Introduction to International Business Bailey Bakshi, William Clarke, Mark Estorino, and Kayla Powers
Branding Orlando: America’s Underdog
Orlando, Florida is an underestimated, forgotten city. Known solely for tourism and international theme parks, it would appear that the city has nothing else to offer. Many international businesses would do well in Orlando yet are unaware of the potential benefits they would receive and all that the city is capable of. Some of Orlando’s most notable features are its various theme parks and attractions. Walt Disney World covers over 40 square miles and is approximately the size of the city of San Francisco. This theme park alone is responsible for 1 out of every 50 jobs in the state of Florida. However, the city outside of the theme parks is often ignored, and opportunities outside of the theme parks are overlooked. Orlando has very strong infrastructure, as well as means of transporting goods with multiple airports, deep-water seaports, highways and railways. Orlando International Airport (MCO) and the Orange County Convention Center are major conveniences for the city as well. Tourism can also work in the favor of potential businesses, with a constant influx of domestic and international visitors. In 2010, the city accommodated over 51.5 million visitors, who spent an approximate total of $28.3 billion in the Orlando area. Orlando has also created a free trade zone, Zone 42 off of Interstate 4, giving it access to both interstate and air transport. In 2011, Florida exported $64.8 billion in goods and services, proving the success of their infrastructure and ability to conduct has to offer. The presence of international business in Orlando is also very strong already. Across the 7 countries of Orlando, 312 foreign companies are already working in the fields of manufacturing, services, wholesale trade and retail. 3 Fortune 500 countries are currently based in Central Florida, all of which have an international presence. Maintaining the city’s strong international base is its diverse population. One out of every six people in Orlando was born in a country other than the United States, with Hispanics representing 22% of the population. Orlando is very accommodating towards international businesses due to the strong international community. The city is capable of accommodate even more businesses through premeditative programs. With constant expansion comes more initiatives to sustain the city. Mayor of Orlando Buddy Dyer is working to implement new programs to improve the city. A particularly interesting initiative is called GreenWorks, a program with the intent to reduce energy consumption by 20%. Strengthen Orlando is another initiative to build Downtown Orlando into an ideal location for corporate and division headquarters, along with other programs to maintain the public safety of the city. Orlando is a very underestimated city. Its benefits and accommodations are often overlooked, yet businesses have a great potential to thrive. Orlando is known for its theme parks, yet what lies beyond the parks is the most exciting part of the city. Orlando’s network of infrastructure, strong international community and initiatives for the future are a great step forward for a city previously forgotten. This insight will allow businesses to experience great success in a city with many resources and opportunities.
I think you understood the reading well, however you don't exactly pose a solution to the problem Orlando has been experiencing as far as acting as a global city goes. What should Orlando do to entice more businesses and foreign investors to come relocate and invest in Orlando?
I agree with Ragen, you point out many of the advantages that Orlando has to offer and some things that the mayor is trying to change, but do not state things that citizens of Orlando can do to help make the city become more global. Also check spelling/grammar (i.e. "Across the 7 countries" should be "7 counties*".
I think you lay and give the reader a good background into what Orlando has to offer other than tourism, our group also emphasizes that point. You go into one initiative that the mayor is taking, "going green". But how does that attract international companies? Is the level of energy consumption in Orlando a factor that would deter a company from establishing headquarters there? How would one go about making downtown Orlando into business headquarters? Who plays instrumental roles in the re branding of Orlando? What can a student do to help? These are just some questions that I thought of when thinking about the article more deeply.
