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Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on current trends and issues in international business and trade. Bruce Keillor is the guest. He is Professor, Chair of the Department of Marketing, and a core leader of the Williamson Center for International Business at Youngstown State University. Bruce has been tackling international trade issues for several decades; he elaborates on his current take of international trade and global engagement; what the U.S. needs to do to become even more competitive globally than it is now; and if the country should agree to more trade agreements with potential country partners.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on Ray Tadgerson’s involvement for several decades in building the infrastructure in the Greater Lansing area. Ray Tadgerson is President and CEO of Tadgerson Consulting, and former President and CEO of C2AE, known then as Capital Consultants. Ray provides a brief history of his involvement in infrastructure for the Lansing region as an engineer and later as CEO of Capital Consultants - now known as C2AE. Ray talks about his most significant infrastructure projects in the region, and what keeps him busy these days.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on global innovation research. Many companies thrive on being innovative, and some parts of the world even has more innovative companies (and countries) than others. In this segment, we focus on idea generation and implementation of innovative ideas from the angle of state-of-the-art business practice. John Sztykiel, Founder of Created-to-C and former CEO of Spartan Motors is our guest. Created-to-C (www.createdtoc.com/) is a company John Sztykiel started with his wife Joni to help, create, and incubate ideas from various people and companies along the innovation path to success.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on customer satisfaction as a driver of stock returns. Claes Fornell, Chairman of the CFI Group (cfigroup.com) and Founder of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (theacsi.org), is the guest. Tomas and Claes discuss why stock returns on customer satisfaction beat the market based on recent research they published in the Journal of Marketing (September 2016). Claes also elaborates on why some people are skeptical about the abnormal returns on customer satisfaction and why they should not be. He also discusses his viewpoints regarding “A healthy economy has satisfied consumers… (and) a healthy company has satisfied customers.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on current issues regarding international trade, trade agreements, negotiating trade agreements, and what areas of the world thrive by engaging in trade agreements. Jean Schtokal, Senior International Trade Lawyer at Foster Swift, a major law firm headquartered in Michigan, is the guest sharing her expertise on international trade.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses the new campus wide entrepreneurship program at Michigan State University. Started as a minor in the Eli Broad College of Business, the entrepreneurship program is now available throughout campus and provided in collaboration with all 17 colleges at Michigan State University. The guest for this segment isNeil Kane. He is the inaugural Director of Undergraduate Entrepreneurship at Michigan State University. He talks about current activities in the entrepreneurship program; why there is a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation; and how students can get plugged in.

Tomas Hult speaks with Alain Verbeke, who holds the McCaig Research Chair in Management at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. He is also the Research Director of the Strategy and Organization Area, and has recently been announced as the next Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) – the world’s top journal in international business.

They discuss Dr. Verbeke being recognized and given the opportunity to serve as editor of JIBS, and what it means to him. They also focus on Verbeke’s most significant research accomplishment and what this research means for companies.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on the American Marketing Association (AMA). AMA is the largest association in the world for professionals interested in marketing as a business field. AMA has both academic and practitioner members, more than 30,000 in total. Tomas Hult and Matt Weingarden, Senior Manager of AMA, dialogue about the uniqueness of AMA, why people should be members, and tie that to Matt’s background as a graduate of Michigan State University.

Tomas Hult speaks with Ayalla Ruvio, Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University and a native of Israel. They discuss the current state of Israel and what is going on in the country, how foreign companies – say from Michigan – can engage in the country via exporting or other international trade activities, and how Dr. Ruvio sees the next few years unfolding in Israel (and the region).

The European Union has been headquartered (European Parliament) in Brussels, Belgium, since 1985 (and formally since 1992). For EU related and presumably many other reasons, terrorist factions have created an infrastructure in Brussels; which is causing clashes with the natives of the city and country.

Tomas Hult speaks with Bettina Cornwell, who is the Edwin E. and June Woldt Cone Professor of Marketing in the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon. Prior to joining the University of Oregon, she was Professor of Marketing and Sport Management at the University of Michigan. They discuss Cornwell being recognized as one of the top authorities on sports marketing, and what it means to her. They also focus on Cornwell’s most significant research accomplishment and what this research means for companies.

Tomas speaks with Birger Wernerfelt, J.C. Penney professor of management and professor of marketing at the MIT Sloan School of Management; they discuss the use of resources, resource allocation, and core resource areas a company should develop.

