Go global or no case study summary

Case Study Assignment – GBA 440 – International Business

In this case study you will analyze a case in international business and submit it per the schedule in your syllabus. In your case study, you will need to address the questions by integrating the material into a coherent essay with an introduction, headings and a conclusion, in accordance with APA. The case study will assess your ability to understand, analyze and synthesize information to produce a clear and coherent conclusion. The case study must be no longer than 2 pages, double spaced, 12 point font, excluding the bibliography and title page. The case study analysis should be well structured, include some of your own research, and be grammatically correct. You will need to bring in information from the text as well as 3-4 outside sources that are relevant to the topic.MTV Goes Global with a Local Beat As the song by the Buggles asks, did “video kill the radio star”? Well, perhaps not, but no company has been more successful at getting teenagers around the world to tune in to music television than MTV Networks (www.mtv.com). Applying the maxim “Think globally, act locally,” the company beams its irreverent mix of music, news, and entertainment to 640 million homes in more than 162 countries in 34 languages. Although style and format are largely driven by the youth culture in the United States, content is tailored to suit local markets. MTV has never grown old with its audience and has remained true to young people between the ages of 18 and 24. Initially launched in 1981, MTV commanded an audience of 61 million in the United States six years later. But to counteract slowing demand, the company took the music revolution global by starting MTV Europe (www.mtv.tv) and MTV Australia (www.mtv.com.au). Through its experiences in Europe, MTV refined its mix of programming to become a “global national brand with local variations.” At first, it took a pan-European approach, marketing the same product to all European countries. MTV broadcast primarily British and US music (both of which were topping the charts throughout Europe) and used European “veejays” who spoke English. The European network was a huge overnight success. Seven years later, however, MTV had become the victim of its own success. It suddenly had to compete with a new crop of upstart rivals that tailored content to language, culture, and current events in specific countries. One successful competitor was Germany’s VIVA (www.viva.tv), launched in 1993 and featuring German veejays and more German artists than MTV Europe. Managers at MTV Networks were not overly concerned because MTV was still extremely popular, but they did realize they were losing their edge (and some customers) to the new national networks. So, the company’s top managers had to reassess the company’s strategy. MTV executives initially rejected the idea of splitting MTV into national stations because they had just spent almost two decades building a global brand identity. But the company gradually decided to go ahead with a national strategy because a new technology made it possible for MTV to think globally and act locally at little cost. The breakthrough was digital compression technology, which allows multiple services to be offered on a single satellite feed. Where the company had been offering three or four services, the new technology meant it could now broadcast six or eight. Today, young adults all over the world can have their MTV cake and eat it too. German teens see German-language programs that are created and produced in Germany and shown on MTV Germany (www.mtv.de)—along with the usual generous helpings of US, British, and international music and comedy. European nations that still share an MTV channel are those that share cultural similarities—such as the Nordic nations (www.mtve.com). Likewise, whereas much of Latin America receives MTV Latin America (www.mtvla.com), Brazilian teens see Portuguese-language programs that are created in Brazil and shown on MTV Brazil (www.mtv.uol.com.br). National advertisers who shunned MTV during its pan-European days can now beam their targeted ads to teenage consumers. Technology has helped lesser-known musicians reach their fan base in a way they never thought possible. At the same time, it has disrupted the traditional means by which artists sell their music and grow famous.