gies for the global corporation. Most studies in this field focus on ordinary business conditions, the revolutionary events of the past few years make it clear that the present is not ordinary. Such epoch-shattering events as the collapse of communism, the unification of Europe, the information revolution, the arrival of an environmental ethic, and other remarkable new developments signal that a new era is emerging in global affairs. In this way it is so important for Harris and Moran to describe a broader approach not only to management of cultural differences but global strategic management as well that encompass these revolutionary changes.
Managing Cultural Differences focuses on a global strategic management process among business and other sectors of corporate society to define the emerging global system and help their institutions adapt to changes. To summarize the first chapter, I have put together nine trends that sum up the globalization of corporation and what I feel Harris and Moran are specifically getting at. The following trends represent the principal driving forces that are now moving the world in new directions. They could be called (supertrends.( Little attempt is made to offer justifications, and many other trends that capture finer details are not covered. This summarizes the major features that characterize the emerging shape of the globe as it moves along a long-term trajectory toward a new stage of global maturity.
Trend 1: A Stable Population of 10-14 Billion
The earth, which already is teeming with 5.5 billion people, is expected to double its population to reach a stable level somewhere between 10-14 billion humans by the mid-21st century. About 95 percent of this growth will occur in the less developed countries (LDCs) (Johansen 10).
Trend 2: Industrial Output Will Increase by a Factor of 5-10
The aggregate level of material consumption, or industrial output, should increase by a factor of ...