Fundamentals of Global Strategy

Reviewed by A Buchanan, Adjunct Professor, Chemeketa Community College on 2/8/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book is comprehensive and covers the main points that need to be considered when establishing a global strategy for a business. The book would be suitable for a follow-on class after students have been introduced to the major business concepts (a follow-on to Introduction to Business for example). Its arrangement seems very logical and flows well from one topic to the next. On a negative note, the text does not have a glossary or index which could be used for easy reference. The text is written simplistically so the content can be easily followed and understood by any business students no matter where they are in their program.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I would describe the content as accurate and a good portion of the material presented was backed by other cited sources. The sources do seem to be slightly dated and could be updated with new information. Since the book was published in 2012 more relevant examples or case studies would make the points covered more relatable. The text is unbiased and the minicases cover different industries. The case studies would benefit from having some preset discussion points that incorporate the case study with the points covered in the chapter.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

Several of the examples are relevant, but the content could go into some further explanation and examples. This would be a great area to introduce some videos to back up the content. As mentioned earlier the examples could also be updated with newer more relevant cases that form our global business world today.

Clarity rating: 5

The content flows easily but can get somewhat boring at times. The use of graphs, charts or pictures could liven up the chapters and help reiterate the points that are being made. The list of points to remember at the end of the chapters are a good summary of the main points in the chapters and a good review. Terms are highlighted throughout the text and followed by their definition for easy reference. Another positive is the list and descriptions of major trade agreements as well as the explanation of the role of the World Trade Organization and EU that can be found in the appendix.

Consistency rating: 5

Each chapter in this text has been organized the same way and broken down by logical subtopics. This does provide an overall consistent feel to the book. A list of terms used in each chapter would be helpful as well as some thought provoking questions that cover the main points of each chapter.

Modularity rating: 5

This text can easily be divided into smaller sections that may be covered at different times. The arrangement of the chapters and ideas covered does have a logical flow but is not set in stone. The chapters can be rearranged if necessary for a class.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organizational strategy is clear and is easy to follow. All major points a business has to incorporate in its global strategy are covered in a logical well laid out fashion.

Interface rating: 4

The textbook is free of navigational problems and is presented in a clean readable format. As a whole the textbook is missing colorful images/charts or any other display items that would enhance the text and hopefully help hold the reader’s attention.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any grammatical errors. Sometimes the word choice seemed a little redundant and the use of synonyms could make the text less monotonous.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The book does not seem to be culturally insensitive or offensive, however as mentioned earlier the examples are somewhat dated and the points could benefit from more updated and relevant examples.

I thought Fundamentals of Global Strategy by Cornelis de Kluyver was well written and covered all the main points of international business as well as the steps a business has to consider before going global. I liked the basic layout of the book and found it very easy to follow as well as being able to plan lessons in a systematic order. The book could be improved with visual stimulation of any type to help re-stress the important parts of the chapters. At present the only graphics throughout the book are black and white tables representing information. Also review questions to test content understanding would help motivate and run classroom discussions. The book makes a great starting point for covering all the main concepts that incorporate global strategy but could be enhanced by newer more relevant examples/case studies as well as videos and other technological enhanced material.