From case studies: International division of labour within ICT companies

Abstract

The eighteen business case studies complement both the theoretical and the other empirical work by providing detailed and recent insights on the adopted internationalisation strategies, and the implications for the international division of labour at the level of individual EU based ICT companies. The objective of the case studies is to illustrate and complement the theoretical and practical understanding developed in this study. The analyses mentioned above leads to insights mostly at the macro- and meso- level of countries and sectors, or to insight focussing on R&D as one business function indicated by patent applications. We have adopted a qualitative methodology to address geographical fragmentation (and organisational integration) of ICT activities at the micro-level, that is, the company level, but also below the level of a MNE, given that some of the case studies focus on a specific EU-based subsidiary of a multinational corporation. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.