Market Entry and Operational Decision Making in East-West Business Relationships

Book excerpt: Understand the dynamics of East-West relationships in business to make better decisions The Eastern expansion of the European Union has increased interest in this geographic region. Market Entry and Operational Decision Making in East-West Business Relationships presents 10 case studies that focus on firms in Central and Eastern Europe and the strategies used for success. Academics, researchers, and practitioners examine a variety of topics, including entry and marketing strategies of Western multinational companies, choices of locations for foreign direct investments, first mover advantages, entry behavior of retailing companies, dynamics in subsidiary operations, industry clusters, decision-making autonomy, and internationalization. Market Entry and Operational Decision Making in East-West Business Relationships provides information that is uniquely timely and practical to those in business in this region. The chapters bring the academic and the practical perspectives together by analyzing various research studies from different companies in several Central and Eastern European countries. This resource discusses companies and the decisions about where they begin and maintain operations, and why these strategies were chosen. The book provides a clear spotlight on the business decisions currently taking place in the East-West interaction. Topics in Market Entry and Operational Decision Making in East-West Business Relationships include: studies of four Estonian companies on their emergence and success factors a comparative study of performance measures of companies in Central and Eastern Europe a detailed look at the strategies of Finnish and Swedish companies in the Baltic states and Russia the location decisions of Italian firms a comparative study of in-store shopping behavior in Italy, France, and Poland the regionalization of multinational company strategies studies of Estonian companies, including the wood and forest industries and more Market Entry and Operational Decision Making in East-West Business Relationships is an essential resource that examines issues of critical importance to business researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.