INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS BLUNDERS.

To carry om this study, we first wrote to academicians in the international business area for examples of blunders. Next we tried to verify the examples they supplied. Finally, we conducted an extensive review of books, magazines, and newspapers. Of the many problems and mistakes uncovered, ninety-seven met every aspect of our definition of a blunder. The major conclusion to be drawn from these findings is thai there is a high correlation between product type, geographic area, and the type of blunder. Blunders in Asia tended to be marketing ones involving food products and "other" manufactured products, while blunders in Europe were largely management ones involving machinery and transportation equipment. This seems to indicate two things: products sold to final public consumers run higher risk of blundering as the disparities between the two cultures widen, and that products sold to intermediate consumers, such as businesses, are more specification oriented, require more management effort, and if not tak...