Ragen Doyle & Group What does Orlando have to do to increase its global appeal and competitiveness? (First 2 Paragraphs) “So I’m sure you go to Disney like, all the time right?” and other similarly phrased questions are what I get asked almost on a weekly basis as a student attending college in Orlando, Florida. Non-Orlando natives intuitively associate the city I go to school and live in nine months out of the year with year-round sunny weather, Sea World, and of course, the magic of Walt Disney World. I do not blame ignorance or callowness for these people’s misperceptions, however. There is a reason why the visitor volume (in millions) was over four times greater for those visiting leisurely rather than for work related reasons. The city just is not as appealing to entrepreneurs and people looking to do business than it is for families wanting to spend a fun-filled week vacation. It’s very rarely seen as a world city like perhaps New York, London, Singapore, or Los Angeles. Repositioning of its brand would allow Orlando to emerge as a global city nurturing of competitive business and national and international exporting. What reachable solutions are there for revitalizing this often underestimated city of potential? And once accomplished, what effect would rebranding have on Orlando’s economy? On Jan. 28 Orange County commissioners met to discuss spending millions of tax dollars, grants, and private sector funds to rebrand the city’s image, drawing in new companies and foreign investment to the area. The goal is that through print advertisements, commercials, collateral, and other marketing material, businesses will relocate to Orlando creating a growth in new-to-market jobs and ultimately raising the average working wage in Central Florida. Appointed ambassadors will travel across the country to talk with companies about expanding in Orlando. Many local companies have already jumped in on this campaign including Florida Hospital, Orlando Magic, and, what may come as a surprise to many people, Walt Disney World. Before this rebranding can be accomplished, however, there are some internal issues Orlando needs to work out to make itself more appealing to potential investors.
(Second 2 Paragraphs) Orlando has all the necessary factors needed for emerging as a global city. It has a large, highly diversified population, convenient location and accessibility, adequate infrastructure, and large industries. A shift away from focus on tourism and improvements in certain areas would put Orlando on the map as an ideal city for doing business. Before this can be done, efforts to address the high crime rate, poor education quality and labor skills, inadequate transportation systems, and high traffic volumes need to be made. Mayor Buddy Dyer has launched several initiatives to correct these drawbacks. Modeled after a popular non-profit organization in New York City, the Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ) aims to reduce juvenile crime and child abuse as well as improve school performances. Subsidies and increased funding from taxpayer dollars will be used to implement more advanced placement and honors courses to improve test scores and national rankings. The Innovative Response to Improve Safety (I.R.I.S) has been implemented to reduce violence and drug activity by a system of cameras set up and monitored by the Orlando Police Department. MetroPlan Orlando is a metropolitan planning organization whose mission is to improve transportation in Central Florida. Anticipating a population growth that would no doubt have a straining effect on the transportation system, MetroPlan is planning a balanced system to efficiently carry people and goods throughout the region. Mayor Dyer is also working to make Orlando more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, getting people outdoors to see all that the city has to offer. These and other initiatives will not only improve the quality of life in Orlando, but also create a larger appeal to foreign investors and entrepreneurs. While still remaining a popular destination for tourists, Orlando needs to highlight itself not only as a city of good living conditions but also a smart place for businesses to invest. Bringing in more residents and investors will further diversify and industrialize Orlando’s growing economy. Projections of this rebranding campaign include 8 percent more jobs, 20 percent higher wages, a 22 percent growth in new-to-market jobs and nearly $1B in created revenue. The slogan that the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission has come up with is “Orlando. You don’t know the half of it.” Aside from improvements, spotlighting everything Orlando has to offer aside from Walt Disney World and tourism attractions is a major component of the multi-million dollar campaign designed to bring new businesses to the region. Companies and foreign investors will be able to put to good use The Orlando County Convention Center (OCCC,) the second largest convention center in the nation, as well as other suitable destinations for doing international business. Residents can expect to see noticeable changes in the city starting immediately and continuing well into the coming years. County commissioners have high hopes that by diversifying and industrializing Orlando’s economy, the days of being known as a nice place to vacation but not much else are over.
I think you did a really nice job and went beyond what the reading said. I think the rebranding campaign is extremely important for Orlando to become a more global city.
The plethora of statistical analysis your group provided made your Op-Ed much more reliable and credible, which is why I think your thesis is supported the best out of the all the Op-Eds.
