Penn State | Smeal | Center for Global Business Studies | CSIS

2010-2011 News and Media Coverage

2011

2/3/11	Voice of America	Fariborz Ghadar comments on the role of unemployment in the Middle East unrest. "The Middle East alone to keep their youth employed has to generate six, seven, eight million jobs," Ghadar says. "The mismanagement of the Iranian economy could in fact see a backlash of the Iranian population because their food prices are going up, too. Their inflation is going up, too." (Egypt Not Alone in Its Economic Problems).
2/11/11	The Hill's Congress Blog	Fariborz Ghadar writes about the economic challenges facing Iran and makes recommendations for U.S. policy toward the country. "The challenges facing Iran's economy remain the same as three decades ago: corruption, mismanagement of Iran's natural resources, lack of foreign investment, unemployment, brain drain, squeezing out the private sector, and, last but not least, putting ideology before national economic interests," Ghadar and a coauthor write. (Iran's Crisis amid Middle East Turmoil). This article also appeared on Iranian.com.
4/1/11	The Atlantic	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, writes an article about the effect of the Japanese nuclear disaster on Iran's nuclear energy ambitions. "While Japan's unfolding nuclear and humanitarian crisis resurrected longstanding fears in the West about the safety of nuclear power and the potential vulnerabilities of the world's over 400 operational nuclear power plants, among Iranians it seems to have inaugurated a long overdue debate," Ghadar and his coauthor write. (Will Fukushima Force Iran to Reconsider Nuclear Program). This article was excerpted on CNN.com
4/7/11	FOX News	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, appeared on "Special Report with Bret Baier" commenting on the unrest in the Middle East.
4/13/11	Reuters	Fariborz Ghadar comments on U.S.-Qatari relations. "Qatar has played more of an even-handed role in the region from the perspective of the regional players," says Ghadar. "They have a close relationship with Iran. They mutually share in the huge gas field that lies across both of their territories. Qatar has a very good relationship with the UAE and Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. So it's playing more of an intermediary where they all come and talk to each other." (Analysis: Visit Highlights Qatar's Growing Role as U.S. Ally). This article also appeared in Malaysia's Star.
4/29/11	Voice of America	Fariborz Ghadar is interviewed regarding the U.S. debt ceiling. (Money in Motion).
5/6/11	Central Penn Business Journal	Fariborz Ghadar comments on how fuel prices affect the prices of other goods and services. "High prices won't last forever and will likely come down at the end of the summer as fewer people take to the roads for vacations, he said. Prices for other products and services, whether plastics, food or transportation, also will come down but more slowly, he said. Companies will proceed cautiously on pricing, waiting to see what competitors and suppliers do, he said." (Riding It Out).
5/11/11	Voice of America	Fariborz Ghadar was interviewed on VOA TV regarding his book Global Tectonics: What Every Business Needs to Know.
5/11/11	MSN.com	Fariborz Ghadar comments on Donald Trump's suggestion that the United States place a 25 percent import tax on goods from China. "Everything China sells us will be 25 percent more expensive," Ghadar says. "It's just mind-boggling." (Could President Trump Fix America?).
8/30/11	Women's Wear Daily	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on consumer confidence. "The bulk of the population is a little bit nervous, and they're nervous because they're not quite sure what's going on and you can sort of appreciate that," says Ghadar. (Consumer Confidence Fall Highlights Uncertainty).
10/11/11	Pittsburg Post - Gazette	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on the role of education in unemployment. "The problem is only 6 percent of our student body wants to get an engineering degree. That number is 15 percent in Germany and over 20 percent in India and China," Ghadar says. (Obama and Jobs Council Will Visit Here).

