Archive for the ‘Emerging Markets’ Category

By Paul Kinsinger

Headlines often paint a grim picture of life in the Middle East. People who view the region from afar see a dangerous place full of angry extremists who can’t get along with themselves or others. Recent stories of human rights violations in Syria and power struggles in Egypt only strengthen the perception of dangerous fallout from the Arab Spring. Yet the media lens distorts reality by focusing on unusual or extreme events. At Thunderbird School of Global Management we believe the best way to understand a culture is to experience it firsthand. Westerners who visit the Middle East might be surprised by what they encounter at the corner café — just as Middle East observers coming the other direction might be surprised by the lack of race riots or hate crimes on your street. In both cases the reality is more mundane than what media headlines suggest.
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By Kishore Dash, Ph.D.

When business leaders worried about globalization aren’t following developments in China, conversations usually turn to India. Collectively the two countries account for about one in three people on the planet. Despite India’s size, common misperceptions persist about the business environment. Here are four myths that could derail any market entry strategy: 1. One giant market awaits, 2. Indians speak English, 3. Engineers abound, and 4. Companies enjoy purchasing power parity.
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By Daryl James

Cairo Alumni Chapter Leader Alsherif Wahdan ’08 normally listens to his wife. When she worked as an educational adviser, he took her advice to apply at Thunderbird and found a Global MBA program that allowed him to keep his full-time job in Qatar while studying online. Later, he jokes, he took her advice and proposed marriage. But he ignored her warnings on Jan. 28, 2011, when she urged him to stay away from massive demonstrations that already had left dozens dead and hundreds injured across the country. “I left my wife and kids at home crying,” he says. “I went to Tahrir Square, knowing there was a chance I would not make it back.”
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By Daryl James

Egyptian businessman Amr Fahmy ’03 pauses at the entrance of Muhammad Ali Mosque and removes his shoes. Groups of tourists roam the inner courtyard, mixing with locals who have come to worship. The domed structure, built in the 1800s using rubble from older Citadel buildings, offers a hilltop view of the bustling city below. The mixture of ancient and modern illustrates Fahmy’s perspective about the challenges Egyptians face as they work to transform their country. “The United States had a great advantage,” he says. “Everybody was going there for a fresh start.” Egyptians must build something new on the ruins of older things, like they did with the mosque that now gives Fahmy an escape from the blistering Cairo sun.
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By Daryl James

Alumnus Khaled El Miniawi ’84 arrives at the Thunderbird European Reunion in high spirits. In the days before his Berlin flight, the Egyptian expatriate visited the Consulate near his Dubai home and cast a ballot in a wide open presidential election. Now, as he mingles with former classmates at a welcome reception in Berlin’s Sony Center, he checks his smartphone for updates from Cairo, where polls have just closed. “For the first time in my life, I voted in an election without knowing the results in advance,” Miniawi says. “That is huge.”
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By Daryl James

Growing up Christian in Egypt came with a set of rules for Thunderbird Global Council member Adel Labib ’83. Most importantly, he was taught not to fight back when his religion came under attack. “At Sunday School I was told, ‘If this happens to you, you should accept it happily because this is our cross to bear,’” Labib recalls during a break at the Thunderbird European Reunion in Berlin. “If somebody insults you, then you respond, ‘May God forgive you.’” Labib did not question the rules or realize things could be different until he came to Thunderbird in the United States.
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By Daryl James

As a child Ashraf Bassili ’00 experienced Egypt as a summer visitor. Now the repatriated Egyptian works on the other end of the tourism industry, doing marketing and business development for Egyptian companies trying to attract seasonal guests. The challenge has not been easy in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution, especially for tourism companies focused on Egypt’s ancient sites. “Tourism has been devastated in the areas that are not primarily recreation and leisure,” says Bassili, who has lived continuously in Egypt since December 2011.
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By Michael Diliberto ’09

Recently I have been seeing more and more headlines heralding the end of what might be called “cheap China” — an increase in labor costs that is going to be felt throughout most outsourced manufacturing. I think that categorizing this as an “end” is a misnomer; really, what we are seeing is a transformation. China and other emerging markets are transforming from being producers of goods into consumers, presenting Western retailers and brands with an emerging consumer base that numbers in the billions. The challenges are vast, but so are opportunities for those who learn to operate in this new global world. I’ve identified five stages that many companies go through as they prepare to span global boundaries.
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Food tastes better for Visceta Meredith when the vegetables come from her own garden. The same principle applies when her income comes from the landscaping business she runs with her husband. “I always value something I have done myself,” she said Feb. 2, 2012, during the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Global Cohort at Thunderbird School of Global Management. The women’s empowerment program brought 28 businesswomen from 10 countries to campus for a two-week management course taught by Thunderbird professors. “There are just lots of things I have learned within the two weeks,” Meredith said. “The most important thing is I am creating relationships. We’re all from all over the world, different parts of the world, but we seem to share the same difficulties we go through in business, and we share the same success at times.” Watch her story in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video, or visit the Thunderbird for Good blog to learn more.
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Jobs were scarce when Jenny Lee finished college and returned to her native Malaysia. So the information technology professional decided to start her own company in 1998. “A few of my friends came to me and asked how to do certain things, and they asked for computer courses,” Lee said Feb. 2, 2012, during the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Global Cohort at Thunderbird School of Global Management. “I love teaching, so I thought, ‘Yeah, I love teaching. Why don’t I have my own computer training center.’” Lee said one challenge has been balancing the needs of her family with the needs of her company. “During my working hours I just concentrate on working,” she said. “And after work I try not to think about my work. I try to balance my life.” She said the Global Cohort has taught her important skills in negotiation, strategy and marketing. Overall, the women’s empowerment program brought 28 businesswomen from 10 countries to campus for a two-week management course taught by Thunderbird professors. “I have learned a lot,” she said. Watch her story in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video, or visit the Thunderbird for Good blog to learn more.
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