IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/halshs-00690213.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The role of location in headquarters-subsidiaries relationships: An analysis of French multinationals in emerging markets

Author

Listed:
  • Hanane Beddi

    (Laboratoire de Recherche Magellan - UJML - Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 - Université de Lyon - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) - Lyon)

  • Ulrike Mayrhofer

    (Laboratoire de Recherche Magellan - UJML - Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 - Université de Lyon - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) - Lyon)

Abstract

This paper examines the role of location in the relationships established between headquarters and foreign subsidiaries. The analysis focuses on new challenges faced by MNEs from mature economies, considering the growing importance of subsidiaries located in emerging countries. The empirical study is based on three in-depth case-studies of French multinationals. The authors conducted 31 interviews with managers from both the headquarters and foreign subsidiaries. The findings of the study indicate that headquarters-subsidiaries relationships are shaped by the location of subsidiaries in emerging economies, and more specifically by the cultural, administrative, geographic and economic distance between the headquarters and foreign subsidiaries.

Suggested Citation

  • Hanane Beddi & Ulrike Mayrhofer, 2010. "The role of location in headquarters-subsidiaries relationships: An analysis of French multinationals in emerging markets," Post-Print halshs-00690213, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00690213
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00690213
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00690213/document
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas Hutzschenreuter & Florian Gröne, 2009. "Product and geographic scope changes of multinational enterprises in response to international competition," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(7), pages 1149-1170, September.
    2. Ricardo G Flores & Ruth V Aguilera, 2007. "Globalization and location choice: an analysis of US multinational firms in 1980 and 2000," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(7), pages 1187-1210, December.
    3. Peter J Buckley & Pervez N Ghauri, 2004. "Globalisation, economic geography and the strategy of multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(3), pages 255-255, May.
    4. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    5. Christian Geisler Asmussen & Torben Pedersen & Charles Dhanaraj, 2009. "Host-country environment and subsidiary competence: Extending the diamond network model," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(1), pages 42-57, January.
    6. John H Dunning, 2009. "Location and the multinational enterprise: A neglected factor?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(1), pages 5-19, January.
    7. Julian M Birkinshaw & Allen J Morrison, 1995. "Configurations of Strategy and Structure in Subsidiaries of Multinational Structure," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 26(4), pages 729-753, December.
    8. M Krishna Erramilli, 1996. "Nationality and Subsidiary Ownership Patterns in Multinational Corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(2), pages 225-248, June.
    9. Henry Wai-chung Yeung & Jessie Poon & Martin Perry, 2001. "Towards a Regional Strategy: The Role of Regional Headquarters of Foreign Firms in Singapore," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 38(1), pages 157-183, January.
    10. Anthony Goerzen & Paul W. Beamish, 2003. "Geographic scope and multinational enterprise performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(13), pages 1289-1306, December.
    11. Peter J Buckley & Pervez N Ghauri, 2004. "Globalisation, economic geography and the strategy of multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(2), pages 81-98, March.
    12. Rugman,Alan M., 2005. "The Regional Multinationals," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521842655.
    13. Keith D Brouthers & Lance Eliot Brouthers, 2001. "Explaining the National Cultural Distance Paradox," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(1), pages 177-189, March.
    14. L. G. Thomas III & Geoffrey Waring, 1999. "Competing capitalisms: capital investment in American, German, and Japanese firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(8), pages 729-748, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hanane Beddi & Ulrike Mayrhofer, 2011. "Quel est l'impact de la localisation sur les relations siège-filiales des firmes multinationales ?," Post-Print halshs-00690219, HAL.
    2. Aggarwal, Raj & Berrill, Jenny & Hutson, Elaine & Kearney, Colm, 2011. "What is a multinational corporation? Classifying the degree of firm-level multinationality," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(5), pages 557-577, October.
    3. de Jong, Gjalt & van Houten, Jerry, 2014. "The impact of MNE cultural diversity on the internationalization-performance relationship," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 313-326.
    4. Villar, Cristina & Dasí, Àngels & Botella-Andreu, Ana, 2018. "Subsidiary-specific advantages for inter-regional expansion: The role of intermediate units," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 328-338.
    5. Piaskowska, D., 2005. "Essays on firm growth and value creation," Other publications TiSEM 89053610-79c6-4c52-9d1c-6, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    6. Schmid, Stefan & Grosche, Philipp & Mayrhofer, Ulrike, 2016. "Configuration and coordination of international marketing activities," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 535-547.
    7. Arregle, Jean-Luc & Miller, Toyah L. & Hitt, Michael A. & Beamish, Paul W., 2018. "The role of MNEs’ internationalization patterns in their regional integration of FDI locations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(6), pages 896-910.
    8. Suder, Gabriele & Liesch, Peter W. & Inomata, Satoshi & Mihailova, Irina & Meng, Bo, 2015. "The evolving geography of production hubs and regional value chains across East Asia: Trade in value-added," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 404-416.
    9. Pervez N. Ghauri & Grazia D. Santangelo, 2012. "Multinationals and the Changing Rules of Competition," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 145-154, April.
    10. Berrill, Jenny & Mannella, Giancarlo, 2013. "Are firms from developed markets more international than firms from emerging markets?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 147-161.
    11. Huanglin Wang & Jean-Louis Schaan, 2008. "How much distance do we need? Revisiting the “National cultural distance paradox”," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 263-278, May.
    12. Li, Xiaoqing & Quan, Rose & Stoian, Maria-Cristina & Azar, Goudarz, 2018. "Do MNEs from developed and emerging economies differ in their location choice of FDI? A 36-year review," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 1089-1103.
    13. Jan Hendrik Fisch & Bjoern Schmeisser, 0. "Phasing the operation mode of foreign subsidiaries: Reaping the benefits of multinationality through internal capital markets," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-33.
    14. Heechun Kim & Jie Wu & Douglas A. Schuler & Robert E. Hoskisson, 2020. "Chinese multinationals’ fast internationalization: Financial performance advantage in one region, disadvantage in another," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(7), pages 1076-1106, September.
    15. Youngok Kim & Sidney J Gray, 2017. "Internationalization strategy and the home-regionalization hypothesis: The case of Australian multinational enterprises," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 42(4), pages 673-691, November.
    16. Alan M. Rugman & Alain Verbeke & Quyen T. K. Nguyen, 2011. "Fifty Years of International Business Theory and Beyond," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 51(6), pages 755-786, December.
    17. Mehmet Demirbag & Keith W. Glaister, 2010. "Factors Determining Offshore Location Choice for R&D Projects: A Comparative Study of Developed and Emerging Regions," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(8), pages 1534-1560, December.
    18. Rodgers, Peter & Khan, Zaheer & Tarba, Shlomo & Nurgabdeshov, Assylbek & Ahammad, Mohammad F., 2019. "Exploring the determinants of location choice decisions of offshored R&D projects," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 472-483.
    19. Reilly, Marty & Scott, Pamela Sharkey & Tippmann, Esther & Mangematin, Vincent, 2023. "Sustaining competence creation in the multinational enterprise: The role of piloting in subsidiaries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    20. Jan Hendrik Fisch & Bjoern Schmeisser, 2020. "Phasing the operation mode of foreign subsidiaries: Reaping the benefits of multinationality through internal capital markets," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(8), pages 1223-1255, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00690213. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.