Google Analytics was released a few days ago and is definitely a great tool to integrate into your sites if you are interested in looking at and analyzing traffic data. (And who wouldn’t want to pour over traffic data, right?)

One interesting piece of information, which is parsed into a nice graphic, is the geographic location of your visitors. I feel it is particularly informative and found myself fantasizing about visiting some of the dots that appeared outside of the US. Here’s yesterday’s map:

While looking at this kind of information may be fun, it is a sobering reminder of the true global nature of the internet. What we say is no longer only heard by those in earshot. On the internet (especially in the blog realm), we can say something off the cuff in Sleepytown, USA, and it could pop up on someone’s radar in Australia within the hour. Sure, that may seem cool, but with such reach comes a much larger responsibility…

To an extent I am referring to being aware of language and interpretation differences, but more so, I want to stress the importance of having a more global view regarding the issues you choose to explore. Businesses and individuals who want their voices to be heard as far and wide as possible have a responsibility, in my opinion, to consider the issues and needs of all the ears they seek. Yet, even if you believe firmly in such a principle, how do you go about practically honoring it? Is it simply a matter of having compassion and reading the international press every day, or is anything short of a full cultural immersion simply fluff?

TAGS: Internet | Global | Blog | International | USA

Wal*Mart seems to have successfully trumped any negative PR it may have been subject to and managed to actually increase its profits by 4% (see “Campaign Against Wal-Mart Hasn’t Touched Profits“). How is that possible given the impact of the recent hurricanes as well as the various public critiques of the company (including the full-page ad in the New York Times referenced in the linked article)? Well, as noted in the article, Wal*Mart has done a fantastic job of keeping labor costs in check:

“Wal-Mart said on Monday that its profit increased 4 percent, which is in line with what analysts were expecting.

“‘Even with the lingering impacts of the hurricanes and the impact of higher energy prices, I believe we will have a good holiday season,’ Chief Executive Lee Scott told analysts.

“Wire reports said analysts were pleased that Wal-Mart managed to contain labor costs, and therein lies a controversy.”

TAGS: Wal*Mart | WalMart | Union | Ethics | WakeUpWalMart

Here’s an interesting add-on to the last post: “U.S. Urges China to Open Markets and Help Break an Impasse in Global Trade Talks”

TAGS: China | Trade | Business | Free Trade

If you haven’t checked out CFO yet, take a few moments and read an article from the current issue regarding China’s view on American business acumen (View From China). The insight, while not surprising, is interesting and raises some important questions about the way business “get’s done” in the US. Here’s a quote from the article that sets the tone nicely:

“Congress’s reactionary rhetoric during the bidding war over Unocal was profoundly disturbing to the Chinese. The blatant protectionism seemed hardly in keeping with the entrepreneurial spirit of America.”

TAGS: China | Business | Export | Import

There’s an interesting short article in the current issue of CFO about Ben and Jerry’s former CFO, Stuart Wiles, scamming some money from the company (Et Tu, Ben and Jerry’s). The article points out the irony of the situation, as the company is widely known for it’s social agenda, and “commitment to create ‘economic opportunities for those who have been denied them.’”

The details of the skim job are surprising in their brazenness:

“From 2000 to 2004, Wiles charged personal expenses to his company credit card and issued company checks for nonexistent obligations, using the funds to pay his own bills. Wiles, who also allegedly scammed the company into paying $58,000 for an addition to his home, agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud.”

There are several things that I find particularly disturbing…

First, what was someone like Wiles doing at a company like Ben and Jerry’s? Something must have gone wrong in the interview process to have allowed him entry into the company. You would think that someone possessing the ability to steal money from a cute cartoon cow who peddles Chunky Monkey would probably have a bit of a culture clash with the rest of the folks there. I wonder if the interview was uncomfortable but Wiles seemed to be the man for the job anyway. Either way, I have a feeling that there was probably some friction between he and the rest of the company (or at least I hope so) that might indicate that they made a poor hiring decision. Because if not, I think I’m going to be pretty paranoid about the hiring process from now on.

Or, perhaps, the feel-good social responsibility angle the company purports is little more than hype. What if it’s just a bunch of fluff and marketing hyperbole and they are actively seeking executives with a certain disregard for ethics. I doubt that is the case, but I’m still left scratching my head as to how a company with such an obvious and strong social and ethical mission would manage to bring on someone like Wiles. Perhaps this is a result of Unilever entering the picture (in 2000). It is feasible that the internal company culture changed significantly, despite the fact that Ben and Jerry’s still operates on its own. If so, what does that say about the efficacy of mergers? They already have a pretty poor reputation in terms of return to investors, but throw in a bit of extra fraud and brand dilution and one has to wonder if they are worth it at all.

