As the role of the multinational enterprise (MNE) in the economic development of countries grows, a focus on how MNEs influence the process of regulatory and legislative structures has developed among scholars of international political economy. Yusaf H. Akbar draws a conceptual link between the market strategies of MNEs and the convergence of regulatory systems internationally. Focusing on empirical evidence from Central Europe and industry-specific case studies, Akbar uses the example of the successful implementation of EU laws in Hungary as it bids to join the EU to demonstrate the profound impact of MNE strategies.

Private Enterprise-Led Development in Sub-Saharan Africa provides a novel theoretical and conceptual model to guide research into Africa's economic development. It endorses the view that private enterprise-led growth will help reduce poverty since it strengthens individuals' capacity to care for themselves and their families.

This book is a new look at the different perspectives on energy security policies of European and Asian countries. The book explains the reasons for the failure of EU common energy policies and the deficiencies in the policies towards Central Asia. It examines Chinese energy diplomacy, and the possibility of energy competition and cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Business Elites and Corporate Governance in France and the UK is a cross-national study of business elites and corporate governance in France and the UK. It examines corporate governance from a comparative standpoint and looks beneath the surface at the exercise of power and authority in two distinct national business systems. It explores key issues concerning business elites, their networks, recruitment and reproduction. It aims to shed light on the mechanisms that govern the stability and regeneration of business elites against the backdrop of an increasingly global economy.

Interorganizational cooperation between partners, markets, and business leaders is an important facet of business and maintaining organizational competitiveness. Understanding how to effectively collaborate with partners in other organizations is an important skill for the success of all parties. Information Acquisitions and Sharing through Inter-Organizational Collaboration: Impacts of Business Performance in China discusses the effectiveness and impact of trust, e-business diffusion, and organizational processes on business performance in cooperative scenarios. Incorporating data from over 500 organizations in China's manufacturing sector, this book is an essential reference for business leaders, CEOs, senior managers, and all other members of organizations seeking to better collaborate with their partners.

When the United States and Britain invaded Iraq in 2003 it seemed as if they also tore up the fabric of global governance of the world economy. But this governance was already contested and the world economy, the contributors argue, is in crisis. The chapters in this collection address the question of whether and how the "imperial turn" taken by the US and Britain has affected the "governance" structures of the global political economy in the areas of world economy, property relations, corporate social responsibility, migration, and security.

Indian firms have grown explosively over the last two decades since India adopted wholesale neo-liberal policies in 1991. Nayak attributes the expansion of these Indian firms and their multinational businesses to the owners' ability to manoeuvre and mould key agents in the external environment rather than to the internal management of the firm.

Covering the period from the 1920s, when international tax policy was solely about avoiding double taxation, to the present era of international tax competition, Rixen investigates the fate of 'the power to tax' in an era of globalization, illustrating that tax sovereignty is both shaped and constrained by an international tax regime.

The speed of change is increasing and and the influence on the global economy and world population is more pronounced than ever. New Asian companies are emerging with global ambitions as old western brands dissappear or are overtaken by Asian competitors. How will the "old world" respond? How will Asian economies continue to develop and what will define success and failure? Seventeen Euro Asia experts present conceptual and empirical regional research that reflects the emerging multiplicity in Asia and offers comprehensive answers to such questions.

Volume 20 of "Advances in International Marketing" guest-edited by Professors Sinkovics and Ghauri, addresses the impact on international marketing of major trends in the external and internal environment of the firm: technology-enabled international marketing research, global account management, procurement and international supplier networks, internationalization of small and entrepreneurial firms, outsourcing and offshoring, and reliability and validity issues for construct measurement. The volume is organized in four part. Part one presents a selection of papers that focus on the internationalization process of the firm. Part two combines studies with a small firm perspective and a focus on entrepreneurship. In the Part 3 on collaborative relationships, three studies examine value creation in strategic alliances, investigate reasons for international joint venture dissolution and offer a conceptual contribution on diversification - whether diversification results in a firm's value premium or a firm's value discount. Part 4 is devoted to methodological advancements. This section provides excellent examples of methodological challenges faced by today's scholars and managers alike.

