Despite the worldwide economic downturn, Coca-Cola announced in early March that it would invest approximately $2bn in China over the next three years – more than it has invested since its first entry in 1979. Interestingly enough, the news were spread right during the time when Coca-Cola is waiting for government approval for the $2.4bn takeover […]
Wal-Mart’s Lee Scott recently stepped down as CEO of Wal-Mart. He will be followed by Mike Duke. Duke, president of Wal-Mart International has been driving Wal-Mart’s global expansion over the past years. Choosing Duke over Castro-Wright, Wal-Mart’s head of US operations, seems to be a strong signal of increased commitment to international markets.
I am sure many of you know this website already. I had forgotten about it until I arrived in Beijing on December 8th. The humour of www.engrish.com can be a little borderline (who am I with my Germanic English to judge other people…?), but by and large it’s still funny. Check out the sections which […]
I strongly believe in the good of international trade. And yet there’s something which I have to get off my chest that could as well come from any of the anti-globalization fanatics out there: I ventured out of my hotel in Beijing today in order to find some good local Chinese food. Passing a BMW […]
Finally, I picked up a copy of Chan Kim’s and Mauborgne’s Blue Ocean Strategy. It is a well-written book worth reading which presents lots of good (because critical) ideas about competition and strategy. I am not done reading it yet, but I started wondering how their images of the red ocean (strategy focused on competition) […]
I found an interesting article on Ogilvy’s Digital Watch Blog (http://digitalwatch.ogilvy.com.cn) discussing the question why US companies fail in China. One very interesting observation is concerning speed: “If you’re running eBay China, the head of eBay China is reporting to someone who has the title of head of eBay International, who reports to someone who has […]
Chinese media has recently reported that Wal-Mart may add yet another country to it’s growing list of international failures. In 2008 Wal-Mart has 208 stores throughout China. Within the past 12 years of trying, Wal-Mart has not only failed to become profitable, but it even had to accept a loss in market share. According to […]
I just found an older, but still good article about some interesting cases of failure of American firms in Japan: Knight, Gary A. (1995), International Marketing Blunders by American firms in Japan – Some Lessons for Management, Journal of International Marketing, Vol. 3, No. 4, 107-129. Knight writes about well known brands’ failures, including the big three […]
For confidentiality reason I can’t disclose the company’s name, but the story is great anyway. A major player in the semiconductor industry which was acquired by a private equite firm a few years ago is currently being dressed up for a public offering. In it’s attempt to make the bride look slim, they have embarked […]
A short while ago, PepsiCo announced that it would invest $500 million in India over the next three years. While PepsiCo has been very successful in India with sales exceeding $1 billion a few years ago, this major investment is definitely a case to watch for everyone interested in international business. Let’s wish them well.
This fall term (08/09) I am teaching a course in FH Joanneum University of Applied Science’s (Graz, Austria) “Master in International Management” program on deadly sins in international business. The course is project-based and experimental in that it combines elements of lectures, guest lectures and work sessions (some of it in non-classroom settings). Students work on […]
