Abstract
The transnational corporation (TNC) is a nationally based company with overseas operations in two or more countries. One distinctive feature of the TNC is that strategic decision-making and the allocation of resources are predicated on economic goals and efficiencies with little regard to national boundaries. This chapter will examine the subject of intelligent networking which provides the technology and electronic pathways that makes global communication possible. We start with the assumption that the intelligent network is not one network, but a series of networks designed to enhance worldwide communication for business and individual users alike. What gives the network its unique intelligence are the people and users of the system and the value-added contributions they bring to the system via critical gateway points. One important goal of this chapter is to fully understand the ways in which intelligent networks affect the spatial design and operations of the transnational organization. Special attention is given to four work-design principles including: (1) Virtual Communication, (2) Information Exchange, (3) Convergence and Digital Media and (4) Decision Support Analysis.
Richard A. Gershon, Ph.D. (Ohio University) is Professor and Co-Director of the Telecommunications and Information Management program at Western Michigan University where he teaches courses in Media Management and Telecommunications. Dr. Gershon is the author of Media, Telecommunications and Business Strategy, 2nd ed. (2013).
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Gershon, R.A. (2016). Intelligent Networking and the Transnational Corporation: Redefining Business Work Space. In: Lugmayr, A., Dal Zotto, C. (eds) Media Convergence Handbook - Vol. 2. Media Business and Innovation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54487-3_2
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