Next Stop - The 21st Century

Ann M. Fudge

President, Maxwell House and Post Division;
Executive vice president, Kraft Foods Inc.
Tarrytown, New York

It's hard to talk intelligently about the future without talking about young people. So what can we do today to make sure that our kids will be productive 20 years from now?

Some answers are obvious. We know what it will take to win in the next century -- so we've got to make sure that kids get access to the skills they'll need. Some answers are less obvious. This year, our unit participated in a national school-breakfast program. Lots of kids still go to school hungry -- which does not put them in a position to learn. Working with public-school systems, we donated cereal to help kids get the nutrition that they need. Every company can find a way to improve the lives of kids in their community.

Companies can also find ways to help build the spirit of community in general. It's one of the great challenges of the next century: How can we reinvent the idea of "connection" in an economy that has become so global, so mobile, so fast-paced? One of the wonders of the Web is that it helps people make connections that are based on shared interests, rather than on shared backgrounds. The Internet makes all of us more open to one another. But there's no substitute for human connection. That's why I'm a big believer in travel, especially when it means going to places where I can't speak the language: You work so hard to make connections, and you learn so much when you do. Every time I travel, I wind up asking myself the same question: How different are we, really, from one another?

Ann M. Fudge (annfudge@kraft.com) was named one of "the 50 most powerful women in American business" by Fortune and was cited by Ebony as one of "the 12 most powerful blacks in corporate america." In 1986, she joined General Foods Corp. (which later merged with Kraft Foods) as associate director of strategic planning. Since 1994, she has served as the president of Maxwell House Coffee, and since 1997, she has been responsible for brands such as Grape Nuts and Shredded Wheat.

Ling Chai

Founder, president, and CEO
Jenzabar.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts

I grew up in China, where there's a strong emphasis on what men are expected to do, as opposed to what women are supposed to do. But as a child, I read stories about strong heroines, like those who appear in Jane Austen's books. And I read fables of the American West -- a land where, if you worked hard, you succeeded.

So when I came to the United States, I expected to find a reality that was different from what I'd seen in China. In fact, it's not so different here. People still make assumptions about women -- that they aren't good in the hard sciences, for example. And women aren't always paid the same as men for doing the same job. After reading all of those fables about America, that reality shocked me.

My hope is that the 21st century will bring deep-seated changes in how women are perceived. But until perceptions do change, we need to make sure that we don't let the world define who we are. We need to define those things for ourselves. A big part of that self-definition involves our relationship with technology. The Internet is poised to change how we work and live. Women must become absolutely competent in all things digital. If we aren't equal participants in the Net, we risk re-creating all of the problems that we've experienced throughout the 20th century.

So we need to adapt. I learned about adapting to change the hard way. In 1989, at Tiananmen Square, we hoped to build a free society. Then everything changed. To avoid imprisonment, I left my family, escaped to Hong Kong, and made my way to the United States. I can't return to China right now. But I will someday. Technology is a powerful force for democracy. In less than five years, the Net has reached 60 million people. When the Internet reaches critical mass in China, it will support human rights, in general, and enhance the status of women, in particular. That's a day that I'm looking forward to.

Ling Chai (lchai@jenzabar.com) has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Since escaping to the United States, she has attended Princeton University and Harvard Business School. Jenzabar.com combines Internet and intranet technology to facilitate the free exchange of ideas among students, professors, and administrators on college campuses across the country.