The book is the culmination of a research effort which spanned all continents and involved a large number of research teams from both the industrialised and developing countries. The book addresses a number of key issues related to technology transfer by small and medium-sized enterprises most especially whether such companies are more effective transferors than larger transnational corporations. A key aspect of the research was the fact that firms in source and host countries were matched to assure a degree of consistency in the firm coverage and their responses.

Transnational Corporations (TNCs) and public enterprises have been perceived as organisations evolving in separate, even antagonistic, business, economic and ideological spheres. Yet, at the beginning of the 21st Century, utilities in energy, telecommunications, transport and water unexpectedly emerged as leading TNCs. How and why did this remarkable and unprecedented transition occur? What are the consequences for competition, regulation, public services and consumers? Leading authorities from Europe, Russia, Canada, Mexico and the United States analyse the business, economic and historical contexts that have influenced these changes.

This book provides comprehensive coverage on the key issues of Chinese investment in the Australian minerals industry. It offers unique insights into the entry process, the management of Chinese investments, and their success factors and lessons learnt as being impacted upon by the entangling of political, economic, social and competitive forces.

International business for the modern firm has to compromise the need to use limited resources and achieve efficiency in the global marketplace. This book examines these issues from the viewpoint of the internationalized SME, the big multinational and the local subsidiary drawing on research conducted in different countries.

The Rules of the Game in the Global Economy: Policy Regimes for International Business (Second Edition) analyzes the evolution of international policy regimes affecting the development and management of international business. The authors explain the nature of international regimes, and show how the interlinked processes of global economic integration and multinational enterprise expansion make the development of regimes both inevitable and desirable. They then examine several major types of regime currently in place, including those that have emerged from global or regional institutions such as the United Nations (UN) and the European Community (EC), as well as those dealing with functional areas such as international trade and payments, sea and air transportation, telecommunications, and environmental issues. They conclude with an assessment of the critical similarities and differences among existing regimes, the most likely direction and scope of future regime development, and the important implications of regime evolution for international management. This second edition provides the reader with the following revisions: Update all data and tables and include more recent developments and examples, wherever possible and appropriate. Give specific attention to the evolution of new institutional arrangements, such as the European Union, NAFTA, and WTO. Increase emphasis on the importance to business and economic activity of environmental regimes as reflected in the issues raised at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and related developments. Reorganize some sections of the text including the rearrangement of materials within and among others, and the introduction of a separatechapter on telecommunications and services.

Increased understanding in international business grows both from an awareness of cultural differences as well as from an appreciation of underlying shared values across cultures. This volume focuses on the latter. It assembles the best thinking of scholars from around the world in an attempt to clarify and deepen our understanding of these ethical universals. Scholars from Germany, England, Canada, Japan, China, and the United States have contributed to this volume. They also represent diverse disciplines: economics, philosophy, business ethics, history, religion, education, and political theory. Nevertheless, they unite in their conviction that the most important values and principles in international business do no vary with geography.

Based on data from Japan, the book examines the combined effect of product, geographic, and network diversity on multinational enterprise performance. A new measure for geographic scope is developed, one that considers the related elements of international asset dispersion and country environment diversity. The book also introduces a new concept of network diversity, and examines how it is strategically linked to performance. Perhaps most importantly, the book is able to empirically and theoretically demonstrate that a larger, more diverse network of alliances is not necessarily a good idea. These are important findings, with far reaching implications for practice and theory.

A new contribution to the debate on the evolution of European employment and social models. These models need to adjust to meet new challenges, including globalization, ageing societies, and new governance approaches at national, EU and international level. This book explores these issues through the experiences of nine EU countries.

This book aims to provide the reader with an insight into the relevance of a section of the economy, which is often referred to as the 'social and solidarity economy' (SSE); and highlight some of the current issues in the field, how they are being addressed and some of their future implications. Using case studies from around the world, this book 'Social and Solidarity Economy: The World's Economy With a Social Face' provides an up-to-date account of the strengths and weaknesses of these initiatives across four continents including issues that have not been researched sufficiently before (e.g. circular economy, social propaganda and its dangers, social enterprise as a panacea for NGOs in developing countries, and 'new' social movements). There is growing interest in SSE initiatives among policymakers, foundations, researchers and academic institutions around the world. Despite this interest, SSE related research remains scarce. There are concerned that SSE initiatives, which contribute significantly to their local communities' development, need to be more widely disseminated amongst the general public. The Social and Solidarity Economy: The World's Economy With a Social Face will help promote the ground-breaking work being done by organisations and individuals but which remain undocumented and help to raise awareness of such initiatives as well as contribute to academia with a critical approach to the sector covering issues that have not been covered much before, such as the circular economy and the dangers of social propaganda. Aimed at researchers, academics and policy makers in the fields of Social Enterprise, CSR, Tourism, International Economics as well as supporting disciplines 'Social and Solidarity Economy: The World's Economy With a Social Face' looks to establish and help define the field.

