Abstract:

Michael Porter suggests that a nation's firms are often international leaders in industries that are related to the nation's national passions. A firm developing product for demanding and sophisticated consumers in the home market gets an earlier picture of emerging buyer needs and can often anticipate foreign demand. The American entertainment industry is such a leading-edge industry, successfully anticipating foreign demand. American movies, music, and television sit-coms. ubiquitous in worldwide TV culture, spread the themes of U.S. culture around the world, communicating a sub-text of American values— American Expressive Individualism. Absorption of American values via TV culture is a major source of sociocultural change around the globe.