Free Essay

International Strategy

In:

Submitted By Algolik
Words 3433
Pages 14
International
Strategy
Advanced Strategy
M2/MSc 2015-2016

Corporate (or Growth) strategy: Key questions?
• Should the firm focus its activities on a specific market or diversify in several segments or sectors?
• Should the firm limit its business to the local market or internationalize? • Which method of growth strategy should the firm choose? • organic development or
• corporate, commercial, technical alliances with other stakeholders active in the business environment (clients, suppliers, competitors, R&D centres, academic units, …)?

Key questions of Corporate strategy

Why and how should the firm internationalize?

International strategy analytical framework Location
Advantage

WHY?
Outside-In approach

HOW?

Source: Exploring Strategy, 9th edition, Pearson, 2011

Inside-out approach

Incentives and basic benefits of internationalisation Incentives

Basic Benefits

Extend a product’s life cycle

Increased market size

Gain easier access to raw materials Economies of scale and learning Opportunities to integrate operations on a global scale

Location advantages

To support strategic orientations!

Opportunities to maximize the ROI (e.g. rapidely developing technologies)
Get access to consumers in emerging markets
Source: Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, The Management of Strategy, 2011

Outside-in approach:
Internationalisation drivers

Why going international? The YIP’s matrix (Inter-country compensation of competitive rivalry)

Drivers of internationalization
Source: Pearson, Adapted from G. Yip, Total Global Strategy II, Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2003, Chapter 2

Inside-out approach:
Location advantage - Porter’s diamond

Porter’s Diamond: explains why some locations tend to produce firms with competitive advantages in some industries.

Inside-out approach:
Location advantage - Porter’s diamond
Domestic favorable production factors used as a competitive advantage abroad: industry

e.g. energy costs for US aluminum industry,
Universities in the silicon valley for IT US firms

Domestic market structure can be a source of competitive advantage abroad: e.g. the Swiss fine chemistry and pharmaceutical industry;
Japanese government support to local automotive manufacturers How to gain a competitive advantage?

Local ecosystems such as competitive clusters leverage firm’s innovativeness:

e.g. Italian clusters for mecatronics. Grasse (FR) cluster for fragrances

Domestic client power can help creating competitive advantage abroad: e.g. Germany for technical excellence
(automotive,
engineering industries,
French Lead Users for
Videogames)

Porter’s Diamond – the determinants of national advantages
Source: Pearson. Adapted from The Competitive Advantage of Nations by Michael E. Porter. Copyright © 1990, 1998 by Michael E. Porter. All rights reserved

Inside-out approach: the relevance of internationalisation – the RAT/CAT test*
Prior internationalizing, firms should consider the benefits of internationalisation with regards to their local competitive advantage (see resource based view of competitive advantage)
 Will local strategic capabilities generate a competitive advantage in the target-market?
=> Relevance, Appropriability, Transferability of local capabilities  Will the target-market help the firm increase strategic capabilities in return?
=> Complementarity, Appropriability, Transferability of new capabilities * Source: D. Lessard, R. Lucea & L. Vives (2013). Building your company’s capabilities through global expansion, MIT Sloan Management Review.

Inside-out approach: the relevance of internationalisation – the RAT/CAT test
Relevance

RAT: can the firm use the strategic capabilities developed in its local market to generate a competitive advantage abroad?

Yes
Go

Are the capabilities developed locally relevant for the targeted market?

CAT: does the new market represent an opportunity for the firm to increase strategic capabilities? Small stores from
Latin America to US

in Japan

Appropriability
No
Go

Should these capabilities be used in the targeted market, can they be easily imitated?

Yes
Go

How to conduct the RAT/CAT test?

No
No-go

Are local capabilities transferable to the targeted market at an affordable cost?

Yes
No-go

in China

Transferability
No
No-go

EXPLOIT capabilities Local market

Targeted market
RENEW
capabilities

ENHANCE capabilities Wind Power

in the USA

RAT/CAT test is mostly appropriate for differentiation strategies

Complementarity
Yes
Go

Will the new capabilities developed in the targeted market complement existing ones?

Yes
Go

Can the firm easily capture the benefits of these new capabilities?

Yes
Go

Can the firm use these capabilities locally without deteriorating their value?

No
No-go

Appropriability
No
No-go

Transferability
No
No-go

* Source: Chereau & Meschi (2014), Le conseil stratégique pour l’entreprise, Pearson. Adapted from Lessard, Lucea & Vives (2013).

The global–local dilemma
The global–local dilemma relates to the extent to which products and services
 may be standardised across national boundaries or
 need to be adapted to meet the requirements of specific national markets.

The global–local dilemma
The 3 international strategy options from a market demand perspective

Source: Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, The Management of Strategy, 2011

International strategies types
The 4 international strategies from a configuration* of activities’ perspective

* Configuration: a multidimensional arrangement of the strategic choices and organizational characteristics of a business (Siggelkow, 2002)

Source: Pearson. Adapted ‘Changing patterns of international competition’, pp. 9–39, Figure 5 (Porter, M. 1987).

