Robert J. Flanagan
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195306002
- eISBN:
- 9780199783564
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195306007.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, International
This chapter studies the effects of multinational companies on labor conditions around the world. The evidence shows that (1) the economic presence of multinationals in foreign countries is often ...
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This chapter studies the effects of multinational companies on labor conditions around the world. The evidence shows that (1) the economic presence of multinationals in foreign countries is often overstated, (2) multinationals pay higher wages than host-country companies in both industrialized and developing countries, and (3) when multinationals acquire host country businesses, they institute changes in production methods and human resource management practices that raise productivity sufficiently to support higher wages. The evidence also rejects the race-to-the-bottom view that poor labor conditions attract multinational companies. Most flows of foreign direct investment occur between advanced countries with high labor standards and are influenced by market size and potential investment risk rather than labor conditions. The chapter also examines and evaluates the efficacy of corporate codes of conduct for improving labor conditions.Less
This chapter studies the effects of multinational companies on labor conditions around the world. The evidence shows that (1) the economic presence of multinationals in foreign countries is often overstated, (2) multinationals pay higher wages than host-country companies in both industrialized and developing countries, and (3) when multinationals acquire host country businesses, they institute changes in production methods and human resource management practices that raise productivity sufficiently to support higher wages. The evidence also rejects the race-to-the-bottom view that poor labor conditions attract multinational companies. Most flows of foreign direct investment occur between advanced countries with high labor standards and are influenced by market size and potential investment risk rather than labor conditions. The chapter also examines and evaluates the efficacy of corporate codes of conduct for improving labor conditions.
Richard Youngs
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199274468
- eISBN:
- 9780191602030
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199274460.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This book adds to debates on the international dimensions of democratisation by exploring the politics and actions of Western governments, multinational companies, and non-profit organisations ...
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This book adds to debates on the international dimensions of democratisation by exploring the politics and actions of Western governments, multinational companies, and non-profit organisations (NGOs). It finds that governments, businesses and NGOs all show increased concern for democratic trends, but their strategies are beset by uncertainty and ambivalence.Less
This book adds to debates on the international dimensions of democratisation by exploring the politics and actions of Western governments, multinational companies, and non-profit organisations (NGOs). It finds that governments, businesses and NGOs all show increased concern for democratic trends, but their strategies are beset by uncertainty and ambivalence.
Richard Whitley
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199205172
- eISBN:
- 9780191709555
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199205172.003.0010
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy
Multinational companies vary considerably in the extent to which they invest key resources in different kinds of market economy and encourage learning from these diverse environments. They therefore ...
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Multinational companies vary considerably in the extent to which they invest key resources in different kinds of market economy and encourage learning from these diverse environments. They therefore differ greatly in the level of organizational innovation and change they undergo as the result of internationalization, and in their development of novel and distinctive characteristics. These variations stem from both the governance and capabilities of the firms concerned, which in turn are connected to their dominant domestic business system characteristics and institutional pressures, and the nature of the business systems to which they commit significant resources. This chapter explores these connections in more detail and shows how companies from different kinds of economies are likely to internationalize their activities in different ways. How three very different ideal types of firms are likely to follow contrasting internationalization strategies is also considered.Less
Multinational companies vary considerably in the extent to which they invest key resources in different kinds of market economy and encourage learning from these diverse environments. They therefore differ greatly in the level of organizational innovation and change they undergo as the result of internationalization, and in their development of novel and distinctive characteristics. These variations stem from both the governance and capabilities of the firms concerned, which in turn are connected to their dominant domestic business system characteristics and institutional pressures, and the nature of the business systems to which they commit significant resources. This chapter explores these connections in more detail and shows how companies from different kinds of economies are likely to internationalize their activities in different ways. How three very different ideal types of firms are likely to follow contrasting internationalization strategies is also considered.
Jonathan Charkham and Anne Simpson
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198292142
- eISBN:
- 9780191684876
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198292142.003.0020
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Corporate Governance and Accountability, Business History
This chapter examines the multinational company, the shareholders, diversification through international investment, private shareholders, and future developments to globalization. There will ...
