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How to Build a Global Strategy for Your Business?

Crafting a global business strategy is paramount for companies that want to expand beyond geographical borders. This comprehensive approach considers market landscape, cultural shades, and regulatory frameworks to navigate international markets successfully.

This blog explores the complexities of building a global strategy that optimizes opportunities while mitigating risks. From understanding different global strategies to real-world examples from top companies, it offers valuable insights for organizations seeking sustainable growth globally.

What is a Global Business Strategy?

A global business strategy serves as a blueprint for organizations seeking to expand their operations beyond domestic borders. It encompasses a holistic approach that considers market dynamics, cultural nuances, and regulatory frameworks to formulate a plan that optimizes opportunities while mitigating risks in the global arena.

Types of Global Business Strategies

Some different approaches to building a global business strategy are as follows:

• Global Standardization Strategy: This strategy revolves around offering uniform products and services across diverse markets, with minimal customization to cater to local preferences. Embracing this approach enables companies to leverage economies of scale and maintain a consistent brand image.
• Localization Strategy: In contrast to standardization, localization involves tailoring products, services, and marketing strategies to align with the cultural sensitivities and preferences of specific markets. A study by Common Sense Advisory reveals that 56.2% of consumers prefer purchasing products in their native language, underscoring the importance of localization.
• Transnational Strategy: This strategy blends elements of both standardization and localization, aiming to strike a balance between global integration and local responsiveness.
• International Strategy: Companies pursuing an international strategy operate in multiple countries with minimal customization. They often focus on exporting products or establishing a presence through partnerships or acquisitions.
• Globalization Strategy: This strategy seeks to establish a cohesive global presence by integrating operations across various countries. Companies adopting this approach typically exhibit a centralized decision-making process and a strong corporate culture.

Devising a global business strategy demands meticulous analysis and the adoption of a tailored approach that aligns with the organization's objectives and capabilities. Whether through standardization, localization, or a blend of both, organizations must craft strategies that resonate with the diverse demands of global markets to achieve sustainable success.

Why is a Global Business Strategy Important?

A global business strategy is crucial for organizations looking to expand their presence and thrive in today's interconnected world. It serves as a roadmap, guiding companies on how to navigate the complexities of international markets and make informed decisions that drive growth and profitability.

This strategy enables companies to expand their market reach by tapping into new and diverse markets, diversifying revenue streams, and staying ahead of the competition by understanding market trends and consumer preferences. Additionally, a global strategy allows companies to mitigate risks by spreading them across different markets and provides access to a larger talent pool globally.

Overall, a well-crafted global business strategy is instrumental in positioning companies for sustainable growth and success in the global marketplace.

What are the Benefits of a Global Business Strategy?

A meticulously crafted global business strategy offers a myriad of advantages to organizations seeking to expand their footprint and harness international opportunities.

• Access to Global Markets: Expansion into new markets reduces reliance on any single market, spreading risks across a broader geographical area. This helps mitigate the impact of economic downturns or geopolitical uncertainties.
• Increased Revenue and Profitability: Global expansion can lead to higher sales and revenue streams. Internationally expanding companies are more likely to experience higher revenue growth compared to those focusing solely on domestic markets.
• Access to New Customers and Markets: A global strategy enables companies to reach new customers and tap into emerging markets with growing demand, driving sales and fueling business growth .
• Economies of Scale: Operating globally offers economies of scale, leading to lower production costs and higher profitability. This competitive pricing edge can bolster the market position.
• Enhanced Brand Image and Reputation: International expansion can elevate a company's brand image and reputation, positioning it as a global industry player. This can attract top talent and forge strategic partnerships.
• Innovation and Learning: Global expansion exposes companies to new ideas, technologies, and business practices, fostering innovation and driving continuous improvement.

A global business strategy offers diverse benefits including market diversification , increased revenue, access to new customers, economies of scale, enhanced brand image, innovation, and competitive advantage. By embracing strategic international expansion, companies can position themselves for long-term success and sustainable growth.

How To Create a Successful Global Business Strategy?

Creating a successful global business strategy requires careful planning, thorough research, and a deep understanding of international markets.

• Market Research: Conduct comprehensive market research to identify potential markets and assess their viability. This should include an analysis of market size, growth trends, competition, and regulatory environment.
• Target Audience: Understand the needs and preferences of your target audience in different markets. This will help you tailor your products or services to meet their specific requirements.
• Competitive Analysis: Analyze your competitors in each market to identify their strengths and weaknesses. This will help you develop strategies to differentiate your offerings and gain a competitive edge.
• Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks and challenges associated with expanding into new markets, such as political instability, currency fluctuations, or cultural differences. Develop strategies to mitigate these risks.
• Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with local laws and regulations in each market. This may include obtaining permits, and licenses, or adhering to specific standards.
• Localization: Adapt your products, services, and marketing strategies to suit the cultural preferences and nuances of each market. This may involve translating your materials into local languages or customizing your offerings to meet local tastes.
• Technology and Infrastructure: Invest in technology and infrastructure to support your global operations. This may include setting up local offices, establishing distribution networks, or leveraging digital platforms for marketing and sales.
• Human Resources: Build a diverse and talented team with experience in international markets. This will help you navigate the complexities of global business and drive success.
• Partnerships and Alliances: Establish strategic partnerships and alliances with local businesses or organizations to expand your reach and leverage their local expertise.
• Measure and Adjust: Continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of your global business strategy. Make adjustments as needed to ensure it remains relevant and effective in achieving your goals.

5 Global Strategy Examples from Top Companies

Studying successful global strategies from top companies can provide valuable insights into effective approaches for expanding into international markets.

• Apple Inc.: Apple's global strategy focuses on product innovation and brand loyalty. By consistently introducing innovative products and creating a strong brand image, Apple has expanded its presence worldwide. According to Apple, its revenue from international markets accounted for 61% of the quarter’s revenue in 2020.
• McDonald's Corporation: McDonald's global strategy emphasizes localization. The company adapts its menu and marketing strategies to suit local tastes and preferences. This approach has helped McDonald's become one of the most recognized and successful global brands. According to McDonald's 2021 Annual Report, nearly 75% of its restaurants are located outside the United States.
• Amazon.com: Amazon's global strategy focuses on customer convenience and market penetration. By offering a wide range of products, fast delivery options, and localized services, Amazon has become the world's largest online retailer.
• Toyota Motor Corporation: Toyota's global strategy emphasizes quality and efficiency. The company is known for its reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles, which appeal to customers worldwide. Toyota has a strong presence in various international markets, with sales offices and manufacturing plants strategically located around the globe.
• Coca-Cola Company: Coca-Cola's global strategy revolves around brand consistency and marketing. The company maintains a consistent brand image and marketing message across different markets, while also adapting its products to suit local preferences. According to Wikipedia, Coca-Cola operates in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.

These examples demonstrate the diverse approaches companies can take to develop successful global strategies. By understanding and adapting these strategies to their own business models, companies can expand their reach and achieve sustainable growth in international markets.

Final Words

Crafting a successful global business strategy is a multifaceted endeavour requiring astute market understanding, meticulous planning, and strategic implementation. By adhering to the key steps outlined in this article, organizations can devise a roadmap that fosters expansion, fuels growth and capitalizes on global market opportunities.

Thorough market research, a deep understanding of target audiences, and a comprehensive analysis of competitors are paramount in developing a strategy that resonates with diverse markets. Flexibility and innovation play crucial roles, with companies needing to strike a balance between standardization and localization to adapt to varying cultural landscapes.

Emphasis on risk assessment and compliance with local regulations is critical to navigating the complexities of global expansion successfully. Investing in technology, infrastructure, and a skilled workforce forms the backbone of a robust global strategy.

Continual monitoring and evaluation of the strategy's efficacy are essential, enabling companies to remain agile and responsive to evolving market dynamics. By embracing these principles, companies can position themselves for sustained success and growth in the global arena.

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A Guide to Preparing an International Business Plan

By: FITT Team

An international business plan acts as a framework that identifies goals and objectives, specific target markets and clients, resources required and strategies to be developed in pursuit of international business opportunities. The plan allows for the monitoring of progress via metrics against which success and failure can be measured. A comprehensive international business plan will be comprised of a number of integrated strategies related to business functions, including communications, sales and marketing, finance and production.

What Is an International Business Plan?

An international business plan is a valuable management tool that describes who a business is, what it plans to achieve and how it plans to overcome risks and provide anticipated returns. It can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as to:

• Set goals and objectives for the organization’s performance.
• Provide a basis for evaluating and controlling the organization’s performance.
• Communicate an organization’s message to managers and staff, outside directors, suppliers, lenders and potential investors.
• Help the planner identify the cash needs of the business.
• Provide benchmarks against which to compare the progress and performance of the business over time.

A comprehensive and detailed plan forces the planner to look at an organization’s operations and re-evaluate the assumptions on which the business was founded. In doing so, strengths and weaknesses can be identified.

Although highly dependent on the individual business case, on average it takes a three-year commitment to establish a successful presence in a foreign market. This process may require tremendous human, technical and financial resources during the developmental period.

The Planning Process

An international business plan is subject to repeated adjustment and revision to keep it current with the changing circumstances of the organization. The plan is a feedback mechanism through which new information is continually incorporated into the organization’s operations. Planning always precedes action. Therefore, planning must be thought of as a continuous cycle. The analytical tools presented here are not intended to be used just once. If they are to be useful, they should be used repeatedly as part of a process of improvement and incremental adjustment.

Plan Preparation Guidelines

These 7 guidelines will help in preparing a comprehensive international business plan:

• Clearly define the objectives for producing the plan : Who is going to read the plan, and what will they need to do? These objectives can help you decide how much emphasis to put on various sections.
• Allocate sufficient time and resources to thoroughly research the plan : A plan is only as good as the research that went into producing it.
• Show drafts of the plan to others : It can be very useful to obtain feedback from others, both inside and outside the business.
• Create an original plan that is done specifically for each business case : A common mistake entrepreneurs make is to borrow heavily from a sample plan and simply change the names and some of the numbers. There are two big problems with this approach. First , the emphasis placed on various sections of the plan must reflect what is important to the particular business in question. Second , a good plan should flow like a story, with the sections working together to demonstrate why the business will succeed. Plans that borrow too heavily from other plans tend to be disjointed, with some sections contradicting others and various key issues left unaddressed.
• Outline the key points in each section before the writing starts : These points must then be reviewed to ensure the sections are consistent with each other, there is little duplication and all key issues have been addressed.
• Ensure financial projections are believable : For many readers, the financial section is the most important part of the plan because it identifies the financing needs and shows the profit potential of the business. In addition, a good financial plan will give the reader confidence that the author really understands the business.
• Consider writing the executive summary as the last step in the process: It is usually easier to provide a concise overview after the detailed content has been created.

If you’re having trouble getting started with your business plan, try writing like it’s a series of tweets—one for every section of your business plan. To get your point across, 140 characters is all you need.

Forcing yourself to boil each section of your business plan down to one main point is an exercise in decision making and strategy all in itself. When you’re done, you’ll have everything you need to take your next step, whether that’s practicing your pitch to potential investors or a business partner, or sitting down to expand each tweet into a full section of a more traditional business plan.

Core Content

The international business plan is the culmination of all of the work done to determine the appropriate venture for the organization’s growth. As part of the feasibility process, the organization will have determined its own internal readiness, conducted comprehensive target market research and carefully analyzed any relevant risks.

At this point, the organization can take all of this information and analysis and formally document the plan for moving forward. There are many different models and examples of how to put together a formal business plan, rather than one correct way.

The right format will depend on the organization, the venture being pursued and who will be accessing the business plan and for what purpose. However, there are some basic guidelines to follow.

One of the reasons business plans are developed is to convince investors and/or bankers to invest in the venture.

Increasingly, they are looking for a business plan to include two sections: one relating to online strategy (in terms of e-marketing, social media and ROI) and the second relating to corporate social responsibility (including quality, health, safety and environment policies).

The inclusion of these topics gives more credibility to the company by demonstrating its commitment to the community and to employees’ well-being.

Telling a Story 

One trend in business planning is to use a narrative structure in the document, rather than traditional technical writing techniques. Storytelling techniques are increasingly being used throughout the business world to create personal and organizational brands, deliver marketing messages and develop persuasive plans.

Stories make presentations better. Stories make ideas stick. Stories help us persuade. Savvy leaders tell stories to inspire us, motivate us. That’s why so many politicians tell stories in their speeches. They realize that “what you say” is often moot compared to “how you say it.

Instead of using bulleted points and cold, technical language, organizations employ a “beginning, middle and end” narrative style. This engages the audience by establishing the context, describing the conflict or obstacles and arriving at a successful resolution.

The Executive Summary

Usually the last step of preparing the international business plan is to develop the executive summary, a short overview of what the plan proposes to accomplish. For some purposes, a one-page business plan can also be useful.

There is not a great deal of difference between an executive summary and a one-page business plan. The most significant distinction is the one-page plan must completely fit on one page in a readable font, while an executive summary may spread over two or three pages.

One-Page Business Plan

There is a trend towards the one-page business plan, especially if the plan is to be presented to potential partners for their consideration. Audiences for the one-page plan will be looking for a “quick hit”: a clear and concise description of what the opportunity is and how it is being pursued.

For example, a one-page business plan might include the following topics, as described in Noah Parson’s article “How to Write a One-Page Business Plan” on the website Bplans :

• Customer problem/opportunity
• Your solution/approach
• Business model (how you make money)
• Target market (who is the customer and how many are there)
• Competitive advantage
• Management team
• Financial summary
• Funding required

The one-page plan (or the executive summary, if used in place of the one-page plan) may provide the first impression the audience has of the business. This is the most important document generated out of the business planning process, and significant effort and care should be taken in its creation.

There are many websites the provide blank samples of one-page business plans, including Bplans , the GoForth Institute and Startup.com.

A Note on Strategic Plans

A strategic plan covers many of the same points as a business plan. However, a strategic plan sets out the detailed action plan to be followed to achieve the objectives of the international business plan.

