Movement across borders is as simple as getting in a car or on a plane. It's a seamless, simple experience to which most people devote little thought. For both merchants and consumers, however, the path to online and offline purchasing across borders is still a bumpy one.
The U.S. manufacturing industry is in the midst of a comeback. Manufacturers are gladly shifting from securing demand to meeting demand. However, reworking the U.S. transportation infrastructure is essential to the success of this progress.
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.