Mats Forsgren
Biographic Data
| ID | 4585638 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mats Forsgren |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mats |
| FAMILY NAME | Forsgren |
| SIGNATURE | FORSGREN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Uppsala University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Upgrading in global value chains – is the orchestrating MNE doing harm?
Purpose This paper aims to examine why multinational enterprises (MNEs), despite their central role in orchestrating global value chains (GVCs), often fail to generate the expected investment-led upgrading among local suppliers in less developed countries (LDCs). The authors challenge the common assumption that MNE-led orchestration naturally produces positive spillovers. Design/methodology/approach The study draws conceptually on Acemoglu and co…
Politics, power and the self-preserving MNE
Purpose This viewpoint paper reflects on Burmester et al.’s (2026) “Rules or No Rules: International Business in the Time of Trump” published in this journal. Inspired by the arguments in that article, the authors suggest that political power and multinational enterprises (MNEs’) capacity to exercise such power to shape their political environments are often neglected in calls for a more political approach to international business (IB). The auth…
The source of MNE superiority from within or from outside? – A response to “the importance of being transnational”
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to respond to the comments by professor Ietto-Gillies on the paper on “The MNE as the Crown of Creation?” Design/methodology/approach The authors argue that the key points made in the commentary are broadly complementary to the arguments set out in the “Crown of Creation?” Findings The authors agree with the commentary that sources of advantages of multinationality lie “outside the MNE” – through its interacti…
Controlling without owning – owning without controlling
The MNE as the “crown of creation”
Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: to analyse what theories assume about multinational enterprises (MNEs) when they claim these are superior and to discuss possible explanations for why MNE superiority seems to be dominant in the international business (IB) research field. Design/methodology/approach A common theme in mainstream IB theories is that multinational enterprises (MNEs) are superior in terms of cost efficiency and innovative…
MNC involvement in social innovations
Purpose This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework and presents a number of propositions relating to why and how multinational companies (MNCs) engage in social innovations. The central focus is on the role of MNC knowledge, networks and power for their involvement in social innovations. Design/methodology/approach The authors combine literature on social innovations, business innovations and MNC literature, and present a number of proposi…
Ignorant and impatient internationalization
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent classical models of firms' internationalization process can explain behavior among totally new types of firms. More specifically, we confront the traditional so‐called Uppsala model of internationalization with data and experiences from such firms in order to analyze and discuss some basic elements in the model. Design/methodology/approach Case studies of newly established and fast gr…
The strategic impact of external networks
This paper explores the importance of relational embeddedness in external networks as a strategic resource for performance and competence development in multinational corporations (MNCs). Two different types of relational embeddedness at the subsidiary level—business embeddedness and technical embeddedness—are proposed to have an influence on the subsidiary's market performance as well as its importance for competence development in the MNC. Usin…
No prominent works on this page.
The strategic impact of external networks
This paper explores the importance of relational embeddedness in external networks as a strategic resource for performance and competence development in multinational corporations (MNCs). Two different types of relational embeddedness at the subsidiary level—business embeddedness and technical embeddedness—are proposed to have an influence on the subsidiary's market performance as well as its importance for competence development in the MNC. Usin…
Ignorant and impatient internationalization
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent classical models of firms' internationalization process can explain behavior among totally new types of firms. More specifically, we confront the traditional so‐called Uppsala model of internationalization with data and experiences from such firms in order to analyze and discuss some basic elements in the model. Design/methodology/approach Case studies of newly established and fast gr…
MNC involvement in social innovations
Purpose This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework and presents a number of propositions relating to why and how multinational companies (MNCs) engage in social innovations. The central focus is on the role of MNC knowledge, networks and power for their involvement in social innovations. Design/methodology/approach The authors combine literature on social innovations, business innovations and MNC literature, and present a number of proposi…
Controlling without owning – owning without controlling
The MNE as the “crown of creation”
Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: to analyse what theories assume about multinational enterprises (MNEs) when they claim these are superior and to discuss possible explanations for why MNE superiority seems to be dominant in the international business (IB) research field. Design/methodology/approach A common theme in mainstream IB theories is that multinational enterprises (MNEs) are superior in terms of cost efficiency and innovative…
The source of MNE superiority from within or from outside? – A response to “the importance of being transnational”
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to respond to the comments by professor Ietto-Gillies on the paper on “The MNE as the Crown of Creation?” Design/methodology/approach The authors argue that the key points made in the commentary are broadly complementary to the arguments set out in the “Crown of Creation?” Findings The authors agree with the commentary that sources of advantages of multinationality lie “outside the MNE” – through its interacti…
Upgrading in global value chains – is the orchestrating MNE doing harm?
Purpose This paper aims to examine why multinational enterprises (MNEs), despite their central role in orchestrating global value chains (GVCs), often fail to generate the expected investment-led upgrading among local suppliers in less developed countries (LDCs). The authors challenge the common assumption that MNE-led orchestration naturally produces positive spillovers. Design/methodology/approach The study draws conceptually on Acemoglu and co…
Politics, power and the self-preserving MNE
Purpose This viewpoint paper reflects on Burmester et al.’s (2026) “Rules or No Rules: International Business in the Time of Trump” published in this journal. Inspired by the arguments in that article, the authors suggest that political power and multinational enterprises (MNEs’) capacity to exercise such power to shape their political environments are often neglected in calls for a more political approach to international business (IB). The auth…
International Business and FDI (7 works) · Economics (6 works) · Multinational corporation (6 works) · Business (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Industrial organization (4 works) · Innovation and Knowledge Management (4 works) · International business (4 works) · Management (4 works) · Originality (4 works)