Imagine the people. First there are the ones referred to as yellow though I must remind you that it was the original white (arguably pink under the sun) colonizers, who gave them this label. Until we Asians change it, it remains. Yellow and slant-eyed, the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese — in alphabetical order — represent a sector that is very confidently progressive, rich getting richer by the minute, coming from everywhere in the world. In other words, they are global. Where the money is, you will without a doubt find yellow power holding the reins.
Then there are the browns, all shades. There are the Indians from India; once it was lagging behind, now it is scoring globally. Then there are the Thais and Indonesians. There are the Muslims, made up of mostly brown too. They all score successes in the new emergent Asia. The possible exception is the Filipino, who once upon a time used to almost lead the pack, but who has somehow managed to fall behind. Today, the Filipinos simply watch, looking for opportunities for leadership, make plans, and wish for the day to come when they can once more join the battle for leadership and possibly win. I hear of local universities opening campuses in Vietnam, in Indonesia, everywhere in The New Asia. I smile broadly when I hear those stories thinking: There is a point of hope.
I understand too that there is a session that will discuss Islamic perspectives on management and business, a session I find extremely interesting because it begins to build a bridge between cultural and religious differences, which, believe it or not, have much influence on business decisions.
So we see it emerging from the waters, a changed Asia, a New Asia. But what is it really like now and how do you do business with it? I am Filipino. What if I wanted to do business with India? How do I know their culture? How do they know mine? Knowing each other’s culture, how do we alter doing business well with each other? This alteration of culture is serious. I remember sometime in the ’90s being invited to speak about Global Branding at an association of financial executives. Then there were banks that were opening branches where the Filipino population of overseas contract workers was thick. The banks offered their services to these workers so they could be used for remitting dollars here. I said those were overseas branches but not global brands. They were overseas but they served only Filipinos. Global brands serve primarily the local residents. Coca-Cola, a company where I used to work, was the lead example of a global brand.
Today, 10 years later, we have many companies who are seeking positions as global brands. Jollibee is one of them. San Miguel Corporation and Unilab are also on their way. There are many companies who are seeking their paths in the New Asia, but what about the Filipino entrepreneurs who want to know more?
I suggest you go to the Asian Business Conference being hosted by the Asian Institute of Management on March 1 and 2. It is entitled New AIM for New Asia: Unlocking New Opportunities. Of course it is open to the graduates of AIM, but more importantly, it is open to everyone else. So, if you have an entrepreneurship venture big or small, and you are curious about what the New Asia is about and how you can get in there and play, if you should want to try, I think you should sign up for this New Asia conference. It all begins with networking. What better place to begin your network than at a conference?
It is the beginning of the year and for many business is slow. Things are slack around the office. Maybe you can find the time to enroll at this conference and go see for yourself what and how things might work out for you. I just signed up, which explains why I am so keen on it. I am checking this out to seek opportunities in teaching English to businesses in the New Asia. I am just a little bit afraid that I just might explode from the opportunities seen.
If you want more information, go visit www.aimforasia.com. That’s the web page where you will get the list of speakers. Until then, envision it emerging from the sparkling sea, a cluster of islands brilliantly green bathed in the golden shimmer of money. It is called The New Asia.