The era of globalisation brought waves of consolidation in business ownership alongside Leviathon-like state actors. Digital disruption too can leave market power in a relatively small number of hands. In organisational and economic terms, global oligopoly is now a fundamental idea for business and society, which this book explores and analyses.

This book focuses on global oligopolies, starting with an analysis of global concentration and profits in all sectors, before moving on to illuminate the geographical spread and global strategic orientation choices and performance outcomes of global oligopoly. Contemporary cooperation modes, such as cross-border M&As and strategic alliances, niche and Emerging Market champion strategies are also analysed in detail to move the reader towards understanding likely future directions for the field.

Presenting empirical data on strategies and performance outcomes, the book covers a range of industries to provide practical, research-based guidance for more effective global business strategies and policy perspectives.

About the Author

Chris Carr is Professor of Corporate Strategy at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Reviews

'Chris Carr is analyzing globalization not on the level of firms or nation states, but on the level of industries. To this end, he has developed a rich and unique dataset that enable novel analysis industry structures worldwide. Most importantly, he shows that many industries develop oligopolistic structures not only nationally but globally. These insights and the data presented in this book provide essential insights for both businesses operating globally and for anyone interested in competition policy.'

Klaus Meyer, Professor of International Business, Ivey Business School, Western University, Canada

'While popular attention has focused upon ecommerce, Chris Carr reminds us that many mature sectors too are dominated by a few global firms. Combining statistics with intimate case study data, Carr offers fascinating insights into the extent of global oligopoly, the performance of leading firms, and the reasons for their rise and eventual demise.'

Robert M. Grant, Professor of Management, Bocconi University, Italy

'The culmination of a lifetime of research, Carr achieves the best of both worlds, combining detailed data driven analyses with intensive field work and personal experiences in companies to enlighten our understanding of Global Competition.'

David Collis, Professor, Harvard Business School, USA

'Oligopoly is an inadequately recognised fact of life in today's globalised business world, which is often overlooked. This book shines much needed light on it and its implications for decision making in a multitude of areas. It will be of great help to those searching for guidance on how to select the most suitable strategies.'

Sally Stewart, formerly Head of the Department of Management Studies, The University of Hong Kong

'What Japan used to call "keiretsu", we now see its evolution into "global oligopoly". This evolution in the relationships between global business, government and the marketplace is analysed in Prof. Chris Carr's book - an extensive review of global economic power to identify its roots. Essential reading for students, practitioners and policy-makers involved with global business.'

Sukhavichai Dhanasundara, Visiting Professor, Lucerne University of Applied Arts and Sciences, Switzerland, and author of The Global Manager and Leader, Second Edition

'Different approaches to understanding the role of global oligopolies resemble an Indian fable of the blind men and elephant where each man comes to a different conclusion by touching one part of the elephant. Professor Carr's comperehensive approach combines business strategy, economics and political economy aspects for holistic understanding of global oligopostic competition. Global Oligopoly offers detailed accounts of different sectors as well as discussion of global competition through the theoretical lenses of Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes and Joseph Schumpeter. This book is a must read for students and scholars interested in global business, economics and political economy. A true masterpiece!'

Meelis Kitsing, Professor of Political Economy, Estonian Business School

Book Information
ISBN 9780367312756
Author Chris Carr
Format Paperback
Page Count 362
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 590g