Multinational corporations (MNCs) are frequently pictured as being at the vanguard of global integration. They face strong incentives to maximize economies of scale in research and development, purchasing, production and marketing, and encounter low barriers in the dissemination of technologies and best practices. This special issue brings together various papers that focus on different aspects of the tension between global and local within MNCs.

Professor DR. Niels G. Noorderhaven is Professor of International Management at Tilburg University, The Netherlands.