Simple export strategy
• This strategy involves a concentration of activity (in particular manufacturing) in one country. • Typically chosen by companies with a strong locational advantage (Porter’s Diamond)
• Often a first step to go international

Objective: optimize the location advantage

Complex export strategy
• This strategy still involves the location of most activities and coordination in a single country, but builts on more coordinated marketing
• Coordination is more complex than simple export.
• Classical strategy for companies from emerging markets
Objective: optimize location advantage (ex. factor conditions) while adapting to the organizational requirements of internationalization (market adaptation, sales coordination, supply chain management, ….)

Example of complex export
Huawei has been a leading end-to-end ICT network and service solution provider with complete selfproprietary intellectual property rights.
• Set-up in Europe in 2000, with offices in 26 countries today.
• R&D center in Sweden, the Netherlands, France
(partnership agreement with Paristech)
• Several training centers in Europe.
• Customer and technical service center in France and in the
UK in 2005

Some customers

Example of complex export

Multi domestic strategy
• Strategy and operating decisions are decentralized to strategic business units (SBU) in each country.

• Products and services are tailored to local markets
• Business units in each country are independent of each other.
• Assumes markets differ by country or region. Focus on firm’s competitive advantage in each market
=> motives based on international drivers of host markets
=> in-depth analysis of market forces (barriers, rivalry, clients, subst…)

• A key issue: the ability of the parent company to transfer its core expertise to local SBUs.
Objectives: build the go-to-market strategy on maximizing international drivers of host countries

Thales: a multi domestic strategy in defense
Countries of high skills level and strong defense budget
Thales supervised the design of the new aircraft carrier the Royal Navy

Thales delivered a satellite communication system dedicated to patrollers of the
Dutch Navy

Thales Scores Singapore
Minehunter Deal

Thales Reveals New ISTAR
System
for South Africa
Thales Australia manufacture the
Hawkei for Australian Defense Force
(ADF).
Source: Bernasconi from Thales and diverse websites

20

Global strategy
• Products are standardized across national markets
• Business-level strategies are centralized in the home office

• Strategic business units (SBU) are interdependent
• Emphasizes economies of scale
• Often lacks responsiveness to local markets

• Requires resource sharing and coordination across borders
(which also makes it difficult to manage)

 Strong organizational routines and culture
Objective: select countries of operations on the basis of their specific location advantage and then, sum-up all competitive advantages A successful global strategy

451 components

Retailer 75$

Video processor

Other components

Hard Drive 73€
Assembly-manufacturing
4$

Assessing internationalization strategy
Internationalization & product diversity: from local to “glocal”
 Product-diversified firms are likely to perform better when internationalizing, as they are prepared for managing internal diversity.
 BUT: highly diversified firms face extra costs of coordination and control
=> internationalization with selective diversification OR
=> diversification with selective internationalization
Multidomestic
strategy

(+)

Transnational or
“Glocal”
strategy

Diversity of products sold abroad
Simple export strategy Global strategy (-)
0%

% sales abroad / total sales

Source: Brulhart, Guieu, Meschi – Les 7 points clés de la croissance de l’entreprise

100%

World 3.0 and semi globalization

World 3.0. How to Succeed
Between Global and Local?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEwP54pp5BI

World 3.0 and semi globalization
Globalization: Integrating or
Regulating Foreign Markets ?
Market Integration
+
 Market practices spontaneously lead to the situation where prices among different locations or related goods follow similar patterns over time ….

 Trade regulations
 Quality regulations
 Practice regulations
….



… influence firms’ internalization

Market Regulation
+


Ex: Emergence of hundreds of Contract
Research Organizations (CROs) to deliver harmonized services worldwide for new medicines development

World 3.0 and semi globalization
Globalization? Reality check
< 2% international telephone calling minutes
< 20% internet traffic routed across borders
~ 19% international news covered by journals
~ 2% students studying overseas
~ 24% exported products/services as a % of GDP
~ 10% foreign direct investment as a % of total fixed invesment

0%

100%

World 3.0 and semi globalization
What about the Globalization of
« Global » Firms? (1) – Firm Nationality

World 3.0 and semi globalization
What about the Globalization of
« Global » Firms? (2) – World presence

Entry/growth modes

International strategy analytical framework Location
Advantage

WHY?
Outside-In approach

HOW?

Source: Exploring Strategy, 9th edition, Pearson, 2011

Inside-out approach

International market selection:
Identifying (all types of) distances

A global world …

… where distance still matters

International market selection:
Identifying distance
How to decide whether to expand into a particular foreign country?
Analyzing the probable impact of distance* factors on the firm’s industry will highlight internationalization opportunities and risks





Cultural factors
Administrative and political factors
Geographical factors
Economic factors

* Source: P. Ghemawat (2001). Distance still matters: The hard reality of global expansion, Harvard Business
Review

International market selection:
Identifying distance
Stylized facts about distance:
Distance attribute
Income level: GDP per capita (1% increase)

Change in international trade (%)
+0.7

Economic size: GDP (1% increase)

+0.8

Physical distance (1% increase)

-1.1

Access to ocean

+50

Common border

+80

Common language

+200

Common regional trading block (NAFTA, EU, …)

+330

Colony-colonizer relationship

+900

Common polity

+300

Common currency

+340

* Source: Ghemawat (2001)

International market selection:
The CAGE framework of distance analysis
Ex: Consulting firms in China

Ex: Western firms in India

Cultural

Administrative and

distance

political distance

Geographic

Economic / wealth

distance

distance

Ex: Distance between decision centers

Ex: Differentiated strategy between countries International market selection:
The CAGE framework of distance analysis

Cultural Distance
Distance
between
Two
countries increases with . . .

