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Firm-Specific Advantages Intra-Regional Sales and Performance of Multinational Enterprises

Author

Listed:
  • Alan M. Rugman

    (Department of Business Economics and Public Policy, Indiana University Kelley School of Business)

  • Nessara Sukpanich

    (Thammasat University)

Abstract

This paper is an extension of recent work that has examined the intra-regional sales of large multinational enterprises (MNEs). First, we examine the interaction between the performance of MNEs and four proxies for their firm-specific advantages (FSAs). This includes: firm size, knowledge (as represented by R&D), marketing ability, and industry type. We find that FSAs in R&D and service sector type are best exploited within the home region. In contrast, the FSA firm size is better exploited by global and bi-regional firms. Second, we find that a service MNE tends to be more home-region oriented and has a higher proportion of intra-regional sales than a manufacturing firm.

Suggested Citation

  • Alan M. Rugman & Nessara Sukpanich, 2006. "Firm-Specific Advantages Intra-Regional Sales and Performance of Multinational Enterprises," Working Papers 2006-19, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
  • Handle: RePEc:iuk:wpaper:2006-19
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    File URL: http://kelley.iu.edu/riharbau/RePEc/iuk/wpaper/bepp2006-19-rugman-sukpanich.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dunning, John H & Rugman, Alan M, 1985. "The Influence of Hymer's Dissertation on the Theory of Foreign Direct Investment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 228-232, May.
    2. Caves, Richard E, 1974. "Causes of Direct Investment: Foreign Firms' Shares in Canadian and United Kingdom Manufacturing Industries," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 56(3), pages 279-293, August.
    3. M Krishna Erramilli & Sanjeev Agarwal & Seong-Soo Kim, 1997. "Are Firm-Specific Advantages Location-Specific Too?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(4), pages 735-757, December.
    4. Jaideep Anand & Andrew Delios, 1997. "Location Specificity and the Transferability of Downstream Assets to Foreign Subsidiaries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(3), pages 579-603, September.
    5. Helpman, Elhanan, 1984. "A Simple Theory of International Trade with Multinational Corporations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 92(3), pages 451-471, June.
    6. Jean-Francois Hennart, 1986. "Internalization in Practice: Early Foreign Direct Investments in Malaysian Tin Mining," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 17(2), pages 131-143, June.
    7. Rugman, Alan M. & Brewer, Thomas L. (ed.), 2001. "The Oxford Handbook of International Business," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199241828.
    8. Grubaugh, Stephen G, 1987. "Determinants of Direct Foreign Investment," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 69(1), pages 149-152, February.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sukpanich, Nessara & Rugman, Alan, 2007. "Intra-regional sales, product diversity, and the performance of merchandising multinationals," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 131-146, June.
    2. Elena Beleska-Spasova & Sirinuch Loykulnanta & Quyen T. K. Nguyen, 2016. "Firm-specific, national and regional competitive advantages: The case of emerging market MNEs—Thailand," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 15(4), pages 264-291, September.
    3. Quyen T. K. Nguyen, 2017. "Multinationality and Performance Literature: A Critical Review and Future Research Agenda," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 311-347, June.
    4. Jean–Luc Arregle & Lucia Naldi & Mattias Nordqvist & Michael A. Hitt, 2012. "Internationalization of Family–Controlled Firms: A Study of the Effects of External Involvement in Governance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(6), pages 1115-1143, November.
    5. Minyoung Kim & Curba Morris Lampert & Raja Roy, 2020. "Regionalization of R&D activities: (Dis)economies of interdependence and inventive performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(7), pages 1054-1075, September.
    6. Nguyen, Quyen T.K. & Kim, Sylvia, 2020. "The multinationality and performance relationship: Revisiting the literature and exploring the implications," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    7. Annette Ptok & Rupinder P. Jindal & Werner J. Reinartz, 2018. "Correction to: selling, general, and administrative expense (SGA)-based metrics in marketing: conceptual and measurement challenges," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 1012-1013, November.
    8. Arindam Mondal & Sarada Devi Gadepalli, 2020. "Does Knowledge from Home Markets Boost Outward Foreign Direct Investments of Emerging Economy Multinationals? Evidence from Indian Family EMNEs," American Business Review, Pompea College of Business, University of New Haven, vol. 23(2), pages 211-240.
    9. Jiang, Fuming & Stening, Bruce W., 2013. "Do indigenous firms incur a liability of localness when operating in their home market? The case of China," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 478-489.

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