It must outline specific activities, their due dates and who is responsible for each activity. It is a project plan with a critical path. A strategic plan ensures any venture is carried out in a coordinated, informed and systematic way.

A key consideration in action planning is how quickly to enter the market, which is driven by the chosen market entry strategy. If market entry is done too quickly, the potential for costly mistakes increases. However, if it is completed too slowly, opportunities may be missed and competitors will have more time to react.

The Planning Cycle

Attaching the word “cycle” to planning implies that it happens more than once. International business plans need to be reviewed periodically because new information that has an impact on both planning and operations is continually coming in.

All plans, including international business plans and strategic plans, need to be reviewed every time there is a major event impacting the business, such as civil unrest, a currency fluctuation or the presence of a new competitor.

About the author

Author: FITT Team

The Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) is the standards, certification and training body dedicated to providing international business training, resources and professional certification to individuals and businesses. Created by business for business, FITT’s international business training solutions are the standard of excellence for global trade professionals around the world. View all posts by FITT Team

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2 thoughts on “A Guide to Preparing an International Business Plan”

Thank for international businesses

I have a company in Dubai and I am looking for someone who can write an internationally designed business plan with me for investors. Do you have an address I can contact?

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Break Into New Markets with Excellent Global Planning

The world is becoming more homogenous with fewer distinctions between national markets. So, companies need to develop superlative global planning strategies to overcome environmental challenges and strong competition.

Failing to implement global planning can negatively impact your business’s growth and long-term success. Imagine bringing your products to the international market but suffering poor sales because of locals’ perception of your brand. How do you deal with these low numbers? What can you do to better market your services and/or products? How can you positively contribute to the local market?

Strategic global planning will help you understand the traditions and specific environmental factors in the new market and aid you in designing campaigns for investing in the community.

What is meant by “global planning”?

One of the best ways companies can enter a new market is to learn about the local contexts and peculiarities of the new market while understanding the company’s strengths and competitive advantages.

Global planning entails assessing your company’s external and internal environments to develop strategies for new markets all over the globe. Assessing the internal environment helps companies leverage their strengths to overcome weaknesses.  In this way, you can plan all the necessary steps to take on a new market by storm.

Gaps in the process

You may learn that your company lacks the necessary structure and technology to compete in international markets. Auditing might reveal the need for new technologies, human resources and more departments. The audit helps you understand how structure, communication methods , human capital, policies and technology can you achieve a global market result.

For instance, your current methods for catching up with employees might be fine for now, but that’s because everyone is probably in the same city or country.

When you expand your business globally, you need an automated solution to keep in touch with international colleagues. TimeTrack Auto Scheduling is an effective tool for ensuring less time wastage while promoting higher productivity and connecting everyone in various time zones.

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In the same vein, an external audit can help you understand how environmental policies influence product design, how political instability can cause a loss in the currency’s value, how social norms may result in rejection of your product , and how technological support may be unavailable in the country.

It’s wise to remember that good leaders think of the bigger picture, which includes planning for failure . This means creating contingency plans and back-up options in case of any number of problems down the line.

Why global planning is key for your business

Adopting strategic planning is a solid business practice to identify threats and opportunities in the desired business environment. A global plan also helps managers to:

• Formulate effective business strategies
• Quantify goals
• Ensure tactical plans
• Set corporate objectives
• Analyze the external and internal environments
• Define the company’s mission and vision

Global planning approaches for your business

There are various global planning strategies you can implement for your organization. Begin with a team and management brainstorming and planning session for greater collaboration.

International strategy

• This is where your company produces in your home country but you export your products overseas.

Standardization strategy

• Ensures you produce and sell your products across all locations, ensuring consistency in product quality.

Multinational strategy

• In this strategy, you create different versions of your products for each location, catering for your business in different markets.

Case studies of global planning techniques

• Netflix, a video streaming service, is a successful brand because of its multichannel, innovative, agile and integrated brand using customer-centric marketing across all stages of customer journeys.
• Coca-Cola is an international brand that still connects within small communities while infusing funds and time into small charities.
• McDonald’s maintains a consistent brand while bringing local flavor to some menu items.

Global planning tips

Global strategies for international markets

The points below will help you to go global with the right product offer.

Perform deep due diligence

Research and understand the overall impact the processes of going global will have on your business. A good point to start with is research. Perform a market segmentation analysis to determine the viability of your product in the local market. You should also prepare a gap analysis for your product. This process will help you understand if there will be demand when your product is launched.

You also need a  critical task analysis in your global planning efforts. The process promotes easy planning by simplifying high-priority tasks into series of simple steps.

Carry out a SWOT analysis to gain insight into the competition and whether to price your product higher or lower. Consider market size and opportunities. Knowing how big the market is and how long your strategies will take to capture the estimated sales is vital.

Create a realistic business plan

Your strategic planning must cover the various market nuances that may arise due to cultural, economic, political conditions. This means you will have to define both long-term, medium and short-term strategies while setting reasonable and smart goals to measure cost/benefits and progress.

Define goals, business objectives and success metrics. Goals may include specific market share, sales numbers, high profitability, enhanced cost-efficiency, customer retention and growth. Develop a top-down annual budget and tactical plans .

Set up an agile team

Try to avoid launching with an executive from the parent company or building a local team from scratch. Rather, get senior interim managers to join top management in decision-making. Managers must have knowledge and interest in starting (essentially from scratch) to achieve the desired results.

Communication is key during this initial process.

Stay in touch by leveraging the best of modern technology to ensure everyone is on track. Any organization that wants to go global must show transparency in time tracking. TimeTrack Project Time Tracking saves hundreds of hours used in following manual processes while promoting transparent time tracking .

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Is your product ready?

From your earlier gap analysis, you should now move further into higher impact product differentiation. Review the industry regulations to maintain compliance and access certifications where possible. You will need to determine if the brand needs localization and translation , as well as identifying patent requirements.

Consider testing and review/ quality assurance based on local market standards while figuring out the local distribution networks and logistics.

Is your organization ready?

A new launch in a new country can take a toll on your company’s resources , so it’s best to avoid a one-size-fits-all strategy. Review the organizational structure and manuals for local compliance and ensure that your current staff aren’t spread too thin. Aim to develop local support structures and consider the development of infrastructure for local information technology which is compatible with community infrastructure.

Set up a fine market strategy

For effective market penetration, ensure cohesive and comprehensive planning, sales tactics, sales delivery, value proposition and marketing strategies. Determine the optimum sales model and pricing models.

Ensure legal, tax, and finance readiness

Prepare strong legal processes against litigious countries, being mindful of government requirements for legal documents. Put in place tax and finance infrastructure, risk management and cash repatriation plans.

Expanding your business overseas can be both exciting and challenging. Take the time to invest in plenty of due diligence well in advance and be prepared to compile a comprehensive long-term roadmap.

Design a process that creates an efficient ecosystem for complementary services or products and invest in top talent to ensure success in the local context.

I am a researcher, writer, and self-published author. Over the last 9 years, I have dedicated my time to delivering unique content to startups and non-governmental organizations and have covered several topics, including wellness, technology, and entrepreneurship. I am now passionate about how time efficiency affects productivity, business performance, and profitability.

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Guide to creating and executing a global strategy

Since 2003, Forbes has published the Global 2000, a list that ranks the largest public companies worldwide by the following four metrics: sales, profits, assets and market value.  Studying this ranking  and its associated company profiles, like which corporation is No. 1 this year, who’s new to the list, or which companies have dropped off, are a great way to start designing a successful multinational corporation.   

The top 100 companies cover a wide range of sectors, including oil and gas, technology, banking and finance, automotive, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, mining and food and beverage.  The 2,000 companies in on the 2022 list come from 58 countries, but nearly three-fourths are based in  just 10 countries . The U.S. and China remain the countries with the most listed companies, followed by Japan, South Korea, Canada and the United Kingdom. 

All of these 2,000 companies  global businesses with facilities, suppliers, employees and other assets in at least one country other than their home country. Large multinational companies (MNC) have several advantages over other companies, most of which come with just being big. Labor concerns, supply issues and regulatory problems are all easier to deal with if a company has bases in more than one country.

Affordable and reliable communication technology may be the most important factor that makes it easier for companies to operate in other countries is Consider Walmart with its 5,100 stores and 550,000 staffers in 23 countries outside the U.S. Walmart also sources its products from more than 100 different countries. 

Face-to-face communication is as important for sensitive discussions or avoiding cultural faux pas in a multinational corporation as it is in a small local business. Ensuring employees and customers understand a corporation’s global strategy and their roles in its execution takes an extremely fine-tuned level of focus and understanding from the top down.

Short story about the long history of global business

Global business refers to international trade, whereas a global business is a company doing business across the world. The exchange of goods over great distances goes back a very long time. 

Anthropologists have identified long-distance trading in Europe in the Stone Age. Maritime trade, or business across the seas, dates back before Greek civilization. These would not be defined as “global” trade, but they had the same goals – to reach beyond homelands and across the world to find new markets and resources. 

The British East India Company, established in 1600, and the Dutch East India Company, begun in 1602, were the two earliest global companies. As government-chartered organizations, they were part-business, part-government. Their goals were two-fold; to accumulate capital, often by using natural resources and labor in the new locations, and establish colonial empires. 

At the end of the 19th century, another type of global business emerged, and the multinational corporation (MNC) was born.  

The first MNCs in the modern world were also searching for natural resources, locations where production was directly linked to the land. Many of today’s mining and agricultural companies date back more than 100 years and still rank among the world’s largest global companies. 

In fact, Exxon Mobil Corp., No. 15 on Forbes 2000,  was founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1882. 

International strategies: Multiple structure options 

International business organizations face choices regarding resource allocation, the balance of authority between the central office and business units and the degree to which products and services are customized to accommodate the tastes and preferences of local markets. 

Every country is different, and so are the cultures, expectations and needs of the people who live there. What might work in one country could be a huge failure in another. Yet some companies are so large and their products and services so pervasive that they can succeed even if they make very few, if any, adjustments in a new country.   

Usually, an MNC is a very large company possessing subsidiaries in several countries, and its organization, production and sales strategies are conceived on a global scale. M any companies choose entirely different methods and structures for their international expansion. Multinational corporations choose from these three basic strategies: 

• International strategy : This is u sually the first type of international expansion for a business, focusing on imports and exports and maintaining a head office or offices in their home country. This is a common model for companies selling food or wine, or other products with regional appeal. An example of this strategy is Moet & Chandon, which sells champagne around the world, growing every grape in France.
•   Multi-domestic strategy :    Rather than using one global brand, multidomestic strategy creates many smaller, country-specific brands tailored to local tastes, its customers and local environment.  The Swiss-owned candy company Nestle owns more than 2,000 companies including Gerber, Purina, Perrier, Lean Cuisine and Toll House. Nestle sells in over 186 countries, where each carries a selection of brands designed to match the local market.
• Global strategy : A firm using this strategy may make some  minor modifications to products and services in various markets. Still, the objective is to gain economies of scale by offering the same products or services in each market. Microsoft, for example, offers the same software programs around the world but adjusts the programs to match local languages. KFC, Coke and Apple sell the same products with consistent branding in overseas markets.
• Transnational strategy:  When employing a transnational strategy, the goal is to combine elements of global and multi-domestic strategies, to balance the goal of efficiency and adjusting to meet the needs of local markets. Firms using a transnational approach make some concessions for local tastes. For example, you can buy wine in addition to fast food at McDonald’s in France. 

Developing an international business strategy

It’s time to expand your business. You’ve already got some feelers in international waters but aren’t entirely sure how to set things up.  Global markets offer opportunities for new markets, expanded brand recognition or potential partnerships.

Before a company gets too far into a new market, it is important to step back and answer some questions that will help determine what type of business strategy makes the most sense at this stage. Here are  eight steps  articulated by Global Expansion, an international employment firm:

• Research your market Seek out multiple sources of information, trying to make local contacts. And don’t neglect researching the local regulatory environment.   
• Decide on what you’re bringing to the market Be clear about what you are selling and how your products fit into the local market.  
• Set your goals Set specific goals about market share, sales numbers, cost-efficiency and customer growth. Develop sales goals for multiple years.  
• Make a note of any competition Research local competition to further understand potential markets.  
• Develop the finer points of your strategy Think hard about who you’ll hire, how your business can navigate financial regulations and what an overseas market means for marketing.  
• Evaluate your infrastructure Audit your current business capabilities. Examine the team needed to carry out expansion.  
• Create a system for distribution Explore your options for franchising, licensing and regulatory requirements.  
• Consider a partner or consultant Explore putting a management team together on the ground to help expand your operation.

Executing your international business strategy

Recognize that your global business strategy will be a living document. Initial plans and goals that take shape through focused due diligence are subject to change once you set up shop across international boundaries. Remember to be flexible. 

As you move into new markets, keep these goals and visions in mind:

• Partner with someone who understands the laws and regulations in your new market.
• Explore pros and cons internally and make sure you have stakeholder buy-in.
• Get to know your international customers; learn how you have a competitive advantage.
• Become familiar and comfortable with the new culture.
• Prepare a solid global marketing plan to support international growth and strategic goals.

Learning customs, culture, values 

“International” is a term that is so broad and unspecific that it can be near meaningless in establishing a growth strategy.

Business strategist Lowell Aplebaum recommends that entrepreneurs take a specific approach to creating a global strategy. It’s important to take the time to break down the regions, countries or communities that are in closest alignment to the offered service or product. Aplebaum, CEO of Vista Cova, suggests taking the time to determine how you will be able to fill a unique need in the new locale. “From there, a global growth strategy can be stepped and piloted with intent,” Aplebaum says.  

When expanding into international markets, it is important for entrepreneurs to understand the cultural differences in those markets and adapt their business plans accordingly. A business that is successful in the United States, for instance, might not be successful in Nairobi because the cultural norms in those countries are very different.

