Abstract

Despite a generally-acknowledged importance of IT in enabling global strategy and a broad understanding of the manner in which IT enhances coordination and reduces cost, few studies have focused precisely on how multinational firms use IT to facilitate globalization. We conduct a detailed case study across four major multinational firms, and use primary data to develop theoretical propositions on the characteristics of products, processes and customers that impact the ways in which multinational firms use IT to manage their global operations.

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How Multinational Firms Use IT to Manage Their Global Operations

Despite a generally-acknowledged importance of IT in enabling global strategy and a broad understanding of the manner in which IT enhances coordination and reduces cost, few studies have focused precisely on how multinational firms use IT to facilitate globalization. We conduct a detailed case study across four major multinational firms, and use primary data to develop theoretical propositions on the characteristics of products, processes and customers that impact the ways in which multinational firms use IT to manage their global operations.