Introduction to the Research Handbook on Foreign Exit, Relocation and Re-entry

An increasing number of firms from both developed and emerging markets have been reorganizing their international operations. In many cases, this reorganization includes some form of exit: exit from export markets or divestment from foreign subsidiaries. Such exits are on occasions followed by the relocation of foreign units or even by re-entry into the same markets. These are the topics of this book, to which this chapter is a short introduction. The chapter gives some background to the topics above, presents the book's goals and a brief overview of each of its 15 chapters. The 15 chapters presented in this book are organised into four parts: Part 1 includes three chapters focusing on export exits, Part 2 includes five chapters focusing on foreign divestment, Part 3 includes five chapters focusing on relocation, and Part 4 includes two chapters focusing on foreign market re-entries.