world trade

WTCA OnLine's

2007-07-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

A World Trade Center brings together businesses and government agencies involved in foreign trade. It is a one-stop trade information hub where an international business person is offered the full range of services such as market research, WTCA OnLine, trade shows & exhibit space, business services, trade education, group trade missions and WTC clubs.

There are three ways to search the Find a World Trade Center database:

Find out about upcoming events at World Trade Centers around the globe!

WTCA's Calendar of Events is loaded with seminars, conferences, trade fairs, exhibitions and other events for the international business community.
Use any or all of the criteria below to find events that interest you.

We believe that the most important element in finding business partners is quality information. With WTCA OnLine's Business Matchmaker, you may create a profile of business interests and receive relevant matches of products and services from WTCA OnLine's databases delivered to your email account, thus giving you a convenient means to target new clients.

Wireless Technology and Trucks

2007-07-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

For truckers, wireless options are limitless. Everything from data relay from the cab to dispatch, truck maintenance information, toll collection and weigh in motion, fuels savings and even entertainment downloads at truck stops can take place wirelessly.

Which means the options can be enormous and befuddling. “The adoption of dispatch and mobile communications technologies has become standard, which has enabled carriers to collect and use real-time data from operations,” says Dave Harris vice president of sales for Integrated Decision Support Corp. in Richardson, Texas, a manufacturer of decision support software for the truckload industry. But he shrewdly adds, it’s how you use the data that counts.

For many truckers, though, the act of gathering the data remains an issue, accompanied by the challenges of sorting fact from fiction when it comes to vendor offerings. Should a fleet manager put drivers on handheld computers, also known as “ruggedized PDA” or go with smart cell phones? Is remote vehicle diagnosis ready for prime time? What are new wireless options for fuel monitoring?

This round up of wireless technology options provides fleet and operations managers a quick glimpse of the many developments taking place in the field—some available for use today and others to prepare for in the next few years.

Wireless devices

The handheld computer, also known as a “ruggedized PDA,” has come of age. Fleets can get handhelds that scan documents, capture customers’ signatures, take photographs and synchronize with onboard computers to relay engine information wirelessly back to the terminal.

They also can contain personal management capabilities like scheduling, an address book and calendar. Some devices offer local and remote security features so the device can be turned off remotely. Newer devices now have embedded global positioning systems for tracking the driver and assets, to name just some of the functions being loaded on devices that are shrinking to pocket size in some cases.

The price of handhelds has been declining, according to industry analysts, but these devices can range from $1,000-$3,000 per unit depending on the functions added. The so-called consumer wireless devices—smart phones, PDAs and tablets—range in the hundreds of dollars per unit. They share functions with handhelds, but are hardly identical. In general, say the experts, the handheld or ruggedized PDA is developed with the trucking environment in mind, meaning it’s designed to take a beating.

Jeff Sibio, Director of Transportation and Logistics for Intermec, based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, says they test their handhelds to exceed military standards, which requires drop testing the device 26 times to various surfaces at specified heights. To meet Intermec’s standards, the device cannot break. Consumer devices, he adds, don’t have “the seal against moisture or dust and just can’t stand up in an industrial setting. Plus, the average turn cycle on consumer electronics is about three months, so you can’t replace them exactly (if they break) where a computer like ours is guaranteed from five to eight years with tech support if needed.”

Gerald McNerney, senior director for transportation, distribution and logistics solutions for Motorola, agrees that customers want hardware “that will last for the life of the purchase, which is five to seven years.” As for consumer electronics, he says those products move so quickly they become out of date long before they break down.

Both McNerney and Sibio warn fleets not to be fooled by the apparent low cost of consumer electronics hardware because those costs can escalate with add-ons like scanners and don’t include network operating costs. Of course, there are network costs for handhelds, but Sibio says Intermec provides options for fleets to negotiate with cellular carriers the way they would with a cell phone or PDA.

