Cyril Bouquet, Allen Morrison, Julian Birkinshaw
This study examines the performance consequences of international attention, defined as the extent to which headquarters executives in the multinational enterprise (MNE) invest time and effort in activities, communications, and discussions aimed at improving their understanding of the global marketplace. Using detailed questionnaire and archival data on 135 MNEs, our analysis revealed three significant findings. First, international attention can be operationalized as a meta-construct that consists of three interrelated and reinforcing dimensions. Second, international attention has a curvilinear (inverted U-shape) relationship with MNE performance. Third, the performance benefits of international attention increase with three categories of moderating factors: the international assignment experience of top executives, the independence of value-adding activities across country locations, and the degree of industry dynamism. © 2009 Academy of International Business All rights reserved.
IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland; INSEAD, Singapore, Singapore; London Business School, London, Regents Park, United Kingdom; IMD, CH-1001 Lausanne, Ch. de Bellerive 23, Switzerland
