The Competitive Advantage of Emerging Market Multinationals

Description

Multinationals from Brazil, Russia, India and China, known as the BRIC countries, are a new and powerful force in global competition and are challenging the incumbency of much older global companies from the developed world. Emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) now account for a quarter of foreign investment in the world, are a prolific source of innovation and make almost one in three cross-border acquisitions globally. Despite this, traditional theories of international business do not provide a satisfactory explanation of their behaviour or performance. The authors of this book shine new light on the rise of the EMNEs and how they have built a competitive advantage through innovation, novel configurations of their international value chains and the acquisition of companies overseas. Any manager, policy maker or researcher who wishes to understand the emergence of this new breed of multinational will find this book an invaluable resource.

Peter J. Williamson is Professor of International Management at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. He also consults on global strategy, M&A and Chinese business, and serves as non-executive director of several companies spanning financial services through to green energy. Ravi Ramamurti is the CBA Distinguished Professor of International Business and Strategy and Director of the Center for Emerging Markets at Northeastern University, Boston. His previous publications include Emerging Multinationals in Emerging Markets (Cambridge University Press, 2009). Afonso Fleury is a professor in the Production Engineering Department at the University of Sao Paulo. He is also a consultant to Brazilian public and private firms as well as subsidiaries of multinationals. His previous publications include Brazilian Multinationals (Cambridge University Press, 2011). Maria Tereza Leme Fleury is Dean of the School of Business Administration at Fundacio Getulio Vargas in Sao Paulo. Her previous publications include Brazilian Multinationals (Cambridge University Press, 2011).

'This volume is an important and thoughtful contribution toward understanding the roots, evolution and current extent of the competitive advantages that help emerging market multinationals to become global players in the world FDI market.' Karl P. Sauvant, Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment, Columbia Law School 'Emerging market multinationals (MNEs) are seizing with gusto the opportunities of globalization and of the global economic crisis. They spread their wings, deploy their ownership advantages, acquire the assets they lack, such as brands, patents and distribution channels, and take market share from multinationals headquartered in developed economies. The Competitive Advantage of Emerging Market Multinationals analyses the processes that are driving the fast accumulation of global capabilities and networks by BRIC-based MNEs. The reassessment of the explanatory power of existing theories of international business will be of great value to scholars and students; managers and policy makers will also find useful insights that can hopefully lead to better decision-making for all interested stakeholders.' Andrea Goldstein, OECD 'The Competitive Advantage of Emerging Market Multinationals investigates how firms based in Brazil, Russia, India and China are developing new products and processes, configuring their international value chains, and acquiring and exploiting capabilities through mergers and acquisitions. One exciting feature of this book is the parallel treatment of the strategies used by Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese firms in these three areas. This book is a must-read for anyone eager to understand the international expansion of firms based in these four countries.' Jean-Francois Hennart, Center for Research in Economics and Business, Tilburg University, The Netherlands