World Trade Organization

2007-07-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

The World Trade Organization (WTO), (OMC - Spanish: Organización Mundial del Comercio, French: Organisation Mondiale du Commerce), is an international organization designed to supervise and liberalize international trade. The WTO came into being on January 1, 1995, and is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was created in 1947, and continued to operate for almost five decades as a de facto international organization.

The World Trade Organization deals with the rules of trade between nations at a near-global level; it is responsible for negotiating and implementing new trade agreements, and is in charge of policing member countries' adherence to all the WTO agreements, signed by the bulk of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.[3] Most of the WTO's current work comes from the 1986-94 negotiations called the Uruguay Round, and earlier negotiations under the GATT. The organization is currently the host to new negotiations, under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) launched in 2001.[4]

The WTO is governed by a Ministerial Conference, which meets every two years; a General Council, which implements the conference's policy decisions and is responsible for day-to-day administration; and a director-general, who is appointed by the Ministerial Conference. The WTO's headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.

Border Security Trumping Trade

2007-07-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

The effects of any event causing the shutdown of one of our nation’s primary trading arteries with Canada are almost beyond comprehension. “Take Detroit as an example, with over 6,000 trucks incoming to the U.S. crossing the Ambassador Bridge on a daily basis,” states Ronald Smith, chief of the Detroit field office for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), responsible for the ports of Detroit, Port Huron, and Sault Ste. Marie. “A shutdown would mean closing automotive plants and suppliers in both the U.S. and Canada. It would cause a rippling effect to our economy that would quickly become a tsunami. The vitality of our economies depends on the security we need to have deployed so legitimate trade can continue.”

The U.S. and Canada enjoy a trading partnership unlike any other two border countries, with the largest bilateral flow of goods and services in the world. Trade between the two countries averaged a whopping $1.2 billion per day in 2004, well over $428 billion that year. Canada moves about 87 percent of its exports to the US, as the US market is 10 times the size of Canada’s. The Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is the No. 1 commercial crossing in the world.

So, few security concerns are more vital than keeping these arteries free flowing. But, what really is the current health of our border security measures? Ask James G. Liddy of Liddy International to rate security at our northern border crossings and he can give only a ‘fair’ rating because so many initiatives are at an elementary level.

Although the issue of security has a lot more attention these days, Liddy stresses not enough prescriptive remedies are focused on critical operational transportation nodes within our bridges, tunnels, and border crossings. “We have to keep in mind that these critical nodes are what terrorists want to target in order to attack our economy.” On the other hand, economic considerations underscore the importance of not burdening these trade channels with unnecessary bureaucratic impediments.

So, where do you make the trade-offs? How are we maintaining the balance in preserving the critical infrastructure supporting this healthy trade partnership? To find out, we examined a few of the busiest commercial border crossings along the northern border: Detroit, Buffalo, and Blaine (Washington).

Freedom Tower

2007-07-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

Developer Silverstein Properties is making steady progress on the Freedom Tower. Located at the northwest corner of the World Trade Center, installation of steel columns continues as the concrete slab is being poured to form the tower's base.

The tower will be built according to a revised design released by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in June 2005. The new design retains essential elements of the original -- soaring 1,776 feet into the sky, its illuminated mast evoking the Statue of Liberty's torch -- but features a smaller, cubic base set back further from West Street to protect the building against any future terrorist attempts.

Rising from its square base -- which will be constructed of impermeable concrete and steel -- the redesigned Freedom Tower will taper into eight tall isosceles triangles, forming a perfect octagon at its center. An observation deck will be located 1,362 feet above ground and there will be a square glass parapet at 1,368 feet, the heights of the original Twin Towers. From these, an illuminated spire containing a television antenna will rise to a final height of 1,776 feet.

Other key elements of the original design will be retained, including 2.6 million square feet of office space, tenant amenity spaces, world-class restaurants, below-grade retail, and access to the PATH, subway, and World Financial Center.

