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.

Recent analysis of international competitiveness has helped to increase levels of interest in technological innovation as a crucial factor determining the kind of advantages required in an economic scenario. At the same time, particular attention has been devoted to the role which multinational corporations are playing in the production of technological capabilities for the global markets. The aim of this study is to contribute to an understanding of those intermediate countries with specific reference to two relevant international areas. On the one hand, those countries of southern Europe whose dynamic is very much influenced by the phases of European construction. In this context, multinational corporations are reorganizing their strategies among which technology creation is central. On the other hand, in most industrialized countries of Latin America the opening up process has changed the traditional role played by multinational corporations.

Multinational Investment and Economic Structure examines the relationship between industrial development and foreign direct investment (FDI) activities, and the interaction between multinational (MNE) activity and economic structures. It deals with the changing structure of the world economy as a whole, and the dynamics of the relationship between industrial development and the extent of FDI activities across countries. It evaluates the concurrent (and interrelated) evolutionary processes behind economic growth and MNE activity and how these evolutionary forces impact on the economic structure of individual economies in the industrialised world as their economies converge through globalisation.

This work examines the evolution of Japanese direct investment in Europe and explores its determinants. It then illustrates how, as multinationals, Japanese firms adapt to local conditions and try to take advantage of a global organization. In this respect, three areas are more particularly explored: human resource management, relationships with suppliers, and research and development unit locations. The impact of Japanese locations on their host countries is also studied. While Japanese industrial units may represent a challenge to European competitors they may also accelerate useful technological awareness. The macroeconomic impact, on employment in particular, is negligible but regional or sectoral impacts can be sizeable.

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.

Because of the potential ease with which transnational corporations can relocate, many governments have avoided direct attempts to intervene in their activities. Nonetheless, the major economies have adopted a wide range of policies towards transnational corporations. Some (Japan and France in particular) have been very concerned by the impact of such firms. Others (most notably Britain) have had a relatively relaxed attitude. This book offers an account of policy towards transnationals over the last 30 years or so. It features: detailed, up-to-date accounts of policy in Japan, France, Germany, the United States and Britain; the role of organizations other than governments, including trade unions, business and opposition parties; summaries of which issues have most concerned which countries overall characterizations of each country's policy stance. The result should appeal to those interested in industrial economics, international business, global political economy, and international law.

Transnational corporations are now of immense significance for most economies. However, by definition they are involved in international production and this poses problems for national governments. The threat of a major company leaving gives it leverage over its host government. This means that even though there is a broad consensus that in some respects the impact of a transnational on an economy can be negative, there is a marked reluctance on the part of governments to try to do anything about it. Although they remain sensitive to the problems posed by transnationals, the authors of "Making Transnationals Accountable" do not accept that there is nothing that can be done to influence the behaviour of transnationals. The authors advocate a policy of monitoring their activities and use a comparative approach to show that many governments know surprisingly little about the impact of transnationals on their economies. They identify areas which governments might like to know more about. In an attempt to show what their approach might mean in practice, they draw upon the new techniques developed in social accounting to prepare a detailed social and economic account of "Glaxo".

Transnational corporations are now of immense significance for most economies. However, by definition they are involved in international production and this poses problems for national governments. The threat of a major company leaving gives it leverage over its host government. This means that even though there is a broad consensus that in some respects the impact of a transnational on an economy can be negative, there is a marked reluctance on the part of governments to try to do anything about it. Although they remain sensitive to the problems posed by transnationals, the authors of "Making Transnationals Accountable" do not accept that there is nothing that can be done to influence the behaviour of transnationals. The authors advocate a policy of monitoring their activities and use a comparative approach to show that many governments know surprisingly little about the impact of transnationals on their economies. They identify areas which governments might like to know more about. In an attempt to show what their approach might mean in practice, they draw upon the new techniques developed in social accounting to prepare a detailed social and economic account of "Glaxo".

Since the bursting of Japan's bubble economy, from 1990 onwards, its multinational companies (MNCs) have faced new competitive challenges, and questions about the management practices on which they had built their initial success in global markets. Japanese engagement in the international economy has undergone a number of phases. Historically, Japanese MNCs learnt from foreign companies, frequently through strategic alliances. After the post-war 'economic miracle', Japanese manufacturers in particular converted themselves into MNCs, transferred their home-grown capabilities to overseas subsidiaries, and made an impact on the world economy. But the period after 1990 marked declining Japanese competitiveness, and asked questions about the ability of Japanese MNCs to be more responsive and global in their strategies, organization, and capabilities. It has been argued that the established management practices of Japanese MNCs inhibited adaptation to recent demands of global competition. This volume presents new case evidence on how Japanese MNCs have responded to the new challenges of the global market place, and it provides examples of how they have transformed strategies and competitive capabilities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

Innovation in Multinational Corporations in the Information Age investigates the production of information communication technology (ICT) through multinational corporations worldwide, and particularly in Europe. Questions relating to the management of corporate technological portfolio and the management of corporate research activity are addressed, and sectoral specialisation along with the geographical location of corporate technological development are analysed. The book imparts enlightening viewpoints on the changing boundaries of the international firm and the evolution of corporate learning in a more complex technological system. The increasing significance of regions as units of spatial competition is highlighted, and the analysis of ICT provides an insight into business strategy and policy making agendas. Providing useful insights into the dynamics of innovation at company level in an international context, this book will be of great interest to international, political, industrial and business economists and scholars.

