ENTRY STRATEGIES OF UNITED-STATES FIRMS TO THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT STATES, BALTIC STATES, AND EASTERN-EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

This article provides baseline information about how U.S. companies entered the markets of the countries of the former Soviet bloc, and how these entry strategies have changed since 1989. It shows that while these firms used different strategies to enter the markets of this region, they most commonly used the low risk strategies of joint venture and export. Also, the number of entries to this region increased significantly between 1989 and 1993, and the Russian market enjoyed the largest share of all entries. Finally, recent strategy changes indicate more risk taking by U.S. firms.