ABSTRACT

International Business is a well-established research field, in which regionalisation has recently gained significant prominence. Europe comprises marketplaces characterised by unique patterns of highly advanced economic integration. No other marketplace in the world has progressed to the same levels of harmonisation across sovereign countries and economies.

European Business is a subject in its own right with its own research momentum. Contemporary research evidences that firms view Europe as a challenging, mostly – yet not entirely – mature market location. Yet this location, often seen from a multi-country perspective, is subject to complexities revealing strategic corporate strengths and weaknesses. Theory, concepts and models known from International Business hence often vary in their applicability and relevance in this business environment.

This comprehensive reference volume brings together a global team of contributors to analyse and overview the key issues, themes and phenomena that affect business in Europe. With interdisciplinary perspectives, the book covers crucial themes that any European Business research needs to acknowledge, including business cultures and identity, entrepreneurship and innovation, M&A and institutional trends, European HRM, migration, climate change issues, Brexit, and more. The selection of authors, from 17 countries worldwide, reflects the international scope of this research field and its agenda.

A unique resource, this book provides an essential guide to researchers, research students and scholars of business and the social sciences, as well as the informed business community.

chapter 1|6 pages

Introduction

Development of the discipline and trends

part A|34 pages

European business research

chapter 2|20 pages

European business

A literature review

chapter 3|12 pages

European business research in perspective

The focus of regionalisation in the international business literature

part B|50 pages

International business theory and evidence in Europe

chapter 5|14 pages

On the basis of the Uppsala model

Evolution of European research models and frameworks

part C|34 pages

Culture, identity and European business

chapter 8|8 pages

Innovation capacities and national cultures

Drawing a cartography of the European landscape

chapter 9|12 pages

Culture and European business environment

Past, present and future

chapter 10|12 pages

Towards a theory of European business culture

The case of management education at the ESCP Europe Business School

part D|46 pages

The political economy of doing business in advanced regionalisation

part E|65 pages

Managing people in Europe

chapter 15|17 pages

Job quality in Europe

Regulation, workplace innovation and human resources practices

chapter 19|11 pages

Europe and its diversity

Dealing with human resources management in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine

part F|89 pages

Functional and sectorial perspectives

chapter 22|15 pages

Firm capital structure in Europe

A comparative analysis of CEE firms vs. Western firms in the changing financial environment

chapter 23|13 pages

Managing cross-border M&A

Three approaches to takeovers in Europe

part G|28 pages

Complex challenges

chapter 32826|13 pages

Climate change, energy and innovation

Challenges and opportunities for the European Union

chapter 27|12 pages

Business and human rights in Europe

Insights from the ILVA case

chapter 28|2 pages

Conclusion

European business – a twenty-first-century research agenda