Successful Acquisitions

Import/Export

Import and export can be seen as normal tactics of organic growth. I include them in a discussion of external growth for three reasons.

First, the possibilities offered by import/export are often uncovered during the exploration of different options in the Growth Program Review. For example, you may conclude that the best direction is to expand your markets for existing products. You might then review the global possibilities and select one or two target regions. Or using the Michael Porter model, you may decide to protect yourself from excessive dependence on one supplier by seeking alternatives in a foreign country. In both cases, the import/export approach can come into play.

Second, to execute an import or export program, you ...