Why do so many global strategies fail — despite companies’ powerful brands and other border-crossing advantages? Seduced by market size, the illusion of a borderless, “flat” world, and the
allure of similarities, firms launch one-size-fits-all strategies.
But cross-border differences are larger than we often assume, explains Pankaj Ghemawat in Redefining Global Strategy. Most economic activity — including direct investment, tourism, and
communication — happens locally, not internationally.
In this “semiglobalized” world, one-size-fits-all strategies don’t stand a chance. Companies must instead reckon with cross-border differences. Ghemawat shows you how — by providing tools
for:
• Assessing the cultural, administrative, geographic, and economic differences between countries at the industry level and deciding which ones merit attention.
• Tracking the implications of particular border-crossing moves for your company’s ability to create value.
• Creating superior performance with strategies optimized for adaptation (adjusting to differences), aggregation (overcoming differences), and arbitrage (exploiting
differences), and for compound objectives.
In-depth examples reveal how companies such as Cemex, Toyota, Procter & Gamble, Tata Consultancy Services, IBM, and GE Healthcare have adroitly managed cross-border differences — as well
as how other well-known companies have failed at this challenge.
Crucial for any business competing across borders, this book will transform the way you approach global strategy.