Purpose

The relationship between multinationality and firm performance is a central issue in the international marketing and business literatures. Predominantly, this body of research has tried to identify a single, generalized pattern for this relationship. However, despite the vast number of studies, results have been characterized as mixed or inconsistent. In this study, we take a fresh look at this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

We focus on a key inducement to expand firm multinationality – the search for a more efficient way to exploit firm resources, and also on a specific operationalization of multinationality – firm geographic scope. We use a formal analytical model analyzing the trade-off between benefits and costs arising from expanding firm geographic scope and emphasizing the role of lumpy costs emanating from resource indivisibility.

Findings

The relationship between geographic scope and performance cannot be confined to a single pattern, but instead, may have any one of a set of patterns: negatively monotonic shape, inverted U-shape, S-shape, M-shape or, multiple-wave inverted U-shape.

Practical implications

The current study offers managers some guidelines to identify which of the above patterns fits their firm's specific case, and to identify the optimal level of geographic scope for their firm.

Originality/value

We conclude that the search for a single, generalized pattern for multinationality-performance is largely futile, whereas the focus on specific inducements and operationalizations for multinationality allows us to explain when and why specific patterns are more likely to occur.

中文翻译：

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资源不可分割，成块成本以及多国关系与绩效之间的关系

目的

跨国公司与公司绩效之间的关系是国际营销和商业文献中的核心问题。主要是，这一研究机构试图为这种关系确定单一的，普遍的模式。但是，尽管进行了大量研究，但结果却被认为是混合的或不一致的。在这项研究中，我们重新审视了这种关系。

设计/方法/方法

我们专注于扩大公司跨国经营的主要诱因–寻找一种更有效的方式来利用公司资源，还着眼于跨国经营的具体运作–公司地理范围。我们使用正式的分析模型来分析因扩大公司地理范围而产生的收益与成本之间的取舍，并强调资源不可分割性产生的总成本的作用。

发现

地理范围和绩效之间的关系不能局限于一个模式，而是可以具有以下模式之一：负单调形状，倒U形，S形，M形或多波倒立U形。

实际影响

当前的研究为管理人员提供了一些指导方针，以识别上述哪种模式适合其公司的特定情况，并确定其公司的地理范围的最佳水平。

创意/价值

我们得出的结论是，寻求单一的，通用的多民族表现模式在很大程度上是徒劳的，而对多民族特定诱因和具体化的关注使我们能够解释何时以及为什么更有可能出现特定模式。