Globalization under assault

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/tie.22035
• Published date: 01 March 2019
• Author: Mary B. Teagarden
• Date: 01 March 2019

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Globalization under assault

This issue is much larger than ever before. It is an opportunity to bring

perspectives from practice anchored in real-world issues including

building women executive officers (CEOs) globally, developing a

framework for anticorruption, discriminatory issues in Brazil, and Chi-

nese venture investments. This first section surfaces vexing global

issues and the authors suggest practical solutions.

We have also amassed a mosaic of Area Perspectives—

identification of on the ground challenges and opportunities that are

analyzed, assessed by global scholars—from Africa, Latin America, Asia

and South-East Asia, and Europe. These articles present insights that

are often unique to the region, although we know that each of these

regions is very diverse. They also shed light on how common many of

our challenges are.

Our Area Perspectives section is followed by more traditional

international business theory and application scholarship. In this sec-

tion, scholars examine issues as diverse as the new middle class in

emerging markets; hidden influences in international negotiations; the

micro-\dynamics of postacquisition integration process; human

resource management’s universal model; expatriate identity; geo-

graphic export diversification; bribery; value chain variety; and bribery.

These authors provide a deep dive into a wide variety of stand-alone

issues.

The issue concludes with an exploration of Kraft Foods acquisi-

tion of Cadbury with commentary from industry leaders.

From this large issue it might appear that the world is globally

integrated—that globalization is humming along. This is not the case;

current reality is that globalism is under serious attack the world

around. We are surrounded by dramatic examples of nationalism-

consider Brexit, the recent U.S. elections and similar trends that

should make us appreciate the challenge. The globalism genie cannot

be put back in the bottle.

The overarching (and overwhelming) challenge for business and gov-

ernment is to get globalism right. Globalizationsolutions mustbe sustain-

able, and the prosperity created by globalization must be equitable. An

important part of getting globalization right is addressing the anthropo-

genic impact often created by business and their global supply chains.

This will require a focus on sustainable development and on sustainable

supply chains, the Third Industrial Revolution solutions. A hidden chal-

lenge that we are not really sensitive to is the Fourth Industrial Revolu-

tion, and the challenges resulting from the use of technology that results

in extremeproductivityand considerable displacement of employees.

I encourage my academic colleagues to begin focusing on how we

can get globalization right. I encourage my practitioner readers to

focus on the role that business and government can play in encourag-

ing practices within their organizations that foster sustainable supply

chains and sustainability in general. I hope you enjoy this issue.

Mary B. Teagarden

DOI: 10.1002/tie.22035

Thunderbird Int. Bus. Rev. 2019;61:97. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/tie © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 97