Gabriel R. G. Benito

Journal of International Business Studies 55(9) p. 1093-1107 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-024-00722-6

Nation states are designing their industry policies increasingly to not only enhance national competitiveness, but to simultaneously address “Green Challenges”, concerns about the natural environment that require concerted action among different actors in society, including domestic and foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs). This blending of global and national policy objectives is leading to a new wave of industrial policies in advanced economies that are informed by scholarly discourses in evolutionary economics, innovation systems and wicked problems. We discuss the implications of these sustainability-oriented industrial policies for MNEs. They operate in increasingly diverse local ecosystems shaped by local actors and local policies as we illustrate for two such ecosystems in Nordic countries: Circular economy and energy transition. Many MNEs face a tension between capabilities they could use to help nations achieve their sustainability goals and incentives to protect existing rents and business models. They may thus engage pro-actively or reactively in both market and nonmarket realms in each country in which they operate. We discuss the interactions between MNEs, governments and other actors in host countries pursuing both sustainability and competitiveness objectives, and outline how ensuing tensions create new challenges and opportunities for international business scholarship.

The Helsinki Internationalization Process Model: Foundations and Future Agenda p. 200-207 Doi: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035332045.00024

International Marketing Review 42(1) p. 35-63 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-02-2024-0039

Purpose: The aim of this research is twofold: (1) to investigate when the effect of R&D investment on New Product Development (NPD) performance peaks – the sweet spot and (2) to analyze the influence of firms’ export activities on where that spot is. Drawing on the knowledge-based view (KBV), we argue that export intensity and export experience lead to differential effects on how R&D investments are converted into new products. Design/methodology/approach: We test our conceptual framework using time lagged data and optimal-level analysis. The dataset consists of an unbalanced panel of 608,891 observations and 333,516 firms. Findings: The results support the expected inverted U-shaped relationship between R&D investment and NPD performance. They also show moderating effects of export intensity and experience. Export intensity enhances innovation processes by enabling firms to stretch the points at which R&D investments eventually taper off. In contrast, export experience improves firms’ ability to convert R&D investments into NPD performance. Our results demonstrate that, all else equal, firms with relatively higher export experience can spend less on R&D and still achieve higher levels of NPD performance. Originality/value: We contribute to the literature by investigating how export activities provide a valuable context for understanding the theoretical mechanisms that help explain the inverted U-shaped relationship between R&D investment and innovation. We show the effects of exporting activities on the precise points where the R&D investment–NPD performance relationship peaks, thereby identifying the optimal point within this nonlinear relationship.

MIR. Management International Review: journal of international business 63 p. 979-1019 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-023-00517-1

We study subsidiary capital structure as a mechanism of intra-MNE (multinational enterprise) governance from the perspective of “new internalization theory”. We build on the argument from transaction cost theory that equity and debt are not just financial instruments but also alternative governance structures, with equity useful for financing specific assets that do not serve well as collateral, especially when external uncertainty is high. Inside an MNE, debt represents a partial reintroduction of market mechanisms that can limit governance costs and strengthen subsidiary manager incentives. However, debt financing may be inappropriate if subsidiaries possess specific assets that are lost if debt contracts are enforced. Using subsidiary-level panel data from Norwegian MNEs, we argue that patents registered in the subsidiary represent MNE-specific non-location bound knowledge assets, while subsidiary R&D income represents location-bound and subsidiary-specific assets. We predict MNE-specific assets to be negatively related to external debt, and subsidiary-specific assets to be negatively related to all debt, under conditions of external uncertainty. We find only partial support for our hypotheses. Patents are negatively related to external debt when external uncertainty in the form of political risk is high. However, we do not find similar significant results for location-bound and subsidiary-specific assets, measured by subsidiary R&D income. For both measures, there is evidence that debt financing is viable in low-risk contexts. Further analysis indicates different effects for joint ventures as compared to wholly owned subsidiaries. We build on the partly unexpected results to propose an expanded internalization perspective on subsidiary capital structure

Journal of International Business Studies 54 p. 1313-1331 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-023-00609-y

The dominant narrative about the rise of international business (IB) focuses on early research and the institutionalization of a new academic field. In this study, we explore the role of case writing in the field’s formative period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Based on an analysis of teaching cases on IB topics, we demonstrate that case-based teaching, including the writing of cases, was an innovative pedagogical method that made a strong impact on the formation of the new academic field. Analyzing the cases and the background and affiliation of their authors offers new insights into the linkages to other disciplines from which the new academic field emerged. The analysis of the cases also provides new insight into how the case authors connected to the new practical experiences from an increasing number of multinational enterprises, particularly from the US, and conceptualized the experiences into a pedagogical language. The investigation covers 489 cases written by scholars located in 18 countries from the early 1950s to 1963, as well as archival studies of the business schools and institutions that initiated the production of cases.

