Denis Fred Simon

Dr. Denis Fred Simon is Professor of International Affairs and one of the founding senior faculty at the new School of International Affairs at Penn State University. In addition, he also serves as Director of the Program on US-China Technology, Economic and Business Relations.

Dr. Simon’s distinctive competence is that he is one of a select number of global management experts with dual knowledge of both business strategy & technology management and Asian business systems and cultures. Having first visited Asia in 1976 and the China mainland in 1981, Dr. Simon has developed an extensive network of professional relationships throughout business, government, and academia in the region. He has written and lectured widely regarding innovation, high technology development, foreign investment and corporate strategy in the PacRim and is frequently quoted in the Western and Asian business press regarding commercial and technology trends in China, HK and the Asia-Pacific region. He continues to work with several US, European and Asian companies in a strategic consulting capacity with regard to business and technology developments in China.

Among his key publications are: Technological Innovation in China [with Detlef Rehn] (Harper Books, 1987), Science and Technology in Post-Mao China [edited with Merle Goldman] (Harvard University Press, 1989), The Emerging Technological Trajectory of the Pacific Rim (ME Sharpe, 1995), Corporate Strategies Towards the Pacific Rim (Routledge, 1996), Techno-Security in an Age of Globalization (ME Sharpe, 1997), and Global R&D in China [edited with Yifei Sun and Max Von Zedtwitz] (Routledge, 2008). He recently completed a new book (with Dr. Cao Cong) dealing with China’s scientific and engineering talent pool, entitled China’s Emerging Technological Edge: Assessing The Role of High-End Talent (Cambridge University Press, March 2009).

He received his M.A. degree in Asian Studies in 1975 and Ph.D. in Political Science in 1980 from the University of California at Berkeley. He received his B.A. degree in Asian Studies from the State University of New York in 1974. From 1978-80, he was a visiting researcher at the East-West Center in Honolulu. In 1985, he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for Hong Kong (declined). And, from 1991-92, he served as Visiting Scholar within Fujitsu Research Institute in Japan, where he worked on a project dealing with the changing patterns of Japanese manufacturing and R&D networks in China, HK and the Pacific Rim. He reads and speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Association for Asian Studies, and the National Committee for US-China Relations1.

Education

In his academic career, he received numerous honors and grants, including significant project grants from the Ford Foundation (technological innovation in China), National Science Foundation (evolving patterns of innovation in East Asia), Hitachi Foundation (technology transfer and innovation in Asia), Xerox Foundation (technology absorption in China), and the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People’s Republic of China (China’s policies for stimulating innovation in comparative perspective).

SUNY-Cortland

Simon's fascination for China was discovered during his initial undergraduate experience at SUNY-Cortland. At this time, SUNY-Cortland's offerings in Chinese language, and culture were quite limited. At the recommendation of his professor, Simon sought out potential SUNY campuses that offered more advanced programs in Asian Studies.

SUNY-New Paltz

At SUNY-New Paltz, Simon was able to take a variety of courses on Asian cultures, economics, history and Mandarin Chinese. It was here that he began to flourish. In 1974, he received his B.A. degree in Asian studies, and a year later received an M.A. degree in Asian Studies, as well.

University of California-Berkeley

Simon headed west to UC-Berkeley to pursue a Ph.D degree. In 1980, he received his Ph.D for his dissertation entitled "Taiwan, Technology Transfer and Transnationalism: The Political Management of Dependency" advised by Dr. Robert A. Scalapino.

Taiwan

In order to conduct his dissertation research and fieldwork as well as improve his Mandarin Chinese language skills, Dr. Simon spent a year in Taipei, Taiwan (1977-78).

Professional Career

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

From 1983-1987, Dr. Simon served as the Ford International Assistant Professor of Management & Technology at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Fletcher School at Tufts University

From 1987-1995, Dr. Simon served as associate professor of international business strategy and technology management at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, MA. During his academic career at the Fletcher School, Dr. Simon also served as Director of the China Executive Program (1988-90), a customized training program for mid-level Chinese managers to prepare them for long-term leadership positions in the PRC. From 1990-1993, he served as Director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the Fletcher School/Bentley College. CIBER is a US Department of Education-sponsored research and training program designed to build closer links between the business and academic communities. Fletcher was the only non-traditional “business school” to secure a three year CIBER award.