Cross-cultural environments require business leaders to understand diverse cultural, political and business customs.  Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind while your business moves into new markets is culture, what we at  Thunderbird call a Global Mindset . 

Whether you’re an international executive or a student, developing a Global Mindset will help you thrive in global enterprises and beyond. At Thunderbird, leadership development is a fundamental aspect of our curriculum, and we help students and executives become better leaders. Here are a few of our programs geared toward future and current leaders: 

• Master of Global Management 
• Online Master of Applied Leadership and Management
• Executive Education programs

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Can executives earn global management degrees in a year?

Global leadership and management knowledge: leverage its value

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Craft Your International Business Plan: A How-To Guide

Are you ready to take your business across borders? International expansion is a great way for businesses to grow and succeed in new markets. But before you dive into an international market, there are specific steps you need to consider: crafting a strategic plan. Whether it’s determining the competitive landscape of a target country or understanding local customs and regulations, an effective international business plan can lay the foundation for long-term success while also providing guidance on how best to allocate resources and manage risks. But where should one begin? Let’s dive into it!

Analyze Potential Markets

In today’s global market, expanding your business into new markets can open up a world of opportunities for ecommerce revenue growth. To get ecommerce revenue from new markets , the first step is to analyze potential markets. This involves conducting market research to identify which countries or regions hold the greatest potential for your business. You can start by looking at demographic data, economic trends, and consumer behavior in different parts of the world.

Of course, you should also delve into the market-specific data. Analyzing the competitive landscape and potential barriers to entry is sure to determine which markets are most viable for your business. Additionally, understanding cultural differences and local customs can give you insight into how your product or service may be received in a new market. Businesses can now expand their reach and increase their revenue streams in ways they never thought possible.

Set Clear Goals and Objectives

Once you have identified potential markets, it’s time to set clear goals and objectives for your international expansion. These goals should align with your overall business strategy and take into account the resources needed to enter a new market successfully.

Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate more revenue, or establish partnerships in a particular region? Or maybe you want to expand into a new market to diversify your customer base and reduce risk. Whatever the reason may be, setting clear and measurable goals can guide your decision-making process and ensure that your international business plan is aligned with your long-term vision.

Develop A Robust Strategy

With potential markets and goals in mind, you need to develop a robust strategy for entering the international market. But how do you know which strategy will work best for your business?

Direct Exporting

Direct exporting involves selling your products or services directly into the international market. This approach can be a low-cost way to test the waters and gain valuable information about overseas markets without the commitment of setting up a physical presence. However, it does require careful planning and research. Consider your product’s suitability for the market, the logistics of shipping and delivery, legal and regulatory requirements, and how you’ll handle customer service.

Licensing and Franchising

If you prefer a more hands-off approach, licensing and franchising can be viable options. Licensing involves granting another company the rights to use your intellectual property, such as trademarks or patents, in exchange for royalties or fees. Franchising is similar but typically involves a more comprehensive arrangement where the franchisee follows your established business model and brand guidelines.

Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances

Collaborating with a local business through joint ventures or strategic alliances can also be an effective way to enter a new market. This approach allows you to benefit from the other company’s expertise and established networks while sharing the risks and costs associated with entering a new market.

Mergers and Acquisitions

For businesses looking to make a big splash in the international market, mergers and acquisitions can provide a quick way to gain market share, access new technologies or products, and expand your customer base. These transactions require significant financial resources and due diligence to ensure compatibility and avoid potential risks.

Identify The Resources You Need

No matter which strategy you choose, entering the international market requires a significant investment of time, money, and resources. It’s essential to identify what you need to make your international expansion a success.

Consider the staffing and expertise needed to manage operations in a different country. Will you need to hire local employees? If so, do you understand labor laws and cultural norms for managing a workforce in that country? Will you need to partner with local vendors or suppliers? How will you handle language barriers and cultural differences? It’s also crucial to assess your financial resources and determine how much capital you’ll need for market research, legal expenses, marketing efforts, and other related costs. Secure funding or explore financing options early on to avoid delays in your expansion plans.

Consider Different Countries or Regions

As businesses expand globally, you must first understand the unique culture, customs, and laws of different countries or regions to effectively reach and connect with their target audience. For example, did you know that in Japan, it’s considered impolite to loudly slurp noodles? Or that in China, the color red symbolizes good luck and happiness? Or that in Germany, punctuality is highly valued?

When you consider the cultural nuances and preferences of your target market, you can tailor your marketing strategies, product offerings, and overall business approach to resonate with local consumers. This can go a long way in building trust and brand loyalty in the global marketplace.

Decide How You Will Marke Yourself Abroad

Now that you have a clear understanding of your target market and their cultural preferences, it’s time to decide how you will promote and market your business abroad. This can include tactics such as translating your website and marketing materials into the local language, partnering with local influencers or businesses, and utilizing social media platforms popular in that region.

Even consider any legal or regulatory requirements for advertising and marketing in the target market. In certain countries, there may be restrictions on certain types of advertising or requirements for labeling and packaging. Other countries may have specific rules for online advertising and data collection.

Venturing into the international arena can be a game-changer for your business, opening up new avenues of growth and diversification. The journey, however, is paved with its unique set of challenges and complexities.

A strategically crafted international business plan acts as the compass guiding you toward success. It entails rigorous market analysis, clear goal-setting, robust strategic development, resource identification, cultural understanding, and effective marketing. Such a plan ensures that your business meets the needs and expectations of your new customers, stands tall amidst global competition, and reaps the rewards of global expansion. Get ready to embrace an exciting journey filled with opportunities, learning, and growth. Now that you have a step-by-step guide in hand, the world is truly your oyster!

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7 steps to create your international business plan

Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to go global . Now how do you get started?

First, determine your company’s export readiness by taking this nine question quiz created by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The website calculates your readiness score and provides additional resource links to help overcome any corporate weaknesses.

Next, develop a plan. Stanley Pfrang, Market Development Director – India, the Middle East and Africa, WEDC , and Jen Pino-Gallagher, Bureau Director, International Market Development, DATCP , shared a seven step plan at a program I recently attended.

• Proactively develop a plan. Some companies reactively dive into the international market after receiving a product or service inquiry from overseas. A better strategy is to first think through planning steps two-seven to help avoid costly missteps.
• Conduct market research. Is there a need or demand for your product or service? Is market expansion feasible? Who are your competitors? What financial and legal paperwork is required? Do your current customers also operate in global markets? If so, what can you learn from them about opportunities and potential pitfalls?
• Entering new markets. Who can help you distribute your product? Do you need storage space? Will you need a manufacturing partner located in your target destination?
• Logistics. How important is your delivery speed? The decision will help you select transportation carriers and/or delivery routes.
• Payments. Determine what currency you will accept. Will you sell in U.S. dollars and/or foreign currency? Will you offer a discount if payment is received in U.S. dollars? Will you accept letters of credit? Will you require a down payment before production begins on goods or services?
• Visit the market before entering it. How do your competitors operate? How will your customers use your products or services as compared to those of your competitor? Trade shows are a good, inexpensive resource to help you see market potentials and downsides.
• Resources. Explore state and federal government online resources. Join an industry association knowledgeable about international trade. Talk to customers and maybe even competitors to learn from their mistakes and wise decisions.

After sharing the seven step plan, Pfrang, Pino-Gallagher and other program panelists offered additional tips.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about companies interested in your product. How long have they been in business? Obtain customer and vendor references. A face-to-face meeting to establish a relationship before doing business is best and can be done using Skype or a similar internet connection if necessary.

When seeking a trade consultant, hire a native of the foreign market you wish to enter because she will better understand the market needs and difficulties. At a minimum, hire someone with English as his second language.

Never automatically dismiss a lead that comes your way. Always explore the possibilities. It may lead to big things.

Be ruthlessly conservative in planning when internally strategizing your approach to new markets and opportunities that arise. Remember to include the impact on staff resources, time zone differences and product distribution methods.

Read Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands , a book that provides insights into business culture and customs in many different international markets. Lastly, always remember the primary goal of marketing.

So now it’s your turn to share advice. What resources do you use? What wisdom have you developed through experience? I’d love to hear from you. You can leave your comments below or you can reach out to us on Twitter and Facebook .

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One Response to 7 steps to create your international business plan

I run a small time web business in the evening, and have been operating globally for over a decade. If you have any type of web presence for your product, you quickly find yourself doing global sales on a small scale in terms of units – i.e. single items – though not necessarily on a small scale in terms of income- about 30% of my sales are out of country -that is where my strongest customers are (and oddly in the countries with universal health care and some of the highest tax rates). Many local banks are not set up to handle those type of transactions economically so I use various on line payment systems. You lose 3-4% but it is a lot simpler than any other option. I learned this the hard way when my community bank took 4 months to finalize a simple overseas bank transfer from the Philippines. For screening customers I am basically linked to other people working in the same type of business. We share mainly which customers to avoid, scammers and the like. Likewise I have come to learn a lot about what countries to ship to an which to avoid as well as the various headaches of different import customs and other processes. It can be a tricky process but a lot of local small businesses are doing it . In terms of language barriers – if you are not dealing with English speaking customers there are various free translation services on line – In todays world though you need these markets – Wisconsin is the weakest state I have for sales and overseas is by far the most profitable.

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How to draw up an international business plan

Nick Farmer – International Tax Specialist

Many businesses have heard about the benefits of trading internationally, but haven’t yet taken the plunge. Others may have started on this journey, but are still trying to figure out how to improve their international experience.

To make a success of international trade, it is important to approach it as a separate part of your business and draw up a specific international business plan.

So how do you put together a clear plan that will help you realise your international ambition?

The easiest way to start is to map out your plan into the following key segments: reasons, research, resources, relationships and review.

Steps to create a global business plan

Step 1 – reasons for going global.

To start with it is important to define your reasons for wanting to trade internationally. It could be the perfect next step, but just because someone says it would be a good idea doesn’t necessarily mean it is right for your business. So really challenge yourself to understand why you are taking your business down this path. Here are a few reasons that often arise:

• Spread the customer base;
• Reduce dependency on home economy;
• Next stage of business development;
• Helps the business innovate and remain competitive;
• Increases status of the business;
• Fulfils personal ambition

Taking time to deliberate on your reasons and being able to articulate them will give you a greater sense of purpose and help you galvanise the team around you.

How to go global in the tech sector

Step 2 – research the market.

Once you have determined that trading internationally is right for your business, then it’s time to start doing your research.

Firstly, there is now a considerable amount of data available from behind your desk. From spending time undertaking this research you are trying to find answers to questions such as:

• What markets are right for your products or services?
• What’s the competition like and are there gaps in the market?
• How easy is it to do business in the target market?
• What changes need to be made to the product; branding, colours, name etc?
• How do you comply with local regulations?
• What documentation and translations will be required?

At the same time as researching the market, you will need to think through what operating model is going to be suitable for your business in each of your target markets. Will you be looking to sell directly from the UK, or instead use in-country agents or distributors. Maybe your product can be licensed to a local business, or franchising arrangements will work for you. If you are prepared to make more of a commitment then it could be worthwhile looking for a local joint venture partner, or even set up your own operations in the local market.

Once you have exhausted the desk based research, it’s then important to carry out some in-country research to really get a feel for your audience and the opportunities that exist. It may be possible to join a trade delegation, and these can often be a good way to get introductions, but only if the visit is particularly relevant to your sector. Alternatively you might sign up for a trade show, or contact potential customers from online marketplaces, before you leave and put together an itinerary for your visit. Part of the reason for your visit will of course be to better understand the local customs and culture and to make sure you go into the market with your eyes open.

Step 3 – Resources

Whilst it is crucial to do your market research, it’s also vital that you clearly analyse the resources that are available to you to make sure you have the capacity to accommodate the desired international activity within your business. Carrying out a health check on the existing business will help you determine if you have the capability and resources to make international a successful part of your business. This will include:

Do you and your team have the time and capacity to devote to international trade or do you need to recruit appropriate expertise?

Management team

Who is going to be involved in managing the process and making sure control procedures are in place?

What employee involvement will be necessary, and will any movement of staff or local hires be required?

What funding is going to be required to support the initiative and what is the payback on this?

Language skills

What language skills will you need and are these available to you?

Is your website set up for international trade or does it need to be ‘internationalised’?

Step 4 – Relationships

There’s no doubt that trading internationally could be rewarding for your business, but to be successful it is certain that you are going to need to get some outside support. There’s a whole community of businesses set up to support international traders and understanding who is who, and getting the right people behind your business, is all part of the key to success. Collaboration partners would include:

Accountants

Providing commercial support and making sense of the numbers involved, as well as sourcing local advice from overseas network partners.

Tax advisers

Tax will play its part in any cross border transaction, so it will be important to understand the implications before it’s too late, such as VAT, Customs Duties and Withholding taxes.

Trading outside your home market will require specific insurance, and you may wish to have credit insurance to protect against non-payment.

Immigration

Where your activities involve the movement of people, there may be local visa requirements that need to be fulfilled.

There will be legal paperwork involved, such as contracts, commercial agreements and invoices, as well as the labelling and need to protect your intellectual property.

Logistics providers

To help you transport and distribute your product and ensure you have the right export documentation.

If additional finance is required you will need to explore the alternatives and find out what export finance is available to you.

Foreign Exchange

Trading internationally will usually involve foreign exchange exposure and the need for specialist FX support.

Drawing up an international business plan is only the start, and this will need to be kept constantly under review so that you are able to assess the benefits for your business. Key to this process will be the data that you collect, as this will enable you to determine the profit that you are actually making from your international activities. Making sure that your accounting system is correctly configured to provide you with this information, and that there is a regular review process (monthly, quarterly) including comparison between budget and actual, is part of the process of going international.

A better way to drive your business

Managing the availability of supply to meet volatile demand has never been easy. Even before the unprecedented challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, synchronizing supply and demand was a perennial struggle for most businesses. In a survey of 54 senior executives, only about one in four believed that the processes of their companies balanced cross-functional trade-offs effectively or facilitated decision making to help the P&L of the full business.

