Unlocking Trade Opportunities

Africa welcomes business investment and offers some of the world’s highest returns and impacts Africa has tremendous economic potential and offers rewarding opportunities for global businesses looking for new markets and long-term investments with favorable returns. Africa has been one of the world’s fastest-growing regions over the past decade, and by 2030 will be home to nearly 1.7 billion people and an estimated $6.7 trillion worth of consumer and business spending. Increased political stability in recent years and improving regional integration are making market access easier, and business expansion will generate jobs for women and youth, who represent the vast majority of the population. Current economic growth and poverty-alleviation efforts mean that more than 43 percent of the continent’s people will reach middle- or upper-class status by 2030. Unlocking Africa’s Business Potential examines business opportunities in the eight sectors with the highest potential returns on private investment—the same sectors that will foster economic growth and diversification, job creation, and improved general welfare. These sectors include: consumer markets, agriculture and agriprocessing, information and communication technology, manufacturing, oil and gas, tourism, banking, and infrastructure and construction. The book’s analysis of these sectors is based on case studies that identify specific opportunities for investment and growth, along with long-term market projections to inform decision-making. The book identifies potential risks to business and offers mitigation strategies. It also provides policymakers with solutions to attract new business investments, including how to remove barriers to business and accelerate development of the private sector.

This book assesses the effectiveness of free trade agreements (FTAs) in unlocking international business opportunities in member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It takes an institutional perspective in explaining the existence and effects of non-tariff barriers and how FTAs can address these barriers to attract foreign investors.

This publication provides insights to decision makers on women's participation in trade and the challenges they face. It outlines where the barriers are, provides data from importers and exports in 20 developing countries, shares models of good public and private sector initiatives, and provides recommendations for policymakers to engage women entrepreneurs more fully in the global economy. The report also provides an overview of initiatives undertaken by trade and investment support institutions, governments and multinationals that aim at facilitating the integration of women-owned businesses in international markets and international value chains. It reveals that multiple actors are taking action in favour of women-owned enterprises' integration in global markets. Some actors rather try to address underlying gender biases while other actors focus on addressing road blocks to integration. The report also highlights that different tools are being used to intervene. This publication will be of interest to policymakers, public and private sector actors, researchers and all stakeholders interested in women's economic empowerment.

WINNER: Independent Press Awards 2018 - Business Motivation Category Unlocking Happiness at Work takes you on a journey into why and how leaders should become compassionate capitalists and ensure that their teams thrive. This book debunks the myth that happiness at work is a waste of time and demonstrates how it can deliver a more productive and engaged workforce, which can have real impact on the bottom line. Based on two decades of scientific research, real-time data, interviews and case studies, this book proves that happiness fuels higher performance, provides a greater sense of purpose and spreads passion throughout organizations. With insightful practical guidance throughout, Unlocking Happiness at Work is a lively and persuasive exploration of how to be happier and make others happier through the power of habits, emotional intelligence and an innovative approach to work/life flow. Case studies from lululemon, Zappos, Misfit Inc, The Body Shop and more are supported by tangible data and key performance indicators that show the significant benefits that come from adopting a happiness strategy. This is an essential resource for leaders who want to increase sustainability, attract new talent, improve their brand and boost profitability - in a way that is life-enhancing for them and their people.

This book assesses the effectiveness of free trade agreements (FTAs) in unlocking international business opportunities in member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It takes an institutional perspective in explaining the existence and effects of non-tariff barriers and how FTAs can address these barriers to attract foreign investors.

This book is a must-have for anyone who’s working with Chinese social media or planning to enter China. It’s packed with the latest information, actionable insights and strategies for marketers to make the most of WeChat and Weibo. You’ll learn about Chinese consumers, WeChat and Weibo working models and the outlook for digital trends in customer relationship management, artificial intelligence and what kind of changes ‘New Retail’ will bring. What Every Marketer Needs to Know about ChinaHow Your Business Can Harness Chinese Social MediaWeChat: China’s Operating SystemWeibo: China’s Online HotspotThe Future: Get Ready for New Retail Whether you want to enter the market for the first time, expand your presence in China or provide services to Chinese tourists abroad, “Unlocking the World’s Largest E-market” offers practical advice about selling on Chinese social media from someone who has seen the transformation in China’s online world firsthand.

This book investigates the geopoliticisation of foreign aid in recent years, against a background of global overarching crises such as climate change, conflict, Covid-19, economic crisis, energy shortages and migration. Foreign aid has historically been understood as assisting both with the development objectives of the recipients and with the trade and geopolitical interests of the donors. In the first decades of the 21st century, however, this balance has been shifted by a series of complex global challenges. This book argues that donors have now moved towards framing aid as a geopolitical instrument, wherein aid can be given or withheld based on power or political intent, thus imposing the donor’s specific values and norms. This book provides an in-depth analysis of this weaponisation of foreign aid within a framework of global disruption and ultimately concludes that the world is at a tipping point towards a new socio-political world order. Asking important questions about the power dynamics at play within the aid sector, this book will be an important read for researchers across development studies, political science, international relations and global affairs.