Corporate entrepreneurship involves new business creation within established companies, the strategic renewal of existing business, and, ultimately, the search for sustainable competitive advantage in an increasingly globalised economy. Yet it remains elusive for many firms. In a collaboration between a practitioner and academic, Joe J. Amberg and Sara L. McGaughey explore corporate entrepreneuring within a large conglomerate multinational enterprise: Siemens AG. In early 2009, following a prolonged period of business stagnation and a huge bribery scandal, Siemens' top management identified a severe lack of entrepreneurship as a critical issue. The strengthening of 'local entrepreneurship' became a new priority in the strategic planning for 2010 to 2014. By examining three contrasting ventures in the Siemens business unit Fire Safety between 2008 and 2012, the authors identify key drivers and impediments that sustain inertia in corporate entrepreneuring within this global organisation. This study offers an insightful contribution to our growing - yet still fledgling - understanding of corporate entrepreneurship in global corporations, highlighting the importance of context, interdependencies between critical factors, and the false promise of universal best practice.

This book, first published in 1988, examines the impact of multinational companies on the British economy and the British government's policy responses. It assesses the effects of multinationals both on the national economy and on different regions and evaluates the benefits and problems brought by overseas companies. It looks at how government has attempted to entice multinationals to invest, and the UK government's success in these attraction efforts as compared with other countries. Regulatory aspects of policy are also reviewed and evaluated, and consideration is given to possible new policy approaches. This title will be of interest to students of business studies.

One surprising development in the growth of multinational businesses and international trade is the large and growing amount of intra-industry direct foreign investment. Intra-industry direct foreign investment is the phenomenon whereby multinationals from two countries have overseas manufacturing operations in each other's countries. The phenom

This book, first published in 1987, outlines the motives and methods of overseas operations by international contractors. Drawing on an economic analysis of the industry and on elements of international investment and production theory the book discusses the problems of both individual enterprises and the major nationality groups in the industry

Multinational corporate managers, financial analysts, and accountants disagree on what constitutes the appropriate process of translating and consolidating foreign financial statements into US financial statements. In this book, first published in 1993, the author examines financial accounting regarding foreign currency translation for and by multinational corporations by developing: (a) an historical background for the topic, (b) a comparative analysis of two foreign currency translation accounting standards, (c) a topical review of relevant prior research, and (d) a study of multinational corporate managers' actions when they face a choice between two accounting standards. This title will be of interest to students of business studies.

The volumes in this set, originally published between 1955 and 1993, draw together research by leading academics in the area of multinationals and provides a rigorous examination of related key issues. The volumes examine foreign investment and currency translation, environmental control issues and the impact of multinationals on the British economy. This set will be of particular interest to students of business studies.

This study explores the struggle for gains from direct investment between multinationals and developing countries. Its purpose is to explain differences in taxation and nationalization between countries, and to consider how direct investments can best contribute to social welfare worldwide. Using game theory models, and taking into account that the developing countries also compete with each other to attract investors, it is shown that policies which manipulate behaviour do not normally distort direct investments, whilst policies that interfere with ownership do. It also demonstrates that governments that maximize social welfare should not be expected to sacrifice the environment to attract multinationals.

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.

In their foreign markets, MNCs interact not only with customers and suppliers but also with governments and bureaucrats. The book is an outcome of several years of research on MNCs market activities in developing and industrialized countries. Different from the earlier studies this book addresses how interactions not only with business partners, but also with the vast variety of governmental and legislative organizations, affect local firms and MNCs??? businesses. Based on the business network theory, the book develops a new model for the exchange relationship between local customers and MNCs and investigates the effect of different political organizations and other business firms. It examines relationship using several dimensions, business, social and political, through multiple cases from a developing country (DC) and industrialized countries. The comparison provides deepened knowledge on strength and longevity of business relationship in these two different business worlds. The outcomes reveal new insights with the claim for general appliance for DCs. The book supports the management of MNCs in their understanding of local firms??? behavior in such markets and to retain appropriate measure in their globalization efforts. The book also enables governments in DCs to realize consequences of their political actions for both local firms and MNCs and thereby industrialization of the country.

This book, a valuable reference for students of policy and politics, considers policies towards trade, technology transfer and multinational investment as well as general monetary policies and discusses how development policies may be improved.

