MACMILLAN Corporate Strategies for South East Asia After the Crisis: A Comparison of Multinational Firms from Japan and Europe

Multinational companies have played a major role in shaping economic development in Southeast Asia. While financial and portfolio investors abandoned the region, investors from Europe and Japan have demonstrated confidence in the future of Southeast Asia as a production base for exports and a growing market for products, remaining in the region even after 1997. In production, they used the crisis to rationalize their operations. In marketing, they adapted to the specific needs of Southeast Asian consumers. To understand the region's future, one must understand how the Asian economic crisis affected these companies, how they have responded since and how they will respond in the future. Corporate Strategies for Southeast Asia After the Crisis presents an in-depth analysis by experts from Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia who have long-standing research experience in Asian economies and international business. The authors draw upon empirical research to analyze the questions facing the region, and present a comprehensive overview of the current activities of multinational firms from Europe and Japan in Southeast Asia. The authors address both questions of international strategy and the role of multinational economies in a global economy, while taking into account how national differences affect strategic decision making. More than an essential reader for business people in Southeast Asia, the book will strongly influence policy makers and all those interested in the shift from national to transnational business. About the Author JOCHEN LEGEWIE joined the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) in Tokyo in 1996 and is currently its Deputy Director and Head of the Economics Section. He was previously a research fellow at the University of Cologne, and was the editor ( with Verena Blechinger) of Facing Asia: Japan's Role in the Political and Economic Dynamism of Regional Cooperation. HENDRIK MEYER-OHLE worked for the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) in Tokyo from 1995 until 1999, and is currently Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore. He was previously a research fellow at Philipps-University, Marburg, and has written two monographs on Japan.