1 jan 2020

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

by Will Kenton, Investopedia

1 dic 2019

How long do firms live?

Change is Survival
Finding patterns of company mortality in market data Source: Santa Fe Institute Summary: Sizes of some 30,000 companies traded publicly on US markets from 1950-2009, measured by their sales (controlling for inflation and GDP growth). The relatively rapid growth of smaller companies near the beginnings of their lifespans account for the ragged lower portion of the chart, as well as the relatively steep initial sales increases. As companies reach maturity, their sales tend to level off. Credit: Marcus Hamilton and Madeleine Daepp It's a simple enough question: how long does a typical business have to live? Economists have been thinking about that one for decades without a particularly clear answer, but new research by scientists at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico reveals a surprising insight: publicly-traded firms die off at the same rate regardless of their age or economic sector. "It doesn't matter if you're selling bananas, airplanes, or whatever," Hamilton says -- the mortality rate is the same. Though the number, of course, varies from firm to firm, the team estimated that the typical company lasts about ten years before it's bought out, merges, or gets liquidated.

by Santa Fe Institute

1 Nov 2019

Comparison between
ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 9001: 2008

by Standards Stores

1 Oct 2019
The future of world trade: How digital technologies are transforming global commerce.

Trade and technology are closely interlinked. From the invention of the wheel, to the railways, to the advent of containerization, technology has constantly played a key role in shaping the way we trade – and this phenomenon is accelerating like never before. We are living through an era of unprecedented technological change, and a series of innovations that leverage the internet could have a major impact. For example, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, 3D printing and Blockchain have the potential to profoundly transform the way we trade, who trades and what is traded.
These developments could unlock many opportunities for individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses around the world. However, this process is not automatic.
Technological advances per se are not a guarantee of greater trade growth and economic integration.
History shows that successfully managing the structural changes driven by technology is central to ensuring that everybody can benefit. Therefore, we need to understand how to harness these new technologies. This is key to ensuring that the trading system can promote growth, development and job creation, and helping in the effort to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.

Key facts and findings
• Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and Blockchain have been made achievable by the exponential rise in computing power, bandwidth and digital information.
• Digital technologies are reshaping consumer habits by shifting purchases online through the widespread use of internet-enabled devices which provide consumers with direct access to online markets.
• It is estimated that, in 2016, the value of e-commerce transactions totalled US$ 27.7 trillion, of which US$ 23.9 trillion was business-to-business e-commerce transactions.
• On the supply side, digital technologies allow for easier entry and increased product diversity, making it easier for firms to produce, promote and distribute their products at a lower cost.
• The benefits of digital technologies notwithstanding, they are also giving rise to a number of concerns, including market concentration, loss of privacy and security threats, the digital divide, and the question of whether digital technologies have really increased productivity.
• International trade costs declined by 15 per cent between 1996 and 2014. New technologies will help to further reduce trade costs. Our projections predict that trade could grow yearly
by 1.8 to 2 percentage points more until 2030 as a result of the falling trade costs, amounting to a cumulated growth of 31 to 34 percentage points over 15 years.
• The wide adoption of digital technologies changes the composition of trade in services and goods, and redefines intellectual property rights in trade. Trade in information technology products has tripled in the past two decades, reaching US$ 1.6 trillion in 2016.
• The importance of services in the composition of trade is expected to increase. We predict the share of services trade to grow from 21 per cent to 25 per cent by 2030.
• Digitalization has led to a decline in trade of digitizable goods (e.g. CDs, books and newspapers) from 2.7 per cent of total goods trade in 2000 to 0.8 per cent in 2016. The trend is likely to continue with the advent of 3D printing technology.
• Regulation of intellectual property rights, data flows, and privacy as well as the quality of digital infrastructure are likely to emerge as new sources of comparative advantage.
• The decline in trade costs can be especially beneficial for MSMEs and firms from developing countries, if appropriate complementary policies are put in place, and challenges related to technology diffusion and regulation are addressed. Our estimations foresee that, in such case, developing countries’ share in global trade could grow from 46 per cent in 2015 to 57 per cent by 2030.
• Digital technologies give rise to opportunities and challenges that may require the consideration of governments and the international community in areas as diverse as investment in digital
infrastructure and human capital, trade policy measures and regulation.
• Provisions referring explicitly to digital technologies have been included in an increasing number of regional trade agreements. The most common provisions refer to e-government, cooperation and the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions.
• While the WTO framework, and in particular the General Agreement on Trade in Services, is relevant for digital trade and WTO members have already taken certain steps to promote digital trade within the existing framework, members will have to consider how they want to respond to
continued changes in the economy and the way we do business.

by World Trade Organization Report 2018