Strategic Patterns of Internationalization and Performance Variability: Effects of US-Based MNC Cross-Border Dispersion, Integration, and Outsourcing

This paper examines how the performance variability of an MNC is affected by the strategic patterns it has used to expand abroad. The paper uses data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis annual surveys of U.S. companies with affiliates abroad to empirically support the hypotheses that: (a) cross-border geographic dispersion contributes to a decrease in performance variability; (b) cross-border integration contributes to an increase in performance variability; and (c) outsourcing contributes to a decrease in performance variability. Furthermore, the combined effects from the interaction of these strategic patterns are found to increase performance variability.