The eclectic paradigm has been the leading explanation for the growth of multinational activity over the past two decades. Its broad appeal has made it a mainstay in explaining various sectors and types of activities. Its simplicity and general nature makes it compatible with a number of schools of economic and managerial thought. It has been applied by management scholars, economic geographers, evolutionary economists, resource-based theorists and development economists, to mention a few. It has also been the object of considerable criticism.