WMF Home Page Newsletter - December 2007
Monday, December 31 2007 @ 01:15 AM EST
2007 is racing towards the finish line and if you are like me, you are prone to wonder where this year disappeared to. The global economy is grumbling and groaning, but the world keeps turning. It has been blessedly quiet here in Israel, but this month it was particularly exciting being at the place which is the focus of half the world’s year-end religious devotions. This month also saw a large delegation of Japanese business and political leaders arrive on a private fact-finding visit. The group included a high-ranking Marubeni executive, the chairman of East Japan Railway Company, an owner of Kikkoman Corporation, executive vice presidents from Toshiba and Taisei Corporation, and the chairman and CEO of Hitachi Medical, among others. Their itinerary included meetings with the President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and visits to the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Dead Sea, and the Diamond Exchange. This is no doubt the prelude to something more concrete. Case in point: Hitachi Medical chairman and CEO Yoshiro Kuwata was quoted that, “Israelis invest a lot of effort in entering the US, both through listings on Nasdaq and business transactions, but they are hardly noticeable in Japan. I want to change this." Kuwata made special note of Hitachi Medical's need for R&D professionals for nanotechnology research, and the development of applications for medical imaging technologies such as MRI and CT and that he believes that such talent can be sourced in Israel
In terms of the local Israeli economy, consumer demand is booming, as was brought home to me all too graphically when I visited the local IKEA store recently. Prices on many items have just about doubled over the past five years, yet people are buying with such gusto that the staff can barely handle the crush. The new fast train to Jerusalem is only a few years away from completion, as is the light rail system being developed in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and ridership on commuter rail – while not yet approaching Japanese levels – is increasing rapidly. Late last month, Israel was Jerry Seinfeld’s first stop on his world wide tour to promote his new animated film Bee Movie, and he too met the President and other dignitaries. He quipped that when he last was in Israel 37 years ago as a 15 year old volunteer on a kibbutz, no one asked for his autograph or to take their picture with him, but just left him alone to hack away at those banana plants. When asked what he found most impressive about the country he replied without skipping a beat, “The people.” That’s how I feel about our Marketing Forum family. So enjoy your year-end festivities whatever they be, and a happy New Year to all of you!
Kenneth Alan Grossberg
Zichron Yaakov, ISRAEL
In terms of the local Israeli economy, consumer demand is booming, as was brought home to me all too graphically when I visited the local IKEA store recently. Prices on many items have just about doubled over the past five years, yet people are buying with such gusto that the staff can barely handle the crush. The new fast train to Jerusalem is only a few years away from completion, as is the light rail system being developed in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and ridership on commuter rail – while not yet approaching Japanese levels – is increasing rapidly. Late last month, Israel was Jerry Seinfeld’s first stop on his world wide tour to promote his new animated film Bee Movie, and he too met the President and other dignitaries. He quipped that when he last was in Israel 37 years ago as a 15 year old volunteer on a kibbutz, no one asked for his autograph or to take their picture with him, but just left him alone to hack away at those banana plants. When asked what he found most impressive about the country he replied without skipping a beat, “The people.” That’s how I feel about our Marketing Forum family. So enjoy your year-end festivities whatever they be, and a happy New Year to all of you!
Kenneth Alan Grossberg
Zichron Yaakov, ISRAEL