Multinational Market Regions and Market Groups Chapter 10 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. PowerPoint presentation prepared by: Alfred Lowey-Ball Associate Professor of Marketing UBI-United Business Institutes Brussels, Belgium Emergence of regional groupings • The evolution of regional groupings of nations is the most important global trend in international business and today • Organizational form varies widely among market regions • The dominant motive for affiliation is economic and to have greater weight in decision making • political benefits sometimes accompany • Examples: EU, NAFTA, Mercosur, ASEAN Traits of Successful Economic Unions 1. Economic Compatibility (similar economic systems) 2. Political Compatibility (similar political systems) 3. Cultural Compatibility 4. Geographic factors 5. Weakness in some must be balanced by strengths in others . groupings of nations is the most important global trend in international business and today • Organizational form varies widely among market regions • The dominant motive for affiliation is