Since its origins in the 1920s as a refrigerator factory in Qingdao supplying the Chinese market, Haier has risen to become a major multinational company, overtaking the likes of Whirlpool and LG, to become the world's leading manufacturer of household appliances today, with revenues of $30 billion. How did Haier achieve this amazing feat? This book examines Haier's organizational transformation, which can be traced back to 1984 when Zhang Ruimin (Haier's current CEO) joined the company, and which became the essence of Haier's sustained competitive advantage. In particular, it looks at the "RDHY Win-Win Model of Employee-Customer Integration", the latest management practice in Haier, which has had a profound effect on the company's performance, and which has captured the attention of academics and managers around the world.

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.

This contributed volume seeks to provide a unique window on the globalization process by analyzing the dynamics of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Europe and Asia, as well as its influence on the renewal of public policies and regulations, both transnational and local. It discusses the link between the trans-nationalization of productive and business systems and the renewal of local regulations in the light of concerns over competitiveness and attractiveness, as well as new social tensions. Multinational corporations (MNCs) as key actors of globalization are central for understanding the new interactions between the global, regional and local dimensions as well as for highlighting the challenges of regulation both at transnational level and within national boundaries.

Research approaches along two broad lines are presented: First, a theoretical and empirical approach that examines links between the strategies of multinationals and local public policy in order to contribute to a better understanding of the institutional dynamics of social regulation. Second, a comparative approach that compares regional spaces, with particular attention to Europe on the one hand, and to the two great emerging powers, China and India, on the other.

"Roger Axtell is an internationalist Emily Post."
--The New Yorker
International business and leisure travel etiquette expert Roger Axtell's bestselling Do's and Taboos books have helped hundreds of thousands of business travelers and tourists avoid the missteps and misunderstandings the world traveler can encounter. In Essential Do's and Taboos, Axtell shares the wisdom he has compiled over a lifetime of international experience.
Whether you need to know the best time of year to set up a business meeting in Germany or why the O.K. sign is not O.K. in Brazil, you'll find practical, fascinating, culture-savvy, up-to-date advice to help you steer clear of faux pas and face the world with confidence. Essential Do's and Taboos features:
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Information on customs, protocol, etiquette, hand gestures, and body language
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Fresh advice regarding Internet business and communication options
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Country-specific chapters on eleven popular locations--from old favorites like England, France, Japan, and Germany to hot tourist destinations and emerging economies like India, China, Russia, and Mexico
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Guidance on hosting international visitors
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Important tips on using English around the world
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Special do's and taboos for women traveling abroad

This book provides an overview of current approaches and research in the field of international organizations with a focus on implementation issues in a globalized context.
Written by a team of recognized leaders in the field, associated with the growing and influential International Organizations Network (ION).
Covers topical issues such as managing virtual teams and globalization.
Makes a cohesive statement about the field of international organizations.
Is written with a focus on implementation issues.
Offers a solid contribution to the closing of the gap between researchers and practitioners.

1. 1 Background of the Study: Ef?ciency in Cross-Cultural International Business Management Ef?cient business management is crucial in achieving corporate (national or int- national/multinational) goals such as higher value, comprehensiveness, corporate governance, etc. Ef?cient business management can be achieved by resolving agency problems existing among different stakeholders in corporations. In inter- tional business, agency problems may exist between managers, owners, staff, and other stakeholders who come from different cultures. Therefore, there is a need in designing ef?cient management of international business by in?uencing the factors (the convergence factors) which cause differences in the interests and cultures of different stakeholders. International business refers to all commercial transactions between two or more nations. Because it comprises a large and growing portion of current world business practice, international business has received considerable attention in academic research (Daniels and Radebaugh 1998). International bu- ness differs in important ways from business conducted within national borders, and poses additional challenges to managers and investors in foreign countries (Mahoney et al. 1998). In this context, Black et al. (1999) state that effective management is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of success or failure, arguing that the success of international business in multinational companies depends most signi?cantly on the quality of management systems (Stroh and Caligiuri 1998). As international business involves people from different cultures, every business function including managing a workforce, marketing output, and dealing with regulators, has the potential to involve cross-cultural problems (Zineldin 2007).

Managing an international operation is seen by many as one of the most challenging activities in an enterprise. Uwe Sachse offers substantial answers to the question of how companies behave after they have entered a particular foreign market. The results of the empirical study show that the mode switch is an important option for improving performance in foreign markets. Uwe Sachse shows that, over the duration of foreign business activity, companies pursue characteristic internationalisation pathways through their choice of mode.

