Brazilian Multinationals: Competences for Internationalization

Description

Since the 1950s, subsidiaries of the most prestigious foreign multinationals have played a key role in Brazilian economic development, thus creating a very competitive domestic market. On top of this, government interventions in the last few decades have been inconsistent and contradictory, resulting in a series of economic crises. Only the most resilient Brazilian firms have been able to survive and prosper in this challenging environment. This book, first published in 2011, analyzes a variety of leading Brazilian multinationals and examines their competencies and competitive strategies in a variety of different settings. It develops an innovative analytical framework based on international business, international operations management, and international human resources management. This framework is then applied not only to Brazilian multinationals, but also firms from Latin America, Russia, India and China. This provides novel insights into the rise of Brazilian multinationals and the increasingly important role played by emerging economy multinationals in the global economy.

Afonso Carlos Correa Fleury is Professor of Technology, Work and Organisation in the Production Engineering Department of the University of Sao Paulo. He has been a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (UK), the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chausses (France), and the Institute for Manufacturing, Cambridge University. He is currently associate editor of the Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management and Vice-President (Americas) of the Production and Operations Management Society. Maria Tereza Leme Fleury is the Dean of the School of Business Administration at Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Sao Paulo, and former Dean of the School of Economics, Business Administration and Accountancy of the University of Sao Paulo. She is Director of ANPAD (Brazilian Academy of Management) and a member of the board of BALAS (Business Association for Latin America Studies) and the Scientific Committee of Euromed, Marseille, France.

Review of the hardback: 'This path-breaking book analyses the emergence of a significant phenomenon in global business - the rise of Brazilian multinationals. It compares their development with that of MNCs from other countries, both emerging and developed. On the basis of their carefully assembled material, the authors identify how firm competences and management styles are key factors in successful internationalization. Their book is essential reading for the subject of international business strategy.' John Child, Emeritus Chair of Commerce, University of Birmingham Review of the hardback: 'This book is more than just a book on Brazilian multinationals. It is a well-researched and highly readable explanation of why Brazilian firms have followed a path of foreign expansion that differs from the path followed by multinationals in other countries. Fleury and Fleury provide a unique, insightful and fascinating account of the emergence of Brazilian firms in the world stage. The book should be of great value not only for readers interested in Brazil and its multinationals, but also for those interested in better understanding globalization and its impact on firms.' Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra, Sonoco International Business Department, Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina Review of the hardback: 'This brilliant book provides one of the best analyses of Brazil's emerging multinationals. The Fleurys give the reader an outstanding historical and comparative view of how Brazil spawned global champions in so many industries. The book puts to bed the notion that emerging-market firms have no firm-specific advantages, by providing countless examples of Brazilian firms with world-class capabilities. The book is an invaluable addition to the burgeoning literature on emerging-market multinationals.' Ravi Ramamurti, CBA Distinguished Professor of International Business and Strategy, and Director of the Center for Emerging Markets, Northeastern University