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January issue of KM indicated that "Globally Competitive Communities" and
"Wired Communities" have led to "Intelligent Communities" with Virtual
Communities of Practice. Ennis, Ireland; a Florida High Tech Corridor;
and Dubai Internet City (DIC) were highlighted. What characteristics are
essential for Intelligent Communities and Virtual Communities of Practice?
Globalization, e-commerce, knowledge management, and technology are among the forces driving changes that must be integrated as content in all business certificate and degree programs. Beyond curriculum content, delivery systems and outcomes assessment must be upgraded. Also, career development from awareness and exploration to specializations with concentrations must be upgraded. Colleges and schools must analyze emerging roles by economy sectors in E-Commerce (B2B and B2C), Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, and Chief Learning Officers, etc. to identify challenges and issues that need to be in curriculum to promote Critical Thinking Competencies and problem Solving Skills. Globalization of design, manufacturing, outsourcing, and supply chains that originate and pass through multiple nations in e-formats are becoming commonplace. Analysis of multinational corporations is essential. General Motors Corporation (GM) is an example of globalization. According to Ball et al. only 23 nations had a gross national product (GNP) greater than the total annual sales of GM, the world's largest international company, in 1998 (Ball, 2002, pp. 15-17). General Motors Corporation (GM) is one of the world's largest industrial companies manufacturing millions of vehicles that total from 14% to 17% of the world's vehicle market. Internationally, with operations in 73 countries, GM cars and trucks are sold in more than 200 countries with more than 260 major subsidies, joint ventures and affiliates around the world (Quarto, 2003, p. 1). Access and mine http://www.gm.com More important, however, is information about changes such as the conversion from 12-14 volt to 36-42 volt electrical systems. GM is the first of the automobile manufacturers to begin converting to 36-42 volts to accommodate consumer demands like digital dashboard, etc. Ball,
D.A.; McCulloch, W.H.; Frantz, P.L.; Geringer, J.M.; and Minor, M.S. (2002).
Quarto, M.L. (2003). Development of a 42 volt power systems training manual for technicians of General Motors Corporation 42 volt technical training program. (Doctoral dissertation, Higher Education Leadership Program, Nova Southeastern University, 2003). EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN INTERNATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS Ball et al. describe explosive growth in international business, both the number and the size of foreign and U.S. establishments (Establishments is a U.S. Census Bureau term for companies). A United Nations agency (UNCTAD) estimates that there were over 60,000 with half a million foreign affiliates that accounted for 25% of global output in 1999 that accounted for two-thirds of world trade. Sales of 45,000 parent companies with 280,000 foreign affiliates were $7 trillion. Transnational companies (TNCs) are measured in terms of foreign assets. "General Electric is the world's largest TNC, closely followed by the Ford Motor Company and Royal Dutch Shell Group (United Kingdom and Netherlands). What is striking is that 85 of the top 100 have been on the UNCT AD list for several years. Only two, Petroleos of Venezuela and Daewoo Corporation of Korea, are from developing countries" (Ball et al., pp. 14-15). RANKING OF INTERNATIONAL FIRMS AND NATIONS BY GNP In the ranking of international firms and nations based on GNP, only 23 countries are ahead of General Motors Corporation (GM). GM is followed by DaimlerChrysler (26), Ford Motor (29), Wal-Mart Stores (31), Mitsui (Japan-37), Itochu (J-38), Mitsubishi (J-39), Exxon (43), General Electric (44), Toyota (J-45), Royal Dutch Shell (UK-48), Marubeni (J-49, and Sumitomo (J-50). What
concepts are essential for inclusion as content in developmentally appropriate
learning units?
