Knowledge Central

The United States (U.S.) and Canada generated a combined GDP of $20.234 trillion, second only to East Asia globally. However, this number grew a modest 1.58% in 2016. According to OECD data, the U.S. forecasts growth of 2.14% in 2017 and 2.38% in 2018, while Canada forecasts 2.83% and 2.34% respectively. In 2016, the U.S. accounted for […]

This article focuses on developed European Union (EU) countries. In our previous article “Making a Case for Investing in Emerging Europe,” we included 10 developing EU countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and will not duplicate those here. Developed EU countries for this article include the following: Austria (47) Belgium […]

South Asia’s aggregate GDP in 2016 totaled $10.72 trillion USD, placing it fourth behind East Asia, the European Union (EU) and the US. With GDP per capita just below $6,300 USD as of 2016, South Asia’s economy is clearly the poorest compared with other regions we’ve reviewed. Yet with 5 of its 8 members realizing GDP growth of more […]

For purposes of this article, Australia, New Zealand plus the Pacific Islands combine to form the economic region known as Oceania. From a practical standpoint, only Australia and New Zealand are looked at seriously by global investors. The Pacific Islands are small in size with limited natural resources, narrowly-based economies, large distances to major markets, […]

East Asia contains the following countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan. Since the late 1970s, China has moved from a closed, centrally planned system to a more market-oriented one that plays a major global role. China accounts for 71.36% of East Asia’s GDP. According to the World Bank, “China has implemented reforms in a gradualist fashion, resulting […]

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) closed 2016 with a GDP of approximately $7.4 trillion USD. To keep this in perspective, this performance is just under 40% of the United States’ GDP for 2016, which totaled $18.56 trillion USD. How many of our readers would have guessed the ASEAN economy is so substantial. […]

During the Gold Rush in the United States during the first half of the 19th century, a common mantra was “Go West”.  If you weren’t quick to act, however, you missed out. The initial discovery of gold nuggets was said to occur in the Sacramento Valley during 1848. The Gold Rush peaked in 1852, and $2 billion USD […]

The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is comprised of 21 member countries. The map below depicts this region, which has a rich history of turmoil and political and civil unrest. Despite these challenges, many of these MENA countries have been exporting oil from its rich oil reserves. If you’re involved in the Oil […]

Imagine this scenario: It has been three years since you launched that killer product in the US. You’ve experienced exponential growth in sales. Your market research shows that demand for your product is strong in EU and ASEAN countries, and you consider expanding globally. Make Sure You Understand Challenges Associated with Expanding Globally Before you hop on a […]

When your HR department is overwhelmed with routines, it’s important to look for ways to outsource HR operations. Here a solution of SMS texting comes. It simplifies several human resources department functions and responsibilities. If your HR department is always on the phone answering questions, it’s time to develop a better strategy to automate and […]

We at Blueback Global have recently designed a global mobility checklist. Global mobility in this framework attributes the process of relocating an employee from the current location of employment (i.e., the home country) to a new foreign location (i.e., the host country) for a short-term assignment, ranging from one to several years. The relocated employee is often referred to […]

Hong Kong and Singapore have always been seen as two fierce competitors that try to attract foreign investments. Both are similar in many ways, and yet, individually possesses competitive advantages over the other. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (“SAR”) of China. Under China’s “one country, two systems” concept, Hong Kong retains its owns judicial […]