| a result of global changes,mentality, recognizing that changes managers are rapidly adjusting to a globalin Europe will realign our major trading part-hers in 1992, changes in China will create new opportunities and competitors inthe Pacific Rim, and changes in the Soviet Union may lead to an era of economiccooperation with Eastern bloc countries. We are beyond the age of insular nationsvying for a few select export markets, and a major objective of this text is to alertstudents to global affairs. Western industries must improve productivity to remaincompetitive, and managers must be prepared to do business globally. Having spent several years in Europe and Japan, I am sensitive to Amer-ica s tremendous national resource of innovative managers. We have an extraor-dinary technological basis and the educated professionals capable of meeting anychallenge. I am also sensitive, however, to our impertinence as a nation caughtresting on our past success as other nations.outpace us. I was recently "escorted" out of the People s Republic of China, only afew days after student demonstrators had been shot in Tiananmen Square. Ar-riving in Hong Kong, I took a quiet evening cruise on Victoria Harbor, sailingpast tall buildings with glaring neon signs that sent brilliant multicolored reflec-tions across the harbor water. I was chatting with a Chinese colleague from HongKong about international competition, and both of us were speculating on eco-nomic changes in China, Hong Kong, and the United States. He pointed to thecommercial district of Hong Kong and asked me to pick out an American sign.I scanned the harbor lights, finding Panasonic, Honda, Nissan, Fuji Film, Cannon,and several dozen more signs for Japanese companies, but not one name of aUnited States business appeared in lights. Then he asked rhetorically why in HongKong he had to make a special request for an American beer or search catalogsfor United States products. Why, too, he wondered, were the leading Japanesedepartment stores in Hong Kong, yet American merchandisers were conspicu-ously absent? The only logical answer seemed to be that Americans were not in HongKong because we chose not to be there. Certainly we have the capability to expandinto any market almost anywhere in the world, but we have a rather low profilein comparison to the Japanese and other nations aggressive in business. 1 alsovisited a half dozen other Pacific Rim countries in 1989, and my senses werearoused to watch for American products. When I saw two Cadillac limousinesoutside a large building in Bangkok, I beamed with pride: Hey! We re here! Butthen I realized that the Cadillacs belonged to the United States embassy, and theywere the last American cars I saw. When I returned to the United States to continue work on this edition, Iwanted to stress even more the important trends in global business management.In addition to the international management chapter (Chapter 20), examples drawnfrom international business enrich discussion throughout the text. Each chapterfeatures a Global Trends box, which takes a closer look at world-wide businesses.The text highlights companies in Japan, Korea, Finland, the United Kingdom,France, West Germany, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, the People s Republic ofChina, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, India, Ireland, and the Middle East. Com-mentary on United States firms operating overseas has been integrated into dis-cussion throughout the text. I have not lost sight of America s strengths. In the first edition, I suggestedthat with Theory X, Theory Y, and Theory Z, we need a Theory A to capture thespirit and creativity of American enterprise. Theory A would encompass ourpervasive spirit of individualism, our ability to adapt and to take entrepreneurial |
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