That’s not because of a lack of effort. Most companies have made strides to strengthen their planning capabilities in recent years. Many have replaced their processes for sales and operations planning (S&OP) with the more sophisticated approach of integrated business planning (IBP), which shows great promise, a conclusion based on an in-depth view of the processes used by many leading companies around the world (see sidebar “Understanding IBP”). Assessments of more than 170 companies, collected over five years, provide insights into the value created by IBP implementations that work well—and the reasons many IBP implementations don’t.

Understanding IBP

Integrated business planning is a powerful process that could become central to how a company runs its business. It is one generation beyond sales and operations planning. Three essential differentiators add up to a unique business-steering capability:

• Full business scope. Beyond balancing sales and operations planning, integrated business planning (IBP) synchronizes all of a company’s mid- and long-term plans, including the management of revenues, product pipelines and portfolios, strategic projects and capital investments, inventory policies and deployment, procurement strategies, and joint capacity plans with external partners. It does this in all relevant parts of the organization, from the site level through regions and business units and often up to a corporate-level plan for the full business.
• Risk management, alongside strategy and performance reviews. Best-practice IBP uses scenario planning to drive decisions. In every stage of the process, there are varying degrees of confidence about how the future will play out—how much revenue is reasonably certain as a result of consistent consumption patterns, how much additional demand might emerge if certain events happen, and how much unusual or extreme occurrences might affect that additional demand. These layers are assessed against business targets, and options for mitigating actions and potential gap closures are evaluated and chosen.
• Real-time financials. To ensure consistency between volume-based planning and financial projections (that is, value-based planning), IBP promotes strong links between operational and financial planning. This helps to eliminate surprises that may otherwise become apparent only in quarterly or year-end reviews.

An effective IBP process consists of five essential building blocks: a business-backed design; high-quality process management, including inputs and outputs; accountability and performance management; the effective use of data, analytics, and technology; and specialized organizational roles and capabilities (Exhibit 1). Our research finds that mature IBP processes can significantly improve coordination and reduce the number of surprises. Compared with companies that lack a well-functioning IBP process, the average mature IBP practitioner realizes one or two additional percentage points in EBIT. Service levels are five to 20 percentage points higher. Freight costs and capital intensity are 10 to 15 percent lower—and customer delivery penalties and missed sales are 40 to 50 percent lower. IBP technology and process discipline can also make planners 10 to 20 percent more productive.

When IBP processes are set up correctly, they help companies to make and execute plans and to monitor, simulate, and adapt their strategic assumptions and choices to succeed in their markets. However, leaders must treat IBP not just as a planning-process upgrade but also as a company-wide business initiative (see sidebar “IBP in action” for a best-in-class example).

IBP in action

One global manufacturer set up its integrated business planning (IBP) system as the sole way it ran its entire business, creating a standardized, integrated process for strategic, tactical, and operational planning. Although the company had previously had a sales and operations planning (S&OP) process, it had been owned and led solely by the supply chain function. Beyond S&OP, the sales function forecast demand in aggregate dollar value at the category level and over short time horizons. Finance did its own projections of the quarterly P&L, and data from day-by-day execution fed back into S&OP only at the start of a new monthly cycle.

The CEO endorsed a new way of running regional P&Ls and rolling up plans to the global level. The company designed its IBP process so that all regional general managers owned the regional IBP by sponsoring the integrated decision cycles (following a global design) and by ensuring functional ownership of the decision meetings. At the global level, the COO served as tiebreaker whenever decisions—such as procurement strategies for global commodities, investments in new facilities for global product launches, or the reconfiguration of a product’s supply chain—cut across regional interests.

To enable IBP to deliver its impact, the company conducted a structured process assessment to evaluate the maturity of all inputs into IBP. It then set out to redesign, in detail, its processes for planning demand and supply, inventory strategies, parametrization, and target setting, so that IBP would work with best-practice inputs. To encourage collaboration, leaders also started to redefine the performance management system so that it included clear accountability for not only the metrics that each function controlled but also shared metrics. Finally, digital dashboards were developed to track and monitor the realization of benefits for individual functions, regional leaders, and the global IBP team.

A critical component of the IBP rollout was creating a company-wide awareness of its benefits and the leaders’ expectations for the quality of managers’ contributions and decision-making discipline. To educate and show commitment from the CEO down, this information was rolled out in a campaign of town halls and media communications to all employees. The company also set up a formal capability-building program for the leaders and participants in the IBP decision cycle.

Rolled out in every region, the new training helps people learn how to run an effective IBP cycle, to recognize the signs of good process management, and to internalize decision authority, thresholds, and escalation paths. Within a few months, the new process, led by a confident and motivated leadership team, enabled closer company-wide collaboration during tumultuous market conditions. That offset price inflation for materials (which adversely affected peers) and maintained the company’s EBITDA performance.

Our research shows that these high-maturity IBP examples are in the minority. In practice, few companies use the IBP process to support effective decision making (Exhibit 2). For two-thirds of the organizations in our data set, IBP meetings are periodic business reviews rather than an integral part of the continuous cycle of decisions and adjustments needed to keep organizations aligned with their strategic and tactical goals. Some companies delegate IBP to junior staff. The frequency of meetings averages one a month. That can make these processes especially ineffective—lacking either the senior-level participation for making consequential strategic decisions or the frequency for timely operational reactions.

Finally, most companies struggle to turn their plans into effective actions: critical metrics and responsibilities are not aligned across functions, so it’s hard to steer the business in a collaborative way. Who is responsible for the accuracy of forecasts? What steps will be taken to improve it? How about adherence to the plan? Are functions incentivized to hold excess inventory? Less than 10 percent of all companies have a performance management system that encourages the right behavior across the organization.

By contrast, at the most effective organizations, IBP meetings are all about decisions and their impact on the P&L—an impact enabled by focused metrics and incentives for collaboration. Relevant inputs (data, insights, and decision scenarios) are diligently prepared and syndicated before meetings to help decision makers make the right choices quickly and effectively. These companies support IBP by managing their short-term planning decisions prescriptively, specifying thresholds to distinguish changes immediately integrated into existing plans from day-to-day noise. Within such boundaries, real-time daily decisions are made in accordance with the objectives of the entire business, not siloed frontline functions. This responsive execution is tightly linked with the IBP process, so that the fact base is always up-to-date for the next planning iteration.

A better plan for IBP

In our experience, integrated business planning can help a business succeed in a sustainable way if three conditions are met. First, the process must be designed for the P&L owner, not individual functions in the business. Second, processes are built for purpose, not from generic best-practice templates. Finally, the people involved in the process have the authority, skills, and confidence to make relevant, consequential decisions.

Design for the P&L owner

IBP gives leaders a systematic opportunity to unlock P&L performance by coordinating strategies and tactics across traditional business functions. This doesn’t mean that IBP won’t function as a business review process, but it is more effective when focused on decisions in the interest of the whole business. An IBP process designed to help P&L owners make effective decisions as they run the company creates requirements different from those of a process owned by individual functions, such as supply chain or manufacturing.

One fundamental requirement is senior-level participation from all stakeholder functions and business areas, so that decisions can be made in every meeting. The design of the IBP cycle, including preparatory work preceding decision-making meetings, should help leaders make general decisions or resolve minor issues outside of formal milestone meetings. It should also focus the attention of P&L leaders on the most important and pressing issues. These goals can be achieved with disciplined approaches to evaluating the impact of decisions and with financial thresholds that determine what is brought to the attention of the P&L leader.

The aggregated output of the IBP process would be a full, risk-evaluated business plan covering a midterm planning horizon. This plan then becomes the only accepted and executed plan across the organization. The objective isn’t a single hard number. It is an accepted, unified view of which new products will come online and when, and how they will affect the performance of the overall portfolio. The plan will also take into account the variabilities and uncertainties of the business: demand expectations, how the company will respond to supply constraints, and so on. Layered risks and opportunities and aligned actions across stakeholders indicate how to execute the plan.

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Trade-offs arising from risks and opportunities in realizing revenues, margins, or cost objectives are determined by the P&L owner at the level where those trade-offs arise—local for local, global for global. To make this possible, data visible in real time and support for decision making in meetings are essential. This approach works best in companies with strong data governance processes and tools, which increase confidence in the objectivity of the IBP process and support for implementing the resulting decisions. In addition, senior leaders can demonstrate their commitment to the value and the standards of IBP by participating in the process, sponsoring capability-building efforts for the teams that contribute inputs to the IBP, and owning decisions and outcomes.

Fit-for-purpose process design and frequency

To make IBP a value-adding capability, the business will probably need to redesign its planning processes from a clean sheet.

First, clean sheeting IBP means that it should be considered and designed from the decision maker’s perspective. What information does a P&L owner need to make a decision on a given topic? What possible scenarios should that leader consider, and what would be their monetary and nonmonetary impact? The IBP process can standardize this information—for example, by summarizing it in templates so that the responsible parties know, up front, which data, analytics, and impact information to provide.

Second, essential inputs into IBP determine its quality. These inputs include consistency in the way planners use data, methods, and systems to make accurate forecasts, manage constraints, simulate scenarios, and close the loop from planning to the production shopfloor by optimizing schedules, monitoring adherence, and using incentives to manufacture according to plan.

Determining the frequency of the IBP cycle, and its timely integration with tactical execution processes, would also be part of this redesign. Big items—such as capacity investments and divestments, new-product introductions, and line extensions—should be reviewed regularly. Monthly reviews are typical, but a quarterly cadence may also be appropriate in situations with less frequent changes. Weekly iterations then optimize the plan in response to confirmed orders, short-term capacity constraints, or other unpredictable events. The bidirectional link between planning and execution must be strong, and investments in technology may be required to better connect them, so that they use the same data repository and have continuous-feedback loops.

Authorize consequential decision making

Finally, every IBP process step needs autonomous decision making for the problems in its scope, as well as a clear path to escalate, if necessary. The design of the process must therefore include decision-type authority, decision thresholds, and escalation paths. Capability-building interventions should support teams to ensure disciplined and effective decision making—and that means enforcing participation discipline, as well. The failure of a few key stakeholders to prioritize participation can undermine the whole process.

Decision-making autonomy is also relevant for short-term planning and execution. Success in tactical execution depends on how early a problem is identified and how quickly and effectively it is resolved. A good execution framework includes, for example, a classification of possible events, along with resolution guidelines based on root cause methodology. It should also specify the thresholds, in scope and scale of impact, for operational decision making and the escalation path if those thresholds are met.

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In addition to guidelines for decision making, the cross-functional team in charge of executing the plan needs autonomy to decide on a course of action for events outside the original plan, as well as the authority to see those actions implemented. Clear integration points between tactical execution and the IBP process protect the latter’s focus on midterm decision making and help tactical teams execute in response to immediate market needs.

An opportunity, but no ‘silver bullet’

With all the elements described above, IBP has a solid foundation to create value for a business. But IBP is no silver bullet. To achieve a top-performing supply chain combining timely and complete customer service with optimal cost and capital expenditures, companies also need mature planning and fulfillment processes using advanced systems and tools. That would include robust planning discipline and a collaboration culture covering all time horizons with appropriate processes while integrating commercial, planning, manufacturing, logistics, and sourcing organizations at all relevant levels.

As more companies implement advanced planning systems and nerve centers , the typical monthly IBP frequency might no longer be appropriate. Some companies may need to spend more time on short-term execution by increasing the frequency of planning and replanning. Others may be able to retain a quarterly IBP process, along with a robust autonomous-planning or exception engine. Already, advanced planning systems not only direct the valuable time of experts to the most critical demand and supply imbalances but also aggregate and disaggregate large volumes of data on the back end. These targeted reactions are part of a critical learning mechanism for the supply chain.

Over time, with root cause analyses and cross-functional collaboration on systemic fixes, the supply chain’s nerve center can get smarter at executing plans, separating noise from real issues, and proactively managing deviations. All this can eventually shorten IBP cycles, without the risk of overreacting to noise, and give P&L owners real-time transparency into how their decisions might affect performance.

P&L owners thinking about upgrading their S&OP or IBP processes can’t rely on textbook checklists. Instead, they can assume leadership of IBP and help their organizations turn strategies and plans into effective actions. To do so, they must sponsor IBP as a cross-functional driver of business decisions, fed by thoughtfully designed processes and aligned decision rights, as well as a performance management and capability-building system that encourages the right behavior and learning mechanisms across the organization. As integrated planning matures, supported by appropriate technology and maturing supply chain–management practices, it could shorten decision times and accelerate its impact on the business.

Elena Dumitrescu is a senior knowledge expert in McKinsey’s Toronto office, Matt Jochim is a partner in the London office, and Ali Sankur is a senior expert and associate partner in the Chicago office, where Ketan Shah is a partner.

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A complete guide to global business expansion strategy

Everything you need to know to develop your own international business expansion strategy.

Overseas expansion can seem a farfetched dream to most, while even those considering the process may be daunted by its complexity. Yet, though expansion can be time-consuming and involved, it need not be exclusively the domain of giant corporations like McDonald’s, Google, Apple, or IKEA.

With a comprehensive and carefully-composed global business expansion strategy, even start-ups and SMEs can expand their operations into new, potentially lucrative markets.

This article provides a broad, overarching guide to international business expansion: what it is, how it can be beneficial as well as challenging, when to consider it, how to build a solid global business expansion strategy, and how partnering with an Employer of Record may drive the success of your overseas venture.

Why go global? A look at the benefits and challenges of international expansion

An important part of considering global expansion for your business is being aware of both the pros and cons, and balancing these carefully. For whilst there are many potential benefits to expanding overseas, there are a number of challenges you may first have to overcome, and the nature of your expansion will be informed by whether or not the pros outweigh the cons.