New Age Trade

2007-07-14T02:54:00.000-07:00

Take a virtual tour of the International New Age Trade Show by visiting our Sights and Sounds of INATS. Here you will find aisle photos, depicting a typical Fair day, as well as merchandise photos and music clips that will be available at the up coming Show.

The International New Age Trade Show® is the premier market in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of retailers featuring New Age and related products. Products represented include: Books, New Age and World Music, Audio and Video Tapes as well as Aromatherapy Bath and Body Preparations, Apparel, Candles, Crystals, Tarots and Divination & Healing Tools, Health and Wellness, Herbal Remedies, Incense, Metaphysical Supplies, Inspirational Art, Jewelry, Native Traditions and Greeting Cards.

New Trade Theory

2007-07-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

New Trade Theory (NTT) is the economic critique of international free trade from the perspective of increasing returns to scale and the network effect. Some economists have asked whether it might be effective for a nation to shelter infant industries until they had grown to sufficient size to compete internationally.

New Trade theorists challenge the assumption of diminishing returns to scale, and some argue that using protectionist measures to build up a huge industrial base in certain industries will then allow those sectors to dominate the world market (via a Network effect).

They wondered whether free trade would have prevented the development of the Japanese auto industries in the 1950s, when quotas and regulations prevented import competition. Japanese companies were encouraged to import foreign production technology but were required to produce 90 percent of parts domestically within five years. It is said that the short-term hardship of Japanese consumers (who were unable to buy the superior vehicles produced by the world market) was more than compensated for by the long-term benefits to producers, who gained time to out-compete their international rivals1.

Less quantitative forms of this "infant industry" argument against totally free trade have been advanced by trade theorists since at least 1848 (see: History of free trade.)

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2007-07-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

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2007-07-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

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Trade Overview

2007-06-26T17:57:00.001-07:00

In today’s economically integrated world, trade matters more than ever before. Countries that have intensified their links with the global economy through trade and investment have usually grown more rapidly over a sustained period and have consequently experienced larger reductions in poverty. Unfortunately, many low-income countries have been hindered in their efforts to integrate into the global economy by inadequate policies, institutions, and infrastructure, on one hand, and by a variety of rich country protectionist measures and other policies that restrict low-income countries’ exports, on the other.

The Bank’s work on trade has two central objectives. At the global level, the Bank advocates changes in the world trading system to make it more supportive of development, especially in the poorest countries and for poor people across the developing world. This includes collaborating with the WTO, other multilateral agencies, governments in developing countries, and donors to support a “pro-development” outcome in the Doha Development agenda, as well as working with partners to maximize the development impact of regional trading agreements.

At the country level, the Bank supports developing countries in their efforts to improve their own policies, institutions and infrastructure (i.e. roads, ports and telecommunications) in order to use trade to help spur growth and reduce poverty. This work includes strategic assistance to clients in support of pro-poor trade-related reforms, with special attention to the low-income countries that are most in need of Bank support.

This website has been created as a research, training, and outreach tool for people interested in trade policy and developing countries. A wide scope of topics are featured from the trade agenda associated with the WTO negotiations to regional integration and export competitiveness. In addition to the capacity-building activities of the World Bank Institute and the World Bank's Research Group, it provides information on complementary programs through the Integrated

Trade and Development

2007-06-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

*
The World Bank 2007 Global Monitoring Report subtitled "Confronting the Challenges of Gender Equality and Fragile States" was published on April 13, 2007. The report monitors how countries are progressing with respect to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and assesses the contributions of developing countries, developed countries, and international financial institutions toward meeting universally agreed development commitments. Fourth in a series of annual reports leading up to 2015, this year's report reviews key developments of the past year, emerging priorities, and an assessment of performance drawing on numerous indicators. The report highlights two key thematic areas: gender equality and empowerment of women (the third MDG) and the special problems of fragile states, where extreme poverty is increasingly concentrated. The report is available here.
Order the publication

