The man has (and the world is listening) by Cliff Johnson For over 25 years, O. James Manning has been a man with a message. To his great satisfaction, that message is finally being heard - by the students he counsels in his austere East Hall office and even by the governor of Oregon, who honored Manning in May for "his continuous and outstanding achievements in international marketing." Jim Manning's professional mission is to further the cause of international trade - and particularly Oregon's growing role in such trade - as it relates to the major Pacific Rim nations of the world, particularly China and Japan. "In the past three years;' he reflected during a recent interview, "there has been what I would call an 'international awakening' in the Oregon economy at all levels: in the governmental sectOI, in the educational sector, and clearly in the private sector." "And we're on what I'd call a 'roll' now," continued the PSU professor of marketing. "Oregon has (now) discovered the other .94 percent of the world." To Manning, furthering the cause of world peace means placing economic considerations ahead o( matters political. "It is not treaties that bond nations together, it's commerce and joint benefit," he noted. "As we become more dependent and interdependent <through trade), then the differences that separate men and nations tend to diminish. It is only when we put up barriers that preclude this from happening, and try to negotiate friendship, love and cooperation, that it comes apart." "It is not treaties that bond nations together, it's commerce and joint benefit." Manning's late-blooming prominence in his home state illustrates that it's not enough to be right. One has to be right at the right time to achieve maximum effect with a message. Now, increasingly, time is proving Manning's message right, and his line of reasoning now seems unassailable. "We (in the United States) represent six percent of the world's population and control 42% of the world's wealth. So, we're the biggest market, we're the biggest seller. But, we're the least committed (to international trade). I don't say that in terms of a condemnation. It's only that there's an opportunity here to increase our exports. There's an opportunity to increase our volume that American business has not seized upon. " Changes here in Oregon also dictate the state's vigorous pursuit of expanding trade opportunities/ Manning believes. He contends that while the state's timber industry "boom days" may be past in domestic terms, other more profitable markets do exist. " It is (now) cheaper to ship Oregon timber products to the Pacific Rim than it is to Chicago. The economic distance is less," Manning reasons. Similarly, he says it only takes about 15% of Oregon's major agricultural product, winter white soft wheat, to satisfy current domestic demand. Why not export the remaining 85% to Pacific Rim nations? he asks. message These intriguing examples show why Manning believes that "the future of the state of Oregon, in terms of economic growth and development, by and large is in the international sector."· Help from academia The academic building blocks necessary to foment and nurture international trade in Oregon have been in place at PSU for years, due in large measure to Manning's stewardship. Manning and some of his current students. for example, have just completed the 16th year of a program called "Export Planning for Executives," which has since been copied by such "name" institutions as H<lrvard, Carnegie Tech and M.I.T. Quietly and without fanfare, Manning and his young charges have worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the International Division of Oregon's Department of Economic Development and the U.S. National Bank to consult with 15 firms a year whose products appear to have untapped export potential. Using the resources of agencies and businesses, the students complete a marketing program which shows the firms how to move their products into the international sector. Nearly 250 Oregon firms have participated to date, primarily of small to medium size. But major firms such as Tektronix, Omark, Hyster and Esco have also taken part. At least ten of the smaller firms have won presidential awards for excellence in exporting, according to Manning. And "probably SO" of the firms now making more than 30% of their revenue from sales in international markets had never made such a sale before joining the PSU program. Beyond that, Manning himself has served five terms on the President's Export Expansion Council, has been on the board of advisers for Oregon's Department of Economic Development, and has worked independently with a large number of companies to assist in their export efforts. As the man responsible for directing international business programs for PSU, Manning also has worked with the District Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Lloyd Porter, to pioneer a series of export packing, air transportation and documentation seminars to further international trade efforts. These accomplishments allow Manning to pronounce with pride that "more than 90% of all the international jobs filled in Oregon are filled by PSU students (who have studied) in the School of Business Administration's international programs. " This summer, five local businesses are employing foreign students and recent graduates from overseas during an international exchange program. The program allows the firms to pay lower than usual starting salaries to high<aliber foreign students. Students want the first-hand experience in American firms to round out their educations; and the firms need the first-class technical and marketing information that foreign students can provide about their home countries. Friends and trading partners But perhaps Manning's most ambitious personal step in furtherance of Pacific Rim trade - and (X)ssibly the most controversial - is his recent participation, along with one of the PSU Business School's two Associate Deans, Justin Y. "Jay" Shimada, in a 1 5-member "People's Friendship Delegation" to China in March and April of this year. Despite confusion over the quasi-offiCial status of the delegation and some hasty planning, Manning feels the positive aspects of the friendship effort far outweighed the few awkward moments. "We were able to meet the leading governmental officials throughout China, particularly in Fujian Province," he noted. "As a result of our trip," he continued, "we have two members of their foreign ministry who will be joining our faculty in the fall, and will spend a year with us as a direct contact source to the business community. And they clearly will leave Portland with a strong feeling for Oregon, Oregonians and Oregon businesses," he emphasized. Although Manning confessed he didn't at first believe that China and Oregon could soon become trading partners, the recent visit Continued on p. 13 3
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