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摘要

Globalization has come home, literally. As they seek to attract new companies and hold onto those they already have, communities across the United States are wrestling with several of the same strategic issues that challenge the nation's 300,000 manufacturers. In simplest terms, that means communities must somehow confront the reality that globalization is producing significant economic disruption, simultaneously creating growth opportunities for some lines of business while threatening the continued existence of others. Jobs and revenues―both corporate and community―are at stake. "Globalization is requiring companies to rationalize their facility locations, and any- thing that is in any way a commodity or easily replicated in a lower-cost market is being moved," stresses Rick Weddle, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based International Economic Development Council. "It is growing exponentially, [and] we are rapidly seeing China either become, or be poised to soon become, the world's factory."