The McDonald's Corporation is not only the largest system-wide sales service in the world, it is a phenomenon in its own right, and is now recognized as the most famous brand in the world. By providing a detailed analysis of the extent to which the McDonald's Corporation adapts or imposes its labour relations policies in Europe, this volume represents a real life case study revealing the interaction between a global multi-national enterprise and the regulatory systems of a number of different European countries. Key features include:

* an overview of the McDonald's Corporation's development and structure
* an analysis of its corporate culture and the issues of franchising
* an examination of key union strategies, including systems of co-determination, consultation and collective-bargaining
* a chapter dealing specifically with European legislation, in particular the McDonald's European Works Council
The author systematically analyzes the conflict between the McDonald's Corporation and the industrial relations systems of the European countries within which it operates, and exposes this conflict as an 'unequal struggle' between economic liberalism and collectivism.

In the past two decades, the international community has shown an increased proclivity to engage in programmes of post-conflict reconstruction in the aftermath of wars. During the same period, increased globalisation has meant that multinational companies have grown greatly in size and influence and have begun to challenge existing notions of governance at a global level. Here Peter Davis explores the reconstruction processes that have taken place in Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Rwanda. Based on extensive field work as well as existing literature, this book plots the recovery of these countries from conflict, and examines in detail the role that international companies have played in that process. The book also explores how companies' impacts on reconstruction are governed, both by the companies themselves, and by the host government and international agencies managing the rebuilding process.

The Handbook brings together leading scholars in international business as well as other disciplines to contribute state-of-the-art thinking on emerging markets. The volume extends theoretical and conceptual thinking, looks at operational practices and their implications and provides a research agenda to move the field forward.Contributors include a mix of new and established authors from around the world, for a diverse and current set of scholarly perspectives on emerging markets. Combining academic and operationally focused chapters, they offer a multifaceted, in-depth look at specific geographies and functional areas to enrich our understanding of emerging markets. This energetic and varied look at a burgeoning field will be an invaluable resource for academics and for students at the post-doctoral, PhD and MBA levels. Contributors: C.G. Alvstam, O.E. Annushkina, A. Arslan, M.S. Balakrishnan, E. Berselli, N. Bhatnagar, K. Braunsberger, I. Buciuniene, A. Cuervo-Cazzura, M. Demirbag, R.O. Flamm, M.W. Hansen, P.D.O. Jensen, S. Joshi, A. Karna, R. Kazlauskaite, C. Landau, J. Larimo, H. Merchant, K. Nair, W. Newburry, D. O'Reilly, B. Petersen, J. Prabhu, I. Pupieniene, K. Ramachandran, A. Soleimani, P. Strom, E. Tatoglu, F. Taube, L. Trevino, R. Trinca Colonel, C. Vithessonthi, R. Wentrup

Based on a six-year project at INSEAD, top scholars put these developments into perspective. Written for general managers as well as personnel executives and students of management, this book breaks new ground in helping them to address the emerging challenges of international human resource management.

Multinational Enterprises and Trade Policy comprises a selection of Alan Rugman's most important and influential articles on the multinational enterprise and government policy. This volume focuses on trade and investment policy as well as applications of the theory of internalization to government policy. Topics covered include: strategic trade policy, the 'double diamond' framework, the 'shelter' theory, the issue of foreign control, the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA and recent contributions on business networks and competitiveness. Special attention is given to the role of multinational enterprises in Canada, Japan and Europe. This book will be essential reading for both academics and policymakers interested in the relationships between multinational enterprises and governments. Together with its companion volume, The Theory of Multinational Enterprises, it will improve access to the work of Alan Rugman, one of the most cited scholars working on the multinational enterprise.

Affinity to the Chinese culture, personalized social networks and a firm control of ownership and management have often been considered the key ingredients for the success of many diaspora Chinese transnational enterprises in South China and Southeast Asia. In view of the recent Asian crisis and the rapid changes imposed by globalization, scholars are increasingly concerned whether these family-owned Chinese transnational enterprises would survive the challenges in the new millennium.

This book makes a timely and highly stimulating contribution to the discourse on emerging-market multinationals, (EMNCs), as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Europe from emerging countries (especially from the BRICs - Brazil, Russia, India, China) continues to grow in significance. Unsurprisingly, the emergence of EMNCs from emerging economies raises a wide range of challenges and opportunities for scholars, business professionals, and policymakers alike. While explaining the sudden rise of these companies has become a major concern among scholars, we have very limited knowledge on drivers, motivations, strategies, and impact of these EMNCs in Europe and their policy implications. This volume provides fresh insights into EMNCs activities and their impact in Europe. The contributors argue that EMNCs combine various country specific advantages, existing firm-specific advantages (exploitation), and/or new FSAs (exploration) in their FDI, and that there is considerable heterogeneity across EMNCs, even those from the same southern economy. Highlighting the importance of considering this divergent behaviour when implementing future European FDI policies, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of European Politics, International Political Economy, International Business and European Integration.

