Global Strategic Management in a New World Order
The globalization of business has become so rapid that a new field called "Global Strategic Management" has now emerged. This new field is a blend of strategic management and international business that develops worldwide strategies for global corporations. Whereas most studies in this field focus on ordinary business conditions, the revolutionary events of the past few years make it clear that the present is not ordinary. Such epoch-shattering events as the collapse of communism, the unification of Europe, the information revolution, the arrival of an environmental ethic, and other remarkable new developments signal that a new era is emerging in global affairs. This article describes a broader approach to global strategic management that encompasses these revolutionary changes.
The viewpoint presented here was developed in a project sponsored by the World Future Society called "WORLD 2000." WORLD 2000 focuses on conducting a global strategic management process among business, government, education, and other sectors of society to define the emerging global system and help institutions adapt to changes. It represents a fresh examination of the forces that are integrating the earth into a coherent global order as well as those that are creating the disorder that tends to characterize our time: the unification of markets and communications, as well as the vast differences in cultures, local problems, and values erupting around the globe. By gaining new insights into the emerging world system, social institutions may better understand how they can adapt to these changes.