The Swiss Watch Industry

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Yves Donzé
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Business History ◽  
Manufacturing Costs ◽  
Watch Industry

The Swiss watch industry has enjoyed uncontested domination of the global market for more than two decades. Despite high costs and high wages, Switzerland is the home of most of the largest companies in this industry. Scholars in business history, economics, management studies, and other social sciences focused on four major issues to explain such success. The first is product innovation, which has been viewed as one of the key determinants of competitiveness in the watch industry. Considerable attention has been focused on the development of electronic watches during the 1970s, as well as the emergence of new players in Japan and Hong Kong. Yet the rebirth of mechanical watches during the early 1990s as luxury accessories also can be characterized as a product innovation (in this case, linked to marketing strategy rather than pure technological innovation). Second, brand management has been a key instrument in changing the identity of Swiss watches, repositioning them as a luxury business. Various strategies have been adopted since the early 1990s to add value to brands by using culture as a marketing resource. Third, the evolution of the industry’s structure emphasizes a deep transformation during the 1980s, characterized by a shift from classical industrial districts to multinational enterprises. Concentration in Switzerland, as well as the relocation abroad of some production units through foreign direct investment (FDI) and independent suppliers, have enabled Swiss watch companies to control manufacturing costs and regain competitiveness against Japanese firms.Fourth, studying the institutional framework of the Swiss watch industry helps to explain why this activity was not fully relocated abroad, unlike most sectors in low-tech industries. The cartel that was in force from the 1920s to the early 1960s, and then the Swiss Made law of 1971, are two major institutions that shaped the watch industry.

scholarly journals Making medicine a business in Japan: Shimadzu Co. and the diffusion of radiology (1900–1960)

Gesnerus ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-262
Author(s):  
Pierre-Yves Donzé
Keyword(s):  
Technology Diffusion ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Business History ◽  
Communication Policy ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Medical Market ◽  
Independent Firm

This contribution focuses on the role of the firm Shimadzu in the marketing of X-ray machines in Japan during the first part of the 20th century, viewed from a business history perspective. It attempts to further understanding of the process of technology diffusion in medicine. In a global market controlled by American and German multinational enterprises, Japan appears to have been a particular country, where a domestic independent firm, Shimadzu, succeeded in establishing itself as a competitive company. This success is the result of a strategy based on both the internalisation of technological capabilities (recruitment of university graduate engineers, subcontracting of research and development activities) and an original communication policy towards the medical world. Finally, the specific structure of the Japanese medical market, composed of numerous and largely privatised small healthcare centres, facilitated the rapid diffusion of X-ray machines, a new technology which conferred a comparative advantage on its holders.

scholarly journals Globalization Impact on Multinational Enterprises

World ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-230
Author(s):  
Justine Kyove ◽  
Katerina Streltsova ◽  
Ufuoma Odibo ◽  
Giuseppe T. Cirella
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Excellent Starting Point ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Impact

The impact of globalization on multinational enterprises was examined from the years 1980 to 2020. A scoping literature review was conducted for a total of 141 articles. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed typologies were categorized and conclusions were drawn regarding the influence and performance (i.e., positive or negative effects) of globalization. Developed countries show more saturated markets than developing countries that favor developing country multinational enterprises to rely heavily on foreign sales for revenue growth. Developed country multinationals are likely to use more advanced factors of production to create revenue, whereas developing country multinationals are more likely to use less advanced forms. A number of common trends and issues showed corporate social responsibility, emerging markets, political issues, and economic matters as key to global market production. Recommendations signal a strong need for more research that addresses contributive effects in the different economies, starting with the emerging to the developed. Limitations of data availability and inconsistency posed a challenge for this review, yet the use of operationalization, techniques, and analyses from the business literature enabled this study to be an excellent starting point for additional work in the field.

scholarly journals Technology-sourcing investment abroad as an enhancer of Chinese MNEs’ innovative capabilities

