Running an international business with operations in more than one country is not a small feat. It takes effort to communicate with employees thousands of miles away. However, it can be done successfully! Below are five tips to help you manage a company a world away. 1. Communicate clearly and often When working internationally, communication is key. It’s hard enough to manage employees within your building, but even more difficult when those employees are several time zones ahead of you. Their work day is winding down just as yours is getting started. In order to effectively manage their work, it’s imperative you have an ongoing, open dialogue and speak to them on the phone at least once a week.
Updated 5 Years ago

Even at the ripe young age of 83, my dad is still fixing vacuums and sewing machines as part of the repair business he started 30 years ago after retiring from a career at Western Union. He no longer runs the business from a shop, and he certainly is nowhere near as busy as he once was -- due mostly to the fact that you can replace the devices far easier then repairing them -- but he still manages to pick up a job from time to time to keep himself busy.
Updated 5 Years ago

Africa’s leading online retailer, Jumia, says it sees its market share surging beyond 36 percent in Egypt in the next few years. Jumia, which currently leads the North African country’s ecommerce space, says Egypt is one of its strongest markets in the African region. It credits this achievement to the attention it pays on consumer’s needs.
Updated 5 Years ago

South Africa’s biggest union federation, Cosatu, on Tuesday slated Transport Minister, Dipuo Peters, for saying there would be no review of Gauteng’s most hated e-toll government project. South Africa’s e-tolls are only situated in Gauteng, the country’s richest province where Johannesburg is situated.
Updated 5 Years ago

With e-commerce in Nigeria recording over $2 million worth of transactions per week and close to $1.3 billion monthly, online marketplaceKaymu has attributed the burgeoning online transactions to the rising purchasing power of the country’s growing middle class. According to a survey conducted by the business management and consulting firm Philip consulting, 38 percent of Nigerians prefer to buy products through the internet. Much of that section of the population is made up of the middle class, notes Kaymu which is owned by online investment company Africa Internet Holding (AIH).
Updated 5 Years ago

At the time of kick off of the African Nations Cup qualifying matches, it was expected that the big football nations would walk through the series with ease. With a total of seven groups and two best teams from each group expected to qualify, it was seemingly impossible that any Africa’s big teams would miss out of the tournament slated to kick off in Morocco by January 2015. However, at the end of match day one, the scripts were torn up as some minnows came close to creating upsets while others were successful in delivering surprise results.
Updated 5 Years ago

Dubai’s bourse pulled back in early trade on Wednesday as investors appeared to be accumulating cash for the upcoming initial public offer of Emaar Properties’ malls unit. The Dubai index slid 1.1 per cent as most stocks were down. Emaar itself lost 0.9 per cent. In one of the largest equity sales in the Middle East since 2008, the company plans to float its unit Emaar Malls Group (EMG) this month and subscriptions for the shares will open on Sept. 14.
Updated 5 Years ago

Google announced that it has launched 360-degree street view imagery of the famous Giza Pyramids and five other landmarks in Egypt for the first time. Users of Google Maps will able to get a complete view of the Pyramids of Giza, necropolis of Saqqara, the Citadel of Qaitbay, the Cairo Citadel, the Hanging Church and the ancient city of Abu Mena, it said in a statement.
Updated 5 Years ago

While Chinese consumers do much of their shopping with the click of a mouse or a fingertip, some foreign products aren't so easily obtained. Chinese and foreign e-commerce insiders gathered at the China International Fair for Investment and Trade, which runs Sept 8 to 11 in Xiamen, Fujian province, to discuss challenges to cross-border online retail.
Updated 5 Years ago

Shanghai regulatory authority carried out inspections in supermarkets and removed about 8,700 products suspected of containing tainted oil from shelves, Shanghai Youth Daily reported on Wednesday. Taiwan police busted a ring of six selling recycled cooking oil made from kitchen waste and grease from leather processing plants last Thursday. They found Chang Guann Co, a well-established cooking oil supplier, had purchased recycled oil to produce lard, most of which was sold to nearly 1,000 food companies and restaurants, including a number of leading brands.
Updated 5 Years ago