VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

The past 25 years have been an era of globalization, with countries becoming more connected as geographic, economic and social barriers of a bygone era are removed. With these power shifts taking place, the 21st annual Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business International Business Forum asks, What about North America? What should be on its competitive agenda? 

 “North America's Competitive Agenda: Why and How the U.S., Canada and Mexico Should Enhance Their Alliance to Meet the Asian and European Challenges of the 21st Century,” sponsored by Universal Corp. and hosted by the VCU School of Business’ Center for International Business Advancement, takes place Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the University Student Commons Ballrooms, 907 Floyd Ave. A reception will follow in the School of Business Atrium, 301 W. Main St.  

To view a live-streaming video of the symposium, visit http://business.vcu.edu/departments-and-centers/center-for-international-business-advancement/annual-international-business-forum/21st-international-business-forum/.

Van Wood, Ph.D., professor of marketing and Philip Morris Chair of International Business in the VCU School of Business, will moderate the panel, which will feature representatives from each country in North America.

“While these three countries have made significant progress in their quest to be a free trade area, there is significant opportunity to do more to strengthen the North American alliance, and to present a more coherent, meaningful and influential force in the shifting global landscape,” Wood said. “Our panel members bring a great wealth of experience and, I believe, insight into the many issues that will shape our economic, political and cultural landscape throughout the remainder of the 21st century.”

The panelists are Gilles Gauthier, minister for economic affairs at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.; Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, an international strategic consultant and former Mexican ambassador to the U.S.; and Brandon Price, Ph.D., president and co-founder of Biogenen and the Ben J. Rogers Chair — Entrepreneur in Residence, at Lamar University in Texas.

The VCU School of Business established the International Business Forum in 1994 to raise awareness among students, faculty and the business community of the global nature of commerce and how it links to events both at home and abroad.