Management International Review

Editorial

Research Article

Foreign Direct Investment and Small Countries

The paper introduces conceptual developments, empirical evidence and public policy considerations with regard to foreign direct investment and multinational enterprises in and from small countries. Results emphasize the diversity of small country profiles, support the need for reconsideration of established conceptual frameworks and encourage the development of specialized policy making tools.

Financial Foreign Direct Investment: The Role of Private Equity Investments in the Globalization of Firms From Emerging Markets

One major change in the world of international business and finance is the growing role of private equity investments in firms in emerging markets. In little more than four years, since 2003, the money raised by international, primarily American private equity funds for investment in emerging markets went up about ten times, from $3.5 billion to $35 billion. This paper provides a multidimensional analysis and discussion on the role of private equity funds in the globalization process of firms...

Subsidiary Role and Skilled Labour Effects in Small Developed Countries

This paper considers the proportion of skilled labor employed by subsidiaries in small countries in the context of the strategic role of subsidiaries. Strategic role is connected to autonomy and intra-organizational relationships and the mandates given to the subsidiary. In the paper, the researchers draw on the literature on the strategic development of multinational corporations, and insights from inward foreign direct investments in small developed countries. The paper derives two proposit...

Technology Sourcing and Performance of Foreign Subsidiaries in Greece: The Impact of Mne and Local Environmental Contexts

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of two categories of sources of technology on subsidiary performance. These technology sources can be associated either with the internal Multinational Enterprise (MNE) system; or, the local environment in which the subsidiary is based. A questionnaire-based survey was carried out on 88 subsidiaries located in Greece and results were derived through the use of ordered probit analysis. Internal MNE technology sourcing has a positive imp...

Multinationals' Strategies and the Economic Development of Small Economies: A Tale of Two Transitions

The processes of globalization open up new potentials for MNE participation in the development of small economies. Thus the pursuit of global competitiveness by MNEs, operating through a range of strategic motivations, can be supported by different types of affiliates that can be based on the potentials of small economies. Efficiency seeking operations of MNEs can benefit from cost-effective inputs of small economies (as, for example, in export processing zones) and activate their export pote...

The Sustainable Competitive Advantage and Catching-Up of Nations: Fdi, Clusters and the Liability (Asset) of Smallness

The researchers explore the role of foreign direct investment and (its relationship to) clusters for the competitiveness (and catching-up) of small(er) developing countries. They suggest that while size per se need not matter, small(er) developing countries need to explicitly account for any liabilities of smallness when devising and implementing strategies for competitiveness and catching-up. They claim that international strategic management scholarship can add insights on this important is...

How Well Do Traditional Theories Explain the Internationalisation of Service Mnes From Small and Open Economies? - Case: National Telecommunication Companies

This paper discusses international market and operation strategies of service MNEs from small and open economies (SMOPECs). The focus in the analysis will be on the special challenges that these type of companies face in their internationalization process. A conceptual framework and propositions are developed based on earlier research of internationalization of manufacturing companies and companies in different service sectors. A multicase study of four service MNEs, which are telecommunicati...

Internationalization From a Small Domestic Base: An Empirical Analysis of Foreign Direct Investments of Icelandic Firms

Iceland is like a black hole in the study of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the Nordic countries; there is a gap in the literature about FDI from Iceland. This paper is the first empirical study that addresses the outward foreign direct investment of Icelandic firms. The purpose is to demonstrate how Icelandic companies have invested abroad through foreign direct investments. The overall objective of this paper is to describe the key characteristics of Icelandic multi- national corporat...