The Internationalization Process

by Nilsson, Jan-Evert; Dicken, Peter; Peck, Jamie

• ISBN13: 9781853963193
• ISBN10: 1853963194
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-02-01
• Publisher: Sage Pubns Ltd

Summary

How are the European corporations responding to international competition? What are the implications for future corporate structure, employment and uneven development? These are the central concerns of The Internationalization Process, developed from a four-year research programme, 'Regional and Urban Restructuring in Europe', carried out under the aegis of the European Science Foundation.The carefully selected group of corporate case studies demonstrates how changing functional and geographical divisions of labour are related to complex forces operating within and beyondthe confines of Europe. The case studies examined range from the telecoms supplier Alcatel to the machine-tool producers Gildemeister and Maho, from the pharmaceuticals giant SmithKline Beecham to the privatized steel producer British Steel. Building from a shared conceptual base, the eight corporate case studies illustrate how internationalization strategies are related to the nature of the firm's product or service and to the characteristics of its production process.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Notes on contributors	ix
Introduction: the internationalization process	1	(12)
Jan-Evert Nilsson
Alcatel: a European champion for a globalizing market	13	(25)
David Charles
Gildemeister and Maho: protecting the home base	38	(23)
Heike Bertram
Eike W. Schamp
SmithKline Beecham: global push and repositioning	61	(13)
Jeremy R. Howells
Arthur Andersen: from national accountancy to international management consultancy firm	74	(16)
Frank Moulaert
Thomson Consumer Electronics: from national champion to global contender	90	(19)
Julien Savary
Tootal: internationalization, corporate restructuring and `hollowing out'	109	(21)
Jamie Peck
Peter Dicken
MoDo, SCA and STORA: from national pulp producers to European forestry companies	130	(16)
Jan-Evert Nilsson
British Steel: the limits to internationalization	146	(15)
Ray Hudson
Conclusion	161	(4)
Jan-Evert Nilsson
References and bibliography	165	(9)
Index	174