BUSINESS WITHOUT BORDERS doc

[...]...x Business Without Borders book—you will see how companies have unleashed the global giant within themselves to become businesses without borders Selling Travel Dreams to Consumers Worldwide Travelocity brokers travel and leisure products that, once they are past their use-by date, no longer have any value Industry wags characterize this business of selling hotel beds and... Note: Long the dominant player in Internet-based commercial transactions, the United States will comprise a smaller percentage of a much bigger number by 2003 xviii Business Without Borders Navigating This Book In writing Business without Borders, I followed the same journey made by all of the companies that have gone global Their expeditions began with a realization of the opportunity that was heightened... global business Companies morph and content changes hourly in this vibrant online world That reality poses a challenge for hardcopy books, so you are sure to find that some companies, Web sites, and other information are no longer accurate With that reality in mind, I have set up www businesswithoutborders.info as a place to keep the content of this book as current as circumstances allow xx Business Without. .. catering to the Sinitic economic community in diaspora could be great business for many companies The Net: Ask yourself: would you sign a document without being able to read it? As your Web presence reaches into new markets, your prospects and customers will expect much more localized experiences that they can understand Business without borders does not mean that local needs will disappear In fact, they... megawatt generators lost their proficiency in English when faced 10 Business Without Borders with major system failures, thus driving up support costs when Englishlanguage support online could not answer their questions Losing Customers by Not Offering Them a Localized Experience The corollary to getting more international business is losing business at untranslated sites Faced with unclear choices or instructions,... daily The Web draws business users and consumers for whom English is not a preferred language or who do not carry the “right” kind of credit cards Recognizing a new potential for international commerce, multinational U.S firms from General Electric to Lands’ End have already employed the Web to sell their 4 Business Without Borders goods and services in the language, currency, and business practices... to the different business drivers behind Web (the consumer-facing Internet), Intranet (as used inside companies, for employees), and Extranet (online integration with business partners, suppliers, and other businesses) “Globalization”: Just What Does that Mean? Over six billion people live in over 200 countries spanning 24 time zones These people use hundreds of currencies to conduct business in thousands... merely having a Web site How Internet Technology Has Created a New Continent without Borders This Eighth Continent of e -business and online commerce exists as an overlay on the physical world of brick and mortar, characterized by its reliance and general agreement on a common set of technology rules called Internet Protocol (IP) Without it, the Internet is just a bunch of wires IP is the electric current... America and Asia will outpace North American growth 6 Business Without Borders Figure 1.2 Internet Population and Revenue Growth Note: The total world population is growing yearly, and growth in regions outside of North America is causing U.S users to comprise a smaller percentage of this much bigger pie Meanwhile, revenue growth in both the consumer and business sectors continues to grow despite the slowdown... percent of the Net population is American, and these customers execute 60 percent of the revenue- 8 Business Without Borders producing activity on the Web; therefore, companies in Europe, Asia, and Latin America will continue to target that rich online market with sites that appeal to consumers and business buyers Meanwhile, U.S firms seeking growth opportunities and better ways to serve their customers . planning ses- sions with international business aspirants. viii Business Without Borders • Each discussion started with a fervent commitment to doing some kind of business internationally over the. what we have to of- fer. You have to do business in the language of your markets.” xii Business Without Borders Winning Underserved Customers within National Borders As U.S. companies learned with. dropped some big sellers—such xiv Business Without Borders as the English-language King James Bible—that would not interest Latino buyers. Companies Worldwide Push Aside Borders Eastman, Travelocity,