International Business Review Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2023.102192

This study examines the role of chief executive officers’ (CEOs) wealth in explaining the cross-border acquisition (CBA) activity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). CBAs require substantial financial resources and expose the firm to additional risks. Within a micro-foundations framework, we integrate insights from the resource-based view and the upper echelons theory and argue that CEO wealth plays a dual role in the CBA activity of SMEs by alleviating financial constraints and increasing willingness to take risks. Using Norwegian census data for the period 2000–2013, we find consistent evidence that CEO wealth has a positive effect on the number, the geographic scope, and the likelihood of engaging in CBAs in high political risk countries.

Social Science Research Network (SSRN) Doi: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4620947

Journal of International Management 29(4) Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2023.101033

The international business (IB) literature on political risk mitigation has assigned explanatory preeminence to the organizational capabilities of multinational corporations (MNCs). The literature has assumed that political risk is avoidable for MNCs with specific political capabilities. We argue that political risk is inevitable. We posit that even if MNCs have political capabilities, host countries' political risk and its associated costs will not simply disappear. Extending the literature on political risk mitigation, we highlight the role of institutional-based tools in curbing political risk costs. Specifically, we posit that MNCs can reduce political risk costs through (i) international investment agreements, (ii) investment contracts with host governments, (iii) political risk insurance, and (iv) guarantees with binding enforcement mechanisms in unison with relying on political capabilities, thereby dampening the negative effect of uncontrollable host country political risk. We leverage the political-institutional approach to political risk and draw on relevant literature from law and IB to develop a framework to describe the conditions under which MNCs may use these institutional-based tools.

Journal of World Business 59(1) Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2023.101500

The benefits of having an internationally diverse alliance portfolio are well known. However, the challenges remain overlooked, especially the potential to curb firms’ international expansion beyond such alliances. Building on global connectivity literature, we study how firms’ international footprint through their foreign subsidiaries is affected by the geographical spread of their international alliances. Using data on a sample of U.S. high-tech firms, we find that this relationship follows a U-shaped pattern and is contingent on alliance portfolio geographic distance and firms’ absorptive capacity for internationalization. Deviations from the optimal international footprint lower firms’ innovation and financial performance.

Global Strategy Journal 13(3) Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1493

Research Summary The multinational corporation (MNC) is a typical example of a complex organization. In this essay, we employ an established body of literature on complexity in organizations to explore and discuss the nature and consequences of complexity for global strategy and MNCs. On that basis, we develop a simple organizing framework for complexity in global strategies emphasizing the source (external and internal complexity) and type (process and structural complexity) of complexity. We use this framework to structure and discuss the six research contributions in this Special Issue. We conclude by suggesting additional avenues of research on the interface between global strategy and complexity. Managerial Summary Firms internationalize because they recognize business opportunities abroad and devise strategies to successfully exploit them. At the same time, managers face increasing complexity as MNCs expand internationally and engage in more unknown and dispersed operations. Not only do MNCs face considerable complexity by operating in diverse and uncertain environments, but also by managing and coordinating organizational tasks and activities spanning multiple countries. This essay discusses these challenges and corresponding strategies for MNC managers. It also provides an overview of the six research articles included in this Special Issue about complexity and MNCs.

The New Frontiers of International Business p. 309-327 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06003-8_15

In this chapter, we explore the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the circular economy (CE). MNEs play a key role in reshaping business systems as they orchestrate a significant part of value activities in various locations across the globe. We argue that MNEs’ adoption of CE opportunities differs due to corporate and contextual influences. In particular, we suggest that MNEs’ corporate strategies regarding value activity integration, product diversification, and location choices influence how they approach CE. Industry and location factors also play roles in facilitating or impeding CE advancement. Regarding the international business ramifications of CE, we discuss the impact of MNEs’ geographical scope in terms of a local, multi-local/regional, or global focus and show how formal and informal institutional contexts influence the design and implementation of CE. Our analysis demonstrates that established conceptualizations in the international business field of MNEs and the business systems in which they operate are useful for understanding CE, but further international business research is needed about how MNEs can help implement the transition towards CE.

Global Strategy Journal 12(3) p. 421-450 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1464

Global strategy, that is, the analysis of strategy in an international context, has co-evolved with the dramatic changes in the global economy in the 21st century. Research advances have enabled a more sophisticated understanding of how firms develop strategies in an increasingly turbulent global environment in which societal expectations, technological advances, and political decisions are all in a state of continuous change. In this article, we reflect and provide suggestions for how the field may evolve on five key themes of global strategy: cooperation, coordination, governance, politics, and innovation. We also outline suggestions for future research on global issues that are gaining increasing centrality in business decisions: climate change, artificial intelligence, and geopolitics.

