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globalEDGE NEWSLETTER February 2002 Issue 1 Vol. 1
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Welcome to our very first release of globalEDGE monthly newsletter.

As part of our mission to deliver information, insights, and learning
resources on global business knowledge and activities to our audience, this
newsletter will give you a brief summary of interesting
developments and events from our globalEDGE Website:

http://globaledge.msu.edu/

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1. Executive Insights
2. What's new from the "Resource Desk"?
3. Recent News Items
4. Discussion Forum
5. Newsletter Information

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1) EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS

A) "THE ROLE OF FAMILY CONGLOMERATES IN EMERGING MARKETS:
WHAT WESTERN COMPANIES SHOULD KNOW"
by Dr S. Tamer Cavusgil
The John William Byington Endowed Chair in Global Marketing
The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, Michigan State University

Large family-owned businesses are dominant players in the economies of
most emerging markets and can be excellent business partners for Western
companies. This article highlights the evolutionary patterns of Family
conglomerates (FCs) and delineates important drivers of their growth,
expansion, and internationalization. Some aspects of FCs are examined,
such as early mover advantages, foreign alliances, competitive market
positioning, and diversification. Also discussed are entry-mode
considerations for Western companies contemplating doing business in the
fast-growth markets of East Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere.
http://globaledge.msu.edu/KnowledgeRoom/FeaturedArticles/0005.pdf

B) "ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON INTERNATIONAL SERVICES MARKETING"
by Dr. G. Tomas M. Hult
Director, International Business Center (MSU-CIBER) and
Associate Professor of Marketing & International Business
The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, Michigan State University

What do customers value in a service encounter? Is it the physical good
quality, sacrifice, satisfaction, service quality, the servicescape or
value? Do customers in different countries have different preferences?
Dr. Hult takes us through some of the differences in customer preferences
by comparing differences and similarities of customer preferences in 8
different countries. More from: the globalEDGE Executive Insights Page:
http://globaledge.msu.edu/KnowledgeRoom/FeaturedArticles/0007.pdf

More from our Website...
http://globaledge.msu.edu/KnowledgeRoom/FeaturedArticles/index.asp

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2) RESOURCE DESK - NEW ADDITIONS

A few of the recently added links on globalEDGE Resource Desk:

AILEENA World Media Index
http://www.aileena.ch/
This web site is an index of about 5,500 links to news media (newspapers,
radio and television stations) of 174 countries. Listed links are
categorized by region.

Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
http://www.bis.org/
The BIS, located in Switzerland, serves as a bank for the world's central
banks. Its purpose is to foster international monetary and financial
cooperation. Available on this site is a wealth of information about the
bank's history and operations, as well as articles, working papers,
speeches, and several statistical information (including securities and
derivatives statistics).

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
http://www.csis.org/
CSIS provides strategic insights and policy solutions to current and
emerging global issues. On this site users can find analyses about regional
affairs, international stability, and political risk. In addition, insights
about longer-range consequences of current practices and policies are also
available (global aging, energy, and more).

Foreign Trade Zone Resource Center
http://www.foreign-trade-zone.com/
This site provides a wealth of information regarding the Foreign-Trade
Zone (FTZ) program. Sections of the site include a general overview of
trade zones (history, benefits, definitions, etc.), information about the
application process and relevant regulations, and more.

Global Statistics
http://www.geohive.com/index.html
This site provides data mainly on the population of regions, countries,
provinces and cities. Some statistics on economic factors like wealth and
infrastructure are also available. The site is divided into three main
parts: One dealing with the whole world and its regions, a second with all
major countries separately and a third with rankings (the most, largest,
longest, wealthiest, etc.).

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3) RECENT INTERNATIONAL NEWS ARTICLES

World Economic Forum: A Postmortem
Newsweek; 02/05/2002
The World Economic Forum 2002 conference was held in New York from 31 January
to 4 February 2002. This Newsweek article gives perspectives from attendees
on the problems tackled at the forum and in particular, “how to bridge the
growing gap between the haves and the have-nots in the world.” The article
includes comments from the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the executive
director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/700218.asp

More from the "Recent News" section (Knowledge Room) on globalEDGE:
http://globaledge.msu.edu/KnowledgeRoom/RecentNews/index.asp

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4) DISCUSSION FORUM

Is the US economy on the path to recovery? Please share your views on this
and other topics with the international community on the globalEDGE
International Business Forum.
http://globaledge.msu.edu/community/discussion/

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5) NEWSLETTER INFORMATION

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