I was recently interviewed for a University of Hawaii publication on international education. Here's what I said:
Q. You’ve been an
advocate for international education at University of Hawai‘i. What prompted your interest?
A. It’s no secret
that “the world is flat.” The world has
never been so connected … by technology, communications, and commerce. Success in the future is going to belong to
those who understand this and are able to work in a multi-national environment. If you look at large corporations, they’re
all multi-national and more and more of their revenues are coming from areas
outside of their headquarters base. If
you look at research and development, you’re seeing more innovation and new
patents coming from emerging economies rather than just the highly industrialized
nations.
Q. What kind of
background does it take to succeed in this “flat world?”
A. First of all, it
requires an open mind and a willingness to look beyond your comfort level. In that sense, I would say that curiosity
about the big, wide world is something I would look for when hiring someone in
this day and age. An educational
background in international subjects, knowledge of several languages, and
travel abroad all are indicators of that mindset and all of those things help
promote that curiosity about the big, wide world.
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| A Meeting with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority |
Beyond that, there are certain skills that can provide the
basis for success in the global
A background in the social sciences is a great foundation for
understanding different cultures. A
background in international business provides an understanding of how business
is conducted in different parts of the world.
Language skills, of course, are always useful.
community.
Understanding different cultures and being able to adapt
products, programs and ideas to fit into them is often a critical skill. When I worked for a Pizza Hut franchisee that
was developing Pizza Hut restaurants in Taiwan, the company started by trying
to sell pizza the way that worked in the U.S.:
a great tasting product with an Italian heritage. In Taiwan, though, there is little
appreciation for an Italian heritage.
After struggling with the introduction of Pizza Hut for a while, the
company finally made some changes. They
changed the toppings on the pizza to include options like squid. And they changed the message to be more
culturally appropriate. The message was
all about sharing food with friends, which is a natural part of the pizza
experience, rather than focusing on the pizza itself. After those changes, sales really
blossomed.
Q. What about
language?
As I said, being able to speak multiple languages is often a
key to success in the global marketplace.
English has been the standard, but more and more people are studying
Mandarin to be able to operate in an era when China is becoming such an
important player on the world stage.
There’s an old joke that goes like this: If you speak three languages, you’re
tri-lingual. If you speak two languages,
you’re bi-lingual. If you speak one
language, you’re American. That has to
change.
Even if you’re not fluent, having some basic language skills
demonstrates that you care enough about other cultures to at least try to
communicate with them in their language.
Q. What are the
possibilities for Hawai‘i in terms of tapping into global opportunities?
For one thing, Hawai‘i has the University of Hawai‘i and its
system of colleges. Given our diverse
culture in Hawai‘i and the highly regarded international programs at the
University of Hawai‘i, we should naturally be a magnet for international education.
And, of course, Hawai‘i has a well-respected global brand in
tourism. Tourism is a trillion dollar
industry that is expected to continue to grow rapidly fueled by the revolutions
in technology, transportation and economic development. In addition to all of the economic benefits
of tourism, the industry naturally exposes people to different cultures and
ideas from around the world and, in that regard, it can really be an instrument
for global understanding.
Q. How can Hawai‘i become a better global
player?
A. Over the years, different people have
suggested that Hawai‘i is a natural center for global or multi-national
businesses, meetings and other activities but that hasn’t happened in a big
way. Part of the rationale for this
thinking in the past was that Hawai‘i’s geographic location would naturally
make it attractive as a global player.
Long range aircraft, telecommunications technology and the internet have
diminished that geographical advantage; however, there are some significant
advantages that Hawai‘i has now – or could further develop – that could make
Hawai‘i a significant global player.
One of these advantages is
international education. The University
of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i Pacific University already have a significant number of
international students and some extraordinary international programs. And, of course, there is the East-West
Center. Graduates from these programs
often return to their home countries with a familiarity about Hawai‘i, the
University and the multi-cultural society here that can make Hawai‘i
top-of-mind as a place open to global thinking.
Another advantage that is
still based on Hawai‘i’s geographic location is the ability to host
international meetings and events. As
more and more companies are becoming global, it no longer makes sense for sales
meetings, product rollouts, conferences and other events to be exclusively
scheduled on the US mainland. Holding
these events in Hawai‘i encourages better attendance from Asia and,
incidentally, highlights Hawai‘i as a place for international business. The enormous investment in time and resources
to host the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum was intended to
showcase Hawai‘i as a place where East and West can have a productive
meeting. We need to continue to take
advantage of the publicity and goodwill that came out of APEC.
And, of course, we should
lead from our strengths. Tourism is the
dominant industry in Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i is known the world over for its
tourism expertise. We can take advantage
of the power of the Hawai‘i tourism “brand” by exporting our expertise in
resort design, hospitality education, sustainable tourism practices and other consulting
services.
Q. How can UH compete to attract more
international students?
A. It isn’t difficult. It just requires making international
initiatives a priority. There are many
opportunities to recruit international students through enrollment fairs and
other activities abroad. There are also
other marketing activities including advertising, social media, and specialized
websites that can be developed. It just
takes time, effort and money.
Another approach is to work
cooperatively with the state Department of Economic Development and Tourism
(DBEDT) and other colleges and universities in Hawai‘i to develop a marketing
campaign promoting the state as a great place for international education. The individual colleges, then, would benefit
from the interest in the Hawai‘i brand and promote their own institutions more
effectively. DBEDT has done this on a
limited basis in the past and understands the economic impact that
international students contribute to the state.
I recently had the occasion to visit the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory (and birthplace) in Vermont. Ben & Jerry's is known for the eccentricities of the founders. It's been called a "hippie" company ... but more importantly it has a longstanding reputation as a company with a core set of sustainable values that include social responsibility. 
Touring the facility, those values were definitely part of the brand experience. The tour guides were well scripted in verbalizing the founders' values and the three missions were prominently displayed on the walls. The mission was exemplified by practices such as buying from local farmers, no GMO products and paying fair trade prices for their ingredients. I was especially impressed because Ben and Jerry no longer own the company. It was sold to Unilever years ago. 