Administrative and Political
Distance

• Different languages, ethnicities, religions, social norms

• Absence of shared monetary or political
Association

• Lack of connective ethnic or social networks Geographic
Distance
• Lack of common border, waterway access, adequate transportation or communication links

• Political hostilities
• Physical remoteness
• Weak legal and financial institutions

Economic
Distance
• Different consumer incomes • Different costs and quality of natural, financial, and human
Resources

• Different Climates
• Different information or Knowledge

Distance most affects industries or products . . .

• With high linguistic content (TV)
• Related to national identity (foods)
• Carrying countryspecific quality associations (wines)

• That a foreign government views as staples (electricity), as building national reputations (aerospace), or as vital to national security (telecommunications)

• With low value toweight ratio (cement)

• For which demand varies by income (cars)

• That are fragile or perishable (glass, fruit)

• In which labor and other cost differences matter (garments)

• In which communications are vital
(financial services)

* Source: Ghemawat (2001)

International market selection:
Market characteristics matters: PES(T)EL
The elements of the PESTEL framework used in comparing countries for entry:

 Political. Political environments vary widely between countries and can alter rapidly.
 Economic. Key comparators are: levels of Gross Domestic Product and disposable income which indicate the potential size of the market.  Social. Factors like population characteristics and lifestyle as well as cultural differences.
 Technology. Local availability and reliability of requested technologies  Environmental issues. “green” issues are considered differently from one country to another
 Legal. Countries vary widely in their legal regime.

International market selection: Industry characteristics do not necessarily cross borders
How well correlated is industry profitability across countries? *
* Khanna, T; Rivskin, J.W., Harvard Business Review, 2014

Positive Correlation
Insignificant Correlation
Negative Correlation

=> Industry knowledge is only partially transferable across borders International market selection: Industry characteristics do not necessarily cross borders
When analyzing the industry structure abroad, each of
Porter’s five forces must be evaluated in the local context.
Local PESTEL influence on industry

International strategy analytical framework Location
Advantage

WHY?
Outside-In approach

HOW?

Source: Exploring Strategy, 9th edition, Pearson, 2011

Inside-out approach

Entry modes: dealing with
Liability Of Foreignness

Def_ Liability Of Foreignness*
The additional tacit and social costs that foreign firms face when entering a particular host market. These costs are not incurred by well-embedded indigenous companies.

*Source: Denk et al., Journal of International management, 2012

Entry modes: dealing with
Liability Of Foreignness
Costs of LOF are due to 3 types of hazards
• Unfamiliarity hazards: incorrect market assessment, insufficient and erroneous information, inadequate knowledge of the host country’s culture, norms, values, and business practices
• Relational hazards: higher organizational costs for internal and external firm-to-firm interactions within the buyersupplier-competitor network due to lack of embeddedness in local networks.
• Discrimination hazards: cost arising from unfavorable treatment due to consumer or political “ethnocentricity” in the host country
Source: Denk et al., Journal of International management, 2012

Entry modes: The Uppsala model of international expansion
The Uppsala* international expansion model
As firms cannot easily manage the CAGE distances between the home country and the target-country and may suffer from LOF, they internationalize via a dual sequence of evolution:  An evolution in reducing the “psychological distance” with the target-country
 An evolution in the “establishment chain” in the targetcountry

* Source: J. Johanson & J-E. Vahlne (1977)

Entry modes: The Uppsala model of international expansion
Establishment
chain
(entry modes acc. to level of risk and investment) TargetCountry 1

TargetCountry 2

TargetCountry 3

Production subsidiary Sales subsidiary (B)

(B)

(B)

Local agent Export

(A)

(A)
Weak

Strong

Psychological distance (factors influencing
CAGE distances)

Source: Chereau and Meschi (2014), adapted from Johanson and Vahln (1977)

Entry modes: The staged model of international expansion

The staged international expansion model
A sequential process whereby companies gradually increase their commitment to newly entered markets, as they build market knowledge and capabilities.