Organizational Change and Global Standardization: Solutions to Standards and Norms Overwhelming Organizations takes an organizational change approach to the overflow of standards and norms, looking at how to deal effectively and ethically with four kinds of standards and norms businesses face when they go global: (1) accounting & finance (2) international & world trade,(3) social and (4) safety & quality & environment. It is part of a larger problem faced by not only business, but every sort of organization - how to live with the epidemic of standards and norms, often in conflict, many just unnecessary, and a few that are quite helpful and important. There are good reasons to have International Standards Organization (ISO), International Labor Organization (ILO), World Trade Organization (WTO), North Atlantic Treaty Association (NAFTA), International accounting Standards Boards (IASB), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)), and many more standard-setting organizations issuing, auditing, proposing codes of ethics, and certifying standards and norms. However, there are important, poorly understood organizational change consequences to the contagion of standards and norms. This volume brings together a unique group of authors who are working on a pragmatic way for organizations to deal with an overflow of standards and norms that are often at heads, ambiguous, or simply created to produce more work for a burgeoning standards setting industry. The aim of Organizational Change and Global Standardization is to stimulate a critical analysis within the framework of analytical and pragmatic approach to an overwhelming bureaucratization of the managed and organized global activities.

This volume examines foreign investment in developing countries both from a theoretical perspective and country specific perspective. It covers strategies to maximize the benefits that draw from the inward investment flow as well as examining foreign investment as a vehicle for international economic integration. The book focuses on foreign investment in the third and fourth largest economies of the world--the Peoples Republic of China and India--in addition to Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries.

The internationalization of emerging economies has brought new perspectives to international business development. Focusing on the extensive impact these emerging economies and firms have had, this volume covers the strong players, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, as well as dynamically developing economies such as Mexico and the Philippines. The contributors review topics such as the role of institutions and resource dependency on outward foreign direct investment from emerging economies, and the role of the global mindset and psychic distance on the performance of subsidiaries of firms originating from emerging economies. It explores new horizons in international business development and addresses challenging perspectives.

Japan's economy and businesses are moving into the twenty-first century after a long and hard 'lost decade' of company redesign. They emerge with new management systems in place, but with their values unchanged. From the unique perspective of the author's pioneering analysis of the 1950s, the financial systems, personnel management methods and R&D capabilities are re-assessed, as is the role of the corporation in Japanese society. The book offers a comprehensive analysis of the financial and industrial changes that have taken place in Japan by one of its most highly regarded commentators.

The Guangdong province is the forerunner of China's economic reform, it has developed rapidly in the last 20 years since opening up its economy to the outside world. This book covers the evolution of economic reform in Guangdong, its links to Hong Kong and other parts of China, and developmental strategies in different parts of Guangdong. The book analyzes the many factors that have contributed to economic reform and covers topics such as development of land, human resources, the agricultural sector, and industrialization, and reforms of state-owned enterprises and township and village enterprises.

This book explores the inner secrets of the Asian psyche that influence behaviour in business, politics, life and battle. As president of a company that assists American companies wishing to do business with Asians, Chin-ning Chu has found that most Americans are extremely unprepared to venture into the Asian business world; they try to apply practices used in American business, not realizing that Asians view the marketplace as a battlefield with a definite set of rules originating in the 4th century BC. Americans also tend to think of the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese as one culture, when in fact, their differences are very important in terms of doing business. As Chin-ning Chu writes, "Asians and Westerners think as differently as they speak". "The Asian Mind Game" gives advice, strategies and helpful tips such as information on local cultures, gift-giving, salutations, and the status of women.

This volume in the Academy of International Business series focuses on globalization and international business, and presents the work of leading international business scholars delivered at the 27th AIB conference. Contributions examine how the underlying characteristics of international business are changing. The book successfully brings together an integrated set of research concepts and results to present some contrasting views about the nature and effects of globalization as the multinational continues to develop in the 21st century.

This book brings together the key works on the global factory - a unique approach to the modern global economy that focuses on the orchestrating role of key multinational firms that control an integrated international network of independent firms. This analysis is conducted at global system level, at the level of global value chains and for individual firms. These three levels represent consistent, nested approaches to the analysis of pressing issues of the modern international economy. The Global Factory examines the internalisation theory of the multinational enterprise as it applies to global interfirm networks, and pays particular attention to multinational firms from emerging countries. It examines the governance and performance of global factories, their internationalisation and knowledge management strategies and the potential for multinational firms to address societal failures. The role of technology, the use of tax havens by Chinese multinationals and the division of entrepreneurial labour between global factories and smaller local firms are all explored as fascinating aspects of the overarching theory. This is an essential point of reference on Buckley's work on the global factory for academics and students of business, as well as managers of multinational firms and public policy makers.

