International Trading Supplement: Welcome

Many Americans are amused by (and probably more than a little envious of) the tendency of Europeans to take from two-to-four consecutive weeks of vacation, with many of them doing so in August.

Whether because of job insecurity, a sense of irreplaceability or a desire to establish a work ethic that can match those found anywhere else in the world, Americans seem to increasingly have abandoned the two-week (and often the one-week) summer vacation.

Such insecurity among the players in the global marketplace is not a uniquely American phenomenon. The emergence of China as a manufacturing center has served as another reminder to business managers throughout the world that global trading patterns (and global competition) have accelerated.

In what some have dubbed the Information Age, this faster and smaller world affects media organizations just as it does other types of businesses. In our case, a higher percentage of readers trading globally means a greater interest in what is happening in overseas markets. It is a critical reason why we present the International Trading Supplement each year.

While covering a wider territory is a challenge for us, the faster, smaller world also presents opportunities. In October of 2005, the Recycling Today Media Group will host its first European Paper Recycling Conference to help address the networking and educational needs of the paper recycling industry in that market.

Additional opportunities may lie in the electronic delivery of news and advertising messages to readers overseas who previously have had to pay considerable postage costs to take full advantage of Recycling Today Media Group products.

The "Small World" phenomenon has been observed for a long time, but recent developments render it no less valid. Attention to local details remains critical for recyclers, but attention to the bigger picture is also proving to be just as critical.