Since the bursting of Japan's bubble economy, from 1990 onwards, its multinational companies (MNCs) have faced new competitive challenges, and questions about the management practices on which they had built their initial success in global markets. Japanese engagement in the international economy has undergone a number of phases. Historically, Japanese MNCs learnt from foreign companies, frequently through strategic alliances. After the post-war 'economic miracle', Japanese manufacturers in particular converted themselves into MNCs, transferred their home-grown capabilities to overseas subsidiaries, and made an impact on the world economy. But the period after 1990 marked declining Japanese competitiveness, and asked questions about the ability of Japanese MNCs to be more responsive and global in their strategies, organization, and capabilities. It has been argued that the established management practices of Japanese MNCs inhibited adaptation to recent demands of global competition. This volume presents new case evidence on how Japanese MNCs have responded to the new challenges of the global market place, and it provides examples of how they have transformed strategies and competitive capabilities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

Drawing upon an impressive range of international sources, this book explores the late-nineteenth century partnership between Bradford worsted manufacturers the Briggs brothers and the German merchant Ernst Posselt, and their subsequent foreign direct investment in a modern factory and workers' community at Marki, near Warsaw in Poland. Protectionism and increasing foreign competition are discussed, among many complex economic pressures on British industry, as likely catalysts for this enterprise and the general historiography of the Polish lands is explored to reveal a climate of extraordinary opportunity for well-capitalised foreign industrialists in this period. British, Polish and German press and archival documents, as well as Russian police and factory inspectors' reports reveal the everyday experience of Polish factory workers and British consular correspondence provides fascinating insight into the machinations of the entrepreneurs and Warsaw's cosmopolitan business community. Through the development and domination of market and raw materials sources, this venture is shown to have monopolised worsted manufacture in the Russian Empire, using state of the art technology to create, and modern marketing techniques to promote, its product range and evolving image. Marki was described in 1886 as 'a second edition of Saltaire' and latterly as 'the Polish Bournville or Port Sunlight', thus aspects of British and Polish social history are compared to assess the efficacy of introducing the model-community concept, in combination with a radical employment policy, to less industrially-developed Poland. The experiences of an expatriate community of skilled Yorkshire foremen and their instrumentality in diffusing British industrial technology throughout the Russian Empire are described. Against a backdrop of political instability and social upheaval, which dramatically impacted on business behaviour after 1905 and particularly during the interwar period of

Business History and International Business are cognate subjects. There are few, if any, studies of international business that do not require a proper study of context. International business decision making must be made relevant by a considered evaluation of the circumstances surrounding that decision. This often means putting it into its historical context. The contributions that the study of international business can make to business history are the input of appropriate theory and appropriate research methods. The best international business theory can illuminate the seemingly disparate strategies of firms in given historical circumstances and can provide an integrated, overarching conceptual structure of the study of business history. The research methods used in international business are also worthy of scrutiny by business historians. The proposition of this book is that international business theory and method can complement business history. This cross-fertilization has been occurring with increasing regularity over the past few decades and this book brings together some of the fruits of this conjunction of two important intellectual domains. This book was published as a special issue of Business History.

Investigating the issue of employee representation in multinational companies (MNCs), this book sets out to systematically conceptualise the modes of articulation between different action fields. While previous studies have focused on forms of employee representation that have emerged throughout recent decades, rather little is known about the interaction and coordination of representational bodies and actors, such as trade unions and European or World Works Councils. Given the growing importance of transnational restructuring in MNCs, understanding the conditions under which employees are able to participate in company decision-making is a crucial issue. Based on empirical case studies and interviews with employee representatives from ten countries across Europe, the authors investigate the role of representational bodies in periods of company restructuring. Proposing a shift in perspectives in research on transnational labour relations and bringing new insights into structures and practices of employee representation in MNCs, this book will be a valuable read for both scholars and practitioners.

In recent years, a great deal of scholarly and popular ink has been spilled on the subject of globalization. Relatively few scholars have addressed the political sociology of globalization, and specifically, the emergence of global class formations and a nascent global governance framework. This book is a contribution towards redressing this imbalance.

The book traces the emergence of the World Bank as a key driver of globalization, and as a central source of an evolving form of elite-driven transnational governance which the author describes as global managerialism . The book argues that the Bank has expanded its sphere of activity far beyond provision of low-cost capital for development projects, and plays a central role in pursuing global economic and social policy homogenization. The World Bank and Global Managerialism features a new theoretical approach to globalization, developed through an analytical exposition of the key stages in the institution s growth since its creation at the Bretton Woods conference of 1944. The author details the contemporary Bank s central policy framework, which includes the intertwining of public and private initiatives and the extension of global governance into ever-wider policy and geographic spheres. He also argues that contemporary globalization marks the emergence of a transnational elite, straddling the corporate, government, and civil society sectors. The book provides two detailed case studies that demonstrate the practical analytical utility of the theory of global managerialism.

The theoretical approach provides a robust but flexible framework for understanding contemporary global development. It is essential reading for courses in areas such as International Organizations, Global Political Economy, and Globalization and its Discontents, and is also relevant to students of development policy and international economic architecture, among others.