This book explores corporate purpose--a company's expressed overriding reason for existing--and its effect upon strategy, executive leadership, employees, and, ultimately, on competitive performance. Sharply challenging the conventional wisdom that corporations should be dedicated to shareholder wealth creation, the author presents a compelling argument that the path to competitive advantage and outstanding long-term financial performance lies instead in a customer-focused corporate purpose.
The book is in four parts. Part I shows how corporate purpose exerts a powerful effect on strategy, management, and the meaning employees derive from their work. A customer-focused purpose harmonizes these critical factors and enables leaders to push strategic thinking deeper into the organization and at the same time to grant employees a greater degree of autonomy. In contrast, a goal of maximizing shareholder wealth sows the seeds of conflict among the market-oriented purpose, product-focused strategies, and the individual values of employees.
Part II critiques the logic of "value-based management" and the relationship of the firm to the equity markets. It explores the validity of extending traditional concepts of property rights to share ownership, concluding that the separation of stock ownership from the responsibility for, and managerial control over, corporate actions makes traditional property rights arguments inapplicable to the underlying assets of a corporation.
Part III examines the functioning of corporate purpose in a global economy. When a firm operates globally, purpose needs to retain its motivational power across national boundaries, which a shareholder-focused purpose does not do.
Part IV explores the implications of corporate purpose for leaders, arguing that infusing an organization with a worthy purpose is an essential responsibility of leadership. Purpose is the foundation for the shared values that define organizational character, raise moral aspirations, and enhance performance. Drawing upon a wide range of thought from the world of business as well as from historical studies, cultural anthropology, philosophy, theology, and psychology, "Leading with Purpose" is sure to be an essential text as businesses move into the twenty-first century.

Hoffman explores worldwide developments in the field of business ethics. The book is unique in that it not only discusses ethical issues faced by transnational corporations, but it also addresses the possibilities for international cooperation after the cold war, as well as regional business ethics issues from around the world. Included in the volume are discussions of business ethics in Africa, Eastern Europe, the Pacific Rim, and North and South America. A variety of issues and cases are contained in the volume including: the BCCI scandal, the IBM-Fujitsu case, intellectual property rights, transnational codes of ethics and theoretical and empirical studies about the moral responsibilities of transnationals, ethics and international law, ethics and development, and business ethics and cultural differences.

The work begins with a brief introduction that summarizes major themes contained in the book. The essays are collected in five sections. Section one contains cases and issues that are unique to regions and nations worldwide. Section two focuses on cases involving ethics and international law. These first two sections include a number of regional studies including ones from Brazil, Chile, Czechoslovakia, Hong Kong, and case studies including the BCCI scandal and the IBM-Fujitsu case. Section three features analyses of ethical issues faced by transnational corporations, for example, their relationship to host nations, their social responsibilities, and ethics programs within transnationals. Section four contains a summary and a debate about the development of transnational codes of business conduct including a discussion of efforts being sponsored by the United Nations. Finally, section five looks into the ethical problems that arise during economic development. Included here are contributions that raise questions about ethics and emerging financial markets, land-use, and the role of multinational corporations. This volume of essays will be an important resource for courses in business ethics, and international law, as well as a useful addition to business, academic, and public libraries.

This book examines how the internationalization of corporate activities has affected the commercial policy preferences of Japanese corporations. Using case studies of three industrial sectors and of Keidanren (Japan's most influential business federation), the author argues that growth of international operations is one of the major reasons why internationally oriented firms and their main business federation have committed themselves to promoting the opening of keiretsu groups, and to promoting market access for foreign firms and products. The book includes much new and valuable information about business-government relations, political conflict and policy making and implementation processes in Japan.

The capability of MNCs to create, transfer and combine knowledge from different locations is an important determinant of corporate success. This book uses examples of knowledge-based firms - Hewlett-Packard Consulting & Integration, Siemens, Mazda, and Maekawa - to show that knowledge-based marketing is key to a sustainable competitive advantage.