Customers in virtually all industries and all economies are demanding more features and product reliability, and often at a
lower price. The telecom industry is migrating rapidly from traditional fixed-line phone service to mobile, smart phones.
Companies like BT (British Telecom) and Apple are selling ‘‘experiences’’ more than smart phone ‘‘hardware.’’ Customers
are demanding innovation and BT and Apple are responding by focusing on services and providing a social networking capability. This applies to customers the world over, with some differences reflecting unique characteristics of the countries. For many companies today, it is important to think and act global, which includes being
where the customers are. Increasingly companies like Nokia, IBM, Tata, Caterpillar, and BT find that the growing customer base is in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and in emerging economies throughout Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.