Tectonic Shift: The Geoeconomic Realignment of Globalizing Markets

While the world is still coming to grips with the implications of globalization, Tectonic Shift investigates what the globe’s economic and geopolitical future looks like and discovers the unfolding of an unprecedented realignment of forces. Based on extensive study and analysis, the authors of this compelling book argue that regionalization will replace the much celebrated globalization, characterized by extensive North-South integration between developed and developing nations. They describe how the world is evolving into three huge economic and political unions, which will take shape by 2020, and predict that:
- The EU will expand both eastward as well as to the south, right up to Southern Africa.
- The Asian block, initially led by Japan and then by China, will encompass a united Korea, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand and create a vast free trade area by approximately 2015.
- The US and Latin American nations will revive the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and will be joined by the UK.
- South Asia will have its own free trade area, which will eventually ally with the FTAA.

Sheth and Sisodia argue that these evolving, strategic partnerships will involve free trade, monetary union, cross-border infrastructure investments, regional development agencies, and conflict resolution mechanisms. They also discuss the key steps that each region will have to take to be successful, and how it can overcome obstacles to change. Handled properly, the authors further argue, this evolution will result in faster and broader economic development coupled with diminished conflict among nations.

Jagdish N. Sheth, Ph.D., is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at Emory University, Goizueta Business School. He is known nationally and internationally for his scholarly contributions in consumer behavior, relationship marketing, competitive strategy, and geopolitical analysis. When he joined Emory’s faculty in 1991, Professor Sheth had nearly 30 years of combined experience in marketing from the University of Southern California, the University of Illinois, Columbia University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Throughout his career, Professor Sheth has offered more than a thousand presentations in at least 20 countries. He has also provided consultancy for numerous companies in the United States, Europe, and Asia. His client list includes AT&T, BellSouth, Cox Communications, Delta, Ernst & Young, Ford, GE, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel, Pillsbury, Sprint, Square D, 3M, Whirlpool, and others. Currently, Professor Sheth sits on the Board of Directors of several public companies including Norstan, Cryo Cell International, and Wipro Limited.

Professor Sheth’s accolades include “Outstanding Marketing Educator,” an award presented by the Academy of Marketing Science, the “Outstanding Educator” award twice-presented by Sales and Marketing Executives International, and the P.D. Converse Award for his outstanding contributions to theory in marketing, presented by the American Marketing Association. Professor Sheth is the recipient of the two highest awards given by the American Marketing Association: the Richard D. Irwin Distinguished Marketing Educator Award and the Charles Coolidge Parlin Award.

In 1996, Professor Sheth was selected as the Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science. The following year, he was awarded the Distinguished Fellow award from the International Engineering Consortium. Professor Sheth is also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (known as APA). In 2014, he was awarded the William Wilkie Award, Marketing for a Better World by the American Marketing Association.

Professor Sheth has authored or coauthored hundreds of articles and books. In 2000, he and Andrew Sobel published the best seller, Clients for Life. In 2001, Value Space, which he coauthored with Banwari Mittal, was published. Professor Sheth’s most popular book, The Rule of Three, was coauthored with Dr Rajendra Sisodia and published in 2002. He has since written notable publications: Tectonic Shift, Firms of Endearment, and The 4 A’s of Marketing.

Rajendra Sisodia is the FW Olin Distinguished Professor of Global Business and Whole Foods Market Research Scholar in Conscious Capitalism at Babson College. He is also Co-founder and Co-chairman of Conscious Capitalism International. He was chair of the Marketing Department of Bentley University as well as the founding director of the Center for Marketing Technology. He has also taught at George Mason University and Boston University. He has a PhD in Marketing and Business Policy from Columbia University, where he was the Booz Allen Hamilton fellow.

Dr Sisodia co-authored the books Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (2013) and Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family (2015). With Dr Jagdish Sheth, he has published several books, including The 4 A’s of Marketing (2012), Does Marketing Need Reform? (2006), Tectonic Shift: The Geoeconomic Realignment of Globalizing Markets (SAGE, 2006), Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose (2007) and The Rule of Three: Surviving and Thriving in Competitive Markets (2001). He has also consulted global organizations in the information technology, telecommunications, electric utility, health care and financial services industries.