Current Research


For the past 25 years, FG has been researching and writing about global strategy, business and international finance. His publications have been cited numerous times — placing him among the top researchers in the field of international strategic management.

Areas of Expertise

  • Global Corporate Strategy and Implementation
  • International Finance and Banking
  • U.S. Immigration
  • Global Economic Assessment
  • e-Business

Global Tectonics

FG’s current research is focused on “Global Tectonics,” the 12 global trends that are revolutionizing the business environment and reshaping every facet of society. Shifts in populations, the rise of IT, and economic integration are just several of the 12 forces imperceptibly at work reshaping the business world of tomorrow. Business executives across all sectors and all sizes, from the Mom and Pops to the IBMs, need to understand how these trends impact their business and how to apply them to their company’s strategic vision in order to prepare for the future business environment. In a style easily understood by top executives or students interested in the study of global business, the 12 comprehensive major trends that will affect future global business are discussed in this thought-provoking booklet. In collaboration with Erik Peterson, Vice President of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, FG has been researching Global Tectonics for several years. The Global Tectonics CD was released in 2004, and the booklet published shortly after.

Clusters

Expounded upon largely for the updating of Global Tectonics, FG and his team also actively engage in research related to the projected emergence of clusters in the biotechnology, information technology, nanotechnology and robotics fields. Based on their research, they forecast that sometime soon, people in these fields will converge in one location, rapidly propelling advancements in science, technology and more. Though it cannot be discerned exactly where these clusters will arise, FG and his team have been able to pinpoint countries that are well suited to host these future clusters. They have also been able to determine what factors historically have led to a cluster’s emergence. Research in this area has also focused on what the development of these clusters could mean for business leaders and the future economic prosperity of the world’s countries.

Immigration

FG’s most recent research has chiefly focused on the significance of immigration and policies related to it in the United States. The results of this research, spanning over a two-year time period, have culminated in a book entitled Becoming American: Immigration’s Policies, People, and Promises. The manuscript — expected to release in February of 2014 — not only tells FG’s own story, but it also explores the personal narratives of many other successful immigrants. With this unique method and statistical backing, FG argues that the future prosperity of the United States will be largely determined by how its people approach the immigration issue.

Market Concentration

FG conducted a study on market concentration in several industries (1950 – present) and has published his findings as the lead article in the Harvard Business Review (July-August 2000), entitled “The Dubious Logic of MegaMergers.” In addition to continuing this market concentration study of several industries on a global basis, FG’s focus is now on the regional markets to discover if there is regional concentration of industries. This year he is focusing on four regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, and has compiled data on four industries: oil production; oil refining; aluminum; and automobiles.

For details about the center’s research process please visit the Center for Global Business Studies (CGBS).