IN
THE DRIVER'S SEAT: TOP 10 AUTO MANUFACTURERS
Burnson, P.(ApriI2003). In the driver's seat. World Trade. P.16. http://www.worldtrademag.com AFRICA - U.S. BUSINESS SUMMIT An Africa - U.S. Business Summit is scheduled to be held in Washington on June 24-27. How can economic development supply chains be created between African and Caribbean Basin countries and the U.S. via the Trade and Development Act of 2000? See chart on the next page. CO-CREATING VISIONS and ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS Macroenvironmental -- Economic, Geographic, Government, and Technological Variables Africa Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000 (AGOA) AGOA
is comprised of 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa that are richly endowed
with both natural and human resources. http://www.agoa.gov/index.html
AGOA Countries Ghana
CBTPA is comprised of 23 independent countries that together form the sixth largest export market for U.S. goods that totaled $19 billion, 2.7% of U.S. in 1999. http://www.mac.doc.gov Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats CBTPA Countries Bahamas
Haiti
CRITICAL THINKING COMPETENCIES and PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS Analysis of economic, governmental, and technological variables requires critical thinking competencies (CTC) and problem solving skills (PSS), especially in critiquing data electronically, domestically and internationally. One opportunity includes a critique of data and information of countries in Africa and the Caribbean Basin to apply the "Trade and Development Act of 2000" (Public Law 106-200). P.L. 106-200 contains two titles (a) Title I - Extension of Certain Trade Benefits to Sub-Saharan Africa and (b) Title n - Trade Benefits for (the) Caribbean Basin. Title I is cited as the "African Growth and Opportunity Act" (AGOA). Ghana is used as an example. Basic data and information can be obtained from a variety of primary and secondary resources. Access African Internet Connectivity at http://www3.sn.apc.org and click on Ghana. Also, access Ghana Home Page at http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/index.php and click on President, then Maps of Ghana, General Information, and Education to mine ideas. Then click on Links to Ghana sites, then on Top: Business: Import & Export, and followed by Ghana Export Promotion Counsil. Mine a few ideas for E-Commerce International Trade. Then, click on The Ghana Exporter Online and mine ideas from Ghanaian Business Briefs as well as from Market Information and Trade Data. Mine ideas for E-Commerce potential. Title II is referred to as the "Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act" (CBERA). "The 23 independent countries of the Caribbean Basin region together form the sixth largest export market for U.S. goods, totaling $19 billion and absorbing 2.7 percent of U.S. exports in 1999." CBERA countries have been devastated via global competition, hurricanes, and a decline in tourism. An analysis of advances in economy sectors can benefit majority and minority firms in multiple nations via partnerships. Computer consoles and digital dashboards are comprised of thousands of component parts that can be manufactured and could be assembled offshore and the subassemblies shipped to a destination for final assembly and distributed internationally as part of developing an enterprise incremental strategy for sustainability. Basic information is presented for The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica: Gross Domestic Product by Sector Population Agriculture Industry Services Infrastructure Info Bahamas
284,000 3%
5% 92%
In services?
What opportunities do these countries provide for alliances and partnerships? How can African Americans assist in developing and expanding markets in AGOA countries? How can Hispanic Americans assist in developing and expanding markets in Central and South American countries? What competencies and skills are needed to complete a more detailed analysis focused primarily on Competitive Advantage by economy sector using a classical SWOT analysis or the critique of Strengths and Opportunities primarily for alliances, acquisitions, and/or to form partnerships? What competencies and skills are needed for a detailed analysis of business level and functional strategies for e-Market Analysis, e-Commerce, e-Customer Relations Management, e-Human Resources Development, e-Logistics Supply Chain Management for end-to-end manufacturing of computer consoles and digital dashboards or drugs production and distribution in destitute areas? Conceptual frameworks for developing CTC and PSS are displayed on the next page. Critical
Thinking Competencies (CTC) and Problem Solving Skills (PSS)
Competitive advantage provides an extraordinary opportunity to develop CTC and PSS. Employees in retail firms could do a classical strategic planning SWOT analysis:
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
Wal-Mart
Stores, Inc. http://www.walmart.com
*
Analysis could focus on matching "strengths" with "opportunities" for decisions about avoiding a strategy or technique or for alliances, acquisitions, and partnerships. Financial Services Firms Matching Strengths with Opportunities AnchorBank
http://www.anchorbank.com
Critical
Thinking Competencies (CTC) and Problem Solving Skills (PSS) for
Analysis of strengths for one or more business level and/or functional area strategies: Pharmaceutical Firms E-Commerce, Logistics e-SCM, and/or e-CRM Abbott
Labs http://www.abbott.com
E-Commerce (EC) provides an extraordinary opportunity to develop CTC and PSS. EC began to emerge in the late 1980s as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), was promoted by the funding of Electronic Commerce Resource Centers (ECRCs) beginning in 1991 primarily to assist defense prime and subcontractors. EC, B2B and B2C, is not an "elective" for most businesses. INTERNETWEEK publishes e-business leaders by economy sector for categories such as (a) high technology, (b) Internet companies, (c) manufacturing, (d) chemicals and pharmaceuticals, (e) consumer products, (f) financial services, (g) retail-distribution, (h) services, and (i) travel and hospitality. Access http://www.members.cox.net/greenka6/wgnewweb/wgmenu.html Click
on August on the "Menu" and review the contents of that issue on page 1.
