[{'type': 'p', 'content': 'Walmart is a concrete example of how scale can turn a company into a global actor. In 2020, Walmart operated 5,355 stores in the United States across formats such as Supercenters, Discount Stores, Neighborhood Markets, other small formats, and Clubs. At the same time, Walmart pursued international expansion, operating stores across many countries, including Mexico (2,571), Central America (836), the United Kingdom (631), Africa (442), China (438), Canada (408), Chile (367), Japan (333), Argentina (92), and India (28). What is striking is that 6,146 stores were located outside the United States, which exceeded the store count inside the United States.<o:p></o:p> This also reminds us that online retail has not eliminated the relevance of physical stores. Walmart’s footprint shows that offline presence can remain powerful when it is tied to scale, supply chain strength, and strong local execution. The scale becomes even clearer when you look at value creation. In fiscal 2024, Walmart generated US$648.1 billion in total revenue. For comparison, because 2025 had not yet concluded, the most recent full-year GDP figure widely published during 2025 for Singapore was its 2024 GDP of US$547.39 billion in current US dollars. This means a single company’s annual revenue can exceed the annual economic output of an entire country. That is why globalization is often seen as a wealth multiplier for firms that successfully become global actors. They can scale capabilities across borders while learning and adapting across markets.<o:p></o:p>'}, {'type': 'p', 'content': 'The question is, if you want to become a global actor, which international business strategy should you choose?<o:p></o:p>A common way to map international strategy choices is through four models: international strategy, global strategy, multidomestic strategy, and transnational strategy. The choice depends on two pressures, shown as two axes on a matrix.'}, {'type': 'image', 'src': 'https://thinkbnc.com/uploads/gallery/table global-05.png', 'height': '300'}, {'type': 'p', 'content': 'The first axis is local responsiveness pressure. This is the extent to which the host country expects you to adapt to local culture, language, preferences, and habits. When the market strongly demands local adaptation, local responsiveness pressure is high. When customers accept the foreign product largely as it is, local responsiveness pressure is low. Think of fast food brands that offer rice, soup, and local flavors. That is a response to high local responsiveness pressure. The second axis is cost reduction pressure. This is the extent to which the host country demands lower prices that fit local purchasing power. When the pressure is high, a global player must reduce costs to offer prices the market can afford. This is why many international universities offer lower tuition in Malaysia than in Australia or the United Kingdom, because the price point must match local willingness to pay.<o:p></o:p> Once you assess whether each pressure is high or low, you can map the four strategy models.'}, {'type': 'list', 'list_type': 'numeric', 'content': ['International Strategy fits when cost reduction pressure is low and local responsiveness pressure is low. The company sells a largely standardized offering abroad without heavy adaptation, often relying on exporting and centralized capabilities. Apple is a classic example in many markets because the product is broadly the same and the main advantage is the global brand and ecosystem.', 'Global Strategy fits when cost reduction pressure is high and local responsiveness pressure is low. Customers accept a standardized product, but they want it cheaper. The company must standardize aggressively, scale operations, and drive costs down so the price can match local purchasing power.', 'Multidomestic Strategy fits when cost reduction pressure is low and local responsiveness pressure is high. Customers are willing to pay, but they demand strong localization. This pushes the company to customize country by country, which usually means weaker central control and stronger local units.', 'Transnational Strategy fits when both cost reduction pressure and local responsiveness pressure are high. Customers want local fit and low prices. This is the hardest model because the company must achieve global efficiency while tailoring locally. It often requires deep local investment, including local supply chains and sometimes local production.<o:p></o:p>']}, {'type': 'p', 'content': 'Global Mindset as the Missing Requirement<o:p></o:p>Choosing the right strategy model is not enough. Without a global mindset, it is difficult to become a global actor, because cross-border execution depends on a leader’s ability to read the world, stay strong under uncertainty, and build trust across cultures. In the framework of Mansour Javidan, global mindset is built through three forms of capital: intellectual capital, psychological capital, and social capital. Each has three pillars, for a total of nine pillars.'}, {'type': 'image', 'src': 'https://thinkbnc.com/uploads/gallery/table global-06.png', 'height': '300'}, {'type': 'p', 'content': 'Intellectual capital includes global business savvy, cosmopolitan outlook, and cognitive complexity. Global business savvy means understanding how business works at a global scale, from cross-country competition to cost logic and supply chains. Cosmopolitan outlook means cultural and institutional awareness, understanding that local tastes, norms, and institutions can determine whether your offering is embraced or rejected. Cognitive complexity means the ability to hold multiple viewpoints at once and manage trade-offs without simplistic thinking, since global decisions are rarely simple.<o:p></o:p> Psychological capital includes passion for diversity, quest for adventure, and self-assurance. Passion for diversity is a genuine interest in differences, so you do not become defensive when working with people and ways of working that differ from yours. Quest for adventure is readiness to explore and learn in new environments, because international expansion almost always creates surprises not found in the plan. Self-assurance is stable confidence rather than arrogance. It helps you stay calm when you do not know everything, ask questions without fear, and adjust direction without losing face.<o:p></o:p> Social capital includes intercultural empathy, interpersonal impact, and diplomacy. Intercultural empathy is the ability to understand people through their cultural context rather than judging quickly. Interpersonal impact is the ability to influence and build trust through communication and presence, especially when you must lead without formal authority. Diplomacy is the skill of managing competing interests and cross-cultural conflict with elegance, staying firm without damaging relationships.<o:p></o:p>'}, {'type': 'p', 'content': 'These nine pillars become sharper when they are powered by four intelligence mindsets.<o:p></o:p>Thinker carries analytical intelligence and Dreamer carries creative intelligence. Together they form cognitive intelligence, which strengthens intellectual capital. Global business savvy becomes sharper when Thinker reads industry structure, competition, costs, supply chains, and regulation, while Dreamer imagines new possibilities and alternative cross-border business models. Cosmopolitan outlook grows when Dreamer brings curiosity about other cultures and Thinker turns that curiosity into concrete understanding of local preferences and institutions. Cognitive complexity improves when Thinker structures trade-offs with discipline and Dreamer keeps the mind open to multiple viable paths.<o:p></o:p> Challenger carries practical intelligence, which strengthens psychological capital. Passion for diversity becomes real work behavior when Challenger can manage friction and still keep teams moving. Quest for adventure becomes action when Challenger tries, learns fast, and improves instead of waiting for perfection. Self-assurance shows up as calm decision making under uncertainty and resilience when expansion does not go smoothly.<o:p></o:p> Lover carries reflective emotional intelligence, which strengthens social capital. Intercultural empathy grows through listening and understanding context. Interpersonal impact grows through trust-building communication that helps people feel respected and safe. Diplomacy grows through the ability to be firm without humiliating, to reject without breaking relationships, and to build coalitions across cultures.<o:p></o:p> When Thinker, Dreamer, Challenger, and Lover work in balance, cognitive intelligence, practical intelligence, and emotional intelligence reinforce the nine pillars. International strategy then becomes not only a choice on a matrix, but a capability to win across countries. Are you ready?<o:p></o:p>'}, {'type': 'p', 'content': 'Make it a good day!<o:p></o:p>Greeting transformation<o:p></o:p>'}]

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