Potential pros of global business expansion

• Increasing global sales and expanding client lists by tapping into new and lucrative markets; including the potential to reset the lifecycle of older products and services.
• Maintaining a competitive edge in an increasingly globalized world by positioning yourself and your brand as a leader in untapped markets.
• Widen your available talent pool to include employees and contractors operating all around the world, with expertise in new and expanding areas.
• Increasing cost savings through relocation and access to new, more affordable markets.
• Securing the financial future of your company by diversifying your revenue streams and the markets you operate in - essentially building greater business resilience.
• You must comply with all applicable labour and tax laws and regulations in the countries and regions you intend to expand into. This can be complex and costly, especially if you fail to comply.
• The culture, languages, and politics of different countries can vary dramatically, and should be researched thoroughly prior to expansion otherwise your offering may be met with confusion, apathy, or hostility.
• Local competitors who are already long-established in your new target market may have an advantage over you, owing to their local, innate understanding of that market.
• Managing remote and international teams requires a reframing of your managerial practices and office culture to be best effective; for example, you must consider how you will work effectively across multiple different time zones.
• It can be prohibitively costly to expand overseas, depending on the global business expansion strategy you choose to develop, especially when expansion is conducted independently.

Challenges of global business expansion

Defining global business expansion.

Global business expansion looks different for each individual business. What it means and what it requires will change depending on the industry you’re in, the reasons for your expansion, and how you hope to enter the new market.

Having said that, we can generalise. Global business expansion – also known as international expansion, foreign expansion, or overseas expansion – is a business growth strategy used to enter new markets in other countries. It can include the movement of business operations, resources, workforces, products, and services.

Successful expansion requires the tailoring of a global business expansion strategy unique to the enterprise’s industry, offering, and goals.

How to know when your business is ready to expand overseas

Not every business needs to expand overseas, nor will every business naturally come to a definable point at which international expansion is the logical next step. Knowing when your business is ready to expand often depends on whether you have the time and resources to develop a watertight strategy.

If global expansion is something you want to see in your business’ future, then we’d suggest you begin planning today. The more prior preparation you can inject into a global business expansion strategy, the more evident it will be when the time comes for your enterprise to take that leap.

How small businesses can also expand internationally

Traditionally, international expansion has been the realm of large corporations with deeper pockets than most start-ups and SMEs can ever hope for. Thankfully, however, in our present era of expansive and accessible globalisation, the opportunities for smaller businesses to expand overseas do exist.

The key to global business expansion for small and smaller businesses is, of course, to minimise the costs involved . The most straightforward means of reducing expansion costs is to partner with a global business expansion solutions provider , whose expertise and existing international presence can reduce the risks you face and mitigate the need for costly foreign subsidiaries.

Developing your global expansion strategy

Every individual expansion requires its own tailor-made international business expansion strategy. Developing such a strategy should take time, care, and consideration. What follows is a broad overview of the 10 components we believe are key to an effective expansion strategy. For a more involved and detailed discussion of these 10 steps, read our post on how to avoid the pitfalls of global expansion .

10 key steps to a comprehensive international business expansion strategy

• Set your goals: It is crucial you know why you want to expand overseas. A clear set of goals will help you keep your strategy on track throughout the expansion process.
• Research: Acquire a firm understanding of the market you’re aiming to enter, including the competitors there, and the culture which frames it.
• Choose an expansion model: You can expand into new markets via a range of expansion models , including exportation, licensing, franchising, partnerships and joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and greenfield investments. Knowing which will work best for you is crucial.
• Consider building overseas infrastructure: International expansion is best supported by the establishment of local infrastructure on the ground. This infrastructure can comprise a foreign office or subsidiary, a remote workforce of employees and/or freelancers , or a network of third-party local partners.
• Reconsider branding in an international context: A different audience will likely respond quite differently to your branding, compared to the home audience it was developed for. Consider how best to rework your branding in an international context.
• Tailor your offering to the new market: Similarly to your branding, your offering – whether products or services, B2C or B2B – should be reevaluated with the target international demographic in mind.
• Equip your teams to work internationally: Working effectively across time, cultural, and linguistic barriers is not easy. Adapt your management style to consider the potential benefits of asynchronous work and strategic human resource management .
• Budget: Draft a budget which considers all the various costs of international expansion , and which can be consistently guided by KPIs established during your ‘goal-setting’ phase.
• Risk assessment: Understand the risks specific to your particular international expansion plans, and determine how best to mitigate these whilst ensuring 100% compliance with all relevant labour and tax laws.
• Partner with an expert in global business expansions: Refocus your own role in international expansion to those elements most important to you and your business, whilst reducing stress, costs, and ensuring compliance, by utilising the expertise of Mauve Group .

How to choose which international business expansion methods will suit your business best

The expansion model you choose – exportation, licensing, franchising, etc. – will very much depend on the goals you set for your expansion. Each model has a different set of requirements, challenges, and potential benefits.

For example, consider that fast-food chain McDonald’s’ success rests on the franchising model: approximately 93% of all McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are “owned and operated by independent local business owners.” For Netflix, on the other hand, partnership deals with local mobile operators and TV providers were key to its successful expansion into around 190 countries across the globe.

Seek the advice of professionals when determining which model might work best for you.

When to establish a foreign subsidiary

Establishing a foreign subsidiary is arguably one of the most involved international business expansion methods. A foreign subsidiary is a separate legal entity based on the ground in the overseas country, and majority owned or controlled by your company whilst remaining responsible for its own taxes and assets.

Establishing a foreign subsidiary gives you a stable and potentially impactful foothold in the target country, but equally carries with it high costs, a great number of compliance hoops to jump through, and many additional managerial considerations.

Oftentimes, establishing foreign subsidiaries may not be cost-effective nor practicable to the smaller enterprise seeking to expand overseas. In such instances, the business owner may wish instead to leverage the existing international presence of an Employer of Record .

Go global with Mauve

It is our hope that having read our complete guide to global business expansion strategy, you feel better equipped to begin your own journey toward international expansion.

Many of the risks and costs associated with business expansion can be mitigated with the help of a trusted partner like Mauve, whose extensive experience in overseas expansion can aid start-ups, SMEs, and larger enterprises with compliant international hiring of employees and contractors , visa and immigration support , global payroll , and expansion strategising .

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What is strategic planning? A 5-step guide

Strategic planning is a process through which business leaders map out their vision for their organization’s growth and how they’re going to get there. In this article, we'll guide you through the strategic planning process, including why it's important, the benefits and best practices, and five steps to get you from beginning to end.

Strategic planning is a process through which business leaders map out their vision for their organization’s growth and how they’re going to get there. The strategic planning process informs your organization’s decisions, growth, and goals.

Strategic planning helps you clearly define your company’s long-term objectives—and maps how your short-term goals and work will help you achieve them. This, in turn, gives you a clear sense of where your organization is going and allows you to ensure your teams are working on projects that make the most impact. Think of it this way—if your goals and objectives are your destination on a map, your strategic plan is your navigation system.

In this article, we walk you through the 5-step strategic planning process and show you how to get started developing your own strategic plan.

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What is strategic planning?

Strategic planning is a business process that helps you define and share the direction your company will take in the next three to five years. During the strategic planning process, stakeholders review and define the organization’s mission and goals, conduct competitive assessments, and identify company goals and objectives. The product of the planning cycle is a strategic plan, which is shared throughout the company.

What is a strategic plan?

A strategic plan is the end result of the strategic planning process. At its most basic, it’s a tool used to define your organization’s goals and what actions you’ll take to achieve them.

Typically, your strategic plan should include: 

Your company’s mission statement

Your organizational goals, including your long-term goals and short-term, yearly objectives

Any plan of action, tactics, or approaches you plan to take to meet those goals

What are the benefits of strategic planning?

Strategic planning can help with goal setting and decision-making by allowing you to map out how your company will move toward your organization’s vision and mission statements in the next three to five years. Let’s circle back to our map metaphor. If you think of your company trajectory as a line on a map, a strategic plan can help you better quantify how you’ll get from point A (where you are now) to point B (where you want to be in a few years).

When you create and share a clear strategic plan with your team, you can:

Build a strong organizational culture by clearly defining and aligning on your organization’s mission, vision, and goals.

Align everyone around a shared purpose and ensure all departments and teams are working toward a common objective.

Proactively set objectives to help you get where you want to go and achieve desired outcomes.

Promote a long-term vision for your company rather than focusing primarily on short-term gains.

Ensure resources are allocated around the most high-impact priorities.

Define long-term goals and set shorter-term goals to support them.

Assess your current situation and identify any opportunities—or threats—allowing your organization to mitigate potential risks.

Create a proactive business culture that enables your organization to respond more swiftly to emerging market changes and opportunities.

What are the 5 steps in strategic planning?

The strategic planning process involves a structured methodology that guides the organization from vision to implementation. The strategic planning process starts with assembling a small, dedicated team of key strategic planners—typically five to 10 members—who will form the strategic planning, or management, committee. This team is responsible for gathering crucial information, guiding the development of the plan, and overseeing strategy execution.

Once you’ve established your management committee, you can get to work on the planning process. 

Step 1: Assess your current business strategy and business environment

Before you can define where you’re going, you first need to define where you are. Understanding the external environment, including market trends and competitive landscape, is crucial in the initial assessment phase of strategic planning.

To do this, your management committee should collect a variety of information from additional stakeholders, like employees and customers. In particular, plan to gather:

Relevant industry and market data to inform any market opportunities, as well as any potential upcoming threats in the near future.

Customer insights to understand what your customers want from your company—like product improvements or additional services.

Employee feedback that needs to be addressed—whether about the product, business practices, or the day-to-day company culture.

Consider different types of strategic planning tools and analytical techniques to gather this information, such as:

A balanced scorecard to help you evaluate four major elements of a business: learning and growth, business processes, customer satisfaction, and financial performance.

A SWOT analysis to help you assess both current and future potential for the business (you’ll return to this analysis periodically during the strategic planning process). 

To fill out each letter in the SWOT acronym, your management committee will answer a series of questions:

What does your organization currently do well?

What separates you from your competitors?

What are your most valuable internal resources?

What tangible assets do you have?

What is your biggest strength? 

Weaknesses:

What does your organization do poorly?

What do you currently lack (whether that’s a product, resource, or process)?

What do your competitors do better than you?

What, if any, limitations are holding your organization back?

What processes or products need improvement? 

Opportunities:

What opportunities does your organization have?

How can you leverage your unique company strengths?

Are there any trends that you can take advantage of?

How can you capitalize on marketing or press opportunities?

Is there an emerging need for your product or service? 

What emerging competitors should you keep an eye on?

Are there any weaknesses that expose your organization to risk?

Have you or could you experience negative press that could reduce market share?

Is there a chance of changing customer attitudes towards your company? 

Step 2: Identify your company’s goals and objectives

To begin strategy development, take into account your current position, which is where you are now. Then, draw inspiration from your vision, mission, and current position to identify and define your goals—these are your final destination. 

To develop your strategy, you’re essentially pulling out your compass and asking, “Where are we going next?” “What’s the ideal future state of this company?” This can help you figure out which path you need to take to get there.

During this phase of the planning process, take inspiration from important company documents, such as:

Your mission statement, to understand how you can continue moving towards your organization’s core purpose.

Your vision statement, to clarify how your strategic plan fits into your long-term vision.

Your company values, to guide you towards what matters most towards your company.

Your competitive advantages, to understand what unique benefit you offer to the market.

Your long-term goals, to track where you want to be in five or 10 years.

Your financial forecast and projection, to understand where you expect your financials to be in the next three years, what your expected cash flow is, and what new opportunities you will likely be able to invest in.

Step 3: Develop your strategic plan and determine performance metrics

Now that you understand where you are and where you want to go, it’s time to put pen to paper. Take your current business position and strategy into account, as well as your organization’s goals and objectives, and build out a strategic plan for the next three to five years. Keep in mind that even though you’re creating a long-term plan, parts of your plan should be created or revisited as the quarters and years go on.

As you build your strategic plan, you should define:

Company priorities for the next three to five years, based on your SWOT analysis and strategy.

Yearly objectives for the first year. You don’t need to define your objectives for every year of the strategic plan. As the years go on, create new yearly objectives that connect back to your overall strategic goals . 

Related key results and KPIs. Some of these should be set by the management committee, and some should be set by specific teams that are closer to the work. Make sure your key results and KPIs are measurable and actionable. These KPIs will help you track progress and ensure you’re moving in the right direction.

Budget for the next year or few years. This should be based on your financial forecast as well as your direction. Do you need to spend aggressively to develop your product? Build your team? Make a dent with marketing? Clarify your most important initiatives and how you’ll budget for those.

A high-level project roadmap . A project roadmap is a tool in project management that helps you visualize the timeline of a complex initiative, but you can also create a very high-level project roadmap for your strategic plan. Outline what you expect to be working on in certain quarters or years to make the plan more actionable and understandable.

Step 4: Implement and share your plan

Now it’s time to put your plan into action. Strategy implementation involves clear communication across your entire organization to make sure everyone knows their responsibilities and how to measure the plan’s success. 

Make sure your team (especially senior leadership) has access to the strategic plan, so they can understand how their work contributes to company priorities and the overall strategy map. We recommend sharing your plan in the same tool you use to manage and track work, so you can more easily connect high-level objectives to daily work. If you don’t already, consider using a work management platform .  

A few tips to make sure your plan will be executed without a hitch: 

Communicate clearly to your entire organization throughout the implementation process, to ensure all team members understand the strategic plan and how to implement it effectively. 

Define what “success” looks like by mapping your strategic plan to key performance indicators.

Ensure that the actions outlined in the strategic plan are integrated into the daily operations of the organization, so that every team member's daily activities are aligned with the broader strategic objectives.

Utilize tools and software—like a work management platform—that can aid in implementing and tracking the progress of your plan.

Regularly monitor and share the progress of the strategic plan with the entire organization, to keep everyone informed and reinforce the importance of the plan.

Establish regular check-ins to monitor the progress of your strategic plan and make adjustments as needed. 

Step 5: Revise and restructure as needed

Once you’ve created and implemented your new strategic framework, the final step of the planning process is to monitor and manage your plan.

Remember, your strategic plan isn’t set in stone. You’ll need to revisit and update the plan if your company changes directions or makes new investments. As new market opportunities and threats come up, you’ll likely want to tweak your strategic plan. Make sure to review your plan regularly—meaning quarterly and annually—to ensure it’s still aligned with your organization’s vision and goals.

Keep in mind that your plan won’t last forever, even if you do update it frequently. A successful strategic plan evolves with your company’s long-term goals. When you’ve achieved most of your strategic goals, or if your strategy has evolved significantly since you first made your plan, it might be time to create a new one.

Build a smarter strategic plan with a work management platform

To turn your company strategy into a plan—and ultimately, impact—make sure you’re proactively connecting company objectives to daily work. When you can clarify this connection, you’re giving your team members the context they need to get their best work done. 

A work management platform plays a pivotal role in this process. It acts as a central hub for your strategic plan, ensuring that every task and project is directly tied to your broader company goals. This alignment is crucial for visibility and coordination, allowing team members to see how their individual efforts contribute to the company’s success. 

By leveraging such a platform, you not only streamline workflow and enhance team productivity but also align every action with your strategic objectives—allowing teams to drive greater impact and helping your company move toward goals more effectively. 

Strategic planning FAQs

Still have questions about strategic planning? We have answers.

Why do I need a strategic plan?

A strategic plan is one of many tools you can use to plan and hit your goals. It helps map out strategic objectives and growth metrics that will help your company be successful.

When should I create a strategic plan?

You should aim to create a strategic plan every three to five years, depending on your organization’s growth speed.

Since the point of a strategic plan is to map out your long-term goals and how you’ll get there, you should create a strategic plan when you’ve met most or all of them. You should also create a strategic plan any time you’re going to make a large pivot in your organization’s mission or enter new markets. 

What is a strategic planning template?

A strategic planning template is a tool organizations can use to map out their strategic plan and track progress. Typically, a strategic planning template houses all the components needed to build out a strategic plan, including your company’s vision and mission statements, information from any competitive analyses or SWOT assessments, and relevant KPIs.

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. business plan?

A business plan can help you document your strategy as you’re getting started so every team member is on the same page about your core business priorities and goals. This tool can help you document and share your strategy with key investors or stakeholders as you get your business up and running.

You should create a business plan when you’re: 

Just starting your business

Significantly restructuring your business

If your business is already established, you should create a strategic plan instead of a business plan. Even if you’re working at a relatively young company, your strategic plan can build on your business plan to help you move in the right direction. During the strategic planning process, you’ll draw from a lot of the fundamental business elements you built early on to establish your strategy for the next three to five years.

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. mission and vision statements?

Your strategic plan, mission statement, and vision statements are all closely connected. In fact, during the strategic planning process, you will take inspiration from your mission and vision statements in order to build out your strategic plan.

Simply put: 

A mission statement summarizes your company’s purpose.

A vision statement broadly explains how you’ll reach your company’s purpose.

A strategic plan pulls in inspiration from your mission and vision statements and outlines what actions you’re going to take to move in the right direction. 

For example, if your company produces pet safety equipment, here’s how your mission statement, vision statement, and strategic plan might shake out:

Mission statement: “To ensure the safety of the world’s animals.” 

Vision statement: “To create pet safety and tracking products that are effortless to use.” 

Your strategic plan would outline the steps you’re going to take in the next few years to bring your company closer to your mission and vision. For example, you develop a new pet tracking smart collar or improve the microchipping experience for pet owners. 

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. company objectives?

Company objectives are broad goals. You should set these on a yearly or quarterly basis (if your organization moves quickly). These objectives give your team a clear sense of what you intend to accomplish for a set period of time. 

Your strategic plan is more forward-thinking than your company goals, and it should cover more than one year of work. Think of it this way: your company objectives will move the needle towards your overall strategy—but your strategic plan should be bigger than company objectives because it spans multiple years.

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. a business case?

A business case is a document to help you pitch a significant investment or initiative for your company. When you create a business case, you’re outlining why this investment is a good idea, and how this large-scale project will positively impact the business. 

You might end up building business cases for things on your strategic plan’s roadmap—but your strategic plan should be bigger than that. This tool should encompass multiple years of your roadmap, across your entire company—not just one initiative.

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. a project plan?

A strategic plan is a company-wide, multi-year plan of what you want to accomplish in the next three to five years and how you plan to accomplish that. A project plan, on the other hand, outlines how you’re going to accomplish a specific project. This project could be one of many initiatives that contribute to a specific company objective which, in turn, is one of many objectives that contribute to your strategic plan. 

What’s the difference between strategic management vs. strategic planning?

A strategic plan is a tool to define where your organization wants to go and what actions you need to take to achieve those goals. Strategic planning is the process of creating a plan in order to hit your strategic objectives.

Strategic management includes the strategic planning process, but also goes beyond it. In addition to planning how you will achieve your big-picture goals, strategic management also helps you organize your resources and figure out the best action plans for success. 

Related resources

Grant management: A nonprofit’s guide

How Asana uses work management for organizational planning

How Asana uses work management to optimize resource planning

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How to Develop a Business Strategy: 6 Steps

• 25 Oct 2022

Business strategy can seem daunting, and for good reason: It can make or break an organization. Yet, developing a strong strategy doesn’t need to be overwhelming.

In the online course Business Strategy , Harvard Business School Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee posits that strategy is simple. His secret? Focus on your organization’s value creation.

“Strategy often sounds like a lofty concept that only the most senior executives can develop,” Oberholzer-Gee says. “But actually, anyone can think and act strategically. It doesn’t need to be difficult; all you need is a proven framework.”

Here’s a breakdown of why business strategy is important, the basics of value-based strategy, and six steps for developing your own.

Why Do You Need a Business Strategy?

Business strategy is the development, alignment, and integration of an organization’s strategic initiatives to give it a competitive edge in the market. Devising a business strategy can ensure you have a clear plan for reaching organizational goals and continue to survive and thrive.

According to a study by Bridges Business Consultancy , 48 percent of organizations fail to meet half of their strategic targets and 85 percent fail to meet two-thirds, highlighting why dedication to the business strategy process is crucial.

One type of business strategy is called value-based strategy, which simplifies the process by leveraging the value stick framework to focus on the advantage your business creates.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Value-Based Strategy?

Value-based strategy , also called value-based pricing, is a pricing method in which an organization relies on the perceived value of its goods and services to determine its pricing structure and resource allocation.

The value stick framework can be used to visualize how various factors impact each other and determine which initiatives to pursue to increase value for all parties.

The value stick has four factors:

• Willingness to pay (WTP) : The highest price a customer is willing to pay for your product or service
• Price : The amount customers have to pay for goods or services
• Cost : The amount a company spends on producing goods or services
• Willingness to sell (WTS) : The lowest amount suppliers are willing to accept for the materials required to produce goods or services

To determine how to best create value, you can toggle each factor on the value stick to see how the others are affected. For instance, lowering price increases customer delight.

"As strategists, we really ask three questions,” Oberholzer-Gee says in Business Strategy. “How can my business best create value for customers? How can my business create value for employees? And how can my business create value by collaborating with suppliers? Think of a company's strategy as an answer to these three questions."

Related: 4 Business Strategy Skills Every Business Leader Needs

6 Steps to Develop a Value-Based Business Strategy

1. define your purpose.

When approaching business strategy, defining your organization’s purpose can be a useful starting point.

This is vital in creating customer and employee value, especially if your organization’s purpose is linked to a cause such as environmental protection or alleviating specific social issues.

A recent survey conducted by clean energy company Swytch found that nearly 75 percent of millennials would take a decrease in salary if it meant working for an environmentally responsible company. Nearly 40 percent selected one job over another because of an organization’s sustainability practices.

Additionally, research in the Harvard Business Review shows that consumers’ motivation to buy from sustainable brands is on the rise. Sales of products marked as sustainable grew more than five times faster than those that weren’t.

By starting with purpose, your organization can create more value down the line.

2. Assess Market Opportunity

Next, understand your market’s competitive landscape. Which companies own shares of the market? What differentiates your competitors’ products from yours? Are there any unmet needs your organization could take advantage of?

Conducting this research before planning a strategy is critical in identifying how your organization provides unique customer value and opportunities to create even more.

3. Create Value for Customers

With an understanding of the market and your company’s purpose, you can determine how your organization provides unique or greater value and strategize ways to improve.

On the value stick, the value captured by customers is called “customer delight.” It can be increased by raising their willingness to pay and decreasing the product’s price. If lowering the price isn’t an option, brainstorm how you could make the product more valuable to customers, thus increasing their willingness to pay.

Some ways to create customer value include:

• Lowering the product’s price
• Increasing the product’s physical quality and longevity
• Providing quick, high-quality customer service and a smooth shopping experience
• Leveraging network effects , if applicable, to create a community of users
• Incorporating an environmental or social cause into processes, packaging, and branding

4. Create Value for Suppliers

In addition to creating value for customers, you also need to provide value for suppliers. Suppliers can include any company that provides raw materials, labor, and transportation to help your organization produce goods or deliver services.

Supplier surplus, also called supplier delight, is created when the cost of materials increases or their willingness to sell decreases. The relationship between a firm and its suppliers can be contentious, given that both want to increase their margins. Yet, there are ways to create value for both parties.

Some ways to create value for suppliers include:

• Agreeing to pay more for higher quality materials : While this increases the supplier surplus, it may also increase customer delight by raising willingness to pay, or increase the firm’s margin by allowing you to raise prices.
• Working with the supplier to increase efficiency : This strategy can increase supplier surplus by lowering the overall cost of the supplier’s labor and their willingness to sell.

5. Create Value for Employees

Creating value for employees is a critical part of an effective business strategy and can be assessed using the value stick. Think of your employees as the “supplier” of labor and the supplier margin as employee satisfaction.

Employee satisfaction can be increased by raising wages or lowering the minimum salary they’re willing to receive by delivering value in other ways. Satisfied employees may provide a better customer experience, resulting in increased customer delight.

The value you provide employees ensures they’re motivated to do their best work, develop their skills, and stay with your company long-term.

Some examples of ways to create value for your employees include:

• Offering competitive salaries and bonuses
• Offering benefits like ample paid vacation and sick days, generous parental leave, and wellness budgets
• Providing flexibility of work location, whether your team is fully remote or hybrid
• Aiding in professional development
• Creating a workplace rich with a diversity of experiences, identities, and ideas
• Fostering a supportive organizational culture

One example from Business Strategy is that of a call center for a diagnostics company. The employees were being paid minimum wage and expressed that the analytical nature of their phone calls with customers warranted higher pay. They also expressed pain points about cumbersome tasks and work conditions.

When a pay increase was implemented for all employees, along with operational changes to make processes smoother, employee productivity increased to the point that it balanced out the higher cost of salaries.

Because the employees’ satisfaction increased, they also began providing better experiences on the phone with customers. This increased the customers’ willingness to pay, directly impacting customer delight.

6. Map Strategy to Actionable Tasks and KPIs

Amidst creating value for each of the three groups, don’t forget the fourth party that needs value: your company. By creating value for employees, suppliers, and customers, you’re creating value for your firm, too.

To ensure you’re tracking to goals, determine your key performance indicators, what metrics constitute success, and how you’ll report results over time. Then, break each of the above value-creation goals into action items. For instance, what steps can you take to increase your employees’ compensation? Who will be responsible for each task?

Having actionable assignments and clear metrics for success will allow for a smooth transition from strategy formulation to execution.

Building Your Strategic Skill Set

By leveraging the value stick, you can create a business strategy that provides value to employees, customers, suppliers, and your firm.

To develop your strategies further and dig deeper into how to navigate value creation, consider taking an online course like Business Strategy . Professor Oberholzer-Gee walks through real-world examples of business challenges, prompts you to consider how you’d create value, and then reveals what those business leaders did and how you can apply the lessons to your organization.

Want to learn more about how to craft a successful strategy for your organization? Explore Business Strategy , one of our online strategy courses , to learn how to create organizational value. Not sure which course is the right fit? Download our free flowchart .

About the Author

International Business Plan Structure

Is your business missing the opportunities in the international markets? Are you struggling with where to start your international expansion and how to go about it?

International Business Plan outlines corporate goals and steps towards foreign markets entry. It is also called the  Export Business Plan . At Win Global, we apply a 3-step approach to your international expansion.

Step 1: Building a Solid Foundation for International Business Plan

During this phase we determine the readiness of your business to the international expansion and help you to build four pillars of the successful international expansion:

• Selection of the product, service or solution to expand internationally
• Defining global value proposition for the selected product, service or solution
• Profiling ideal buyers or distributors of the product, service or solution
• Target market selection

Step 2: Analytical Phase of International Business Plan

This is a very important stage of the preparatory period for entering the international markets. It summarizes all the information collected from foreign market research and risk assessment. Based on obtained information a company checks the feasibility of continuing international business planning and makes a first go-or-not-to-go decision.

Step 3: Planning Phase of International Business Plan

This is the final stage when we put together a foreign market entry plan for our clients and consider all steps that must be taken in order to succeed in international business. The typical content of International Business Plan is:

• Executive Summary of International Business Plan
• Corporate Global Vision and Goals
• Four Pillars of the International Business Expansion
• Foreign Market Research Summary
• Risk Assessment
• International Business Strategy At this stage, we identify the best strategy that will help our client to enter each particular foreign market of interest. The examples of international business strategies are exporting, licensing (franchising), joint venture, foreign direct investments, etc.
• International Business Action Plan Based on an International Marketing Plan and the project approach International Business Action Plan contains activities, milestones, estimations, resources, performance measurement and evaluation criteria.
• Cost and Benefit Estimate .

Contact us now to schedule a free and no-obligation discussion about your issues in international expansion and determine if we can help you. Fill out the contact form now .

