This book focuses on three main areas, each of which is central to economic theorising: firms’ organisation and behaviour, technological change and the process of globalisation. What this collection provides is a broad view of the three topics by concentrating on different aspects of each of them, and utilising different methods of investigation.

This book focuses on three main areas, each of which is central to economic theorising: firms’ organisation and behaviour, technological change and the process of globalisation. Each subject can be analysed by using different methods, which range from purely theoretical abstractions to case studies and from econometrics to simulations. What this collection provides is a broad view of the three topics by concentrating on different aspects of each of them, and utilising different methods of investigation. Internationalization, Technological Change and the Theory of the Firm looks in detail at various questions surrounding firms’ organisation, including why we can observe ordered paths of production, whether proximity between firms matters, and whether patenting is always worthwhile. In addition, several essays explore technology and innovation, including the persistence-cum-development of old technologies. Furthermore, this book focuses on those processes which concern small- and medium-sized firms, considering the usefulness of stage theory, the possibilities of production off-shoring and the skill composition of manufacturing firms. Overall, the book is characterised by original ideas, renewed applications of mathematical and statistical methods and the use of new databases. This valuable collection will be of interest to postgraduates and researchers focusing on innovation, theories of the firm and globalisation; and should also be useful to a professional readership as it presents up-to-date research with the aim of improving our understanding of the phenomena of technological change, firms’ strategies, and globalisation.

Technological change is today central to the theory of economic growth. It is recognised as an important driver of productivity growth and the emergence of new products from which consumers derive welfare. It depends not only on the work of scientists and engineers, but also on a wider range of economic and societal factors, including institutions such as intellectual property rights and corporate governance, the operation of markets, a range of governmental policies (science and technology policy, innovation policy, macroeconomic policy,competition policy, etc.), historical specificities, etc. Given that technology is explicitly taken up in the strategies and policies of governments and firms, and new actors both in the national and international arenas become involved, understanding the nature and dynamics of technology is on demand. I anticipate that this book will decisively contribute in this regard.

As firms increasingly rely on knowledge as a key factor for innovation, the ability to innovate is increasingly perceived as a key asset for being competitive in international markets. This new volume argues that innovation, knowledge and internationalisation should be viewed as tightly related concepts. It provides a stimulating and comprehensive framework for understanding key tendencies in modern economics, as well as an overview of the state of the art in the three fields covered. The first section explores in detail the relationship between knowledge and the innovative capability of firms, focussing on key topics such as social capital, intentional knowledge diffusion and unintentional knowledge spillovers. Section two examines the drivers and the impact of innovation strategies, assessing the role of technological advantage, networking and R & D investments in innovation, as well as the impact on innovation on the labour market. The third and final section examines the ongoing internationalisation process faced by ‘global’ economies. The topics explored in each section are tightly linked, ensuring that a strong thematic thread runs through the collection.

The essays in this volume probe the impact the digital revolution has had, or sometimes failed to have, on global business. Has digital technology, the authors ask, led to structural changes and greater efficiency and innovation? While most of the essays support the idea that the information age has increased productivity in global business, the evidence of a 'revolution' in the ways industries are organized is somewhat more blurred, with both significant discontinuities and features which persist from the 'second' industrial revolution.

In the light of increased discussion of technology policy by all major industrial countries, this volume presents the state of the debates and institutional change in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada. It goes on to present studies of the major changes taking place in these countries, with regards to the adoption of new technology, and the reorganization of institutions to suit these changes.

This handbook synthesises some literature of the last 40 years in 28 chapters. The coverage is split into the following areas : the history and theory of the multinational enterprise; the political and policy environment of international business.

This book tackles the issue of technological and economic catch-up by examining the role that public research institutions and local policy play in the promotion of this process by fostering local science-technology linkages with incoming foreign-owned multinationals.

The growth of the multinational enterprise (MNE) has led to an increasing interest in international business strategy from scholars, professionals, and policy makers alike. MNEs must contend with challenges in both their home and host international markets, and increasingly uncertain conditions in the international business environment demand superior firm-level capabilities for multinational firms to achieve and maintain competitive advantages in the long-run. This Handbook explores the progress made in international business strategy theory and practice in the last few decades. Written by an international team of leading experts, it captures the differences in motivations and decision-making processes between smaller and larger firms, private, family, and state owned firms, and emerging or developed market multinationals. It elaborates on the links between international strategy and the social responsibilities of the firm in its various host market contexts, including the deployment of effective and ethical human resource practices in international markets. Most importantly, it lays out how the classic principles of international competitive strategy are transformed in today's markets, in great part due to digitalization, and provides suggestions on how MNEs can develop international business strategies to respond to these transformations. The implications of these discussions for strategy and practice are becoming ever more profound. This Handbook will prove a valuable resource for both international business scholars and practitioners.

Family Firms (FFs) form the majority of all firms around the world and they account for an enormous percentage of the employment, the revenue, and the GDP of most capitalist countries. While MNCs have long been thought of as the main contributors to international business, it is now recognised that a substantial number of family firms are active in the international arena. This handbook focuses on the features which make family firm internationalization unique. Chapters provide FF specific theories and cover the process of FF internationalization. It examines the role of network ties and provides an insight into the development of family firms that have grown into big multinationals. Importantly this Handbook equips you with a better understanding of specific features of family firms as they internationalize from or to Asian or emerging markets. Family firms offer a fruitful context to study internationalization through a process perspective, therefore this Handbook is an invaluable source of knowledge for students, scholars and policy makers in the areas of family business, entrepreneurship and internationalization.