Revolution in Global Public Health

By Jim Jones
Senior Vice President, APCO Worldwide

The private sector is focusing on once-neglected diseases.

Global public health has changed dramatically in the past decade, thanks in large part to strategic philanthropy, new private-sector support and the growth of public-private partnerships.

Political partisanship used to bedevil the U.S. debate on foreign health assistance. Those favoring more funding for neglected diseases regularly found themselves lumped together with a host of advocates for domestic social spending programs that fiscal conservatives viewed as unnecessary. More >

 APCO's Global Transportation Practice

By Evan Welty
Associate, APCO Worldwide

It was a challenging summer for businesses and government officials in the transportation sector. News headlines documented congestion problems on the roads and in the air. In early August, people in the U.S. watched with sadness and disbelief as the Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapsed. Less than two weeks later, in China, a bridge over the Tuo River in the Hunan province crumbled with devastating impact. Both incidents focused attention on the risks associated with new and aging transportation infrastructures. In Europe, there is a constant drumbeat about transportation's impact on the environment and concerns over transportation investment initiatives. More >

 Beyond Suspicion?
Creating a Conducive Environment for Foreign Investment

By Matt Browne
Director and Head of Public Affairs, APCO Worldwide and
Jake Johnston
Vice President, APCO Worldwide

In 1990, Robert Reich wrote a seminal article for the Harvard Business Review entitled "Who is Us?" in which he sought to buck public concern with the growing presence of foreign-owned corporations in the U.S. market. He argued that American-owned corporations headquartered in the United States were no longer the most important vehicle for achieving competitiveness. Foreign-owned corporations investing heavily in U.S.-based production facilities and their workers, Reich wrote, may actually contribute more. More >

 Social Media's Emerging Value in Public Relations

By David Westcott
Vice President, APCO Worldwide

Today's journalists and policy-elites rely on the Internet to get their jobs done. They use online tools such as Web sites, search engines and, increasingly, blogs and social networks to research and connect on virtually all subjects. Such resources provide immediate access to unfiltered information about issues, corporations, activities and people. "Social media" has changed the way people find information and shape perspectives on key issues. This phenomenon has changed the way clients must communicate to be effective. It is no longer enough to have a Web site; it is critical that a client delivers its message through these emerging channels as well. More >

 Brown's transition challenge: continuity and change

By Razi Rahman
Associate Director, APCO Worldwide

When Tony Blair addressed the Labour Party conference for the last time as prime minister 12 months ago, it appeared to some that the Labour Party was returning to type. The backdrop to the conference had been a failed attempt weeks earlier by a number of Labour MPs to remove the prime minister from office. Tensions were running high, with the party briefly giving the impression that it was facing in on itself, rather than out to the concerns of the public. A stable and orderly transition from Tony Blair to his heir apparent, Gordon Brown, appeared a remote prospect. More >

 CEO Message

Welcome to another edition of Viewpoint, APCO Worldwide's online newsletter filled with news and insights from our offices around the world. At APCO, we are very focused on blending global resources with local expertise and spent the last 23 years establishing offices around the world to provide clients with what they need, when and where they need it. The members of our worldwide staff represent over 40 different nationalities, speak multiple languages and have spent their careers assisting multinational companies, global organizations and international governments achieve their most important objectives through using the skills of business diplomacy.

As a firm that is almost 100 percent organically grown, each office was opened because we were convinced that it offered a strategic asset to our clients. Each employee was selected because we believe they have something special to add to this enterprise.

Some recent additions to our global team are examples of the kinds of people we work with and the resources they bring to APCO clients around the world: Craig Fuller, who served as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush, and later as president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, joined our office in Washington, D.C.; and Trevor Neilson, former executive director of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, now works with clients around the world to address complex challenges and opportunities in the areas of corporate responsibility, global health and development. Our International Advisory Council also expanded, adding new members, including Former Israeli ambassador to the United Sates and former President of Tel Aviv University, Itamar Rabinovich; John Magaw, who was the founding director of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration; and most recently, President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who guided post-communist Poland through the delicate transition to a free-market economy and membership in the EU.

All over the world, we are fortunate to have many extraordinary people come together at APCO to help our clients do extraordinary things. Whether strategizing to achieve a challenging objective or mobilizing resources to overcome an unexpected crisis, building a business and communicating effectively in the world marketplace require an intimate knowledge of diverse cultural values. At APCO, we understand, appreciate and live the local and national cultures in which we do business. I hope you will enjoy these articles penned by members of our global team. I hope their insights and expertise are valuable to you as you address your daily challenges and opportunities.

Best regards,

Margery Kraus

 Shaping Globalization In the 21st Century: The Business Case For Multilateralism

By Ludolf von Wartenberg
Member of APCO Worldwide's International Advisory Council

The increase in world trade and the volume of direct investments are rightly seen as important indicators of the globalization of economic relations. However, following the debate in recent times about the world trade round or cross-border corporate mergers, it appears that freedom of trade and investment is coming under increasing pressure from the political front. Is the globalization process experiencing a setback? Are we facing a protectionist revival? More >

 India: Retail Heading from Boom to Bust?

By Devashish Dasgupta
Managing Director, APCO Worldwide

Since liberalizing its market in 1991, India has experienced economic growth in virtually every sector. Together with China, it is identified as a powerhouse of economic growth in Asia. In particular, India's US$330 billion retail industry is flourishing with an annual compound growth rate of 10 percent and a projected value of US$800 billion by 2015. However, despite these impressive numbers, restrictive regulations on foreign direct investment (FDI) may limit the industry's momentum. Current regulations allow FDI in single-brand retail up to 51 percent, but prohibit multiple-brand retail with the exception of wholesale or franchisee operations with an Indian partner. More >