Combining comprehensive coverage with a wide variety of real-life cases, International Entrepreneurship: Starting, Developing, and Managing a Global Venture gives entrepreneurs the tools they need to successfully launch international ventures in today's hypercompetitive world. Bestselling author Dr. Robert D. Hisrich helps students and entrepreneurs develop global business plans, select international opportunities, and determine the best entry strategy. The text also covers practical considerations such as legal concerns, the global monetary systems, global marketing, and global human resource management for entrepreneurs. The Third Edition provides increased attention to culture and reflects recent changes in our increasingly globalized world. Readers will also be exposed to new cases featuring international activities of entrepreneurs and ventures throughout the world.

Human Rights after Corporate Personhood offers a rich overview of current debates, and seeks to transcend the "outrage response" often found in public discourse and corporate legal theory. Through original and innovative analyses, the volume offers an alternative account of corporate juridical personality and its relation to the human, one that departs from accounts offered by public law. In addition, it explores opportunities for the application of legal personality to assist progressive projects, including, but not limited to, environmental justice, animal rights, and Indigenous land claims. Presented accessibly for the benefit of non-specialist readers, the volume offers original arguments and draws on eclectic sources, from law and poetry to fiction and film. At the same time, it is firmly grounded in legal scholarship and, thus, serves as an essential reference for scholars, students, lawmakers, and anyone seeking a better understanding of the interface between corporations and the law in the twenty-first century.

The integrating thesis of this study is the inevitability of heterogeneity in FDI and MNCs and, accordingly, the imperative of disaggregation. Nuance is too pervasive to permit many valid generalizations. This leads to a hardly earth-shattering, but surprisingly infrequently-offered conclusion that FDI, i.e. that any individual foreign-owned subsidiaries can, on balance, have a positive, negative, neutral (and/or irrelevant), or indeterminate effect. Foreign-owned subsidiaries are seldom if ever identical and need to be considered on a case by case basis according to circumstances. Hence, the phrase "it depends" is the mantra of this study. Disaggregation is an essential diagnostic tool to identify and measure the different levels of quality of MNCs subsidiaries. Most policy advocates and researchers, whatever their ideological persuasion, have failed to acknowledge the seemingly obvious: different kinds of businesses engage in different kinds of corporate activity and diverse results. The result of different input is different output. A nearly limitless number of characteristics are associated with three main variables: the nature and the effects of tens of thousands of individual foreign subsidiaries plus conditions in countries where they are located. MNCs are better described as the middlemen of change since they themselves are largely the effect of even larger phenomena, namely technological changes that restructure the international economic order. An opening exists for an even-handed, "no attitude" analysis that incorporates a methodology and viewpoint different from the thousands of books, articles, book chapters, and speeches written about MNCs and FDI. A large majority have failed to explicitly recognize how important perceptions, value judgments, ideology, and, sometimes, self-interest are in shaping discussions by both advocates and critics. People tend to view the FDI/MNC phenomena through differently configured lenses that have been individually molded by the unique mix of values and experiences that shapes our thinking. Evaluations of FDI and MNCs are prime examples of relatively oversimplified perceptions defining "truth". This book argues that a different route to understanding is needed and overdue: acknowledge the diversity and heterogeneity of phenomena that are lumped under very broad rubrics. MNCs are different by nature and therefore different in their respective mix of costs and benefits.

This new textbook provides comprehensive coverage of the key issues facing multinational corporations (MNCs) in their management of human resources across diverse national boundaries. It attempts to answer the question, "Can there be a uniform set of best human resource management (HRM) practices applicable across a spectrum of nations irrespective of cultural and institutional individualities?" The book takes a broad definition of HRM and begins with a summary of key discussions and models in this area before setting them in the international context of the MNC. Adopting an integrated approach, the book covers the theories and practices of international HRM and sets them in context with numerous reference to news stories and case studies developed from the author's own extensive research. The book is student-focussed with strong learning features including learning objectives, chapter summaries, reading lists and an activities section in each chapter.

The purpose of this book is to present leading research concerning the increasing strategic importance of environmental concerns within the multinational firm, and to explore the implications of corporate environmental strategy on public policy. The contributions present empirical research that deals with the simultaneous effects of the globalization of markets and the emergence of environmental concerns as issues of corporate strategy, either using a cross-national sample of firms within a global industry, or a sample of multinationals from a particular home country. By considering the dynamics of corporate environmental behavior explicitly within the context of global markets, the book makes a unique contribution to the discussion about the impact of multinational activity.
The chapters provide a rich understanding of the kinds of interactions that occur between multinationals and regulators, multinationals and non-governmental organizations, and multinationals and their customers. By explaining what motivates multinational firms to make environmental investments and to improve their environmental performance, these studies offer necessary input for the formulation of well-informed public policy.
As a consequence, this book provides essential material for advanced students and decision-makers interested in the changing role of multinational enterprises in the global economy. While being of broad interest to academics in the field of international business and strategy, this volume also provides interesting results to researchers concerned with the ability of national governments to regulate multinationals, how regulation affects multinationals, and how in turn multinationalconduct affects regulatory standards.

