Positioning Firms for Profitable Growth

Abstract

Multinational corporations in emerging and developing markets are occasionally blindsided by nascent changes in the environment that they fail to recognize. If such changes are identified, unsuccessful firms tend to simply ignore or underestimate them. In doing so, positioning strategies can be seriously compromised and can lead to ineffective strategies and poor performance. On the basis of survey results, we report that higher performing firms can be differentiated from lower performing firms in terms of the following positioning elements: (1) a focus on balanced, not unqualified growth; (2) assessment of environmental volatility for granular growth; (3) resolution of contradictions; (4) securing data analytics and financial sources for investment; (5) attachment of high priority to emerging markets; and (6) a systematic mode of expansion.