What is a multinational corporation? Classifying the degree of firm-level multinationality

International Business Review

Volumn 20, Issue 5, 2011, Pages 557-577

  Aggarwal, Raj ^a   Berrill, Jenny ^b   Hutson, Elaine ^c   Kearney, Colm ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF AKRON   (United States)

^b TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN   (Ireland)

^c UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN   (Ireland)

Author keywords

Classification systems; Firm multinationality; Internationalisation theory

Indexed keywords

EID: 79960159142     PISSN: 09695931     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2010.11.004     Document Type: Article

References (166)

1. Aggarwal R., Agmon T. The international success of developing country firms: Role of government-directed comparative advantage. Management International Review 1990, 30(2):163-180.
2. Agmon T., Lessard D. Investor recognition of corporate international diversification. Journal of Finance 1977, 32(4):1049-1055.
3. Aguilera, R. V., Flores, R. G., & Vaaler, P. M. (2007). Is it all a matter of grouping? Examining the regional effect in global strategy research. In S. Tallman (ed.). International strategic management: A new generation (pp. 209-228). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
4. Agular M.A., Bhattacharya A., Bradke T., et al. The new global challenge: How 100 top companies from rapidly developing economies are changing the world 2006, Boston Consulting Group, Boston, MA.
5. Aharoni Y. The Foreign Investment Decision Process 1966, Harvard University, Boston.
6. Aharoni Y. On the definition of a multinational corporation. Quarterly Review of Economics and Business 1971, 11:27-37.
7. Aharoni Y. Book review: Alan M Rugman, The regional multinationals. MNEs and global strategic management. International Business Review 2006, 15/4:439-446.
8. Ahmad, K., Zheng, C., & Kearney, C. (2008). A hierarchical self-organised classification of 'multinational' corporations. IDEAL Intelligent Data Engineering and Automated Learning (pp. 464-472). Heidelberg: Springer Berlin.
9. Allen L., Pantzalis C. Valuation of the operating flexibility of multinational corporations. Journal of International Business Studies 1996, 27(4):633-653.
10. Andersen O. Internationalization and market entry mode: A review of theories and conceptual frameworks. Management International Review 1997, 37(2):7-42.
11. Anderson E., Gatignon H. Modes of foreign entry: A transaction cost analysis and propositions. Journal of International Business Studies 1986, 17(3):1-26.
12. Archibugi D., Michie J. The globalisation of technology: A new taxonomy. Cambridge Journal of Economics 1995, 19:121-140.
13. Arregle J.-L., Beamish P.W., Hébert L. The regional dimension of MNEs' foreign subsidiary localization. Journal of International Business Studies 2009, 40(1):86-107.
14. Asmussen C.G. Local, regional or global? Quantifying MNE geographic scope. Journal of International Business Studies 2009, 40(7):1192-1205.
15. Aulakh P.S. Emerging multinationals from developing economies: Motivations, paths, performance. Journal of International Management 2007, 13:235-240.
16. Aulakh P.S, Kotabe M., Teegen H. Export strategies and performance of firms from emerging economies: Evidence from Brazil, Chile and Mexico. Academy of Management Journal 2000, 43(3):342-361.
17. Barkema H.G., Drogendijk R. Internationalising in small, incremental or large steps?. Journal of International Business Studies 2007, 38(7):1132-1148.
18. Barry F., Kearney C. MNEs and industrial structure in host countries: A portfolio analysis of Irish manufacturing. Journal of International Business Studies 2006, 37(3):392-406.
19. Bartlett C., Ghoshal S. Managing across borders: The transnational solution 1989, Harvard Business School Press, Boston.
20. Bausch A., Krist M. The effect of context-related moderators on the internationalization-performance relationship: Evidence from meta-analysis. Management International Review 2007, 47(3):319-347.
21. Berrill J., Kearney C. Firm-level internationalisation and the home bias puzzle. Journal of Economics and Business 2010, 62(4):235-256.
22. Bodnar G.M., Dumas B., Marston R.C. Pass-through and exposure. Journal of Finance 2002, 57(1):199-231.
