Stephanie Slater, Stan Paliwoda and Jim Slater
This paper examines the behaviour of Japanese pharmaceutical corporations in the light of recent merger activity, questioning strategic momentum theory given the particularly…
Abstract
This paper examines the behaviour of Japanese pharmaceutical corporations in the light of recent merger activity, questioning strategic momentum theory given the particularly significant influence of culture on the decision‐making process in this market. The international performance of Japan’s pharmaceutical industry has been poor; therefore, we examine the regional orientation of the top global pharmaceutical TNCs, inquiring as to why there has not been greater convergence among Triad countries. Irrespective of cultural differences, this industry has been slow to respond to international macro change, but mergers, acquisitions, and other convergence strategies are now being observed.
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Stanley J. Paliwoda and Stephanie Slater
The purpose of this paper is to offer an introduction and background as well as a narrative to the development of an economic, social, technological and cultural phenomenon that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to offer an introduction and background as well as a narrative to the development of an economic, social, technological and cultural phenomenon that has been sweeping across national frontiers since first being identified by Theodore Levitt in 1983.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is to trace theoretical development but there is lack of a consensus on this subject and so the perspectives of key authors in this area are reviewed alongside each other to test for signs of possible convergence.
Findings
Globalisation is a set of processes rather than just one. The practice is different from what the authors may have expected in that sales of the leading multinationals are not global but regional. Organisational forms reflect differences in strategic thinking with less uniformity being necessary or imposed. Individuals today recount their daily tasks in terms of using the names of global brands or products as nouns and verbs in everyday language. Attitudes towards globalisation are constantly changing. Equally, globalisation continues to evolve.
Research limitations/implications
What is presented here is an overview of the literature as it applies to international trade where globalisation was earlier hoped to bring an economic rescue to billions of people and liberate them from poverty. Marketing, organisational behaviour, risk assessment and strategic decision making all have important roles to play here and so further research is required to monitor a new global trading situation.
Practical implications
It is hoped to contribute to further thought, discussion and conceptualisation of research in this area. The idea of globalisation and regionalisation is not new but the prevalence of this phenomenon in our daily lives is striking.
Originality/value
As the concept has advanced and developed, more studies have been made of this phenomenon and from different perspectives. Here, it is hope to recount those different perspectives as well as reach certain conclusions as to where it has reached and how far it may be expected to reach.
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Constantine Andriopoulos and Stephanie Slater
The authors seek to show the extent and nature of qualitative research in international marketing in IMR (International Marketing Review) and then aim to understand and explain…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors seek to show the extent and nature of qualitative research in international marketing in IMR (International Marketing Review) and then aim to understand and explain developments in this area. They explore the global coverage of extant qualitative work in IMR and reflect on the thematic focus, theoretical purpose, research design and transparency of methods prevailing in these studies.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors identify and content-analyze 79 qualitative international marketing-focused articles published in IMR from 1990 to 2010.
Findings
The analysis revealed several areas that can assist researchers in identifying gaps to be filled by future qualitative international marketing studies. These include: global coverage needs to be further developed; an increase in the number of comparative studies, yet insights from three or more countries remain scarce; extant qualitative studies seem to explore ten key themes; there is a growing trend in theory elaboration studies; interviews are still the most popular data collection method, yet the repertoire of methods is expanding; there is an upward trend in higher transparency in the description of data collection and analysis, but this needs further development.
Originality/value
The paper fosters the development of qualitative research in international marketing by: highlighting the value of qualitative research for advancing theory in this field; inspiring international marketing scholars to learn more about qualitative methods; and offering guidelines to researchers that seek to advance this field.
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Stephanie Slater, Stanley Paliwoda and Jim Slater
The purpose of this paper is to revisit the winning cycle's model proposed by Abegglen and Stalk to investigate the competitive strategies being deployed by Japanese firms.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to revisit the winning cycle's model proposed by Abegglen and Stalk to investigate the competitive strategies being deployed by Japanese firms.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper discusses the literature on the international strategies of Japanese corporations and explains why simplification of work; elimination of waste; discipline; and continuous improvement and radical innovation strategies are presently contributing to a re‐enactment of the “winner's competitive cycle”.
Findings
As international competition intensifies, the winner's competitive cycle has been re‐engineered as Japanese corporations change course in search of alternative routes for sustaining and maintaining a source of competitive advantage.
Originality/value
This paper explains why increased competition and global success has required Japanese firms to reposition their competitive strategy.
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Stephanie Slater, Stan Paliwoda and Jim Slater
This paper seeks to review the internationalisation strategies of Japanese and Singaporean firms within the context of Dunning, Hymer and Rugman.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to review the internationalisation strategies of Japanese and Singaporean firms within the context of Dunning, Hymer and Rugman.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature pertaining to culture, environment and Asian management is reviewed and the question is posed whether the management style is changing in response to global market convergence. The study used a mail questionnaire to explore the FDI factors deemed motivational for Japanese and Singapore managers.
Findings
The paper finds that managers need to consider the impact that environment and culture exerts on the decision‐making process as corporations expand their international reach.
Practical implications
One approach to explaining the theory as to why firms expand and perform at different speeds could be to suggest that the cognitive rationale that drives management thinking is environmentally dependent. This would appear plausible given that when the way in which managers make decisions across countries of the same region are compared, differences in thinking do occur. This then exerts an effect on the internationalisation paths pursued by firms.
