International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology, Volume 3, Issue 8, August-2014 114 ISSN 2278-7763 Copyright © 2014 SciResPub. IJOART Critical Strategic Analysis and Leadership of a Global Company: A Live Case Study of MAM Baby Products Ltd Eric Osei Business Development Unit, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi, Ghana; Doctor of Business Administration SMC University, Zurich, Switzerland. Email: osei.eric@gmail.com ABSTRACT The baby products industry is noted for investment and advances in Research and Development (R&D) to de- velop extensive range of products to serve the varied needs of customers. The challenge for developing a sus- tainable global brand in this industry falls on key global strategies and leadership characteristics. This working paper reviews the baby products industry with particular case study of MAM Baby Products Ltd, and analyses its strategy focus and leadership models. By recognising the need for companies to achieve an acceptable level of performance within a robust industry, a combination of global strategies and leadership styles are required to ensure sustainable globalisation of companies. The paper further suggests that additional research is required to contribute to the understanding that, various challenges emerge when companies carry their products, value systems and strategies across borders and that for them to achieve harmony in its global market, corporate culture should be aligned with the company’s global strategies. Keywords : Global Strategies, Leadership Characteristics, R&D, Corporate Culture 1 INTRODUCTION Most parents all over the world always want to give the best to their children. Though the birth rates in developed econ- omies countries are low, the high level of disposable in- comes and changes in social lifestyle make parents spend more on their children, offering a wealth of opportunities for baby care products (HKDC Research, 2013). At the same time, there is a growing potential in emerging markets as a result of increasing population of children by a growing middle class and unregulated pregnancies. The subject of discussion now is to determine the critical factors which influence the customer to choose the kind of baby products they buy from the market, as well as the key strategies of the global player for developing and marketing the products which address the needs of the customers. The goal of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of stra- tegic planning and leadership of baby products industry with MAM Baby Products Company (herein with referred to as ‘MAM’) as the case study of this paper. The document has been set up into four sections. First, the writer conducts an internal analysis of the key features (i.e. organisational structure, products/services, current strategy, organisation- al culture and leadership qualities) of MAM, and the major strengths and weaknesses are highlighted using the SWOT analysis and the Value Chain Model. Secondly, the market and competitiveness for baby products using PEST Analysis are examined from various perspectives and most attractive markets are defined. Thirdly, the competitive environment using Porter’s Industry Analysis Model for baby products has been analyzed in terms of the number of players and their geographical presence, but also features and function- ality of competitor products as well as an overview of pric- ing in the market. The fourth section ties all elements to- gether and proposes alternate strategies, change of culture and leadership qualities for a global company like MAM. The paper proves that to obtain a consistently high per- formance in businesses in the global market requires that 1) leaders of companies should have key characteristics as es- poused by Wanasika (2008), Northouse (2010) and, Robin- son and Harvey (2008); 2) companies should pursue global strategies which allows for their range of products for cus- tomers to be carried across cultures and countries; 3) com- panies should pursue the best cost provider strategy to ad- dress the various segments of the markets with an accepta- ble product price; and growth/expansion strategies such as buy, build and/or partner, global distribution network and advanced research and development to further expand product portfolios and presence in other emerging markets like those in Africa. IJOART