Journal of International Business Studies

doi: 10.1057/jibs.2000.1pmid: N/A

Reuer, Jeffrey J.

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490890pmid: N/A

The benefits that firms obtain from investing in international joint ventures (IJVs) can be reinforced or reduced by the management of later stages of collaboration. This paper presents an analysis of the shareholder wealth effects of IJV formation and five types of IJV termination. The empirical findings challenge common assumptions in the IJV literature, contrast prior evidence on the performance implications of market entry and exit through acquisitions and divestitures, and demonstrate the value of integrating IJV life-cycle stages in future research.

Driffield, Nigel; Munday, Max

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490897pmid: N/A

This paper examines the relationship between the comparative advantage of UK industries, and new inward investment into these industries. The paper demonstrates that the extent of foreign manufacturing investment in an industry, and the spatial agglomeration of that industry, are significant determinants of industry comparative advantage, thus providing evidence of agglomeration benefits to both domestic and foreign firms. The paper then shows that industry comparative advantage itself, together with a series of industry specific characteristics, are important determinants of new foreign manufacturing investment, thus providing evidence of the dynamic benefits of foreign direct investment in the UK economy.

Brouthers, Lance Eliot; Werner, Steve; Matulich, Erika

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490899pmid: N/A

Is there a relationship between home-country competitive advantages, MNC price/quality product strategies, and firm performance? A cross-national contingency framework is developed, identifying three “regional stereotypes” of price/quality relationships, fueled by history and consumer perceptions, which appear to result in superior MNC performance. Findings indicate that the “stereotypes'” influences have diminished over time (as MNCs shift from home country advantages to global firm-specific advantages). However, Triad MNCs that use these product strategies (Japan [superior value], EU [premium] and U.S. [economy]) still, on average, demonstrate superior performance.

Fahy, John; Hooley, Graham; Cox, Tony; Beracs, Jozsef; Fonfara, Krzysztof; Snoj, Boris

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490907pmid: N/A

The industrial organisation and evolutionary economics traditions in international business and the resource-based view of the firm in strategic management provide a rich and related set of perspectives on the question of performance in an international environment. This paper draws on these perspectives to examine the nature of marketing capabilities across a range of firm types in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. A number of key strategic capabilities are examined including market orientation, the time horizon of strategic decision making and positioning capability. The study finds that firms with foreign participation have been able to develop a sophisticated level of marketing capability with a resulting positive impact on financial and market performance. Wholly-owned subsidiaries and international joint ventures emerge as equally effective mechanisms for the transfer of marketing capability. Conclusions are drawn and implications from the research are outlined.

Balabanis, George I.

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490901pmid: N/A

This study attempts to determine and explain the service-offering behavior of British export intermediaries (EIs). It was empirically confirmed that EIs offer two categories of services: transaction-creating and physical-fulfillment services. It was postulated that the extent to which an EI offers these types of services is influenced by a set of factors that are internally-, product-, market-, supplier-, and buyer-related. Empirical tests on a sample of 135 British EIs established that an EI's exporting role, number of employees, amount of undifferentiated products carried, number of suppliers, and number of countries served all have a direct impact on an EI's service-offering behavior.

Harzing, Anne-Wil

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490891pmid: N/A

This study offers an empirical test and extension of the Bartlett and Ghoshal typology of multinational companies (MNCs) A three-fold typology of multinational companies: Global, Multidomestic and Transnational is developed from the literature. This typology is tested using data from 166 subsidiaries of 37 MNCs, headquartered in 9 different countries. Subsidiaries in the three types of MNCs are shown to differ significantly in aspects of interdependence and local responsiveness.

Neelankavil, James P.; Mathur, Anil; Zhang, Yong

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490892pmid: N/A

This paper examines differences in what affects managerial performance of middle-level managers in four countries—China (N=204), India (N=184), the Philippines (N=220), and the United States (N=176). Important differences were predicted and found in factors affecting managerial performance as perceived by the respondents. While East-West differences exist, significant differences are noted among the three Asian countries. Specifically, Chinese and American managers represented two extremes in their beliefs about what determines managerial performance of middle-level managers. Both Filipino and Indian managers were found more similar to their U.S. counterparts than their Chinese counterparts. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Birkinshaw, Julian; Hood, Neil

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490893pmid: N/A

This paper examines the characteristics of foreign-owned subsidiaries in export-intensive “leading-edge industry clusters” as defined by Porter [1990]. Using a sample of 229 subsidiaries from three countries, we show that subsidiaries in such clusters are more embedded, more autonomous, and more internationally-oriented than subsidiaries in other industry sectors. We also show that there are significant differences in the roles of foreign-owned subsidiaries from one leading-edge cluster to the next, that are associated with the dynamism of the cluster and the overall level of foreign ownership. The results indicate (1) that typologies of subsidiary roles should give increased consideration to environmental factors, and (2) that thinking on industry clusters, instead of treating them identically, should recognize that they have heterogeneous characteristics.

Feinberg, Susan E.

doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490894pmid: N/A

This paper examines whether MNC subsidiaries with world product mandates fared better than non-specialized subsidiaries in the face of Canada-U.S. trade liberalization. Using confidential affiliate-level panel data on 445 Canadian subsidiaries of U.S. MNCs, empirical analysis finds that affiliates with higher levels of R&D and human capital resources grew relatively more when trade was liberalized. However, R&D- and human-capital-intensive affiliates experienced systematically different growth patterns. The findings imply that world product mandates do reduce affiliates' vulnerability to downsizing, and that human capital development and R&D may be equally important in building world product mandates.