Bargaining costs | 1. We spend a lot of time in renegotiating agreements made with our headquarters. | Cronbach’s α = .76 |
2. We spend a lot of time in coordinating activities with our headquarters. | ||
3. The coordination of the relation with our headquarters is too costly compared with the outcome of these interactions. | ||
Information costs | 1. Information from the headquarters is often incomplete and difficult to understand. | Cronbach’s α = .90 |
2. Information from the headquarters is often too voluminous and therefore difficult to understand. | ||
3. Information from the headquarters is often poorly formulated and difficult to understand. | ||
4. Information from the headquarters seldom comes at the right time. | ||
Atmosphere | 1. Sometimes headquarters hide facts that can help us in doing a good job (reversed). | Cronbach’s α = .91 |
2. The headquarters have not kept promises made when the relationship was established (reversed). | ||
3. Occasionally, people at the headquarters alter information in order to carry out things their own way (reversed). | ||
4. Sometimes people from headquarters promise to do things without actually doing them later (reversed). | ||
5. Sometimes the headquarters ignore company policies that were designed to increase our ability to reach and service customers (reversed). | ||
6. Whenever a conflict or difficulty arises, our headquarters always try to seek a solution that is in their own best interests, not considering our interests (reversed). | ||
Social coordination | 1. We have meetings where managers from different international locations meet. | Cronbach’s α = .83 |
2. There is personal contact between managers from different international locations in our company. | ||
3. Committees meet regularly to plan and integrate activities internationally. | ||
Formal coordination: communication systems | 1. We have databases where we share information internationally. | Cronbach’s α = .79 |
2. We have worldwide electronic communications systems, like emails. | ||
3. We have internationally interconnected computer systems, like server systems. | ||
4. We have internationally integrated software applications, like common use of applications. | ||
5. We have worldwide integrated information systems, like intranet. | ||
Formal coordination: common rules | 1. We have well-specified worldwide common rules and policies. | Cronbach’s α = .86 |
2. We have well-specified worldwide standard operating procedures and common manuals. | ||
Centralization | To what extent is there HQ versus local influence on the following decision areas: | Cronbach’s α = .88 |
1. R&D/business development/service development | ||
2. Project selection | ||
3. Project time schedule | ||
4. Project budget | ||
5. Project priorities | ||
6. Services | ||
7. Service delivery | ||
8. Project organization | ||
9. Resource allocations | ||
10. Marketing | ||
11. Brand name | ||
12. Pricing | ||
Distance | 1. Scandinavia | |
2. Europe | ||
3. Rest of the world |