AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings - Academy of International ...

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MNCs face a global leader supply paradox—many in global leadership roles fall short when contributing to the
organization's performance, while the need for quality global leaders has never been greater. We develop a
synthesized model of global leader effectiveness based on the synthesis of global mindset and boundary
spanner studies that independently identified elements of global leadership linked to global organizational
effectiveness. This synthesis provides a comprehensive grounded model of global leader characteristics that
underpin effectiveness. Such empirically based integration has yet to be accomplished. The overarching goal of
this synthesis is to inform both scholars and practitioners. (For more information, please contact: Mary Boyden
Teagarden, Thunderbird School of Global Management, USA: mary.teagarden@thunderbird.edu)
How Headquarters and Hierarchy Influence Intra-Organizational Networks in MNCs
William G. Egelhoff, Fordham University
Joachim Wolf, University of Kiel
Existing literature has failed to adequately distinguish the coordination capabilities of intra- and interorganizational
networks. It frequently assumes they are similar and has suggested that one can view MNCs as
inter-organizational networks. The present paper uses an information-processing perspective to define and
distinguish the coordination capabilities of intra- and inter-organizational networks in MNCs. It assumes intraorganizational
networks are embedded in a common hierarchical context, while inter-organizational networks
are not. The paper argues that the presence of a HQ and hierarchical context significantly enhances the
information-processing capacities of intra-organizational networks. Thus, in addition to directly providing
hierarchical information processing to an MNC, HQ and a hierarchical context also contribute to the coordinating
capabilities of its intra-organizational networks. (For more information, please contact: William G. Egelhoff,
Fordham University, USA: egelhoff@fordham.edu)
Marketing Management in MNC Subsidiaries: An Archetypal Analysis
David F. Midgley, INSEAD
Sunil Venaik, University of Queensland
The relative degree of control and standardization in the ways multinational corporations operate across the
globe has been a central question in international business research since the inception of the discipline.
Normatively, is it better to control from the center or should local subsidiaries be allowed to go their own way
Or is it more appropriate to globally standardize certain elements of operations but allow local adaptation on
others Moreover, due to the dynamism and diversity of the business environments in which MNCs operate,
they constantly seek better strategies and decision-making structures to balance the evolving global and local
pressures on their subsidiaries. Consequently there is considerable heterogeneity in the strategies and
structures employed by individual corporations as they adapt to the specific circumstances in which they find
themselves. And paradoxically, although the literature examines in depth the moderating influence of various
pressures on strategy and structure, it does not describe the underlying empirical heterogeneity of these
strategies and structures in any detail. In this paper, we use a relatively new statistical method—archetypal
analysis—and detailed measures of the marketing mix to describe the heterogeneity of subsidiary marketing
strategies and decision-making structures. Our preliminary results show this heterogeneity to be more complex
than recognized by the literature. (For more information, please contact: Sunil Venaik, University of
Queensland, Australia: s.venaik@business.uq.edu.au)
MNC Headquarters as Activity Systems: The Consequences of Differentiating and Relocating MNC Headquarters
Phillip C. Nell, Copenhagen Business School
Marcus Møller Larsen, Copenhagen Business School
AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings
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