New Perspectives on the International Diversification of Multinational Enterprises

New Perspectives on the International Diversification of Multinational Enterprises
Author: Yi Li
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

Pursuit of international markets and resources from foreign sources has increased dramatically across the globe during the past three decades, and the academic study of international diversification has increased concurrently. Although scholars have studied several areas of international diversification research, there are still some unsolved problems, and new theoretical perspectives are needed to advance the field. In this thesis, I derive comprehensive models of international diversification by examining these variables through new perspectives. Based on positive organisational scholarship, configurational and institutional perspectives, I build new theoretical frameworks to fill gaps in international diversification research. This dissertation comprises three studies. Each of the studies examines different angles of international diversification, and the three individual research papers are intertwined to provide a coherent and integrated framework for this thesis. In Study 1, I elaborate a theoretical framework advancing the generalisation of international diversification research in emerging economies. Previous studies mainly focus on international diversification of multinational enterprises (MNEs) from well-developed countries, but largely ignored international diversification of emerging economy MNEs. To fill this research gap, Study 1 captures how Top Management Teams' (TMT) industrial and institutional factors influence mixed foreign direct investment (FDI), an important type of international diversification especially for emerging economy firms. Following the positive organisational scholarship perspective, I examine the positive influence of TMT functional diversity on emerging economy firms' likelihood of conducting mixed FDI. Furthermore, the effect of TMT functional diversity on mixed FDI is contingent on the social context of the TMT, competitive condition of the industry, and institutional development of firm locality. As an extension to Study 1, Study 2 evaluates the impact of various international diversification strategies on firms' internationalisation performance in the context of emerging economies. Within the configurational perspective, Study 2 investigates equifinal paths for emerging economy firms to achieve strategic fit (in the form of desired internationalisation performance) through configurations of the TMT's structure, international diversification strategy, and environmental condition. Within fuzzy-set analysis, the empirical results support my proposition about configurations of strategic fit in an emerging economy firm's international diversification, and multiple equifinal strategic-fit paths have been found. In Study 3, I extend the literature by developing arguments for performance benefits of institutional diversification strategies of MNEs. Existing studies have largely overlooked host-country institutional differences when considering the effects of different foreign countries on the MNE performance. I seek to fill this research gap by teasing out the effects of institutional diversification, and building theory on the relationship between different types of institutional diversification and MNE performance. Based on new institutional economics and comparative institutionalism, I divide institutional diversification into two main types: vertical institutional diversification and horizontal institutional diversification. I propose that the degree of vertical institutional diversification will have a negative effect on the MNE performance, while the scope of this diversification will serve to strengthen this negative effect. For horizontal institutional diversification, I propose that the MNE's degree of this diversification will have a positive effect on its performance, and its scope weakens this positive effect.

Contemporary Issues in International Business

Contemporary Issues in International Business
Author: Davide Castellani
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2018-02-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3319702203

The ACADEMY OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS (UK and Ireland Chapter) Published in association with the UK and Ireland Chapter of the Academy of International Business. This brand new edited collection addresses the growing uncertainty and socio-economic challenges of globalisation and its profound implications for the strategies and operations of multinational enterprises (MNEs). Responding to the new balance in international business, the authors offer valuable insights into the co-evolutionary processes involved in headquarters-subsidiary relationships, the need for novel strategies by MNEs to retain competitive advantage, improve performance and contribute to the global economy.

The Regional Multinationals

The Regional Multinationals
Author: Alan M. Rugman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2005-01-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781139442862

Although many firms label themselves 'global', very few can back this up with truly global sales and operations. In The Regional Multinationals Alan Rugman examines first-hand data from multinationals and finds that most multinationals are strongly regional, with international operations in their home regions of North America, the US or Asia. Only a tiny proportion of the world's top 500 companies actually sell the same product and deliver the same services around the world. Rugman exposes the facts behind the popular myths of doing business globally, explores a variety of regional models and offers an authoritative agenda for future business strategy. The Regional Multinationals is the essential resource for all academics and students in International Business, Organization and Strategic Management, as well as those with an interest in finding out how multinationals really work in practice and how future strategy must respond.

Multinational Firms and Impacts on Employment, Trade and Technology

Multinational Firms and Impacts on Employment, Trade and Technology
Author: Robert E. Lipsey
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2001-12-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134489765

This collection of essays shows the high degree of complementarity between foreign direct investment and home export, challenging the long held fear that firms investing abroad leads to a loss of employment and decline in the home country.

