The Social Effects of FDI on Multinational Companies and Domestic Firms compares and contrasts wages, working conditions and industrial relations processes in multinational and domestic companies. This book is an effort to map the social effects of FDI in a number of EU member states, in relation to the prevailing patterns of internationalization.

Multinational Enterprises and Host Country Development is a unique collection of papers looking at different aspects of the link between multinational enterprises and their effects on the host countries' economies. The volume studies effects of multinationals on R&D, innovation, productivity, wages, as well as growth and survival of firms in the host countries, and distinguishes direct and indirect effects through spillovers. All the analyses are conducted using firm level data for countries as diverse as China, Ireland, Sweden, Ghana, the UK or a group of countries in Central and Eastern Europe. This volume is a valuable reading for graduate students and researchers wishing to investigate the impact of multinationals.

In order for foreign direct investment to have deep and lasting positive effects on host countries, it is essential that multinational corporations have close direct and indirect interaction with local firms. A valuable addition to the emerging literature on multinational-local firm interfaces, this book provides a number of case studies from emerging economies that examine such mutually beneficial business relationships and the policy measures necessary to support them.

This comprehensive study examines the global strategies of multinational corporations (MNCs), the strategic evolution and the categories of their subsidiaries in China based on 150 MNCs. It is the first large-scale project of this nature to be conducted. The research has significant bearing on strategic planning for firms that have set up, are setting up or are planning to establish subsidiaries in China, and the firms that try to compete in the global marketplace. The findings are significant for the West, owing to the current economic crisis and the need to determine if subsidiary expansion strategies will help Western firms achieve the portfolio effects in operations and avoid the harmful impact of macro events such as the existing global financial crisis. Additional empirical findings, analysis, discussions, and suggestions for future studies are also presented. - Systemically reviews and summarizes the latest theories about MNCs' subsidiaries, analyzing the four main streams of research schools - Uses first-hand data from MNCs' subsidiaries of more than 20 industries from more than 10 countries including: USA, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union by way of two rounds of studies in 2001 and 2006 - Analyzes strategic evolvement models and evolution trends of subsidiaries of MNCs in China

'The world economy is subject to a rapidly increasing globalization, and multinational enterprises are their major driving force. This brand new book on multinationals and economic geography by two world leading economic geographers is a landmark that provides an integrated and dynamic perspective on the economic geography of the multinational enterprise. To fully understand this process of globalization, the book explains forcefully and persuasively that one needs a dynamic perspective on multinational enterprises that brings together disparate literatures on economic geography, knowledge and innovation, global network cities, and international business and management. Embedding it in modern theory of innovation and geography, the book provides not only a state-of-the-art of theories and empirics on the location of multinationals, but goes far beyond that. This book is an absolute "must-read" for any scholar and any student that is interested in multinationals and their location.' – Ron Boschma, Utrecht University, The Netherlands and Lund University, Sweden 'Despite often playing second fiddle to clusters in the economic geography literature, multinationals are fundamental drivers of economic development. As generators and diffusers of knowledge they have played an essential role in shaping the new world economic order. No book captures this better than Simona Iammarino and Philip McCann's Multinationals and Economic Geography, a must read for anyone eager to fully understand the new economic geography of globalisation.' – Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, London School of Economics, UK After more than fifty years of systematic research on multinational enterprises (MNEs) what is apparent is that there is, as yet, no unified or dominant theory of the MNE. The objective of this book is to bring into focus one particular dimension of MNE behaviour and activity that has been relatively under-researched – namely the geography of the multinational enterprise – as understood through the lens of innovation and technological change. The authors clearly demonstrate that geography is becoming increasingly important for MNEs and, in turn, MNEs are becoming progressively more important for economic geography. The pivot on which this vital relationship turns is the creation, diffusion and management of new knowledge. This unique book will prove a fascinating read for academics, students and researchers across a broad range of areas including geography, economic geography, regional science, international business and management, innovation studies, economic development. Professionals such as corporate managers and policymakers in these fields would also find this book to be of great interest.

