The book introduces a unique and innovative perspective for the study of international business networking. In contrast to the standard construction of models for optimal strategic decision-making, the essays in this book emphasise interpretation, learning by doing, trust and co-operation in the international business community. The editors focus upon business relationships within and between firms as well as the importance of middle management in the international arena.
This text focuses on contemporary cutting edge research concerning the increasing strategic importance of subsidiary networks to the multinational firm. It combines contributions from three major related areas of inquiry; the changing theoretical conception of networks and the structure of the multinational firm, the importance of spillovers and agglomeration economies related to multinational investments and the management of the flow of information and knowledge from headquarters to subsidiaries and vice versa.
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.
In recent decades, the international economy has witnessed fundamental changes in the way manufacturing is organised: products are no longer manufactured in their entirety in a single location. Instead, the production process is often split across a number of stages located in countries that are frequently far apart from each other. By spreading out their manufacturing and supply chain activities globally through international investment and intra-firm trade, Multinational enterprises (MNEs) play a focal role in this reorganisation of production. Our ability to understand the global economy, therefore, requires an understanding of the interdependencies between the entities involved in such fragmented production. Traditional methods and statistical approaches are insufficient to address this challenge. Instead, an approach is required that allows us to account for these interdependencies. The most promising approach so far is network analysis. ‘Networks of International Trade and Investment’ makes a case for the use of network analysis alongside existing techniques in order to investigate pressing issues in international business and economics. The authors put forward a range of well-informed studies that examine compelling topics such as the role of emerging economies in global trade and the evolution of world trade patterns. They look at how network analysis, as both an approach and a methodology, can explain international business and economics phenomena, in particular, in relation to international trade and investment. Providing a comprehensive but accessible explanation of the applications of network analysis and some of the most recent methodological advances in its field, this edited volume is an important contribution to research in international trade and investment.
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th IFIP WG 5.5 Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises, PRO-VE 2011, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in October 2011. The 61 revised papers presented were carefully selected from numerous submissions. They provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in various collaborative network (CN) domains and their applications with a particular focus on adaptation of the networks and their value creation, specifically emphasizing topics related to evolution from social networking to collaborative networks; social capital; value chains; co-creation of complex products; performance management; behavioral aspects in collaborative networks; collaborative networks planning and modeling; benefit analysis and sustainability issues, as well as including important technical and scientific challenges in applying CNs to areas such as advanced logistics networks, business process modeling, service orientation, and other emerging application domains such as ageing, tourism, crisis, and emergency scenarios.
This contributed volume focuses on diasporans, their characteristics, networks, resources and activities in relation to international business and entrepreneurship. It presents an overview of diaspora concepts from an economic perspective, and analyzes the global-economic and societal effects and mechanisms, revealing both positive and negative aspects of diaspora activities. Providing insights into the socio-cultural influences, it discusses diaspora entrepreneurship and international business, the respective organisational models, investments and business types. Lastly it offers an assessment of managing diaspora resources and policymaking. This book was created by an interdisciplinary team of editors, co-authors and reviewers including historians, sociologists, psychologists, linguists and ethnologists, as well as experts in public policy, international business, marketing and entrepreneurship. This unique team (many of the authors are themselves diasporans with an extensive understanding of their topic) provides the first global academic platform on the subject, combining the latest empirical evidence from developing, emerging, transitional and developed countries with various combinations of diaspora flows that to date have received little attention.
Responding to the growing interest in the role of language in international business, this book presents language as a critical management challenge for the internationalizing firm. Several perspectives are explored, including the individual, the firm
Collaborative Networks A Tool for Promoting Co-creation and Innovation The collaborative networks paradigm offers powerful socio-organizational mec- nisms, supported by advanced information and communication technologies for p- moting innovation. This, in turn, leads to new products and services, growth of better customer relationships, establishing better project and process management, and building higher-performing consortia. By putting diverse entities that bring different perspectives, competencies, practices, and cultures, to work together, collaborative networks develop the right environment for the emergence of new ideas and more efficient, yet practical, solutions. This aspect is particularly important for small and medium enterprises which typically lack critical mass and can greatly benefit from participation in co-innovation networks. However, larger organizations also benefit from the challenges and the diversity found in collaborative ecosystems. In terms of research, in addition to the trend identified in previous years toward a sounder consolidation of the theoretical foundation in this discipline, there is now a direction of developments more focused on modeling and reasoning about new c- laboration patterns and their contribution to value creation. “Soft issues,” including social capital, cultural aspects, ethics and value systems, trust, emotions, behavior, etc. continue to deserve particular attention in terms of modeling and reasoning. Exploi- tion of new application domains such as health care, education, and active aging for retired professionals also help identify new research challenges, both in terms of m- eling and ICT support development.
Now in its second edition, and in collaboration with their contributing authors, world renowned academics Peter J. Buckley FBA OBE, Peter Enderwick, and Hinrich Voss draw on their wealth of experience and expertise to present a truly global text on international business.The Global Factory framework, developed by Peter J. Buckley, forms an overarching, coherent and accessible model for understanding how businesses operate globally. Synthesising perspectives from economics, social anthropology, political economy, and management, International Business also provides amultitude of examples, case studies and insights from across the globe that link theory to management practices - all to equip you for the challenges faced in the business world today. Engaging examples include internationally-recognised companies such as Nike, Ben and Jerry's, TikTok and Maersk, aswell as organizations from emerging markets such as Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Turkey.Opening cases discuss real challenges faced by international businesses, inviting you to discuss and devise your own solutions, while closing cases and 'IB Insights' offer opportunities to further reflect on international business practices at real, global companies.Stretch your critical thinking skills by engaging with the 'Topics for Debate', and build strong academic understanding by looking at the 'Research Insights', which introduce key scholarship and provide commentary on seminal international business research.This fully revised and more concise edition is your ideal guide to international business.An exciting development for this new edition, the enhanced e-book offers an even more flexible and seamless way to learn: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooksThis book is accompanied by the following online resources:For students:Links to seminal articles as highlighted in the Research Insights featureOnline activities to develop skills in research, data collection, and analysisWeb links to sources of data, each accompanied by critical commentaryMultiple-choice questions with instant feedbackIB decision-aids to explore real, decision-making tools used by managersFor lecturers:A case study bankAdditional shorter and longer case studies with exemplar answersLinks to video clips, accompanied by short paragraphs of critical commentaryComprehensive, customisable PowerPoint slidesTest bankTutorial activitiesSuggested assignment questionsInstructor's manual including a guide to teaching the Global Factory framework, and guidance from the authors on the case study questions, IB challenges, and Topics for Debate features
This contributed volume focuses on the management and governance of international business networks (IBN). Specifically, the chapters refer to theoretical, conceptual, empirical, and case study papers from all areas in economics and management of IBN. These include cooperatives, franchising, retail chains, strategic alliances, public-private partnerships and new network forms in the digital economy. This book is ideal for researchers and strategists who are keen to improve their understanding of the latest developments in the field.
