What are the trends in global trade over the last five years that most stand out? How does the change in trade volumes match with the growth of the global economy over the same period?

What is influencing the patterns you have observed? Foreign direct investments (FDI) and international trade patterns demonstrate globalization’s rapid spread across many of the world’s economies. For example, both FDI and international trade have been growing at a faster rate than the U.S. economy as a whole for some time. And there are other patterns of importance.

As the text points out, significant investment in developing countries such as India and China has shifted investment from wellestablished economies to emerging economies over the last 10–15 years. Looking at these patterns can be very informative with respect to understanding how global business patterns are changing.

Managers in the 21st century must be aware of these patterns if they are to successfully lead their firms. In particular, strategic managers who have responsibility for establishing the firm’s vision and making certain that the firm pursues its mission must have a broad awareness of the shifting trends in global business practices and the different nature of different nations’ economics.

Go to the main Web page for the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) at www.oecd.org. After reading the background information about the OECD, locate its statistical portal. In the “Data by Topic” area, you will find a significant and valuable amount of information that is relevant to understanding the march of globalization. Under “International Trade,” look for the latest report on global trade; it is published quarterly. Open that document and you should find import and export numbers for the world in the last five years. Then look for the report on trade among OECD members. This report is usually published on the same date each quarter, as is the world report. Use the data you have found to answer