ISSUE 7

1. VOLUME 4 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 ISSUE 7 July 2012 FEBRUARY 2013

2. 2013 “Top Ten” Global Trends for Business Leaders • Social Everything • Redefining Value: The Consumer is Winning the Fight to Own the New Consumer • Distributed Everything:  Mobility in Production and Consumption • The Next “Industrial” Revolution: Robots and Smart Machines Reshaping Work • The New Space Race:  Pushing the Frontiers of Technology Once Again? • Geopolitical Wars: The Fight to Control the Future • Resource Wars Escalating: From a World of Abundance to Shortage • Business Stepping Up: From Profit to Purpose • Information is Power: The Security Challenge • Who Needs Banks Anyway? Reshaping the Financial System

3. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss • What is the role of forecasting in global strategic planning? • How are forecasts derived? • What is “environmental scanning?” • What is the key issue in each of the “Top 10 Forecasts” presented by The Economist? • Which forecasts are most/least likely to become reality? Why? • Select the 3 forecasts and discuss how they are interrelated. How will this impact global trade in 2013?

4. Two Global HR Crises: Youth Unemployment and Skill Gap • Young people 3X more likely to be out of work than their parents • 50% of young people are unemployed in Greece, Spain, & South Africa • 25+% jobless levels are common in Europe, the Middle East, & Northern Africa. • By 2020 there will be a global shortfall of 85 million high- & middle-skilled workers. • Only 43% of employers in 9 countries (incl. US) surveyed agreed that they could find enough skilled entry-level workers.

5. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss • What is the definition of a “skills gap?” • What are the differences between “High-Skills”, “Middle-Skills,” and “Low-Skills” workers? • Are there correlations between the level of a country’s economic development and the level of skills it demands of its workforce? • Is there an emerging transient global workforce?

6. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss • How can global HR managers respond to an imbalance between high demand and low availability of an adequately educated and skilled local workforce? • What is the HR value of hiring skilled expatriates to fulfill the needs for a workforce in a foreign market? • What issues do HR managers face in hiring foreign employees?

7. Loyalty Effect & Global CRM Build Local Market Customer Loyalty in Global Markets to Build Sales • Globally (and locally) it is less costly to retain an existing customer than to build a new customer • Loyal base of customers is critical to building market share and achieving revenue targets • Excellent customer service and support are essential to earning customers’ trust and loyalty

8. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss • What are the four most important skills for providing exceptional customer service? • What capabilities are responsible for building customer confidence? • How do language skills factor into customer service and sales? • What customer service mistakes contribute to 80% of customer complaints? • How would you establish a global CRM program?

9. Human Rights • Human Rights are an issue every international manager faces and must be prepared to deal with on a daily basis. • Not every country, government, or culture views human rights from the same position. Add screen shot of video and hyperlink the image Add screen shot of video, and hyperlink the image Human Rights Overview History, Violations, First Dimension

10. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." - Universal Declaration of Human Rights • What are Human Rights and who is responsible for protecting them? • What are the specific Human Rights? • Do they really apply to all people? • Do they always apply? During war? • How well do countries respect Human Rights? • Which countries are the strongest supporters and the greatest offenders of Human Rights? • Why do IB managers need to be aware of Human Rights issues in the countries where they do business?

11. GLOBALIZATION: Trade, Communications, Politics

12. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss • Define “Globalization” • Is globalization a myth or a reality? • What are the key drivers of globalization? • What are the positive impacts of globalization? • What are the negative impacts of globalization? • How do “Trade,” “Communications,” and “Politics” impact globalization?

13. The Science of Success: How Using Customer Experience Analytics Today Can Help Drive Business Tomorrow • Customers’ individual experience with your product or your company is the ultimate measurement of business success. • MNCs must deal with varied cultures when interpreting the customer experience in foreign markets. • Digital communications is the basis for customer contact on a 24/7 scale. • IB professionals need to understand how to use CRM analytics to generate globally-based consumer satisfaction data and use it in strategic planning for global markets. • Customer satisfaction must be measure across all touch points of your company, including website, mobile, location, contact center, and social media.

14. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss • What is “The Customer Experience?” • What is “Customer Satisfaction?” • Why do companies, local and global, need to be aware of customer satisfaction? • What is “CRM?” • What are “CRM Analytics” and what do they measure? • How can CRM Analytics be used to measure customer satisfaction in foreign markets? • Can CRM Analytics be used consistently between countries or do they need to be modified to meet local market conditions?

15. Global Trading Firms Rush to The Cloud • The October 2012 Trading Technology Investment Trend Survey polled more than 100 top-level executives at global capital markets trading firms with 87% having approval or influence on technology spending decisions. • The survey on technology spending shows that they are being driven to improve efficiencies and reduce costs, rather than simply comply with new regulations. • “The respondents are looking for increased returns on investment through greater efficiencies and productivity. Only 17 percent said they were spending because of compliance'' with the U.S. and Europe leading these reforms.

16. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss • Define“Global Capital Markets.” • What are the major global capital markets of the world and where are they located? • How do global capital markets communicate and trade with each other? • What is the role of technology in global capital market trading and why do global traders need to understand it? • What is “The Cloud” and why is The Cloud growing in importance to global capital market trading? • What cyber safety and security issues need to be addressed when using The Cloud to facilitate trades between global capital markets?

17. The Top 200 Global Business Schools • Which are graduate schools around the world offer the best global MBA programs? • From which business schools do employers prefer to recruit International MBAs? • London-based QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) answers these question in their annual QS Global 200 Business Schools Report, whichsurveysover 3,300 globally-based HR and line managers who actively recruit MBA graduates.

18. THINKING GLOBALLY…Let’s Discuss If a career in IB really appeals to you: • How do you prepare for this career? • How do you become a qualified candidate to be hired by a MNC? • What qualifications make you a candidate for a foreign assignment? Start by answering the questions at the right. • Would it be valuable to your IB career to earn an MBA at a foreign college or university? • What IB skills would you learn by attending a foreign school that you might not learn at a school in your home country? • What are the challenges to completing an International MBA at a foreign school? • What are the barriers to completing your MBA degree at a foreign school? How would you overcome them? • Are you intrigued about earning your MBA at a foreign school to build your career in IB? If “Yes,” then why not just do it!