Modes of entry : the staged model
Level of strategic investment in the host country

Low

Exporting
Joint ventures and alliances
Licensing
Foreign direct investment

High

Entry modes: The staged international expansion model
The staged model is challenged by two phenomena:
‘Born-global’ firms - new small firms that internationalise rapidly (usually in new technologies) as a condition of survival

Worldwide basis of clients, expertise, and supply
Emerging-country multinationals - building unique capabilities and competitive advantage in the home market but exploiting them in international markets quickly before competition retaliates

Location competitive advantage used worldwide

Entry modes: The staged international expansion model

‘Born-global’ firms
Global provider of positioning
& timing solutions (metrology)
 Founded in 2006
 M€ 66, 310 employees
 Locations in 7 countries
 Clients in 90 countries

Global provider of clinical development services
 Corning spin-off in 1997
 B$ 2, 11000 employees
 Locations in 60 countries
 1100 Clients in 95 countries

Entry modes: The staged international expansion model
‘Emerging country’ multinationals
Global provider of home appliances
 Manufacturing efficiency
 Innovation effectiveness: tracking, analyzing, researching and developing technologies 5-10 years ahead

http://www.haier.net/en/about_haier/haier_strategy/

http://www.ranbaxy.com/businessoperations/hybrid-business-model/

Global provider of Generics drugs
 Founded in 1961
 Sankyo strategic alliance 2008
 Targets emerging countries + cost-effective innovation
 B$ 2,3 in 2012
 Clients in 150 countries

Modes of international market entry:
Selection criteria
Modes of entry in international market depend on firm’s
 ability to use (and trade) the competitive advantage in the host market
 ability to rely on existing trade rules (patent or brand protection, commercial agreements, ..)
Security of

Transferability of

 Acquisition
 Greenfield investment

Modes of international market entry:
Selection criteria
Independence

Speed

The firm wants to minimize transaction costs and therefore avoid working with a local partner

The firm wants to rapidly access distribution channels and clients

Weak

Protection

Fair

Control
The firm needs to control local decisions and check that they fit the overall strategy

The firm needs to protect the resources and competences transferred to the target-market
Strong

Reversibility
The firm needs to be able to cope with a possible failure in the target-market and disinvest with minimized costs

Source: Chereau & Meschi (2014)

Modes of international market entry:
Selection criteria
Independence

Independence

Greenfield Subsidiary
Reversibility

Joint venture

Speed

Control

Reversibility

Protection

Speed

Control

Protection

Independence

Acquisition
Reversibility

Speed

Source: Chereau and Meschi (2014)
Control

Protection

Exporting
Advantages
• No need for operations facilities in host country
• Economies of scale in the home country
• Internet can facilitate exporting marketing opportunities (economies of scope)

Disadvantages
• Lose location advantage in the host country if inappropriate selection
• Dependence on export intermediaries • Exposure to trade barriers • Logistics hurdles/costs

Joint ventures and alliances
Advantages
• Shared investment risk
• Complementary resources • May be required for market entry (to avoid
Liability Of Foreignness)

Disadvantages
• Difficult to find the good partner • Relationship management
• Loss of intrinsic competitive advantage of each partner
• Difficult to integrate and coordinate Licensing/Franchising
Advantages

Disadvantages

• Contractual source of income • Limited economic and financial exposure
(ex. Biotech, Consulting,
Pharma,…)

• Difficult to identify good partner • Loss of competitive advantage • Limited benefits from host nation
• Loss of brand advantage
(luxury, beauty, …)

Foreign direct investment
Advantages
• Full control
• Integration and coordination possible
• Rapid market entry through acquisitions
• Incentives for
Greenfield
investments

Disadvantages
• Substantial investment and commitment • Acquisitions may create integration/ coordination issues
• Greenfield investments are time consuming and unpredictable International growth modes
Advanced Strategy
M2/MSc 2013-2014

International Strategy methods
Three strategy methods

Organic development
• Organic development is where a strategy is pursued by building on and developing on organization's own capabilities. This is a “do-it-yourself” method.
• Key issue: corporate entrepreneurship intrapreneurship i.e. innovation in the organisation’s business model to adapt its practices to international contexts => specific strategic capabilities

Organic development
Advantages of organic development • Effective acquisition of new capabilities via “learning by doing”. • “real option” approach easier to finance.
• No “availability” constraints of suitable partners or acquisition targets.
• Strategic independence: no alliance trade-offs

Limits of organic development • Time to acquire capabilities
• Risk of focusing on sustaining innovation, related to leveraging main markets, which…
• …may hamper disruptive innovation supporting diversification => independence of the innovative BU

Mergers & Acquisitions
• A merger is the combination of two previously separate organisations, typically as more or less equal partners, into one new entity.
• An acquisition involves one firm taking over the ownership
(‘equity’) of another, hence the alternative term ‘takeover’.
Objectives of M&A:
 Extension of scope in terms of geography, products or markets.
 increase scale, efficiency and market power.
 Coping with LOF costs
 immediate access to market knowledge, networks, and domestic preference advantage

Strategic alliances and internationalization • A strategic alliance (equity-based or not) is where two or more organisations share resources and activities to pursue a strategy

Objectives
• Scale alliances – lower costs, increase market power * and share risks. • Access alliances – partners provide needed capabilities (e.g. distribution outlets or licenses to brands)
• Complementary alliances – bringing together complementary strengths to offset the other partner’s weaknesses.

