Handbook On Small Nations In The Global Economy

Description: This unique, extensive Handbook illustrates that multinational enterprises contribute substantially to the competitive advantage of many individual countries. The expert contributors explore the roles of firms in a range of small, successful open economies driven by such multinational enterprises, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia, Canada, Chile, Mauritius, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, and Norway. They juxtapose these country data sets against Professor Michael Porter's paradigm of single diamond components (or pre-conditions for competitive advantage), and show that these single diamond components reflect merely a set of initial conditions, which can be improved upon through both inward and outward investment. The Handbook concludes that multinational enterprises thereby create resource linkages between the home and host environments in which they operate. Each of the country studies represents an economic success story driven by multinational enterprises. Review: 'These studies of the international competitiveness of small open economies demonstrate the critical importance of foreign direct investment as an engine of economic development: multinational enterprises are the key drivers of international competitiveness.' - Alan Rugman, University of Reading, UK and former President of the Academy of International Business 'Globalization has made every country smallA'. The global economic crisis has made sure that every country has increasingly realised that it is openA' and vulnerableA' as well. This volume is both timely and relevant. Small country studies should become mainstream for scholars in business, economics and politics!' - Rob van Tulder, RSM Erasmus University, the Netherlands 'This book provides a fresh and clear-eyed view of the relationship between multinationals and location advantages of countries. It is one of the first attempts to build a constructive bridge between the theory of international business and the outstanding contribution of Michael Porter about the drivers of competitiveness. The authors address crucial issues demanding the attention of teachers, researchers, practitioners and political leaders.' - Philippe Gugler, University of Fribourg, Switzerland Table of Contents: Contents: 1. Small Nations in the Global Economy: An Overview Daniel Van Den Bulcke, Alain Verbeke and Wenlong Yuan 2. Globalization in the Netherlands Annelies E. Hogenbirk, John Hagedoorn and Hans L. van Kranenburg 3. Belgium's Diamond of Competitiveness. A Comparison between Foreign and Domestic Companies Filip De Beule and Ilke Van Beveren 4. Porter's Diamond and Small Nations in the Global Economy. Ireland as a Case Study Sean Cassidy, Frank Barry and Chris van Egeraat 5. Upgrading the International Competitiveness of a Transition Economy. Slovenia in the European and Global Economy Andreja Jaklic, Matija Rojec and Marjan Svetlicic 6. Multinational Enterprises from Small Economies. Internationalization Patterns of Large Corporations from Denmark, Finland, and Norway Gabriel Benito, Jorma Larimo, Rajneesh Narula and Torben Pedersen 7. The Competitive Advantage of Canada. A Firm-level Analysis Wenlong Yuan and Alain Verbeke 8. Chile as an Example of the Augmented Diamond Robert Grosse 9. The Development Trajectory of a Small Island Economy. The Successful Case of Mauritius Jeehan Peerally and John Cantwell 10. New Zealand and the Challenge of Global Competition Peter Enderwick and Joanna Scott-Kennel 11. The Competitive Position of a Developing Economy. The Role of Foreign Direct Investment in Cambodia Ludo Cuyvers, Reth Soeng and Daniel Van Den Bulcke