Tomas Hult provided the keynote introduction of Charles Evans, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, at his December 2015 presentation to the Lansing Economic Club in Michigan. This segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat captures Hult’s introduction as well as Evans’ highlights of issues related to international business and trade from that keynote and the question session that followed.

Tomas Hult, Byington Endowed Chair and Professor of International Business at Michigan State University, is the author of the attached article, which was originally published in The Conversation.

News that the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, changed its formula for calculating the reference rate of the yuan (RMB) prompted the currency to fall to a four-year low.

Essentially, the People’s Bank of China is now calculating the reference rate on a daily basis and incorporating market forces. Some financial experts argue that allowing market forces to help determine the value of the yuan is logical, while others assert that China is merely trying to boost its own exporters – at the expense of foreign companies – by making their products relatively cheaper in the global marketplace. Many in the U.S. are concerned that our businesses will be hurt, with some accusing China of currency manipulation.

For the full article, click here.

Chris Holman, Founder of the Michigan Business Network, and Tomas Hult, Host of the globalEDGE Business Beat on MBN, dialogue about international business education at some of the nation’s 1200 community colleges. These community colleges educate nearly half of the students in the country, and are an important part of making the country globally competitive.

In this segment, we found out that community colleges are expected to triple their internationally oriented business offerings in the next decade, a large task, but an important one, to maintain competitiveness globally. They also cover the most popular courses to globalize international education at Michigan’s community colleges, and business education versus other majors.

Tomas Hult speaks with Chris Holman, Founder of the Michigan Business Network and serial entrepreneur in Michigan. Chris Holman has started numerous domestic and international businesses, and his experiences as a risk-taking entrepreneur are on display in this segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat.

Tomas and Chris cover a variety of entrepreneurship topics such as (1) what drives an entrepreneur like Chris Holman to start new businesses seemingly all the time; (2) what are the success factors, as seen by Chris Holman, in being an entrepreneur; and (3) are these success factors when you engage entrepreneurially in the global marketplace?

Tomas continues to speak with MichiganBusinessNetwork.com CEO Chris Holman; they discuss the importance of international trade and global competitiveness in Michigan.

Tomas Hult speaks with Chuck Hadden, President and CEO, Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA). They discuss the MMA, its core mission, what services MMA provides its members and companies in Michigan, as well as the outlook for Michigan’s manufacturing companies in the global marketplace. They also discuss road infrastructure for the State of Michigan.

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, held unprecedented peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, and the Colombian government in Havana, Cuba, on March 21, 2016. The Colombian leftist rebel group is on Washington’s list of international terrorist organizations, but the focus is on engaging in peace talks with the Colombian government, to end the South American country’s half-century of war.

Tomas Hult speaks with Constantine Katsikeas, Associate Dean for the Faculty and the Arnold Ziff Research Chair in Marketing and International Management at Leeds University Business School, Leeds University; and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Marketing (JIM), published by the American Marketing Association.

They discuss Dr. Katsikeas being recognized and given the opportunity to serve as editor of JIM, and what it means to him. They also focus on Katsikeas’ most significant research accomplishment and what this research means for companies.

When President Obama visited Cuba with his wife, two children, mother-in-law, and a large group of Congressional members and dignitaries on March 20-22, 2016, it was the first time in more than 90 years that a sitting U.S. president visited Cuba.

Tomas Hult speaks with Daekwan Kim, Associate Professor of Marketing and International Business, Florida State University, and a native of South Korea. They discuss the attraction and appeal of South Korea as a market, what is happening with the economy/business in the country, and what is happening in South Korea that we should be aware when planning long-term business engagements?

Tomas Hult speaks with David Bull, Editorial Director, Nature Publishing Group & Palgrave Macmillan, and an expert on Brazil. They discuss the attraction and appeal of Brazil as a market, what is happening with the economy/business in the country, and what is happening in Brazil that we should be aware when planning long-term business engagements?

Tomas Hult speaks with David Frayer, Executive Director of Executive Development in the Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University. The interview focused on Dr. Frayer’s 20 years as the leader of Executive Training in Business, at Michigan State University, what changes he has seen in executive education in that time period; why it is important for business people to engage in executive training and development, and some of the current global initiatives that executive education at MSU are undertaking.

Tomas Hult speaks with David Ketchen, Lowder Eminent Scholar of Management and Executive Director of the Lowder Center for Business and Entrepreneurship in the Harbert College of Business, Auburn University. They discuss franchising as a viable business opportunity for entrepreneurs, the success factors of franchising, and the outlook of franchising as a business model for entrepreneurs?

