We are facing the toughest economy in FedEx history. Even with the challenge of this current economic environment, FedEx remains committed to making smart, strategic international investments that benefit our customers, employees and shareholders. International trade is increasingly important to FedEx and our customers, and FedEx Trade Networks is doing its part to strengthen our Company’s global services by expanding our global presence and international freight forwarding capabilities.
If you’re like me, you have a long shopping list this holiday season. But have you ever stopped to think where the products you purchase come from? Chances are, those flowers you ordered online came from flower farms in Latin America. The hand-crafted bracelet you bought in a department store could have come from Bali or even India.
This is not just a sign of the times. Over the past three centuries, the levels of access people have had to goods, services and even each other has risen dramatically.
The U.S. and India may be thousands of miles apart, but in many ways, we are getting a lot closer. One sign of growing U.S.-India ties is the introduction of direct flights that connect the two countries. It's a relatively new phenomenon and was definitely nice to get on the Boeing 777 aircraft in New Delhi and get off in New York, albeit after 15 hours!From a business perspective, I also wanted to share some reflections from the conversations I had during my recent visit to India:
FedEx executive Bill Margaritis participated in a panel discussion "Ethical Globalization: An Exploration of Opportunities and Challenges" at last week's 16th annual Net Impact Conference at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The conference's theme this year was "The Sustainable Advantage: Creating Social and Environmental Value". Bill spoke about the topic of Access. The conference was attended by approximately 2,000 MBA students from accross the country and around the world.
"Be fearful, but don't panic". I always like short and simple conclusions that I can understand. These words were spoken by a prominent economist in India after a thoughtful two-hour discussion of the current economic meltdown and its implications in India. Some excerpts are below.
