Photo credit (click on pictures to enlarge): Pierto, Sipa Press

The above photo (click on to enlarge) is taken outside of the EMLYON Business School in Lyon, France during the 2nd edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum.

Our goal at the Forum was to promote a type of entrepreneurship that creates wealth and social justice on a global scale by building on the backgrounds and experiences of members represented from more than 40 countries!

Based on the nine recommendations from last year, we focused on the role public authorities can -- and sometimes should -- play in developing entrepreneurship. Our target was to deliver three key proposals at the end of the Forum (which we did) and I will report on that shortly.

About the World Entrepreneurship Forum

Founded at the initiative of EMLYON Business School and KPMG, the World Entrepreneurship Forum benefits from the high patronage of Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic. It is the first worldwide think tank dedicated to entrepreneurs, creators of wealth and social justice. It gathers annually more than 100 members of over 40 different nationalities.

For more information: www.world-entrepreneurship-forum.com.

Photo credit: Pierto, Sipa Press

Growth of robust trade between the United States and powerhouse U.A.E. is reflected here (scan to Trade), "The U.S.-U.A.E. Trade and Investment Relationship: 2009" (PDF), and prepared March 2009 by Professor Michael O. Moore, Director, Institute for International Economic Policy, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.

The U.A.E. is the largest export market for the United States in the Middle East. ~ U.S. Census Bureau

More information can be found at the US-UAE Business Council.

In honor of today, read "Ten Facts about Memorial Day."

United States exports rose in February for the first time in seven months. Is this a sign of better times ahead?

• Exports increased to $126.8 billion in February from $124.7 billion in January. Goods were $84.7 billion in February, up from $82.2 billion in January, and services were $42.1 billion in February, down from $42.5 billion in January. ~ Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, April 9, 2009

Let's hope so. Read more here.

Exim Bank of the United States named water purification equipment supplier Aquatech International Corp. of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, its 2009 Small Business Exporter of the Year.

"In today's challenging global economic environment, Ex-Im Bank support of our exports gives us opportunities that we otherwise would not have," said Aquatech President and Chief Executive Officer Venkee Sharma.

Congratulations to Aquatech! Read more here and here.

Photo: Aquatech's engineers in Hartland designed these towers for the Enel SpA energy utility in Brindisi in southern Italy. The plant uses desalination technology to recycle large volumes of water.

OECD's work on trade is about providing analysis, policy advice and guidance to create a better understanding of trade and investment liberalization and how it can lead to stronger economic growth as well as to greater integration of countries into the world economy.

Look at their work for 2009 and see how it may alter your outlook on global trade.

Assessing barriers to trade in services in the MENA region

This paper (PDF file) aims to assess barriers to service provision in the financial, telecom, and transport sectors of selected MENA countries. The analysis is focused on computation of aggregate and modal trade restrictiveness indexes (TRIs) by sector.

Overcoming Border Bottlenecks: The Costs and Benefits of Trade Facilitation

Six studies that examine how border bottlenecks affect trade and investment flows, how these bottlenecks might be reduced, and whether the expense involved is worth it.

Trade flows weaken in third quarter 2008

Merchandise export volumes of the Group of Seven countries fell 0.2% in the third quarter of 2008 compared with the previous quarter, while import volumes rose 0.4%.

Recovery and Beyond: Enhancing Competitiveness to Realise Indonesia’s Trade Potential

There is much scope for trade to enhance economic growth in Indonesia. This paper (PDF file) analyses Indonesian trade policy following the Asian Financial crisis, and identifies some key reforms that may help to increase competitiveness.

-> The video above is Ken Ash, Director for Trade for OECD who warns against protectionism as a reaction to the crisis. He outlines the course of action governments should follow.

There is much more from OECD here.

We need to innovate our way to a new business model, at least that's what The New York Times, Sunday, February 1, 2009 article, "Disruptive Innovation, Applied to Health Care," states regarding health care.

Using innovation management models previously applied to other industries, Clayton M. Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor, argues in “The Innovator’s Prescription” that the concepts behind “disruptive innovation” can reinvent health care. The term “disruptive innovation,” which he introduced in 2003, refers to an unexpected new offering that through price or quality improvements turns a market on its head.

Disruptive innovators in health care aim to shape a new system that provides a continuum of care focused on each individual patient’s needs, instead of focusing on crises. Mr. Christensen and his co-authors argue that by putting the financial interests of hospitals and doctors at the center, the current system gives routine illnesses with proven therapies the same intensive and costly specialized care that more complicated cases require.

This falls right in line with our Trend No. 1 in Top 10 Global Trends for Small Businesses for 2009 (published January 21, 2009):

1. Disruptive innovation will be both the coolest and hottest new growth strategy in 2009 because it will transcend all boundaries and transform businesses.

Clayton Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor who focuses on innovation, discusses this very same topic in “How Hard Times Can Drive Innovation.” Also, a hip report by Trendwatching covers half a dozen consumer trends for 2009 and supports Christensen’s, and our theory, with prediction No. 6: Happy Ending. It states:

“At the same time, this is a great moment to innovate: shrinking budgets and diminishing revenues from existing offerings normally bring out the best and most creative in business professionals.”

Economist Joseph Schumpeter popularized a similar concept called “creative destruction” in 1942 in his book, “Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy,” that describes the process of transformation that accompanies radical innovation. Look for more of this type of disruptive innovation in 2009.

Take in what's happening at the Annual Meeting Davos, 2009.

Valerie Jarrett (pictured above), key assistant to USA President Barack Obama, says this:

We must enter a "new era of global financial responsibility."

World Economic Forum: Global Agenda (2009)

Happy New Year to loyal colleagues, fabulous friends and cheering fans of The Global Small Business Blog! We thank you for your support and readership throughout the year. It makes pursuing our passion that much easier and worthwhile for us.

We hope that we brought you context, insight and authority on global small business news all year long. After all, our blog is designed to help you better understand what it takes (and why) to expand your business internationally -- providing useful, action-oriented news and information -- and we intend to keep delivering on that promise until you tell us otherwise.

We will be back with you at the crack of 2009. We submitted our annual "Global Small Business Trend 2009" report to Small Business Trends a couple of weeks ago and that should be published momentarily. We will share it with you just as soon as it's available online.

In the meantime, get ready to tear down the boundaries on your business and go global in 2009! We've got exciting news to share with you on January 5th so stick around and stay tuned.

From my home in Chicago to yours ... be the change you want to see in 2009!

In case you missed this (I was in France the day of posting), Matthew Bandyk over at US News and World Report wrote an interesting piece called "Best Small Business to Start: Going-Global Firms."

He mentions two very good reports that you might want to back track on:

1. UPS Business Monitor Report (Global, Americas, Europe and Asia -- I am sure they will update soon to reflect our current global economic environment).

2. Intuit Future of Small Business Report (all three report segments are featured and offer a beacon to the future).

And we are always delighted when our blog is mentioned (hat tip to Matthew even if we are a little late!).