Americo was an American company who had internationalized relatively recently. The
company was now undergoing a fairly rapid process of internationalization and seeking
a more global orientation. Americo seemed to have a control-oriented ethnocentric
approach to internationalization, with use of American expatriates or long-standing
‘Americanized’ Americo people in key positions, such as general manager. Control was
further enhanced by the use of ‘task forces’ to transfer the corporate message. There
was some evidence of the beginnings of attempts to aspire to a more global outlook, for
example, by the use of well-known consultants and academics who were working with
the company to encourage a less Amerocentric view.
Frenco was a major travel and tourism multinational who were seeking a more global
orientation. The Frenco corporate culture was used as a unifying mechanism across the
company, as the organization attempted to sustain a broadly geocentric approach.
Nonetheless, there was some evidence of post- or neo-colonialism in use of French expatriates
in certain parts of the world. Attempts to sustain a ‘global’ approach were facilitated
by the movement of a cadre of ‘global’ managers across brands/countries. Many of these
managers also attended Frenco’s corporate university which attempted with some success
to encourage a more global outlook.
Swedco was a relatively small MNC with a small presence outside of Scandinavia.
Generally Swedco were seeking a control-oriented ethnocentric approach facilitated by
Swedish or Danish expatriate managers in pivotal positions in overseas units. The company
seemed largely successful in their attempts to transfer the ‘Swedco Way’, the company’s
core corporate culture, though there was some scepticism in the only unit in the
UK with a non-Scandinavian/Swedish manager.