ROBERT PEARCE is Professor of International Business; University of Reading. He has published extensively in the areas of International Business and Economics .His current research interests are in the global strategies of MNEs, their creation and application of technology, and the application of these aspects of MNEs' behaviour to issues in Economics.    MARINA PAPANASTASSIOU is a Research Professor in Internationalization and Management of Innovation in Multinational Corporations at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. Her research interests focus on the internationalisation process of R&D and the evolution of the roles of overseas subsidiaries in Multinational Enterprises. She has an extensive range of publications in international refereed academic journals, chapters in books and has co-authored 2 books (with Robert Pearce) on 'Multinationals, Technology and National Competitiveness' and 'The Technological Competitiveness of Japanese Multinationals: The European Dimension'. In 2002 she served as the President of the European International Business Academy (EIBA)