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This chapter examines the multinational company, the shareholders, diversification through international investment, private shareholders, and future developments to globalization. There will inevitably be further convergence on accounting practices; the more firms seek to raise capital internationally or seek quotation on overseas stock exchanges, the more likely this becomes. If tax is simplified too, so that expenses are reduced, another obstacle will be easier to surmount — as a more efficient flow of capital should ensue. All this may lead to foreign-held stakes growing in significance and if so the incentive for foreign institutions to monitor their investments will increase. The trends towards globalization will not lead to an erosion of differences in domestic markets, other than what is absolutely essential for transparency of information and protection of shareholder rights in order to attract international capital; but beyond this, nations will cherish their special emphasis on particular aspects of a corporate purpose.Less
This chapter examines the multinational company, the shareholders, diversification through international investment, private shareholders, and future developments to globalization. There will inevitably be further convergence on accounting practices; the more firms seek to raise capital internationally or seek quotation on overseas stock exchanges, the more likely this becomes. If tax is simplified too, so that expenses are reduced, another obstacle will be easier to surmount — as a more efficient flow of capital should ensue. All this may lead to foreign-held stakes growing in significance and if so the incentive for foreign institutions to monitor their investments will increase. The trends towards globalization will not lead to an erosion of differences in domestic markets, other than what is absolutely essential for transparency of information and protection of shareholder rights in order to attract international capital; but beyond this, nations will cherish their special emphasis on particular aspects of a corporate purpose.
George S. Yip and Audrey J. M. Bink
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199229833
- eISBN:
- 9780191696374
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199229833.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy, International Business
This chapter begins with a discussion of the globalization context for managing global customers. It then turns to the globalization of buying and selling and the key response by suppliers — and ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of the globalization context for managing global customers. It then turns to the globalization of buying and selling and the key response by suppliers — and global account management (GAM). An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of the globalization context for managing global customers. It then turns to the globalization of buying and selling and the key response by suppliers — and global account management (GAM). An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.
Carolyn Deere
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199550616
- eISBN:
- 9780191720284
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199550616.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Political Economy
In the 1990s, the fight between North and South over intellectual property (IP) reached new heights. The result was the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) deeply contested agreement on Trade‐Related ...
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In the 1990s, the fight between North and South over intellectual property (IP) reached new heights. The result was the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) deeply contested agreement on Trade‐Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Widely resented by developing countries, TRIPS nonetheless permits them some hard‐won flexibility. Puzzling, however, is why some developing countries have used that flexibility and others have not. Even more curious is that despite securing some extra concessions, many of the poorest countries have made least use of them. For scholars of international political economy and law, this book is the first detailed exploration of the links between global IP politics and the implementation of IP reforms. It exposes how power politics occur not just within global trade talks but afterwards when countries implement agreements. For developing countries, TRIPS did not end the IP offensive. At the urging of lobbyists from large multinational companies, powerful countries backtracked on the flexibilities in TRIPS and pursued even stronger global IP rules. To prevent precedents for weaker IP standards in poorer countries, they issued threats to market access, aid, investment, and political alliances. Further, they used new trade deals and, more subtly, ‘capacity‐building’ (assisted by the World Intellectual Property Organization, among others) to leverage faster compliance and higher standards than TRIPS requires. Meanwhile, ‘pro‐development’ advocates from civil society, other UN agencies, and developing countries worked to counter ‘compliance‐plus’ pressures and defend the use of TRIPS flexibilities, sometimes with success. Within developing countries, most governments had little experience of IP law. They often deferred TRIPS implementation to IP offices cut‐off from trade politics and national policymaking, making them more vulnerable to the TRIPS‐plus agenda. In francophone Africa, regional IP arrangements magnified this effect.Less