Tomas Hult speaks with Dennis Flessland, Consul at the Royal Norwegian Consulate, in Detroit. They discuss Norway as a marketplace for Michigan and US companies, what the business climate is like in Norway – a country not in the European Union, but very much entrenched as a strong country in Scandinavia and Europe. The topic of why companies should engage with Norway is also tackled in the interview segment.

Tomas Hult speaks with Diana Haytko, Howard Professor of Marketing at Florida Gulf Coast University and Program Chair for the annual conference of the Academy of Marketing Science in Denver, Colorado May 11-14 as well as AMS Newsletter editor. They discuss the AMS annual conference in Denver and the blend of academics from around the world with top notch businesspeople. They also discuss the July AMS World Marketing Congress to be held in Bari, Italy July 14-18, 2015. AMS is the owner of one of the world’s top scholarly marketing journals, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and has members in most corners of the world.

Tomas Hult speaks with Dina Howell, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi X, about her accolade of being recognized as the Marketer of the Year 2015, by the Academy of Marketing Science as well as her experiences as the recently appointed CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi X. Dina draws on her background as a top executive at Proctor & Gamble, her expertise in shopper marketing, and buying habits by females and males.

Tomas Hult, Byington Endowed Chair and Professor of International Business at Michigan State University, is the author of the attached article, which was published in The Conversation.

Back in 2001, former Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill coined the acronym BRIC to highlight the immense economic potential of the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China in the decades to come. They would be the economic engines of tomorrow, he wrote.

The BRICs, which cover a quarter of the world’s landmass and contain 40% of its population, had a combined GDP of US $20 trillion back in 2001. Today these increasingly market-oriented economies boast a GDP of $30 trillion (or 20% of global GDP), a figure forecast to reach $120 trillion by 2050. Together, they control more than 43% of the world’s currency reserves and 20% of its trade..

But times have changed. Every BRIC country is struggling, and the group’s growing footprint means their problems are bad news for the global economy. That’s especially true for the troubles of China, where recent economic gloom triggered a rout in stock markets around the world. All but India’s is now in bear market territory – a decline of at least 20% from its peak.

For the full article, click here.

Tomas Hult speaks with Doug Barry, Deputy Director of the Global Knowledge Center, in the U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC. Democratization and technology around the world are core areas of global reach of companies today.

Tomas Hult speaks with Doug Barry, Deputy Director, Global Knowledge Center, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The interview focused on ITA’s Guide to Exporting, now in its 11th edition, and the long-standing key source for U.S companies on exporting and international trade.

Tomas Hult speaks with Doug Barry, Deputy Director, Global Knowledge Center, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The interview focused on ITA’s Guide to Exporting, now in its 11th edition, and the long-standing key source for U.S companies on exporting and international trade.

Tomas Hult speaks with Doug Barry, Deputy Director, Global Knowledge Center, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The interview focused on eCommerce, or simply doing business using the Internet as a great potential way to export products.

Tomas Hult speaks with Doug Barry, Deputy Director, Global Knowledge Center, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The interview focused on critical aspects of engaging in exporting. Doug Barry talks about basic export advice that can help new exporters. He also discusses how a company should go about preparing its product for exporting. And, perhaps most importantly, he shares his views on how to find qualified buyers.

Tomas Hult speaks with Dr. O.C. Ferrell, one of the foremost global authorities on business ethics and the founder of Business Ethics Resources. The interview focuses on frameworks, resources, and approaches to developing business ethics programs in companies, and the teaching of business ethics to both business executives and university students.

Tomas speaks with Eli Jones, dean of the Sam Walton College of Business and Sam Walton Leadership Chair at the University of Arkansas; they discuss the role of a major business school and trends affecting companies in the global marketplace.

Tomas Hult speaks with Ernie Betts, Assistant Dean for Multicultural Programs in the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. They discuss the multicultural program and what it does, the benefit to students involved in the program, and the benefits to companies hiring students who have gone through the program.

Tomas Hult speaks with Ernie Betts, Assistant Dean for Multicultural Business Programs, Eli Broad College of Business, at Michigan State University.

Tomas Hult speaks with Forrest Morgeson, Director of Research and Global CSI Manager at the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). They discuss why it is important to measure customer satisfaction and when companies started thinking about measuring customer satisfaction.

They also discuss alternatives, albeit few, to measuring customer satisfaction as done previously. Plus, Forrest discusses how companies are likely to use customer satisfaction measurement in the future.

