It is a fact that Porter (1990) never focused primarily on the factors determining the pattern of trade, yet his theory of national competitive advantage does explain why a particular country is more competitive in a particular industry. If, for example, Italy maintains competitive advantage in the production of ceramic tiles and Switzerland possesses the competitive advantage in watches, it can be interpreted that the former will export ceramic tiles and the latter will export watches and both of them will import goods in which their own industry is not competitive. Why is this there a difference? Porter explains that there are four factors responsible for such diversity. He calls those factors the “diamond of national advantage”. The Porters diamond model includes: Factor conditions Demand conditions Related and supporting industries Firm strategy, structure and rivalry These factors have been more or less taken into account by earlier economists. What is Continue reading
International Business Management
Multinational Corporations Adaptability to Host Environments
All Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are not equally likely to cause friction and tension in their host economies. Some adapt with relative ease and become closely integrated with their host environment, both economically and socio-culturally; others remain isolated and insulated, often forming alien enclaves in the host society. There appears to be a causal relationship between the MNC’s organizational structure that is, its organizational design as well as its underlying objectives and strategies and its capacity for social adaptation to host country conditions. In terms of inducement to social conflict, MNCs fall into three categories: home dominated, host dominated, and internationally integrated. Home or Parent Dominated MNCs These enterprises are organized and managed in such a way that the foreign based subsidiaries and other affiliates, whatever their specific legal form, serve primarily in a complementary support role. Their function is to help the parent company achieve its business objectives in the Continue reading
The 10-P Framework of Global Strategic Management
The 10-P framework for globalization symbolizes the aspirations and needs of employees and organizations in the new competitive settings. It comes a long way from the initial impetus provided to the subject by Michael Porter in his book Competitive Strategy (1980), and goes beyond his purely industrial organization perspective. The framework operationalizes the 4-Diamonds for a nation’s competitive advantage of Porter. The 10-P framework integrates theory of strategic management and practice of business policy and provides a structure for the practicing manager to evaluate competitiveness at regular intervals. The 10-P framework explores a fine `fit’ between the soft and hard strategic choices. It seeks a self-motivated network of stakeholders who are able to self-actualize a high sense of satisfaction, self-worth, liberty and freedom in business organizational settings. True to the vision of a world-class organization, the central fulcrum in the framework is a PEOPLE-ORIENTATION – both inside and outside the Continue reading
Competitive Advantage of Internationalization Strategies
First, the structure of competition is undergoing a profound change. Competitiveness is moving rapidly from a national to an international – indeed, global-scale. It is clear that, even with government purchasing, fewer segments of industry remain defensible at the national level in, for example, consumer electronics, telecommunications, transport technology and power engineering; and there is a growing list of sectors where companies are experiencing the benefits of value-added from design to sales. In some sectors, it can be in terms of designing products for many markets, thus lowering production costs earlier than is possible for purely national forms (worldwide designs can cover 80 per cent of customer needs, with 20 per cent for local adaptations). Secondly, competitive advantage, as the basis for strategy, must rest on some clear sustainable product or market factor, controlled by the firm, which is superior to what other companies can offer or deliver. This can Continue reading
The Seven Dimensions of Culture by Fons Trompenaars
Fons Trompenaars is the author who belongs to dutch he is one the author of cross cultural communications. Fons studied economics from free university of Amsterdam and he got hid PhD from Wharton school. Trompenaars and Charles hampden have developed a culture which have seven dimensions. Five of his dimensions covers the way in which people interact with each other. The seven dimensions of culture by Trompenaars are explained below. 1. Universalism (vs. Particularism) Universalism/particularism distinguishes societies based on the relative importance they place on rules and laws as opposed to personal relationships. The basic question is: “What is more important–rules or relationships?” Members of universalistic societies focus more on rules, codes, values and standards and believe that they take precedence over the needs and claims of friends and other personal relationships; believe that rules or laws can be applied to everyone and should be used to determine what is Continue reading
Role of Cultural Sensitivity in International Business
Culture plays an important role in life of people as it is closely associated with them. It is very necessary to understand what a culture requires and what emotions are attached to it. Different countries follow different culture and because of this some things will be acceptable in some countries whereas the same things will appear to be rude in other countries because of culture difference. People who are culture sensitive will know that the difference between the culture of different people can create differences in their relationship with respect to the way they behave, communicate etc. Hofstede defined culture as “the manner in which the mind is programmed such that it can differentiate the people of one category with those of other.” a culturally sensitive person should try to adapt the culture of other country, their traditions, their way of living, their lifestyle etc. Nowadays people are getting closer Continue reading