This book illustrates the various facets of internationalization in managerial practice, starting with a strategic outline of the many options firms have when formulating internationalization strategies. Designed as a textbook for Bachelor, Master and MBA classrooms, the core of the book consists of six case studies on firms from diverse industries, such as sporting goods, aviation, grocery discount, motorcycle, computer and IT, and fast-food. The cases present a variety of ways of entering and operating in foreign markets, such as export, franchising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, greenfield-investments, acquisitions and mergers. In addition to market entry strategies, the cases provide readers, educators and students with insights into target market strategies, timing strategies, allocation strategies and coordination strategies of well-known companies.
About 10 years ago, the first very small steps towards this book were taken. The starting point was marked by the deep and sudden slump of the Swiss economy in the mid-seventies: a crisis wiping out about 10 percentage points of GNP and employment within just two years. To this writer, it was clear from the beginning that neither the exogenous shocks nor the struc tural changes were in fact exogenous or structural. They were given and sha ped by global forces. They were part and parcel of capitalist development. There is no other highly developed country in the world which is so ex tremely and integrally exposed to world-wide currents of financial and economic changes as Switzerland. The degree and dimensions of open ness ofthe Swiss economy led to the formulation of our research approach for studying the internationalization of the economy, a topic theoretically and politically developed in this book. Empirical evidence relates to our study of Swiss experience. A well-known Swiss-American economist offered the following com ment on our previous work on the internationalization of industry: "You are very good in raising interesting questions ..." What was undoubtedly meant as a criticism was received as a compliment. Too much talent and too many research efforts are, in my opinion, wasted by research programs which place technique over substance. This unfortunate development in our profession has already greatly reduced the social utility of economists.
For any organization to be successful, it must operate in such a manner that knowledge and information, human resources, and technology are continually taken into consideration and managed effectively. Business concepts are always present regardless of the field or industry – in education, government, healthcare, not-for-profit, engineering, hospitality/tourism, among others. Maintaining organizational awareness and a strategic frame of mind is critical to meeting goals, gaining competitive advantage, and ultimately ensuring sustainability. The Encyclopedia of Organizational Knowledge, Administration, and Technology is an inaugural five-volume publication that offers 193 completely new and previously unpublished articles authored by leading experts on the latest concepts, issues, challenges, innovations, and opportunities covering all aspects of modern organizations. Moreover, it is comprised of content that highlights major breakthroughs, discoveries, and authoritative research results as they pertain to all aspects of organizational growth and development including methodologies that can help companies thrive and analytical tools that assess an organization’s internal health and performance. Insights are offered in key topics such as organizational structure, strategic leadership, information technology management, and business analytics, among others. The knowledge compiled in this publication is designed for entrepreneurs, managers, executives, investors, economic analysts, computer engineers, software programmers, human resource departments, and other industry professionals seeking to understand the latest tools to emerge from this field and who are looking to incorporate them in their practice. Additionally, academicians, researchers, and students in fields that include but are not limited to business, management science, organizational development, entrepreneurship, sociology, corporate psychology, computer science, and information technology will benefit from the research compiled within this publication.
With the globalization process, firms are seeking to expand their activities to international markets but are also “feeling” expanded competition from abroad. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), though seeking to expand abroad, have particularities that hinder their natural international expansion path due to particular barriers and challenges that most multinational firms have already overcome. Cases on Internationalization Challenges for SMEs provides a set of case studies on the internationalization of SMEs in order to share the latest empirical research findings in the field of internationalization in the context of a globalized world, and which considers a highly competitive international business setting. This includes examining the main reasons for the success or failure of the process of internationalization of SMEs and their inherent activities. Covering topics that include competitive advantage, export performance, and inward internationalization, this book targets managers, executives, and entrepreneurs concerned with how to adapt their companies to a fast-changing international business environment, how to conduct internationalization strategies, how to choose the most adequate international entry modes, and how to adapt their products and strategies to international markets. It is also suited for academicians, researchers, and students in the field of management.
This book presents more than four decades of research in international business at the Department of Business Studies, Uppsala University. Gradually, this research has been recognized as 'The Uppsala School'. The work in Uppsala over the years reflects a broad palette of issues and approaches.
Julia Christofor’s study aims to analyze the conditions of the initial internationalization decision in the Net Economy. The results suggest that a holistic perspective including the founder, business model and the firm level should be considered when explaining the internationalization propensity of entrepreneurs.
This book is concerned with the role played by the sea transport industries in the development of global markets. It claims that the sea transport industry in fundamentally intrinsic to the political and economic interactions between nations. It seeks to demonstrate that the elements of shipping, internationalisation, and globalisation are intertwined. The purpose of this journal is to trace the development and examine the consequences of globalisation as it relates to maritime history. The four main issues under consideration are:- information networks and cooperation in transoceanic shipping; the expansion of markets; technological change; and the adaptability of entrepreneurs, institutions, and nation states to changing business environments. Geographically, the focus of the contributing essays splits between Europe and Japan.
'The individual contributions in this volume paint a varied and rich picture of strategies and rivalries, the role of environments and institutions, leadership and also customer approaches in both global and local brewery industry. Some of the analysed phenomena are more standard to an IB audience, like consolidation, technological development, and shifts in global markets, but they get a specific flavor and color through this industry focus, while other topics definitely seem more specific (like "Bierstrasse" on Mallorca). for readers with good taste.' - Rian Drogendijk, Uppsala University, Sweden
Few nations have internationalized their business operations as successfully as the Swedes. This book, first published in 1989, looks at the process in detail, examining the international operations of Swedish firms since 1970, including acquisitions of foreign firms. The international dimension of business is becoming increasingly important for firms of all sizes, and this analysis of what happens when companies enter and then sustain a presence in the international arena will be of great value to students and teachers of international business and management.
