ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the global issues in product planning that has four topics: global culture and language, global product development teams, sustainable product development, and base of the pyramid product development. A useful framework for product planning in global settings is given by Keegan. This framework considers the product changes and promotion changes to distinguish five strategies for introducing products to foreign markets. The five strategies are straight extension, communication adaptation, product adaptation, dual adaptation, and product invention. Product invention is the development of new product to meet the local conditions or preferences. Two types of product invention are possible. Backward invention is the reintroduction of earlier product forms that are adapted to a foreign country's needs. National Cash Register reintroduced its crank-operated cash registers at half the price of modern cash registers and sold substantial numbers in technology-deficient areas of Latin America and Africa. Forward invention is the creation of new product to meet a need in another country.