Internalization, International Diversification and the Multinational Enterprise

Internalization, International Diversification and the Multinational Enterprise
Author: Alain Verbeke
Publisher: JAI Press Incorporated
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2005-11-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780762312207

Includes a synthesis of advances in the theory of the multinational enterprise, with a focus on internalization and international diversification issues. This research volume proposes important extensions of multinational enterprise theory, especially as regards the importance of geography to multinational strategy.

A New Generation in International Strategic Management

A New Generation in International Strategic Management
Author: Stephen B. Tallman
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2007
Genre: International business enterprises
ISBN:

This book comprises eighteen cutting edge chapters by emerging scholars in international strategy, offering a variety of fresh perspectives on critical issues that the field will face in the near future. These young scholars have unique and innovative thoughts about international strategy, which are well ahead of the mainstream of international business academics. Various topics are addressed, including the rise of outsourcing and the global spread of research and development activities; structural innovations by multinational firms, with particular attention to organizing for the efficient transfer of knowledge resources within networks of alliances; and new ways of considering the effects of location, focusing on the relative importance of regional clusters and countries and the impact of geographical and cultural distance on international strategies. Stephen Tallman has geared the book to an academic audience, specifically faculty and graduate students in international business, international management, and global strategy. Sophisticated international business practitioners will also find it an interesting read.

Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy

Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy
Author: John H. Dunning
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 947
Release: 2008-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1848441320

For many years to come this volume. . .is surely going to be the ultimate reference work on international business. . . thanks to Dunning and Lundan, have at their disposal, a wealth of relevant data, as well as theoretical and empirical analyses, which will enable them to assess the capabilities, contributions and challenges posed by the multinational enterprises to the global economy. Seev Hirsch, International Business Review Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy has become a classic in international business. . . Yet , the book s second edition is even better than the first, in part because of Professor Dunning s wise decision to choose Dr Lundan as his co-author and to draw upon her deep knowledge of various strands of research on business government relations and the societal effects of firm behaviour. . . In addition to being a remarkably useful reference book, Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy is the first book any IB doctoral student should read to understand the significance and richness of IB scholarship as it has developed over the past 50 years. Alain Verbeke, Journal of International Business Studies The second edition of Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy provides unparalleled coverage not only of the literature relevant to IB research but also of the evolution of IB in the world economy. Dunning and Lundan offer powerful insights into the societal effects of MNEs and the role of business government relations in the IB context. Journal of International Business Studies This wonderful book offers the definitive synthesis of the modern literature on the economic aspects of international business. It is encyclopedic yet full of incisive insights. It is a creative masterpiece which unbundles the DNA of the multinational enterprise and shows how it is the cornerstone of the field of international business. Alan M. Rugman, University of Reading, UK The rise of the multinational enterprise, and the consequent globalisation of the world economy, was arguably the single most important phenomenon of the second half of the twentieth century. This magisterial book, written by two leading authorities, examines this phenomenon in depth. It explains how foreign investment by multinationals diffused advanced technologies and novel management methods, driving productivity growth in Europe, Asia and North America; however, economic inequalities were reinforced as rich countries attracted more foreign investment than poor ones. This new edition of a classic work is not only an authoritative guide to contemporary multinational business, but a major historical resource for the future. Mark Casson, University of Reading, UK This thoroughly updated and revised edition of a widely acclaimed, classic text will be required reading for academics, policymakers and advanced students of international business worldwide. Employing a distinctive and unified framework, this book draws together research across a range of academic fields to offer a synthesis of the determinants of MNE activity, and its effects on the economic and social well-being of developed and developing countries. Unique to the new edition is its focus on the institutional underpinnings of the resources and capabilities of MNEs, and the role of MNE activity in transmitting and facilitating institutional change. Since the initial publication of this book more than a decade ago, the economic, managerial and social implications of globalisation and technological advancement have become even more varied and prominent. Accompanying these developments, there has been a rise in scholarly interest in interdisciplinary research addressing the important challenges of an ever-changing physical and human environment. Drawing on articles and books from international business and economics, as well as economic geography, political economy and strategic management, a systematic overview of the developments in scholarly thinking is prese

New Perspectives on the Modern Corporation

New Perspectives on the Modern Corporation
Author: Angelo Dringoli
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1781005672

This book explores the conditions for growth that can create value for shareholders, focusing on the main strategies adopted by firms including horizontal expansion, vertical integration and product diversification. To evaluate whether or not a particular growth strategy is successful, the author examines the economic fundamentals of each strategy and presents analytical models of both internal development and external acquisition. He moves on to present four case studies of successful companies to highlight how a firm chooses and implements a defined growth strategy. This stimulating integrated analysis will appeal to researchers and students in business administration as well as managers, entrepreneurs and consultants involved in strategic management.--publisher description.