Review of International Business and Strategy Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/RIBS-10-2021-0143

Purpose Well-functioning institutions are repeatedly claimed to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) by reducing the costs and uncertainty of economic activity. Nonetheless, it has been argued that institutions may matter less for FDI in the primary sector. This study aims to theoretically and empirically investigate the role of institutions for attracting FDI in agricultural and in extractive activities. Design/methodology/approach This study uses worldwide country and sector-level data on inward FDI for the period 1996–2007. The key independent variables, property rights protection, corruption and democracy, are measured using World Bank Governance Indicators and Polity IV as data sources. Fixed effect panel regression, Tobit regression and generalized method of moments are used for data analysis. Findings The authors corroborate the importance of institutions for aggregate FDI. Disaggregating by primary subsector, the authors find that agricultural FDI, like aggregate FDI, is attracted by institutional features such as rule of law and property rights protection and democracy, whereas extractive FDI is not. The authors also find some evidence that corruption deters FDI in both primary subsectors. Originality/value The authors take a first step toward linking the largely empirical institutions-FDI literature more closely with the economics-based theoretical discussions of FDI risk grounded on a property rights approach, to discuss issues such as effective control rights over investments, which may vary between sectors. The authors also explore a novel idea that extractive activities may be less sensitive to institutions because the time horizon is limited by the depletion of the resource, resulting in an inherently relatively short-term commitment to a host-country location.

Journal of World Business 57(5) Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2022.101363

This study examines the timing of the first foreign direct investment (FDI). It explores how the conceptualization and, hence, the understanding of time affects our insights into major internationalization decisions in organizations; specifically, that of navigating into the unknown waters associated with making a first FDI. We introduce a multitemporal approach by drawing on the different temporalities prevalent in history and in business and management to build a platform for analysis that provides a suitable combination of richness and contrast. By examining the process toward making a major internationalization decision in terms of clock, event, stages, and cyclical concepts of time, we gain valuable but also varied insights about a complex process. We conclude that to understand any organization's process of international strategy formation at a certain point (or period) in time, its particularities need to be appreciated in some detail. While the details in this study are unique to the case of Harvard Business School's decision in 1971 to make its first FDI, we argue that the main features of the process are common to conceptualizing the internationalization decision process. As such, the findings should apply more generally.

Journal of Management and Governance 26(4) p. 1155-1181 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-021-09595-5

State owned multinational enterprises (SOMNEs) have received extensive attention in recent research in international business and corporate governance, which demonstrates effects of state ownership on a range of international strategic decisions such as the degree of internationalization, foreign entry modes, and host country location choices. Such effects are explained by factors such as SOMNEs’ non-financial goals, corporate governance, and institutional pressures. However, results are mixed and context-dependent, and overall we still have an incomplete understanding of what governments aim to achieve through SOMNEs, and how these goals in turn lead to different international strategies. This conceptual article aims to explore how specific government goals may affect international strategies. We provide a more fine-grained view on SOMNE financial and non-financial goals and link them to key international strategic decisions such as the degree of internationalization, entry and establishment modes, and host country location choice. We review and extend previous literature and identify novel theoretical arguments, leading to an extensive set of propositions. We also sketch ideas for empirical studies of SOMNE objectives.

Academy of Management Learning & Education 21(2) p. 167-187 Doi: https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2020.0028

This article addresses the question of why some business schools internationalize by establishing units abroad. We study their internationalization by examining the process that led to Harvard Business School’s first international strategy and its first foreign direct investment. The study elaborates how internationalization theories are applicable to research on the internationalization of business schools by exploring the role of environment and agency. The analysis shows that in an academic organization characterized as a loosely coupled system, individuals may influence the collective cognition in a strategy process by using new theoretical insights to conceptualize experiences and legitimize decisions. This demonstrates that agency is a multifaceted concept and its function depends on who has agency and how it is used. By exploring how a new academic discipline, international business, contributed both to the conceptualization and the legitimization of a new strategy, the study provides new insight into the process that leads to the formation of an international strategy.

The Oxford Handbook of International Business Strategy p. 273-293 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198868378.013.14

This chapter takes stock of fifty years of research on mode dynamics—that is, the decisions to switch and add operation modes in a foreign country—as a central international business strategy phenomenon. Numerous studies have advanced knowledge about the various forms of mode dynamics and their underlying drivers, especially regarding mode switches. However, this review of the research also reveals that understanding of the phenomenon of mode additions needs further development. The chapter proposes a theoretical framework for understanding mode additions and provides the example of modularization as an illustration of a mechanism that may help improve the cost–benefit balance of mode switches and additions.

