Approaching multinationals in clusters from different perspectives: An integration of literatures

Purpose – For the specific topic of multinationals in clusters, both regional strands and international business and management literatures address the topic from different yet intertwined perspectives. This study aims to facilitate the integration of the conversations and the distinct literatures to produce a clear understanding and conceptualization of the existent knowledge on the topic, with the aim to foster an integration of those different lines of inquiry on the topic that can advance scholarly research and improve policymaking. Design/methodology/approach – Mixing a robust and longitudinal bibliometric analysis (1992-2018) and a qualitative critical review, the study disentangles sub-conversations on the topic in each literature. Findings – The study encounters commonalities that foster cross-fertilization and blind spots that prevent integration of findings from each literature. Research limitations/implications – Both literatures need to cross-fertilize and integrate each other’s knowledge. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to integrate literatures using bibliometrics, mapping the existing knowledge on two key areas of competitiveness: clusters and multinationals.