Institutional explanations for local diversification: a historical analysis of the Japanese beer industry, 1952-2017

Institutional isomorphism suggests that three forces (normative, coercive and mimetic) create strategic inertia within an institutional field and offers a perspective on firms' behavior when they are confronted with similar challenges. However, we know little about how these forces work over an extensive longitudinal period. This manuscript examines the extent to which factors that drive isomorphism shift over time and identifies the consequent implications for the strategic behavior of firms. Our historical case study of the Japanese beer industry, spanning 60 years, demonstrates how domestic pressures led to homogeneity and convergence in a closed setting from the 1950s to the 1980s, while new industry pressures prompted by globalization resulted in strategic change favouring product differentiation and diversification between 1990 and 2017. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of institutional isomorphism over a long period of time, focusing on how factors change over time and impact firms' strategic behavior. Through a historical case study of the Japanese beer industry spanning 60 years, it is found that domestic pressures and industry pressures brought by globalization have different effects on isomorphism.