Relationships between the internationalization and operations strategies decisions of multinational companies in the soybean chain

Abstract Internationalization decision-making relates to the location of subsidiaries while international operations define the configuration and coordination of the processing plant activities. This paper aims to identify how internationalization strategies are related to operation strategies decisions. We illustrate this relationship with two case studies of multinational companies in the soybean chain located in Brazil. The analysis of secondary data, on-site visit to the processing plants and interviews, suggest that the location is determinant to all the other strategic operations decision categories. Findings suggest that the study framework is useful to understand international operations in other commodities chains.

摘要：国际化决策关乎子公司的选址布局，而国际化运营则明确了加工厂活动的配置方式与协调机制。本文旨在厘清国际化战略与运营战略决策之间的内在关联。我们以巴西境内两家涉足大豆产业链的跨国企业为案例，对二者的关联进行了阐释。通过对二手数据的分析、加工厂实地走访与访谈，研究发现选址对其余所有战略运营决策类别均具有决定性作用。研究结果表明，本研究框架可用于理解其他大宗商品产业链的国际化运营活动。