Written on
May 29th, 2012
CNN anchor Jim Clancy promised a day of big ideas at the Global Business Dialogue in Berlin, and participants responded May 25, 2012, with energetic discussions focused on the future of American and European commerce. “Big ideas, that’s what we want to have today,” Clancy told the audience of 400 business and government leaders from Canada to Vietnam. “We want fresh ideas, and we want to share them with one another.” Thunderbird School of Global Management, which offers Executive MBA and corporate certificate programs from its European headquarters in Geneva, organized the event with the U.S. Commercial Service and the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany. | Video: Global Business Dialogue highlights (2:03) | Video: European Union: Still a dream for some (1:03)
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May 18th, 2012
By Karen Brown, Ph.D.
U.S. health care delivery needs an overhaul regardless of what happens in Washington with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As a country we rank No. 1 in health care spending per capita, yet we rank No. 38 in life expectancy behind countries such as Cuba and Costa Rica. The United States has world-class hospitals with many of the top doctors in their fields, yet our system is full of inefficiencies and insensitivities that frustrate patients and drive up costs. The good news is that some U.S. health care providers have recognized the problems and are taking action. My students at Thunderbird School of Global Management saw many innovations during a recent weeklong tour of health care and biotechnology centers from Phoenix to Tuba City on the Navajo Nation. Some of the most promising innovations are taking place at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. | Video: Health Care Innovations (2:57)
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Written on
May 2nd, 2012
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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Written on
April 29th, 2012
Russia has hit speed bumps on its path to democracy, but former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev called for patience and historical perspective during an event co-sponsored by Thunderbird School of Global Management. “When countries outside Europe and the United States criticize us, we understand that,” Gorbachev said through an interpreter April 28, 2012, at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. “But when countries like the United States or Great Britain criticize Russia, we point out that it took your countries hundreds of years to develop the modern democracy, so you should give us a little more time.” | Related article: Perestroika in America | Video: Halfway to Russian Democracy (1:25) | Photos: View images on Flickr
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Written on
April 29th, 2012
Restless Americans are ready for change like the perestroika movement that transformed the Soviet Union in the 1980s, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev said April 28, 2012, during an event co-sponsored by Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona. “It’s not some kind of detailed advice, but I think America needs its own perestroika,” Gorbachev said through an interpreter April 28, 2012, at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. | Related article: Halfway to Russian Democracy | Video: Perestroika in America (1:25) | Photos: View images on Flickr
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April 28th, 2012
Aspiring global leaders must challenge conventional wisdom, stay nimble and listen to diverse voices, PetSmart Chairman and CEO Robert Moran told graduates April 27, 2012, at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. “Leadership is really about what your people are doing when you’re not around,” Moran said during his keynote speech to 316 graduates from 39 countries. Rallying people around a shared vision is not easy, but Moran has found success at Phoenix-based PetSmart by applying at least three lessons from his own leadership journey. | Video: Keynote speech by PetSmart CEO Bob Moran (9:14)
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April 27th, 2012
Thunderbird School of Global Management transferred presidential authority to U.S. Ambassador Barbara Barrett during a special ceremony April 27, 2012, following spring commencement on campus in Glendale, Arizona. “I am conscious of what a great privilege and responsibility it is to lead such a special place as Thunderbird,” Barrett said during her first speech as interim president. “I look forward to the privilege of being part of this extraordinary Thunderbird faculty and family.” Barrett replaces the school’s ninth president, Ángel Cabrera, Ph.D., who will become the next president of George Mason University in Virginia. | Video: Presidential transition ceremony (3:07)
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April 27th, 2012
In conjunction with Thunderbird’s monthly First Tuesday events, the 5th rendition of the Houston Professional Speaker Series is June 5, 2012. This time the topic is Cross-cultural Communication and Negotiations, to be facilitated by Karen Walch, Ph.D., at the Junior League of Houston. Read on for a glimpse into what registrants will learn and discuss.
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April 12th, 2012
Mavis Leno, wife of “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, first learned about the Taliban’s abuse of Afghan women in 1997 when she joined the Feminist Majority Foundation board in the United States. That was four years before the 9/11 terrorist attacks that jolted the Western world awake to the dangers of the new regime. “This was getting virtually no coverage, no reporting of any kind at the time,” Leno said April 10, 2012, during a YWCA forum with U.S. Ambassador Barbara Barrett, the Interim President Designate at Thunderbird School of Global Management. “When I learned about it, I shot up out of my seat at the board meeting and said, ‘This is mine. I will tackle it.’” Since then Leno has asserted herself as an advocate for Afghan women. Barrett, who moderated the luncheon discussion, also has served as a champion for Afghan women through programs such as Project Artemis at Thunderbird. The event was part of the YWCA Maricopa County Women’s Empowerment Series at the Renaissance Downtown Phoenix. Watch the video or download the full audio podcast. | Podcast: Campaign for Afghan Women (43:23)
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Written on
April 5th, 2012
Sandeep Krishnamurthy, a digital media executive with Zee TV, sees the future of his industry when he watches his 6-year-old son bypass traditional television networks at home. “He manages to get to the exact show he wants on Netflix using his Wii,” Krishnamurthy said April 5, 2012, at Thunderbird School of Global Management. The trend, called OTT (over-the-top) distribution, allows viewers of all ages to access live television and other content through Internet-enabled devices such as smartphones and laptops. Zee TV, India’s largest media conglomerate, has embraced the technology with its recent launch of Ditto TV, India’s first and only OTT distribution platform. Krishnamurthy heads OTT strategy and distribution at Asia TV USA, the American holding company for Zee TV. “I think it means a sea change for traditional networks,” Krishnamurthy said. “The way they create content for the viewer is likely going to shift over time.” Advertisers also will have to rethink their strategies. Krishnamurthy discusses the trend in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video (2:23)
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