• Collusive alliances – to increase market power. Usually kept secret to evade competition regulations (e.g. pharma, defense industry)
* Ability to raise the market price of a product over marginal cost by tying demand to the firm

Comparing acquisitions, alliances and organic development
4 contextual factors influence strategy choices of development :
• Urgency; Uncertainty; Type and Modularity of capabilities

Comparing acquisitions, alliances and organic development
Four key factors influence the method of strategy development :
• Urgency – internal development may be too slow, alliances can accelerate the process but acquisitions are quickest.

• Uncertainty – in alliances, risks are shared and thus a failure does not mean the full cost is lost.
• Type of capabilities – acquisitions work best with ‘hard’ resources (e.g. production units) rather than ‘soft’ resources
(e.g. people)that require organic development. Culture clash is the big issue.
• Modularity of capabilities – if the needed capabilities can be clearly separated from the rest of the organisation an alliance may be best.

Latest research findings on international acquisitions, knowledge transfer, and performance
Market knowledge transfer from acquired firm: positive!*
 The higher the transfer of knowledge, the higher the performance
 The higher the transfer of knowledge from acquired firm, the higher acquired employees’ motivation (self-recognized, self-directed, valued, …)
 The higher the cultural distance, the higher the value of transfer
=> Market knowledge transfer addresses Liability Of Foreignness issues!

Managerial knowledge transfer to acquired firm: negative!*
 The higher the operational integration, the lower the value of transfer: too many changes at the acquired level, which impacts efficiency
 The higher the success of previous international acquisition (and tendency to replicate), the lower the value of transfer (one size does not fit all !)
=> Strategic fit: The higher the acquirer-acquired fit between strategic objectives, the higher the value of transfer!
* Source: Reus et al., Knowledge transfer and international acquisition performance, working draft, 2013

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

International Strategies

...INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIES (Jay B Barney) Summary International Strategies can be seen as a special case of diversification strategies. Firms implement international strategies when they pursue business opportunities that cross country borders. Like all diversification strategies, international strategies must exploit real economies of scope that outside investors find too costly to exploit on their own in order to be valuable. Five potentially valuable economies of scope in international strategies are: 1. To gain access to new customers for a firm’s current products or services 2. To gain access to low-cost factors of production, 3. To develop new core competencies 4. To leverage current core competencies in new ways and 5. To manage corporate risk. To be a source of sustained competitive advantage, a firm’s international strategies must be valuable, rare and costly to imitate and the firm must be organized to realize the full potential of its international strategies, these strategies can still be rare, for at least two reasons : 1. Given the broad range of international opportunities, firms may not compete head to head with other firm pursuing the same international strategies that they are pursuing and 2. Firms may bring valuable and rare resources and capabilities to the international strategies they pursue. Both direct duplication and substitution can affect the imitability of a firm’s international strategy. Direct duplication is not likely when firms bring...

Words: 388 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

International Strategies

...International Operations Strategy Analysis Coca-Cola Coca-Cola Nokia Nokia McDonald’s McDonald’s Dow Chemical Dow Chemical IBM IBM US Steel US Steel Procter & Gamble Procter & Gamble Four Basic International Operations Strategies International enterprises who by definition have to have a presence in more than one market must endure both pressures for cost reductions and for local responsiveness. The biggest challenge for these companies is to find the right balance between the two approaches because these place conflicting demands on business operations. Practically all multinational firm use the above strategies or some variation of them when it comes to international operations. For example, Coca-Cola is well known for using relatively standard brands, formulations, packaging, positioning and distribution channels in its global markets (Vogt, 2015). Similarly, research shows that even though McDonald’s has tried to customize their offering to match local consumer preferences. However, the company’s philosophy remains loyal to the idea that the customer would experience a standardized service and quality regardless of geographical location or McDonald’s restaurant (Loukakou, 2012). Companies such as IBM and P&G face relatively different scenarios when attempting to have a presence in global markets. These companies have the luxury of not facing very high cost reduction or local responsiveness pressures. Consequently, these companies...

Words: 913 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

International Marketing Strategies

...R E S E A R C H includes research articles that focus on the analysis and resolution of managerial and academic issues based on analytical and empirical or case research International Marketing Strategies in India: An Application of Mixed Method Investigation Prathap Oburai and Michael J Baker Executive Summary KEY WORDS International Marketing Strategy Grounded Theoretic KEY WORDS Approach Privatization Case Research Methodology Indian Banking Internationalization drives and export orientation are prominent in the organizational strategies of a number of leading Indian firms and multinationals located in India. This is a significant indicator of the growing competitiveness of firms, industries, and the nation. This paper examines the sources of competitive advantage in a few selected sectors and firms and explores the internationalization possibilities and potential. International marketing strategies are complex and tend to vary widely across nations, industries, and firms. The elements that form the ingredients of international strategies are numerous and their importance is tightly interwoven to contexts. With a view to enrich the existing body of international marketing theory, the authors investigate the international marketing strategies adopted in 12 different business sectors in India in an attempt to explore and explain the similarities and differences found in this varied set of industries. The examples span the old economy industries such as the assembly...