2010

1/4/10	Women's Wear Daily	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on the government spending to prop up the economy. "They've spent so much money and there's so much liquidity out there," Ghadar says. "I think we've turned the corner, but it's just painful digging out of the hole that we've dug ourselves into." (Gauging Retail Shares: Challenging Year Ahead After a Buoyant 2009).
1/13/10	ComputerWorld	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on the Google-China standoff. "Dr. Fariborz Ghadar, director of Penn State's Center for Global Business Studies, said Google's message to China is 'enough is enough,' and the problems that China poses are not worth the damage to the brand." (Google's China Problem Unlikely to Deter Other Technology Companies). This article was reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle and in several other tech publications.
1/14/10	Voice of America	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on the Google-China standoff. "Google has to make a decision whether they want to basically deviate from their vision mission statement that they 'do no harm' and stay in China, or whether they have just had enough and they don't like the restrictions, and they don't like the cyber attacks, and they're going to move out so as to preserve their name and brand." (Google May Leave Fast-Growing China).
2/1/10	GateHouse News Service	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on future of an Illinois Cadbury plant after the Kraft takeover. "If this is Cadbury's only gum plant in the country, these guys are probably safe unless Kraft has a huge manufacturing site (with) much more capacity, or if they decide to get out of the gum business altogether," Ghadar says. (For Loves Park Cadbury Plant, Being an 'Only' Is Good).
2/3/10		Fariborz Ghadar appeared for: Hearing before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the Committee on Foreign Affairs- House of Representatives
2/8/10	Philadelphia Metro	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on the need for international experience in MBA programs. "Even if you're not doing business internationally, your competitors probably are," Ghadar says. (Go Global with Business).
2/12/10	Minnesota Public Radio	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, interviewed regarding U.S. Policy on Iran on the program "Midmorning."
2/15/10	Agence France-Presse	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on U.S. relations with Iran. "When you rely on the power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to remain in power, it is only a matter of time before the regime becomes a paramilitary dictatorship,it is about time we realize this," Ghadar says. (Clinton Meets Saudi King After Tough Talk on Iran). This article was reprinted by nearly two dozen newspapers and news Web sites.
2/15/10	The Associated Press	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on U.S. relations with Iran. "When you rely on the power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to remain in power it is only a matter of time before the regime becomes a paramilitary dictatorship, and it is about time we realize this," Ghadar says. (Clinton: Iran Is Becoming a Military Dictatorship). This article was reprinted by more than 80 newspapers and news Web sites.
2/16/10	Federal News Radio	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, is interviewed regarding U.S. relations with Iran. (The Federal Drive).
2/16/10	Bloomberg News	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on U.S. relations with Iran. "Two-thirds of Ahmadinejad's 21-man original cabinet are members of the Revolutionary Guard, said Fariborz Ghadar ... The regime relies on the Guards' 'brute force' to crack down on protesters and 'is beholden' to them 'for its survival,' he said in an e-mail. It's 'only a matter of time before the regime becomes a paramilitary dictatorship.'" (Clinton Says Iran Moving to 'Military Dictatorship').
2/17/10	Voice of America	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, is interviewed regarding the economies of China and India. (Money in Motion).
2/23/10	VOANews.com	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on the economics of the Olympics. "In the Olympics, you have the costs of actually running the operation, and then you have the costs of building the infrastructure to house it. Generally, both of them are underestimated," Ghadar says. "And on the benefit side, they (host cities) always seem to exaggerate the benefit. In Vancouver they think they're going to make $9 billion, but in reality they will be very lucky if they even make $1 billion." (Big Sports - Big Cost).
2/25/10	The Star (Jordan)	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on U.S. relations with Iran. "When you rely on the power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to remain in power it is only a matter of time before the regime becomes a paramilitary dictatorship, and it is about time we realize this," Ghadar says. (The Islamic Republic Invites the United States to a Mad Tea Party). This article also appeared in Lebanon's Daily Star.
3/12/10	Central Penn Business Journal	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, is cited regarding the U.S. trade deficit. "Every $1 billion in lost U.S. exports is equivalent to 10,000 jobs, said Fariborz Ghadar." (Manufacturers Join Call to End Chinese Currency Manipulation).
4/7/10	Garten Rothkopf	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on "The Struggle over Sanctions on Iranian Oil and Gas"
3/30/10	The Philadelphia Inquirer	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on the experiences of first-generation Asian students in American schools. "First-generation Asian kids really, really work hard, there's no other way to say it," says Ghadar. "Their SAT scores are good, their grades are good. And there is backlash by American kids who see these guys as major competitors in the classroom." (Asians Find Phila. Schools an Unexpected Experience).
5/5/10	The Christian Science Monitor	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on urbanization. "Some companies look at this as a huge opportunity," Ghadar says. "We're going to build roads, we're going to build buildings, and [tech companies] love this because you can put the Internet in concentrated cities much more efficiently." (Megacities of the World: A Glimpse of How We'll Live Tomorrow). This article also appeared more than a dozen Web sites, including ABCNews.com, and in newspapers, including the South China Morning Post.
5/21/10	Women's Wear Daily	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on consumer behavior. "They get spooked when the stock market goes down by 300 points and there's an oil spill," says Ghadar. "If you continually get bad news, then the consumer finally gets a little freaked." (Economic Fears Send Stocks Down Thursday).
5/28/10	MarketWatch	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on the weakening euro. "The weaker euro will help the European manufacturers by making their products inexpensive," says Ghadar. "Globally, it makes the Europeans more competitive, even compared to Chinese manufacturers, and it hurts those on the outside like Japan and the U.S." (Weak Euro Raises Currency Bar for U.S. Exporters).
6/7/10	Best's Insurance News	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on AIG's attempted sale of AIA Group. "Everybody in the stock market is gun shy right now. A little thing happens, over here, over there, and they get spooked. The situation in Korea, a flotilla in the Mediterranean ... and the stock market goes up and down like crazy," Ghadar says. "If there was a stable market, it wouldn't be a problem. I don't think there's another buyer around." (Plan B: AIG Is Exploring Other Options After AIA Sale Crumbles). This article also appeared on TradingMarkets.com
6/25/10	CongressDaily/A.M.	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business studies, comments on the Toronto G-20 summit in light of the previous summit in Pittsburgh. "There was much more consensus than there is this time," says Ghadar. (Obama, Europeans Expected to Clash at G-20 Summit).
9/3/10	Financial Times	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, comments on legislation targeting China for its currency valuation. "The bill itself would only be symbolic since it would urge the Obama administration to do something that it doesn't want, or have, to do," Ghadar says. "But it would lead to a real decline in relations with China." (Renminbi Dispute Looks Set to Haunt Sino-U.S. Economic Talks).
12/10/10	Pittsburgh Post-Gazette	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, is mentioned regarding fuel prices. "The increases are not typical for the first week of December. On the contrary, gasoline prices usually fall in winter, said Fariborz Ghadar, director of Penn State University's Center for Global Studies. There are two major reasons why: first, because Americans do less driving in the winter than during the spring and summer months and, second, because the gasoline used in the winter is cheaper to produce than the summer blend, which includes ingredients for reducing evaporation." (Soaring Prices at the Pump Defy Seasonal Trends).
12/6/10	CNBC	Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies, appears on "Street Signs" to discuss Iran's Kish Island.