ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the adaptation and integration requirements of several corporations within taxonomy of multinationals and has come up with a pattern of planning tasks for the multinationals. Strategic planning in a multinational corporation has a two-fold task: to identify the strategic options most relevant to the corporation and to 'narrow down' these options into the one best plan. The chapter analyzes the nature of the requirements for adaptation and integration in each of the four multinational archetypes: the product-organized corporation, the geographically area-organized corporation, product leading/area grown matrix structure, and area leading/product line grown matrix structures. It presents a summary of the adaptation and integration requirements of each of the four multinational archetypes. The chapter then considers some of the costs of undertaking planning in each multinational archetype. The product-organized corporation will conduct its worldwide activities by means of several divisions, each responsible for carrying out the business strategy for one class of products on a worldwide basis.
