Browsing by Subject "Croatia"

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Open Access
Aligning strategic orientation with local market conditions: Implications for subsidiary knowledge management
(2012) Griffith, D.A.; Kiessling, T.; Dabic, M.
Purpose: One role of a foreign subsidiary within a multinational corporation's (MNC's) global portfolio is to connect the MNC to foreign customers. To examine this key customer contact point, this study aims to examine the linkages between local market conditions and strategic orientation, and how strategic orientation influences knowledge management capabilities of MNC subsidiaries, employing the Miles and Snow strategic orientation perspective. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted of 112 managers in foreign MNC subsidiaries in Croatia. Data were analyzed with both discriminant analysis and MANCOVA. Findings: The results indicate that in highly dynamic and competitively intense markets, MNC subsidiaries primarily employ a Prospector orientation. Furthermore, the results indicate that there is a significant difference in knowledge management capabilities among subsidiaries depending on their strategic orientation, with the Prospector orientation most closely aligned with knowledge acquisition, knowledge conversion and knowledge application. Practical implications: The findings highlight the importance of strategic orientation in MNC subsidiaries tailoring to local market conditions. The results suggest that MNC subsidiaries undertaking a Prospector strategic orientation develop greater knowledge acquisition, conversion and application capabilities. Originality/value: This study conceptualizes the MNC subsidiary as a key marketing element of the global MNC whole and examines the nuanced relationships between the host environment and MNC foreign subsidiary strategic orientation as well as MNC subsidiary strategic orientation and knowledge management relationship. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Open Access
Croatia and Turkey : is EU enlargement policy beyond the principle of conditionality?
(2008) Kırmacı, Melek
This thesis aims to understand the enlargement policy of the European Union in the light of the comparative analysis of Turkish and Croatian accession process to the Union. In order to do that, the study asks the question whether the EU’s enlargement policy is beyond the principle of political conditionality, which is to be applied to all applicant states on equal footings. The focus here is on change in conditionality policy with respect to its approach and priorities. Given the need for comparison between Croatia and Turkey, the thesis tries to find out the relations between conditionality and the enlargement process and the EU itself in terms of impact of the current policy environment on its commitment for enlargement. This study affords a picture of the problems which change in conditionality since 2004 has risen for the understanding of enlargement policy. Moreover, the thesis investigates how recent developments might have an effect on the enlargement policy of the Union. In this context, the thesis analyses the reason behind the different levels of iv commitment on the part of the EU towards Turkey and Croatia. Since they simultaneously started the accession negotiations with the EU, there appears a great opportunity to evaluate the EU’s enlargement behaviour with its similarities and differences. In conclusion, member state preferences and concerns have a greater role in the changed policy environment, which requires an approach beyond the simple analysis of political conditionality to understand the enlargement policy of the Union.