ABSTRACT
Introduction The different patterns of national participation in international economic activity suggest hat firms of particular nationalities tend to excel in certain activities, in a manner that reflects the resources abundant in their countries of origin. This implies that home country characteristics are important determinants of firms' abilities to create ownership advantages and of their subsequent competitive positions in international markets. Empirical studies indeed show that home countries affect the competitiveness of firms more than any other location in which the firms operate (Porter 1990; Dunning 1996; Pauly and Reich 1997; Nachum and Rolle 1999a, 1999b; Nachum 1999).
