The rise of the Japanese multinational company (JMNC) marked, from the 1980s onwards, an historic change in the structure and in the dynamics of the international economy. For the first time, businesses from a non-Western nation established a competitive global presence, and they did so by bringing their advanced products and management systems to the developed economies of Europe and North America. In the last 30 years, our interpretations of JMNCs have undergone a series of revisions. Korean firms followed JMNCs in the 1990s and the Chinese likewise in the 2000s. A seeming decline in JMNC competitiveness and developments in the structure of the international economy challenged a business model of parental company direction, control and capabilities. Both trends asked questions about how Japanese subsidiaries should operate in global production chains increasingly reliant on contracting out and off-shoring, and how JMNCs might engage more in strategic cooperation and empower subsidiary decision-making. The contributors to this volume consider a wide range of relevant issues: they demonstrate the long-term evolution of JMNCs; they compare the experience of JMNCs with firms from the other two major Asia Pacific economies, Korea and China; they evaluate the applicability of established foreign direct investment (FDI) theory to MNCs from Japan and the Asia Pacific; and they reflect on the internal organization of JMNCs at the global, national and subnational level. This book was originally published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

Competing against Multinationals in Emerging Markets provides a comprehensive set of lessons which successful small firms have adopted in order to survive and prosper in an increasingly hostile competitive manufacturing sector where large firms are mostly dominant.

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.

Globalization, information and communication technologies, and the millennials who have entered the workforce, compelled corporations to change their resistant and defensive approaches to diversity and to proactively address differences. Companies determined that embracing diversity positively impacts their bottom line, as a result of the variety of perspectives and skills that derive from fostering a diverse workforce. To date, the majority of the studies in the business and communication fields shed light on diversity engagement in the US and leave room for the further exploration of how diversity is construed and approached in international milieus. There is a paucity of recent studies on diversity engagement in the US and the topic requires current investigation of the newest corporate engagement in diversity. Diversity in Multinational Corporations aims to address the two gaps in the literature. For this purpose, the book analyzes the diversity approaches of twenty-eight US companies from ten industries to develop a theoretical framework whose practical application enables companies to make significant contributions to the environments in which they operate. The framework addresses the present challenges that American corporations face in their diversity engagement, namely low employee engagement and "diversity fatigue," and proposes the implementation of a new social responsibility approach, whose aim is to address inequality at a global scale by adaption to the local environment and less focus on immediate business benefits. Finally, because the book discusses diversity engagement in global business environments, its results can be applied by international companies that operate at a global scale.

This book takes a comprehensive look at Japanese firms engaging in export and foreign direct investment (FDI) and develops new methods and data to investigate the internationalization of firms, which is a focus issue in international trade. Using micro-level data, the book provides an introduction to theoretical and statistical analysis of internationalization modes of Japanese firms with productivity heterogeneity. It makes clear that although the productivity of internationalized Japanese firms is higher on average than that of firms serving only the domestic market, the difference in productivity between exporters and FDI firms is not as obvious in comparison with that of their counterparts in the United States and Europe. Focusing on this point, the book analyzes not only productivity heterogeneity among firms, but also the differences in firm-specific factors other than productivity: industry-specific factors, market-specific factors such as market size and variable and fixed costs for export, and FDI in destination countries. This in-depth investigation reveals how those factors make the modes of Japanese firms' internationalization different from those in the United States and Europe. Further analysis focuses on the effects of match quality, organizational and institutional factors in the market on firms' exports, and FDI. As an approach to the current trends in international trade, this book is unique in using detailed firm-level panel data drawn from Japanese government statistics.

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.

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.

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.

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.

For many years, vertical integration characterized the international oil industry, with the same company controlling the entire process from crude exploration and production to the retailing. This structure was radically transformed in the 1970s and this book, originally published in 1984, examines whether the dis-integration which resulted was a long-term trend or a temporary phase. It examines the attitude of the major international oil companies, discusses the policies adopted by oil producing and oil importing countries, and the limits of 'government to government' deals underlined. The political and strategic implications of re-integration are explored, and relations between oil exporters and importers, and between the USA, Europe and the Arab world discussed.

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.

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.

Since China's adoption of the "go global" strategy, more and more of China's privately owned enterprises have focused on outward foreign direct investment , and by doing so they have become the major market participants in China's internationalization process. This book presents authoritative academic and professional insights into the determinants of internationalization of China's indigenous privately owned enterprises. The case studies, in-depth interviews and investigations in this book will capture the interest of the readers and provide them with the background material and understanding of the determinants and possible pattern selection for internationalization of China's privately owned enterprises.

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.