Sheesh. I think I’ll go have some Phish Food and try and forget about this whole thing.

TAGS: CFO | CSR | Ethics | Fraud | Ben and Jerry’s

BBC News has an article on China’s record trade surplus for the month of October, stating that it has reached $12 billion. Contrast that to last year’s figure of $7.1 billion plus the comparison of the current year-to-date surplus vs. that of all of 2004:

“China’s total surplus for the first 10 months of 2005 stands at $80.4bn compared with $32bn in 2004 as a whole.”

There are also a few interesting points made about the value of the yuan:

“Although China did increase the value of the yuan by 2.1% in July, Washington maintains that it remains undervalued and thus gives Chinese exports an unfair advantage…

“China has long maintained that its eventual goal is currency liberalisation, but that this would only take place when the time was right so as not to destabilise its fast-paced, export-centred economy.”

TAGS: China | Yuan | Trade+Surplus | US

There is a great story in today’s New York Times (Desperate Search for Justice: One Man vs. China” about a man struggling with the legal system in China. In short, the man is struggling with his son’s conviction by the Chinese courts for a crime he does not believe his son committed.

“His son was charged with a savage knife attack here in rural Anhui Province that left a mother and daughter badly wounded. The police suspected the son because of a property dispute between the families. But Mr. Xie believed the case was deeply flawed: the victims never identified the attacker. The only evidence was a questionable shoeprint. Police misconduct was blatant.”

The article touches on the growing pains China’s relatively new legal system has been experiencing, and points out a number of areas that clearly need further development.

“The stark imbalance in China reflects a fundamental contradiction for China’s top leaders. They want people like Mr. Xie to trust the legal system because public support is essential in ensuring social stability. But they believe the law should enhance, not erode, government power, and have shown little inclination to replace a system that guarantees convictions with one that guarantees the rights of the accused.”

TAGS: China | Court | Legal | Justice

I was reading Ben and Jackie’s blog, Church of the Customer, and learned the sad news that Peter Drucker passed away yesterday. The New York Times has a pleasant article in today’s edition, which does a nice job of noting many of Drucker’s achievements. He will be remembered fondly by many, and will continue to inspire for many years to come.

TAGS: Peter Drucker | Drucker | Management | Business

If you haven’t yet heard about the Starbucks Challenge, take a moment and visit the original post to get a bit of background. Here’s a snippet if you are short on time:

“According to its own policy (PDF), Starbucks will make fair trade coffee for you, any day of the week, in the 23 countries it is licensed to including: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.K. and the U.S. But just how easy is it to get a fair trade coffee in a Starbucks in one of those countries?…

1) Simply visit your local Starbucks and ask: ‘Could I get a cup of fair trade coffee?’

2) Tell us what happened next. Was it hard or easy to get a cup? You can see our first posts here.”

I’m always on the lookout for marketing vs. reality discrepancies, and it appears that Starbucks fair trade schpiel is turning out to be a bit of hot air. Take the challenge in your area (where isn’t Starbucks?) and see if there’s a bit of buzzword-exploitation going on. Be sure to check out the experiences (successes and failures) other people are having.

TAGS: Starbucks | Fair Trade | Coffee | Starbucks Challenge | Ethics | Marketing

NPR has a number of great audio shows about China (thanks to Chris Carr for the link) that are both interesting to listen to and offer a well-balanced look at China and business.

A few days ago, Steve Inskeep interviewed Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz about the company’s expansion into China. While the interview was fairly light, Inskeep did put a few nuggets on the table. At the very beginning of the segment, Schultz mentions that many of the chain’s current China storefronts (about 140 so far) are larger than individual’s homes. I thought it was an interesting thing to admit with such nonchalance, and apparently Inskeep agreed. Inskeep pressed him on the issue but Schultz answered like a politician and forced me to listen to the segment a few times, just to make sure I had heard him correctly.

My favorite of Inskeep’s questions? This one is priceless:

“How do you do business in a Communist dictatorship without losing your soul?”

Very interesting stuff.

TAGS: China | Starbucks | Business Strategy | Coffee