Throughout his professional career, Dr. Simon has been an innovator in intellectual thought and program development. He is well-known in many circles for his academic as well as corporate “entrepreneurship.” From 1989-1995, he also served as founder and Director of the Center for Technology and International Affairs at the Fletcher School; in that capacity he raised significant funds and developed multiple program activities to create a business-academic partnership to analyze the impact of high technology on regional and global economic and commercial relations. Finally, between 1990-1995, Dr. Simon was founder and Director of the Global Senior Managers Program, a customized executive training program for senior corporate officials from around the world to assist them prepare for the challenges of managing in a globalized business environment. In that capacity, Dr. Simon also taught the program components dealing with global business and technology strategy.

China Consulting Associates

From 1990-1995, Dr. Simon served as President of China Consulting Associates (Boston), which was one of only four foreign consulting firms approved by China's State Council to operate as a domestically registered management consulting company in the PRC. In that capacity, he also served as President and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Shanghai Hua Mei Economic & Technology Consulting Company, Ltd., a Sino-foreign joint venture with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and the Shanghai Electric Machinery Import & Export Corporation. From 1983-1995, Simon served as a private consultant to numerous Fortune Global 500 firms regarding their business entry and operations in China. His projects included market entry strategies, competitor analyses, industry analysis, joint venture partner assessment, distribution strategy, and technology transfer diagnostics. In addition, Dr. Simon has been enlisted as a keynote speaker at a large number of major business conferences, e.g. World Economic Forum, and executive education programs, e.g. IBEAR's China Program, regarding key success factors for doing business in China.

Andersen Consulting

In 1995, Dr. Simon left academia to pursue a career in the consulting world, and was hired as a Associate Partner at Andersen Consulting, focusing on their China business, based out of San Francisco, CA. He served as Director of the China Strategy Group, and in 1998, he relocated to Beijing to become the General Manager for Andersen Consulting’s China practice from 1998-2000.

With Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), Dr. Simon helped develop the strategy practice from its very limited beginnings into a 25+-person team of high-quality consulting professionals generating substantial engagements with both multinational firms and Chinese domestic clients. While serving as General Manager of the Beijing practice, he handled the administration, marketing and representational aspects of Andersen Consulting in China. In addition, he has conducted extensive client-related research on many of China's key evolving industries, including electronics, telecommunications, computers, automobiles, petrochemicals, transportation, and assorted consumer products. His projects have focused on such critical strategic business problems as supply chain management, eCommerce strategy, market expansion strategy, IT strategy, R&D strategy, distribution, and joint venture operations-manufacturing, HR, and distribution. He also has performed as a consultant to numerous US government and international organizations regarding China and the economies of the Asia-Pacific region, including the Office of Technology Assessment (US Congress), National Academy of Sciences, World Bank, United Nations, US Department of Commerce, PECC and OECD.

Scient Corp.

From 1999-2001, Dr. Simon was Managing Director of the Business Strategy and Architecture Innovation Center in Singapore for Scient Corporation.

Monitor Group (China) Ltd.

Dr. Simon was President of Monitor Group (China) from 2001-2002. As a senior member of the Asia leadership team within Monitor Group (Asia), Dr. Simon helped drive overall business development and provided high-level management support and intellectual leadership for Monitor’s strategy engagements in China. He also was responsible for government representation as well as building the skills base and for colleague care for the members of the China consulting practice.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Dr. Simon served as Dean of the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute[www.rpi.edu] in Troy, New York. Founded in 1824, Rensselaer ranks annually among the top 50 national universities in the U.S. News & World Report, and its graduate engineering program ranks among the top schools around the world. Dr. Simon also was a member of the Lally School faculty as a tenured Full Professor of International Business Strategy and Global Technology Management. The Lally School is one of the leading teaching and research centers in the US and abroad focused on technological innovation and corporate entrepreneurship. In his capacity as Dean, Dr. Simon engineered a fundamental re-structuring of the overall MBA curriculum and revitalized the MBA recruiting effort. The new modular MBA curriculum reflected a distinct move away from the traditional discipline-based approach existing in most business schools toward a problem-based form of pedagogy that emphasizes experiential learning and focuses on those key skills and tools that aspiring managers and business leaders need for success.

