In this Global Strategy class, I learned about the various international endeavors of various companies. What I found very interesting is the important position that various Asian companies are having on the world. For example, the fact that Huawei is a leading company in global telecommunications is an impressive fact. In light of this, I can understand why some individuals fear the success of foreign countries; they believe that the “other’s” success means our domestic failure. However, that is not the case. The world is changing, whether we accept it or not. (Thankfully), countries such as China and India are intent on developing their economy and on raising their country out of poverty. This will lead to new ideas and innovations that will help every citizen of the world.
This of course will come with challenges, one of them being the issue of intellectual property protection. We often hear of companies from developing countries stealing IP from companies headquartered in developed countries. What we rarely hear of is companies from developed countries taking advantage of this lack of IP protection and stealing ideas from foreign companies in developing nations. Yet, this happens more often than we imagine. We are currently in a period of transition, which is causing significant tension as everyone wonders what the right course of action is. In my opinion, the right course of action is promoting fair and free trade instead of walls, promoting increased education around the world instead of trying to block the development of other countries just so we stay on top. Globalization is not a zero-sum game and we need to make sure that we create conditions where everyone wins instead of conditions where everyone loses.
Through the TED Talks and guest speakers, I learned how to defend globalization to naysayers by learning about the benefits of globalization and about some of the examples of globalized companies. Through the globalization events, I learned of some of the technologies and innovations that have made globalization possible. I learned that these technologies and innovations will continue to surface even if we decide to follow a protectionist policy; the question is only whether we will benefit from those technologies or not. Through the book by Thomas Friedman, Thank You for Being Late, I learned how to excel in an environment where everything is constantly changing. I learned advice for how to stay ahead of the curve in my future career. From the course readings, my ideas of the benefits of globalization were challenged. Yet, as a result of this class, I was able to defend my view and to demonstrate my knowledge.
As a result of this class, I am even more certain that I want to work for an international company after graduation. While before I wanted to work for an international company just to get to experience new cultures, now I would like to work for an international company because it will provide for a challenging environment where I will be able to learn and leverage new technologies and innovations from around the world. In order to be an asset to companies such as this, I will have to stay up to date on news as well as new technologies. Consequently, I will have to engage in lifelong learning. Thanks to this class, I have a solid background of various global events and companies that have shaped the world that we live in today. These two habits of staying up to date with the news and the new technologies is what I will be able to share with recruiters not only now but during my entire career.