Enhance Your International Business Expertise with these Top Resources

Are you looking to better understand the latest and best thinking for entering the international business market? What are the opportunities, and what do they require in terms of investment capital and management resources? Perhaps you just want to get up to date on the global business climate and would like to know where to turn for the top information and insights.

If any of the above fits your quest for gaining information and interacting with others on all things international, this post is for you. From blogs to books, discussion groups and top-rated podcasts, we’ve got you covered. So start learning and waving your international business flag with these top resources.

Blogs, Articles and Online Resources

The International Entrepreneur – Becky DeStigter

Ms. DeStigter has over 100 articles on her site, The International Entrepreneur, filled with practical advice on doing international business. She specializes in helping B2B technology and professional services companies thrive in international markets.

In addition to the many articles and resources available on DeStigter’s website, you may also be interested in an expert interview we did with her on Collaborating Internationally: What Businesses Need to Know about Going Global.

International Business Blog – Best Blogs, Gurus, Sites, ETC.

Not hard to find, Google “international business blogs” and the International Business Blog (part of the Masters in International Business website is at the top of close to 1.2 billion search results. It’s got a bunch of info on all-things international, such as:

Best Selling Books on Amazon

The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Money System – James Rickards

The Death of Money is written by James Rickards, who also authored the national bestseller, Currency Wars, which was translated into eight languages and earned rave reviews from the likes of the Financial Times and Bloomberg.

According to an editorial review by John H. Makin, PH.D., “The Death of Money is an engrossing account of the massive stresses accumulating in the global financial system, especially since the 2008 financial crisis. Jim Rickards is a natural teacher. Any serious student of financial crises and their root causes needs to read this book.”

This top seller is available in 4 formats (kindle, hardcover, paperback and Audible) on Amazon.

SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance – Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

SuperFreakonomics is the long awaited follow up to Levitt and Dubner’s blockbuster, Freakonomics, which spent an amazing two years on the New York Times bestseller list. The authors return with revolutionary research and original studies to once again challenge our view of the way the world really works.

So, if The Death of Money seems a bit drab and dreary, perhaps SuperFreakonimics can lighten up your mood without scaring you to death? Global cooling? Can’t wait to see what that’s all about! This work is also available on Amazon in multiple formats.

International Business Networking/Discussion Groups on LinkedIn

International Business

The International Business group on LinkedIn is a worldwide network of over 86,000 member professionals. The objectives of the group are to:

  • Share experience and knowledge
  • Develop insights
  • Bring business reality and science closer together

The group was created in November of 2007 by Maud Oortwijn, who has also authored a book titled International Business, the Critical Success Factors in Practice (available in paperback on Amazon).

Check out the International Business group on LinkedIn and join the discussion.

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)

According to this group’s description on LinkedIn, the IABC “is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC serves members in more than 70 countries and 100 chapters.” It lists over 35,000 members and is a private group, which means once you join the group manager needs to approve you for membership.

You can request to join the IABC group here. As is the case whenever reviewing whether to join a group on LinkedIn, when you land on the group page a list of group members already in your network appears. This can help you decide whether to join the group and can give you some great opportunity to engage your connections on this mutual topic of interest once you do. You might also want to check out the IABC website.

Audio Podcasts and On-Demand Talk Radio

When you’re on the move, whether commuting by car, airplane or enjoying a good workout, business-oriented audio programming is a great medium for learning, gaining fresh insights or getting inspired. There are two top audio directories from which to find relevant international business programming that interests you.

iTunes Listed Podcasts

iTunes has the largest directory of podcasts available. You can learn more about iTunes podcasts and how to search for them by popularity and interest categories here. Keep in mind too, that with any Apple iOS device you can use the Podcasts App available for free in the iTunes App Store to search for and listen to podcasts. Here is a couple I found in the business category that you can get started with (links are to the iTunes show page on the web):

  • BBC World Service – Global News Podcast – Show description: “The best stories, interviews and on the spot reporting from around the world. Listen to up to 30 minutes of highlights from Newshour, Newsday and The Newsroom. Compiled twice a day from the 24 hour News coverage from BBC World Service.”
  • McKinsey Global Institute Podcasts – Show description: “The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) was established in 1990 as an independent economics think tank within McKinsey and Company. MGI investigations are conducted with the goal of improving business performance and competitiveness while establishing a fact base for sound policy making. MGI studies aim to challenge the conventional assumptions of corporate leaders and policy makers alike.”

Stitcher – Radio on Demand

Stitcher, is a large and growing radio on demand service, which is essentially the same operationally and technologically as podcasts. In fact, many podcasters distribute their shows to both iTunes and Stitcher to ensure their program reaches the largest possible audience. The benefit to using Stitcher is they have a directory/listening app that works for both iOS and Android devices.

And, to their credit, they actually have a category called, World and International where you can find shows that interest you from all over the world. Stitcher gives you the top 100 shows by category. For instance, the top-rated show in the international category is CBC News: Hourly Edition – The latest national and international news, updated every hour.

Stitcher is also a service for podcasts and on –demand radio programming that is becoming available in cars. So whether you’re at your computer, mobile device or in a Stitcher-equipped vehicle, international business-related programming is a convenient choice.

So there you have it, a list, not exhaustive, but one that can help point you in the right direction of learning more and interacting with international business concerns from a variety of different mediums. Is there a favorite we didn’t mention? We’d love to have you share it in the comments!

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