International Journal of the Economics of Business 28(2) p. 281-307 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13571516.2021.1889917

Firms’ ability to change foreign operation modes appears highly desirable in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable global environment. We propose and discuss mode flexibility as a management capability, with the aim at curbing the potential downsides of flexibility; in particular, the extra costs of coordination and contracting as well as revenue losses due to diminished partner commitment. We model the balancing and shifting of essential tradeoffs in relation to the two dimensions of mode flexibility – multiplicity and switchability – and highlight modularization and reciprocal use of real options as examples of tradeoff-shifting mechanisms that may improve the cost-benefit balance of mode flexibility.

European Management Review 18(3) p. 311-328 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12454

Entrepreneurial initiatives by subsidiaries are greeted as well as contested. We examine the effect of institutional distance between the host country of a subsidiary and the home country of its parent multinational enterprise (MNE) on the resource support a subsidiary receives from the MNE for its entrepreneurial initiatives. Drawing on social exchange theory, and resource dependence theory, we argue that while informal institutional distance inhibits MNE resource support for initiatives, and formal institutional distance further exacerbates the subsidiaries' options, external embeddedness and reverse knowledge transfers may help subsidiaries bypass the negative effects of institutional distance and encourage MNE involvement in subsidiary initiatives. Using survey data from 429 foreign subsidiaries in New Zealand, and secondary data on formal institutional distance from the Worldwide Governance Indicators, the results from structural equation modeling provide support to our hypotheses. This study extends institutional distance, embeddedness, and subsidiary initiative research. Importantly, it contributes by demonstrating how contingencies such as dual embeddedness and (low) formal institutional distance can counterbalance the negative effects of informal institutional distance on subsidiary initiatives and MNE-subsidiary initiative collaboration.

Global Strategy Journal 11(3) p. 468-493 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1397

Firms make footprints as they internationalize. Going beyond simple measures of firms' internationalization, we conceptualize and measure the extent of a firm's international footprint as the number of location-mode combinations it is active in, whereas the boldness of the footprint shows how widespread (across modes and locations) firms' international activities are, compared to other firms with similar extent. Extent describes the complexity of international activities, and boldness captures the risk-taking associated with operating in less know contexts. Consistent with a microfoundations lens on global strategy, we find that boldness correlates with managerial risk-taking attributes, while the extent of internationalization strongly correlates with capabilities conducive to managing more complex operations. These measures offer a highly suitable tool for analyzing the relationship between internationalization and performance.

Group & Organization Management 48(3) Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/10596011211060952

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) develop structural configurations for managing their geographically dispersed and disaggregated activities. These structures can be classified as (a) simple headquarters configurations (involves corporate, regional, divisional headquarters and mandated units) involving few direct reporting relationships; (b) network organizations involving no direct reporting relationships; and (c) matrix configurations involving multiple reporting relationships. While these structures are built for handling various complexities and purposes, it is unclear how they influence subsidiary role and capability development. We hypothesize how these structures influence subsidiary development and propose a moderating role of MNE establishment mode on the direct structure-subsidiary development relationship. Based on data from 429 foreign subsidiaries in New Zealand, our results show that subsidiary development varies across the structures such that simple headquarters configurations experience the least opportunities to develop. While the matrix and network structures as complex configurations offer distinct paths to subsidiary development, subsidiaries managed under the former are more likely to follow the developmental path of networking and interunit learning, and the subsidiaries managed under the latter are more likely to follow the path of autonomy and innovation. Furthermore, the positive association of network structure with subsidiary initiatives and autonomy is stronger for greenfield subsidiaries, whereas the positive association of matrix structure with subsidiary mandates is stronger for acquired subsidiaries

German Journal of Human Resource Management 34(3) p. 291-323 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/2397002219898184

This article examines the relationship between subsidiary country manager-level factors and subsidiary development. As existing research on subsidiaries in multinational enterprises has focused on the organizational level, thus overlooking the individual level, it offers little insight regarding the role and importance of country managers for subsidiaries. Drawing upon upper echelons theory, resource-dependence theory, and the resource-based view, we argue that subsidiary development is contingent on country manager characteristics, and that country manager assignments are less likely when the host country is perceived as being of limited strategic importance to the multinational enterprise. Survey data from 429 foreign-owned subsidiaries in New Zealand provide support for our hypotheses. We derive some theoretical and managerial implications based on the findings.