23. Borsodi R. The definition of definition 1967, Porter Sargent, Boston.
24. Brewer H. Investor benefits from corporate international diversification. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 1981, 16(1):113-126.
25. Brouthers K.D., Hennart J.-F. Boundaries of the firm: Insights from international entry mode research. Journal of Management 2007, 33(3):395-425.
26. Brouthers L., Werner S., Matulich E. The influence of triad nations' environments on price-quality product strategies and MNC performance. Journal of International Business Studies 2000, 31(1):39-62.
27. Buckley P.J., Chapman M. The perception and measurement of transaction costs. Cambridge Journal of Economics 1997, 21:127-145.
28. Buckley P.J., Clegg J., Forsans N., Reilly K.T. Increasing the size of the country: Regional economic integration and foreign direct investment in a globalised world economy. Management International Review 2001, 41(3):251-274.
29. Buckley P.J., Ghauri P.N. Globalization, economic geography and the strategy of multinational enterprises. Journal of International Business Studies 2004, 35(2):81-98.
30. Buckley P.J., Lessard D.R. Regaining the edge for international business research. Journal of International Business Studies 2005, 36(6):595-599.
31. Cai, F., Warnock, F. E. (2004). International diversification at home and abroad. International Finance Discussion Papers. Number 793.
32. Campa J.M., Guillen M.F. The internalization of exports: Firm- and location-specific factors in a middle-income country. Management Science 1999, 45(11):1463-1478.
33. Canabal A., White G.O. Entry mode research: Past and future. International Business Review 2008, 17(3):267-284.
34. Carper W.B., Snizek W.E. The nature and types of organizational taxonomies: An overview. Academy of Management Review 1980, 5(1):65-75.
35. Casper S. Creating Silicon Valley in Europe: Public policy towards new technology industries 2007, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
36. Caves R.E. Multinational enterprises and economic analysis 1982, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
37. Chrisman J.J., Hofer C.W., Boulton W.R. Toward a system for classifying business strategies. Academy of Management Review 1988, 13(3):413-428.
38. Collinson S., Rugman A. The regional nature of Japanese multinational business. Journal of International Business Studies 2008, 39(2):215-230.
39. Contractor F.J. Is international business good for companies? The evolutionary or multistage of internationalisation vs. the transaction cost perspective. Management International Review 2007, 47(3):453-475.
40. Cuervo-Cazurra A. The multinationalization of developing country MNEs: The case of multilatiners. Journal of International Management 2008, 14(2):138-154.
41. Cuervo-Cazurra A., Genc M. Transforming disadvantages into advantages: Developing-country MNEs in the least developed countries. Journal of International Business Studies 2008, 39(6):957-979.
42. Cui G., Lui H.K. Order of entry and performance of multinational corporations in an emerging market: A contingent resource perspective. Journal of International Marketing 2005, 13(4):28-56.
43. Dess G.G., Newport S., Rasheed A.M.A. Configuration research in strategic management: Key issues and suggestions. Journal of Management 1993, 19(4):775-795.
44. Doremus P.N., Keller W.E., Pauly L.W., Reich S. The myth of the global corporation 1998, Princeton University Press.
45. Doti D.H., Glick W.H. Typologies as a unique form of theory building: Toward improved understanding and modeling. Academy of Management Review 1994, 19(2):230-251.
46. Douglas S., Craig C. Examining performance of US multinationals in foreign markets. Journal of International Business Studies 1983, 14(3):51-62.
47. Dun and Bradstreet. (2005/06). Who owns whom? London Dun and Bradstreet International.
48. Dunning J. Trade, location of economic activity and MNE: A search for an eclectic approach. The international allocation of economic activity 1977, Macmillan, London. B. Ohlin, P.O. Hesselborn, P.J. Wijkmann (Eds.).
49. Dunning J. Multinational enterprises and the global economy 1993, Addison-Wesley, London.
50. Dunning J. The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic and business theories of MNE activity. International Business Review 2000, 9(2):163-190.
