The far side of international business: local initiatives in the global workshop

Abstract

This article presents a case study of the entry of two Norwegian lifeboat companies into the Chinese production system. Rather than merely studying the situation through the eyes of these companies, it includes a perspective from the far side of international business, i.e., the local competitors. The article argues that to understand the dynamics and development of both international companies and localized production systems in a global economy, it is necessary to explore how international and local actors reflexively evaluate and act upon each other. The article, thus, presents a model for studying the internationalization process and localized production systems.