They discuss the state-of-the-art in customer satisfaction measurement in this segment on the globalEDGE Business Beat. Forrest also shares a few of the enduring lessons (e.g., customer delight is a bad idea, don’t always try to exceed expectations, quality trumps value, don’t get too close to your customers, delight in managing complaints).

Tomas Hult speaks with Forrest Morgeson, Research Director of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). ACSI data has been used extensively for more than two decades by researchers and companies interested in studying the dynamics of customer satisfaction.

Tomas speaks with Forrest Morgeson, director of research and global CSI manager at the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI); they discuss the Global CSI and what it is plus satisfaction trends in the global marketplace.

Tomas speaks with Forrest Morgeson, director of research and Global CSI manager at the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI); they discuss Dr. Morgeson’s new book titled Citizen Satisfaction, published by Palgrave, and the implications for public administrators worldwide.

Tomas Hult speaks with Fred Miller, Professor and Director of Regensburg Program at Murray State University. Dr. Miller was Dr. Hult’s professor in both undergraduate and graduate International Marketing, and this segment captures both historical insights of that time period (1990-1991), and, more importantly, Dr. Miller’s work with “Location Analytics.” The core focus is on how Location Analytics tools can be used in marketing, international business, and by US companies.

Tomas Hult speaks with Frederic Lund, Vice President, International Business Development, Domino’s, about Domino’s new branding, international ventures, and product assortment. Domino’s global businesses make up more than 50 percent of the company’s sales and operations.

Tomas Hult speaks with Gary Bartek, Director of Cargo of Port Lansing at the Capital Region International Airport in Lansing. They discuss what services are offered at Port Lansing, benefits of a Foreign Trade Zone, and air cargo charter business at the Lansing (LAN) airport.

Tomas speaks with George Day, Geoffrey Boisi professor of marketing and co-director of the Mack Institute for Innovation Management in the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania; they discuss marketing strategy trends for global companies.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on the Global Business School Network(GBSN). The GBSN cultivates a network of leading business schools that share the goal of more and better schools to train managers and entrepreneurs for the developing world.

In this segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat on the Michigan Business Network, the gBB host, Tomas Hult, reports on a recent benchmarking study on “Globalization”. The focus is on what companies are currently doing to be competitive in the global business marketplace and what they plan or forecast to do in the next 5 to 20 years to stay competitive.

This is a keynote by Dr. Tomas Hult delivered at Leeds University in England in December 2013 on "Global Supply Chain Management: Leveraging Processes, Measurements, and Tools for Strategic Corporate Advantage." The session is based on the 2014 book with the same title authored by Tomas Hult, David Closs, and David Frayer (all at Michigan State University, the top-ranked school for supply chain management).

Tomas Hult speaks with Guy Pfefferman, CEO and Founder of theGlobal Business School Network (GBSN). Established in 2003, GBSN tackles the developing world's severe shortage of management talent, by building local management education capacity with programs, networking and events. GBSN’s Capacity Building Programs match an international network of top business schools with colleagues in the developing world for cross-cultural knowledge exchange and collaboration.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on the current relationship between Israel and the U.S.; an important relationship and topic in the 2016 election year in the U.S. Some would even say that these are turbulent times for the relationship, perhaps in part because of the lack of chemistry between the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the U.S. President, Barack Obama.

Tomas Hult speaks with Jade Sims, International Trade Specialist, in the International Business Center, Michigan State University. The interview focused on core competencies in exporting and international trade.

Tomas Hult talks with Jagdish Sheth, who is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at Emory University Goizueta Business School, and Co-Founder of the Academy of Indian Marketingtogether with S. Neelamegham, V. Kumar, and Rajeev Karwal. The vision for AIM is to be the world's leading research and practice driven academic organization, recognized for generating and disseminating unique marketing perspectives on emerging markets including India.

The discussion involves Dr. Sheth’s thinking behind starting the Academy of Indian Marketing, the impact that AIM can have, and the role of Indian academics in the global marketplace.

Tomas speaks with James Foley, director of operations at the International Trade Center in Illinois and director for international trade certification of NASBITE; they discuss NASBITE, international trade certification, and global trends.

Tomas Hult speaks Jeanne Broad, Director of International Trade Management, Export Office, Michigan Economic Development Corporation and State of Michigan. They discuss the scope of the Governor’s economic development branch – the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and several of its global trade initiatives.

Topics tackled include how companies can use MEDC and the International Trade Management programs to go global, plus the general outlook for the State of Michigan and its companies in global trade moving forward.

