Article
European Management Review (2005) 2, 212–223. doi:10.1057/palgrave.emr.1500040
Identifying and explaining epochs of internationalization: a case study
Stefan Eckert1 and Ulrike Mayrhofer2
- 1University of Zittau, Germany
- 2University of Le Havre and ESC Rouen, France
Correspondence: U Mayrhofer, CERENE (Centre d'Etude et de Recherche en Economie et Gestion Logistique), Faculty of International Affairs, University of Le Havre, 25 Rue Philippe Lebon, 76057 Le Havre, France. E-mail: ulrike.mayrhofer@univ-lehavre.fr
Abstract
This research investigates the internationalization process of multinational corporations. The authors identify international epochs that profoundly characterize the internationalization process of companies and explain their emergence. Based on a longitudinal case study of the German company Hoechst and its merger with the French company Rhône-Poulenc to Aventis, the empirical analysis reveals that international epochs are initiated by significant changes in the power structure of the corporation, such as the appointment of a new CEO or a corporate merger.
Keywords:
internationalization process, international epochs, international mergers and acquisitions, corporate policy