The function of the state as a symbol of identity has become increasingly important as major powers of the pre-Cold War era have given way to self-determination. The conventional role of the state has, however, simultaneously been challenged by the process of globalisation which transcends such national boundaries. Barbara Emadi-Coffin seeks to explain this contradiction through a radical new theory. There are now 37,000 multinational corporations in the world, many of which are increasingly seen as being among the new centres of political and economic power. Barbara Emadi-Coffin analyses the increasing interaction of multinational corporations, international organizations and transnational interest groups, such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International, in processes of the global political economy. Using examples of the free trade zones in Korea, the UK and the People's Republic of China, the author demonstrates these interactions. In so doing, she challenges prevailing notions surrounding International Organization theory.

The United Fruit Company (UFCO) developed an unprecedented relationship with Guatemala in the first half of this century. By 1944, UFCO owned 566,000 acres, employed 20,000 people, and operated 96% of Guatemala's 719 miles of railroad, making the multinational corporation Guatemala's largest private landowner and biggest employer. In Doing Business with the Dictators, Paul J. Dosal shows how UFCO built up a profitable corporation in a country whose political system was known to be corrupt. His work is based largely on research of company documents recently acquired from the Justice Department under the Freedom of Information Act-no other historian researching this topic has looked at these sources. As a result, Dr. Dosal is able to offer the first documentary evidence of how UFCO acquired, defended, and exploited its Guatemalan properties by collaborating with successive authoritarian regimes.

It has long been recognized that R&D plays a key role in the global battle for technological leadership. However, due to intense competition and rivals' imitations, firms are not always able to reap rewards from their innovations. Mario Kafouros theoretically and empirically examines the impacts of innovation and scientific knowledge on the productivity performance of multinational corporations, and the conditions under which companies benefit from their technological discoveries. The book also investigates the extent to which the research efforts of other companies can contribute to a firm's productivity, and how multinationals build on external inventions, ideas and knowledge.The results confirm that not all firms can benefit from innovation, and indicate that whilst some companies can turn technological advances into a powerful competitive weapon, innovation for others is merely a defense mechanism. To provide a clearer understanding of the relationship between innovation and firm productivity performance, the book also investigates a number of additional issues including the costs of R&D, the association between the Internet and R&D efficiency, and the role of competition, internationalization, firm size and technological opportunities. This book will appeal to academics and researchers in the fields of international business, innovation and R&D, productivity and firm performance, the economics of technological change, and knowledge management. As the author examines the conditions under which firms benefit from innovation, managers, R&D directors, economists and government agents may also use the research findings in order to develop strategies and policies to maximize the impacts of innovation.

Explores Korean foreign direct investment, putting forward a theoretical framework to explain why the Korean conglomerates felt compelled to invest in western, central and eastern Europe.

John Dunning's general theory of international production, first propounded in the late 1970's, has generated considerable debate. This work thoughtfully reassesses the paradigm, and extends the analysis to embrace issues of theoretical and empirical importance. In a collection of essays, the changing characteristics of international production are examined, and an interdisciplinary approach suggested for understanding the multinational enterprise in the world economy. This book, first published in 1988, will be of value not only to economists and international business analysts, but to scholars in other fields, notably organizational, marketing and management specialists.

The rapid international expansion of Chinese businesses has evoked mixed perceptions in host countries and among policymakers. This literature review critically analyses rigorous studies on the motivation, background, strategy, and impact of Chinese outward foreign direct investment and the emergence of Chinese multinational enterprises (MNEs). It is thus informative for the next wave of academic research on Chinese and emerging market MNEs in international business, political economy, economic geography and political sciences. Written by two experts in the field, this valuable study provides an important backdrop for academics who intend to understand emerging market MNEs in order to advise policymakers.

Firm-to-firm relationships, along with the overall structure of industry, have changed markedly over the past decades. Replacing the model of vertical integration with one of global business, firms have started to outsource more by using a wider global network. At the same time, they have begun to increase their control and coordination along the value chain to remain competitive, blurring the boundaries between companies. Understanding the nature of the firm and its role in coordinating the supply chain will help firms to better define global competitive strategies.. The challenges that lie ahead for global business render obsolete the traditional model of procuring each service without long-term supply chain management. Current trends suggest that in the future there will be even deeper supply chain integration in most industries. The Nature of the Firm in the Oil Industry aims to facilitate the understanding of 'the firm' via the analysis of the specific relationship between international oil companies, which are among the world's biggest firms and which act as 'core system integrators', and the oil services companies, which help to find, extract, produce and distribute oil along the petroleum industry supply chain. This relationship serves as an example of deep integration by core system integrators and provides insights into the change in the nature of the firm in the era of modern globalization. Aimed at researchers and academics, The Nature of the Firm in the Oil Industry offers a thorough examination of this relationship in an effort to shed light on the nature of the firm, both in the oil industry and in global business today. It is a humble attempt to better understand the firm in a crucial industry.

