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iQuestions Faculty, Pat Gelsinger 
 
 
Question: 
 
What are key trends in business that need to be considered for future 
success? 
 
Answer:  
 
Of the key trends in business today, I think by far the single most 
important one is globalization. 
 
You know, we think about the “flattening of the world,” as Thomas 
Friedman has called it in his book (The World is Flat), the effects of all 
of the global marketplaces is coming to the fore. You combine that 
with the internet, and it‟s just incredible. 
 
One of my favorite cartoons shows a picture of a dog sitting at a 
keyboard, and the caption says, “They don‟t know you‟re a dog on the 
„net.” It delivered in a very powerful way to me the fact that you can‟t 
tell if they‟re next door or across the planet. All of sudden, you‟re 
seeing skilled workforce emerging in China, India, South America—and 
these are both customers as well as competitors. 
 
The single most challenging thing for business today is to determine 
how to take advantage of globalization. How can you utilize those 
resources that might be in a foreign country and ready to do a job for 
far less? How can you reach those as new customers for tomorrow? 
How can you both present yourself and your products in those areas, 
as well as being able to take advantage of the new supply and supply-
chain that might be emerging to you in those areas.  
 
 
 
Globalization: probably the greatest opportunity, as well as the single 
greatest challenge for businesses today. 
Gelsinger -2- 
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