Voices and Trends in International Business-December 2013

Snack food vendor Mondalez International is being crushed by PepsiCo and its Frito Lay division all over the world,CNBC analyst Jim Cramer pointed out.
A German government agency has cleared Tesla's Model S of being a fire trap.There is no fire issue.They are not bound by the four walls of the earnings per share convention.
Exxon Mobil had a great quarter.It's got Warren Buffet's imprimatur.
BP's been a very strong stock,and I think it can go much higher,Cramer said.*
Ford Motor Company November sales rose 7.2%,versus an Edmunds estimate 0f 3.0%.*
3M was downgraded from hold to sell by JP Morgan.*
IBM provided near real time raw data on the beginning of the Christmas shopping saeson.The growth rate was down by 21%.The size of the shopping cart got smaller.People just weren't buying as much,although more of them were shopping.Mobile sales accounted for 17% of the total,and the iOS platform handled 60-70% of the business versus Android.*
It's expensive to open brick and mortar stores in China,said Shaun Rein,managing director at strategic market consultant CMR China.Ecommerce is more popular there than in the US.Ecommerce will grow 50% a year in China for the next five years.Online merchant Alibaba is a very innovative company.
US companies need to get Chinese managers and get them to react quickly to the Chinese marketplace.A third of purchases are returned in China,and 20% of all sales are from gifting-including gifts for corrupt officials,although there is a crackdown on that.
Mr.Rein is author of the book "The End of Cheap China:Economic and Cultural Trends that Will Disrupt the World."*
PepsiCo(PEP),Tesla Motors(TSLA),Ford Motor Company(F),Exxon Mobil(XOM),International Business Machines(IBM),3M(MMM),Mondalez International(MDLZ),Alibaba.com Ltd(ALBCF)

Ford's Next CEO;World's Best Internet Banks

Mark Fields,who became Ford Motor Company's Chief Operating Officer on December 1,2012,is believed to the likely successor to CEO Alan Mulally when he retires in 2014.Fields,51,had been Executive Vice President and President of the Americas at the multinational automaker.He made frequent business television appearances in that role.
Global Finance magazine's World's Best Internet Bank Awards recognise banks that are innovating and prospering online.The 2012 Global Winners were as follows:
Best Overall Internet Bank:Citi
Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank:Citi
Best Consumer Internet Bank:Standard Chartered
The award winners are leading the way in mobile banking services;online payments;cash management;social media;Web design and integration;attracting new clients in growing markets;strengthening ties with existing clients;and boosting information security.
Rajesh Yohannan,head of Citi Asia Pacific eBusiness and global mobile,said the team has worked hard to introduce innovative features such as mobile and tablet-based location services;real time click-to-chat;electronic delivery of statements/advices;and global view of accounts.We will continually strive to raise the bar with more innovations in the Internet and mobile space to serve our customers better.
Standard Chartered has been able to attain full straight-through processing for opening credit cards;personal loans;and deposit accounts on the Internet.It allows customers to complete application forms online and submit supporting documentation through the same medium,according to Infosys.Therefore it enables the entire verification and processing for various products online.It has also boosted product cross-selling by delivering customised marketing messages based on customer behaviour,such as browsing patterns.
Citigroup(C),Standard Chartered(STAN:London),Ford Motor Company(F)

Ford Backs Cologne Plant

Ford Motor Company is standing behind its Cologne,Germany plant,despite Ford's program of cost cuts and capacity rollbacks to deal with the financial crisis in Europe.Ford will invest 260 million dollars to sustain the plant through the crisis.The plant employs about 800 workers.No job cuts or layoffs are planned in the face of weaker European sales.Minister President Juergen Ruettgers of North-Rhine Westfalia announced the new support.Ford is the only major U.S. automaker not to accept U.S. government aid,having shored up its finances early on.France is suspected of protectionism because of its aid to Renault plants in the south of France.