To coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Global Network for Advanced Management in April 2017, Global Network Perspectives asked faculty across the 29 schools in the network: "What do you think the future of globalization looks like? How will this affect the economy in your country or region? How is your school preparing students for this world?" Read all of the responses. Also, in a session at the anniversary symposium, a panel of experts—including former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry—led a discussion of the future of globalization and its implications for business and management education. Watch the video.
Be a mountain or lean on one.
—Somali proverb
The African sun rises, and we awaken to face the challenges the new day brings with it. We know that the world is becoming smaller, not in size but through the increasing integration of economies of nations. This has far-reaching implications for the way we learn and the way we live our lives. Transcending our definition of communities bound by culture, bloodlines, language, social status, and borders, this vast new world requires that we eliminate the socially constructed boundaries in which we have felt secure for millions of years. The future is clear: either we turn with the tides, or the tides will turn against us.
Globalization—inevitable and irreversible—will determine how people and institutions participate in the world’s economy. The impact of this emerging global economy means that soon, Nigeria’s domestic policies will no longer be driven by purely internal forces. Accepting this trend, not fighting it, may be the best path toward expanding technological and scientific knowledge, growing the economy, and promoting cultural development in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
In 2017, the LBS research theme is “Solving Social and Institutional Business Problems in Africa.” We encourage our students to expand their understanding of the mantra “Think globally, act locally,” and embrace the challenge to “remove boundaries, think of Africa as a united front, solve Africa’s problems, and transmit the knowledge of our unique continent to the rest of the world.” This way, Africa will be united, progressive, and prosperous as we march forward in this new era.
If we cannot be a mountain, perhaps we can lean on one. Then, the African sun will truly kiss the Western mountains. One sun, one world.