The Changing Japanese Multinational: Consequences of internationalisation and recession in manufacturing and financial services

Japanese multinational companies (MNCs) have often been portrayed as highly centralised firms that limit the roles of overseas subsidiaries to the assembly and sale of standardised products designed and developed in Japan (see, e.g. Bartlett and Ghoshal, 1989: 51-2, 158-161). Their foreign operations have commonly been seen as delivery pipelines for centrally planned products and services, which replicate domestic production processes and management systems...