Actress Chloë Sevigny is known for her sense of style, so it’s no surprise that Jimmy Choo chose this lovely actress to star in its new ad campaign. The video above is very cool and the campaign features many classy photos of Chloë showing off the shoes:

Anyone who opens their eyes to the popular media will know that online gambling has become a huge business in the UK, with revenues surpassing the £2 billion mark last year; surely good news for the treasury.

The meteoric rise of online gambling is probably due to a number of factors, but there seems to be a distinct trio acting as a driving
force: sports betting, the online casino, and the popularity of mobile internet devices such as smart phones and tablets.

The online casino has really captures the imagination of a lot of Brits. It offers many more games than merely the casino favorites of old. Bingo has certainly found a home on the net, with popularity going through the roof due to socially marketed gaming, and free bet rewards. The free bet is a big draw to many potential punters across the gambling board.

Sports betting has always been something we associate with the bookmakers, but where in the past this may have been confined to horse racing, the phenomenon has now spread to football. Football is our national sport, and you’ll notice many gambling ads both at half time and before televised games. Many of these ads will be promoting things like ‘in play’ betting; another big draw for many gamblers who believe they can read games well.

The net is no longer removed from our grasp, the way it was with standalone PCs; it’s now an ever-present on smart phones and tablets.
This takes out the need to make the trip to the bookmakers, and it also provides a handy platform for games like bingo and the sites like JackpotCity.co.uk to run on.

On the heels of unveiling the new Corvette Stingray at the Detroit Auto Show, GM has announced that it will invest $1.5 billion in North America factories in 2013 according to Mark Reuss.

GM hasn’t been as hot as Chrysler, but the company has had some hits, like the new Cadillac ATS. Hopefully these new investments pay off.

Should the top 2 percent be taxed more? That’s the big debate in Washington these days, and you might be surprised as to what some big business people are saying about it.

On Tuesday, FedEx Chairman and CEO Fred Smith, an adviser to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, said that the notion that tax hikes on the richest Americans would kill jobs was simply “mythology.”

And on Monday, a gathering of the nation’s top defense executives took a surprising turn when they endorsed tax rate increases on the wealthy and cuts of up to $150 billion to the Pentagon’s budget. Top executives from Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, TASC and RTI International Metals appeared at the National Press Club at an event organized by the Aerospace Industries Association, the top defense contractor lobbyist.

David Langstaff, CEO of TASC, said that the executives were speaking out because so far leaders of the defense industry were “talking a good game, but are still unwilling to park short-term self-interest.” After the event, he told a defense reporter for Politico that tax rates need to go up.

“In the near term, [income tax rates] need to go up some,” Langstaff said. “This is a fairness issue — there needs to be recognition that we’re not collecting enough revenue. In the last decade we’ve fought two wars without raising taxes. So I think it does need to go up.”

David Hess, head of Pratt & Whitney, said his parent company, United Technologies Corp, believed personal income tax rates should be on the table; Dawne Hickton, CEO of RTI, said he would back a rate hike if it led to a deal.

The CEOs join other high-profile executives who are willing to chip in more. Following a meeting with President Barack Obama last week at the White House, executives emerged to endorse higher rates. “There needs to be some revenue element to this, and [Obama] started with rates,” said Joe Echeverria, CEO of Deloitte LLP. “And he started with rates on what we would define [as] the upper two percent … that we have to pay our fair share. And I think everybody was in agreement with that notion.”

With the end of the election, more people are willing to call out the absurdity of Republican dogma. Basically, it’s silly to argue that behavior will be affected at all by top rates going from 35% to 39.6%.

In today’s business environment, you might find that your company needs to expand into new markets located in other countries. As your company’s reach grows, you could find that your profits grow, too. To compete with other companies in your industry, though, you will need to know how to effectively grow your business internationally. Follow these tips to learn effective ways to enter international markets and succeed in them.

Learn About Foreign Cultures

In the United States, people often like to get down to business. You can walk into a meeting, give your presentation, and expect feedback almost instantly. Business doesn’t work that way in many countries.

Asian and Latin American countries, for instance, place a heavier emphasis on relationships. If you don’t understand the culture, then you will stand out as someone the people there do not trust. Before you travel to a foreign country, learn about the ways people there interact with each other. Perhaps you should bow instead of shaking hands, or maybe you should use their surnames instead of their common names. The more aware you become of the cultural mores, the more successful your business will become.

Go Mobile with Smart Phone Apps

Traveling to foreign countries means you can’t rely on your office’s equipment. Say “so long” to your fax machine, copier and computer network. Luckily, smart phones make it possible for you to stay connected even when you are not in your office. For instance, the new MetroFax mobile app that just released lets you read faxes directly on your smart phone. You don’t even need to print anything. The MetroFax mobile app lets you browse the last 200 faxes that you have received. That makes it even easier than using your office’s fax machine.

Expect a Slower Pace

Compared to the rest of the world, Americans move at lightning speed. You can’t expect your new business partners to conform to your speed when you visit their countries. Get used to a slower pace of life and expect the unexpected. Consider the way other people conduct business might seem strangely slow to you, but your methods might seem odd to them too. Imagine how you would feel if someone wanted to close a deal before you felt you had enough time to go over the details and weigh your options. That pressure would probably cause you to back out of the deal. That’s what could happen to you when you don’t conform to the pace of life in foreign countries.

Each country has its own culture that will influence the way you do business. In fact, you will probably find that smaller areas within these countries have their own cultural differences. Remember that you are a visitor in these countries and that you will benefit from learning more about their cultures. Keep an open mind, pay attention to your surroundings and stay connected to your office through mobile applications, and you should find that you can effectively grow your business internationally. That way, you can establish yourself in emerging markets before your competitors have a chance.