Open Letter to Global CEO's: I am a Global Citizen
Last night on public radio, I heard an analyst talking about a trend in American companies rebranding themselves as "global" companies. As an indicator of this shift, the CEO's of these companies have altered their rhetoric to include statements like:
"I'm the CEO of a global company."
"We're not outsourcing jobs, we're bringing work to the places that can do it more efficiently."
"We're doing business where we can get the best environment in which to do business."
The last one was expanded more to include business taxation, regulation and . . . intellectual property laws.
It's that last bit that is causing me to write this post. Mr. Global CEO, listen up. You can't have it both ways.
See, while you are busily working hard to become a "global" company, the non-corporate entities in the world have been quietly working to become global citizens. They have easy access to labor pools, manufacturing and the ability to route data of any sort all over the planet.
When you complain that your global music business is hurt by internet users downloading music for $0.02 per album from Russia, those global citizens are just getting their music from an environment that's willing to provide the resource more efficiently.
When you complain that your global movie business is hurt when Americans buy the DVD for $1 on the streets of Shanghai instead of $29.95 in their local Sam Goody, these global citizens see it as just bringing global business to the place providing more efficient delivery of the product.
When you rush to move your manufacturing from country to country chasing the cheapest prices, the global citizens are looking to buy the same stuff directly from the wholesaler in China you bought it from, without the 70% markup.
When you push the American Congress to loosen the laws against bribery and other activities that are illegal under American law so you can do those things in other countries where "that's how things are done", these global citizens are using the internet to route traffic offshore, to cover their tracks when "stealing" your intellectual property, to anonymously blog about internal corruption within your organization and otherwise skirt the rules you want enforced in the United States.
In short, mr. global ceo, while you are busy getting all excited about how globalization and technology can revolutionize how you do business, just remember that you aren't the only one who has access to it. You've given up the protections of several hundred years of protective legislation in the United States. You've given up control of how your products and services are used in the interest of being global. And, your customers, your employees, your offshore contract drones have all started making the shift to Global Citizens as well.
Are you ready?
