The book New Realities: Business Dynamics at the Frontiers of Globalization presents a series of assessments of where the global economy may be headed.
It builds upon business cases from companies in:
- Brazil (operating in agribusiness);
- China (GVCs);
- India (education);
- South Africa (sustainable energy);
- Madagascar (textiles and clothing).
The impact of geopolitics, diplomacy, and economic growth in terms of global governance, as well as the role of the BRICS in the world economy, is also addressed.
Meet the Magnificent 7 of scaling
Summary
Explore the Magnificent 7 of scaling: strategy, organization, and leadership practices that drive successful growth.
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Marvis in America: Can a European competitor disrupt the US toothpaste aisle?
Summary
Niccolò Francalanci, General Manager – EMEA & Americas of Ludovico Martelli S.p.A., the maker of Italian Marvis toothpaste, found himself at a crossroads. Francalanci, an experienced marketer, had assumed his current leadership role nearly four years earlier. In 2021 he was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of 'Italy's 100 Most Successful Marketing Directors.' In the early summer of 2026, however, he faced a new and unfamiliar challenge – How should the Marvis premium toothpaste brand go to market in the United States, one of the world's largest and most competitive consumer goods market? As is typical of international expansion initiatives, Francalanci's challenge is one of answering two fundamental and discrete questions. Should he recommend opening a US sales and marketing subsidiary and secondly, which products should he offer – standardized or customized? He must also determine if the US market will accept the current and desired 'premium' positioning. Ultimately, he is tasked with making a recommendation to the company CEO, Giovanni Galeotti.
Reference
IMD-2787
Copyright
©2026
Copyright owner
IMD Copyright
Organization
Marvis
Industry
Consumer Goods
Available Languages
English
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
When globalization becomes a geopolitical weapon
Summary
IMD President David Bach explores how geopolitical fragmentation is weaponizing economic interdependence, reshaping global operations, and challenging business leaders.
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Ticked off: TikTok vs. the USA
Summary
How should firms adapt when geopolitical tensions redefine the rules of competition? This case spotlights TikTok's escalating confrontation in the run-up to and aftermath of the passage of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) in April 2024. The legislation forced ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to either divest its US operations or face a nationwide ban, transforming what began as a relatively technical regulatory review into an existential threat to the platform's continued presence in one of its most important markets. The case traces how concerns over data security expanded into a broader political debate about foreign influence, national security, and control over information flows. As the issue moved from the technocratic arena of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to the highly politicized setting of the US Congress, the problem itself becomes redefined. Strategies designed to address regulators' initial concerns were no longer sufficient, and TikTok faced a rapidly narrowing set of options. The case invites participants to examine how issues evolve over time and how changing definitions of a problem can transform the strategic options available to firms. It challenges them to look beyond traditional market solutions and adopt a more integrated perspective that considers both market and nonmarket responses. Additionally, it illustrates how framing can redefine the issue, mobilize stakeholders, and expand or constrain the set of acceptable solutions.
Reference
IMD-2772
Copyright
©2026
Copyright owner
IMD Copyright
Organization
TikTok
Industry
Media
Available Languages
English
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Are we headed for a perfect financial storm?
Summary
Could government borrowing, AI investment and falling corporate profits trigger a global financial crisis? Explore the pressures and risks for business.
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Semiconductor export controls: What chip smuggling reveals
Summary
Semiconductor export controls are reshaping global trade. José Caballero explores the implications for technology access, compliance and supply chains.
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Deep learning as a projection method for solving economic models
Summary
Deep learning is increasingly presented in economics as a new paradigm for solving dynamic models, superseding the classical projection methods of numerical economics. We argue that this dichotomy rests on a misclassification. The neural-network s...
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
How the AI boom is redefining the global business map
Summary
The battle for global business and investment is entering a new arena. For decades, countries competed for multinationals with a familiar formula: lower taxes, skilled workers, predictable regulation, good infrastructure, and access to global mark...
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
The long way to China: What chip smuggling reveals about trade today
Summary
On August 24, 2026, prosecutors in Taiwan charged nine people with illegally exporting advanced AI servers to China. Their case describes 74 servers built around Nvidia's B300 processors that were banned from sale to China but reached their destin...
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Rebuilt, not restored: Europe's trade strategy for a world without a hegemon
Summary
Twenty-five years from now, Richard Baldwin (IMD Business School) argues, the world trade system will not have collapsed but been rebuilt, into three blocs, Europe, the US and China, none strong enough to dominate the others. Writing for CEPR's Eu...
Copyright
©2026
Copyright owner
External Copyright
Available Languages
English
Contact
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications