#12 Dressing the bride
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 […]
#11 PepsiCo in India
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.
#10 Course on Deadly Sins in International Business
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 […]
#9 Greed in International Business
Greed has a special role in international business. On the one hand, one must admit that there would be no international business activity at all, if companies and managers didn’t feel the need to grow their business across national borders. Taking such action simply involves a little greed. On the other hand, greed can become dysfunctional […]
#8 Why use “Deadly Sins” as a methaphor in international business?
Why blogging about the „Deadly Sins in International Business“. If you run a search on the internet, you’ll discover that the metaphor of the deadly sins has been used for a lot of different things – from investing to human resources management to pottery. So why not use it in an international business context. Sometimes […]
#7 Fast Food in China
Is it a deadly sin not be a first-mover in foreign markets? Burger King, the world’s second largest burger chain, recently announced that it would expand it’s business in China by 250 to 300 outlets. Compared with McDonald’s 950 or KFC’s 2,200 this seems to be a relatively small number. Looking at the timing of […]
#6 New Book on International Business (for German speakers only)
There’s a great new textbook on Managing International Business out there. Published by Springer (New York / Vienna) this book provides nice background reading on globalization and multinational enterprises and has a very hands-on chapter on international market entry. Unfortunately, the book’s only available in German so far: amazon
#5 List of Failures
Looking for a list of international business failures? Keep searching, and if you find any, let me know. One list I know of which contains international business failures, but is largely composed of “normal” failures based in the United States.
#4 Upcoming Book
The Deadly Sins of International Business. Professors Gerhard Apfelthaler of Graz, Austria and Duane Kujawa of Miami, USA are working on a book titled “The Deadly Sins of International Business”. The book to be published in 2009 is providing a fresh look at famous’ companies’ failures in international markets. Looking at globally active companies of […]
#3 US Retailers Abroad
What is it with US retailers? Did anybody notice how many retail companies headquartered in the US have failed in international markets over the past decades. After about 8 years of trying to get established, Wal-Mart left Germany in 2006, fashion retailer The Gap pulled out of Germany in 2004, and Pizza Hut defected from […]
#2 Starbucks fails in Australia
Starbucks leaves Australia. One of the latest international business failures comes from one of the most successful retail companies in the world. Starbucks, which operates more than 15,000 coffee shops worldwide, in July announced that it will close 61. Remaining will be only 23 stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. What was going wrong? Many […]