*
Services Trade and Development: The Experience of Zambia, Aaditya Mattoo and Lucy Payton, a Palgrave Macmillan / World Bank publication, May 2007
Services are critical to Zambia's overall economic performance and the well-being of its people, and the constraints on service sector development due to small markets and limited endowments could be alleviated by greater regional and global integration. International negotiations can be harnessed to deliver much-needed reform, but there is also a danger that unbridled mercantilism could produce outcomes that are antithetical to development. A key rationale for this volume was to ensure that policy makers and trade negotiators in a least developed country like Zambia are fully informed about both the opportunities for expanding trade in services - unilaterally, regionally, multilaterally - and the domestic pre-conditions for successful services liberalization.

Trade and Poverty Reduction

2007-06-26T17:55:00.002-07:00

* International trade plays an important role in the fight against poverty by helping to drive economic growth and to provide jobs. Countries that have entered export markets, increased their reliance on imports, and strengthened their investment climate so as to become more internationally competitive have tended to grow faster than those that have not.

* But many developing countries are hindered by poor infrastructure and government policies that have failed to promote investment and economic certainty. They also continue to face important trade barriers in export markets, particularly in areas where they have a competitive edge, such as agriculture, labor-intensive manufactures and services.

* The WTO Doha negotiations are an important opportunity to address these barriers and to promote domestic reform in all WTO members. The Bank welcomes the resumption of the Doha negotiations and urges all parties to demonstrate the necessary flexibility and political will to reach a breakthrough on key issues in the next few months.

* The Bank will continue to work at the country level to promote trade reform and competitiveness in developing countries. The Bank will continue its support to the aid-for-trade agenda to facilitate the integration of developing countries in the world economy.

* The Bank is rapidly expanding its trade-related activities at the country level. Trade - related lending in 2006 at roughly US$1.6 billion exceeded 2005 lending (US$1.1 billion) and is almost three times higher than 2003 trade related lending (US$566 million). From July to December 2006, trade-related lending has reached $0.8 billion, and the uptrend is expected to be sustained. Lending expansion has been driven by trade-related infrastructure projects in support of regional integration in Africa (e.g, regional projects), trade infrastructure in East Asia, and budget support to support competitiveness reforms in Latin America.

Why Trade Matters

2007-06-26T17:55:00.001-07:00

International trade can play an important role in the fight against poverty by helping to drive economic growth and to provide jobs in developing countries. Many developing countries face major hurdles in realizing the potential gains offered by increased trade, including limited supply capacity (e.g., in infrastructure) and government policies that have failed to encourage foreign and domestic investment and economic certainty.

Many developing countries’ governments have stepped up efforts to address these shortcomings, however, they have found themselves locked out of major rich-country markets, Indeed, rich countries continue to impose higher trade restrictions - as captured by ‘Overall Trade Restrictiveness Index’ that includes both tariff and non-tariff barriers - on exports from low-income countries than on exports from other trading partners. Market access restrictions and other trade distortions, such as domestic subsidies, remain high particularly in the areas in which developing countries have a competitive edge - such as cotton, sugar, and textiles and clothing.

As part of its wider poverty-reduction strategy, the World Bank advocates trade reform at the global and individual country levels to help developing countries take advantage of new market opportunities and diminish the anti-export bias of their own trade policies. Some of the key areas for trade reform are:

* Trade reform in agriculture would yield the largest welfare gains because agriculture is so much more distorted than other sectors and as roughly 70 percent of poor people in developing countries live in rural areas. Trade barriers in agriculture are extremely important to reduce poverty. At present, support to agricultural producers (including trade-distorting subsidies and market access barriers) in developed countries adds up to about $280 billion, more than three times the level of 2005 global overseas aid. Developing countries are investing to increase their agricultural productivity, but gains will not be fully translated into poverty reduction unless industrial and some middle-income countries reduce agricultural trade distortions. In the absence of reforms in developed countries, increased productivity in agriculture will instead give rise to overproduction and price declines for many commodities, undermining competitive poor countries' efforts to expand exports and rural incomes.

