The End of Global Strategy

Recent research suggests that globalization is a myth. Far from taking place in a single global market, most business activity by large firms takes place in regional blocks. There is no uniform spread of American market capitalism nor are global markets becoming homogenized. Government regulations and cultural differences divide the world into the triad blocks of North America, the European Union and Japan. Rival multinational enterprisesfrom the triadcompetefor regionalmarket share and so enhance economic efficiency. Only in a few sectors, such as consumer electronics, is a global strategy of economic integration viable. For
most other manufacturing, such as automobiles, and for all services, strategies of national responsiveness are required, often coupled with integration strategies, as explained in the matrix frame work of this article. Successful multinationals now
design strategies on a regional basis; unsuccessful ones pursue global strategies. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Globalization, Multinationals, Global strategy, Triad, Triad-regional strategy, National
responsiveness