Iona College, Hagan School of Business, Summer Symposium

Innovation, Technology and Globalization

A Panel Discussion

Saturday, June 20, 2009

11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Did You Know? Video on rapid global social changes driven by new technologies, researched and created by educators Karl Kisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Bronman.

Available, with commentary, on the Web2themag.com, Weekly Update for June 16, 2009.

http://web2themag.com/index_files/WeeklyUpdate090616.htm

Also available directly on YouTube.com at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY

The Failed Promise of Innovation in the U.S. by Michael Mandel, Business Week, June 3, 2009

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_24/b4135000953288_page_1.htm

"We live in an era of rapid innovation." I'm sure you've heard that phrase, or some variant, over and over again. The evidence appears to be all around us: Google (GOOG), Facebook, Twitter, smartphones, flat-screen televisions, the Internet itself.”

“But what if the conventional wisdom is wrong? What if outside of a few high-profile areas, the past decade has seen far too few commercial innovations that can transform lives and move the economy forward? What if, rather than being an era of rapid innovation, this has been an era of innovation interrupted? And if that's true, is there any reason to expect the next decade to be any better?”

THE TOPIC:

Competition in the global marketplace has spurred new ways of doing business that require collaboration within the supply chain, enabled and controlled by technology. New technology-supported business models enhance competition, dramatically reduce costs, provide superior customer support and enable rapid response to dynamic global markets.

Cloud computing may be the ultimate form of globalization. IBM has stepped up to the challenge with initiatives that will help reduce enterprise computing costs dramatically while enhancing collaboration. Cloud computing, mashups, and SOA are strategic business enablers as well as technologies. Dion Hinchcliffe, ZDNET.COM blogger, predicts that “smart companies who compete in the global marketplace will partner with the marketplace over the network with customer communities, cloud sourcing, and crowdsourcing to find new opportunities for low cost growth while doing more with less.”

U.S. companies are also leveraging Web 2.0 tools internally to foster employee engagement through collaboration and social networking. Wikis and blogs on internal sites encourage employees, with incentives, to be a part of solutions. Extending the corporate community globally to customers and vendors changes the entire culture of an organization and its market.

The mobile phone, perhaps matched only by the toothbrush in terms of its ubiquity, is the ultimate global device. With over 4 billion people today using one, the barriers for connectivity in all parts of the world have never been lower. The next challenge for the technology industry is to expand from phone calls to services of all kind, as the mobile devices themselves become location aware, multi-media computers. Nokia, as a world leader in mobile devices and the converging digital industry is investing heavily to bring new solutions to people around the world that combine devices with context aware services. As data proliferates and becomes a valuable business asset, complex issues of data access and ownership, ease of use and consumer trust become ever more important.

The role of US technology globally is a primary concern of the US Dept of Commerce, which has been active in pressing for the removal of legal and regulatory barriers to technology deployment outside the US and to promote workable international agreements that sustain U.S. technology development. Complex issues hamper progress in this area, including, and most especially, those of security.

Mondial Trade Compliance Services & Solutions Inc. helps companies wade through the maze of trade laws and regulations. The challenge, as highlighted on the Mondial web site is “keeping the most sensitive goods out of the most dangerous hands” without negatively impacting global trade and competition.

Global companies are using online and Web 2.0 technologies to build a more efficient supply chain as well as enabling them to adjust more quickly to changing market dynamics. Can these technologies, which emphasize online collaboration, networking, and user-created content, also help ensure compliance with the myriad country-specific security and trade regulations? What are the inhibitors? What are the risks?

THE PANEL:

A panel of experts will help attendees understand the new technologies in terms of enabling new and expanding business models as well as the global trade compliance issues that impact a technology-driven global economy. The panel will:

• explain the important new technologies and their significance;
• discuss how collaborative technologies are changing the way in which U.S. businesses compete globally;
• outline how new technologies can sustain low cost growth;
• identify challenges and barriers to successful global technology deployment;
• explore complex issues surrounding trade compliance and technology;
• identify key steps needed to enable companies to successfully leverage U.S. innovation and invention for increased world market share.

THE PANELISTS:

Dr. Hagen Wenzek, Senior Strategist, IBM Corporate Strategy.

Mitchell Weinberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mondial Trade Compliance Services & Solutions Inc.

Stephen Johnston, Senior Manager, Business Development, Nokia Services, Nokia Inc.

Moderator: Barbara E. McMullen, Iona College.

Dr. Hagen Wenzek

Senior Strategist

IBM Corporate Strategy

Hagen Wenzek is a Senior Strategist in IBM's Corporate Strategy department. He manages the development of major corporate growth strategies of IBM on a global basis. In his role Hagen oversees the creation of new business designs, value propositions, and market insight. He develops the strategic guidance to the corporation that enables IBM, its clients and partners to respond successfully to global challenges. His current priority is to develop IBM’s cloud computing strategy and execution planning as well as actively participate in business development of cloud computing opportunities. Furthermore, as the liaison between senior management in EMEA and Corporate Strategy, Dr. Wenzek is part of the team of the Chairman IBM Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA).