51. Dunning J. Location and the multinational enterprise: A neglected factor?. Journal of International Business Studies 2009, 40(1):5-19.
52. Dunning J., Fujita M., Yakova N. Some macro-data on the regionalisation/globalisation debate: A comment on the Rugman/Verbeke analysis. Journal of International Business Studies 2007, 38(1):177-199.
53. Earl M. Knowledge management strategies: Towards a taxonomy. Journal of Management Information Systems 2001, 18(1):215-233.
54. Eden L. Letter from the editor-in-chief. Journal of International Business Studies 2008, 39(1):177-179.
55. Erramilli K.M., Rao C.P. Choice of foreign market entry modes by service firms: Role of market knowledge. Management International Review 1990, 30(2):135-150.
56. Errunza V., Hogan K., Hung M. Can the gains from international diversification be achieved without trading abroad?. Journal of Finance 1999, 54(6):2075-2107.
57. Fatemi A. Shareholder benefits from corporate international diversification. Journal of Finance 1984, 39(5):1325-1344.
58. Fillis I. Small firm internationalisation: An investigative survey and future research directions. Management Decision 2001, 39(9):767-783.
59. Flores R.G., Aguilera R.V. Globalization and location choice: An analysis of US multinational firms in 1980 and 2000. Journal of International Business Studies 2007, 38(7):1187-1210.
60. Florida, R. (2005). The world is spiky. The Atlantic Monthly, October.
61. Friedman T. The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century 2005, Straus and Giroux, New YorkFarrar.
62. Gertler M.S. Best practice? Geography, learning and the institutional limits to strong convergence. Journal of Economic Geography 2001, 1:5-26.
63. Ghemawat P Distance still matters: The hard reality of global expansion. Harvard Business Review 2001, 79(8):137-147.
64. Ghemawat P. Semiglobalisation and international business strategy. Journal of International Business Studies 2003, 34(1):138-152.
65. Ghemawat P. Regional strategies for global leadership. Harvard Business Review 2005, 83(12):98-108.
66. Glaum M., Oesterle M.-J. 40 years of research on internationalization and firm performance: More questions than answers?. Management International Review 2007, 47(3):307-317.
67. Goerzon A., Beamish P.W. Geographic scope and multinational enterprise performance. Strategic Management Journal 2003, 24(13):1289-1306.
68. Goldstein A. Multinational companies from emerging economies 2007, Palgrave MacMillan, New York.
69. Gomes L., Ramaswamy K. An empirical examination of the form of the relationship between multinationality and performance. Journal of International Business Studies 1999, 30(1):173-188.
70. Govindarajan V., Gupta A. The quest for global dominance: Transforming global presence into global comparative advantage 2008, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. second edition.
71. Grant R. Multinationality and performance among British manufacturing companies. Journal of International Business Studies 1987, 18(3):79-90.
72. Greenberg J. A taxonomy of organisational structure theories. Academy of Management Review 1987, 12(1):9-22.
73. Griffith D., Chandra A., Ryans J. Examining the intricacies of promotion standardisation: Factors influencing advertising message and packaging. Journal of International Marketing 2003, 11(3):30-47.
74. Guillen M.F., Garcia-Canal E. The American model of the multinational firm and the 'new' multinationals from emerging economies. Academy of Management Perspectives 2009, 23(2):23-35.
75. Gupta A.K., Wang H. Getting China and India right 2009, Josey-Bass Wiley.
76. Hambrick D.C. Taxonomic approaches to studying strategy: Some conceptual and methodological issues. Journal of Management 1984, 10(1):27-41.
77. Han C., Kim J. Korean marketing in China: An exploratory analysis of strategy-performance relationships. Journal of International Marketing 2003, 11/2:79-100.
78. Harzing A. An empirical analysis and extension of the Bartlett and Ghoshal typology of multinational companies. Journal of International Business Studies 2000, 31(1):101-120.
79. Hashai N., Almor T. Gradually internationalizing 'Born Global' firms: An oxymoron?. International Business Review 2004, 13(4):465-483.
