Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets Localize, The

Chapter 6. International Customer Management and the Challenge of International Pricing

It is rarely recognized that for many companies, internationalization is a reactive process rather than the result of a deliberate strategy. In such cases, it is nearly always the same factor pushing the firm towards international operations—its customers. Whereas the debate continues over whether a “global consumer” exists, many business-to-business or industrial markets have long been internationally integrated, and the ability to service a customer on an international basis is a prerequisite for participation in the market. For example, any company supplying a major manufacturing industry, such as automobiles or computers, will have to follow its clients ...