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This article discusses the transformation of global brands between the 1880s and the early twenty-first century, through the example of the Swiss watch company Longines. It shows that the concept of 'global brand' changed over time and was related to the nature of the product. Until the 1970s, luxury was linked to precision. Manufacturers focused on the production of movements and adapted the design of end products to each market. Yet the paradigm shift brought about by electronics led to a new definition of luxury during the 1990s, a change which led to a new generation of global brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the strategy adopted by the MNE Nestlé in Japan between the establishment of a branch at Yokohama in 1913 and the end of World War II. It highlights the difficulties encountered by the firm in its attempts to open up and operate production facilities due to strong opposition from local condensed milk makers, supported by the state. Eventually, in 1934, Nestlé opened a factory by founding an incorporated company, ARKK, all of whose shareholders were Japanese working for Nestlé. Although the war drastically curtailed the activities of both Nestlé Japan and ARKK, the organisational facilities set up during the inter-war period provided a springboard for Nestlé's post-war success in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a study of the sources of competitiveness for firms in the fashion and luxury goods industry. It focuses on Swatch Group, the world's biggest watch company, using a business history approach. Whereas most researchers give priority to marketing strategies when explaining the success of European luxury and fashion companies, this papers argues that production strategies also play a key role and must be taken into consideration. The detailed analysis of the sources for Swatch Group's competitiveness since its founding in 1983 makes it possible to highlight the importance of two main complementary strategies for supporting its growth: first, supply-chain management strategy (rationalization and globalization of production) to cut production costs; and second, rebranding strategy (shift to luxury and tradition). This case study shows that cost competition still matters in industries with high value-added and maintains that the product development strategy in this industry is more about marketing than product innovation, as product rebranding is more important than technical innovation per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the United States, Switzerland was one of the main sources of FDI to Japan in the twentieth century. Swiss multinationals that have invested there have three characteristics in common. First of all, they take a long-term perspective. The main companies present at the beginning of the twentieth century (Brown Boveri, Ciba, Nestle, Sandoz, Sulzer) were still some of the largest Swiss companies in Japan at the end of the century. Second, they gradually shifted from distribution to production during the inter-war period. Third, they backed Japan's industrialisation by strengthening historically underdeveloped sectors (chemicals) and by contributing to the growth of the manufacturing industry (machines). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]