Then, scroll to page 2 for the EC leaders in (a) high technology, (b) Internet
companies, and (c) manufacturing. Click on a few companies like Johnson
Controls and Snap-on. Do the same for other categories.
Knowledge Management (KM) also provided an exceptional experience to develop CTC and PSS. Analysis of the KMWorld 100 leaders in KM can be "mined" for ideas. American
Productivity & Quality Center http://www.apqc.org/
Health Informatics (HI) can be viewed as a form of KM. The Genome Project has implications for a comprehensive strategy for KM coordinated by a ChiefKnowledge Officer (CKO). Specific
applications could be critiqued like the IBM Automotive e-business Framework
Critical
Thinking Competencies (CTC) and Problem Solving Skills (PSS) for
Awareness
about technology is essential. Biometric, card, voice, and wireless technologies
are being integrated into business strategy. Activities to promote CTC
and PSS could range from analysis of a single technology, like cell phones,
to convergence of many systems technologies.
Creating
Visions and Alternative Scenarios for
ADVANCES IN R & D IN TECHNOLOGY
Databases Networks Training Organizational Development (OD) + Human Resources Development (HRD) CHANGING CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADERSHIP According to Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, authors of Leaders, there were more than 350 definitions of leadership in 1985 and since their book was written, the number of definitions has probably increased dramatically. A check of a library database identified 1,000 books or articles on leadership published in 1999 alone. (Neuhauser, Bender, and Stromberg, 2000, pp. 314-315). "Globally
Competitive Communities" of the mid 1990s and "Wired Communities"
of the late 1990s changed the characteristics of leadership. "Electronically
Networked Intelligent Communities" (ENICs) are evolving via
Virtual
Communities of Practice (VCOP) that are changing characteristics of
leadership for community, economic, and education development.
Neuhauser, P.C.; Bender, R.; and Stromberg, K.L. (2002). Culture. com: Building corporate culture in the connected workplace. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Turban, E.; King, D.; Lee, J.; Warkentin, M.; and Chung, H. M. (2002). Electronic commerce 2002: A management perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Wenger, E., et al. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL READING Doyle, T.C. & Schwartz, J. (2003). The secret life of GE. VARBusiness. http://www.varbusiness.com Varon, E. (2003). The new lords of E-BIZ. CIa. http://www.cio.com AFRICA - U.S. BUSINESS SUMMIT An Africa - U.S. Business Development Summit is scheduled in Washington on June 24-27. AFRICAN YOUTH FOUNDATION (AYF) SEMINAR An
African Youth Foundation Seminar is scheduled for June 2-6.
CONFERENCE FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING The Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human &ervices of Nova Southeastern University and the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) have developed an outstanding "Conference for Global Leading and Learning." The conference will be held at the Disney Contemporary Resort on June 12-14. Access http://www.fgse.nova.edu/marketing/cgll-gtep KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (KM) and OTHER RESOURCES KM can be accessed and mined: http://www.members.cox.net/kgeenka6/wgnewweb/wgmenu.html Warren
H.Groff, 3408 N. 49th St., Milwaukee, WI 53216-3208, 414-871-1127, groffw@nova.edu
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