In 2004, under Dr. Simon's leadership, the Lally School was ranked by Entrepreneur magazine among the top 15 programs in entrepreneurship in the US. The the quality and quantity of MBA recruiting improved, leading to a 40+% increase in size of the MBA class for Fall 2004. He also re-energized the Lally School community, fostering higher levels of faculty involvement and engagement in all aspects of the running and operation of the school. In addition, he also served as a member of the Dean's Council at Rensselaer as well as being involved in fund-raising activities and representational roles for RPI in various government and non-governmental bodies, e.g. National Academy of Sciences, Council on Competitiveness, and the National Science Foundation.

Levin Institute

In 2004, Dr. Simon was named to be the founding Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs of the Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce2 under the State University of New York in New York City. The Levin Institute was established by Governor George Pataki and the State of New York, under the auspices of the State University of New York, in memory of Neil D. Levin, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who perished in the attack upon the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Mr. Levin was a leader in business, banking, and insurance at the state, national and international levels. Through his leadership of the Port Authority, he served at the focal point of international commerce, not only as landlord of the World Trade Center complex, but as operator of New York's major airports, port facilities, bridges and tunnels.

The Institute is currently led by Garrick Utley, the former American TV journalist, who established his career reporting world events starting with the Vietnam War. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has served as the school's Chairman since its creation in 2004.

Pennsylvania State University

In August 2008, Dr. Simon decided to return to the classroom, and took a full tensured professorship at Pennsylvania State University's brand new School of International Affairs. He also serves as Director of the Program on US-China Technology, Economic and Business Relations.

Additional Accomplishments

Dr. Simon has continued to play an active role as a thought leader regarding international business and global technology developments. He served as a working group member of the National Innovation Initiative under the Council on Competitiveness from 2002-2005. And, he continues to serve as a member of the International Programs Advisory Committee]. He also has served as a member of GUIRR (Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable) at the National Academy of Sciences. He is a Board member of the bilateral US-Israel Science and Technology Foundation/Commissionhttp://www.usistf.org/index.html. He also has been a member of the Board of the Alliance for Global Education. Finally, he has been a working member of the highly regarded Global Innovation Outlook 2.0 study published by IBM in 2006. In June 2006, he was elected to membership in the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations. In 2007-08, Dr. Simon orchestrated and directed a major executive education initiative called ALeaP (Accelerated Leadership Program) for IBM, that was focused on creating a long-term leadership pipeline for IBM’s Greater China businesses.

His activities regarding developments in China also have continued unabated. In September 2003, Dr. Simon was the principal organizer of a major international conference at Rensselaer, supported by the National Science Foundation, entitled, "China’s Technological Trajectory in the Post-Deng Era". In April 2005, he testified before the special panel on China’s High Technology Development organized by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission of the US Congress. In May 2005, he was the keynote speaker before the World Trade Center in Albany, NY, where he spoke about “globalization, technology and China’s Role in the Global R&D System.” In June 2005, he was one of the co-organizers and keynote speakers, in cooperation with the Nanjing Municipal Government and Jiangsu Province, of an international business symposium titled, "The Emerging Role of Foreign R&D in China: Strategies and Challenges". In July 2005, he was selected by the Mayor of Dalian to serve as a special science and technology adviser to that city. In September 2005, he spoke at the Executive Business Summit organized by the China Institute in New York City on “high-end talent and the evolving workplace in China.” In November 2005, he addressed a RAND-sponsored conference in Washington, DC on China 2020, in which he presented a paper on the supply and demand of scientific and engineering talent in China, 2005-2020. In December 2005, he addressed a US State Department-sponsored conference at the Atlantic Council on indigenous innovation and foreign investment in China. In April 2006, Dr. Simon, along with R.P. Suttmeier and Cong Cao had a paper published by ''Science'' on the “Knowledge Innovation Program” under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China. In May 2006, he spoke “China and the New Direction of Global Business” at Sumitomo America’s annual corporate retreat in Connecticut. In July 2006, he organized a major international conference on “Industrial Innovation in China,” held in New York City in cooperation with China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the Council on Foreign Relations. In August 2006, he provided a keynote address to the China International Patent Forum in Dalian, China-- where he spoke about the impact of globalization and China’s role in the emerging new IPR regime. In June 2007, he spoke about China’s new innovation policies and practices at Google, Inc. in Mountain View, California as part of the nationwide “Town Hall” event on China sponsored by the National Committee on US-China Relations. In December 2008, he gave a keynote address entitled “The Globalization of Chinese Firms: Some Thoughts and Strategic Perspectives,” at the Conference on “China Goes Global” at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. And, in 2009, Dr. Simon briefed two key committees under the US National Academy of Sciences—the Committee on Forecasting Future Disruptive Technologies (March) and the Standing Committee on Technology Insight-Gauge, Evaluate and Review (January)—regarding globalization and China’s emerging technological trajectory.