Journal of International Business Studies Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00388-w

International business (IB) scholars’ over-reliance on a select few theories leaves our understanding of firm internationalization incomplete. The behavioral theory of the firm (BTF) can offer new insights and can be used to model a broad range of firm actions. We focus on the three basic BTF components: problemistic search, learning by doing, and vicarious learning. These components help us understand why firm behaviors are more dynamic and heterogeneous than other theories allow. BTF, with its emphasis on how firms assess performance according to aspiration levels, selectively learn and update routines, and selectively incorporate the learning of others, is better suited to examine the diversity and change increasingly observed in internationalization decisions. We explain why scholars should move beyond “dynamizing” static theories and show BTF’s applicability to behaviors involving change such as multi-mode market entries and market re-entries. BTF also helps examine the decision to internationalize in the first place, nascent firm internationalization, location choices, international market adaptation, and headquarter–subsidiary relationships. We encourage IB scholars to use theories that can handle the complexity increasingly associated with modern firm growth, and propose BTF as a promising starting point.

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.013.395

British Journal of Management 32(2) p. 416-434 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12407

Globalization has motivated firms to expand into foreign markets, but internationalization is inherently dynamic. Many firms have exited foreign markets for various reasons, but some later decide to re‐enter those same markets. Based on a case study of a Brazilian multinational's activities in Mexico, this study contributes to the literature on re‐entry decisions of multinational enterprises and their outcomes, focusing on the roles of institutional voids and the experiences of decision‐makers during such processes. The findings suggest that companies learn from their mistakes and reconsider how they approach re‐entry and the resources that may need to be mobilized. However, the learning process is not straightforward as it is clouded by international knowledge myopia. This study highlights how multiple actors and considerations influence re‐entry events.

Fagbokforlaget

Journal of International Business Studies 50(8) p. 1414-1423 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-019-00218-8

In a research note in this issue, Strange and Humphrey discuss how a global value chain (GVC) approach serves to usefully move internalization theory towards a better understanding of the increasingly important ‘middle ground’ between markets and hierarchies in the contemporary highly globalized international business scene. After a brief recount of their main arguments, we argue that their discussion needs to the extended, as it does not adequately recognize important differences between internalization theory and the GVC approach. Specifically, the approaches differ on the notions of efficiency, opportunism, and level of analysis. We then argue that internalization theory can benefit from the systemic view implied in the GVC approach, and discuss the role of trust as a coordinating mechanism in international business. This leads to a more general discussion of internalization theory and the difficulty of encompassing dynamic considerations such as learning and foreign operation mode combinations and flexibility within value chain interdependencies. We conclude with a research agenda that flows from our discussion.

European Journal of International Management 13(6) p. 757-784 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIM.2018.10014158

This study examines the roles and strategies of foreign-owned subsidiaries in New Zealand, with the aim to develop an improved classification of subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNE). Previous research has proposed a range of subsidiary classifications indicating various ways in which subsidiaries can be distinguished. There are, however, still concerns that critical contingencies, such as the subsidiary development capacity and its own strategy, remain ignored. This study addresses these gaps by drawing on network theory to develop a novel and overarching subsidiary classification framework. Based on the framework, it empirically derives a three-part subsidiary classification: entrepreneurial, constrained autonomous, and constrained. The empirical classification is based on data from 429 foreign subsidiaries in New Zealand. Implications for theory, public policy, and management practice are made.

Journal of International Business Studies 50(8) p. 1310-1337 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-019-00237-5

We use internalization theory to analyze the establishment and entry mode decisions of state-owned (SOE) and privately owned (POE) enterprises. We enrich internalization theory by building on insights from economic theory of corporate governance and taking into account particular characteristics of SOEs such as non-economic motivations, long-term orientation, and different risk preferences. We examine foreign entries over a 10-year period in the Canadian oil and gas industry. This single-country and single-industry context features foreign SOEs and POEs from a wide range of home countries, allowing a focused study of the combined influence of state ownership and home-country factors. Compared to POEs, SOEs tend to prefer acquiring stand-alone assets rather than firms, and to take lower ownership shares. We also find that differences between SOEs and POEs diminish when home countries are characterized by high government quality and market orientation and identify differences between types of SOEs, with partially owned SOEs exhibiting behaviors more similar to POEs than fully owned SOEs. We demonstrate how our enrichment of internalization theory strengthens its predictive and explanatory capacity. Our results also show that SOEs from strong and market-oriented institutional environments are similar to POEs and can be studied using the traditional internalization theory.

