French companies' attempts to mimic their US counterparts are doomed and they would be better off exploiting their own business culture
The French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal had many different agendas. It wanted to integrate the phone and media industries, create a European challenger to US media giants such as AOL Time Warner and provide a platform upon which its former chief executive Jean-Marie Messier could shine. It also wanted to hold at bay the tide of American cultural imperialism, at least that was how much of the French establishment saw it. 'With companies like this, France has been able to defend its cultural identity,'' said Martine Aubry, France's former social affairs minister before the company h...
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