Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface
- 1 The new multinationals
- 2 Traditional and new multinationals
- 3 Diversification and vertical integration in traditional industries
- 4 Market access and technology in durable consumer goods
- 5 Serving global customers in producer goods
- 6 Learning by doing in infrastructure and financial services
- 7 Competing in hard and soft services
- 8 The new multinational as a type of firm
- References
- Index
4 - Market access and technology in durable consumer goods
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface
- 1 The new multinationals
- 2 Traditional and new multinationals
- 3 Diversification and vertical integration in traditional industries
- 4 Market access and technology in durable consumer goods
- 5 Serving global customers in producer goods
- 6 Learning by doing in infrastructure and financial services
- 7 Competing in hard and soft services
- 8 The new multinational as a type of firm
- References
- Index
Summary
The fact that a number of companies (such as Wal-Mart, Zara, Dell and Toyota) have managed to record extraordinary success while doing quite ordinary things (such as running supermarkets, selling clothes or making computers or cars) has made managers more fully aware that what their organizations produce can matter a lot less than the way that they produce it.
The Economist (April 6, 2009)We can make any style at any price for any market.
Sever García, Sales Director, Pronovias USACompetition in durable consumer goods – clothing, appliances, electronics, and so on – is driven by technology, design, economies of scale, and brands. Until recently, firms from the richest countries dominated the landscape. According to Interbrand (2009), all but three of the 100 most valuable brands in the world as of 2009 were from such rich industrialized countries as the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. The three exceptions are Samsung (ranked no. 19 in terms of value) and Hyundai (no. 69), both of South Korea, and Zara (no. 50) of Spain. Although emerging economies represent an increasing share of the global economy, their brands are still not well-known around the world. In its list of the 100 “global challengers” from emerging economies, the Boston Consulting Group identified only twelve companies in durable consumer goods, including clothing, appliances, and electronics (BCG 2009).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The New MultinationalsSpanish Firms in a Global Context, pp. 76 - 98Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010