Originality/value
This research questions the suitability of a “one size fits all” approach to internationalisation given the cultural variables that exist between markets. This builds on the literature that examines the suitability of market convergence but at the same time enables the evaluation of the extent to which Asian managers are driven by market capitalism theory at the organisational level.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate born global (BG) business organizations that (from or near their founding) seek superior performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate born global (BG) business organizations that (from or near their founding) seek superior performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is based on a multi‐case analysis of interviews conducted with five BG enterprises in which it evaluates, compares and contrasts the views of owner founders.
Findings
It seems clear to the authors that organizational structure, the entrepreneurial processes adopted in creating firms, as well as marketing and learning orientation are all crucial ingredients in the successful early internationalization of enterprises from emerging economies.
Originality/value
Although there are a number of studies on BG firms and a well‐developed literature on entrepreneurial marketing, to the best of the knowledge, this is one of the earliest studies evaluating the synergetic effect of entrepreneurial marketing and issues that arise from the commingling of organisational dynamics, resources and the performance of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) from emerging economies in the international arena. The paper contributes to scholarly discourse on the internationalization process of BG firms. The paper has practical relevance to entrepreneurs and SME from in emerging markets.
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The purpose of this paper is to review the development of the empirical literature on international outsourcing of information technology services (ITS) over the 1992‐2007 period…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the development of the empirical literature on international outsourcing of information technology services (ITS) over the 1992‐2007 period and to identify future research areas.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 78 empirical academic publications on international outsourcing of ITS conducted between 1992 and 2007 across 46 scholarly journals constitutes the main data for analytical purposes. The sample is compiled following extensive electronic searches of the main academic databases. After clustering the studies in the sample according to their main research areas, a narrative approach is used to review developments in each cluster and to identify emerging research areas.
Findings
Four main areas of research are identified, namely outsourcing decision, outsourcing management (OSM), outsourcing outcome and the role of offshore service providers (OSPs). The review suggests that research efforts to date have been predominantly on outsourcing decision and OSM, mostly from the perspective of clients. Future research opportunities exist in the areas of outsourcing strategy and performance, the behaviour and performance of OSPs particularly within the context of firms from less‐developed countries competing globally, and the nature of competition among OSPs both within and among countries.
Originality/value
This is the first review which focuses on empirical studies of outsourcing for ITS. This paper identifies several gaps in the literature and points to the need for more research on outsourcing from the perspective of OSPs.
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Mirella Yani‐de‐Soriano and Stephanie Slater
This paper sets out to review the business history of consumerism and to ask whether over‐consumption is leading to an unacceptable level of inappropriate social behavior that is…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper sets out to review the business history of consumerism and to ask whether over‐consumption is leading to an unacceptable level of inappropriate social behavior that is detrimental to both society and business.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews Peter Drucker's writings on management and explores the meaning of consumerism and how it could have led to the over‐use of marketing. The paper discusses how the word “consumerism” has evolved and brings attention to the role of the internet in consumerism. It explains why poor knowledge management strategies are presenting a new set of challenges for business. Finally, it discusses the reasons why the balance of power between businesses and consumers needs to revert to a status of equilibrium.
Findings
The paper contends that the growth of consumerism has led to the over‐use of marketing and it explains why, in twenty‐first century marketing, social responsibility should be extended to a wider group of stakeholders that includes government, businesses and consumers.
Practical implications
The “consumer is king” concept has implications for management because of the emphasis businesses have placed on their customers. The paper asks managers to review their knowledge management systems and processes. Electronic document management systems (EDMS) and business process management systems (BPMS) will protect corporations from some of the cybercrime examples discussed here.
Originality/value
The research reviews Drucker's work on knowledge management and asks why management continues to fail to implement appropriate knowledge‐based systems for protecting their business.
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Konstantinos Poulis and Efthimios Poulis
Challenging assumptions about the uni-nationality of markets, the paper aims to understand the role of intra-national cultural heterogeneity in product standardisation and…
Abstract
Purpose
Challenging assumptions about the uni-nationality of markets, the paper aims to understand the role of intra-national cultural heterogeneity in product standardisation and adaptation strategies of multinational firms in a single-country, multicultural market.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is set against the dominant backdrop of deductive reasoning in the field and adopts a qualitative mode of inquiry that promotes empathy with the setting. Through a multiple case study approach among paradigmatic cases, it sheds light on the aforementioned objective.
Findings
The paper conceptualises the term “layers of adaptation” and reveals that firms use multi-dimensional standardisation/adaptation configurations. It explicates sub-contextual variations that move beyond assumptions of intra-national sameness and identifies their influence on unnoticed, more agile forms of adaptation.
Research limitations/implications
Findings are limited to the analysis of practices in a specific setting. More studies across diverse contexts are necessary in order to expand the boundaries of relevant investigations and enrich the process of theorising.
Practical implications
The findings caution that lack of internal sameness in multicultural markets may necessitate a multi-layered standardisation/adaptation logic that considers varying “depths” and “breadths” of relevant marketing strategies.
Originality/value
The paper challenges assumptions that have characterised the standardisation and adaptation discourse, conceptualises the term “layers of adaptation” to denote the need for more considerate market responses and highlights the usefulness of qualitative investigations towards theoretical grounding of the field.