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Gugler ◽  
Laura Vanoli
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Citation Analysis ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Knowledge Diffusion ◽  
Technological Capabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chinese Mnes ◽  
Firm Knowledge ◽  
Innovative Capabilities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on Chinese firms’ innovation processes that are induced by foreign direct investment abroad. The study uses a patent and citation analysis to examine the extent to which investments abroad contribute to enhancing these firms’ innovative capabilities. More specifically, this study focusses on the role of foreign location competitiveness as an asset to provide technological capabilities to Chinese affiliates. Design/methodology/approach – Patents are good indicators of firms’ innovative capabilities. Moreover, patents allow to track the inter-firm knowledge transfer through the citations of patents on which they are based. The authors use an OECD patent database called “OECD REGPAT July 2013” that compiles patents registered with the European Patent Office (EPO) over the period from 1986 to 2013. The authors focus the analysis on patents registered by Chinese multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) based in Europe because the authors assume inter alia that innovations patented by Chinese affiliates in Europe are registered with the EPO. The sample comprises 3,010 patents involving 5,749 citations that the authors have individually examined. Findings – The findings suggest that Chinese MNEs ability to generate innovation based on their own knowledge is low, with a self-citation rate of approximately 4 percent. Patents by Chinese MNEs are largely based on foreign patents, especially from developed economies (at least 90 percent). The citation analysis also suggests that 39.2 percent of citations represent domestic firms in the local recipient country. This subgroup of citations is categorized as follows: 1.04 percent are M&A linkages, 13.8 percent are cluster linkages, and 24.36 percent are localization linkages. The remaining 60.8 percent of the total sample demonstrates that firms do not necessarily need to be collocated in foreign locations with domestic firms to exchange assets. Research limitations/implications – Patent and citation analysis considers only a part of the inter-firm knowledge diffusion. Some innovations are not patented and tacit knowledge diffusion is not observable. Moreover, the analysis focusses only on Chinese outward foreign direct investment to Europe, but a large part of knowledge is accumulated in China thanks to inward foreign direct investment. Originality/value – Many scholars have scrutinized emerging markets multinational enterprises’ strategic asset-seeking investments abroad that are designed to upgrade the companies’ technological capabilities (Cui and Jiang, 2009; Zhang and Filippov, 2009; Huang and Wang, 2013; Amighini et al., 2014; De Beule et al., 2014; Nicolas, 2014). However, few studies analyze the results of these strategies in terms of innovation output.

DETERMINAN PENANAMAN MODAL ASING LANGSUNG DI ASEAN

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Joko Susanto
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Data Model ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
Regression Equation ◽  
Panel Data Model ◽  
Market Size ◽  
Research Analysis

This research analysis the factors’ that determine the foreign directinvestment (FDI) in ASEAN’s countries especially Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine and Thailand during 1990-2009. Multinational Enterprises’ (MNE) must decideto choose a locationfor relocating its’ factory by market seeking dan resources seeking strategy. Based on this statement, it can be obtained the regression equation with foreign direct investment is a function of market size, worker’s productivity and infrastructure of road. Statistical data of UNESCAP was used in this research. The regression was base on the panel data model, while the estimation was based on common effects model. This results showthat the market size, worker’s productivity and availability of infrastructure road could be an importance consideration for MNE’s in their choice for FDI.Keywords: foreign direct investment, market size, worker’s productivity, infrastructure of road

scholarly journals Analysis of Nigeria Firms, Export Marketing Configuration in the Global Market

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 448-456
Author(s):  
Bright C Opara
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
National Development ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Company Size ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Exporting Firms ◽  
Export Marketing ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

This study is set out to analyze the Configuration (behavior) of Nigerian firms’ export marketing in the global market. This can be appreciated from the fact that export play important role in the socio-economic development of nations; in the areas of value creation and facilitate economics of abundance for national development. The data were generated through structured questionnaire administered on sixty exporting firms located in Lagos. The data were statistically subjected to T-tests, employing Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), in Special Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that Nigerian exporting firms are patterned into Experimental, Active, and Committed. The findings also showed that Nigeria firms’ years of export involvement influence their pattern of export, just as company size and number of employee’s impact on firms’ categorization of export involvement. The findings of this study are peculiar because it focuses on Nigeria firms involved in export, and give valuable insight on the prospects and challenges on pattern of Nigerian firms’ marketing activities in the global market. Nigeria’s desire to attain the economic vision of 202020 (being among 20 top Global Economies in the Year 2020) will be enhanced and achieved; if the findings of this study are professionally and sincerely pursued, and what it can contribute to the nation’s development is positively considered by stakeholders.

scholarly journals Vertical spillovers from multinational enterprises: Does technological gap matter?