Journal of Organization Design 8(1) p. 1-24 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41469-019-0052-y

This study examines how subsidiaries in multinational corporations (MNCs) experience interactions with corporate headquarters. We conceptualize such interactions in terms of organizing costs, focusing on two key types of costs: bargaining costs and information costs. Specifically, we examine how distance, coordination mechanisms, and atmosphere influence the level of organizing costs in the headquarter-subsidiary relationship. Using survey data collected among 104 subsidiary managers in two MNCs, we show that relationship atmosphere significantly reduces both types of organizing costs, whereas distance increases bargaining costs. We also find that centralization and formalization reduce information costs, whereas social integration, contrary to our hypothesis, increases bargaining costs.

Asia Pacific Business Review 24(1) p. 90-115 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2017.1357316

Using the Antecedents, Decisions and Outcomes (ADO) format as an organizing framework, this article gives an overview of the literature on different dimensions and characteristics of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) by firms from emerging countries. Based on an extensive coverage of studies published over a period of nearly 25 years between 1993 and 2017, we review extant research on this phenomenon from mainly China, as well as other emerging countries. We identify advances and analytical areas of OFDI research and pinpoint the key theories, methodologies, observed characteristics and the variables that have been examined in this growing research literature. Many areas of the above research themes remain underexplored, despite recent significant advancements, and may provide directions for future research

Journal of International Business Studies Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-018-0194-0

Edward Elgar Publishing

International Business Review Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2018.12.009

MIR. Management International Review: journal of international business 58(3) p. 389-411 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-017-0335-x

Transaction cost theory (TCT) plays a major role in theorizing about the boundaries of the multinational enterprise (MNE), and is increasingly being applied to intra-MNE governance. We apply TCT to capital structure decisions for MNE subsidiaries. According to TCT, equity and debt are not just financial instruments, but alternative governance structures. Equity is useful for projects involving specific assets that do not serve well as collateral, and for knowledge intensive activities where information asymmetry and public good issues make external financing more costly. We study under what conditions MNE headquarters may wish to partially re-introduce market mechanisms inside the MNE through the use of external or internal debt to finance subsidiaries. This can allow economizing on governance costs and strengthen subsidiary manager incentives, but may be inappropriate if subsidiary assets are MNE-specific or subsidiary-specific. Empirically testable propositions are developed.

Journal of International Business Studies 49(8) p. 1033-1059 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-017-0089-5

We draw on a social network perspective to explain multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) propensity to distribute their operations unevenly across various regions of the world. We focus on how the positioning of MNEs in their domestic network of strategic alliances affects their geographic scope, i.e., whether they concentrate on their home region or expand beyond it. We theorize that embeddedness in alliance networks constitutes a double-edged sword to the geographic scope of MNEs. Strong embeddedness in domestic alliance networks drives the development of location-bound firm-specific advantages (FSAs), which may narrow down MNEs’ geographic scope. In contrast, moderate embeddedness leads to more non-location-bound FSAs, which reduce liability of foreignness, and hence motivate MNEs to widen their geographical scope. We thus predict a non-linear relationship between domestic alliance network embeddedness and MNE geographic scope. Furthermore, the impact of the domestic alliance network on MNE geographic scope hinges on the organizational ability to efficiently and effectively absorb resources stemming from the network. We test our hypotheses using FDI data from 302 US MNEs in the information and communication technology industry for the period of 2001–2008, and generally find robust support for the hypothesized relationships.

Progress in International Business Research 12 p. 517-538 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1745-886220170000012004

Research in Global Strategic Management 17 p. 165-189 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1064-485720160000017007

Perspectives on Headquarters – Subsidiary Relationships in the Contemporary MNC p. 165-189 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1064-485720160000017007

Global Strategy Journal 6(2) p. 149-159 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1115

We discuss the concept of corporate headquarters and outline a simple model of where MNEs locate their corporate headquarters. In line with substantial empirical evidence, this model emphasizes the inertial forces that tie MNEs to the location where they have historically first been established. We then aggregate our analysis to the national level to identify the determinants of the number of MNE headquarters in a given country. On that basis, we offer a critique of the study by Coeurderoy and Verbeke [this issue], and outline directions for future research.

Global Strategy Journal 6(4) p. 269-288 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1138

Plain language summary: We investigate whether listed state-owned enterprises (SOEs) benefit more from internationalization than listed private enterprises. We argue that SOEs have a greater scope for benefitting from internationalization due to their previous domestic focus and because of government-related firm-specific advantages they can utilize for their internationalization. In listed SOEs, these factors may matter more than non-economic objectives and corporate governance deficiencies that could reduce SOEs’ economic benefits from internationalization. Empirical analysis on a sample of listed Norwegian firms provides modest support for the hypotheses. There is no indication that state ownership reduces the benefits of internationalization. Technical summary: We consider state ownership as a moderator of the relationship between internationalization and performance in listed firms, developing theoretical arguments on the scope for benefits from internationalization, corporate governance, and government-related firm-specific advantages. We propose hypotheses on a positive moderation effect from state ownership overall and on more positive effects in majority state-owned enterprises (SOEs) than in minority SOEs, on more positive effects in SOEs previously part of the government administration, and on more positive effects from market-seeking internationalization than from efficiency or resource-seeking internationalization. Panel data analyses considering listed Norwegian firms (2000 to 2010) provide modest support for the hypotheses. Copyright © 2016 Strategic Management Society.

