This is a discussion of an article titled The New Business Cosmopolitans by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, whose main theme is business cosmopolitans. The author intends to explain how organizations are globalizing their operations and the benefits that are accruing to such operations. Of importance in this article are the key issues that need to be considered, even managed in the event that a company wants to succeed in the international and global business arena. The author answers the question, why does one business fail in the global business arena while another one succeeds and answers that a cosmopolitan business owner knows when to operate locally and when to local.
There are a number of key points if discussion in this article that this paper seeks to expound on. First and most important is the management outlook and business goals. The article explains that most local businesses are afraid to cede control of their markets. They want to be experts, they want to be interpreters and they seek local glory. In fact, they resist change and prefer to operate in the safe regions and maintain profit levels by reducing risks. Cosmopolitan businesses on the other hand are not afraid to take that risk. They are not afraid to seek new markets, to manage across borders and cultures, to build partnerships. No, there are motivated by their ability to coordinate activities across borders, to harness global knowledge and use it locally if need be.
One such organization is Gillette. Started in the early 20th century, the company has grown to become of the world’s leading providers of household products such as toiletries and shaving blades, In fact, in most parts of the world, Gillette is a household name in these products. So how has the company managed to do this? We analyze the author’s information in the section below.
Products
According to the management of the company, before the mid 80’s, the company used to operate in the ‘stone age’. This is in reference to both products and global strategy. The present world population is quite aware of what is happening in the world since information is almost free to everyone. This according to the article demands that global companies must be very innovative in developing new products to keep abreast with the happenings in the global market. No one wants to buy a product that was in sale a couple of years ago. People want to embrace technology and get the best products.
Discussion and opinion
I concur with the argument fronted by the author of this article. The world is becoming a global village and this has opened quite a large market for local products in the international arena. However, only companies that are able to manage their global operations are in a position to tap to this market. This therefore calls for global managers to fully understand what it takes to succeed in this market and design strategies that would ensure that they share in the global market share.
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