This monograph is based on an extensive dataset and a very well documented case study. Such a wealth of empirical material provides an ideal ground to test theories and enables the authors to elaborate interesting conceptualisations of some specific aspects of the broader network approach, particularly concerning the internationalisation of business networks. Anna Spadavecchia, Business History Combined with recent advances in network analysis [the book] can be instrumental in advancing our understanding, which will not only be useful for research scholars, but also provide practical guidance for managers. . . It is full of ideas which seem like deceptively simple black stones that in the hands of a skillful artisan can be turned into dazzling diamonds. Charles Dhanaraj, Journal of International Business Studies The work by Forsgren et al. offers a major contribution in terms of the analytical power of network relationships. By shifting to an exchange based perspective, they challenge the classical view of organizational power and control, but also the sources of organizational capabilities. They argue that the distinct capabilities and resources of the organization are developed through relationships and connections. Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen, Rebecca Piekkari, Joanna Scott-Kennel and Catherine Welch, Academy of Management Perspectives An interesting and insightful book. It questions a lot of traditional thinking about international firms and the way they operate. Throughout the book, the reader is invited to develop a different perspective. This perspective might be called a relationships and networks theory of the firm. While this may sound familiar, the book goes well beyond anything I have seen in the existing literature, in terms of conceptualizing relationships and networks and in using this perspective to guide and interpret case study and survey research results. William G. Egelhoff, Fordham University, US It is now well accepted in the academic literature that the multinational corporation can be usefully modelled as a network of relationships. But it is less well-known that the origins of this perspective can be traced back to work done in Uppsala, Sweden, in the 1970s and 1980s. The term business network was first used there, and many important ideas around power and influence have also emerged from this research centre. In this new book, three of the key members of the Uppsala school develop a synthesis of the more recent ideas to come out of their research on networks. By focusing on the concept of the embedded multinational they show how the internal networks of the multinational interact with the web of external networks each subsidiary unit has in its local market. This book provides a definitive and compelling point of view of the importance of networking thinking to the study of the multinational corporation. It is an important book, and it will be widely cited in years to come. Julian Birkinshaw, London Business School, UK Forsgren, Holm, and Johanson have been among the leaders in developing the idea of the multinational firm as a network that spans different country environments. This perspective cautions the easy prescription that a multinational firm can do everything easily, if it just has the right organizational form. Relationships matter, as do the legitimacy of the firm in the context of its foreign investments. This book provides rich case insights into these dimensions. Bruce Kogut, INSEAD, France This book expands the business network view on managerial issues in multinational corporations. Specifically, it scrutinises the importance of a subsidiary s external and internal business network for its strategic and organizational role within the corporation. The internationalisation of firms in terms of management issues and headquarters control, the influence of subsidiaries on decisions and learning processes within multinational corporations are examined in detail. It is argued that

Managing the Contemporary Multinational explores the role of headquarters in different structures of multinational firms and shows how this role is affected by the complexity of contemporary research. This topical book illustrates that contemporary research has added complexity to the attributes of the multinational, with implications for the role of headquarters. It examines claims that subsidiaries contribute to the overall competitiveness of the corporation, that they are organized in corporate networks spanning country borders, and that they depend upon specific relationships in the external network. It is stressed that headquarters knowledge of the multinational and its business environment is crucial, but also problematic. The eminent contributors question whether headquarters have become more or less important given the complexity of contemporary research, and argue that the answer to this question depends on the theoretical foundation adopted in the multinational. Based on empirical studies, this invaluable book will be a captivating read for students and researchers interested in international business and international management.

This casebook demonstrates that the future of global business lies in how well the multinational landscape is charted and how the importance of Asian market leaders is deeply embedded in it. It offers international management students and researchers an extensive guide to the business history, strategy development, and foreign market entry modes used by emerging Asian multinationals. The cases focus on well-known companies such as Lenovo, Alibaba, Infosys, Huawei, Panasonic, and Rakuten. These companies, all of which generate huge revenues in their own countries (e.g. in China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam), are now becoming increasingly sophisticated and striving to become global brands, while also enjoying the active support of their governments in terms of their international business. Readers will learn about the current multinational landscape in Asia, the management challenges, and the future implications for traditional western companies seeking to retain their market share. Chapters on corporate entrepreneurship, human resource management and intercultural competence, and current branding trends in Asia will provide a cutting-edge update on international business strategy for students and practitioners alike.

Over the past decade, politics perspectives in international business have moved into the mainstream repertoire of research, theory development and teaching about the organisational behaviour of multinational corporations (MNCs). Politics perspectives contribute substantially to understanding the behaviour in and of MNCs in their different contexts and environments but so far these burgeoning perspectives have not been systematically and comprehensively reviewed. This book offers the first detailed overview of the theoretical foundations, methodologies and empirical applications of politics perspectives in MNCs. A group of international authors discuss twelve seminal contributions to the study of politics, power and conflict in MNCs, followed by a summary and synthesis of the literature into a comprehensive analytical framework. The book closes with a discussion of future directions in the field. This is a thorough introduction to political behaviour in MNCs written for scholars and graduate students in the fields of organisation studies and international business.

This latest volume of Progress in International Business Research explores novel ways in which international business is organized. Contributions advance our understanding and stretch our thinking about new organizational and geographic structures in MNCs, and other organizational forms across borders and geographies.

'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.

The three volumes IFIP AICT 438, 439, and 440 constitute the refereed proceedings of the International IFIP WG 5.7 Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems, APMS 2014, held in Ajaccio, France, in September 2014. The 233 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 271 submissions. They are organized in 6 parts: knowledge discovery and sharing; knowledge-based planning and scheduling; knowledge-based sustainability; knowledge-based services; knowledge-based performance improvement, and case studies.