Governments And Multinationals

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.

Government intervention can reduce the profits of multinational enterprises. These interventions also increase uncertainty and risk and distort trading and intra-firm sourcing patterns. The focus of this book is a corporate survival plan that describes how a multinational can monitor its exposure to intervention and then seek to reduce it. It reports on the successes and failures of firms as they implement various global management systems and recommends a general strategy. Such a strategy will allow multinationals to continue foreign investment with the longer term horizons that will benefit both the firms and their host countries.

Designed to assist multinational companies in developing effective, comprehensive plans for overseas operations, this book details the crucial operating and strategic issues that must be anticipated by companies planning to set up operations in foreign countries, as well as those who already have.

Multinational Corporations in Political Environments advances and tests a theory of why foreign corporations leave host states. Theories of international business have often ignored the complexity of corporate decisions about leaving foreign countries, generally assuming that the economic and competitive reasons that prompt multinational corporations to enter host states also explain their subsequent reasons for leaving. Alternatively, this book proposes a theory of how different stakeholders' values and ethics shape multinationals' strategic leaving behaviors. Tested in South Africa when US multinationals were facing diverse pressures from stockholders, governments and consumers to leave, the research provides a prism to isolate how different stakeholders' actions influenced multinationals' behaviors. Detailed analyses of subsidiary-level archival data over a period of four crucial years revealed that the multinationals engaged in diverse forms of leaving reflecting their involvements, strategies and stakeholders' influences. The research, the first to test which stakeholders' strategies, including boycotts and sanctions, influenced multinationals and which did not, and to identify their effects on multinationals' behaviors, has enormous implications for policy makers, managers and social activists. The book also applies the findings and explores implications for recent stakeholders' attempts at influencing multinationals and governments, such as Nike in Asia and the Burmese government, through sanctions, resolutions and boycotts.

This book brings attention to the growing complexity of managing multinational firms in light of the rise to significant power of non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and the anti-WTO coalition. It also considers the renewed public doubts about MNE legitimacy as the free-market model comes under greater criticism, especially in emerging markets. The book adds very useful value in illuminating situations in which companies are facing increased impact of pressure groups as well as governments in their international business. The menu of papers really gives the reader some food for thought, and specifically for thinking about how more acceptable governance of MNEs can be pursued in the 21st century. Robert Grosse, The Garvin School of International Management, US In recent years a number of excellent books have been published on the failure of corporate governance. However, nothing compares with Sushil Vachani s Transformations in Global Governance, a gripping account of global corporate governance provided by recognized IB scholars. Subhash C. Jain, University of Connecticut, US An excellent book for scholars, business leaders, and policymakers that makes good on its title Transformations in Global Governance. Sushil Vachani and the book s contributors identify how the governance structures of organizations are being transformed not just shifted or adjusted. NGOs, the WTO, multilateral institutions, multinationals, host governments and many other stakeholders have new roles and rules that are redefining how one governs a successful and socially responsible global enterprise. A must read for those intending to lead their organization's change efforts in our global economy. Stephen A. Stumpf, Villanova University, US and co-editor of Handbook on Responsible Leadership and Governance in Global Business The world of multinational enterprises is changing dramatically. Their complex and dynamic international context presents them with special challenges threatening their survival on one hand, and presenting them with unprecedented opportunities on the other. In this volume, international experts analyze different aspects of the transformations in global governance: ideological variations, trade governance, competition policy and the rise of civil society. They discuss the implications for multinational government relations, multinationals self-governance, relations with NGOs and issues of competitiveness. The book focuses on two forces integral to the process of globalization. The first is the evolution of inter-governmental organizations, such as the World Trade Organization, and various agreements pertaining to trade, environment, labor, competition and investment. The other equally important factor is the rise of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which have a significant impact on the strategies of multinational enterprises, governments and inter-governmental organizations. The contributors explore these forces in chapters detailing shifts in governance and their implications for multinationals, governments and society in general. This cohesive examination of an under-analyzed area will appeal to students and scholars of international business, and other researchers in management schools, think tanks, management consulting companies, government agencies, inter-governmental organizations, and NGOs.

This book provides a deep understanding of state-owned multinationals (SOMNCs) and their role in global business. SOMNCs have emerged as a force to contend with in global competition, and their study connects several fields such as economics, political economy, international business and global strategy. This prestigious collection of articles presents insights into the interaction between government ownership and internationalization, and aims to provoke new research approaches and insights on the topic. The book includes some of the key contributions to our understanding of these firms and new commentaries explaining how to analyze them. This book is essential reading for academics and consultants looking to gain a clearer understanding of SOMNCs and how to research them.