Trade wars, Brexit and Pandemics – A strategy for survival in a turbulent world : A case study on a global FMCG company

Abstract: During the last decades, the world has become increasingly globalized, leading to an increased interdependence between nations. This development has given rise to an increased vulnerability to turbulence created by external events and made it even harder to find the right strategic fit while managing the trade-offs between global integration and local responsiveness. The purpose of this thesis is, therefore, to understand how external events, namely Trade wars, Brexit and Pandemic affect an MNC's international strategy and how an MNC can adapt its strategy and structure to respond to the turbulent environment. Consequently, this thesis follows a case study-based design which helps to provide an in-depth company view and a strong foundation for the analysis of the strategic considerations made by the case company. The findings show that external events affect the company's capacity to produce, reduces trade opportunities, and prevents the continuous supply. Further, a direct response to the turbulent environment is to adapt the strategy and structure towards an adjusted Regional Strategy, with a focus on interdependence within geographical market clusters. This will create more opportunities to find the integral trade-off between global integration and local responsiveness and consequently respond to the arising regional complexities.