1.29 percent of retail sales, on average.
The European plastics industry has published a manifesto alerting officials in Brussels to the many impediments it faces, and which it hopes will influence European Union policy.
As Ebola persists in West Africa, shipping lines and traders are tweaking their contracts to protect themselves if the disease puts crews at risk of infection or prevents vessels calling at affected ports.
