Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution, 2nd Edition [Hardcover]

Christopher A. Bartlett (Author), Sumantra Ghoshal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

The first edition of "Managing Across Borders" was hailed as a landmark book, widely praised for its pioneering insights into the management of companies operating in an international environment. With the introduction of an entirely new organizational form - the transnational - Bartlett and Ghoshal showed how the nature of the competitive game had fundamentally changed, requiring that companies simultaneously capture global-scale efficiency, respond to national markets, and cultivate a worldwide learning capability for driving continuous innovation across borders. In this newly revised edition, the authors revisit their breakthrough concepts, updating the material with fresh, timely examples drawn from today's leading global enterprises. The insightful profiles of global middle managers and the real-world case studies paint a complete picture of the issues, problems, and opportunities encountered on the road to becoming a transnational. Included with this edition is a new application workbook, is a highly practical tool for translating the book's ideas into action.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The second edition of Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution, by Christopher A. Bartlett of the Harvard Business School and Sumantra Ghoshal of the London Business School, is a dynamic update of the authors' pioneering research into management on a global stage. Even more timely now than when it was originally conceived over a decade ago, the book--which was previously published in nine languages and adapted into a video program--remains singularly focused on the ways that this important organizational form is changing the playing field for all types of corporate enterprises. Along with their original look at the relevant operations of nine companies, however, the authors have now also incorporated a new section called "The Transformational Challenge," which charts how several other firms have been implementing the concepts that were described in their initial work. By fully describing these additional examples drawn from today's emerging international business community, as well as including a new "application handbook" so readers can more effectively translate their ideas into actions, Bartlett and Ghoshal have improved their advice on topics such as competition, flexibility, diversity, and commitment. -- Howard Rothman

Review

"Managing Across Borders...represents the leading edge of thinking on this important subject."--Michael E. Porter -- Michael E. Porter

"Valuable lessons for companies in a wide range of industries and sizes-indeed almost any organization operating several different businesses across borders." -- The Financial Times

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Press; Second Edition edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875848494
• ISBN-13: 978-0875848495
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pathbreaking book, May 12, 2000

By 

Poul Houman Andersen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

This seminal book has been a part of my professional library for almost a decade, now. I am an Associate Professor in International Business and teach the subjects covered in this book. From this book a number of concepts have grown which continues to dominate the discussion of global management. Let me jus mention a few: administrative heritage, which is the idea, that the organisational structure of multidomestic enterprises reflects the historical period they were established in - especially with respect to the regime of coordination and communication. For instance, whereas the typical american firm entering Europe after 2ww would follow a strategy of tight operational control (given the business circumstances of this firm) Phillips, a multinational from the 19th century would display a strategy of much more delegation and subsidary autonomy.

Another concept is that of transnational companies - firms which simultaneously seek to adjust to local circumstances and enjoy the benefits of global integration. This idea remains a hot issue in global management even today - more than a decade after this book was published.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent source, August 6, 2005

By 

Michael Wright (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

An amazing book detailing the differences between global, international, and multinational companies while providing a new innovative way to approach business, the transnational way. Great for students and professionals alike.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An appreciative book that looks forward into the future, March 16, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution (Paperback)

Now in an updated second edition, Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution by Christopher Bartlett (Daewoo Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School) and Sumantra Ghoshal (Professor of Strategic and International Management, The London Business School) is an informative introduction to the "transnational corporation", the new corporate phenomena of the interconnected global and digital age, which stretches its competition worldwide and fundamentally rewrites the nature of doing business. A fascinating, appreciative book that looks forward into the future, Managing Across Borders is highly recommended reading for anyone seeking to understand and capitalize on what the 21st century business community is evolving for purposes of international trade in a truly global and increasingly "borderless" age!