80. Hennart J.-F. Control in multinational firms: The role of price and hierarchy. Management International Review 1991, 31(special issue):71-96.
81. Hennart J.-F. The theoretical rationale for a multinationality/performance relationship. Management International Review 2007, 47(3):423-452.
82. Hill C.W.L., Hwang P., Kim W.C. An eclectic theory of the choice of international entry mode. Strategic Management Journal 1990, 11(2):117-128.
83. Hirsch S., Lev B. Sales stabilization through export diversification. Review of Economics and Statistics 1971, 53(3):270-277.
84. Hoskisson E., Eden L., Lau M.C., Wright M. Strategy in emerging economies. Academy of Management Journal 2000, 43(3):249-267.
85. Hughes J., Logue D., Sweeney R. Corporate international diversification and market assigned measures of risk and diversification. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 1975, 10(4):627-637.
86. Hull D.L. The effect of essentialism on taxonomy-2000 years of stasis (I). The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 1965, 15(60):314-326.
87. Hutson E., Stevenson S. Openness, hedging incentives and exchange exposure: A firm-level multi-country study. Journal of International Business Studies 2010, 41(1):105-122.
88. Hutzschenreuter Y., Pederson P., Volberda H.W. The role of path dependency and managerial intentionality: A perspective on international business research. Journal of International Business Studies 2007, 38(7):1055-1068.
89. Jacquillat B., Solnik B. Multinationals are poor tools for diversification. Journal of Portfolio Management 1978, 4(2):8-12.
90. Johanson J., Vahlne J. The internationalization process of the firm: A model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitments. Journal of International Business Studies 1977, 8(1):23-32.
91. Johanson J., Weidersheim-Paul F. The internationalization of the firm: Four Swedish cases. Journal of Management Studies 1975, 12(3):305-322.
92. Jones G., Khanna T. Bringing history (back) into international business. Journal of International Business Studies 2006, 37(4):453-468.
93. Jones M.V., Coviello N.E. Internationalisation: Conceptualising an entrepreneurial process of behaviour in time. Journal of International Business Studies 2005, 36(3):284-303.
94. Kali R., Reyes J. The architecture of globalization: A network approach to international economic integration. Journal of International Business Studies 2007, 38(4):595-620.
95. Kenny, M. (Ed.). (2000). Understanding Silicon Valley: The anatomy of an entrepreneurial region. Palo Alto, Ca: Stanford University Press.
96. Ketchen D.J., Shook C.L. The application of cluster analysis in strategic management research: An analysis and critique. Strategic Management Journal 1996, 17(6):441-458.
97. Khanna T., Palepu K.G., Sinha J. Strategies that fit emerging markets. Harvard Business Review 2005, 83(6):63-76.
98. Knight G.A., Cavusgil S.T. The born global firm: A challenge to traditional internationalization theory. Advances in international marketing 1996, 11-26. Jai Press, New York. S.T. Cavusgil (Ed.).
99. Kogut B., Zander U. Knowledge of the firm and the evolutionary theory of the multinational corporation. Journal of International Business Studies 1993, 24(4):625-645.
100. Kotabe M., Srinivasan S., Aulakh P. Multinationality and firm performance: The moderating role of R&D and marketing capabilities. Journal of International Business Studies 2002, 33(1):79-97.
101. Krum J., Rau P.A. Organizational responses of US multinationals to EC-1992: An empirical study. Journal of International Marketing 1993, 1(2):49-71.
102. Kuhn T. The structure of scientific revolutions 1962, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
103. Kwok C., Reeb D. Internationalization and firm risk: An upstream-downstream hypothesis. Journal of International Business Studies 2000, 31(4):611-629.
104. Law K.S., Wong C.-S., Mobeley W.H. Toward a taxonomy of multidimensional constructs. The Academy of Management Review 1998, 23(4):741-755.
105. Leamer E.E., Storper M. The economic geography of the internet age. Journal of International Business Studies 2001, 32(4):641-665.
106. Lecraw D. Performance of transnational corporations in less developed countries. Journal of International Business Studies 1983, 14(1):15-34.