Tomas Hult speaks with Jeremy Wilson, Director, Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection and Professor, School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. They discuss the main activities in the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection, the most important things companies should plan for in terms of anti-counterfeiting and product protection, and the climate becoming better globally on anti-counterfeiting and product protection issues.

Tomas Hult speaks with Jim Foley, Director of Operations, of theIllinois SBDC International Trade Center. Jim has received the Governor of Illinois’ Export Award. He is also the author of The Global Entrepreneur.

Tomas Hult speaks with John Sztykiel, CEO and President of Created to C, and Member of the Board of Directors, Spartan Motors (and former CEO of Spartan Motors). John has a fascinating background as a company leader in Michigan.

Tomas Hult speaks with Kent Monroe, John Jones Distinguished Professor of Marketing Emeritus, University of Illinois and Visiting Distinguished Scholar, University of Richmond. The academic field of marketing has selected a small set of about a dozen gurus to recognize their amazing intellect, knowledge, and contributions.

Dr. Kent Monroe is the only guru focused on the issue of “pricing.” So, opportunistically, this segment focused on pricing as it relates to marketing products and services. The topics relate to pricing as a strategic variable for companies and how companies should view pricing in their strategic arsenal. Plus, practically, Tomas Hult asked Kent Monroe to address the issue of how a company should generally go about setting price (for a product or service) today if they were to take the product to a new market (such as a country they had not previously engaged).

Tomas Hult speaks with Kostas Bozos, Associate Professor in the Leeds University Business School, United Kingdom. They discuss the business climate in Greece, what companies should think about when exporting to Greece, and the outlook of Greece’s economy. As a country in the European Union with long-standing financial troubles, Greece presents both a market opportunity and a cautious investment avenue for companies.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on Lansing Pediatric Associates, often just called “Lansing Peds” by the Greater Lansing community.

As a staple in pediatrics in Lansing for several decades, Lansing Pediatric Associates and its senior partner, Mark Takagishi, MD, focus on providing quality, compassionate care to everyone. But Dr. Takagishi does more than that; of intrigue to the globalEDGE Business Beat, “Dr. T” as his patients call him is an avid global traveler. Tomas and Mark talk about Lansing Peds, how pediatrics have changed over the years, and favorite travel spots

Tomas Hult speaks with Lennart Johansson, Consul General of Sweden for the State of Michigan; they discuss what is involved with being Consul General of Sweden for the State of Michigan, what kind of relationship Michigan has with Sweden, and how Michigan companies can export or engage with Sweden.

Tomas speaks with Marcy Street, CEO and medical director of Doctor’s Approach and a board certified dermatologist with training from the Mayo Clinic; they discuss Doctor’s Approach and global trends in the dermatology industry.

Tomas Hult speaks with Maria-Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez, Professor of Management at Universidad EAFIT in Colombia. Alejandra is also Coordinator of the Colombian universities in the institute of UNCTAD (United Nations Conference for Trade and Development) and Distinguished Fellow of the Association of Certified Commercial Diplomats. The interview focused on Alejandra’s wealth of background, experiences, and interests related to Latin America, and specifically on Corporate Social Responsibility.

Tomas Hult speaks with Marlene Johnson, CEO of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators. NAFSA has more than 10,000 members from some 3,500 institutions of education in more than 150 countries. The interview focused on the role of NAFSA in international education and global trends in international education that people and companies can learn from to be more globally competitive. NAFSA connects foreign students around the world with opportunities at universities, including in the U.S., worldwide.

Tomas Hult speaks with Michael Beard, Executive Director and Global Health Director at the United Nations Foundation Advocacy. The United Nations Foundation links the UN’s work with others around the world, mobilizing the energy and expertise of business and non-governmental organizations to help the UN tackle issues including climate change, global health, peace and security, women's empowerment, poverty eradication, energy access, and U.S. - UN relations.

This segment is on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 goals targeted to end poverty, promote prosperity, and address climate change.

Chris Holman, Founder of the Michigan Business Network, and Tomas Hult, Host of the globalEDGE Business Beat on MBN, dialogue about the importance of MSU’s International Business Center to the Michigan community, some of its accomplishments in 2015 and what’s upcoming in 2016. They focus on the Center’s 25th year anniversary; helping local small and medium-sized Michigan companies go global; leading-edge research in international business; and the Center’s world-leading online resource in international business, globalEDGE.msu.edu.

