The Big Picture of a Global Economy

By U.S. standards, most of the world is still in poverty. Happily, new satellite and wireless systems will soon be able to bring the Internet to nearly any point on the globe - bringing the potential for new economic solutions. There are many emerging initiatives to use these new technologies to remote communities worldwide and there are already many international Ecommerce and telework resources available to you on the Internet. We are in the midst of witnessing the evolution of a new global economy. It is important to work toward thinking globally and at the same time support local community sustainability. As a strategy for balance - Act locally, think globally.

By posting products and/or services on the web, you can reach a global market. Many examples of rural individuals enjoying booming businesses selling unique products globally exist as models to follow. It is recommended you consider finding a global niche, something unique that you can do very well, perhaps better than anyone else. The sooner a niche is identified, the sooner your reputation can be established. As a strategy, watch for how others are actively doing this and prepare to copy the more effective strategies.

Third World Ecommerce - Competition or Customer?

While half the population of the planet has yet to make their first phone call, billions will soon come onto the Internet. You now have the power to impact the lives of tens of thousands of souls in need. Feel the pressure, feel the power, but know that with power comes responsibility. The future of the world may now be partly in your hands.  There is a trillion-dollar market for whomever can provide measurable empowerment to the global populace.

There are billions of people worldwide who could really use your help and expertise. While you might consider them potential competitors, you might also consider them potential customers and partners. The better you understand their needs, the better you'll understand the global market place. Exercise your eyes on the world to see what you can learn and then offer.

With the ease of online collaborative tools such as email, listservs, for example, and many other tools, it will become easier and easier to engage in international trade. Knowing that the doors are opening, you're advised to learn about existing international trade opportunties and to create a personal strategy for keeping current as new doors open.

As hundreds of thousands of rural communities gain Internet access, many will eagerly embrace the potential to pull themselves out of dire poverty. The time interval you now have before these communities become your direct competition is your immediate first-to-market opportunity to establish your global niche. Once Internet connectivity is established, whole countries will soon be dealing directly with the social challenges of creating an inspired and motivated citizenry. While many rural communities have not yet recognized their advantage of being first in the world to have local Internet access, many will soon acknowledge their missed opportunities and will begin to take action.

Workers in other countries will work for such low wages that an increasing number of manufacturing businesses are moving overseas, leaving many Americans without jobs. Companies face the competitive choice of paying $15/hour here vs. 50 cents or less an hour in a third-world country. The emerging global economy is going to create many dramatic changes. Your best strategy is to inform yourself early on about the coming inevitable changes in order to strategically position yourself to survive economically.

You may have started this online course thinking you were way behind, but you've already leapfrogged ahead of most of the human race. Many of these coming trends can be terrifying due to their dramatic ramifications, but this knowledge of what is coming is far less threatening to your well-being than the risks of not knowing. Your strategy should be to maintain your awareness about the coming changes with a plan to turn them into opportunities.

In the web tour for this lesson you'll review an initial listing of sources for International Trade Training.

United Nations International Resources
http://www.unsystem.org/

International Trade Center of the United Nations
http://www.intracen.org/ 

Intl. Trade Resource and Data Exchange
http://www.i-trade.com Learn how to trade internationally.

Global Tradepoint Network http://www.tradepoint.org/ 
Search for international trade leads.

International Telecommunications Union http://www.itu.ch/
Good Resources

Ecommerce Resources Provided by the Federal Government
http://www.ecommerce.gov
A complicated site for beginners, but a valuable and extensive resource which includes International trade information. Take caution reading anything over two years old. Remember the tech. stock slump changed the rules.

Youth World Trade Training
http://www.wbe.net   Sponsored by the Reis Foundation. Select "Trade Resources" and follow all "Other Links" listings.
http://www.reisfoundation.org  Youth entrepreneurship focus

International Telework Resources - http://www.telework.ch 
Click on the English button.

International Telework Web Ring
http://www.ivc.ca/webring.html
A web ring is a partnership of similar sites.

Culturally Appropriate Ecommerce Models and Initiatives

Native American Ebusiness Listings
http://lone-eagles.com/na-business.htm

Culturally Appropriate Ecommerce for Alaskan Natives and Native Americans
http://lone-eagles.com/culture.htm

Peoplink
www.peoplink.org 
A business model attempting to empower third world cultures with culturally appropriate Ecommerce.

International Federation for Alternative Trade
www.ifat.org

Greenstar
www.greenstar.org 
Solar-powered Internet connections for remote villages. Read the article "Sweatshops and Butterflies". A business model attempting to empower third world cultures with culturally appropriate Ecommerce.

Multicultural and Global Development Organizations
http://lone-eagles.com/multicultural.htm
Many resources related to indigenous and global issues. Review the last section on Global Development Organizations and Resources.

Read each article once without clicking on the presented web addresses.
Then return to explore those links that interested you.

The New Gold Rush - Mining Raw Human Potential With Free Web Tools - Part II
http://lone-eagles.com/mining.htm
Characteristics of a global knowledge economy are fundamentally different from the industrial age physical products-based economy.

Read "Sweatshops and Butterflies"
at http://greenstar.org
Select the link on their homepage.

Read Echoes in the Electronic Wind 
http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues01/Co06022001/CO_06022001_Echoes.htm A short article on Native American and Alaskan Native opportunities for leadership with community networking. Applicable to all communities.