Our Global Strategy Management professor gave us the most inspirational lecture to conclude is inspirational course.

“The successful companies are the ones that manage to achieve profitable and sustainable growth – however, the most admired companies, the ones that will go down well in history are the ones that are also the most ethical and that have had a positive impact on their ecosystem and society at large.”

“It is not necessary for all companies to go global to be successful. It is necessary for all companies to think global. A few years ago, Philips and Thomson did not count with a Samsung, the computing industry with an Acer, Dell with a Legend – or Zara with a Giordano. Ford did not expect Toyota to emerge, nor Lafarge Cemex.”

“There was an experiment done a few years ago – people put in vitro communism, socialism and capitalism. The experience is over and a mix of capitalism and capitalist socialism has won. However, has it really? Is it a victory to have 40 million people without medical coverage in the US? In that respect, with their slow and backward looking attitude, the French might be rendering the greatest service to humanity, as it pulls it back a little as, to me, the biggest question is: To Grow, yes, but how FAST?
We cannot make unlimited uncontrolled use of public goods, we cannot use up our oil reserves, without planning for replacement, we cannot burn down the Amazon forest, we cannot build cities and deplete the land from its natural rejuvenation mechanism, we cannot produce more carbon dioxide than nature can absorb, we cannot make more babies than there are daycare facilities, etc…”

“My recommendation to you is to take a stand – choose your values and represent them well in your communities. Do not hurry and weigh carefully the consequences of your action. Be what you say you are and the world will admire you.”