Marc Wouters

2015

The phenomenon of intrafirm competition is commonly seen in large multi-national corporations, e.g. two units serving the same customer on different channels or two R&D departments trying to solve the same problem. Even though some frameworks and propositions on this topic have been developed, so far little empirical evidence is present. Using a single case study and action research at a subsidiary of global manufacturing company, the role of intrafirm competition in the context of organizational restructuring is examined. The results show that the developed frameworks and propositions do not fully include the political influence on subsidiary behavior. Furthermore the importance of transparent accounting information in this context is explored.