In this text, Alan Rugman and Joseph D'Cruz bridge the literature on networks and multinationals by introducing the concept of the flagship firm. This theory of the flagship firm/five partners model is then applied to the telecommunications, chemicals, automotive and electronics sectors.

The international dimension of business networks has remained relatively unexplored, mainly because international business writers focus upon multinational enterprises and network writers ignore international issues. In this book Professors Alan Rugman and Joseph D'Cruz bridge the literature on networks and multinationals by introducing the new concept of the flagship firm. In each business network strategic leadership is provided by the flagship firm, which is defined as a multinational enterprise. It has other partners: key suppliers; key customers; key competitors; and key partners in the non-business infrastructure. These business networks are usually located in the 'triad' regions of the European Union, North America, and Japan. There are strong cross-border network linkages within these regions, but less 'globalization' than regional economic integration. The theory of the flagship firm/five partners model is applied to the telecommunications, chemicals, automotive, and electronics sectors, amongst others, and the book reports on both empirical studies and field research of the international competitiveness of these sectors. The book will be of interest to academics, students, and professionals in the areas of international business, strategic management, political science, law, and sociology.

The articles in this volume explore aspects of multinational enterprises & apply the theory of internalization to North America, Europe & Japan. Rugman provides the reader with insights into the intellectual & personal history of the papers.

This book summarises Mark Casson’s recent research on the multinational enterprise. This work is firmly rooted in history and examines the evolution of the internalisation theory of the multinational enterprise over the past forty years and, in the light of this, considers its potential for further development. The book also explores internationalisation theory in respect to marketing and brands, the supply chain, risk management as well as methodology.

This comprehensive four volume set includes all major contributions to the field of international business. It also includes key writings in the areas of international political economy and on regional and national issues.

At the turn of the century, questions about multinational firms' strategies as regards the forces, on the one hand, of globalization and, on the other hand, of the regional and local dimensions are very much to the fore. What are the new constraints and the new theories to explain global-local multinationals' strategies at the beginning of this new

This book was first published in 2011. The current financial and economic crisis has negatively underlined the vital role of multinational companies (MNCs) in our daily lives. The breakdown and crisis of flagship MNCs, such as Enron, WorldCom, Lehman Brothers, Toyota and General Motors, does not merely reveal the problems of corporate malfeasance and market dysfunction. It also raises important questions, both for the public and the academic community, about the use and misuse of power by MNCs in the wider society, as well as the exercise of power by key actors within internationally operating firms. This book examines how issues of power and politics affect MNCs at three different levels; the macro-level, the meso-level and the micro-level. This wide-ranging analysis shows not only that power matters but also how and why it matters, pointing to the political interactions of key power holders and actors within the MNC, both managers and employees.