Symposium on Business Globalization Offers Unique Insights

More than 200 business leaders, faculty, and students attended the School of Management's Symposium on Business Globalization. The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister of Canada, provided an insightful keynote address focusing primarily on the strong business relationship between Canada and the United States as well as the future for trade growth in Latin America. After delivering his keynote, two School of Management students and members of the Mason baseball team presented Mulroney, an avid baseball fan, with a signed jersey.

Insights from the day's events:

Keynote: The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney

• Canada buys more goods from the U.S. than the whole European union combined.
• Leaders in America must not govern for headlines in the next 10 days, but a better America in 10 years.
• The next great trade opportunity is North America and Latin America.

Panel: Business Globalization in Latin America

• The U.S. will have a free trade agreement with Columbia and Panama in a few weeks. -Ambassador Guillermo Cochez
• Brazil has arrived as one of the world's superpowers. -Robert Sicina, Former President, American Express Ltd.
• Government to government interactions are key for doing business in Latin America. -James Ferland, President, Americas Westinghouse

Panel: Business Globalization in India

• Businesses need to stop using the terms "offshoring" and "bestshoring." They don't exist anymore. -Rhonda Vetere, Vice President, Global Enterprise Services, Hewlett Packard
• The biggest challenge in India is the different rules and regulations based on borders. -Gary Loveland, Head of IT Security Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Panel: Business Globalization in China

• There are still tensions in Russia and China, which is why China has so many bilateral deals. -Mark Cleverley, Director of Global Government Industry Service, IBM
• If China truly has an interest in something, they will open doors for companies to use their resources. -John Glowacki, Chief Technology Officer, CSC

Panel: Business Globalization in North America and Europe

• Countries are struggling, but companies are booming. It's about companies. -Kingsley Aikins, Former CEO, Worldwide Ireland Fund
• Global energy will triple in 2050: 2/3 will be fossil fuel, 1/3 renewable energy -Susannah Pierce, Head, Government Affairs, Shell Canada Ltd.
• Ten years ago, technology meant the U.S. & they promoted it to the world. Now, technology is finding the process around the world by integrating -James Ferland, President, Americas Westinghouse

Just before Robert Grosse, currently the Dean of EGADE Business School at Monterrey Tec, moderated the panel on business globalization in North American and Europe, Dean Jorge Haddock announced that Grosse will be joining George Mason's School of Management as the Director of the Center for Global Business Innovation and Transformation.