Suchergebnisse

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to systematically describe the evolution of Bartlett and Ghoshal's transnational typology within an appropriate historical context, and to additionally review key antecedent works of other authors who contributed to its evolutionary nature.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature by combining an evolutionary perspective with a Chandlerian business history approach.FindingsThe paper shows how Bartlett and Ghoshal's transnational solution concept was developed in light of the global economic changes of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the managerial and strategic challenges faced by US MNCs. It shows how the transnational solution concept should not be seen as a single work, but rather the outcome of an academic discourse which lasted over a decade. The review of Bartlett and Ghoshal's stream of work since the mid 1980s also shows how the transnational solution concept developed gradually into its present form and through the integration of several antecedent concepts.Originality/valueThis paper describes not just the actual evolution of Bartlett and Ghoshal's transnational typology, but also systematically identifies and analyzes key antecedent works by other authors. This analysis has been overlooked and is at the same time key to the understanding of their typology. The employed evolutionary and business history perspectives within this paper are new to the international management literature. They should be especially valuable for graduate students and scholars who employ Bartlett and Ghoshal's typology, or anyone who wishes to understand theZeitgeistof the time articulated by this seminal work, which will soon celebrate its 25th anniversary.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the link between selected market orientation dimensions, HRM, and innovation, and their impact on organizational performance before and during the current economic crisis in Slovenia.Design/methodology/approachThe data for the analysis are drawn from a longitudinal cross‐sectional study of the 101 best Slovenian employers between 2008 and 2009. Altogether, over 15,000 respondents and more than 170 companies took part in the study, making it the largest of its kind in Slovenia and southeast Europe. The research method applied in the paper is exploratory and consists of simple paired comparisons of univariate and bivariate statistics, as well as factor analysis, regression analysis, and correlation analysis.FindingsThe results show that customer expectations regarding trust and long‐term performance have a positive impact on HRM practices within a firm, that HRM positively impacts organizational performance, and that innovation unexpectedly impacts it negatively (at least in the short‐term). No significant relationships between customer expectations of services, quality, and price, and their impact on HRM and innovation, respectively, were found. However, the research partially confirms that the crisis is affecting organizational performance because companies are deploying more HRM practices and, unexpectedly, fewer innovation activities.Originality/valueThis paper explores market orientation, HRM, innovation, and performance‐related dimensions in a B2B relationship marketing context based on the results of an extensive longitudinal cross‐sectional company‐employee study conducted in Slovenia before and during the current economic downturn. The findings offer a unique glimpse into the impact of the current economic crisis on the observed links and relational dimensions, and also have important managerial implications.