Global management plan: purpose, scope, and strategic framework

¶ … International strategy: Global strategic management plan for Subway

The need for a global management plan for your organization

Few items are more regional in terms of consumer tastes than food preferences. Sweetness, saltiness, the concept of what flavors should be paired with one another -- all vary depending upon custom and culture. To establish an inroad in India was a considerable challenge for Subway, the sandwich retailer which originated in North America but which has since attempted to establish itself as a world economic power.

Explain the purpose and scope of your plan

The stratospheric growth of India's middle class, combined with the nation's large population has made it an attractive 'target' for international retailers formulating a global strategy. For Subway, however, the Indian market presents several unique challenges. First of all, eating outside of the home tends to be less popular and common in India than it is in other regions of the world, such as in Europe. Indian women often pride themselves on their cooking ability, and entertaining friends and colleagues at home is an important part of Indian culture. Even lunches are often transported from home to work or school by a servant, rather than eaten out.

Subway is not a 'fancy occasion' restaurant, but a sandwich shop designed for frequent, fast patronage by consumers. For Subway to thrive it is not enough that consumers patronize it occasionally as a treat: it must become integrated into the fabric of everyday Indian dining life.

A second problem is that of Subway's traditional menu, which tends to be quite meat-based. Although not an exclusively vegetarian country, many Indians for religious reasons do not consume meat, do not consume meat from cows, or at very least try to minimize the consumption of meat products.

The strategic plan's purpose is twofold: to make Subway and eating out of the home ubiquitous in everyday Indian life and to tailor Subway's menu offerings to the Indian consumer's needs.

Create an outline of your global strategies

The first, critical step is to create a menu that will be attractive to Indian consumers, regardless if the purchasers are more Western in their tastes or are more traditionally-oriented. To do so, Subway will offer a selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods, but considerably expand the range of its vegetarian offerings. Additionally, it will focus upon adding flavors more palatable to Indian consumers, increasing the spiciness of its core product range of salads and sandwiches. In further deference to its Indian patrons, Subway will offer "separate preparation counters for vegetarian food," making it the "first fast food player in India to have such an arrangement," and distinguishing it from other fast food rivals (Kaushik 2002).

Conclusion