International Trade Leads, Global Import Export - Fita.org, trade market resources and research

Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals is a bi-weekly email newsletter sent to 100,000 international trade professionals worldwide.

Published by the Federation of International Trade Associations (FITA) and written by journalist John McDonnell, Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals contains informally written descriptions of 4-5 Web sites from FITA's Really Useful Links (http://fita.org/webindex) that are useful for international trade, as well as some fun sites that enliven a business day.


	Wednesday, February 20, 2008	Issue 181	Volume 8 Number 4

This issue sponsored by the The Journal of Commerce

Click here to read this issue on our website.

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IN THIS ISSUE:
•	NEW ZEALAND Our Featured Country
•	FIND EXPERTS AT THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY OF LOGISTICS Get Help for Logistics Needs
•	THE GATEWAY TO THE EUROPEAN UNION All you want to know about the European Union
•	WHERE IS IT? FIND OUT WITH TRACKMYSHIPMENTS Track Your Shipments
•	FITA CAREER HEADQUARTERS - FEATURED JOB Export-Import Bank Senior Vice President for Small Business

Hello International Traders!

This week in Really Useful Sites: explore the Philippines market, benefit from the Doing Business Country Guides of Lexmundi, visit the British government's Export Packaging resource, use the website Logisticsnetwork.com to organize your freight.

And don't forget -- if you'd like more information about international trade, go to FITA's Really Useful Links, which has a link library of more than 8,000 sites related to international trade.

NEW ZEALAND
Our Featured Country

http://nzte.govt.nz

In land area, New Zealand is only the size of Colorado, but in economic terms, it's a powerhouse. New Zealand ranks in the top 60 countries worldwide for imports, and per capita income has risen for eight consecutive years (in purchasing power parity terms). New Zealand is worth researching as a trade partner, and a good site to do that is New Zealand Trade & Enterprise ( http://nzte.govt.nz ). This government site has plenty of information to help you learn about New Zealand. Hint: click on "Resources & Research" under "Quick-find topics" on the home page. Scroll down and you'll find plenty of resources, including export statistics, case studies, market intelligence, industry sector reports, news & media releases, and links to other useful sites. That's just one link: you can find many others starting at the home page. This is a very useful site for anyone who wants to do business in New Zealand.

You'll also find plenty of good research at the New Zealand Mini Portal ( http://fita.org/countries/nz.html ), a feature of the FITA Web site. The New Zealand Mini Portal has an overview of the country, with facts about the language, currency, climate, etc., plus more specific information about the economy, markets, taxes, labor market indicators, and tips on doing business in New Zealand.

Click on "Useful Links" and you'll find a variety of sources for market research, trade leads, business directories, logistics, government contacts, travel, financing, and lots more.

The New Zealand Mini Portal is one of many research gateways at the FITA site. To find Mini Portals for other regions or countries, just click on "Country Profiles" from within a Mini Portal, or at the FITA home page ( http://www.fita.org ).

FITA's Global Trade Book Store has some excellent books about doing business in New Zealand. Check out Culture Shock! New Zealand: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette and New Zealand - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette.

The Canada Australia & New Zealand Business Association is a FITA member association. Their sites offer more resources about doing business with New Zealand. And click here to search the FITA Member Directory for links to FITA member associations' websites.

FIND EXPERTS AT THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY OF LOGISTICS
Get Help for Logistics Needs

http://www.logisticsworld.com/logistics/

Whenever you do business abroad you have to think about the logistics of moving goods. You may need to deal with freight forwarders, customs brokers, and shipping companies, among others. Here's a good resource to help you find companies to work with. The WWW Virtual Library of Logistics ( http://www.logisticsworld.com/logistics/ ) has a database of companies and organizations in the field of logistics. If you want to find a freight forwarder in Turkey, for example, type "freight forwarder Turkey" in the search box, click "Find", and you'll get a list with links to Turkish freight forwarders. There are thousands of logistics links at this site, and it's a great portal to visit when you're looking for a resource in a certain country.

THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE
http://www.joc.com

Since 1827, The Journal of Commerce has been the most trusted source of intelligence for international logistics executives to help them plan global supply chains and better manage day-to-day transportation of goods and commodities in the United States and internationally.

JOC members have access to our weekly print and digital magazine as well as our web site www.joc.com. Authoritative editorial content in the form of daily news, weekly analysis and regular features ensure our members have the information and data necessary to understand the issues facing trucking, rail and maritime transportation. Members enjoy access to “By the Numbers,” an exclusive weekly compilation of key industry statistics that provide detailed views of current market trends across all modes. Regular market intelligence reports, utilizing PIERS trade data, include Top 100 Imports and Exporters, quarterly Top 40 Container lines, Transpacific and Transatlantic Maritime Forecasts and Top Container Ports and Terminals. Market-sector supplements including Breakbulk, Cool Cargoes, 3PL, JOC Guide to Trucking and others ensure all modes are comprehensively covered. Other Member benefits include our, a 10% discount on all JOC Conferences and trade shows, UBM Global Trade Directories and select PIERS products.

Visit www.joc.com today to start your 4 week free trial!

THE GATEWAY TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
All you want to know about the European Union

http://europa.eu/index_en.htm

I wrote about Europa: Gateway To The European Union ( http://europa.eu/index_en.htm ) a few years ago, but the site keeps growing, and it's worth another profile. The European Union has become a major trading power in the world, and this site will give you the facts about it. There are articles about subjects from Agriculture to Transport, reports, press releases, news bulletins, downloadable documents, statistics (click on "External Trade", then on "Statistics"), plus links to more resources. You can spend hours clicking through the links at this site, but it's time well spent for anyone who wants to learn more about the EU.

WHERE IS IT? FIND OUT WITH TRACKMYSHIPMENTS
Track Your Shipments

http://www.trackmyshipments.com

If you order a lot of products online like me, you'll appreciate Trackmyshipments ( http://www.trackmyshipments.com ). This simple, straightforward site will help you find out where your shipment is, and it does it with a minimum of fuss or bother. You simply forward the confirmation e-mail you get from the shipper to Trackmyshipments, and they take over from there. TrackMyShipments then monitors the shipment's progress using data gathered from the shipping company’s systems and updates you via Web site, e-mail and SMS text message alerts about the status of your packages. It's free, and all you need to do is register to set up an account. With this site you'll be able to track all your shipments easily and quickly.

FITA CAREER HEADQUARTERS - FEATURED JOB
Export-Import Bank Senior Vice President for Small Business

http://fita.org/jobs

In the FITA Career Headquarters job seekers can now apply for jobs online and post their resume--free of charge--in an exclusive database that will be searched by hundreds of industry employers seeking employees with international degrees and/or related work experience. Featured job this week is for the Senior Vice President for Small Business for the Export-Import Bank of the United States in Washington, DC. Click here to browse more than 700 other positions!

Employers - Click here to advertise your job openings on FITA's Career HQ.

Let the jobs come to you! Employers are looking for people with international skills. Post your resume TODAY and reap the rewards of the FITA Career HQ! And with a FITA Career HQ job agent, you can decide what kind of job you are looking for and let the system do the searching for you. Simply set up specific search parameters in a Job Agent, and whenever a job is posted that matches your criteria, you'll be notified automatically via email. It's that easy!

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