MNC's have not received a good press in recent years. This book attempts to redress the balance of the argument by showing the extraordinary and positive impact of MNC's in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet union during the transition to free market capitalism. The book also attempts to answer why the impact of MNC's in Eastern Europe should be different to the less commendable experience in Africa and Latin America, and whether MNC's reinforce the power of corrupt rulers. In concluding that MNC's are not necessarily the enemy of development but can be instrumental to progress, the book draws on lessons from 21 East European transition countries to show how the economic power of MNC's can be harnessed elsewhere in the developing world.

This book explores the relationships between the day-to-day activities of managers in multinational firms and the wider social, institutional and cultural contexts in which they operate. Specifically, it examines the processes that shape the adoption and adaptation of organizational practices and policies across diverse national settings; it considers the role of expatriates in the context of the headquarter-subsidiary relationship; and explores how managers negotiate their interests and activities in relation to organizational mechanisms of co-ordination and control.

This is the 10th volume of The Academy of International Business book series bringing together the latest research on firm strategies and management and the internationalization of the firm from the 29th Academy of International Business UK conference. The four main themes of the book are subsidiary location and performance, internationalization and firm strategy, the internationalization of the small firm, and the Internet and e-commerce.

The promotion of an enterprise culture and entrepreneurship in India in recent decades has had far-reaching implications beyond the economy, and transformed social and cultural attitudes and conduct. This book brings together pioneering research on the nature of India's enterprise culture, covering a range of different themes: workplace, education, religion, trade, films, media, youth identity, gender relations, class formation and urban politics. Based on extensive empirical and ethnographic research by the contributors, the book shows the myriad manifestations of enterprise culture and the making of the aspiring, enterprising-self in public culture, social practice, and personal lives, ranging from attempts to construct hegemonic ideas in public discourse, to appropriation by individuals and groups with unintended consequences, to forms of contested and contradictory expression. It discusses what is 'new' about enterprise culture and how it relates to pre-existing ideas, and goes on to look at the processes and mechanisms through which enterprise culture is becoming entrenched, as well as how it affects different classes and communities. The book highlights the social and political implications of enterprise culture and how it recasts family and interpersonal relationships as well as personal and collective identity. Illuminating one of the most important aspects of India's current economic and social transformation, this book is of interest to students and scholars of Asian Business, Sociology, Anthropology, Development Studies and Media and Cultural Studies.

This book recommends and examines the various approaches to incorporating an accurate measure of risk into the appraisal of an international investment. It considers the way in which decisions on international investment projects are taken and how they should be. It critiques and integrates existing theories, including the global capital asset pricing rule of financial theory, theories of strategy making and the real options approach, to show how risk should be incorporated into the present value formula and its various elements to produce a clear decision rule.

This insightful research review discusses some of the most influential papers in the economics field of global value chains. Focusing on globalization, fragmentation and coordination of production across geographical as well as enterprise boundaries. It pays particularly close attention to how businesses in developing countries are incorporated into global production and distribution networks. The review analyses many of the texts that framed the global value chain approach together with in-depth case-studies of particular sectors and policy-oriented research concerned with reducing poverty and accelerating growth in poorer countries. This review would be of great interest to students and researchers working in the fields of globalisation, geography and international business.

Written primarily for business managers and government officials, this is a comprehensive and extremely timely handbook on how to successfully initiate and implement joint ventures and direct investments in China. The authors combine in one volume an appreciation of the nuances faced in the negotiation of U.S.-Chinese joint ventures, an examination of the investment environment in China and an assessment of its past traditions, present policies, and emerging problems. Case studies of a variety of actual joint ventures are especially valuable for readers involved in or planning to open negotiations in China. Several chapters assess the impacts of the events in Tianamen Square on foreign direct investment in the country.