Japanese automobiles dominate the Southeast Asian car market and, although European automobile policies have for a long time been highly discriminatory towards Japanese imports, their production methods have been quickly implemented by European makers and suppliers. This study explains the various influences of the Japanese automobile industry on industrial development in both Southeast Asia and Europe. In Part I, contributors examine industrial organization and policy issues in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, looking at Japanese investment and the relative policy successes and failures in these host countries. Part II looks at skill formation systems in the Japanese dominated automobile industry in Southeast Asia and in Part III the authors focus on the EU and the very different influence of Japanese investment. These discussions suggest that Japanese assemblers by no means stick to restricted business relations with their traditional suppliers but are open to cooperation with non-Japanese firms.

The book deals with the use of clean technologies and in particular of electronic mobility from the perspective of the empirical capital market. The author sheds light on the developments of economic research in the past 20 years, identifies research gaps and analyses them in detail if data is sufficient. Based on the example of rare earths, he presents the impact of future raw material shortages when using mobile electronic technologies and proposes possible solutions for all market players from a financial research perspective. In addition, the book presents a first assessment of the industry's innovation development by means of the capital-market oriented evaluation of corporate cooperations in the field of electronic mobility.

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.

Cost accounting in Anglophone countries is in general less detailed than German cost accounting. Such cross-national differences imply a tension for Anglophone multinationals operating in Germany. These firms have to balance the group-wide application of their home-country traditions and the approval of diverging local cost accounting systems. By the means of a dyadic research design, this study finds empirical evidence for Anglophone cost accounting traditions to prevail in subsidiaries of Anglophone multinationals in Germany. However, the top management teams in these subsidiaries tend to work around such coercive pressures. The findings also suggest that the subsidiaries prefer to deviate from their parent companies' traditions to ensure the usefulness of information for their cost accounting systems.

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.

An increasing number of studies in the last decade or so have emphasized the viability and persistence of distinctive systems of economic coordination and control in developed market economies. Over more or less the same period, the revival of institutional economics and evolutionary approaches to understanding the firm has focused attention on how firms create distinctive capabilities through establishing routines that coordinate complementary activities and skills for particular strategic purposes. For much of the 1990s these two strands of research remained distinct. Those focusing on the institutional frameworks of market economies were primarily concerned with identifying complementaries between institutional arrangements that explained coherence and continuity. On the other hand, those focusing on the dynamics of firm behavior studied how firms develop new capacities and are able to learn new ways of doing things.
This book aims to bring together these approaches. It consists of a set of theoretically motivated and empirically informed chapters from a range of internationally known contributors to these debates. In their chapters, the authors show how institutions and firms evolve. Ideas of path dependency and complementarity of institutions are subjected to critical scrutiny both by reference to their own internal logic and to empirical examples. Varieties of institutional integration, the surprising maintenance of 'deviant' or alternative traditions and processes, and the existence of unpredictable yet consequential policy options that can lead to breaks in path dependency are scrutinized with particular reference to how national and international firms may relate toinstitutions at various levels as a diverse arena of potential resources rather than as a singular and determinant constraining force. The book provides a set of theoretical and empirical challenges for researchers concerned with the relationship between national institutional contexts and firm dynamics. For those involved in teaching or studying at doctoral, Masters and higher level undergraduate courses, the book provides a structured entry into the debates about how institutions and firms are changing in the contemporary era.

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.

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

Culture may not be the only factor to affect organizational structure. Size, strategic location, the industrial climate, the complexity of the task in hand and the kind of technology used all exert an influence and profoundly affect the relations between members of an organization. Managers therefore have to contend with weighing culture against other variables when trying to implement organizational structure.If culture is but one among a range of factors, then why are cross-cultural management skills so important? Mead crisply answers this question at the outset and his views may be summarized as follows. Today's business world is global and therefore firms are forced to establish branches and subsidiaries outside their national boundaries. Managers have to deal with people from other cultures, and it is imperative that they develop the ability to interact with individuals who have different cultural priorities. Effective cross-cultural management increasingly means working with people from different cultures and learning to tolerate differences when devising shared priorities.In today's economic climate, market forces appear to have an increasingly anthropological dimension. The ethnocentric manager, for example, who is unable or unwilling to deal with members of other cultures has fewer career opportunities. To accommodate these changes management schools are giving increasing priority to teaching cross-cultural management skills. International Management combines theory and practice, and includes a variety of exercises to enable students to apply general concepts to specific situations.Mead acknowledges the difficulty in providing a single definition of culture, but does not duckthe issue. Instead he provides a succinct account of the sociological and anthropological positions before moving on to the management literature. This publication deserves a warm welcome because it acknowledges the contribution made by anthropologists to the understanding of culture. As Richard Mead demonstrates, there is clearly a great deal of scope for making more use of anthropological insights in clarifying the role of culture in international management. The book is aimed at students and has been written with admirable clarity, and should be of value to anyone involved in teaching applied social sciences.

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."