Wharton's Globalization Forum: Looking At The Market's Successes and Failures

The Wharton Global Alumni Forum 2005, held in London earlier this month, brought together participants from all over the world to debate the impact of "250 Years of Globalization," the Forum's theme. While globalization has indeed changed how we allocate resources, settle disputes and sell products abroad, there are ways in which globalization has failed sizeable constituencies within the worldwide community, as Forum speakers pointed out.

They also discussed the uncertainty swirling around global financial markets, the inability of many companies to derive real value from investments in technology, and the potential fall-out from protectionist trade policies, such as those currently advocated by the U.S. and European Union.

Here are the five topics covered in Wharton's Special Globalization Forum. Be sure to check them all out. You'll have plenty of time to do so over the holiday. Enjoy and back with you next week!

1. From Trade Inequities to the 'Do-It-Myself' Customer: Globalization's Uneven Impact

2. Euros, Dollars, Sukuks and Yuans: Uncertainty Reigns in Global Financial Markets

3. Cosmetics and Steel: How Two Companies Defied Conventional Wisdom by Going Global

4. Why So Many Big IT Investments Do So Little for Shareholder Value

5. The WTO: A "Fragile" Body under Attack by Protectionist Policies in the U.S. and EU