Roger Schweizer

A Business Tale on Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Corporate World : A Conceptual Framework of Firms' Disintegration Process

Whereas outward foreign direct investment (FDI) by firms from emerging countries is not a new phenomenon, in the current decade emerging multinational companies (MNCs) have entered into a new phase of overseas expansion (Gammeltoft et al., 2010). In 2010, FDI from emerging markets represented 28 per cent (compared to 16 per cent in 2008) of global total FDI (UNCTAD, 2011). Not least, FDI in the form of overseas acquisitions has risen considerably faster than that from developed countries (Cantwell and Barnard, 2008; Duysters et al., 2009; Sauvant, 2008). Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (MA Wright et al., 2005). Thereby, these firms not only actively consolidate various global industries, and establish themselves as important global players, but also acquire hard-to-develop resources such as brands and technologies.

MANAGEMENT UNDER UNCERTAINTY - THE UNAVOIDABLE RISK-TAKING

Purpose Accentuating the concept of management under uncertainty in the Uppsala internationalization process model, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model for describing how managers act while keeping uncertainty at an acceptable level. Design/methodology/approach The authors perform two empirical studies to underpin the model they construct. First, a survey of 309 chief executive officers and chief financial officers in large, publicly listed international firms in the Nordic region on managerial risk perceptions and, second, a case study of Volvo Car Corporation and its endeavors when developing new car models for the Chinese market on a new platform – a process characterized by unprecedented uncertainty. Findings The proposed model describing managers’ behavior under uncertainty contains elements such as adjusting/proceeding in small steps, reducing uncertainty via learning, building relationships with important parties in the environment to avoid unforeseen changes and re-dos (i.e. starting all over again) and, perhaps most important, acting despite uncertainty. Originality/value The paper highlights a central, though forgotten, concept of the Uppsala internationalization process model, i.e. management under uncertainty, and, thereby, opens a new path for research on how manager behave under the sway of uncertainty.

Tapping into India’s Innovation Potential : Consequences for a Western Multinational Enterprise and the Case of SKF

Tapping into India’s Innovation Potential : Consequences for a Western Multinational Enterprise and the Case of SKF

Resource management in international new ventures – developing a competitive advantage through internationalisation

Using a single-case study approach, this paper portrays and discusses the process of how a new venture develops a competitive advantage through instant and continuous internationalisation. We find that this process consists of three interrelated phases: 1) conceptualisation; 2) creation; 3) leveraging of competitive advantage. Arguing that resources need to be managed adequately to create a competitive advantage, we study various resource management activities employed during the various phases. We show that, whereas the new venture concentrates on identifying the appropriate (international) market during the first phase, the focus in the second phase is on the structuring and bundling of resources. During the final stage, the international new venture concentrates on leveraging; i.e., on applying its capabilities to create value for the firm and its customers.