Tomas Hult speaks with Neil Morgan, PetSmart, Inc. Distinguished Professor in Marketing Chair, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. They discuss international marketing strategy, exporting, and how companies can become more competitive in the global marketplace. Marketing capabilities are uniquely important to nurture to be successful. Dr. Morgan is one of the most accomplished scholars in marketing strategy in the last decade.

Tomas Hult talks with Nick Philipson, Editorial Director of Business/Economics and Statistics at Springer. They discuss a variety of issues related to publishing academic journals. Nick tells us about the merger of Springer and Nature/Palgrave and what it means for their publishing portfolio.

Tomas Hult speaks with Norm Graham, Director, Center for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies and Professor of International Relations at Michigan State University.

Tomas Hult talks with O.C. Ferrell, University Distinguished Chair in Business Ethics, at Belmont University. The focus of the interview is on “Micropreneurs and the Sharing Economy.”

Micro-entrepreneurs, also known as micropreneurs, are very small-scale businesses with no more than five employees; some 95 percent of small businesses are microbusinesses. They discuss these micropreneurs involvement in the gig economy and the sharing economy, and what the implications are for the future of business in the global marketplace.

Tomas speaks with Pankaj Ghemawat, global professor of management and strategy at the Stern School of Business at New York University and Anselmo Rubiralta professor of global strategy at IESE Business School in Spain; they discuss the notion of global connectedness and patterns of global connectedness worldwide.

Tomas Hult speaks with Patrick McRae, Contract Manager, Aerospace Group, Eaton. They discuss Eaton Corporation and the Aerospace Group as well as Pat’s background in international business with the US Federal government.

The topics cover opportunities for a company like Eaton in the global marketplace; Michigan increasingly becoming better economically; and the economic and international trade outlook for the State of Michigan.

Tomas Hult speaks with Paul Beamish, Donald Triggs Chair in International Business, Professor of Management, and Director of the Engaging Emerging Markets Research Centre at the Ivey Business School.

Tomas speaks with Phil Kotler, S.C. Johnson & Son Professor of International Marketing in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; they discuss winning in global markets and solutions for economic systems.

Tomas Hult speaks to R. Edward Bashaw, Dean of the College of Business at Arkansas Tech University. With some 3,000 universities just in the US, being a business dean is not the same today as it used to be.

The interview with Dr. Bashaw covers a variety of topics related to being a business dean, Ed’s take on deanships spanning several universities in his case, and differences today versus when he started being a dean. They also cover some new topics, trends, and programs that business schools now seem to focus on that they didn’t before, plus Ed’s thinking in terms of what business schools will be like in ten years.

Tomas Hult speaks with Ram Mudambi, Frank M Speakman Professor of Strategy, Fox School of Business, Temple University. They discuss global knowledge connectivity and local outcomes. Dr. Mudambi suggests that that the fundamental change that has occurred, and is continuing to occur around us, is that the world is becoming increasingly connected through organizations, people, technology and social media. So-called “knowledge clusters” are an important part of what makes cities and countries competitive.

Tomas Hult speaks with Rich Spreng, Director of the Master of Science in Marketing Research Program in the Eli Broad College of Business, at Michigan State University.

Tomas Hult speaks with Robert Wiseman, recently appointed as the Senior Associate Dean in the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. Bob is also The Eli Broad Legacy Fellow in Management. The interview focused on Bob’s background in academe and business and his interest in serving in this important leadership role for the Broad College. They also discuss the role of online education in business schools of the future

Tomas Hult talks with Rod Kinghorn, former Director of Global Security at General Motors, and now Outreach Specialist in the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP) at Michigan State University.

They discuss Rod’s previous job as General Director of Global Security at General Motors; how this background carries over to his new work with anti-counterfeiting and product protection; and what he sees as the top issues that companies need to attend to when dealing with anti-counterfeiting and product protection.

Tomas Hult speaks with Roger Calantone, Professor of Marketing and Eli Broad Chaired University Professor of Business at Michigan State University (MSU). They discuss the focus of MSU’s marketing on “products, markets, and people.”

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on the current work of Dr. Roger Calantone, one of only a select few so-called University Distinguished Professors at Michigan State University. Roger gives us an update on what he is researching right now; his work with the National Science Foundation which relates to MSU’s world-leading FRIB program; he also talks about why MSU is a great place to be a professor.

Tomas Hult speaks with Roland Rust, who is a Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, where he is also founder and Executive Director of two research centers: the Center for Excellence in Service and the Center for Complexity in Business. They discuss editing top journals in marketing; Rust’s most significant research accomplishment; and what his research means for companies.

