BEYOND FIRMS: MULTI-FIRM MODELS FOR GLOBAL SCALE AND SCOPE

Abstract

Research in business history and strategy has focused on firms and industries. While this is
clearly useful, research on firm groupings, a distinct unit of analysis larger than single firms but
smaller than entire industries, is also needed. Some publications exist, but competing groups
of firms are not considered in a holistic and systematic fashion, especially when they may be
pivotal to global success. To achieve high performance in global competition, however, multi-firm
models of organization and management are now much more the rule than the exception.