The internationalization process

How are the European corporations responding to international competition? What are the implications for future corporate structure, employment and uneven development? These are the central concerns of The Internationalization Process, developed from a four-year research programme, 'Regional and Urban Restructuring in Europe', carried out under the aegis of the European Science Foundation.

The carefully selected group of corporate case studies demonstrates how changing functional and geographical divisions of labour are related to complex forces operating within and beyond the confines of Europe. The case studies examined range from the telecoms supplier Alcatel to the machine-tool producers Glidemeister and Maho, from the pharmaceuticals giant SmithKline Beecham to the privatized steel producer British Steel.

Building from a shared conceptual base, the eight corporate case studies illustrate how internationalization strategies are related to the nature of the firm's product or service and to the characteristics of its production process.