Tomas Hult speaks with Ruth Bolton who is Professor of Marketing at the Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. She previously served as 2009-11 Executive Director of the Marketing Science Institute; MSI bridges the gap between academic marketing theory and business practice. She will receive the 2016 AMA/McGraw-Hill Distinguished Marketing Educator Award in February in Las Vegas. They discuss Dr. Bolton being recognized and what it means to her. They also focus on Bolton’s most significant research accomplishment and what this research means for companies.

Tomas Hult speaks with Sanjay Gupta, appointed on June 17, 2015, as the 11th Dean of MSU's Eli Broad College of Business. The interview focused on Sanjay’s interest in seeking out the deanship position and the Broad College of Business’ goals.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. Sanjay Gupta, Dean of the Broad College, is a regular on the gBB show, and periodically comes on to update the community and constituency groups about the Broad College’s activities.

With the Trans-Pacific Partnership back in the headlines, take a look back at Tomas's previous interview with Stefan Selig before negotiations had been completed. Tomas speaks with Stefan Selig, Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration to discuss Open for Business Agenda, The National Export Initiative NEXT, and expansion of Select USA.

Tomas speaks with Sten Sjoberg, chief operating officer of Demmer Corporation based in Lansing, MI; they discuss target countries for international trade and exporting for small businesses in Michigan.

Tomas Hult speaks with Stephanie Wang, Assistant Professor of International Business and Strategy, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, and a native of China.

Tomas Hult talks with Stephen Hsu, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, at Michigan State University. They discuss Michigan State University’s Global Impact Initiative and what this worthwhile and important initiative entails.

Tomas Hult speaks with Sunil Mithas, Professor of Operations and Information Technologies, at the Robert Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and a native of India.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on Sweden and a dialogue with Sten Sjoberg about the uniqueness, in many respects, of Sweden as a country, society, and economically solid part of the world. Interestingly, Sweden has come up regularly in the election cycle of the USA.

Tomas Hult speaks with Terry Kalley, Chair, East Michigan District Export Council (DEC). They discuss the role of District Export Councils in the country and Michigan in particular, the DECs affiliation with the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the international trade outlook for Michigan companies.

Tomas Hult speaks with Terry Terry, President of MessageMakers. They discuss MessageMakers’ core slogan of "experiences that transform" and what it means, and why there is an emphasize on experiences. Plus, Terry Terry tackles what he learned as an entrepreneur that's become part of his business philosophy, and what Michigan companies can take and use from his understanding of brand and experience design.

Tomas Hult speaks with Terry Terry, CEO and Founder of MessageMakers, headquartered in Old Town (Lansing), Michigan. Old Town Lansing has become one of Terry’s rejuvenation projects, with lots of new businesses and infrastructure now compared with just a decade ago.

Terry Terry has been on the show several times, and this segment tackles the current scope of MessageMakers; Terry’s experiences internationally; and global plans for MessageMakers as a competitive company worldwide.

Tomas Hult talks with Jagdish Sheth, who is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, at Emory University Goizueta Business School, and Founder together with his wife Madhu, of the Sheth Foundation.

The Sheth Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to develop and recognize scholars and scholarship in marketing globally and further the development of marketing thought. The discussion involves Dr. Sheth’s thinking behind starting the Sheth Foundation, the impact that the Sheth Foundation has and can have, and using the Sheth Foundation in a very positive sense as “academic activism” that can motivate others to philanthropically give back more to academe.

Tomas speaks with Tim Daman, president and CEO of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce; they discuss the organization's goals and purpose as well as the investment and growth in the region.

Tomas speaks with Tim Daman, CEO and president of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce; they discuss the Lansing Chamber’s plans for 2015, the FOCUS magazine and how it serves the region, and trends in the marketplace for Michigan companies.

Tomas Hult speaks Tom Robinson, President and CEO, AACSB – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Tom tells us about AACSB and what the organization does. Topics covered also include the world and AACSB becoming more global – both as a marketplace and in terms of business education at the university level. Tom Robinson shares his current thinking in this regard as well as new trends that he sees in global business education.

Tomas Hult speaks with Tunga Kiyak, Managing Director of theAcademy of International Business. The interview focused on CORE™ - a Diagnostic Tool created by the International Business Center, at Michigan State University, to assess “organizational readiness” and “product readiness” in an export scenario. CORE™ is a self-assessment tool that will allow you to determine your company's readiness to expand its operations internationally, and ascertain its ability to export a particular product.

