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Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

This study aims to provide insights into glocalisation of international channels of distribution. The study also seeks to identify the key principles and patterns of glocalisation in general.

The authors utilise the single case study approach to study glocalisation in international channels of distribution by conducting in‐depth interviews with the firm's senior executives.

Results reveal that the firm employs glocal channels of distribution strategies. The study specifically identifies two types of glocalisation: inter‐decision and intra‐decision, and it is found that the firm follows a combination of both. The findings also suggest that the decision on how to glocalise channel strategies is based upon the firm's global practices as well as several local conditions specific to individual markets.

The study concludes that there is no uniform formula to pursue glocalisation. Firms may choose to pursue inter‐decision or intra‐decision glocalisation, or a combination of both. However, the decision should be based on a careful assessment of the firm's global philosophy, the channel decision involved, and ground realities in each market.

The study shows how glocalisation can be applied to international channel strategies. The study fills the gap in prior literature by throwing light on the lesser understood “global dimension” of a glocal strategy. The study may be the first to identify different types of glocal strategies and thus offers relevant insights into the concept of glocalisation. The study also adds to the limited knowledge on practicable application of glocalisation among both academics and practitioners.

Purpose – Ascertaining the extent to which the generalized decline in union density, as well as the erosion in centralized bargaining structures and developments in other labor institutions, have contributed to rising within-country inequality.

Methodology – Econometric analysis of a newly developed dataset combining information on industrial relations and labor law, various dimensions of globalization, and controls for demand and supply of skilled labor for 51 Advanced, Central and Eastern European, Latin American, and Asian countries from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, followed by an analysis of 16 advanced countries over a longer time frame (from the late 1970s to the early 2000s).

Findings – In contrast to previous research, which finds labor institutions to be important determinants of more egalitarian wage or income distributions, the chapter finds that trade unionism and collective bargaining are no longer significantly associated with within-country inequality, except in the Central and Eastern European countries. These findings are interpreted as the result of trade unionism operating under more stringent structural constraints than in the past, partly as a result of globalization trends. In addition, despite much talk about welfare state crisis, welfare states, historically the result of labor's power and mobilization capacity, still play an important redistributive role, at least in advanced countries.

Practical implications – Union attempts at equalizing incomes by compressing market earnings seem ineffective and impractical in the current day and age. Unions should seek to increase the workers’ skill levels and promote an egalitarian transformation of the workplace. This type of “supply-side” egalitarianism is not a new strategy for unions, but is very much embedded in the unions’ DNA.

Globalization of organizations necessitates the development of a network organizational configuration. This new form of organization requires managers to become boundary spanners between the various organizations aligned in the global business network. The question becomes how are these boundary‐spanning managers going to be identified and selected for global assignments. This paper examines the staffing options for marketing managers of integrative (i.e. relational) and market (i.e. transactional) modes of norm‐based control of global channels of distribution. Both transaction cost analysis and focus theory are used to identify which control mechanism would be most appropriate for each inter‐organizational situation.

Several works have focused on defining an organisation mission. Ansoff, Levitt and Drucker, among others, have made seminal contributions. However, globalisation has brought new challenges and changes, in terms of both new risks and new opportunities. Thus: How does globalisation impact on how a firm should define its business? What remains valid, as before, and what must be adapted? And why? are questions to be answered. This study aims to accomplish this.

This paper discusses the task of defining an organisation mission on a global age.

One of its main conclusions is that, more than ever, defining a business mission, requires now that one incorporates location in the definition. Location includes three different things: geographical area, distribution channels, and time location.

It may seem paradoxical that, as globalisation advances, location becomes more important in a business definition. This paper explains why.

This paper contributes to laying a foundation for a research agenda in international business (IB) on multinational enterprises (MNEs) and economic inequality, through an extensive literature review and development of a conceptual framework.

The author conduct a systematic review of studies on economic inequality in IB literature, complemented by a broader selective review of studies in general management, economics, political science, sociology and other disciplines.

The review confirms that economic inequality has received little attention in IB research. Most contributions are recent conceptual studies, while empirical studies are scarce. Studies in economics and other disciplines provide further insights on the effects of MNEs on inequality, although specific findings are somewhat mixed.

The author develop a simple framework outlining channels of effects from MNEs activities on different forms of inequality, discuss challenges and opportunities for IB in addressing this topic and identify some avenues for future IB research on economic inequality.

This paper is the first comprehensive review of literature in IB on economic inequality. It also presents relevant literature on MNEs and economic inequality from various other disciplines and outlines the contributions that the IB discipline can make to the study of this topic.

Market entry strategies range from foreign direct investment to licensing with varying levels of commitment, risk and opportunity. Exporting products or services is one of the most common of the intermediate market entry strategies. It is typically accomplished through authorized international channels of distribution. However, when significant price differences exist between markets, alternative, parallel channels of distribution are almost certain to arise. These parallel channels, often referred to as gray marketing, are generally legal but unauthorized distribution channels that create an alternative export market entry. After a review of the literature, a case study highlights these complex issues from the perspective of both manufacturer and parallel marketer. The case study provides a tool for evaluating theory and a basis for discussing this important alternative mode of market entry. The case and the discussion which follows also highlight the role of international trade shows as an important element of the marketing mix for entering many foreign markets.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the distribution channels used by a Nigerian sample of apparel producers and investigate the association between the channels in use and the sample’s export involvement. In this era of sophisticated computer- and internet-mediated marketing practices, the larger proportion of entrepreneurs in developing economies still deploy largely informal marketing practices. Countries indeed have adopted the marketing revolution to varying degrees, consistent with prevailing level of development.

A structured interview schedule was used in collecting data from 111 apparel entrepreneurs.

Most of the respondents were domestic market-focused haute couture producers or low-volume producers of ready-to-wear (r-t-w) clothing who supply institutions or boutiques, using direct channels. Only a few export, mainly through ethnic-commercial networks involving overseas-based family/friends.

For now, current distribution channels seem adequate for the personal and business goals of these entrepreneurs. However, large-volume clothing exporting through formal global distribution channels is what drives industrialization and development. These apparel entrepreneurs therefore require institutional assistance to link up with formal global marketing channels. It is only then that the industry would serve similar development roles as witnessed in other emerging economies which have climbed the development ladder through export of labour-intensive manufactures like clothing.

The study confirmed earlier observations about apparel exporting in Nigeria, such as prevalent use of informal channels, and also draws attention to less-known details, including the existence of fledgling local trade intermediaries, “disappointed exporters” and an emerging group (yet miniscule) of exporters who utilize more formalized channels.

As competition has been rising tremendously in the emergence and realization of globalization, some business models with regard to retailing have changed. In this sense, there has been a huge introduction to new terms and concepts related to omnichannel operations, mainly focusing on new trends in multichannel strategies. With the aid of recent technologies and changing lifestyles of customers, there exists an obvious change in shopper behavior. In this globe, multichannel operations have been detected as a means to differentiate products and services which might in return add a potential value to the success of omnichannel management strategies thereby bringing a huge value to customers. This chapter discusses main terms and terminologies, along with common practices, on how customer preferences of multichannel operations have evolved throughout the years of competition and globalization while putting the main focus of concern in multichannel marketing attempts, changes in customer preferences in this trend, and the emergence of effective strategies that enhance the best fit of marketing management theories and practices in multichannel operations. Finally, the overall initiative of this chapter is to come up with some concrete strategies that might enrich the overall standing of omnichannel management operations and practices.