Theodore Levitt (1925–2006) was a Harvard Business School professor whose 1983 article "The Globalization of Markets" argued that technology was homogenizing consumer preferences worldwide. He distinguished the global corporation — selling standardized products everywhere — from the multinational corporation that adapts to local markets. His theory transformed how business schools teach international marketing, though most scholars now favor a hybrid approach.
Who Was Theodore Levitt? Theodore Levitt (1925–2006) was a German-born American economist and professor at Harvard Business School. He served as editor of the Harvard Business Review from 1985 to 1990 and was one of the most influential business academics of the twentieth century. Levitt is best known for two contributions. In 1960, he published "Marketing Myopia," which argued that companies should focus on customer needs rather than specific products — famously illustrating the point by saying