We empirically test the proposition that foreign direct investors should use joint ventures with local firms for their first investment in unfamiliar markets. By tracking the expansion paths of Japanese investors in the US, we find no evidence that the growth of Japanese firms which first...

This dissertation develops and tests a new theory of private branding, a business practice under which manufacturers' products are sold to consumers under retailers' brands. The theory first argues that consumers' satisfaction with a product depends on both the performance of the manufacturer...