In the face of strong competitive pressure and a dynamic market, multinational companies in China are forced to innovate with extraordinary pace and inventiveness. Environmental sustainability is a vital benchmark, and is a key driver for the best companies in each sector - many of them allied with the WWF Climate Savers programme. Sustainable Champions shows how nine leading multinational companies - including Nestle, HP, Tetra Pak and Sony - are dealing with environmental, supply chain and ethical challenges in China. The book illuminates some of their transformative practices, and the impact this is having on business in China and beyond. The concluding cross-case analysis of supply chain and environmental challenges faced by leading international firms presents key lessons for business and for sustainability champions. Sustainable Champions: How International Companies are Changing the Face of Business in China is essential reading for researchers and course leaders seeking on-the-ground examples of local environmental challenges, and any company doing business in one of the world's fastest-growing economies. With a Foreword by Simon Zadek, Distinguished Fellow, Academy of Business in Society, Visiting Scholar, Tsinghua School of Economics and Management.

Brown and her colleagues offer an unprecedented analysis of how multinational corporations and developing countries manage, in the face of differing values, to relate as each proceeds in the interest of particular development objectives. Through three case studies involving Du Pont Agrichemical, Occidental Chemical, and Xerox and the countries of India and Thailand, the authors illustrate how the differing values of the host country and the corporation influence decisions. It offers valuable insights into the anatomy of decision-making in a highly sensitive and increasingly scrutinized segment of contemporary business.

This is a particularly timely examination of multinational enterprises, of the impact of corporate cultures, sustainable development, hazard management and environmental issues seen in relationship to developing countries' values, needs, and objectives.

Focusing on international entrepreneurship, this research book explores the accelerated internationalization of young firms. Known variously as international new ventures (INVs) or "born globals," such firms have come to be viewed as legitimate actors on the global stage alongside large multinational enterprises (MNEs). However, the current approach taken by scholars - studying large MNEs and born globals separately - is questionable. This book explores the crucial MNE/INV interface - a fascinating, yet under-researched relationship in international entrepreneurship. Drawing upon a decade of case-based research, the author argues that the MNE influence on born globals must be considered more carefully and suggests how new ventures can leverage MNE networks in the pursuit of their rapid internationalization. Furthermore, it demonstrates that, as firms enhance their levels of innovation, new pathways emerge via multinational corporation networks, a phenomenon vividly demonstrated in the emerging economy context of the Bangalore software industry. This innovative research text will be of interest to academics, researchers, and advanced students with an interest in international entrepreneurship and business, strategy, innovation, and new ventures.

This research and teaching volume has been composed in honour of Rosalie Tung, a distinguished institution builder, thought leader and educator in the field of international business (IB). The volume addresses Rosalie Tung's main research focus in a career that has already spanned several decades, namely the analysis of distance facing multinational enterprises (MNEs), with a focus on state-of-the-art conceptual and fact-based empirical developments in the realm of cultural and institutional distance elements. The impact of distance on international business transactions and operations remains ill-understood. How should distance be conceptualized? Which dimensions of distance should be considered? Is distance always a cost, or can it sometimes confer value? This twelfth volume in the Progress in International Business Research series presents extensive accounts of the contemporary scientific debate on how to assess the impacts of distance, both negative and positive ones, on the conduct of international business. This volume covers five dimensions related to the concept, cost and value of distance, in International business: * The concept of distance * The cost of cultural and psychic distance * The cost of institutional distance * The value of distance * Alternative lenses for IB research

Guided by the overarching question ''how and why does the emerging economy context matter for business?'', this collection brings together key contributions of Klaus Meyer on multinational enterprises (MNEs) competing in, and originating from, emerging economies. From theoretical to process perspectives, the book also explores how outward investment strategies contribute to building internationally competitive MNEs. It looks at the process by which foreign MNEs pursue distinct opportunities in each emerging economy by adapting their strategies to the specific business ecosystem. This includes, inter alia, the location of production, choice of entry mode, forms of equity and non-equity partnerships and market positioning. Conversely, when local firms set their ambitions beyond national boundaries, their own resources and capabilities are shaped by the business ecosystem of their home country. The author's theoretically grounded empirical research in Multinational Enterprises and Emerging Economies gives MSc students, PhD students and junior scholars the opportunity to dig deeper into the study of MNE growth. Keywords: Business in emerging economies book / emerging markets book Multinational enterprises Foreign entry in emerging economies Emerging economy multinationals Institutional theory Context of business

The eclectic paradigm has arguably become the dominant theoretical basis in the study of FDI, multinational corporations and internationalisation over the last two decades. The contributions to this volume evaluate the eclectic paradigm in the global economy and its validity as a theoretical basis to understand developments such as economic globalization and the subsequent growth of global and alliance capitalism.

