Up to the 1990s, key actors driving the globalization of industries were major corporations from developed countries. In an attempt to reduce production costs or to explore new markets, these companies expanded direct investment and outsourcing of manufacturing processes to independent subcontractors abroad. Research focused mainly on the questions of how these companies manage overseas subsidiaries or develop and coordinate relationships with independent companies at the destination. Since the turn of the century, we have witnessed remarkable changes to the situation. In some sectors, the rise of technology or market platforms-which are no longer limited to well-known leaders such as Intel or Apple but also include emerging Asian firms-has transformed the patterns of intra-industry division of labor or innovation drivers. Offshore outsourcing has started to prevail not only in manufacturing but also in services. As environmental or social sustainability has become a mainstream concern in the operation of the global economy, businesses have started to tackle sustainability issues in an increasingly active manner.

In this seminar, three leading experts from universities in Europe will discuss how the global value chain approach would help us gain deeper understanding the new dimensions of globalization of industries in this century.

We look forward to your attendance.

Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade OrganizationA32 Meeting Room

IDE-JETRO

50

Free