Global Business and Corporate Governance: Environment, Structure, and Challenges

The after World War II businesses are creating new standards of social enhancement, education and research where the commanding force is the human enterprise--by far a better vehicle of progress than the state-supported developmental initiatives. For example, we are witnessing that the top 500 companies command the equivalent of more than 40% of the world’s GNP, that employ less than one hundredth of the world’s population, that seek employees ‘ happiness, that aim to rules of meritocracy and that operate globally. These companies result in a new societal status quo that necessitates an improved understanding of the modern era business management and its corporate governance. The goal of this book is to familiarize a broad range of students, professors, business executives and other interested parties with the cutting-edge trends and practices of today’s managerial activities. This text aims to highlight the tools used by the global corporations by addressing the means that will make future managers successful in their corporate operations; additionally, it aims to pioneer a philosophy and an economic thinking showcasing the era of corporate governance and the need of self-actualization of its managers.

About the Author

John Thanopoulos studied in Greece, France, and England before receiving his doctoral degree in Marketing from the University of Arkansas, in the United States. He started his career as a business practitioner having achieved more than $25,000,000 in sales by the age of 26. Eventually, however, he joined the academe and, in 1983, the University of Akron in Ohio as a Director of the International Business Programs where he also taught Marketing and International Business. During his academic life he received various awards and recognitions.

He has over a 100 academic contributions that have been published in a variety of media, including Journal of Teaching in International Business, Journal of Economic Integration, Journal of International Business Studies, The International Trade Journal, Issues in International Business, Kyukyo Economic Review, Arkansas Business and Economic Review, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Health Marketing Quarterly, Review of Business, Current Research in Global Business, editorial volumes, teaching manuals, and so forth.

In 2000 he returned to his homeland, Greece, joining the University of Piraeus, as a Professor of International Business but he continued to teach for the University of Akron and the University of Arkansas until 2007. He has contributed to more than 100 international events, papers, speeches, and related services. Presently, he is the Vice Chair of the Department of Business Administration.

His books in Greek (published by Interbooks, Athens) are in international business (2002, 2006, 2012; 2007, in English), ship management (coauthored, 2005), business ethics (2003 and 2009), and self-actualization perspectives of the international manager (coauthored with 185 of his fall 2009 students, electronic format, 2010). In 2013 Fedimos published the third editions of his books Global Business and Business Ethics.