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New Thunderbird Web site helps executives navigate economic crisis

As the aftershocks of the global financial disaster continue to ripple across the globe, companies, organizations and leaders around the world are scrambling to brace themselves for the uncertain times ahead while protecting against and preventing similar catastrophes in the future.

“Those who survive will be organizations with strong, ethical leadership, innovative global mindsets and sustainable strategies that will create lasting value for their customers and constituents,” says Thunderbird President Ángel Cabrera.

Sustainable value creation is the core of Thunderbird’s mission and precisely what the school teaches. With the global economy in shambles due to an excessive focus on short-term profits, this expertise has never been more relevant and in demand. With that in mind, Thunderbird has launched a free, interactive Web site and a quarterly executive newsletter, both designed to help global managers navigate the crisis via a new approach to leadership.

The Thunderbird Knowledge Network (www.thunderbird.edu/knowledgenetwork) is an interactive, multimedia forum that gives executives open-access to the expertise and insights of Thunderbird’s network of faculty, alumni and corporate executives around the world on the latest, most relevant global business issues and trends, including the global recession. This content is delivered in stories, columns, videos, podcasts and blogs, including a blog by Thunderbird President Ángel Cabrera, who contends that weak leadership is ultimately what led to the crisis.

“Managers consumed with maximizing short-term profits—and with them, the value of their stock options—rather than creating real, sustainable value have destroyed billions of dollars in shareholder and taxpayer money,” he says. “A culture of unrestrained greed lies at the root of the current economic meltdown that has seen banks collapse, markets tank and unemployment rates soar.”

Also included on the new website is a YouTube video discussion of the Thunderbird Question: “What can global leaders do to create sustainable prosperity worldwide?” (www.thunderbird.edu/question) Participants can watch a short video of Dr. Cabrera setting up and posing the question and then respond with their own video posts on the subject.

Executives can further tap Thunderbird’s global business knowledge through the school’s new Executive Newsletter, (www.thunderbird.edu/executivenewsletter) a free electronic newsletter that is distributed quarterly to busy working professionals. Companies and executives interested in receiving the newsletter can subscribe at www.thunderbird.edu/subscribe.

The Web site is a product of the Thunderbird Knowledge Network, which is the school’s hub of research and cutting-edge global business knowledge, led by Dean of Research Mansour Javidan, Ph.D. The Knowledge Network is home to six global centers of excellence, including the Garvin Center for Cultures and Languages, the Global Mindset® Leadership Institute, the Lincoln Center for Ethics in Global Management, the Thunderbird Global Financial Services Center, the Thunderbird Global Private Equity Center and the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship.