Managing in a Global World

Abstract

The cross-linking of economic activities beyond national borders which began in the 1950s is nowadays leading to far-reaching management changes in companies all over the world. This internationalization of business activities, first documented in the fundamental studies off the so-called “stage-theories” conducted by Stopford and Wells in 1972, constitutes an evolutionary process in a company, taking place in several stages (Galbraight/Kazanjian 1986; Carl 1989; Adler/Ghadar 1991; Welge 1992; Macharzina 1995; Dülfer 1996). According to this “process” point of view, the internationalization of a company starts when economic activity abroad is first initiated (Kumar 1992, 15). Today a great number of organizations, particularly large ones, are already “global players”. Here Japanese and American companies are in the vanguard. They not only think in terms of international sales markets, but conduct all business activities on a worldwide basis. Smaller and medium-sized companies, too, feel the increasing pressure of international competition and do more and more business across borders. Studies have established that most companies have not yet fully reached the stage of a globally acting organization and are thus still in the process of developing a comprehensive international management.