Aimed at people interested in management and Human Resources in China, this book is a collection of original and researched case studies on a variety of HR issues occurring in Chinese organisations, both privately-owned and part of multi-national enterprises, and how these issues are resolved by management. The impacts of the solutions in the organisations are also discussed. Preceded by a brief review of the Chinese and Western literature on this problem, the case is then presented and concluded by an analysis of the situations and solutions implemented. - Based on original research, conducted in-the-field - Provides actual case-studies based on actual organisations - Integrates a theoretical perspective and analysis of the cases to assist in a broad understanding of the issues discussed

Despite the overwhelming importance of the Chinese economy to the success of Western economies, there has yet to be an examination of why Western companies have had difficulties in doing business with the Chinese. A significant barrier that companies have difficulty to overcome is the effective communication with their Chinese counter parts. This major impediment is caused by no understanding of the cultural differences between the Chinese and Western business cultures. This book offers the solution to this problem: the bi-cultural personnel. The first book presented by a true bi-cultural consultant and researcher who has depth knowledge in the understanding of both the Australian and Chinese markets, culture and more importantly the behavioural pattern of people from both sides of the businesses Provides a totally new perspective for business managers and entrepreneurs to find out how to avoid the same fate as has befallen so many failed enterprises The new perspective is to highlight the acceptance of cultural differences as the focus for devising and implementing successful strategy

How multinationals contribute, or don't, to global prosperity Globalization and multinational corporations have long seemed partners in the enterprise of economic growth: globalization-led prosperity was the goal, and giant corporations spanning the globe would help achieve it. In recent years, however, the notion that all economies, both developed and developing, can prosper from globalization has been called into question by political figures and has fueled a populist backlash around the world against globalization and the corporations that made it possible. In an effort to elevate the sometimes contentious public debate over the conduct and operation of multinational corporations, this edited volume examines key questions about their role, both in their home countries and in the rest of the world where they do business. Is their multinational nature an essential driver of their profits? Do U.S. and European multinationals contribute to home country employment? Do multinational firms exploit foreign workers? How do multinationals influence foreign policy? How will the rise of the digital economy and digital trade in services affect multinationals? In addressing these and similar questions, the book also examines the role that multinational corporations play in the outcomes that policymakers care about most: economic growth, jobs, inequality, and tax fairness.

Economic and social progress requires a diverse ecosystem of firms that play complementary roles. Making It Big: Why Developing Countries Need More Large Firms constitutes one of the most up-to-date assessments of how large firms are created in low- and middle-income countries and their role in development. It argues that large firms advance a range of development objectives in ways that other firms do not: large firms are more likely to innovate, export, and offer training and are more likely to adopt international standards of quality, among other contributions. Their particularities are closely associated with productivity advantages and translate into improved outcomes not only for their owners but also for their workers and for smaller enterprises in their value chains. The challenge for economic development, however, is that production does not reach economic scale in low- and middle-income countries. Why are large firms scarcer in developing countries? Drawing on a rare set of data from public and private sources, as well as proprietary data from the International Finance Corporation and case studies, this book shows that large firms are often born large—or with the attributes of largeness. In other words, what is distinct about them is often in place from day one of their operations. To fill the “missing top†? of the firm-size distribution with additional large firms, governments should support the creation of such firms by opening markets to greater competition. In low-income countries, this objective can be achieved through simple policy reorientation, such as breaking oligopolies, removing unnecessary restrictions to international trade and investment, and establishing strong rules to prevent the abuse of market power. Governments should also strive to ensure that private actors have the skills, technology, intelligence, infrastructure, and finance they need to create large ventures. Additionally, they should actively work to spread the benefits from production at scale across the largest possible number of market participants. This book seeks to bring frontier thinking and evidence on the role and origins of large firms to a wide range of readers, including academics, development practitioners and policy makers.