Characteristics Multinational International Global Transnational

The rapid growth of information technology is one of the key drivers forcing the organisations toward globalisation. The meaning of “globalisation ” to an organisation seems to be no longer a business vision but a crucial strategy as the global market has become a single entity. Nevertheless, without a clear understanding of the nature of multinational corporations (MNCs) and the issues in global information systems management (GISM), organisations are most likely to fail in this transition. The objectives of this study are to a) review various categories of the MNCs and outline the characteristics of each; b) construct a comprehensive collation of key GISM issues in the areas of culture, human resources management, individual country and region, business strategic planning, technology, and quality; c) classify these GISM issues; d) conduct a questionnaire study to support the development of a priority list of GISM issues; and e) develop a priority list of GISM issues to help enterprise executives successfully manage their globalisation process. Figure 1 shows the framework of this study. THE MNC CLASSIFICATION In their seminal work Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989) defined four MNC categories, namely multinational, international, global and transnational. The organisational characteristics of each MNC category are shown i