ABSTRACT
The first chapter sets the scene by introducing the main approaches to comparative international management, together with the ‘globalization’ debate. As we shall see, this debate has partly been misleading, directing attention away from factual differences, into the direction of a superficial universalistic theme. The cultural and institutional theories, which are introduced in this chapter, are treated in depth in Chapters 2 to 4. Comparative international management is concerned with the study of management and organization in different national or societal settings. It is not about anything colourful and topical in the world of international business and management, put next to each other to be compared in a methodologically haphazard way. Instead, it is a specific sub-field of international management. It compares management and organization in different countries, in a way which is methodologically rigorous and conceptually meaningful.