107. Liu H., Pak K. How important is marketing in China today to Sino-foreign joint ventures?. European Management Journal 1999, 17(5):546-554.
108. Logue D. An experiment in international diversification. Journal of Portfolio Management 1982, 9(1):22-27.
109. Lösch A. The economics of location 1954, Yale University Press.
110. Marks M.A., Mathieu J.E., Zaccaro S.J. A temporally based framework and taxonomy of team processes. Academy of Management Review 2001, 26(3):356-376.
111. Markusan A. Sticky paces in slippery space: A typology of industrial districts. Economic Geography 1996, 72(3):293-313.
112. Martin R. The new geographical turn in economics: Some critical reflections. Cambridge Journal of Economics 1999, 23:65-91.
113. Mathur I., Singh M., Gleason K. The evidence from Canadian firms on multinational diversification and performance. Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 2001, 41(4):561-578.
114. Matthews J.A., Zander I. The international entrepreneurial dynamics of accelerated internationalization. Journal of International Business Studies 2007, 38(3):387-403.
115. McCarthy I., Ridgway K., Leseure M., Fieller N. Organisational diversity, evolution and cladistic classifications. Omega International Journal of Management Science 2000, 28(1):77-95.
116. McGee J., Thomas H. Strategic groups: Theory, research and taxonomy. Strategic Management Journal 1986, 7(2):141-160.
117. McGinnis M.A., Kohn J.W. A factor analytic study of logistics strategy. Journal of Business Logistics 1990, 11(2):41-63.
118. McKelvey B. Guidelines for the empirical classification of organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly 1975, 20(4):509-525.
119. McKelvey B. Organizational systematics: Taxonomic lessons from biology. Management Science 1978, 24(13):1428-1440.
120. McKelvey B. Organizational systematics: Taxonomy, evolution, classification 1982, University of California Press, Berkley.
121. Michel A., Shaked I. Multinational corporations vs domestic corporations: Financial performance and characteristics. Journal of International Business Studies 1986, 17(3):89-100.
122. Mikhail A., Shawky H. Investment performance of US based multinational corporations. Journal of International Business Studies 1979, 10(1):53-66.
123. Miller D. Configurations revisited. Strategic Management Journal 1996, 17(7):505-512.
124. Miller J., Pras B. The effects of multinational and export diversification on the profit stability of US corporations. Southern Economic Review 1979, 46(3):792-805.
125. Miller J., Roth A. A taxonomy of manufacturing strategies. Management Science 1994, 40(3):285-304.
126. Mishra C., Gobeli D. Managerial incentives, internalization, and market valuation of multinational firms. Journal of International Business Studies 1998, 29(3):583-597.
127. Morrison A.J., Roth K. A taxonomy of business-level strategies in global industries. Strategic Management Journal 1992, 13(6):399-417.
128. Nachum L., Zaheer S. The persistence of distance? The impact of technology on MNE motivations for foreign investment. Strategic Management Journal 2005, 26(8):747-767.
129. Ohmae K. Triad power: The coming shape of global competition 1985, The Free Press, New York.
130. Osegowitsch T., Sammartino A. Reassessing (home-) regionalisation. Journal of International Business Studies 2008, 39(2):184-196.
131. Oviatt B.M., McDougall P.P. Toward a theory of international new ventures. Journal of International Business Studies 1994, 25(1):45-64.
132. Oviatt B.M., McDougall P.P. Towards a theory of international new ventures. Journal of International Business Studies 2005, 36(1):29-41.
133. Pantzalis C., Simkins B.J., Laux P.A. Operational hedges and the foreign exchange exposure of US multinational corporations. Journal of International Business Studies 2001, 32(4):793-812.
134. Pavitt K. Sectoral patterns of technical change: Towards a taxonomy and a theory. Research Policy 1984, 13(6):343-373.
135. Peneder M. Technological regimes and the variety of innovation behaviour: Creating integrated taxonomies of firms and sectors. Research Policy 2010, 39(3):323-334.
136. Perlmutter H. The tortuous evolution of the multinational corporation. Columbia Journal of World Business 1969, 4(1):9-18.
