Standardization and adaptation are actively used by different companies as strategies for more effective development. For example, Coca-Cola is a company with successful global standardization policy in doing business and the reason is that its products are often associated with football, whose fans are located all over the world, regardless of the continent (Pelzek, 2020). This allows the industry to maximize profits from sales and promotional campaigns while remaining relevant to all. Soccer championships are an effective way to unite people’s interests and buy merchandise timed to sporting events. Another example is McDonald’s, which is located in the predominant number of countries, providing the same level of service everywhere (Zeng, and de Vries, and Go, 2018, p.122). At the same time, it should be noted that these companies are skillfully integrated into the local culture of each country. For example, in India, popular influencers, like bloggers, will be used to promote the product (Andrade, L., et al. 2018, p.46). Thus, the policy of global standardization gives maximum benefit to the company actively using this strategy.
Here it is important to highlight goal of another nature, which is facing companies of this scale. Standardization serves as a tool for bringing people together across the planet, relieving them of feelings of deprivation or hermitage. This problem should not be underestimated, because one of the tasks of globalization as a whole is to unite all of humanity into a single society. This, in turn, contributes to many other aspects, such as combating environmental disasters and preventing wars.
As for the policy of adaptation, it also shows itself in practice to be effective. One example is Samsung, which is developing a whole line of products for Africa (Simonin, D., 2014). This line includes, for example, telephones with two SIM cards for better communication or washing machines that consume little water (Smith, 2018, p.36). Thus, Samsung adapts its products to the realities and problems of the African continent and does not lose relevance there (Naisbitt, and Naisbitt, 2017, p.24). Due to a number of factors, Africa is not the only place where adaptation is vital, although it is one of the most common. Any place that is poor or difficult to live in requires some action by industries to accomplish two things at once (Dalhuisen, 2019, p.88). The first goal is to maintain their own competitiveness and relevance, the desire to earn maximum profits. The second humane goal is to improve the general standard of living by providing modern products and opportunities to poor areas.
A separate difficult challenge is the high incidence of disease in poor states and specific continents. This is dangerous for a number of obvious reasons, and pharmaceutical companies should try to use adaptation policies in running their businesses as much as possible (Grigsby-Toussaint, et al. 2018, p.5). Because the average income level in such countries is much lower than in America or Europe, many drugs are extremely difficult for people in Africa or Malaysia to access (Belgrave, and Allison, 2018, p.15). One more type of adaptation system in today’s world is the environmental adaptation, which is also used by the industry. This adaptation changes the delivery system, the approach to the interaction with the castor, or the use of ecological packaging and raw materials (Duckworth, and O’Donohue, p.84, 2018). Above all, this adaptation is relevant for areas with a high pollution rate, such as China or India.
Summarizing the above, it should be emphasized that each of the approaches to doing business has its advantages and disadvantages. Nevertheless, they are both effective for earning companies, for maintaining competitiveness, and for fulfilling humane goals. From the example of large companies. such as Coca Cola or McDonald’s, judging by their success, it is understandable that these are the right directions for many industries to follow. However, there are areas in which these approaches are barely developed, and it is worth paying attention to this, as it could help sort out many of the problems.
References
Andrade, L., et al. (2018) Narratives of environmental challenges in Brazil and India losing nature. Washington: Lexington Books.
Belgrave F.Z., and Allison, K.W. (2018) From Africa to America. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Dalhuisen, J.H. (2019) Dalhuisen on transnational comparative, commercial, financial and trade law. Vol. 2. Contract and Movable Property Law. London: Bloomsbury.
Duckworth, M.P., and O’Donohue W.T. (ed.). (2018) Behavioral medicine and integrated care. Efficient delivery of effective treatments. New York: Springer International Publishing.
Grigsby-Toussaint, D.S., et al. (2018) Public health, disease and development in Africa. Oxfordshire: Taylor & Francis.
Naisbitt, D., and Naisbitt, J. (2017) Mastering megatrends. Understanding and leveraging the evolving New World. Singapore: World Scientific.
Pelzel, K. (2020) ‘Branding and marketing using a global standardization strategy’, Medium. Web.
Simonin, D. (2014) International strategy: The strategy of Samsung Group. Web.
Smith, M.A. (2018) The “glocalization” of mobile telephony in West and Central Africa: Consumer appropriation and corporate acculturation. A Case study in Cameroon and Guinea-Conakry. Bamenda: Langaa Research & Publishing CIG.
Zeng, G., and de Vries, H.J., and Go, F.M. (2018) Restaurant chains in China. The dilemma of standardisation versus authenticity. Singapore: Springer Singapore.