Julia Perry, Trevor Jackson, Jules Kranz, Christian Levengood
Rebrand Orlando
Every Major city in the United States has a “personal brand”; for New York City it’s “The City That Never Sleeps”, for Orlando one immediately thinks “Where Dreams Come True”. While the brand of tourism for Orlando has brought wealth and prosperity to some, this brand overshadows Orlando’s potential for being a hub for international businesses. A major question is how can Orlando increase its global appeal? The key is to rebrand itself from tourist destination to final destination. An example of a greatly branded city is New York City. New York has a balance of globally known tourist attractions like Central Park, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and global and thriving businesses and industries. It is the Fashion Capital and the Financial Capital of the Country and arguably the world. Orlando should follow a similar idea, creating a better balance between Disney/tourism and large industries. Though WE know how great and diverse Orlando is, global business executives looking to expand and establish headquarters or operations in the United States seem to overlook Orlando. Orlando has a lot to offer. Our bread and butter is tourism, which provides one in every fifty jobs and has accounted for $18.2 billion dollars in economic activity each year, but there is so much more. Right behind tourism is Orlando’s Technology Industry, a booming and incredibly viable and diverse industry with sectors like digital media, photonics, aviation and aerospace, and information technology. But perhaps our best-kept secret is simulation and training; Orlando is the epicenter for modeling and simulation. Furthermore, it is an entrepreneurial hub with two major centers- The National Entrepreneur Center and the University of Central Florida Technology Incubator. This is not to say that Orlando already doesn’t have global appeal, it has some, but it has the potential to be just as globalized as New York City. In fact, Florida is a very large export state, home of three fortune 500 companies with a large presence in international business. It also has a foreign trade zone and 20 free trade zones. This international trade and foreign direct investment helped sustain one in every six jobs in Orlando. Let’s not forget how nice it is just to live in this “Sunshine State.” Who wouldn’t want to work in an area where its constantly sunny and warm? Orlando is a very livable city with a place for everyone. It is composed of very diverse cultures, with a great number being from Latin America. One in every six people in Orlando was born in another country. This makes Orlando attractive to international companies looking to work in a place similar to where it is already established, with people that share a similar culture. The diversity within Orlando really sets up the stage for a wide variety of types of businesses to thrive. Orlando is a city of opportunity, and maybe that’s the way we should rebrand it. Not only do we have millions of tourists everyday coming to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, etc. but we also have incredible technology, small business start-ups, fortune 500 companies, and the potential to become even more global. It’s all in the way we brand ourselves to the rest of the world. We have to move away from tourism being our claim to fame and make international companies see how Orlando is the perfect destination for them, highlighting the thriving industries that already exist in Orlando.
Introduction to International Business
ReplyDeleteBailey Bakshi, William Clarke, Mark Estorino, and Kayla Powers
Branding Orlando: America’s Underdog
Orlando, Florida is an underestimated, forgotten city. Known solely for tourism and international theme parks, it would appear that the city has nothing else to offer. Many international businesses would do well in Orlando yet are unaware of the potential benefits they would receive and all that the city is capable of.
Some of Orlando’s most notable features are its various theme parks and attractions. Walt Disney World covers over 40 square miles and is approximately the size of the city of San Francisco. This theme park alone is responsible for 1 out of every 50 jobs in the state of Florida. However, the city outside of the theme parks is often ignored, and opportunities outside of the theme parks are overlooked.
Orlando has very strong infrastructure, as well as means of transporting goods with multiple airports, deep-water seaports, highways and railways. Orlando International Airport (MCO) and the Orange County Convention Center are major conveniences for the city as well. Tourism can also work in the favor of potential businesses, with a constant influx of domestic and international visitors. In 2010, the city accommodated over 51.5 million visitors, who spent an approximate total of $28.3 billion in the Orlando area.
Orlando has also created a free trade zone, Zone 42 off of Interstate 4, giving it access to both interstate and air transport. In 2011, Florida exported $64.8 billion in goods and services, proving the success of their infrastructure and ability to conduct has to offer.
The presence of international business in Orlando is also very strong already. Across the 7 countries of Orlando, 312 foreign companies are already working in the fields of manufacturing, services, wholesale trade and retail. 3 Fortune 500 countries are currently based in Central Florida, all of which have an international presence. Maintaining the city’s strong international base is its diverse population. One out of every six people in Orlando was born in a country other than the United States, with Hispanics representing 22% of the population. Orlando is very accommodating towards international businesses due to the strong international community.
The city is capable of accommodate even more businesses through premeditative programs. With constant expansion comes more initiatives to sustain the city. Mayor of Orlando Buddy Dyer is working to implement new programs to improve the city. A particularly interesting initiative is called GreenWorks, a program with the intent to reduce energy consumption by 20%. Strengthen Orlando is another initiative to build Downtown Orlando into an ideal location for corporate and division headquarters, along with other programs to maintain the public safety of the city.
Orlando is a very underestimated city. Its benefits and accommodations are often overlooked, yet businesses have a great potential to thrive. Orlando is known for its theme parks, yet what lies beyond the parks is the most exciting part of the city. Orlando’s network of infrastructure, strong international community and initiatives for the future are a great step forward for a city previously forgotten.