MBA 541 - Global Business Plan Project Resource Guide

• Phase One: Choosing a Company and Global Business Opportunity
• Phase Two: Planning the Global Enterprise
• Phase Three: Organizing Global Business Activities
• Phase Four: Implementing the Global Marketing Plan

Resource Guide Overview

Every organization conducts research to plan and implement a business idea. This resource guide is designed to help you find the resources necessary to build the foundation for an international business plan. These steps offer flexibility for many settings related to global business enterprises. The guide may be used for planning global expansion of an existing product or service or may be used to research a new foreign business opportunity. Each phase and section in this guide contains a research component or goal that will help you build your Global Business Plan for MBA 541.

The final result of your global plan may be in one of the following formats:

• a written report with supplementary tables and visuals
• an oral presentation with visuals
• a summary in a poster format or other visual display (website, video, newsletter)

For more information about this project, please refer to your online course shell. Please direct any questions about assignment expectations or requirements to your instructor. Any questions about resources or research tips presented in this guide can be directed towards Ask a Librarian.

Note about research

Keep in mind that you may not explicitly find the information for every component listed in this guide. Rather, be prepared to create data by extrapolating, inferring, estimating, and making judgments based on related and relevant information. Lastly, while research starters and recommend resources have been included under each section, many of the resources and reports can be applied across multiple steps. Be flexible with how you use and apply the information you find throughout the research process.

• Next: Phase One: Choosing a Company and Global Business Opportunity >>
• Last Updated: May 14, 2024 4:20 PM

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8.5 Scenario Planning and Analysis

Learning objectives.

• Understand the history and role of scenario planning and analysis.
• Know the six steps of scenario planning and analysis.
• Be able to map scenarios in a two-by-two matrix.

The History and Role of Scenario Planning and Analysis

Strategic leaders use the information revealed by the application of PESTEL analysis, global dimensions, and CAGE analysis to uncover what the traditional SWOT framework calls opportunities and threats . A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) assessment is a strategic-management tool that helps you take stock of an organization’s internal characteristics, or its strengths and weaknesses, such that any action plan builds on what it does well while overcoming or working around weaknesses; the SWOT assessment also helps a company assess external environmental conditions, or opportunities and threats, that favor or threaten an organization’s strategy. In particular, you can use it to evaluate the implications of your industry analysis, both for your focal firm specifically and for the industry in general. However, a SWOT assessment works best with one situation or scenario and provides little direction when you’re uncertain about potential changes to critical features of the scenario. Scenario planning can help in these cases.

Scenario Planning

Scenario planning helps leaders develop a detailed, internally consistent picture of a range of plausible outcomes as an industry evolves over time. You can also incorporate the results of scenario planning into your strategy formulation and implementation. Understanding the PESTEL conditions—as well as the level, pace, and drivers of industry globalization and the CAGE framework—will probably equip you with some insight into the outcomes of certain scenarios. The purpose of scenario planning, however, is to provide a bigger picture—one in which you can see specific trends and uncertainties. Developed in the 1950s at the global petroleum giant Shell, the technique is now regarded as a valuable tool for integrating changes and uncertainties in the external context into overall strategy (Schoemaker, 1991; Schoemaker & van der Heijden, 1992; Schoemaker, 1993). Since September 11, 2001, the use of scenario planning has increased in businesses. Analysis of Bain & Company’s Management Tools and Trends Survey shows that in the post-9/11 period, approximately 70 percent of 8,500 global executives reported that their firms used scenarios, in contrast to a usage rate of less than 50 percent in most of the 1990s (Rigby & Bilodeau, 2007). In addition, scenarios ranked fifteenth in satisfaction levels among the twenty-five management tools that Bain examined in 1993, while it ranked eighth in 2006 (Rigby & Bilodeau, 2007).

Unlike forecasts, scenarios are not straight-line, one-factor projections from present to future. Rather, they are complex, dynamic, interactive stories told from a future perspective. To develop useful scenarios, executives need a rich understanding of their industry along with broad knowledge of the diverse PESTEL and global conditions that are most likely to affect them. The six basic steps in scenario planning are detailed below.

Six Basic Steps of Scenario Planning

• Step 1. Choose the target issue, scope and time frame that the scenario will explore. The scope will depend on your level of analysis (i.e., industry, subindustry, or strategic group), the stage of planning, and the nature and degree of uncertainty and the rate of change. Generally, four scenarios are developed and summarized in a grid. The four scenarios reflect the extremes of possible worlds. To fully capture critical possibilities and contingencies, it may be desirable to develop a series of scenario sets.
• Step 2. Brainstorm a set of key drivers and decision factors that influence the scenario. This could include social unrest, shifts in power, regulatory change, market or competitive change, and technology or infrastructure change. Other significant changes in external contexts, like natural disasters, might also be considered.
• Step 3. Define the two dimensions of greatest uncertainty. (For an example, see Table 8.4 “Developing Scenarios for the Global Credit-Union Industry” .) These two dimensions form the axes of the scenario framework. These axes should represent two dimensions that provide the greatest uncertainty for the industry. For instance, the example on the global credit-union industry identifies changes in the playing field and technology as the two greatest areas of uncertainty up through the year 2005.
• Step 4. Detail the four quadrants of the scenarios with stories. Describe how the four worlds would look in each scenario. It’s often useful to develop a catchy name for each world as a way to further develop its distinctive character. One of the worlds will likely represent a slightly future version of the status quo, while the others will be significant departures from it. As shown in the credit-union scenarios, Chameleon describes a world in which both the competitive playing field and technology undergo radical change, while Wallet Wars is an environment of intense competition but milder technological change. In contrast, in Technocracy , the radical changes are in technology, whereas in Credit Union Power , credit unions encounter only minor changes on either front. [1]
• Step 5. Identify indicators that could signal which scenario is unfolding. These can either be trigger points that signal the change is taking place or milestones that mean the change is more likely. An indicator may be a large industry supplier like Microsoft picking up a particular but little-known technological standard.
• Step 6. Assess the strategic implications of each scenario. Microscenarios may be developed to highlight and address business-unit-specific or industry-segment-specific issues. Consider needed variations in strategies, key success factors, and the development of a flexible, robust strategy that might work across several scenarios.

The process of developing scenarios and then conducting business according to the information that the scenarios reveal makes it easier to identify and challenge questionable assumptions. It also exposes areas of vulnerability (e.g., in a country, an industry, or a company), underscores the interplay of environmental factors and the impact of change, allows for robust planning and contingency preparation, and makes it possible to test and compare strategic options. Scenarios also help firms focus their attention on the trends and uncertainties that are likely to have the greatest potential impact on their future.

Once you’ve determined your target issue, scope, and time frame, you can draw up a list of driving forces that is as complete as possible and is organized into relevant categories (e.g., science-technology, political-economic, regulatory, consumer-social, or industry-market). As you proceed, be sure to identify key driving forces—the ones with the greatest potential to affect the industry, subindustry, or strategic group in which you’re interested.

Trends and Uncertainties

Among the driving forces for change, be sure to distinguish between trends and uncertainties . Trends are forces for change whose direction—and sometimes timing—can be predicted. For example, experts can be reasonably confident in projecting the number of consumers in North America, Europe, and Japan who will be over sixty-five years old in the year 2020 because those people are alive now. If your firm targets these consumers, then the impact of this population growth will be significant to you; you may view it as a key trend. For other trends, you may know the direction but not the pace. China and India, for example, are experiencing a trend of economic growth, and many foreign investments depend on the course of infrastructure development and consumer-spending power in this enormous market. Unfortunately, the future pace of these changes is uncertain.

Did You Know?

In his book Africa Rising , Vijay Mahajan documents how trends surrounding the 900 million African consumers may offer businesses more opportunities than they’re currently taking advantage of:

In contrast, uncertainties —forces for change whose direction and pace are largely unknown—are more important for your scenario. European consumers, for example, tend to distrust the biotechnology industry, and given the number of competing forces at work—industries, academia, consumer groups, regulators, and so on—it is difficult to predict whether the consumers will be more or less receptive to biotechnology products in the future. Labeling regulations, for instance, may be either strengthened or relaxed in response to changing consumer opinion.

You might also want to consider the possibility of significant disruptions—that is, steep changes that have an important and unalterable impact on the business environment. A major disaster—such as the September 11 terrorist attacks—can spur regulatory and other legal reforms with major and lasting impact on certain technologies and competitive practices. Table 8.4 “Developing Scenarios for the Global Credit-Union Industry” provides sample scenarios created for the credit-union industry, providing an idea of how you would do this if asked to apply scenario analysis to another industry setting. As you can see, identifying the entry of new competitors and the impact of technology are the two primary sources of uncertainty about the future.

Table 8.4 Developing Scenarios for the Global Credit-Union Industry

Source: Adapted from “Scenarios for Credit Unions 2010: An Executive Report,” Credit Union Executives Society, 2004, accessed May 10, 2011, http://www.dsicu.com/pdfs/2010_Scenarios.pdf .

Key Takeaways

• Scenario planning was developed in the 1950s by Shell as a tool for integrating changes and uncertainties in the external context into overall strategy. Today it ranks among the top ten management tools in the world in terms of usage. Scenarios are complex, dynamic, interactive stories told from a future perspective. To develop useful scenarios, you need a rich understanding of your industry along with broad knowledge of the diverse PESTEL and global conditions that are most likely to affect them.
• The six steps in formulating a scenario plan are the following: (1) choose the target issue, scope, and time frame that the scenario will explore; (2) brainstorm a set of key drivers and decision factors that influence the scenario; (3) define the two dimensions of greatest uncertainty; (4) detail the four quadrants of the scenarios with stories about that future; (5) identify indicators that could signal which scenario is unfolding; and (6) assess the strategic implications of each scenario.
• Considering the distillation of issues and drivers, select two dimensions of change that will serve as the two dimensions of your scenario-planning matrix. You must be able to describe the dimensions as high and low at each extreme.

(AACSB: Reflective Thinking, Analytical Skills)

• What is scenario planning and analysis?
• What is the history of scenario planning and analysis?
• What is the advantage of scenario planning and analysis over SWOT analysis?
• What are the six steps involved in scenario planning and analysis?
• What is the difference between uncertainties and trends in scenario planning and analysis?

Mahajan, V., Africa Rising: How 900 Million African Consumers Offer More Than You Think (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008), xii.

Rigby, D. and Barbara Bilodeau, “A Growing Focus on Preparedness,” Harvard Business Review 85 (July–August 2007).

Schoemaker, P. J. H., “Multiple Scenario Development: Its Conceptual and Behavioral Foundation,” Strategic Management Journal 14, no. 3 (March 1993): 193–213.

Schoemaker, P. J. H., “When and How to Use Scenario Planning: A Heuristic Approach with Illustration,” Journal of Forecasting 10, no. 6 (November 1991): 549–64.

Schoemaker, P. J. H. and Cornelius A. J. M. van der Heijden, “Integrating Scenarios into Strategic Planning at Royal Dutch/Shell,” Planning Review 20, no. 3 (1992): 41–46.

• Adapted from “Scenarios for Credit Unions 2010: An Executive Report,” Credit Union Executives Society, 2004, accessed May 10, 2011, http://www.dsicu.com/pdfs/2010_Scenarios.pdf . ↵

International Business Copyright © 2017 by [Author removed at request of original publisher] is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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British oilfield services and engineering firm John Wood Group said it had rejected a raised buyout proposal from Dubai-based company Sidara on Wednesday.

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Stocks hit record highs, yields fall; US CPI raises rate cut hopes

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Sony and Apollo’s Plan for Paramount: Break It Up

CBS and other well-known properties would be sold if Sony and Apollo were able to buy Paramount. But the new owners would keep the movie studio.

By Benjamin Mullin and Lauren Hirsch

Shari Redstone helped build Paramount Global into a media empire, but if Sony Pictures Entertainment and the private-equity giant Apollo Global Management succeed in acquiring it, they plan to break it all up, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The plan would include auctioning off CBS, cable channels like MTV and the Paramount Plus streaming service, said the people, who asked not to be identified sharing private details. Paramount Pictures — home to blockbusters like “The Godfather,” “Top Gun” and the “Mission: Impossible” franchise — would be combined with Sony’s business.

Sony and Apollo, which made a nonbinding expression of interest in acquiring Paramount for $26 billion last week, are also likely to keep Paramount’s library of films and TV shows and the rights to well-known characters, including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob SquarePants. They have not yet outlined this plan to Paramount or its advisers.

A breakup of Paramount would represent a major changing of the guard in the entertainment industry. CBS and Paramount have been controlled by the Redstone family for decades, since the media mogul Sumner Redstone assembled the conglomerate in a series of audacious deals. His daughter, Ms. Redstone, championed a 2019 deal to reunite it, and she remains Paramount’s controlling shareholder.

Sony and Apollo are now engaging with Paramount’s financial advisers on next steps in their proposal, the people said. The two companies have not yet signed formal nondisclosure agreements or begun due diligence reviews, a process that could take weeks.

Though it’s still early, the two bidders have already begun to envision how a deal for Paramount could unfold. The two would likely operate the company as a joint venture controlled by Sony, with a minority stake owned by Apollo, the people said. Sony would look to combine the marketing and distribution functions of the Paramount movie studio with its own operations, and divest the rest of the properties.

Over time, Apollo could sell its stake in the joint venture back to Sony or to another buyer. It’s not yet clear just how large a stake Apollo would hold in the business, though the company plans to invest billions in the deal, one person said.

A breakup of Paramount is not a preferred outcome for Ms. Redstone, who would prefer the company to pass on to another buyer intact, a person familiar with her thinking said. But it wouldn’t necessarily be a dealbreaker if the offer was compelling, the person said.

There are other suitors. Skydance, a media company founded by the tech scion David Ellison, has been in discussions with Paramount for months about a potential deal. Exclusive negotiations between Skydance and Paramount lapsed last week, shortly after Sony and Apollo put in their expression of interest. But Skydance remains interested.

