Exploring the Globalization of German Mncs with the Complex Spread and Diversity Measure

In this paper, we present a new quantitative measurement concept that integrates multiple dimensions of internationalization in a complex number and tries to measure globalization instead of simple internationalization. We apply this measure to assess the globalization states and processes of the most internationalized German MNCs. Our results suggest that these MNCs are neither globalized nor do they show a straightforward path towards globalization in the last decade. This outcome contradicts the common assumption of globalized MNCs, and thus has strong implications for future research as well as business and political decisions. The new quantitative concept of globalization developed in this paper can be used to measure the degree of international involvement of MNCs