Global by Design

Is just about ready for publication.
You can see which companies are included in this year’s report here. This has been a particularly exciting report to write because there are some very clear trends developing. There are also a few new entrants to the Top 10 list. Here’s who made the Top 10 list last year.
If [...]

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According to Madar Research, there were more than 26 million Arabic-speaking Internet users at the end of 2005, an increase of 50% over 2004. Although overall Internet penetration in the Arab world is still less than 10% (the UAE leads, at 8.5% penetration, followed by Qatar and Bahrain), more multinationals are now taking notice. [...]

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The Wall Street Journal features two articles on business globalization and localization — from McDonald’s building drive-thrus in China to Elle publishiing a Middle East edition.
For Elle, the challenge is complex because there is no one “Middle East” market when it comes to fashion and cultural dress codes. Says the article, “Clothing customs vary widely [...]

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Google News has added Arabic to its portfolio of 35 localized sites. This site takes a language-specific approach to the news rather than country-specific approach.
It’s getting a little crowded at the bottom of each News page…

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While Amazon has done little on the Web globalization front over the past year, Borders has been slowly but steadily expanding its retail presence outside the US. it currently has 54 locations in the UK, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore. It also has three stores in Puerto Rico.
On Friday, Borders announced a deal that [...]

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