Multinational Business Review 23(1) p. 15-24 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-02-2015-0005

Purpose – The article provides a discussion of the relevance of motives for companies’ internationalization. Design/methodology/approach – Conceptual discussion building on established classifications of motives of internationalization, which distinguish between market-seeking, efficiency-seeking, resource-seeking and strategic asset-seeking motives. Findings – The analysis demonstrates that important issues in companies’ internationalization differ systematically across different types of motives, which implicates that motives remain relevant when analyzing various aspects of the internationalization of the firm. Motives are also useful elements for theory building in international business. Research limitations/implications – The analysis is purely conceptual and is not further substantiated by empirical evidence. Practical implications – The classification of motives is a useful tool for companies to analyze their strategic alternatives and actions, especially with regard to performance measurement. Social implications – A clear classification of the various motives for companies’ foreign activities is essential for formulation of sound policies about attraction/stimulation and regulation of companies’ inbound and outbound internationalization. Originality/value – The article demonstrates the importance of retaining a clear classification of motives as a basis for further development of a theory of firms’ internationalization behavior.

Advances in International Management 27 p. 75-97 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1571-502720140000027002

International Studies of Management and Organization 43(1) p. 81-100 Doi: https://doi.org/10.2753/IMO0020-8825430104

Research on companies’ internationalization has mainly focused on firm-level and country-level factors in order to explain firms’ cross-border activities. With the exception of a limited number of studies emphasizing rivalistic behavior in oligopolistic industries, industry factors have been neglected as potential determinants of companies’ internationalization. We argue that differences across industries with regard to concentration, research intensity, tangibility of the products, and the existence of clusters should influence the impetus and opportunities to internationalize. This study examines the role of such factors using panel data covering the internationalization patterns of the 100 largest non-financial Norwegian companies over the period 1990 to 2000. We find that even for firms in a small population advanced economy where the limited market size in itself motivates firms to internationalize, industry factors still contribute significantly to explaining the internationalization of these companies. Furthermore, the effects of industry factors remain strong when firm-level characteristics are taken into account.

Industrial Marketing Management 42(2) p. 211-222 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2012.08.003

Based on a case study of the Danish company SimCorp and the development of its operations in Kiev, Ukraine, we analyse offshore outsourcing in a broader, longitudinal foreign operation mode context, and how it may contribute to mode change in the host country over a certain span of time. SimCorp had outsourced part of its software development work to two Ukrainian companies. The case study approach allowed us to explore the dynamic processes in depth. The study shows that involvement in the foreign market generates learning in various forms that provide a foundation for eventual mode development or change – beyond outsourcing specific learning. At the same time, restrictions on 3rd parties’, that is, independent vendors’ access to confidential client data, as well as protection of specific investments in human assets, may eventually become a driver for mode change, as in the SimCorp case, to ensure more effective control of the foreign operation. Finally, the case study shows how outsourcing can be used proactively as a springboard to deeper and changed operation mode activities in a foreign market.

Journal of International Management 18(3) p. 233-246 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2012.02.002

According to transaction cost and internalization theories of multinational enterprises, companies make foreign direct investments (FDI) when the combined costs of operations and governance are lower for FDI than for market or contract based options, such as exports and licensing. Yet, ex post governance costs remain a conjectural construct, which has evaded empirical scrutiny, and the lack of focus on the implications of these costs constitutes a challenge for management in multinational companies (MNCs). What effects does the ensuing establishment of subsidiaries abroad have in terms of governance costs? What factors drive these costs? We hypothesize that such costs are driven by external contingencies as well as factors that characterize a particular company headquarters-subsidiary relationship. Using survey data from Norwegian MNCs, this study investigates 159 MNC-subsidiary relationships. Overall, our framework is corroborated by the data.

