The late marketing guru Theodore Levitt, who coined the term globalization, argued that the customer is central to all business endeavors. However, his most provocative assertion, debated to this day, is that the $$global corporation$$ of the future would sell standardized consumer products, not cater to local differences in taste. Walmart$$s JP Suarez believes that all customers want the same. Should companies stick to a standardized approach or adapt to local markets?

What domestic and global changes enable the international expansion of companies such as Walmart?

What other businesses have merged with overseas companies or expanded to become multinational or global? Have you heard of any notable successes or failures?