Purpose – The objective of this paper is to understand the success factors of mobile operators. Design/methodology/approach – Explores the business practices of leading carriers in Japan, South Korea, China, Europe and the USA. Findings – The paper finds several common characteristics in...

Bruce Lloyd of the South Bank University reports on an interview with Professor George S. Yip, author of Total Global Strategy: Managing for Worldwide Competitive Advantage . Argues that managers must analyse their industry and identify the specific drivers that affect their operation and...

Firms across the globe are often directly or indirectly reliant on foreign direct investment, often through the development of a “joint venture”. Moreover, such cash flows sustain much of a nation’s economic activity. To support the operation of these firms it is becoming accepted that...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences in growth strategies – domestic and international – of manufacturing and service firms. Hardly any literature exists that empirically investigates the differences on account of the distinctive characteristics of goods and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of global sourcing and exports on US domestic manufacturing inventories and quantify the additional inventory costs associated with global operations. Design/methodology/approach – A panel data set of 19 US...

Purpose – Although the relation between standardization/adaptation strategy and performance has been extensively examined in the international marketing literature, the findings concerning these factors are still inconclusive. The conflicting results might relate to the analysis approach...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges facing European manufacturing industry in an age of increasing global competitiveness and to explore models for survival. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reflects on trends in global manufacturing and examines the...