INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING STRATEGIES OF UNITED-STATES MULTINATIONALS - A CONCEPTUAL-FRAMEWORK BASED ON A 4-INDUSTRY STUDY

Drawing upon complementary streams of research from the international production and manufacturing strategy literature a conceptual framework was developed that identifies the major internal and external factors that may influence a firm's international manufacturing configuration (IMC) decisions. The framework was then examined using sixteen companies drawn from four distinct industry sectors. The findings indicate that a firm's competitive priorities, expressed as the differential emphasis placed on four key manufacturing performance priorities, in addition to other key variables such as market orientation, experience, and product characteristics, play important roles in the development of IMC strategies.