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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Dear visitor, if you have found this site then it’s either because you have an interest in either human nature or in international business. Well, this site caters more to all of you who find themselves in the latter category as it is about personal and organizational failures in international business Someone once has said […]