Words: 9123 - Pages: 37

Premium Essay

Strategy & International Business

...3H Strategy & International Business 2001-2002 Session 8 – Positioning & RBAs compared A. INTRODUCTION TO SESSION The past two Sessions have outlined a series of models and frameworks that provide insights into the external environment and the strategic capabilities possessed by organisations. Many of these models and frameworks have developed as a consequence of a twenty-year debate over the way in which organisations seek to develop sustainable competitive advantage. In broad terms, two distinct approaches have emerged from the debate about this central issue within strategy content: the positioning approach and the resource-based approach (or more accurately, approaches). Much of the debate has concentrated upon two key questions: • Is competitive advantage achieved by concentrating on either low cost or differentiation or should a strategy seek to exploit both low cost and differentiation? • Does an organisation develop strategy to respond to or shape the environment in which it exists – is strategy outside-in or inside-out? As the primary purpose of the tools of strategic analysis is to help organisations to develop and implement successful strategies, then an understanding of the underlying context in which these models and frameworks can be applied is an important requirement. By exploring the development of these competing approaches to competitive advantage and the debate between them, this Session sets out to provide this contextual understanding...

Words: 7497 - Pages: 30

Premium Essay

International Advertising Strategies

...International advertising strategies International advertising strategies Theodore Levitt's seminal article ‘The Globalisation of Markets' (Harvard Business Review 1983) caused many companies to examine their international advertising strategies and to adopt a global strategy. What problems do you see in such an approach? Advertising is a universal business activity today. As media has spread across the world and marketers have expanded it reaching different unexplored counties, advertising is gaining impetus in the whole globe and it is easy to identify when you move from a place to another or simply when you travel that you realize that advertising is the most visible manifestation of the globalization of business in general and of brands in particular. Advertising allows consumers to “compare goods, which often results in lower prices and improved product quality; advertising stimulates the economy by encouraging consumption; and it has the potential to improve living standards” (Mueller, 1996, p. 256). When you talk about International Advertising it is means that you are talking about cross-border advertising and it is possible to have a specific connotations that you can adopted as a global strategy. According to Jones, J. (2000) there is two countries who believe that their advertising is the best in the world: United Kingdom and United States, and he stressed that the language (English) has becoming the primary worldwide language, at least for business; that belief...

Words: 2627 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

International Business Strategy

...Lydie Nguz Maruv International Business Strategy-Shurgard case-question 3 Question 3-What do I think are the main challenges that Shurgard will face for its European expansion (Other than “growth”), What would be my specific recommendations as regards each of these challenges? Why? In my opinion, the main challenges that Shurgard will face for its European expansion are the following: 1. The unfamiliarity of the self- storage concept in Europe and hence lack of professional expertise; 2. Differences between European countries, it’s not one size fits all; 3. Inexistence of specific regulation concerning self-storage business; 4. European labor regulation, which implies that it is harder to hire or fire people and relocate them(France); 5. Difference between European consumers and US consumers as regard price elasticity; 6. Difficulty to fund expansion as potential investors might be very demanding; 7. Marketing critical to a quick rent up in order to create basic awareness and demand; Concerning the first challenge, the fact that self-storage didn’t exist in Europe, means it is both a risk and an advantage to be the first mover. So, Shurgard has to make sure in its expansion process, that there is a real market opportunity in countries where it wants to operate. It involves that there are potential customers who are looking for this kind of services. I my opinion, if a business doesn’t exist somewhere it don’t mean per...

Words: 647 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

International Management Strategy Issues Elecdyne

...Question 1 (is on Theme 3: International Management Strategy Issues) “For a newly internationalised company, like Elecdyne, discuss one of the following sets of issues (from 1-4), plus you must discuss issue 5.” 1. The centralisation-decentralisation debate You should identify where the various functions of management sit in terms of being upstream, downstream, neither, or both, and how developments in technology may affect these functions in the next 10 years. | 2. Social innovation and networking You should undertake an analysis of the social innovation based opportunities that might develop for a newly internationalised company, like Elecdyne in different sectors (e.g. health and education) over the next 10 years. | 3. Sustainability and the potential impact of related issues on the company’s innovation, production and / or logistics functionsYou should analyse the sustainability based opportunities that might develop for a newly internationalised company, like Elecdyne over the next 10 years and evaluate the potential impact of these on the company’s innovation, production and / or logistics functions. | 4. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), including 5 key CSR related issues, Pyramid of CSR etc. You should evaluate the issue of corporate social responsibility using the “Pyramid of CSR framework” and analyse 5 key CSR related issues (recycling, ethical business, working condition, environmental issues, and philanthropy activities) or factors that...

