ABSTRACT
The acquisition and exercise of more technological capability within Canada continues to be a worthy objective. A policy to encourage World Product Mandates must be compatible with how large multinational organisations operate. Multinationals are not composed of one big central brain with a lot of small appendages that operate only as directed. Developing the state of mind inside a subsidiary that leads to a search for product mandates calls for changes along a number of dimensions. Multinational companies, however, are broken down into divisions not only by product, but also by country. The chief executive’s style of management and the signals he sends throughout the whole multinational organisation are critical dimensions in determining the type of strategic behaviour pursued by the company. A more dramatic instance of a problem leading to a product concept is provided by the case of birth control pills.
