Yes, you can enjoy the advantages of cheaper material costs and labor wages and a vast consumer market reach in China but what about quality control and other issues such as IP protection that come into play?

Read more here.

In case you missed it, The Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece yesterday (2/24) by Messrs. Tom Hayes and Michael Malone entitled, “Entrepreneurs Can Lead Us Out of the Crisis.”

Only entrepreneurs have the flexibility, the freedom and the risk-everything ambition to find the path back to prosperity in a rapidly changing, technology-driven global economy.

Let’s hear it for all entrepreneurs worldwide!

Find out the ways we need help right here.

Jeff Flake (AZ-6, Republican) has introduced a resolution to call for an investigation about the relationship between earmarks and campaign funding. Having just finished Kaiser’s amazing book, So Damn Much Money, I am confirmed in a suspicion I had before the election: that Flake/McCain were right to be so exercised about earmarks, and Obama/Dems were wrong.

The point is not the total amount of earmarks. Indeed, for a liberal like me, I’m keen to see the government spend money (wisely, at least). The point instead is the corruption that the earmarking system engenders. The history of earmarks is the history of a business model, with lobbyists at the core, a Congress dependent upon campaign funding at the edge, and a world of staffers, bureaucrats and former Members keen not to upset their future employers (the lobbyists).

But of course, one simple solution to this “problem” with earmarks would be to remove the corrupting connection — to campaign finance. And the simplest way to do that would be to follow Teddy Roosevelt’s other fantastic idea from 100 years ago — Citizen Funded Elections.

Thus, yet another reason to join the strike — don’t give money to politicians who don’t irrevocably commit to citizen funded elections.

Boston Consulting Group recently released a study of “New Global Challengers” identifying (immediate PDF file download) 100 companies with the potential to become household names across the globe.

The companies work in a variety of sectors, and hail from a host of countries. Not surprisingly, Brazil, China, and India account for the biggest portions of the list. The list is also very volatile, as 19 new companies made this year’s list. They are also extremely ambitious, with strong desire to capture global market share. They also benefit from a relatively lower cost of capital, and a concentration of ownership, which helps fend off potential hostile takeover attempts. As growth accelerates, these firms are willing to reach outside and bring in other expertise — often through global alliances, acquisitions, and by building management teams with a global perspective.

It’s really about how companies — e.g., Agility in Kuwait is one — from rapidly developing economies are contending for global leadership (I like the Page 11 area … very insightful).

Learn more over at the Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship: New Global Challengers.

When was the last time you visited a high street coffee shop?

In the last 5 minutes?

In the last hour?

Yesterday?

Last week?

Last month?

Never?

Over the last 10 years coffee shops are one of the fastest growing retailers.

More and more are being established.

I know in my local town whenever a shop closes, it often re-opens as a coffee franchise. Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Tchibo, Nero…there are many to choose from.

And no matter how many there are in each town, you always have to queue. So many people are now finding the time and money to have a coffee with friends. Relax a bit, have a good gossip and simply enjoy each other’s company.

Or maybe, you go there to work on the free wi-fi offering.

I’m lucky enough to live by the sea and often my wife and I go out for a cup of coffee overlooking the sea. You know spur of the moment thing.

“Fancy a coffee?”

“Yes, I’ll put the kettle on”

“No, let’s go to Costa’s”

“Great idea…”

A few years ago you would never have guessed we would pay $3 or $4 for an ordinary cup of coffee. But we all do, don’t we?

This weekend just gone, we decided to take a visit into town just for a cup of coffee.

“We’ll go to…”

“Yeah, sounds good”

When we arrived we changed our minds on where to go.

We saw a ‘better’ coffee shop open.

So what do you look for in your favourite coffee shop?

What makes you go back time and time again?

Some would say – “simply good tasting coffee”

Others would say – “a wide selection of great tasting coffees and cakes”

Others want -  “a wide selection of great tasting coffees and cakes plus well trained staff, a smile and an efficient service, maybe with free wi-fi”

What about – “a wide selection of great tasting coffees and cakes plus well trained staff, a smile and an efficient service with free wi-fi and they know your name”

Which statement would make you give 10 out of 10?

My wife and I go to relax, so the following is important to us:

1.    A nice comfy sofa
2.    Great tasting coffee
3.    A good selection of cakes to choose from
4.    Service with a smile

And if we can see by the window ‘people watching’, even better.

That’s it – we are easily pleased. But so many coffee shops just don’t provide all 4 of our needs. They may just offer points, 2, 3 and 4 but point 1 is so important!

Or 1, 2 and 3, but point 4 is also important to us!

So what do you look for in a coffee shop for you to go back time and time again?

I wrote this post in under 7 minutes (from scratch) using Robert Plank’s latest product…Time Management On Crack