Scaling the Tail ― Managing Profitable Growth in Emerging Markets

This book discusses the pitfalls of traditional scaling methods and presents a framework for a different type of profitable growth for multinational companies in emerging markets: "scaling the tail." By extending more recent advances in value-distribution, in which peripheral sales (those in the "tail") outnumber traditional mass-sales (those in the center of any distribution), the authors provide fine-grained insights into how multinational firms in the consumer goods and retailing sectors in emerging markets focus on specialized market niches using high-end brands, flanking particular segments and product-categories, developing deeply nuanced localization strategies, and installing supportive management systems. These findings are based on in-depth field interviews, along with a survey of 253 managers in 10 countries, conducted under the auspices of a collaborative Ernst and Young team and the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Seung Ho Park is Parkland Chair Professor of Strategy at China Europe International Business School. He is a leading expert on emerging market strategies with publications in most leading academic journals and frequent contributions to popular media, including the Financial Times and Forbes. He co-authored the award-winning Rough Diamonds: The Four Successful Traits of Breakout Firms in BRIC with Gerardo R. Ungson and Nan Zhou.

Gerardo R. Ungson is Y.F. Chang Endowed Chair Professor of International Business at the College of Business, San Francisco State University, USA. He is the co-author of seven books on global strategy, management, and Korean management systems.

Andrew Cosgrove is Global Lead Analyst for Consumer Products and Retail at Ernst and Young, UK. His perspectives on the market are frequently quoted in publications including the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Just-Food.com.