Billion Dollar Lessons » HBR http://www.billiondollarlessons.com Lessons from the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:25:28 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 A Kindred Spirit http://www.billiondollarlessons.com/170 http://www.billiondollarlessons.com/170#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:14:45 +0000 export http://www.billiondollarlessons.com/?p=170 When You Shouldn’t Go Global," by Marcus Alexander and Harry Korine, in the December 2008 issue of Harvard Business Review, does precisely the kind of analysis that companies should be doing continually as they evaluate whether to pursue a strategy. In evaluating whether it makes sense for a company to expand globally, the authors don't just look at success stories--which is what strategists typically do as they search for companies to emulate. The authors dig up examples of companies that went global and flopped. They then suggest pitfalls to avoid. Trying to avoid failure may not sound as glamorous as aspiring to great success, but, then, having your career derailed because of a catastrophe isn't so glamorous, either.]]> “When You Shouldn’t Go Global (subscription required),” by Marcus Alexander and Harry Korine, in the December 2008 issue of Harvard Business Review, does precisely the kind of analysis that companies should be doing continually as they evaluate whether to pursue a strategy. In evaluating whether it makes sense for a company to expand globally, the authors don’t just look at success stories–which is what strategists typically do as they search for companies to emulate. The authors dig up examples of companies that went global and flopped. They then suggest pitfalls to avoid.

Trying to avoid failure may not sound as glamorous as aspiring to great success, but, then, having your career derailed because of a catastrophe isn’t so glamorous, either.

]]> http://www.billiondollarlessons.com/170/feed 0 Seven Ways to Fail Big http://www.billiondollarlessons.com/118 http://www.billiondollarlessons.com/118#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:38:54 +0000 export http://www.billiondollarlessons.com/?p=118 Billion-Dollar Lessons, appears in the September issue of the Harvard Business Review. An audio slide show presentation is also available.]]> “Seven Ways to Fail Big,” our companion article to Billion-Dollar Lessons, appears in the September issue of the Harvard Business Review. The entire article is available free (at least for a while) here.

An audio slide show presentation is also available on the HBR.org site.

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