ARTICLE | Towards a scale for measuring the territorial anchorage of foreign subsidiaries

SUMMARY

Territory managers aim to foster territorial integration of foreign subsidiaries to maintain a sustainable attractiveness. In doing so, the main point is not to attract multinational companies, but rather to retain their foreign subsidiaries, in a long term perspective. Meanwhile a considerable stream of research has dealt with the attraction of foreign subsidiaries, the issue of their territorial integration remains under studied. It raises key questions : what are the dimensions of the territorial integration concept ? How to assess the intensity of territorial integration from one foreign subsidiary to another ? This is the first step in the design of a territory integration theory of foreign subsidiaries to enhance the territories’ sustainable attractiveness. Through a qualitative case study, the findings shed light on three main dimensions that territorial managers have to handle : spatial, reticular and teleological. The results also emphasize the complexity of the phenomenon which consists in a persistent tension between proximity and distance.

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