Location Specificity and the Transferability of Downstream Assets to Foreign Subsidiaries

We investigate the effect of firm-specific advantages being ‘local’ in scope, and the influence of subsequent location-specific disadvantages, on the choice of foreign entry mode and subsidiary performance. To look into this issue, we examine Japanese FDI data from the wholesale and retail industries – two sectors that have productive activity concentrated in downstream processes and location-bound resources. Our theoretical and empirical...