Management International Review

The World Trade Organization: Legal, Economic and Political Analysis, New York: Springer 2005

The World Trade Organization: Legal, Economic and Political Analysis, edited by P. F. J. Macrory, A. E. Appleton, and M. G. Plummer, is reviewed.

Multinational Networks During Times of Economic Crisis Versus Stability

From a network view of multinational enterprises, the authors argue that foreign subsidiaries in multinational networks have access to resources in heterogeneous institutional environments, and that by taking advantage of these linkages they can capitalize on the latent flexibility that resides in being part of a multinational network. The authors compare the performance of subsidiaries during times of economic crisis versus stable periods to determine the environments in which intra- and int...

The Importance of Language in International Knowledge Transfer

In this article, the authors examine the effects of language on the transfer of knowledge within multinational companies. They unbundle language from the culture box and use the basic communication model to show how language affects all stages. They also examine a range of influences -- cost, transfer medium, teams, networks, trust, staff movements and motivation -- on international knowledge transfer to demonstrate how language effects their operation. They develop the concept of language as...

How Much Distance Do We Need? Revisiting the 'National Cultural Distance Paradox'

This study revisits the "national cultural distance paradox" based on a sample of Japanese foreign direct investment in 53 countries and regions over 30 years. Earlier studies on cultural distance assumed linear relationships and showed mixed results. The authors examine nonlinear relationships between cultural distance (CD) and entry mode and between CD and performance. Results suggest that there is a nonlinear (inverted U-shape) relationship between CD and the choice of a joint venture as t...

The Financial and Operating Performance of Chinese Family-Owned Listed Firms1

While existing studies often use sector-level data to explain the phenomenal growth of the Chinese private sector, this paper complements the literature by using firm-level data to conduct a comparative study of performance between family-owned and state-owned firms in China. Taking a population comprising listed firms for the period 1999-2004, the authors analyze financial and operating performance with reference to five measures: 1. revenue per employee, 2. revenue per unit of cost, 3. net ...

The Development and Sharing of Knowledge by Centres of Excellence and Transnational Teams: A Conceptual Framework1

This paper develops a conceptual framework addressing the development and sharing of knowledge by Centres of Excellence and transnational teams, which are important organizational mechanisms used by headquarters to manage knowledge processes within multinational corporations. The inherent differences of Centres of Excellence and transnational teams are conceptualized in terms of pre-existing knowledge, practices, interaction and communication. The inherent differences in the organizational me...