137. Popper K. Conjectures and refutations 1978, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.
138. Ramaswamy K., Kroeck K., Renforth W. Measuring the degree of internationalisation of a firm: A comment. Journal of International Business Studies 1996, 27(1):167-177.
139. Ricart J.E., Enright M.J., Ghemawat P., Hart S.L., Khanna T. New frontiers in international strategy. Journal of International Business Studies 2004, 35(3):175-200.
140. Rich P. The organizational taxonomy: Definition and design. Academy of Management Review 1992, 17(4):758-781.
141. Ronen S., Shenkar O. Clustering countries on attitudinal dimensions: A review and synthesis. Academy of Management Review 1985, 10(3):435-454.
142. Rowland P., Tesar L. Multinationals and the gains from international diversification. Review of Economic Dynamics 2004, 7(4):789-826.
143. Rugman A. The end of globalisation 2000, Random House, London.
144. Rugman A. Regional strategy and the demise of globalisation. Journal of International Management 2003, 9(4):409-417.
145. Rugman, A. (2005). The regional multinationals: MNEs and 'global' strategic management. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
146. Rugman A., Hodgetts R. The end of global strategy. European Management Journal 2001, 19(4):333-343.
147. Rugman A., Verbeke A. Regional transnationals and triad strategy. Transnational Corporation 2003, 13(3):1-20.
148. Rugman A., Verbeke A. A perspective on regional and global strategies of multinational enterprises. Journal of International Business Studies 2004, 35(1):3-18.
149. Sanden P., Vahlne J. The growth rates of Swedish multinational corporations. Journal of International Business Studies 1974, 5(1):91-105.
150. Seelos C., Mair J. Profitable business models and market creation in the context of deep poverty. Academy of Management Perspectives 2007, 21(4):49-63.
151. Senchak A., Beedles W. Is indirect international diversification desirable?. Journal of Portfolio Management 1980, 6(2):49-57.
152. Slangen A.H.L. National cultural distance and initial foreign acquisition performance: The moderating effect of integration. Journal of World Business 2006, 41(2):161-170.
153. Sullivan D. Measuring the degree of internationalisation of a firm. Journal of International Business Studies 1994, 25(2):325-342.
154. Tallman, S. (Ed.), (2007). A new generation in international strategic management. Edward Elgar.
155. Teece D. Managing intellectual capital 2000, Oxford University Press.
156. Theodosiou M., Katsikeas C. Factors influencing the degree of international pricing startegy standardisation of multinational corporations. Journal of International Marketing 2001, 9(3):1-19.
157. Tihanyi L., Griffith D.A., Russell C.J. The effect of cultural distance on entry mode choice, international diversification, and MNE performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of International Business Studies 2005, 36(3):270-283.
158. Vives L., Svejenova S. Peripheral vision for international strategy: Exploring vistas of the field's future. A new generation in international strategic management 2007, Edward Elgar. S. Tallman (Ed.).
159. Weatherford L.R., Bodily S.E. A taxonomy and research overview of perishable-asset management: Yield management, overbooking and pricing. Operations Research 1992, 40(5):831-844.
160. Weber A. Theory of the location of industries 1929, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.
161. Westney D.E. Book review of The regional multinationals: MNEs and 'global' strategic management. Journal of International Business Studies 2006, 37(3):445-449.
162. Wheeler D., Mody A. International investment location decisions: The case of U.S. firms. Journal of International Economics 1992, 33(1-2):57-76.
163. Whitley R. U. S capitalism: A tarnished model?. Academy of Management Perspectives 2009, 23(2):11-22.
164. Wu X., Strange R. The location of foreign insurance companies in China. International Business Review 2000, 9(3):383-398.
165. Xu S., Cavusgil T., White C. The impact of strategic fit among strategy, structure and processes on multinational corporation performance: A multi-method assessment. Journal of International Marketing 2006, 14(2):1-31.
166. Yip G. Total global strategy II 2002, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.