What is Theodore Levitt’s contribution to international business?
Theodore Levitt wrote about the globalization of world markets in a now–
classic
Harvard Business Review
article. Levitt suggested that due to
technology, the world was moving toward a converging commonalty and the
emergence of global markets for standardized consumer products.
According to Levitt, this convergence creates an opportunity for the global
corporation to serve the entire world as if it were a single entity, or in other
words, sell the same thing in the same way everywhere. Most academics
believe that Levitt has overstated his case, that globalization in consumer
products is probably the exception rather than the rule. Furthermore,
cultural and economic differences between countries will continue to limit
the effects of any movement toward the standardization of consumer
preferences and tastes. In addition, trade barriers and differences in
product and technical standards will also constrain a firm’s ability to sell
standardized products to global markets using a standardized marketing
strategy.