Previously at IBM Corporate Strategy Hagen Wenzek quantified IBM’s energy & environment strategy, worked on services science, healthcare, emerging markets, and the impact of globalization.

Hagen Wenzek supports the development of thought leadership material for IBM through books, articles and whitepapers, has speaking engagements at conferences and renowned universities such as Columbia, MIT or ETH Zurich, looks after master theses and other research topics on business strategy, organizational change and technological influence on business ecosystems.

Hagen earned a Doctoral degree for Electrical Engineering at the University of Hagen, Germany, and an Masters degree at the University of Aachen, Germany. He is fluent in German and English, an active triathlete and lives in Tarrytown, New York.

He can be reached at +1-914-499-5024 (work) or hwenzek@us.ibm.com.

Mitchell Weinberg

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mondial Trade Compliance Services & Solutions Inc. (USA and Canada), Pte Ltd (Singapore), Shanghai Co., Ltd. (People’s Republic of China) and Limited (United Kingdom)

Mitchell Weinberg is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer Mondial Trade Compliance Services and Solutions Inc. Mitchell is a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Law and Sociology and the McGill University School of Law in Montreal, Canada where he obtained his Common Law (LL.B) and Civil Law (B.C.L.) degrees in 1991. During his tenure at McGill, Mitchell worked in the Legal Services Department of the Canadian National Transportation Agency where he provided legal advice on matters involving air, ocean and rail transportation law. Mitchell began his career as a lawyer at Ontario Hydro in Toronto, Canada where he served as both litigation and corporate counsel to the largest public utility in North America. Seeking new challenges, Mitchell resigned from Ontario Hydro in 1998 to join Future Electronics in Montreal, Canada, the world’s third largest distributor of electronic components. Within a year of joining Future Electronics, Mitchell was promoted to the position of Vice-President and General Counsel, where he was responsible for overseeing, Future’s global trade compliance, legal, human resources and corporate security functions.

As head of the trade compliance group at Future Electronics, Mitchell was responsible for Future Electronics’ global trade compliance program and regional compliance teams in Canada, the United States, Asia and Europe. During this time he built a global Trade Compliance program that exceeded best practice standards and that was recognized as the ‘gold standard’ by many customs and government officials worldwide. He oversaw a team of 38 compliance professionals as well as all aspects of the trade compliance function. Mitchell interfaced regularly with his colleagues on the executive management team at Future Electronics to promote and ensure corporate trade compliance. Mitchell was also the primary contact for Future Electronics for government regulators and was frequently consulted by various government officials for assistance in trade compliance investigations. Mitchell is well versed on all types of trade compliance related matters. Mitchell is also fluent in English and French.

Mitchell has had dealings with all types of import and export-related matters, including audits, investigations, prior and voluntary disclosures of violations, export licensing of military and "dual use" products and technology, the classification and valuation of merchandise, marking and country of origin issues, free trade agreements, foreign trade zones, drawback and other duty savings mechanisms.

Mitchell resigned from Future Electronics in February of 2007 to found Mondial Trade Compliance Services and Solutions. With worldwide headquarters in New York City, New York, Mondial is a global trade and trade compliance consulting firm with offices throughout North, South and Central America, Europe and Asia. Mondial is comprised of a network of trade consultants representing over 20 countries around the world. Mondial assists its clients with all aspects of trade, regardless of location.

Stephen Johnston

Senior Manager, Business Development

Nokia Services, Nokia Inc.

Stephen is a Senior Manager in Nokia’s new Services unit, working on Internet business development and consumer services.

He joined Nokia in 2003 to work on identifying future global trends that impact Nokia’s business strategy. Since then he’s focused on developing Nokia’s Internet and social media strategy, the impact of Web2.0 and developing disruptive business models internally and via partnerships and M&A.

Stephen received an Innovation Award in 2005 for creating the Nokia Podcasting application which is now shipped with most Nokia phones, and has long been an advocate internally and in the media for the use of distributed social media such as blogs and wikis to improve teamwork and enhance innovation.

In 2006 he founded and led “Nokia2.0” – a cross-company, bottom-up Internet innovation initiative that helped bring about change in mindset, processes and business models to facilitate Nokia’s ongoing strategic transition to being an Internet services company.

Before Nokia, Stephen worked in Brussels for the Trade Directorate of the European Commission and then on trade and ecommerce policy for Daimler, Suez, Siebel and Bertelsmann. He has an MA in Economics from Cambridge University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He lives with his wife in New York, enjoys sailing and triathlons, and blogs at http://3dpeople.blogspot.com