This insight will allow businesses to experience great success in a city with many resources and opportunities.
I think you understood the reading well, however you don't exactly pose a solution to the problem Orlando has been experiencing as far as acting as a global city goes. What should Orlando do to entice more businesses and foreign investors to come relocate and invest in Orlando?
DeleteI agree with Ragen, you point out many of the advantages that Orlando has to offer and some things that the mayor is trying to change, but do not state things that citizens of Orlando can do to help make the city become more global. Also check spelling/grammar (i.e. "Across the 7 countries" should be "7 counties*".
DeleteI think you lay and give the reader a good background into what Orlando has to offer other than tourism, our group also emphasizes that point. You go into one initiative that the mayor is taking, "going green". But how does that attract international companies? Is the level of energy consumption in Orlando a factor that would deter a company from establishing headquarters there? How would one go about making downtown Orlando into business headquarters? Who plays instrumental roles in the re branding of Orlando? What can a student do to help? These are just some questions that I thought of when thinking about the article more deeply.
DeleteStatistics should be referenced. What do you recommend that is new and different?
ReplyDeleteRagen Doyle & Group
ReplyDeleteWhat does Orlando have to do to increase its global appeal and competitiveness?
(First 2 Paragraphs)
“So I’m sure you go to Disney like, all the time right?” and other similarly phrased questions are what I get asked almost on a weekly basis as a student attending college in Orlando, Florida. Non-Orlando natives intuitively associate the city I go to school and live in nine months out of the year with year-round sunny weather, Sea World, and of course, the magic of Walt Disney World. I do not blame ignorance or callowness for these people’s misperceptions, however. There is a reason why the visitor volume (in millions) was over four times greater for those visiting leisurely rather than for work related reasons. The city just is not as appealing to entrepreneurs and people looking to do business than it is for families wanting to spend a fun-filled week vacation. It’s very rarely seen as a world city like perhaps New York, London, Singapore, or Los Angeles. Repositioning of its brand would allow Orlando to emerge as a global city nurturing of competitive business and national and international exporting. What reachable solutions are there for revitalizing this often underestimated city of potential? And once accomplished, what effect would rebranding have on Orlando’s economy?
On Jan. 28 Orange County commissioners met to discuss spending millions of tax dollars, grants, and private sector funds to rebrand the city’s image, drawing in new companies and foreign investment to the area. The goal is that through print advertisements, commercials, collateral, and other marketing material, businesses will relocate to Orlando creating a growth in new-to-market jobs and ultimately raising the average working wage in Central Florida. Appointed ambassadors will travel across the country to talk with companies about expanding in Orlando. Many local companies have already jumped in on this campaign including Florida Hospital, Orlando Magic, and, what may come as a surprise to many people, Walt Disney World. Before this rebranding can be accomplished, however, there are some internal issues Orlando needs to work out to make itself more appealing to potential investors.
Because of size limitations I could not post the entire Op-Ed into one comment. The conclusion is in the next comment below.
Delete(Second 2 Paragraphs)
ReplyDeleteOrlando has all the necessary factors needed for emerging as a global city. It has a large, highly diversified population, convenient location and accessibility, adequate infrastructure, and large industries. A shift away from focus on tourism and improvements in certain areas would put Orlando on the map as an ideal city for doing business. Before this can be done, efforts to address the high crime rate, poor education quality and labor skills, inadequate transportation systems, and high traffic volumes need to be made. Mayor Buddy Dyer has launched several initiatives to correct these drawbacks. Modeled after a popular non-profit organization in New York City, the Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ) aims to reduce juvenile crime and child abuse as well as improve school performances. Subsidies and increased funding from taxpayer dollars will be used to implement more advanced placement and honors courses to improve test scores and national rankings. The Innovative Response to Improve Safety (I.R.I.S) has been implemented to reduce violence and drug activity by a system of cameras set up and monitored by the Orlando Police Department. MetroPlan Orlando is a metropolitan planning organization whose mission is to improve transportation in Central Florida. Anticipating a population growth that would no doubt have a straining effect on the transportation system, MetroPlan is planning a balanced system to efficiently carry people and goods throughout the region. Mayor Dyer is also working to make Orlando more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, getting people outdoors to see all that the city has to offer.
