In addition to the clusters of Silicon Valley of the U.S. and Sassuolo, Italy, Michael Porter identified a cluster for printing presses in Heidelberg, Germany. Others have written about clusters in Limoges, France for porcelain and in Valenza Po, Italy, for gold jewelry. What characteristics do industrial clusters have that other cities do not have? Can you think of other industrial clusters in the United States or abroad?

How large an impact has international trade had on your own life, with the products that you own or have purchased in the recent past? Is your quality of life better or worse? Why?

What is your position on the realities, as well as the pros and cons of biofuel replacements for oil? Was the ethanol made from the corn mandate really a scam? Why or why not? What about biodiesel? Hint: They are not the same. Believe it or not, this does have an infrastructure impact

The role of bribery in international business continues and in many countries is increasing. Do you believe that U.S. executives are at a disadvantage as a result of our Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? Please discuss how much and why.

Internationally, the number of issues regarding trademarks, patents and copyrights continues to grow. The music business, for example, has been radically transformed. Where do you think it will end up as a result of its inability to protect its copyrighted works that are available on the Internet and other media? Why?

A certain sogo shosha (Japanese Trading Company) always requests its suppliers to provide an EXW quote. Knowing what you know about trading companies, why do you think they have chosen to do this?

Many people claim that Letters of Credit will soon be replaced by a “Trade-Card.” What is this product, and why do people think it has such a bright future? Do you agree?