Tomas Hult speaks with Tunga Kiyak, Managing Director of theAcademy of International Business (AIB). Tomas and Tunga have worked together as Executive Director and Managing Director, respectively, of the Academy of International Business since January 2004.

This segment is an overview of AIB as well as an inventory of current AIB activities. The dialogue focused on why AIB is the top academic organization in international business worldwide and what is unique about it. They also engage on topics such as AIB’s world-leading journal, titled Journal of International Business Studies, and the next annual AIB conference is in New Orleans in June 2016.

Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Syria and Iraq to the south; Iran, Armenia, and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; Georgia to the northeast; Bulgaria to the northwest; and Greece to the west. Just reading the set of eight countries bordering Turkey brings a Middle East focus to the storyline and, currently, a large Syrian refugee flow into the country (and, in many cases, onward to European countries).

Repeat guest and UK native, Charles W. L. Hill, talks with theglobalEDGE Business Beat Host, Tomas Hult, about the upcoming June 23, 2016 referendum in the United Kingdom about UK staying or leaving the European Union.

Tomas Hult speaks with V. Kumar, Professor and Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Brand and Customer Management, at the Georgia State University, and a native of India.

Tomas Hult speaks with V. Kumar. He is the Regents Professor, Richard and Susan Lenny Distinguished Chair Professor in Marketing, and Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Brand and Customer Management. Dr. Kumar is also the Editor of the Journal of Marketing, the flagship academic journal in marketing in the world. They discuss what type of activities they engage in at the Center for Excellence in Brand and Customer Management as well as cutting edge topics in the field of marketing.

Here you will find a commentary in Fortune, by Tomas Hult, professor of international business at Michigan State University.

The Reserve Bank of India, European Central Bank and People’s Bank of China — which boasts the world’s largest stash of foreign currency — are all growing more influential.

In an article published in World Economic Forum, and written by Tomas Hult, Byington Endowed Chair, Director of the International Business Center in the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, and one of the world’s leading authorities on international business, international marketing, strategic management, global supply chains, and complex multinational corporations, Dr. Hult writes about why the U.S. should not worry about China's currency.

News that the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, changed its formula for calculating the reference rate of the yuan (RMB) prompted the currency to fall to a four-year low.

Essentially, the People’s Bank of China is now calculating the reference rate on a daily basis and incorporating market forces. Some financial experts argue that allowing market forces to help determine the value of the yuan is logical, while others assert that China is merely trying to boost its own exporters – at the expense of foreign companies – by making their products relatively cheaper in the global marketplace.

Many in the US are concerned that our businesses will be hurt, with some accusing China of currency manipulation.

The truth is, however, the value of the yuan doesn’t matter that much: China’s swelling middle class and its insatiable demand for foreign (and US) products and services will easily offset the impact from a cheaper yuan. For now, anyway.

For the full article, click here.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on the Greater Lansing community and its globalization of infrastructure, products, services, and people in the last decade. Sheri Jones, Anchor and Reporter for WLNS-TV Channel 6, a CBS affiliate in the Central Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and Tomas Hult dialogue about Lansing from Sheri’s vantage point as a person always in the know about local news, trends, and people.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on incentivizing participation in voluntary green programs. Michael Giebelhausen, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Cornell University, is the expert guest. Recent research by Tomas and Michael shows that incentivizing participation in voluntary green programs has both logical and not so obvious implications. Michael elaborates on what is meant by “adjusting the warm-glow thermostat” and why companies are becoming “greener” in their strategic thinking.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on Created-to-C (www.createdtoc.com), a new company founded by John and Joni Sztykiel and located in Old Town, Lansing, Michigan. John Sztykiel is the guest on the show. He is former CEO of Spartan Motors. Created-to-C is a unique and important “incubator-type” company in Michigan focused on to helping, creating, and incubating ideas from various people and companies along the innovation path to success.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on customer satisfaction as viewed by both company managers and its customers. Forrest Morgeson, Director of Research of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (theacsi.org) is the guest. Recent research by Tomas and Forrest shows that managers may not know what their customers think and or why. Forrest elaborates on the core takeaways from this research, and why companies need to care and need to do much better in understanding their customers.

Hosted by Tomas Hult, this interview segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat focuses on Vector Marketing Corporation and their leading product Cutco knifes. Cutco is the largest manufacturer of kitchen cutlery in North America, and Vector Marketing is the primary seller of Cutco knifes. The guest is Helen Brown, Academic Outreach Manager of Vector Marketing. Helen and Tomas discuss Vector Marketing Corporation and what they do. They also talk about student employment at Vector Marketing and how a student can get involved.