Herein reside seventeen stories (and one poem) written by Peace Corps Volunteers from across the generations and across the planet. Such writing often brings expectations for a certain type of book (heartwarming, uplifting, nice). Many books give you that experience. And we like those books. They are good books. The world needs those books. This is not that book. Americans Do Their Business Abroad is a collection of stories a little too goofy, a little too personal (and maybe a little too gross) to belong anywhere else. Latrines. Goat eyeballs. Pickpockets. Whimsy. Wisdom. And arson in the name of hygiene. Enjoy.
Tilting at windmills -- The queen of branding -- Charlotte in wonderland -- The prince of pollsters -- Measuring distance in kilograms -- Why do they hate us? -- The pictures in their heads -- The business of America -- The power of brands -- Brand America -- CEOs in handcuffs -- Plague or paranoia -- In search of anti-anti-Americans -- The path to happy -- Sink roots, don't just spread branches -- Go glocal -- Share your customers' cares -- Stiff-necked, tree-hugging critics -- Share your customers' dreams -- Myth America -- A lever to move the world -- Waging peace.
Nwanna provides tips and advice on how American businesses abroad can protect their assets and personnel. Topics include security at the office, home, hotel, and airport, as well as general security for proprietary information and communication networks.
Kevin McGibben has provided us with a long needed "how to" book on developing international markets. His book is constructed both from his research and teaching, and from years of developing international markets for his own company and other companies for whom he has consulted. It is targeted to both business professionals that are pursuing international markets as well as graduate business students looking to learn the ropes of international business and marketing. -Ernest J. Scalberg, Dean of the Fisher Graduate School of International Business Monterey Institute of International Studies Monterey, California American Developer introduces the concept of 'international market development' as an enterprise's effort to extend business outside its home country market. McGibben describes the concept and explains how various functional areas of an organization can drive international expansion. With 15 years of international market development experience, McGibben uses engaging anecdotal experiences to introduce concepts to the reader. Whether studying international business, managing an international assignment or an executive of a global enterprise, American Developer is a unique "how to" resource that plainly presents a combination of marketing and business planning tools that the reader can use to launch and thrive in their international business career.
Today, many Americans regard globalization as a significant threat to our work force, and to our very way of life. As unemployment soars, the American automotive and manufacturing industries crumble, countless jobs continue to ship overseas, and the retail sector faces the worst slump in decades, cries of “Buy American” have grown louder and louder - in our communities, in the headlines, and in the halls of Washington. But at a time when an Italian company has bailed out one of our oldest and most iconic automakers; a French-German consortium is closing in on a multibillion dollar military contract to build our tanker planes and helicopters; companies based everywhere from Switzerland to India to Belgium are stocking our grocery aisles; and the assets of some of our most venerable financial institutions have been stripped down and bought up by banks from Hong Kong and London, what does “Buy American” mean any more? That said, there is a great deal of discomfort about the influence that foreign companies are exerting on our economy. Are they making us more competitive in the global marketplace, or less? Are they creating jobs for Americans, or importing their own workforces? Are they a threat to our national security, or are they bringing us technology that actually makes us safer? When they open plants and factories on our shores, are they siphoning money from our economy, or bolstering it? In welcoming their investments, are we, as some critics contend, selling our economy to the highest bidder? In THE SELLING OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY, New York Times senior business correspondent Micheline Maynard argues that despite the lingering xenophobia that colors American perception of foreign-owned companies, foreign investments are actually an overwhelmingly positive force. Not only do they create thousands of jobs and pump billions of dollars into national and local economies, she says, they reinvigorate and strengthen communities, foster innovation and diversity in the marketplace, and teach Americans new ways to live and work. At a time when our most cherished home-grown institutions, still reeling from the financial crisis, are downsizing, shuttering plants and factories, and filing for bankruptcy, the need for foreign investment has never been greater. In this compelling narrative, Maynard shows that if we are in fact selling our economy to the highest bidder, this may be very good news for America. Through moving stories of workers whose lives have been transformed by the arrival of companies like Toyota, Airbus, and Tata, probing interviews with a host of government officials and local leaders who have fought to lure foreign companies to their communities and states, and revealing conversations with both American and foreign executives (including a rare and hard-won visit with Toyota’s elusive young new president) Maynard paints a fascinating portrait of the paradigm shift that is transforming the American economy - and remaking the American dream.
A sobering account of a disenfranchised American working class and important policy solutions to the nation’s economic inequalities One of the country’s leading scholars on economics and social policy, Isabel Sawhill addresses the enormous divisions in American society—economic, cultural, and political—and what might be done to bridge them. Widening inequality and the loss of jobs to trade and technology has left a significant portion of the American workforce disenfranchised and skeptical of governments and corporations alike. And yet both have a role to play in improving the country for all. Sawhill argues for a policy agenda based on mainstream values, such as family, education, and work. While many have lost faith in government programs designed to help them, there are still trusted institutions on both the local and federal level that can deliver better job opportunities and higher wages to those who have been left behind. At the same time, the private sector needs to reexamine how it trains and rewards employees. This book provides a clear-headed and middle-way path to a better-functioning society in which personal responsibility is honored and inclusive capitalism and more broadly shared growth are once more the norm.