Words: 3364 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Chapter 12 - the Strategy of International Business

...The Strategy of International Business The chapter reviews basic principles of the strategies available for globally expanding businesses, it also reviews the different ways in which a business can maximize their profit while maintaining a well planed and followed expansions/global strategy. One important fact is to focus on the main objective of any firm; “Maximizing shareholder value” any strategy is mostly designed and built around this objective. To evaluate and review the strategies presented in this chapter two current events are visited at the end of the paper; Nokia’s cost reduction strategy and Hollywood’s Global Expansion strategy. Hollywood for one is focused on the global market and the ability to successfully expand through these markets, since 1980s as mentioned by Jeff Kleeman the executive producer of “The Change-Up” (Lang, 2011) Hollywood were targeting the global market but now they are more focused on the how rather than just the revenues from these global markets. Nokia’s global strategy on the other hand is aligning workforce with site operations. Nokia is one of the successful telecommunication companies worldwide with more than a billion users worldwide. (Nokia Corporation, 2011)   Chapter Summary The Strategy of International Business chapter reviews some basic principles of international business strategies and how these strategies can be used to profit from international expansions. The chapter defines strategy as “the actions managers take...

Words: 2641 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

International Strategy

...International strategy Explain the role and effect of any two international business strategies. As the globalization of the world economy and the speed up integration process the international competition is increased, the requirement for international business strategy is rising ever higher. International business strategy plays a vital role in the global economy, it not only to guide a company's development, but also link the global economy. What is strategy? A strategy is the pattern or plan that integrates an organisation's major goals, policies and action sequences into a cohesive whole. (Mintzburg, 1984) Those strategies established long-term objectives and provided the overall guidance for the operational decisions which are focus on the whole companies. They determine the overall direction of an enterprise and its ultimate viability in light of the predictable, the unpredictable and the unknowable changes that may occur in its most important surrounding environments. (Elizabeth, 2001) Internationalization of operations has led organizations to assume different types of strategies. For instance: the localization of KFC. When you eat in KFC you will discover that the test of food in England is different from the test in China. KFC changed the favour of food to Cater to the tastes of local people. McDonald's and KFC use this kind of international business strategy to make their profit. There are four basic strategies to enter and compete in the international environment:...

Words: 1624 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

International Strategy

...different ways. Two of the primary focuses are staying on top of your competitor and the ability to provide to each and every potential consumer. With this said, one increasingly popular way to gain this competitive advantage is to pursue international markets. Expanding a business into international markets brings about a world of opportunities to increase market size for your product and or services, can increase the companies earnings, increases the worth and attractiveness of the service or product and gaining knowledge of economies of scale. This kind of expansion also faces negative consequences. The possibility of political and economic risk can create an uncertain market environment for business as well as government rules and regulations that can alter business practices in such a way that it produces negative results for a company. The challenge is finding the right international market to diversify in that will produce positive results and formulating a strategic plan to conduct business practices that cater to the particular international environment in accordance with their rules, regulations and procedures. As we study Handspring now known as Palm, we find that they have exploited opportunities in several international markets. Palm, a market leader in Palm OS handhelds operates in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. According to market research, Palm holds more than 38 percent market- share of the world wide...

Words: 557 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

International Strategy

...Strategy A joint venture is a strategic alliance between two or more individuals or entities to engage in a specific project or undertaking. Partnerships and joint ventures can be similar but in fact can have significantly different implications for those involved. A partnership usually involves a continuing, long-term business relationship, whereas a joint venture is based on a single business project. Parties enter Joint Ventures to gain individual benefits, usually a share of the project objective. This may be to develop a product or intellectual property rather than joint or collective profits, as is the case with a general or limited partnership. A joint venture, like a general partnership is not a separate legal entity. Revenues, expenses and asset ownership usually flow through the joint venture to the participants, since the joint venture itself has no legal status. Once the Joint venture has met its goals the entity ceases to exist. A written joint venture agreement should cover: * The parties involved * The objectives of the joint venture * Financial contributions you will each make whether you will transfer any assets or employees to the joint venture * Intellectual property developed by the participants in the joint venture * Day to day management of finances, responsibilities and processes to be followed. * Dispute resolution, how any disagreements between the parties will be resolved * How if necessary the joint venture can be terminated...