Sony and Paramount have different approaches to the entertainment business, and a deal would probably result in a U-turn for Paramount. Unlike Paramount, which streams its content on Paramount+, Sony licenses its movies and TV shows to companies like Netflix and Disney. Sony would probably not change that approach in a deal with Paramount and would most likely look to combine Paramount+ with a rival service, such as Comcast’s Peacock or Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max.

Sony has long pursued Paramount’s movie studio. Several years ago, Sony executives reached out to Paramount to see if the company would be willing to sell Paramount Pictures or merge it into a joint venture, but Paramount signaled it was interested only in a deal for the whole company. So when Apollo made a bid for all of Paramount this year, Sony decided to team up.

Any deal by Sony would face regulatory hurdles. Regulations restrict foreign owners from holding licenses for U.S. broadcast stations, which could prevent Sony — which is owned by the Japanese-based Sony Group — from owning CBS-affiliated TV stations. But they could divest the stations immediately, or have Apollo apply for the license. They are also considering other options for the stations.

The deal would also most likely require clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the panel in Washington that scrutinizes acquisitions by foreign owners.

Sony and Apollo believe that when they decide to sell the Paramount assets , there could be many logical buyers, the three sources said. Warner Bros. Discovery, which does not own a broadcast network, could be a suitor for CBS. TV station groups like Nexstar and Tegna could be logical buyers for CBS’s owned and operated TV stations.

The hardest asset to sell would most likely be Paramount’s cable networks, like MTV and Nickelodeon, but those could be sold to a TV programmer looking for greater scale in negotiations with cable companies like Charter and Comcast.

Benjamin Mullin reports on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact Ben securely on Signal at +1 530-961-3223 or email at [email protected] . More about Benjamin Mullin

Lauren Hirsch joined The Times from CNBC in 2020, covering deals and the biggest stories on Wall Street. More about Lauren Hirsch

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Asset management, / report, ai and the next wave of transformation, global asset management report 2024.

By  Dean Frankle ,  Alex Belyakov ,  Johannes Burkhardt ,  Joe Carrubba ,  Peter Czerepak ,  Lorraine Felix ,  Paul Hutchinson ,  Bingbing Liu ,  Maitreyee Malpekar ,  Michele Millosevich ,  Kedra Newsom Reeves ,  Edoardo Palmisani ,  Ian Pancham ,  Neil Pardasani ,  Ella Rabener ,  George Rudolph ,  Lior Valitsky ,  Andrea Walbaum , and  Ivana Zupa

The global asset management industry’s assets rose to nearly $120 trillion in 2023, reverting from a decline the year before. However, asset managers are facing a variety of challenges to their growth. Investors are gravitating to passively managed funds and other products that have lower fees even as asset managers’ costs increase. Their efforts to create new products that would differentiate them from competitors have largely fallen short, with investors sticking mostly to established products with reliable track records. Historically, the industry has been able to weather these pressures thanks to revenue growth that has been largely driven by market appreciation. In the years ahead, however, market appreciation is expected to slow, creating further challenges to the industry.

In the face of these pressures, asset managers will need to rethink the way they operate in order to maintain the growth and profitability of past years. The most viable way forward is by using an approach that we call the three Ps: productivity, personalization, and private markets. Asset managers should increase productivity, personalize customer engagement, and expand into private markets.

As the artificial intelligence (AI) technological revolution gathers momentum, asset managers have an opportunity to invest in AI and integrate it into their operations in ways that can enhance a three Ps strategy. AI can boost productivity by enabling improved decision making and operational efficiencies. (See the exhibit.) It can be leveraged to create and manage personalized portfolios at scale and to tailor the customer experience. And AI can enhance the efficiency of deal teams in private markets and boost their ability to drive value creation. In adopting AI to facilitate these key moves, asset managers should view the technological possibilities as transformational tools for their organization.

As part of this year’s report, we surveyed asset managers with collectively more than $15 trillion in assets under management to gather their views on the role of AI in their business. The vast majority of survey respondents expect to see significant or transformative changes in the short term, and two-thirds either have plans to roll out at least one generative AI (GenAI) use case this year or are already scaling one or more use cases.

Waiting is not an option when it comes to investing in AI. The technology is rapidly developing, and asset managers that do not start their journey now risk being left behind.

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Rapid steps needed for Britain to compete in green industrial revolution - IPPR says

The body that authored the report has close links to the Labour Party, which is understood to be eagerly awaiting the document, despite rowing back its £30bn green investment plan.

Economics and data editor @EdConwaySky

Wednesday 15 May 2024 08:00, UK

Britain has a chance to compete in the green industrial revolution, but only if the government takes rapid steps to help shore up its industry, according to an important new report.

The analysis from The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) thinktank reveals that while the UK has deindustrialised faster than any other comparable nation in the developed world, it still has a chance to rebuild its manufacturing base and compete on the green technologies needed to reach net zero .

The new report comes as countries around the world compete to dominate green technologies such as electric cars, solar panels and wind turbines .

On Tuesday, the White House imposed 100% tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles, as well as 50% tariffs on Chinese solar panels. The US and China have both introduced vast subsidy schemes intended to buoy up their green manufacturing.

In the UK, despite various government pledges to "level up" and introduce "industrial strategy" schemes, there is nothing analogous to the schemes in the US, China or, for that matter, the EU.

An advantage in certain sectors

The new IPPR analysis is among the first attempts to pinpoint which sectors in Britain's economy have a chance of competing on a global basis. It finds that while the UK has indeed deindustrialised far more quickly than other G7 nations, it still has a comparative advantage in certain sectors.

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• renewable energy

These include the manufacture of heat pumps , wind turbines and green transport, including electric cars and trains.

The analysis will be closely watched, as the IPPR is seen as the leading left-leaning thinktank in the UK, with close links to the Labour Party. Although Rachel Reeves has ditched her party's pledge to increase green investment to £28bn, she and her colleagues are understood to be eagerly awaiting the IPPR report as she builds her own plan for UK industry.

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George Dibb, IPPR's associate director for economic policy, said: "We've identified over 150 different products that are vital to the net zero transition. The UK already has a competitive edge in various of them compared to other countries. So we need to take those but we need to build on that to need to go further.

"We highlight three areas in particular: heat pumps, green transport, and wind. In those three sectors - that's where the UK economy is particularly well placed to take advantage of those future facing growth opportunities.

He added: "There's a race towards net zero. The US, Europe and China are all fighting it out for this investment. Companies need to know the UK is a place to go. So one of the things that we need [from the government] is a real industrial strategy."

The political reaction

Labour's shadow secretary for energy security and net zero, Ed Miliband, said: "With our abundant natural resources, Britain can be a world leader in green industries. But we are being let down by a clown car government that is letting jobs go overseas and waving the white flag for British industries.

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"Labour says it is time for a new era of industrial policy- we unapologetically care about what Britain makes, where we make it, and how we make it. That is why we will set up GB Energy, a publicly owned energy company, and a National Wealth Fund to invest in rebuilding the strength of our national industries."

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Woke no more

Companies were starting to support political causes. Now they're too scared to speak up.

Unilever spent years crafting its image as a corporate goody-two-shoes. The owner of Dove, Vaseline, Hellmann's, and a bunch of other brands axed quarterly reporting and earnings guidance in the name of focusing on sustainable long-term growth. Under Paul Polman , its CEO from 2009 to 2019, it said it would take into consideration all its stakeholders, not just shareholders, and set out to halve its environmental footprint — including greenhouse-gas emissions, waste, and water use — while doubling its sales over a decade. Five years and two chief executives later, Unilever is changing its tune . It's not doing a U-turn on environmental, social, and governance efforts, but it says it's being more realistic about what it can achieve and when. And, oh, those shareholders Unilever wasn't so beholden to? It's paying them a little more mind now, too.

Unilever isn't alone in this. Plenty of companies are reining in their rhetoric and in some cases action on issues such as sustainability and diversity. They're being extra cautious about weighing in on the social and political debates of the day, especially in an election year. In some cases they're telling their workers to cool it, too; Google, for example, fired more than two dozen workers for protesting its contract with Israel's government .

"Many executives have made the decision that it's sometimes safer to just be silent versus to take a stance, because they have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders and their bottom line and are very concerned about how this will be perceived," said Naomi Wheeless, a board director for Eventbrite who was formerly a global head of customer success at Square.

Call it the great un-wokening.

Over the past decade, many corporations have at least professed to take a more active role in social issues, under pressure from their customers and, more importantly, employees. Companies pushed back on North Carolina's "bathroom bill" in 2016, and when Donald Trump took the White House, many spoke out against his policies on immigration and the environment. Around that time, the Business Roundtable said it was time to rethink the purpose of a company , and BlackRock's Larry Fink expressed all sorts of thoughts about the importance of companies being responsible social stewards.

In the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020, corporate America put out endless statements about the horror of what had happened and pledged to undertake diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. An expectation arose that big businesses would take a stand on issues — if Congress wouldn't do something on guns, at least Dick's Sporting Goods would .

"You can almost say that ESG ran unopposed for a few years," said Andrew Jones, a senior researcher at the Conference Board's ESG Center.

It's a bona fide countermovement against both ESG and DEI.

Then came the backlash. Over the past couple of years there's been an uproar, especially among conservatives, about the rise of "woke capitalism." Bud Light came under scrutiny from the right when it partnered with the transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a small-scale Instagram campaign last spring. Then Target took heat about its Pride merchandise , with some customers destroying displays in stores over a campaign it has run for years. These high-profile examples spooked companies, which are now afraid to poke the hyped-up right-wing bear. In the market, ESG funds haven't been doing so hot . According to Morningstar, investors pulled $13 billion out of sustainable funds in 2023 amid underperformance and political unease.

"It's a bona fide countermovement against both ESG and DEI," said Philip Mirvis, an organizational psychologist and research fellow at Babson College's Social Innovation Lab. "Certainly for businesses, this is about making money. And in the conventional logic, all of these issues represent risks."

After last year's Bud Light debacle, which was a real blow to its business , executives fear they'll be the next target of some anti-woke outcry. In a 2023 Conference Board survey of more than 100 large US companies, almost half of respondents said they'd gotten some ESG backlash, and nearly two-thirds said they expected the problem to persist or get worse over the next two years. Jones told me the surveys suggest companies are antsy about mentioning DEI too much, too. He said it's not necessarily the case that companies aren't doing any work on sustainability and diversity, but they're definitely changing how they talk about it.

The chilling effect is palpable. Fink won't say "ESG" anymore because, he says, it's been "weaponized." Asset managers are quieting down on ESG as part of a "greenhushing" trend. Some companies that made a big deal about their DEI efforts in 2020 are downsizing those, too . Data provided to me by FactSet, a financial-data company, shows that mentions of ESG and DEI in S&P 500 companies' quarterly earnings calls with analysts have taken a nosedive over the past few years. For the fourth quarter of 2020, 131 companies mentioned ESG, and 34 mentioned DEI or diversity and inclusion. For the fourth quarter of 2023, those numbers dropped to 28 and four.

While the backlash has certainly driven the quieting, in some cases companies are talking less about their social commitments because they got out over their skis on their pledges. Companies such as AIG, Amazon, and ExxonMobil have scaled back some of their climate initiatives.

"We saw a lot of companies make very bold commitments — we're going to be net-zero emissions by whatever date, 2040, 2050," Jones said. "And often those commitments came but there wasn't always the underlying work."

Alison Taylor, an associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business who wrote the book "Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World," told me that, in her view, corporate America's about-face isn't as abrupt as it seems. C-suites have become more Republican over the past decade, and in loudly proclaiming to be do-gooders, companies have also drawn attention to their political donations, which often don't align with their rhetoric. Additionally, the issues dominating political and social discussions are much thornier than they were in the recent past — speaking out against white supremacists in Charlottesville is a bit of a gimme, weighing in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not.

"Now what we've got is the end of Roe v. Wade, and we've got the Middle East, and we've got issues where they're much, much more divisive and difficult," Taylor said.

Taylor, a longtime skeptic of CEO activism, isn't surprised the friendly-corporation-next-door schtick has gone awry, but it has clearly caught some employees unawares. Some corporations have encouraged the creation of employee resource groups, which organize people by social identities and beliefs and in some cases embolden them to push for change. Google workers have previously participated in walkouts and protests and kept their jobs . Many were bewildered to find that this time around, the company was no longer having it. Instead, it's firing those protesting and reminding everyone, "This is a business."

"A company is not a democracy, and so all these leaders wanted to imply it was a democracy when it suited them," Taylor said. "Now it doesn't suit them."

It's unclear whether this trend of companies trying to stick to straight business is a blip or a more permanent reversal. Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, have generally steered clear of anything that might be read as controversial since the Dylan Mulvaney debacle; their main message since then has been "We love America." Target told me it didn't have anything to share on its 2024 Pride plans yet, but it has publicly acknowledged it's likely to make some modifications.

A company is not a democracy, and so all these leaders wanted to imply it was a democracy when it suited them. Now it doesn't suit them.

Many of the people I spoke to for this story described executives as more on edge because of the election this year; come 2025, that may ease. The anti-woke crowd is extra fired up about certain issues right now, but that may not last — attention spans are short, and hot-button issues are constantly changing.

Still, companies' backing down on sustainability and diversity efforts, even temporarily, could prove short-sighted. Sure, you saved yourself a headache now, but in the long run, setting up a business to weather the climate crisis is a good bet. So is hiring diverse workers and appealing to new demographics. Despite the controversy last year, at the heart of Bud Light's campaign was an understandable business decision: It wants to appeal to a younger, more diverse consumer base.

Underlying this all is one central question: Just how "woke" are companies anyway?

Commitments to social responsibility are never far-reaching, said Kenneth Pucker, a former Timberland chief operating officer and current professor of practice at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. "It's always on the margins because the main goal of executives — the real responsibility, the way the structure of the system is organized, the way incentives work, the way the rules govern — is money making."

This may be a great un-wokening, but maybe corporate America was actually never that committed to the idea in the first place.

Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

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