Sage Publications The Dynamics of International Competition: From Practice to Theory (SAGE Strategy series)

`I found myself questioning my current views on globalization and international competition. In so doing, I have come to a fuller understanding of the dynamics of the process and have enjoyed a unique view into the minds of the decision makers′ - Organization Studies `This book is an unusual and valuable addition to the literatures of international business′ - International Business Review `The first interesting feature of this study is the selection of industries.... The book provides some valuable insight into the geographic distribution of the world in the mind of the chief executives… a matter of interest not only to industry and academia, but also to policy makers.... The classification of international strategies deducted from the interview data is another contribution that book makes.... The book has achieved its main goal of linking theory and practical experience [and] provides interesting reading.... The book translates the logic of the industry world into a nice theory leaving it up to the reader to accept or reject the accompanying business ethics and values′ - Prometheus `A highly effective analysis of the changing patterns of competition viewed from an international perspective. There is a plethora of books on globalization and internationalization of industries, but most are long on words and speculation, but short on hard evidence and perspective. Here, the approach of the authors is not to argue that the world is becoming more (or less) global, but to provide a valuable insight into just how these forces are shaping industries, whether managers can influence these forces and what they might mean for those involve′- Charles Baden-Fuller, City Business School, Series Editor This book uses in-depth current data from a range of international business, and provides an important new framework for understanding international competitive systems and formulating international business strategy. Review `This book is an unusual and valuable addition to the literatures of international business′ - International Business Review `The first interesting feature of this study is the selection of industries.... The book provides some valuable insight into the geographic distribution of the world in the mind of the chief executives… a matter of interest not only to industry and academia, but also to policy makers.... The classification of international strategies deducted from the interview data is another contribution that book makes.... The book has achieved its main goal of linking theory and practical experience [and] provides interesting reading.... The book translates the logic of the industry world into a nice theory leaving it up to the reader to accept or reject the accompanying business ethics and values′ - Prometheus `This text provides a framework for understanding international competitive systems and formulating international business strategy. In the dialogue between practitioners and a groups of researchers, theoretical insights and practical methods are provided, as well as a case of organic theory built upon contextual practical knowledge. Theories of industry-based global competition are developed and the interactions between structural forces at the industry level and competitive actions at the level of the individual business are explored. Qualitative data are used, including interviews with executives in charge of international strategy in 122 firms and ten countries, notably to develop such topics as: dynamics of segmentation, regional competitive territories, tension between integration and differentiation and strategic variations′ - International Review of Adminstrative Sciences