The End of Globalization: Why Global Strategy Is a Myth & How to Profit from the Realities of Regional Markets

Globalization has been both lauded as a glorious solution to economic disparities and criticized as the malign cause of financial upheavals in developing nations. But, according to the noted economist and scholar Alan Rugman, globalization was never more than a myth, and the controversies it has spurred are based on the fictions of a homogeneous marketplace.

Instead, Rugman argues, international economic activity has been driven by just 500 multinational enterprises operating in the triad of North America, the European Union, and Japan. Neither globally monolithic nor politically powerful, these companies produce and distribute goods for highly competitive regional markets (for example, 90% of cars produced in Europe are sold in Europe).

Scholarly and researched-based, yet eminently readable, The End of Globalization explores this new concept of multinational enterprises as regionally based and locally operated. And the book helps managers and executives develop successful "regional/triad" strategies that are responsive to local consumers--complete with concise summaries of 20 strategies from major multinational companies.

Alan Rugman (Oxford, U.K.) is a leading scholar, lecturer, and consultant on international business. He is currently the Thames Water Fellow in Strategic Management at Templeton College, Oxford University. He taught for many years at the University of Toronto and has been a visiting professor at Harvard, London Business School, UCLA, MIT, Columbia, and the Sorbonne. He is the author, co-author, or editor of nearly 30 books.