The book opens with two chapters which examine the reasons for China's open policy and the responses of foreign investors to the new policy. A group of chapters then explores the country's investment, cultural, and legal environments and their likely impacts on joint venture negotiations. Turning to an examination of Chinese markets and production capabilities, the authors assess consumption patterns, decision making, customer/supplier relations, local sourcing problems, transportation, the availability of skilled labor, management, and R&D. They go on to analyze the contributions of foreign direct investment, including the role of transnational corporations, and present a step-by-step guide to negotiating a joint venture in China and implementing the agreement reached. Finally, the authors look at prospects for development and modernization in China, particularly in terms of the trend towards recentralization following the Tianamen Square upheaval. In addition to business development managers, students in international business programs will find "Direct Investment and Joint Ventures in China" an indispensable resource.

The National Perspectives on the Development of Public Relations: Other Voices series is the first to offer an authentic world-wide view of the history of public relations. It will feature six books, five of which will cover continental and regional groups. This last book in the series focuses on historiographical and theoretical approaches.

Until recently most observers were of the opinion that firms had to adopt a Japanese model of management or perish. They overlooked the fact that there are a number of efficient productive models and that there is no single 'best way'. This book shows the diversity of productive models and discusses the optimum macro and micro economic and social conditions that a firm needs to stay profitable. In conclusion the authors suggest an analytical framework of profitability conditions, easily accessible to practitioners, academics and students.

This book combines a theoretical study of Japan's economic structures and multinational enterprises with an analysis of the contemporary multinational enterprise. Kensy assesses the value of the post-modern approach to understanding the New Economy, as well as Japanese society and culture. He analyses Japan's economic structure, interpreting its methods, strategies, and results in a postmodern context and surveys socio-economic development in Japan since the beginning of Westernization. He examines Japanese models for the transformation of society in the future, with particular reference to the Keiretzu.

This book encapsulates the 'New Normal Policy' which has changed the regional policy between China and the African continent. This volume emphasises China's role in Africa as a collaborator in an attempt to fulfil the Beijing consensus in emerging countries. The contextual research encompasses how one can comprehend the influence of the Chinese model in Africa and her diplomatic relations with the continent. China and Africa: A New Paradigm of Global Business endeavours to define whether or not the Washington model has become weathered, and the Beijing consensus more relevant in this specific continent.

India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally. The Indian pharmaceutical sector supplies over 50 per cent of the global demand for various vaccines, and as a result, holds an important position in the global pharmaceutical sector. This book is a comprehensive study of pharmaceutical marketing management in the Indian context and similar growth markets. The book introduces the fast-paced and multi-faceted discipline of pharmaceutical marketing management through an in-depth discussion on the genesis and evolution of its marketing concept. Combining theory and practice, it offers a strategic approach to pharmaceutical marketing from an organisational and business perspective and explicates the practical applications of it. Richly supported by case studies, the book brings together fresh perspectives and approaches equally useful for students and professionals. This book will be of interest to academicians, advanced students, and practitioners of pharmaceutical marketing and pharmaceutical management. It will also be beneficial to those interested in business strategy, decision making, and international marketing.

The Handbook of Mediation gathers leading experts across fields related to peace, justice, human rights, and conflict resolution to explore ways that mediation can be applied to a range of spectrums, including new age settings, relationships, organizations, institutions, communities, environmental conflicts, and intercultural and international conflicts. The text is informed by cogent theory, state-of-the-art research, and best practices to provide the reader with a well-rounded understanding of mediation practice in contemporary times. Based on four signature themes-contexts; skills and competencies; applications; and recommendations-the handbook provides theoretical, applicable, and practical insight into a variety of key approaches to mediation. Authors consider modern conflict on a local and global scale, emphasizing the importance of identifying effective strategies, foundations, and methods to shape the nature of a mediation mindfully and effectively. With a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives, the text complements the development of the reader's competencies and understanding of mediation in order to contribute to the advancement of the mediation field. With a conversational tone that will welcome readers, this comprehensive book is essential reading for students and professionals wanting to learn a wide range of potential interventions for conflict.

In the era of globalization, the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) is increasing in importance while the influence of nation-states is in a corresponding decline. Jain contends that this trend will benefit the cause of worldwide economic prosperity, which MNCs alone are positioned to deliver. The increasing availability of global capital, coupled with advances in computing and communications technology, has accelerated the process of doing business anywhere and everywhere. At the same time, barriers to foreign entities wishing to conduct business in Russia, China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia are falling away. As the process of globalization marches on, what can be done to ensure that material prosperity is the result? A Global Business Confederation, Jain argues, should be established to design rules that apply worldwide and that encourage MNCs to generate global economic prosperity in a manner responsive to cultural, social, and humanitarian concerns.