Executive Summary Many companies which expand their businesses to a multinational scale usually end up failing and retracting back into domestic business organizations due to poor planning. Operating in an international scale usually increases the level of risk that a company faces therefore increasing the chances of failure if companies do not take the activities of planning and strategic management in marketing with seriousness. Russia is a country with a good political, economic, social, environmental and even legal framework therefore the chances of business prospering in that country is quite high if the company is a proactive planner. With a good economic growth pattern and citizens who enjoy one of the strongest purchasing power with disposable income close to 70% the country has become a hot spot for international business especially among multinational corporations (Global impact 2010). Oriflame entered the Russian market 15 years ago and is right now one of the industry leaders and it has reached at this position simply because the company takes business activities such as planning and strategic management in marketing seriously thereby giving the company a competitive advantage over other companies. Introduction The commercial environment is becoming exceedingly volatile and as a result organizations are looking for other avenues to successfully realize their objectives and corporate goals in order to please both stake holders and shareholders (Wheelen & Hunger 2002, 5). A products life cycle stages (i.e. introduction, growth, maturity and decline) usually play a big role in deciding what path a business takes especially if it is to expand to an international stage or remain local (Kotler 1999,122). The decision to remain local or go transnational comes with its challenges and therefore before it is arrived at after numerous consultations between functional areas of an organization. Thus consistent and continuous coordination of activities and continuous communication between inter-organizational departments is very important especially when conducting audits that may determine an organization’s international business operations. It therefore becomes necessary for business executives and entrepreneurs who make decisions on behalf of organizations to critically analyze and appraise the whole situation before the company is to make any move concerning entry or ensuring continuity of business in foreign territory (Trott 2008, 17). It is for this reason that the process of planning and strategy takes center stage, thereby reducing the level of risks that a company may face especially when entering new territory. A company therefore during this phase may decide to choose the best mode of operating in a country, of course having the main objective of cutting on costs, maximizing efficiency, and aiming to make profits (Sinkovics & Ghauri 2009, 12-20). Transnational/Multinational organizations such as Nike, the coca-cola company, Samsung, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Siemens are examples of big multinational companies who have successfully gone multinational by carefully planning their business models to be in tandem with the various markets that they intend to enter. It is therefore clear and apparent that organizations are often forced to adjust their business models and often think outside the box when they transform from a local orientation to a multinational orientation or else they may face a lot of h