Handbook of research on international strategic management p. 93-115 Doi: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781009147.00011

Advances in International Management 24 p. 127-152 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1571-5027(2011)0000024013

Journal of Management Studies 48(2) p. 373-394 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2010.00962.x

Management International Review (MIR) 51(6) p. 803-820 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-011-0101-4

An enduring characteristic of extant literature on foreign operation modes is its discrete choice approach, where companies are assumed to choose one among a small number of distinctive alternatives. • In this paper, detailed information about the operations of six Norwegian companies in three key markets (China, UK and USA) is used as the basis for an exploration of the extent to which, and how and why, companies combine clearly different foreign operation modes. We examine their use of foreign operation mode combinations within given value activities as well as within given countries. • The study reveals that companies tend to combine modes of operation; thereby producing unique foreign operation mode “packages” for given activities and/or countries, and that the packages are liable to be modified over time – providing a potentially important optional path for international expansion. • The data show considerable variation across cases; ranging from extensive use of mode combinations to a singular focus on a specific mode of operation. The study contributes to a refinement of our understanding of the path of internationalisation, and throws up a number of awkward theoretical questions about the process.

Inward and Outward FDI Country Profiles p. 170-182

Management International Review (MIR) 50(2) p. 137-154 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-010-0031-6

Managing the Contemporary Multinational: The Role of Headquarters p. 138-159

Management International Review (MIR) 50(6) p. 659-681 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-010-0059-7

International Business Review 18(3) p. 292-304 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2009.02.005

European Management Journal 27(6) p. 388-401 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2008.11.005

Journal of International Business Studies 40(9) p. 1455-1470 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2009.54

International Business Review 18(2) p. 145-155 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2009.01.002

A.Y. Lewin, D. Griffith, S.T. Cavusgil and G.T.M. Hult (eds.), Thought Leadership in Advancing International Business Research p. 57-78

Journal of Management Studies 45(7) p. 1244-1273

Elsevier

International Marketing, Volume III, Masaaki Kotabe (ed)

Edward Elgar Publishing

Palgrave Macmillan

Multinationals on the Periphery, Gabriel R.G. Benito & Rajneesh Narula (eds)

Multinationals on the Periphery, Gabriel R.G. Benito & Rajneesh Narula (eds)

Advances in International Marketing 16 p. 317-339

Journal of Economic Geography 5(2) p. 235-251

This paper deals with divestment, i.e., the closure or sell-off of units in foreign locations, or conversely units owned by foreign firms. Such actions are discussed from the perspective of the firms making such decisions, and divestment assessments are looked at through the lens of international business strategy. Based on the integration-responsiveness framework of international business strategy, it is argued that the divestment propensities of foreign subsidiaries depend on the type of strategy pursued by the corporation. Subsidiaries of transnational corporations are in general likely to display the highest divestment rates. Whereas subsidiaries forming part of international and multi-domestic strategies may have the lowest divestment likelihood initially, subsidiaries established as part of a global strategy are expected to be the least probable to be divested in the longer run.

Scandinavian Journal of Management p. 101-126

Managerial and Decision Economics (MDE) 26(3) p. 159-173

Journal of Business Research 58(12) p. 1672-1680

International Journal of Transport Management 2(1) p. 203-215

J. Cantwell and R. Narula (eds.): International Business and the Eclectic Paradigm: Developing the OLI Framework p. 174-199

Journal of International Business Studies 34 p. 443-456

Industrial Marketing Management 32(5) p. 385-396

Network Knowledge in International Business p. 216-231

International Business Review 11 p. 325-345

International Studies of Management and Organization 32(1) p. 57-78

Trade and investment in a globalising world/ed. by Rajneesh Narula

The Emergence and Impact of MNC Centres of Excellence p. 97-112

International Studies of Management and Organization 32(1) p. 57-78

Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing 11(2) p. 1-21

The international trade journal 13(2) p. 187-209

Scandinavian Journal of Management 15 p. 213-229

Globalisering - drivkrefter og konsekvenser. BI årbok 1998 p. 122-135

Internationalization and Foreing Direct Investment Behavior in OECD and Asian Countries

Asian Journal of Business & Information Systems 3(1) p. 1-19

Applied Economics 29(10) p. 1365-1377

The Nature of the International Firm p. 309-344

Management International Review (MIR) 37 p. 7-25

Eierskap og kapital som konkurransefaktor p. 103-122

Økonomi & politik 69(1) p. 33-45

The international trade journal 10(2) p. 157-198

The Location of Foreign Direct Investment: Geographic and Business Approaches p. 43-58

Journal of Business Research 32(2) p. 141-148

The Economics of Change in East and Central Europe: Its Impact on International Business p. 221-234

Journal of International Marketing 2(2) p. 7-27

International Journal of Information Management 13(4) p. 274-286

Journal of International Business Studies 23(3) p. 461-476

Praktisk økonomi og ledelse 7(1) p. 109-117