Accolades

In recognition of his extensive work in China, Dr. Simon was selected among only 20 foreign experts to receive the Liaoning Province Friendship Award in Shenyang in September 2006. In October 2006, he was awarded China’s highest medal given by the Chinese government to a “foreign expert”—the China National Friendship Award—by Premier Wen Jiabao3 in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. And, in August 2007, he was appointed as “Special Counselor on International Affairs” by the President of Nanjing University. In June 2008, he developed and implemented the SUNY China 150 Program4—an innovative initiative supported by China’s State Council--designed to bring 150 Chinese UG students from the earthquake damaged area in Sichuan to the US on scholarship for one academic year. In October 2008, he was made “an honorary citizen” of Dalian, China by Mayor Xia Deren in a ceremony attended by senior officials from government, business and academia. And, in March 2009, Dr. Simon was made the first foreign senior adviser to the newly established World Innovation Institute—a prestigious think tank focused on the study of R&D and technology strategy issues in China and abroad--under the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing.

Published Works

Dr. Simon has written and lectured widely regarding innovation, high technology development, foreign investment and corporate strategy in the PacRim and is frequently quoted in the Western and Asian business press regarding commercial and technology trends in China, HK and the Asia-Pacific region. Among his key publications are: Technological Innovation in China [with Detlef Rehn] (Harper Books, 1987), Science and Technology in Post-Mao China [edited with Merle Goldman] (Harvard University Press, 1989), The Emerging Technological Trajectory of the Pacific Rim (ME Sharpe, 1995), Corporate Strategies Towards the Pacific Rim (Routledge, 1996), and Techno-Security in an Age of Globalization (ME Sharpe, 1997). He currently is working on a book-length manuscript dealing with the development of the computer industry in China—1949-2009.

Selected Publications

• “China’s Emerging Science and Technology Talent Pool: A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment,” with C. Cao in Education for Innovation: Implications for India, China and America, R. DeHaan and K. M. Narayan, eds., Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers (2008): 83-110.

• “Success in State Directed Innovation? Perspectives on China’s Plan for the Development of Science and Technology,” with C. Cao and R. Suttmeier, in New Asian Dynamics in Science, Technology and Innovation, G. Parayil and A. D’Costa, eds., London: Palgrave Macmillan (2008): 247-264.

• “China’s Innovation Challenge and the Re-Making of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,” with R.P. Suttmeier and Cong Cao, Innovations: Technology/Governance/Globalization, December 2006.

• “China’s 15 Year Science and Technology Plan” with Cong Cao and R.P. Suttmeier, Physics Today, December 2006.

• “China’s Super Science Center: Knowledge, Innovation and the Remaking of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,” with R.P. Suttmeier and Cong Cao, Science, April 2006.

• “China’s New Microelectronics Strategy,” China Business Review, November/December 2001.

• “China’s Supply Chain Challenge,” with D. Ashton, in Strategic Supply Chain Alignment, J. Gattorna, ed., Burlington, VT: Gower, 1998.

• “Transferring Technology to China: Key Success Factors,” Outlook, Fall 1997.

• “Charting Taiwan’s Technological Future,” China Quarterly, December 1996.

• Techno-Security in an Age of Globalization: Perspectives from the Pacific Rim, ed. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1996.

• The Emerging Technological Trajectory of the Pacific Rim, ed. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1995

• Corporate Strategies Towards the Pacific Rim, ed. New York: Routledge, 1995.

• Science and Technology in Post-Mao China, with M. Goldman, co-ed., Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989.