The world is a cold place these days for businesses seeking profitable international growth. In a few industries, firms have to be global if they are to achieve leadership. Implementing a global expansion strategy is crucial to the growth of a business from small start-up to international brand name. Companies such as McDonald's, Home Depot, Starbucks and more have made their presence known around the world over the past few decades. However, each global expansion presents its own set of obstacles which the parent company must tackle, in order to be successful in their global expansion.
In a borderless world, companies need to compete on a global level in order to succeed. In today's world of financial uncertainty, it is important for businesses to have a clear idea of what stability involves for their company. One concept that more and more businesses are exploring is one of taking their business to a global level. Using an international strategy is not for every company, but with the availability of the Internet it is becoming easier to take your business to that next level. Global expansion may enable a firm to earn greater returns by transferring the product offerings derived from its core competencies to markets where indigenous competitors lack those product offerings and competencies.
One of the global expansion strategies is merger and acquisition. Five waves of mergers and acquisitions took place in the 20th century, with the last two occurring in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2010, corporate merger and acquisition (M&A) activity made a huge comeback. Most of the M&A activity involved North American companies, but activity has also increased around the world, and in various market sectors / industries. M&A activity significantly increased during the second half of 2010 especially for large sized (multi-billion dollar) takeovers. Late July,
