MACMILLAN Network Embeddedness: Examining the Effect on Business Performance and Internationalization (Palgrave Studies of Internationalization in Emerging Markets)

This book systematizes the concepts of business relationships and network embeddedness, taking a new approach to internationalization, relevant for the global economy. It reflects the growing importance of network internationalization theory and explores the impact of embeddedness in domestic and foreign relationships on a company’s performance. The author questions the validity of the distinction between domestic and foreign activity of companies and demonstrates that in the B2B market, there are actually no exclusively domestic companies which are not directly or indirectly connected with foreign entities. Chapters cover both small to medium sized enterprises and large multinational corporations, presenting a qualitative analysis of over 400 companies including case studies from the IT and furniture industries. This informative study will provide useful insight for academics and students of business and management, international business and organization studies.   Review “Management Science lacks in methodological and ontological consistency for dealing with interactive phenomena characterizing the contemporary business landscape. This volume is a worthy contribution to the field [of management], bringing to the surface the impact of interactive business context on the financial performance, growth and international expansion of companies.” (Ivan Snehota, Professor Emeritus, Università della Svizzera italiana) “In my eyes, this book should be mandatory reading for everyone interested in how networks influence companies’ domestic and international operations. Being embedded in such networks brings both problems and opportunities, and the author gives a deep understanding on how managers and companies can manage network embeddedness in order to achieve a high performance. It therefore makes an important contribution to both theory and practice.” (Martin Johanson, Professor, Uppsala University) “The author takes a new and exciting approach to the traditional perspective that companies’ engagement in internationalization is something special. Instead, she highlights this phenomenon as a ‘degree of embeddedness’ in exchange networks which transcend national borders.” (Professor Alexandra Waluszewski, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University) From the Back Cover This book systematizes the concepts of business relationships and network embeddedness, taking a new approach to internationalization, relevant for the global economy. It reflects the growing importance of network internationalization theory and explores the impact of embeddedness in domestic and foreign relationships on a company’s performance. The author questions the validity of the distinction between domestic and foreign activity of companies and demonstrates that in the B2B market, there are actually no exclusively domestic companies which are not directly or indirectly connected with foreign entities. Chapters cover both small to medium sized enterprises and large multinational corporations, presenting a qualitative analysis of over 400 companies including case studies from the IT and furniture industries. This informative study will provide useful insight for academics and students of business and management, international business and organization studies. About the Author Milena Ratajczak-Mrozek is Associate Professor at the Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland. She is an Outstanding Young Scientist holder of the Minister of Science and Higher Education scholarships and member of the board of Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group. Her main areas of research include companies’ relationships and networks in international settings.