Driving Risk and Spend Out of the Global Supply Chain provides a complete picture of the various risks multinational firms face when they operate overseas and engage in foreign purchasing and sales, import and export trade, and global logistics. Thomas A. Cook, a subject matter expert on global trade management, supplies readers with step-by-step guidance on how to develop an airtight global risk strategy. This second book in The Global Warrior Series presents a blueprint and operational strategy for executives to consider when charged with the responsibility of reducing risks and costs in their global supply chains. The book reviews a number of key factors, including: The key issues that impact risk and spend in all supply chains How to develop effective risk management strategies, tactics, and action plans Managing requests for proposal (RFPs) to achieve desired results with minimal compromise Risk versus insurance and cargo loss control Business model development for a cost reduction program Maintaining best practices while reducing risks and costs Sarbanes-Oxley issues for public companies How to achieve world-class status in international trade The book examines all the areas where spend can be reduced and details a specific strategy to help readers reduce spend without compromising values. Providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date compilation of material and tactics currently available for international business professionals, the text supplies a clear understanding of the steps readers must take before taking any action to reduce risk and spend in their import, export, and domestic supply chain operations.

China's rapid and sustained growth over last thirty years has propelled it to become the world's second largest economy today and potentially the largest in the foreseeable future. As one of the first major economies pulling out of recession and the last remaining major socialist country in the world today, China presents a challenge to established thinking on the essential primacy of global capitalism and the settled nature of the world system - as China becomes more integrated into the world economy and the international system, both are themselves potentially transformed as a result of China s involvement. This book explores a wide range of issues connected with the impact of China on the global economy and the prevailing international system. Subjects covered include China s multinationals, international acquisitions, the exchange rate, research and development and technology transfer, China s emerging major business groupings, and small and medium sized enterprises."

This is the history of the East India Company and its enduring legacy as a corporation, dealing in exploitation and violence. The English East India Company was the mother of the modern multinational. Its trading empire encircled the globe, importing Asian luxuries such as spices, textiles and teas. But it also conquered much of India with its private army and broke open China's markets with opium. The Company's practices shocked its contemporaries and still reverberate today. This expanded edition explores how the four forces of scale, technology, finance and regulation drove its spectacular rise and fall. This story provides vital lessons on both the role of corporations in world history and the steps required to make global business accountable today.

Although much literature on human trafficking focuses on sex trafficking, a great deal of human trafficking results from migrant workers, compelled - by economic deprivation in their home countries - to seek better life opportunities abroad, especially in agriculture, construction and domestic work. Such labour migration is sometimes legal and well managed, but sometimes not so with migrant workers frequently threatened or coerced into entering debt bondage arrangements and ending up working in forced labour situations producing goods for illicit markets. This book fills a substantial gap in the existing literature given that labour trafficking is a much more subtle form of exploitation than sex trafficking. It discusses how far large multinational corporations are involved, whether intentionally or unintentionally, in human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation. They explore how far corporations are driven to seek cheap labour by the need to remain commercially competitive and examine how the problem often lies with corporations subcontractors, who are not as well controlled as they might be. The essays in the volume also outline and assess measures being taken by governments and international agencies to eradicate the problem. "

In this revised second edition, Hans Jansson develops and applies an international business and marketing strategy framework to contemporary complex global markets. This cutting-edge textbook explores the major challenges associated with doing business in complex and turbulent emerging markets, stressing the strategic importance of the natural environment. Taking a holistic perspective that integrates stakeholder and shareholder views, this textbook employs an innovative network institutional framework to achieve sustainable competitive advantages by creating economic, social and ecological values with stakeholders. This updated edition includes: The international network strategy (INS), offering a framework for connecting MNCs and multinational exporters with parties in new economic, social and natural environments, and the international matching strategy (IMS), dealing with how MNCs achieve legitimacy An overview of the historical development of the supranational environment, structured as three waves of the internationalization of firms, including the integration of foreign direct investment into the global value chain Dedicated chapters outlining the development of research on international business, strategy, marketing, networks and institutions A methodology for analysing the institutional context of foreign local markets. Insightful and enlightening, this textbook is ideal for postgraduate students of international business, strategy and marketing. This book will also offer frameworks and strategic tools for managers, consultants and practitioners confronting strategic issues in complex markets.