How to Stay Competitive in a Global Economy

(MoneyWatch) 

With global giants like China, India, and Brazil making record
strides in innovation, the United States' position as economic leader
is far from secure, and everyone from Bill Gates to President Bush is weighing
in with their solutions. Elements such as long-term policy and legislation are
key to strengthening the country's competitive edge, but on an
individual company level, there's much that you can do right now.
Check out these top five articles from our business library to help pinpoint
your next best move.

New Ways to Build Competitiveness

href="http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?&q=competitiveness&docid=321635">

Source: Harvard Business School

Outsourcing may lower costs, but unless a company’s
efforts are unusually good, a true competitive advantage is fleeting, argue the
authors of this Harvard working paper. To find out what it takes to build a
sustainable competitive edge, they studied 45 global projects. Here’s
the innovative approach they discovered in their research.

What’s Holding India’s Productivity Back

href="http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?&q=competitiveness&docid=170884">

Source: CFO Magazine

Even though General Electric has done well in India, the
company’s Asian strategy can be summed up like so: China is number
one, two, and three. What’s the problem with India? Turn off any
highway in the country, and it becomes readily apparent.

Clustering Competitiveness One Region at a Time

href="http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?&q=competitiveness&docid=282520">

Source: Brookings Institution

Not every place can or should become another Silicon Valley.
Here’s how to diagnose a region’s intrinsic strengths and
turn them into a winning economic strategy.

Finders Keepers: How to Protect Your Company’s Secret Sauce

href="http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?&q=competitiveness&docid=312535">

Source: World Intellectual Property Organization

Looking for an innovation advantage? Nothing will be a
competitive edge for long if it’s not protected. Here’s a
primer on what kinds of intellectual property protection exist and how to use
them strategically for higher profits, ROI, and snagging the coveted market
leader position.

Why We Lost the War for Talent

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Source: Electronic Recruiting Exchange

China and India are where most of the talent is developing. By
some reports, these two countries will be producing 10 to 20 times as many
scientists and engineers as the United States. Best-selling author and
recruiter Lou Adler looks at nine things companies can do to make sure they’re
not a casualty in the war for talent.

For more on how the U.S. can compete globally, check out our
BNET Book Brief video, “
href="http://www.bnet.com/2422-13724_23-185354.html">Innovation Nation,”
with author John Kao.