Market Orientation and the Strategic Development of MNEs in CEE

A key manifestation of appropriate industrial restructuring in phase one of CEE economies’ transition is seen as internationally-competitive standards of productive efficiency. One aspect of this would be the ability to supply the local markets of the group of transition economies internally in a responsive and cost-competitive manner. A more visibly assertive and economically valuable result, however, is perceived to be genuinely competitive exports. The efficiency-seeking (ES) motivation in MNEs’ operations is expected to respond to latent export-supply potentials in CEE economies. The usual view of such export-orientation was that it would be initiated around the well-established capabilities of MNEs and utilize the immediately accessible cost-effective inputs of transition economies. The analysis of earlier chapters does then indicate the possibility and desirability of eventual (phase-two) moves towards exporting capabilities based on products developed in CEE and reflecting more individualizing competences.