This book brings together research on the spread of Japanese multinational firms around the World. The authors examine how Japanese managers adapt management styles and manufacturing processes to workers in other countries.

Thomas L. Brewer and Stephen Young examine the future of the world economy and the key economic and political forces that will shape it. They consider the implications of historically important changes in the world economy in recent years including the expansion of the international investments of multinational corporations and the new role of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The authors present numerous examples of how countries have changed their international trade and investment policies, and examine how these changes are affecting firms' strategies and operations worldwide. They explain the importance to international investment, as well as trade and technology transfer, of the many agreements being implemented by the WTO. The role of other international agencies such as the UN, World Bank, OECD, EU, and NAFTA are also discussed. This book should be of value to all those with an interest in the future of the world economy and international business.

Challenging the long-held belief that economics is a discipline that can be adequately pursued in isolation from the other social sciences, this book develops a new theoretical approach to entrepreneurship in the firm. Casson argues that the productivity of economic units--whether families, firms, or nation states--is affected by the degree of cooperation between the members of these units, which cannot be fully understood unless one considers cultural dynamics. The book combines economic and cultural determinants of performance into a single analytical framework, applying theory to a wide range of topical issues that will be of major interest to policymakers and strategists. The book's international perspective highlights the way in which cultural differences influence innovation and competitiveness at both the corporate and national level.

This study deals with a topic of increasing concern--the relations between multinational corporations and their host countries in the Third World. Theodore H. Moran describes how a reaction against dependencia, a realization that the fate of the nation hinges on the decisions made by uncontrollable outside forces, can spur a host country to opt for control of an industry, exposing the country to new dangers as well as new opportunities. Originally published in 1975. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Depending on one's point of view, multinational enterprises are either the heroes or the villains of the globalized economy. Governments compete fiercely for foreign direct investment by such companies, but complain when firms go global and move their activities elsewhere. Multinationals are seen by some as threats to national identities and wealth and are accused of riding roughshod over national laws and of exploiting cheap labor. However, the debate on these companies and foreign direct investment is rarely grounded on sound economic arguments.

This book brings clarity to the debate. With the contribution of other leading experts, Giorgio Barba Navaretti and Anthony Venables assess the determinants of multinationals' actions, investigating why their activity has expanded so rapidly, and why some countries have seen more such activity than others. They analyze their effects on countries that are recipients of inward investments, and on those countries that see multinational firms moving jobs abroad. The arguments are made using modern advances in economic analysis, a case study, and by drawing on the extensive empirical literature that assesses the determinants and consequences of activity by multinationals. The treatment is rigorous, yet accessible to all readers with a background in economics, whether students or professionals. Drawing out policy implications, the authors conclude that multinational enterprises are generally a force for the promotion of prosperity in the world economy.

In The Supranatural Corporation, Laura Westra lays bare corporate actions both domestic and international - under the guise of legal 'personhood' - and shows how corporations flaunt laws and act as controlling powers beyond the constraints imposed on legal state citizens. Corporations are now embedded within domestic legal regimes and insinuate themselves to subvert the very systems designed to restrain corporate power and protect the public.

In this engaging collection of stories, 40 veterans of Berkshire Hathaway annual meetings reflect on why throngs attend and speak to what Warren Buffett seeks in shareholders. Beyond the highlights of Warren's wisdom displayed on stage in his day-long Q&A with vice chairman Charlie Munger, these experts reveal the Berkshire meeting as a community gathering of fun, fellowship, and learning. The contributors whisk readers through the meeting's surrounding events--book signings, panel discussions, and social gatherings--and share the pulse of this distinctive corporate culture. They take stock of how the convocation has evolved and what it might yet become. To learn about what makes Buffett's shareholders tick and what happens at the Berkshire meeting, or to reminisce about past meetings, make this delightful book your companion. Includes work by these best selling authors: - Robert Hagstrom - Robert Miles - Jason Zweig - Joel Greenblatt - Vitally Katsenlson - Jeff Matthews - Charlie Tian - Whitney Tilson - Prem Jain - Karen Linder

Multinational enterprises are becoming a dominant force in international business but surprisingly little has been written on the vital question of the legal issues surrounding their global operations.