Words: 678 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

International Strategy

...‫נושא 1: מבוא‬ ‫אסטרטגיה וטקטיקה‬ ‫אסטרטגיה – מגיעה ממונחים צבאיים (איך להיערך לקרב, איך לנצח במלחמה). האסטרטגיה מתווה לנו מה נכון לעשות.,‬ ‫ומה לא נכון לעשות. שני המשתנים הם מאוד דינמיים בהתאם לזמן ולמידע שיש לנו .למושג יש נטייה לחמוק מהיותו דינאמי‬ ‫ומותאם לשינו יים סביבתיים, אך זה מאפשר לנו למעשה לבחון בכל נקודת זמן האם הדרך בה אנו נוקטים היא טובה או לא.‬ ‫ככל שנצבור יותר ידע על הפעילות האסטרטגית של המתחרה שלנו כך שלנו תהיה טובה יותר.‬ ‫טקטיקה – פעולה הנגזרת מתוך האסטרטגיה. הפעולות שהחברה עושה בפועל, שקופות לכולם. מעידות על כוונות, מיתוג,‬ ‫מיצוב, נתונה לפרשנות על ידי התוצר החיצוני והמחירים שהיא דורשת. לדוגמא – תמחור גבוה. מה עומד מאחוריו? איכות‬ ‫גבוהה, מיצוב גבוה של החברה. התמחור – זוהי הטקטיקה. מה שמעבר –אסטרטגיה.‬ ‫ניתנה הדוגמא על ‪ Apple‬מול ‪ , Microsoft‬נחתם בין החברות חוזה לעבודה משותפת, רק שבאפל לא שמו לב‬ ‫לסעיף שאומר שהממשק שיפותח יהיה שייך למיקרוספט. הדוגמא באה להמחיש כי חברה לא יכולה לדעת מהי‬ ‫האסטרטגיה של החברה השנייה אלא ניתן ללמוד רק דרך התוצאות בשטח ולנסות ללכת צעד אחורה על מנת להבין‬ ‫מה הנחה אותם.‬ ‫‪‬‬ ‫אסטרטגיה שיווקית- מאז ועד היום‬ ‫תקצוב :‪ – Budgeting‬כל שנה קובעים תקציב לשנה ע"י מחלקת כספים-< לגורם המכתיב אין נטייה שיווקית, חוסר‬ ‫דינאמיות. התהליך הוא ארוך ושנה לרוב לא מספיקה על מנת לראות תוצאות ממשיות.‬ ‫‪.I‬‬ ‫1. תכנון ארוך טווח: ‪ – Long-Rang Planning‬בשליטת מחלקת הכספים .‬ ‫2. תכנון אסטרטגי : ‪ – Strategic Planning‬יש מימדים שהם השקעה לאורך זמן כמו מיצוב ומיתוג, ולא משהו‬ ‫קונקרטי בעל תקציב ספציפי. אנשי השיווק נכנסים לתמונה ובונים...

Words: 3862 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

International Marketing Strategy

...A REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGIES USED BY GE COMPANY By barbradozier TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………..……ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY…………………………………………………………..iv INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………… ………….1 REPORT PROCEDURE…………………………………………………………..…1 THE 4 P’S……………………………………………………………………………2 PRODUCT……………………………………………… …….……2 PRICE………………………………………………………………..2 PLACE…………………………………………………………….…2 PROMOTION…………………………………………………….….2 SWOT ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………….3 STRENGTHS………………………………………………………..3 WEAKNESSES……………………………………………………..3 OPPORTUNITIES…………………………………………………..4 THREATS……………………………………………………………5 INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGIES BEING USED…………… …5 WAYS THAT CAN IMPROVE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY………………..9 IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL MARKETING………………………….10 WAYS OF IMPROVING THE STRATEGIES……………………………………10 RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………………………11 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………..11 BIBILIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………13 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report examines the international marketing strategies used by General Electric Company in its quest to tap the international market. The purpose of the report is to provide the company with the information necessary to amend and improve on their marketing strategy. Over the years GER has highly diversified its operations and is now operating 11 major lines of businesses which include transportation, consumer finance, commercial finance, insurance and energy. It is also involved in healthcare,...

Words: 3917 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

International Recruitment Strategies

...International Recruitment, Selection, and Training Strategies The world has been rapidly transforming due to the changes in technology, innovations, and the reduction of trade barriers into and out of countries which have permitted globalization. Due to globalization human resource management has been forced to take a more international approach, and has demonstrated that a more effective management of human resources internationally is imperative for the success of companies in international business (Shen). Therefore international organizations need to understand the roll that plays the international human resource management (IHRM) department, and the importance of adopting an effective recruiting, selecting, and training strategies that will enable the company to select the right talent for the right places. IHRM plays a very important and challenging roll in the international setting of organizations because “they must develop practices which will maintain congruence with the overall strategic plan of their respective multinational corporations, while balancing the economic, social, political, and legal constraints of the host countries” (Caligiuri). Companies understand that the only way to develop strong and successful global leaders, which are keys to competitive advantage, is through an IHRM department that has a well develop competitive strategy in place. Multinational Corporations (MNCs) like Unilever and Huawei Technologies Co., a Chinese networking and telecommunications...

Words: 1689 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

, Acquisitions, and International Strategies

...Merger, Acquisitions, and International Strategies: One of the greatest indicators of the success or failure of a corporation is their ability to acquire/merge or to be acquired/merged. Companies have been able to maximize their profits by merging or acquiring other businesses within their industry, which has many benefits that extend past dollars and cents. Corporations who are able to acquire or merge with other companies are able to expand upon their ability to forge partnerships with other corporate leaders. They are often able to expand their services internationally to gain more profits and extend their brand. Corporations, such as McDonald's Corporation, have been able to benefit from acquisitions in ways that corporations, such as Sonic Corporation, have not. Through the evaluation of the strategies that were utilized by McDonald's Corporation to acquire Boston Market, its impact on the corporation, and its international business-level and corporate-level strategies, one can better understand strategies that Sonic Corporation could develop to increase their profits through acquisitions and mergers, as well as business-level and corporate-level strategies they can develop to expand their services internationally. McDonald's Corporation has enjoyed great success as one of the largest food-service retailing chains in the world, with 30,000 restaurants that “operate in more than 100 countries on six continents (Funding Universe, 2012).” Founded in San Bernardino...

Words: 2062 - Pages: 9