Archive for May, 2010

One Thunderbird professor makes the case for doing business in India, while a colleague does his best to prove the rosy projections wrong during a Thunderbird Executive MBA forum May 20 in Glendale, Arizona. The two Ph.D. professors, Kishore Dash and Sundaresan Ram, assumed the roles of optimist and pessimist during the first installment of a four-part BRIC series organized by Thunderbird Executive MBA faculty and staff. Audio: India’s Promise and Pitfalls (37:54)

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The world is in the midst of a massive economic shift led by China, India and other emerging economies, Thunderbird President Ángel Cabrera, Ph.D., said May 19, 2010, at Business Beyond Our Borders, a forum presented by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Cabrera said entrepreneurs with a global mindset will seize opportunities as they adapt to the new landscape, while others who cling to old business models will be left behind. Audio: New frontiers in emerging markets (24:06)

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Canadian entrepreneur Ken Valvur never tasted sushi until he arrived at Thunderbird in 1987 and decided to learn Japanese to boost his international career. “On pure commercial grounds, I picked Japanese,” says the Thunderbird graduate. The decision has paid off for Valvur, who eventually returned from an expatriate assignment in Tokyo with the inspiration for Bento Nouveau. The company, which Valvur founded in 1996, sells more than 10 million servings of sushi per year in Canada and parts of New York. Valvur sold control of the enterprise to a private equity group in 2007 and is now exploring other ventures, including a possible saké brewery in Ontario. Audio: Betting on sushi (12:16)

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Rather than destroy Goldman Sachs, over-regulate them or view them as the source of the global financial meltdown, the more rational approach would be to create an environment in the United States that rewards financial services innovation and develops more companies like Goldman Sachs. Thunderbird Professor F. John Mathis, Ph.D., says U.S.-based competition at the top of the investment banking pyramid would benefit the United States and help create sustainable prosperity worldwide. Mathis, director of Thunderbird’s Global Financial Services Center, talks April 26, 2010, in a campus interview in Glendale, Arizona. Audio: Why the world needs more Goldman Sachs (5:47)

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Confused about the fraud allegations against Goldman Sachs? Thunderbird Professor F. John Mathis, Ph.D., reviews the allegations and puts them into perspective April 26, 2010. Mathis, director of Thunderbird’s Global Financial Services Center, says the notion that Goldman Sachs deceived investors stems from misunderstandings about the bank’s duties as a market maker in the financial services industry. Audio: Straight talk on Goldman Sachs allegations (7:40)

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Critics anxious to blame Goldman Sachs as a key player in the recent financial crisis should point the finger elsewhere, Thunderbird Professor F. John Mathis, Ph.D., said April 26, 2010. Mathis, director of Thunderbird’s Global Financial Services Center, said the real problem was the failure of central banks to manage excess liquidity in global markets from 2003 to 2007. In this interview, he discusses lessons learned from the crisis and keys to avoid a similar meltdown in the future. Audio: What really went wrong (6:49)

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