ABSTRACT
This part first shows that companies’ success is driven by a combination of internal—leadership, strategy—and external—industry dynamics, national factors, the global context—determinants, and an optimal combination of those results in a thriving business. After showing that global factors are a relevant determinant of corporate success, Part 1 introduces the concept of competitiveness as the combination of global and national institutional and regulatory resources that make countries successful. Two examples of such effects are presented: the first one is the story of Giant Bicycles, a company born in Taiwan in 1972 and that, because of a combination of educational, economic, and social advantages, became the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. The second example describes how Russian companies managed to cope with international sanctions resulting from the country’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.
