The Japanese government wants its citizens to spend more money traveling abroad…today the Japanese would rather work than travel.

Last year, 80 percent of all salaried workers in Japan refused to take all their vacation time. Japanese unions are dropping wage demands and asking for more holiday time to cooperate with the government’s plan. A strong traditional work-ethic practice, honed over centuries, may not be easily replaced.

But with the support of Japanese government and unions, and with major companies rounding up tourists (a new long-range business plan), there is a good probability of long-term success. And the ultimate effect on the international travel industry would be dramatic.

Consider the following situation (more…)

The published results of the sixth annual Global Entrepreneurship Monitor showed that “Seventy-three million people across the globe are either nascent entrepreneurs or own or manage a young business.”

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, directed by the London Business School and Babson College, is the largest annual measure of entrepreneurial activity worldwide, spanning 34 countries and a total labor force of 784 million (more…)

One of the greatest “money pitchers” who ever stepped on the mound is planning to clear out his trophy room. Hall-of-Famer Whitey Ford, who holds the major-league record for greatest winning percentage (His.690 winning percentage ranks first among pitchers with 300 career decisions) has announced he will be auctioning off some 200 items–which he says represents about 60% of his collection.

The auction will take place (more…)

The Small Business Administration (SBA) reports that there are four basics of success in small business. Having good technical support is one of them, yet having in-house technical staff members on the payroll can be very costly.

In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median salary for a computer systems manager is around $92,000 per year. Small- to medium-sized businesses can save a great deal of money by outsourcing some key positions, starting with their technical (more…)

From Peter Tucker, President of CTEX Group, Inc.CTEX

“I read the information on your Tuesday Report about ICON International. What ever happened to their young founder Lance Lundberg? He was a smart guy. Seems to me that 10 years plus ago, when I last attended an IRTA event, Lance was speaking and the audience was spellbound.”

Lance is now buying and renovating real estate properties…office, retail and multi-family investments and condominium conversions. He’s a partner in the (more…)

Johan Santana, brought to you by Citibank…

You won’t see such an advertisement, but the Mets know that it’s true…because baseball’s top pitcher is likely to cost them $150 million or more over six years. A price the Mets can justify because they move into their new Citi Field next year (2009) and they begin collecting a record $20 million a year for the naming rights!

As of now the Yankees contend naming rights for the new Yankee Stadium are off the table. We’ll see. Baseball, as are all professional sports, is all about (more…)

EBay’s incoming Chief Executive John Donahue has made some commission changes. He contends that EBay is at a crossroads, and that changes are needed if the company is to maintain its leadership position in the e-commerce marketplace.

While the fees charged to sellers are being lowered (in order to boost listings/inventory) EBay plans to increase its commissions on sales made. For smaller transactions, good selling for $25 or less, the transaction fee to the buyer will be 8.75%. Which is approaching the 10% transaction fee charged by many barter companies here in the US and around the globe.

Interestingly, the father and tenacious architect of the trade exchange industry, Mac McConnell, exhibited similar thinking to Donahue’s when he (more…)

The Federal Reserve reported on January 8, 2008 that credit card borrowing is at its highest level in six months, reflecting that borrowers are relying more heavily on credit card debt to finalize purchases since the availability of equity loans has tighten.

They also reported that nearly (more…)

One of the most respected high-tech companies in the world has created their own barter currency to stretch company assets for innovation. The new Hewlett-Packard “Tycoon Currency” will be allocated and based on actual use and need.

It’s a virtualized, market-based system for managing and delegating computer resources. Tycoon pulls a company’s IT (information technology) services into an abstract utility layer, and users can barter or bid for it within their own companies or among others.

It works like this: (more…)

Here are four sound reasons why restaurants should barter.

Mr. Restaurant owner: Would you like more traffic? Gain more profits on a segment of your business (by acquiring needed products/services) at your variable cost?

When offering a percentage of your meals on trade, through a local trade exchange, or trading direct with one of your vendors, you’re way ahead of the game as well, because you’re acquiring what you get in return (trade dollars, or a specific product or service) at your barter cost of doing business (your cost of the food served).

Experience shows that a barter client will (more…)