Presents a new research program that is transforming the study of international trade. Until a few years ago, models of international trade did not recognize the heterogeneity of firms and exporters, and could not provide good explanations of international production networks. Now such models exist and are explored in this volume.
The adoption of pro-market economic reforms by emerging market economies in last two decades has transformed the institutional context for firms in these economies. The objective of this volume is to better understand how domestic and foreign firms have transformed their strategy, organization and management system in response to this change.
'Thankfully, the new edition of this popular book retains all that made the original so impressive and useful. Six important theoretical perspectives of the multinational company (MNC) are discussed at length and compared. Why MNCs exist, how they compete, and their impact on society are the big, eternal questions addressed by the book. What is new in this edition are: an updated description of the international environment, an evaluation of Buckley's recent theory about the global factory, the influence of economic clusters like Silicon Valley on internalization theory, and a revised discussion of the organizational capability perspective. The book can be read and understood at multiple levels, from learning what each theory is about to appreciating the more subtle implications of their differences for firms and society. Despite the complexity of the subject, the book is an easy and enjoyable read. It is written in a lively, user-friendly style, with many illustrated examples.' – William G. Egelhoff, Fordham University, US This expanded and updated edition of a successful textbook will be required reading for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of international business, international management and international economy courses. The current debate about the multinational firm as an actor in the global economy is intense and many-sided. This thoroughly accessible and compact textbook presents, analyzes and compares six different theories of the multinational firm that have dominated the research in international business during the last four decades. The author discloses the basic building blocks and assumptions behind each theory so the reader can reach a better understanding of why the multinational firm is looked upon in so many different ways by researchers and stakeholders.
Internationally useful at undergraduate and postgraduate level, the fourth edition of this highly successful textbook analyzes and compares six different theories of the multinational firm, called the Dominating, the Coordinating, the Knowing, the Designing, the Networking and the Politizing multinational. These theories reflect the dominating perspectives of research on the multinational firm in the global economy over the last five decades.
The interplay between firms’ internal organization and market behaviour is a long standing issue in industrial economics. This book examines firms’ objectives in the comparatively new perspective shaped by globalization. The positive and normative aspects of theoretical analysis are developed and richly complemented by empirical studies.
The interplay between firms' internal organization and market behaviour is a long standing issue in industrial economics. This book examines firms' objectives in the comparatively new perspective shaped by globalization. The positive and normative aspects of theoretical analysis are developed and richly complemented by empirical studies.
Depending on one's point of view, multinational enterprises are either the heroes or the villains of the globalized economy. Governments compete fiercely for foreign direct investment by such companies, but complain when firms go global and move their activities elsewhere. Multinationals are seen by some as threats to national identities and wealth and are accused of riding roughshod over national laws and of exploiting cheap labor. However, the debate on these companies and foreign direct investment is rarely grounded on sound economic arguments. This book brings clarity to the debate. With the contribution of other leading experts, Giorgio Barba Navaretti and Anthony Venables assess the determinants of multinationals' actions, investigating why their activity has expanded so rapidly, and why some countries have seen more such activity than others. They analyze their effects on countries that are recipients of inward investments, and on those countries that see multinational firms moving jobs abroad. The arguments are made using modern advances in economic analysis, a case study, and by drawing on the extensive empirical literature that assesses the determinants and consequences of activity by multinationals. The treatment is rigorous, yet accessible to all readers with a background in economics, whether students or professionals. Drawing out policy implications, the authors conclude that multinational enterprises are generally a force for the promotion of prosperity in the world economy.
In this reputable book Professor Morroni has constructed an insightful framework of three decisive factors for organizational coordination: capabilities, transaction, scale-scope. Based on these, he has knitted a splendid tapestry of theoretical and empirical information. This collection must be a standard for the theory of the firm. Yuji Aruka, Chuo University, Japan Organisations, networks and firms are three of the most dynamic areas of economic research. This timely book synthesises these areas in order to analyse emergent phenomena such as spatial clustering, outsourcing, relational complexity and radical technological innovation. A combination of authoritative literature reviews, novel theoretical developments and interesting case study applications makes this book essential reading for both new and established scholars in the field. Mark Casson, University of Reading, UK In recent years, applied studies have shown widespread, profound and increasing heterogeneity across firms in terms of their strategy, organization arrangement and performance. This book investigates the diversity of business firms, offering a picture of the different organizational settings they adopt in their endeavour to cope with increasing competitive pressure. The book addresses critical theoretical issues surrounding corporate governance, organizational design and cooperative relations among firms. Moreover, it provides new evidence on the various forms of outsourcing that are playing an increasingly important role as a consequence of globalization. The contributions collected in this book stress the emergence of a trend towards a reorganization of production that can enhance the transmission, development and maintenance of knowledge in order to sustain long-run competitive advantage. Providing original and pertinent empirical evidence, this book will attract interest from scholars and postgraduate students studying the economics and organization of the firm. It will also be of value to managers who wish to understand new developments in the organizational settings of business firms with particular reference to corporate governance, organizational design, cooperative relations, outsourcing and de-localization.