* Trade in s ervices has a great potential for growth as services have become the largest contributor to the world economy.The potential for development is high, both in terms of increased services exports and using openness to increase and improve the availability of basic services. Unfortunately, regulations in some developing countries still protect inefficient state monopolies from competition - a drag on growth. And limits on temporary labor mobility impede potential benefits for both receiving and sending countries. Opportunities for further development of trade in services are particularly high in sectors such as tourism, telecommunications, and business and professional services.

* Labor-intensive manufactures have been the most dynamic market segment for every major region, including Africa. Yet many developing countries’ exports face considerable obstacles in foreign markets – including high tariffs and “antidevelopment” tariff structures (when tariffs increase with the degree of processing) which discourage adding value in poor countries.

* Trade facilitation is a central element of trade development. Customs modernization, trade-related infrastructure, inland transit, logistic services, information systems, and ports efficiency play an important role in development as they enhance a country’s competitiveness and allow it to trade goods and services on time and with lower transaction costs.

The World Bank and the trade agenda at the global level

2007-06-26T17:54:00.001-07:00

At the global level, the Bank aims to contribute to the development of an international trading system that is more supportive of developing countries. The Bank is working with developing countries, non-governmental partners and other World Trade Organization (WTO) members to encourage progress on the Doha Round - the multilateral trade negotiations launched in Doha, Qatar in November 2001 – that have development at their center. In particular, the Bank provides information, analysis and data to support the negotiations.

The World Bank welcomes the resumption of the Doha negotiations on February 7, 2007. The talks had been suspended six months earlier, on July 23 2006, to allow a “time out” to review positions and examine available options. There is now a narrow window of opportunity to conclude a preliminary package that could pave the way for a final. All parties will need to demonstrate flexibility and political will for this to happen. The key to reaching such a package remains greater cuts by the US on trade-distorting agricultural support, greater agricultural market access by the EU and further market opening in manufactures by developing countries such as Brazil and India.

Failure to reach a deal would likely also cost significantly in terms of: the potential weakening of the rules-based multilateral system. The access to large markets, predictable framework and transparency provided by this system are important for all countries, but especially for poorer countries for which global markets are critical for economic growth and poverty alleviation. Failure to conclude a deal could also see a surge in the protectionist sentiment in developed and developing countries; increased stress on the WTO’s dispute settlement system; and increased scope for trade diversion from the rapid growth of preferential trade agreements (PTAs), which cannot address systemic distortions such as agricultural subsidies. Moving multilaterally to cut trade barriers remains the best alternative to promote development and reduce poverty.

While not formally part of the negotiations, aid for trade remains an essential complement to a successful Doha Round. Many world’s poorest countries are unable to take advantage of new trade opportunities because of lack of the basic machinery for trade, lack of efficient trade institutions and poor regulation. Aid for trade can help countries address these supply-side constraints and assist countries manage the transitional adjustment costs associated with trade liberalization. The Bank will continue to support aid-for-trade agenda to facilitate the integration of developing countries in the world economy.

Regardless of trade agreements, all countries can benefit from reforming their own trade regimes - to promote economic efficiency and growth while diminishing budgetary waste. The Bank is continuing to advocate for reform of harmful developed country policies, and to work at the country level to promote trade reform and competitiveness in developing countries.

JOCKS SANTA BANTA

2006-12-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

The New Wife

The new wife was being welcomed at the husband's home in a traditional manner. As expected she gave a speech: "My dear family, I thank you for welcoming me in my new home and family...

Rating : *****

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Best Friend

Banta is sitting at the bar in his local tavern, furiously imbibing shots of whiskey. Santa happens to come into the bar and sees him...

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Prized Goat

While working on a message the pastor heard a knock at his office door. "Come in," he invited. A contrite-looking man in threadbare clothes came in, pulling a goat...