Newly updated in paperback, Multinational Enterprises and the Law represents the only complete contemporary and interdisciplinary account of the various techniques used to regulate MNE's at national, regional and international levels. The coverage is comprehensive, authoritative and accessible using numerous case studies from both developed and developing stages to unite theory and current practice.

Split into three major sections the book deals with:

Part I - the conceptual background to MNE regulation.

Part II - a complete examination of the limits of national and regional jurisdiction in regulating MNEs, restrictions on entry and establishment, investment promotion, the impact of the WTO post-entry controls in the fields of tax, company law, antitrust and labour law.

Part III - the contribution of international law and organizations to the regulation of MNEs, including renegotiations and expropriation, ICSID, MIGA and bilateral investment treaties.

The author has skilfully identified the contributions that economics, politics and sociology can add to a full understanding of the legal environment in which the MNE operates.

There can be no doubt that the breadth and depth of the coverage in this book will make it the definitive reference for students, researchers and practitioners in international law, business law, development studies, international politics and international business.

The compelling story of one man, one company and one country. If you are interacting with Chinese businesses, doing business in China, hoping to understand more about this incredible country, or simply wanting to see what can be achieved through passion, commitment, and integrity, this is the book for you. Unlocking the Emperor's Door documents the life of a man who has been at the heart of Chinese innovation for decades, whose story shows how small things matter, how big risks pay off, and how business and government intertwine in China. Demonstrating the impact of vision and persistence, you will meet Li Jinyuan, the founder and Chairman of Tiens Group - known locally as Tianshi - and uncover his story of success. You will gain profound insights into the people of China, including its younger generation - and better understand the nation which is driving the World economy. Set against the stunning backdrop of modern China, this rags to riches tale of triumph over tragedy, restless adaptation, and individual courage in a complex system, reveals truths about business in China that are vitally relevant today and will be essential tomorrow.

In the face of globalization, multinational companies have become the norm, rather than the exception. HR professionals now need to manage across borders, cultures and time zones, meaning that a complete understanding of the theory and practice of International Human Resource Management (HRM) is essential. International Human Resource Management is a concise introduction for all students studying International HRM at the Masters level. It covers everything from the cultural and institutional contexts, international employment law and the role of International Framework Agreements to recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, reward and benefits, job design and other functional areas of International HRM. With numerous industry examples and global case studies from companies such as Telefonica, Unilever and Volkswagen, International Human Resource Management goes beyond the theory to fully explore how International HRM works in practice. It is an indispensable textbook to prepare students for successful careers in human resources. Online supporting resources include additional case studies, lecture slides for every chapter, self-test exercises for students, discussion questions and further reading.

This book provides a unique contribution to contemporary globalization debates by providing an accessible survey of the growth and role of multinational enterprises in the world economy over the last two hundred years. The author shows how entrepreneurs built a global economy in the nineteenth century by creating firms that pursued resources and markets across borders. It demonstrates how multinationals shifted strategies as the first global economy disintegrated in the political and economic chaos between the two world wars, and how they have driven the creation of the contemporary global economy.
Many of the issues of the global economy have been encountered in the past. This book shows how entrepreneurs and managers met the political, ethical, cultural and organizational challenges of operating across national borders at different times and in different environments. The role of multinationals is placed within their wider political and economic context. There are chapters on the impact of multinationals, and on relations with governments.
The focus on the shifting roles of firms and industries over time rather than abstract trade and capital flows provides compelling evidence on the diversity and discontinuities of the globalization process. The book explains the history of multinationals across a wide spectrum of manufacturing, service and natural resource industries from an international perspective, which ranges widely across different countries. It provides an essential historical framework for understanding global business.
An accessible survey of the history of international business worldwide, this book will be key reading for students taking courses inInternational Business, Business History, Multinationals, and Entrepreneurship; and of interest to academics and researchers working in these areas.

This new textbook provides comprehensive coverage of the key issues facing multinational corporations (MNCs) in their management of human resources across diverse national boundaries. It attempts to answer the question, "Can there be a uniform set of best human resource management (HRM)
practices applicable across a spectrum of nations irrespective of cultural and institutional individualities?" The book takes a broad definition of HRM and begins with a summary of key discussions and models in this area before setting them in the international context of the MNC. Adopting an
integrated approach, the book covers the theories and practices of international HRM and sets them in context with numerous reference to news stories and case studies developed from the author's own extensive research. The book is student-focussed with strong learning features including objectives,
chapter summaries, reading lists and an activities section in each chapter.

The historical-structural method employed here rejects analyses that are excessively voluntaristic or deterministic. The authors show that while the state was able to mitigate certain adverse consequences of TNC strategies, new forms of dependency continued to limit Mexico's options. Originally published in 1985. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.