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Holistic ethnography: Studying the impact of multiple national identities on post-acquisition organizations

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Abstract

Ethnographic research in international business studies focuses mainly on small group case studies, ignoring other genres of ethnography and limiting its role. I argue, based on a study of BMW MINI, that holistic ethnography allows multiple perspectives on the organization, making it particularly useful for studying cross-border acquisitions. I analyze cross-cultural relationships in the organization, the interaction of manager and worker perspectives, and the expression of national identities within the firm as its culture is negotiated, allowing for greater understanding of the conflicts that, in its managers’ view, affected the integration of the acquired subsidiary.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this research was made possible by the Nuffield Foundation and BMW Ltd. This article has previously been presented at the Academy of International Business. An earlier and substantially different version of this article is published in R. Piekkari and C. Welch (eds.) (2011), Rethinking the Case Study Approach in International Business Research, London: Edward Elgar. Thanks are extended to all editors and discussants who have reviewed this article, and to Professor Ed Clark for providing invaluable comments upon earlier drafts.

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  1. School of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK

    Fiona Moore

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Moore, F. Holistic ethnography: Studying the impact of multiple national identities on post-acquisition organizations. J Int Bus Stud 42, 654–671 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2011.11

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