World Trade Resource - February/March Communiqué
“In February, let gratitude be the compass that guides us towards greater abundance and contentment.” Oprah Winfrey
In much of the Western world, February is primarily known for the unofficial celebration of love that is Valentine's Day. However February is a month of various other festivals and events all around Planet Earth. February in Greece heralds the start of the carnival season known as "Apokries", with plentiful celebrations and feasting taking place in the run-up to Lent. On the other side of the world, the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan features spectacular snow and ice sculptures. Staying in Asia, the Taiwan Lantern Festival - held on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year - marks the coming of Spring. Thousands of intricately designed lanterns light up the night sky all over the island. Returning to Europe, February is the month of the Venice Carnival, when the historic sights of the city serve as a backdrop to lavish masquerade balls and street performances. Meanwhile in the southern hemisphere, February is the culmination of the summer season. In Brazil it marks the start of the famous Rio Carnival, which is a beachside festival of dance and music that draws visitors from all over the world. February in Australia brings the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which is a huge annual celebration of diversity and inclusivity.
In the Muslim world the transition from February to March in 2025 heralds the start of Ramadan, which lasts for a month. During this time, people refrain from eating between dawn and dusk to honor those less fortunate than themselves. The fast is broken every evening by a lavish meal known as Iftar. In the Christian world March is the month of Lent, which is also a period of fasting observed in the run-up to Easter.
"To plant a garden in Spring, is to believe in tomorrow." Audrey Hepburn
Cities All Around The World
Over the past year the editorial team at World Trade Resource has continued to develop new city guides, including such diverse locations as: Belfast, Northern Ireland; Bentonville, USA; Darwin, Australia; Greenwich, USA; Johor Bahru, Malaysia; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Milton Keynes, UK; Qingdao, China; Shreveport, USA; Villhermosa, Mexico; and Visp, Switzerland. As such, the World Trade Resource platforms now publish guides to over one thousand cities worldwide.
Cultural Intelligence in the 21st Century: Driving Inclusion, Revenue and ESG
World Trade Resource is also proud to announce the publishing of a book written by the company’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Stephan Branch, and published by Simon & Schuster. Entitled “Cultural Intelligence in the 21st Century: Driving Inclusion, Revenue and ESG”, the book focuses on how companies around the world can achieve maximum growth and business performance by increasing their cultural intelligence. Branch draws on his own international experience, while also inviting leaders from global companies, the NFPO arena and the academic world to share their own fascinating stories throughout the book.
Branch highlights nine cultural competencies that are needed to achieve the full potential of the leader and the business.
Each competency is tied to a particular element within that culture (such as time, relationships, communication, and hierarchy). For example, he talks about how relationships and trust are built differently from culture to culture, and how that impacts the business process and bottom line. In this age of globalization, international business leaders are required to manage ever more diverse virtual teams.
As Branch puts it: “It is especially imperative for remote leaders to fully understand themselves from a cultural standpoint. Knowing one’s own cultural propensity in terms of such dimensions has an enormous impact on the way one builds strategy, drives sales and operational performance, or manages a global team.”
Readers will learn how the understanding of the cultural identities of all team members - and indeed the leaders' understanding of themselves - can help drive sales and operational performance in other countries. This is especially important in today’s world, where cultural dimensions by country can no longer be routinely or universally applied, whether it be in cases of large-scale migration or in individual scenarios. The accepted “categorization” of cultures - while once useful - is proving to be less and less applicable in today’s business world. A fixed and unchanging view of culture that does not respond to the influences or changes of other cultures is insufficient for today’s business leaders. Culture today is ever evolving and is greatly influenced by social and political factors. These range from the use of social media to direct Governmental actions in the countries and regions of the world.
Coupled with this is the intense focus in the book on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings that are intrinsically tied to share price and company valuation. In particular, Branch looks at the “S” in ESG. He shows that by focusing on cultural intelligence, businesses can generate more profit and value while simultaneously creating a global culture that works throughout a global enterprise.
Cultural Intelligence in the 21st Century: Driving Inclusion, Revenue and ESG is published by Simon and Schuster, and is available via Amazon: "https://a.co/d/fnykY9t
Must Watch Innovator to Follow
In conjunction with the publishing of the book, London-based Digital First Magazine named Dr. Branch as a “Must Watch Innovator to Follow”.
In doing so, the magazine cites how World Trade Resource has also created a digital cultural solution called GoWorldWise, which enables leaders to flex their leadership styles for optimal performance in different countries. Meanwhile the wtrMatrix solution provides extensive data analytics for businesses looking to enter or expand into new markets. It covers such important aspects as a country’s technological infrastructure, healthcare facilities and its political stability.
In nominating Dr. Branch as an "Innovator to Follow", Digital First Magazine observed that his vision of simplifying expansion, reducing costs, and of - above all - the fostering of international success is at the core of all the solutions offered by World Trade Resource.
At World Trade Resource, we believe that the right information changes everything.™ WTR's data-driven solutions detect and monitor real-time cultural shifts and workforce trends in two hundred countries. This is done by using five thousand business indicators in over twenty business categories to inform all of our products and solutions, including our intercultural development and coaching, leadership development and coaching and DEI development and coaching, along with our highly regarded WTRMobility platform.