Host: The Japan Society for Management Information
Theories of multinational corporations and manufacturing dictate that the strategies pursued by overseas plants and the mother factory are of real importance for competing in a global market. The mother factory serves as a large, central plant through which technological knowledge is transferred. Ferdows (1997) outlines the strategic role of plants as hierarchically classified in a firm's comprehensive overseas strategy. This study employs a network analysis through products type of vehicle among plants in the Japanese automobile industry. Results demonstrate that a technological knowledge network's shape varies according to the firm's overseas strategy. Furthermore, we defines the mother factory in Ferdows' strategic role of plants and we contribute theories of multinational corporations and organizational learning.