2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna Pittiglio ◽  
Filippo Reganati ◽  
Edgardo Sica
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Spillover Effect ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Foreign Investors ◽  
Technological Gap ◽  
Local Companies ◽  
The Relationship

Foreign direct investment (FDI) from Multinational enterprises (MNEs) can augment the productivity of domestic firms insofar as knowledge ?spills over? from foreign investors to local producers. The capacity of local companies to exploit knowledge from MNEs can be affected by the technology gap between foreign and local enterprises at both horizontal (in the same industry) and vertical (in different industries) level. Whereas most of the empirical literature has focused exclusively on the analysis of horizontal and backward spillovers (i.e. between MNEs and local suppliers), the present paper also examines the relationship between FDI-related spillovers and technological gap in the Italian manufacturing sector at forward level (i.e. between MNEs and local buyers). Results suggest that at both intra-industry and forward level, the technological gap is of considerable importance for the spillover effect, particularly in the case of low-medium gap.

Innovation and Information Technology in the MNE

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Cantwell
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Multinational Enterprise ◽  
Product Cycle ◽  
Cycle Model ◽  
Transfer Of Technology ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
The Impact

This article focuses on the roles innovation and information technology play in the multinational enterprise. In recent years there has been a steady expansion in the literature that relates the internationalization of production to the development and transfer of technology by multinational enterprises (MNEs). It is a literature that can be dated back at least to John Dunning's (1958) seminal study of the impact of US MNEs upon UK technology and productivity, and Ray Vernon's (1966) development of the product cycle model (PCM) as an explanation of the technological dynamism associated with the growth of US foreign direct investment (FDI) in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s.

On Some Aspects of State-Owned Enterprises' Foreign Direct Investments (SOEs' FDI)

2017 ◽  
pp. 118-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Anna Götz ◽  
Barbara Jankowska
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
International Engagement ◽  
Critical Literature

This chapter seeks to enrich the existing literature by discussing the broader context of international engagement of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). It discusses the rationale for examining foreign direct investment (FDI) done by SOEs and outlines the challenges which need to be addressed in this respect. It provides a brief overview of FDI carried by Polish SOEs. The authors applied the qualitative methodology of critical literature review and descriptive analysis of internationalization of Polish state-controlled firms. This chapter can contribute to the current studies devoted mainly to Chinese or other Asian emerging state-controlled multinationals by adding the Central and Eastern European (CEE), in particular the Polish, perspective. It concludes that given the well-recognised peculiarities of such entities adequate framework needs to be adopted to explore their foreign activities. The Polish multi-case study encompassing nine entities demonstrates that the group can be pretty heterogeneous and indeed can combine the specificity of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and SOEs.

scholarly journals The Formation of a Technology-Based Fashion System, 1945–1990: The Sources of the Lost Competitiveness of Japanese Apparel Companies

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
PIERRE-YVES DONZÉ ◽  
RIKA FUJIOKA
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Apparel Industry ◽  
Fast Growth ◽  
Business History ◽  
International Literature ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
Apparel Companies ◽  
Oriented Approach

Over the past two decades, the Japanese apparel industry has lost its competitiveness after experiencing a period of fast growth from the postwar years to the early 1990s. In international literature in social sciences, most scholars offer ethnic-based explanations of fashion in Japan, stressing some specificities such as street fashion or star designers in Paris. This article, however, argues that such views are biased and cannot explain the current lack of competitiveness of the Japanese apparel industry. Using the concept of the “fashion system” and following a business history-oriented approach, we offer a new interpretation of the emergence of Western clothing and fashion in Japan during the second part of the twentieth century. This interpretation demonstrates that the characteristics of the Japanese fashion system lie in a focus on the issues of production and technology, both of which led both to an extreme segmentation of the domestic market and to weaker brands.

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