Special Issue Introduction: International Strategy in an Era of Global Flux

摘要

This Special Issue highlights the need to (re)consider international strategy in an era of global flux, taking into account recent changes in the geopolitical environment for international business and firm strategy. "Flux" is generally understood as a state of change and uncertainty, conditions that certainly resonate with many popular commentaries on the current global business environment. The Economist, for example, recently bemoaned the trend toward deglobalization, or "slowbalization," wherein global value chains and multinational activity are retracting and becoming more regional (The Economist 2019). Meanwhile, a McKinsey report notes that value chains are becoming more knowledge-intensive and reliant on high-skilled labor, as the rise in cross-border services outpaces international trade in goods (Lund et al. 2019).