Over several centuries companies have pursued their business strategies on several dimensions, from the local to the global. This can be seen in the recruitment of personnel, their procurement, their financing, their R & D, their production or services, and their relations with consumers, social forces, intellectuals, public authorities, education and research systems. However, the process of adapting to these multiple dimensions is not straightforward, even for large and experienced multinationals, and often results in tensions between global and local.
How do firms, individually or collectively, with or without the State, attempt to overcome these tensions ? Do these tensions bring constraints or opportunities ? How do they influence the ownership and management of firms ? What are their consequences on society, on culture, on the environment, and on the relations between public and private ? What are the effects of successive regulations or deregulations ? How do tariff barriers impact these tensions ? Are religions or scientific knowledge beyond these tensions ? What is the part of actors other than firms (including non-governmental organisations, trade-unions and foundations) ? How do regional organisations such as the EU, NAFTA and ASEAN, or international organisations such as the ILO, the OECD, the WTO, matter ? What models and doctrines develop and are diffused ? What is the role of geography, i. e. of locations where advantages can be developed locally with a world view ? Are there lasting differences between sectors or regions ? What are the characteristics and results of the successive waves of globalisation ?
These questions demand to be explored in a historical perspective, and comparisons between regions and countries, branches of industry, single enterprises, and, of course, over time, are encouraged.
Patrick Fridenson - ebha-bhsj.paris@ehess.fr