These and other initiatives will not only improve the quality of life in Orlando, but also create a larger appeal to foreign investors and entrepreneurs. While still remaining a popular destination for tourists, Orlando needs to highlight itself not only as a city of good living conditions but also a smart place for businesses to invest. Bringing in more residents and investors will further diversify and industrialize Orlando’s growing economy. Projections of this rebranding campaign include 8 percent more jobs, 20 percent higher wages, a 22 percent growth in new-to-market jobs and nearly $1B in created revenue. The slogan that the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission has come up with is “Orlando. You don’t know the half of it.” Aside from improvements, spotlighting everything Orlando has to offer aside from Walt Disney World and tourism attractions is a major component of the multi-million dollar campaign designed to bring new businesses to the region. Companies and foreign investors will be able to put to good use The Orlando County Convention Center (OCCC,) the second largest convention center in the nation, as well as other suitable destinations for doing international business. Residents can expect to see noticeable changes in the city starting immediately and continuing well into the coming years. County commissioners have high hopes that by diversifying and industrializing Orlando’s economy, the days of being known as a nice place to vacation but not much else are over.
I think you did a really nice job and went beyond what the reading said. I think the rebranding campaign is extremely important for Orlando to become a more global city.
DeleteI really liked the way you used the statistics to support your point. The article was really convincing and persuasive.
DeleteThe plethora of statistical analysis your group provided made your Op-Ed much more reliable and credible, which is why I think your thesis is supported the best out of the all the Op-Eds.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJulia Perry, Trevor Jackson, Jules Kranz, Christian Levengood
ReplyDeleteRebrand Orlando
Every Major city in the United States has a “personal brand”; for New York City it’s “The City That Never Sleeps”, for Orlando one immediately thinks “Where Dreams Come True”. While the brand of tourism for Orlando has brought wealth and prosperity to some, this brand overshadows Orlando’s potential for being a hub for international businesses. A major question is how can Orlando increase its global appeal? The key is to rebrand itself from tourist destination to final destination.
An example of a greatly branded city is New York City. New York has a balance of globally known tourist attractions like Central Park, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and global and thriving businesses and industries. It is the Fashion Capital and the Financial Capital of the Country and arguably the world. Orlando should follow a similar idea, creating a better balance between Disney/tourism and large industries. Though WE know how great and diverse Orlando is, global business executives looking to expand and establish headquarters or operations in the United States seem to overlook Orlando.
Orlando has a lot to offer. Our bread and butter is tourism, which provides one in every fifty jobs and has accounted for $18.2 billion dollars in economic activity each year, but there is so much more. Right behind tourism is Orlando’s Technology Industry, a booming and incredibly viable and diverse industry with sectors like digital media, photonics, aviation and aerospace, and information technology. But perhaps our best-kept secret is simulation and training; Orlando is the epicenter for modeling and simulation. Furthermore, it is an entrepreneurial hub with two major centers- The National Entrepreneur Center and the University of Central Florida Technology Incubator.
This is not to say that Orlando already doesn’t have global appeal, it has some, but it has the potential to be just as globalized as New York City. In fact, Florida is a very large export state, home of three fortune 500 companies with a large presence in international business. It also has a foreign trade zone and 20 free trade zones. This international trade and foreign direct investment helped sustain one in every six jobs in Orlando.
Let’s not forget how nice it is just to live in this “Sunshine State.” Who wouldn’t want to work in an area where its constantly sunny and warm? Orlando is a very livable city with a place for everyone. It is composed of very diverse cultures, with a great number being from Latin America. One in every six people in Orlando was born in another country. This makes Orlando attractive to international companies looking to work in a place similar to where it is already established, with people that share a similar culture. The diversity within Orlando really sets up the stage for a wide variety of types of businesses to thrive.
Orlando is a city of opportunity, and maybe that’s the way we should rebrand it. Not only do we have millions of tourists everyday coming to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, etc. but we also have incredible technology, small business start-ups, fortune 500 companies, and the potential to become even more global. It’s all in the way we brand ourselves to the rest of the world. We have to move away from tourism being our claim to fame and make international companies see how Orlando is the perfect destination for them, highlighting the thriving industries that already exist in Orlando.
I really like your comparison to New York City, it shows the potential Orlando has for growth.
Delete