Identify and Appraise the key Strategic Issues Confronting John Stropki as he leads the expansion of Lincoln Electric International Business in 2006 In the contemporary world, internationalization has become popular in all industries. According to Mellahi and Frynas (2011, p.6), convergence of global markets and technological revolution have necessitated firms to standardize their products, as well as adopt strategies that make them internationally successful. Lincoln Electric was founded in the last decade of the nineteenth century, and over the years, the company grew to be one of the major players in the welding industry. However, it was not until 1980s that the company expanded its business/operations to international markets, thanks to the increasing popularity of globalization of trade. Currently, the company is headed by John Stropki as the chief executive officer, who was appointed to the position in 2004. Upon taking over at the company, John Stropki’s priority was to improve the competitive advantage of the company, with internationalization being the primary strategy to achieve that competitiveness. A brief view from the history of the company shows that, Lincoln Electric starting capital was only $200, with its initial aim being to produce and sell electric motors. In addition, its net income had increased from $15.8 to $48.0 between 1986 and 1994, while between 1995 and 2005, the company’s net income increased from $61.5 to $122.3 millions (Barnett and Beamish, 2011, p.16). It is rather evident that the company had been operating on profits; therefore, John had to sustain the company’s competitive advantage and increase on profits. By 2006, the company operated in 19 countries; the company had succeeded in joint ventures in several countries. Using the Porter’s five forces framework, this paper will appraise and analyze the strategic issues confronting John Stropki in expanding the business to India. According to Hill and Jones (2009, p.43), the risk of entry by potential competitors can be a threat to profitability for an existing company, too many firms in the welding industry will increase rivalry in the industry as they compete for the customers and resources; this is a challenge that faces Stropki in the future. Although the company had a geographically distributed network, it faced the challenge of new and increased competition from other firms seeking to reap profits from the industry. Indeed, Mellahi and Frynas (2011, p. 8) believe that, successful firms have to be proactive in their internationalization strategies, rather than waiting until their local operations become unprofitable, more so in this era of accelerating globalization. Threat of substitutes in the market is another challenge that Stropki had to deal with. Lincoln has managed to maintain its profitability over the years because of its quality products and low costs, which stand as an advantage. According to Hamel, Doz, and Prahalad (1989, p. 137), “the quality and performance of a company’s products determines it competitiveness,” and building sustainable core competencies. In this case, high performance will allow the firm to meet foreign demand effectively, more so when it sets up production facilities in the importing cou