Why do companies go global? What are the advantages and disadvantages of going global?

Question

Needed for a project, so sources would be useful (but not absolutely necessary)

Answer 1

"Going global" has 3 very different meanings.  One meaning is to begin selling products and services to other parts of the world.  A second meaning is to begin outsourcing labor to another part of the world.  And, the third meaning is to begin buying materials from another part of the world.

The advantages and disadvantages depend upon what the meaning is.  But, if it's the first meaning, a key advantage is you now have a much larger market.  If it's meaning 2 or 3, you're likely doing so to lower costs.

Disadvantages usually involve difficulty in communicating and dealing with different cultures.