Chapter Seven
A Practical Framework for Global Business Strategy Success

In preparing for battle, I’ve always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969).
Army general, statesman, 34th President of the United States.

Introduction

The framework we present in this chapter is a logical, structured and systematic approach to designing and implementing successful global business strategies. Many references will be made to other chapters in the book which provide the conceptual backdrop, academic debates and prescriptive insights relating to the information requirements required to maximise the inherent value which the framework offers in translating the strategic requirements of the intelligent company into operational strategic plans.

Some of the chapters cross-referenced in the sections below have preceded this one, others will follow. In this sense, the current chapter provides the knowledge fulcrum between, on the one side, the insights offered regarding the harshness of the twin forces of competition and strategy and, on the other, a realistic assessment of the organizational challenges which face companies when executing global business strategies.

The Global Business Strategy Framework presented in Figure 52 has been derived from many models available in the literature and has been refined over time through usage within organizations from multiple sectors and of all sizes. It provides the structure for the sections and sub-sections of this chapter.

Figure 52: A Practical Framework for Global Business Strategy Success

 


Concluding Remarks

In this chapter, we have presented a descriptive narrative alongside yet more laundry lists of information requirements for designing global business strategies. Students of the subject and many managers occasionally find it difficult to see an underlying logic in strategy and marketing, especially when multiple layers of complexity are added by the international business context.

The principal goal of the chapter has been to address this challenge by: (i) providing a framework that has a logical process flow of key stages and, within this, (ii) a structured planning process backed up by proven methodologies, frameworks, processes and tools. Finally, we have made many references to chapters already studied, while signposting relevant content to come.

Throughout the book, we address global business strategy implementation at two levels. In the next chapter, we continue with our ‘practical perspective’ approach and conclude with a discussion of internal marketing, cross-functional participation in creating a customer-focused organization and an assessment of the role of leadership in delivering this important dimension of global business strategy success. In the chapters of Part Three of the book, Creating Organizational Advantage, we take a more analytical perspective on the complexities and challenges that can be expected to be encountered on the journey to creating a high-performance global business strategy organization.

 


Chapter Seven References

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