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Married Life

Not long after his marriage, Joe and his father, met for lunch. "Well, son," asked the father, "how is married life treating you?...

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Misunderstanding

The homeowner was delighted with the way Santa had done all the paintwork on his house. "You did a great job," he said as he handed Santa his fees..

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New Girls

A woman went to a pet shop & immediately spotted a large, beautiful parrot. There was a sign on the cage that said $50.00, which seemed awfully cheap...

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Pregnancy Test

A blonde came running up to her husband in the driveway as he came home from work just jumping for joy. He didn't know why she was jumping for joy but thought...

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Freaking Jinx

A man was walking across the road when he had an accident. The impact was on his head, which caused him to be comatose for two days before he finally regained...

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Sad Johnny

The first day of school was going good for the new teacher and in an attempt to "break the ice" with the little second graders, she began to ask each student what their...

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Crazy Love

A minister visited an asylum for the mentally disturbed and was taken on a tour of the facilities by one of the resident doctors. Walking down the dismal, echoing corridors...

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jocks

2006-12-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

Today's jokes[8.22.03]

Vote for the joke that you really like by checking a box next to it. Then press the VOTE button to submit your votes. Also, links to joke categories and "Send to Friend" will open in a new window, so as not to interrupt your joke reading.

Why haven't Women landed on the Moon?

- Because it doesn't need cleaning yet!

1. Vote: Category: Women Send this joke to a friend

A little boy walks up to his father and says, "Dad, what does a pussy
look like?"
Father responds, "well son, before or after sex?"
Son, "Well, before?"
Father, "picture a tulip with all the petals son."
Son, "well what about after?"
Father, "Picture a bull dog eating mayonnaise!"

2. Vote: Category: Women Send this joke to a friend

Young Amanpreet never quite got over his miserable
childhood as an orphan in the ghetto. When he turned 18 he
joined the Marines, but old habits die hard and one night the
sergeant found him rummaging around the garbage and eating
out of the discarded cans and jars.

"On your free, Lizard Pecker," he bellowed. "You'll eat in
the message hall -- you're no better than the rest of us!"

3. Vote: Category: War and Military Send this joke to a friend

There's this old priest who got sick of all the people in his parish
who kept confessing to adultery. One Sunday, in the pulpit, he said,
"If I hear one more person confess to adultery, I'll quit!"

Well, everyone liked him, so they came up with a code word. Someone
who had committed adultery would say they had "fallen."

This seemed to satisfy the old priest and things went well, until the
priest died at a ripe old age. About a week after the new priest
arrived, he visited the mayor of the town and seemed very concerned.

The priest said, "You have to do something about the sidewalks in
town. When people come into the confessional, they keep talking about
having fallen."

The mayor started to laugh, realizing that no one had told the new
priest about the code word.

Before the mayor could explain, the priest shook an accusing finger at
the mayor and said, "I don't know what you're laughing about, your
wife fell three times this week."

4. Vote: Categories: Religion and Church, Marriage and Relationships Send this joke to a friend

Guy goes to hell and is met by the devil, who explains that the
punishments are changed every thousand years and he is to
select his first punishment.

First room has a young guy on the wall being whipped. The
new guy not keen on this asks to see the next room. The next
room has a middle aged guy being tortured with fire.

The new guy immediately asks to see the third room. It has an
really old guy chained to the wall getting a blow job from a
gorgeous blonde.

The guy jumps at the chance and takes the room.

The devil walks into the room taps the blonde on the shoulder
and says "okay, you can stop now. You've been relieved".

5. Vote: Category: Religion and Church Send this joke to a friend

BONUS! A random joke from Jokes2Go database
If you don't like it, just hit RELOAD

The local priest came across Paddy who had stumbled out of the town tavern.

"Paddy," he said, " I'm afraid I'll not be seeing you in Heaven one day."

"Really, Father?" slurred Paddy. "What have you done?"

Send this Joke to a friend!