The Globalization Phenomenon

Abstract

The emerging phenomenon of globalization has often been proclaimed as imposing fundamental changes to the management of MNCs. In the literature, however, it remains unclear which MNCs are especially influenced and which the crucial implications are that the phenomenon imposes to the traditional way of managing and organizing MNCs. In order to be able to analyze the implications of globalization from an organizational perspective, an interpretation of the phenomenon itself is required before we can proceed to analyze its implications. In this respect, the purpose of the present chapter is to develop an understanding of the unifying idea that cuts across the most relevant contributions to the global management literature. Since the discussion of the question whether a global management approach is a change of degree or kind is not the main objective of this research, the developed notion is for the remaining discussion considered as a working premises Thus, the validity of developed interpretation is limited to the current research.