Televisa, a Mexican media company, became the world's most prolific producer of Spanish-language soap operas owing to its expertise in Spanish culture and linguistics. Which of the following strategies did Televisa employ to defend against global giants?

a. Use acquisition and rapid-growth strategies to better defend against expansion-minded internationals.
b. Transfer company expertise to cross-border markets and initiate actions to contend on an international level.
c. Take advantage of aspects of the local workforce with which large international companies may be unfamiliar.
d. Utilize keen understanding of local customer needs and preferences to create customized products or services.
e. Develop business models that exploit shortcomings in local distribution networks or infrastructure.

The business cycle is the periodic but irregular up-and-down movement in economic activity, measured by fluctuations in real gross domestic product (gdp) and other macroeconomic variables. a business cycle is typically characterized by four phases—recession, recovery, growth, and decline—that repeat themselves over time. economists note, however, that complete business cycles vary in length. the duration of business cycles can be anywhere from about two to twelve years, with most cycles averaging six years in length. some business analysts use the business cycle model and terminology to study and explain fluctuations in business inventory and other individual elements of corporate operations. but the term "business cycle" is still primarily associated with larger (industry-wide, regional, national, or even international) business trends.