In the 1990s, the fight between North and South over intellectual property (IP) reached new heights. The result was the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) deeply contested agreement on Trade‐Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Widely resented by developing countries, TRIPS nonetheless permits them some hard‐won flexibility. Puzzling, however, is why some developing countries have used that flexibility and others have not. Even more curious is that despite securing some extra concessions, many of the poorest countries have made least use of them. For scholars of international political economy and law, this book is the first detailed exploration of the links between global IP politics and the implementation of IP reforms. It exposes how power politics occur not just within global trade talks but afterwards when countries implement agreements. For developing countries, TRIPS did not end the IP offensive. At the urging of lobbyists from large multinational companies, powerful countries backtracked on the flexibilities in TRIPS and pursued even stronger global IP rules. To prevent precedents for weaker IP standards in poorer countries, they issued threats to market access, aid, investment, and political alliances. Further, they used new trade deals and, more subtly, ‘capacity‐building’ (assisted by the World Intellectual Property Organization, among others) to leverage faster compliance and higher standards than TRIPS requires. Meanwhile, ‘pro‐development’ advocates from civil society, other UN agencies, and developing countries worked to counter ‘compliance‐plus’ pressures and defend the use of TRIPS flexibilities, sometimes with success. Within developing countries, most governments had little experience of IP law. They often deferred TRIPS implementation to IP offices cut‐off from trade politics and national policymaking, making them more vulnerable to the TRIPS‐plus agenda. In francophone Africa, regional IP arrangements magnified this effect.
Mari Sako
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198288152
- eISBN:
- 9780191684579
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198288152.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, South and East Asia
This chapter provides a helpful insight into Japanese multinational companies to understand their training, productivity, and quality control processes. This chapter is a report of research on eight ...
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This chapter provides a helpful insight into Japanese multinational companies to understand their training, productivity, and quality control processes. This chapter is a report of research on eight plants of Japanese multinational firms in Britain and six plants in Germany, making colour television sets, video cassette recorders, and semiconductor chips. The focus of the study is on the internal training of workers, shop-floor work organization, and the use of machinery. In each plant, there prevails the Japanese training philosophy that a reliance on on-the-job training, in-house training courses, and internal promotion is the only way to cultivate a worker's capacity for enhancing plant-wide performance. However, the actual practices at those plants were found to be constrained by, and fitted into, the respective national systems, particularly in terms of labour market institutions, regulations on apprenticeships and vocational qualifications, the accumulated competence of workers, and the quality of general education. The productivity and quality performances at those plants are compared with each other as well as with their headquarter-plants in Japan. This study also may be seen as illuminating the workings of the British and German vocational education and training institutions.Less
This chapter provides a helpful insight into Japanese multinational companies to understand their training, productivity, and quality control processes. This chapter is a report of research on eight plants of Japanese multinational firms in Britain and six plants in Germany, making colour television sets, video cassette recorders, and semiconductor chips. The focus of the study is on the internal training of workers, shop-floor work organization, and the use of machinery. In each plant, there prevails the Japanese training philosophy that a reliance on on-the-job training, in-house training courses, and internal promotion is the only way to cultivate a worker's capacity for enhancing plant-wide performance. However, the actual practices at those plants were found to be constrained by, and fitted into, the respective national systems, particularly in terms of labour market institutions, regulations on apprenticeships and vocational qualifications, the accumulated competence of workers, and the quality of general education. The productivity and quality performances at those plants are compared with each other as well as with their headquarter-plants in Japan. This study also may be seen as illuminating the workings of the British and German vocational education and training institutions.
Pol Antràs
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691168272
- eISBN:
- 9781400873746
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691168272.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
This is the first book to provide a fully comprehensive overview of the complicated issues facing multinational companies and their global sourcing strategies. Few international trade transactions ...
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This is the first book to provide a fully comprehensive overview of the complicated issues facing multinational companies and their global sourcing strategies. Few international trade transactions today are based on the exchange of finished goods; rather, the majority of transactions are dominated by sales of individual components and intermediary services. Many firms organize global production around offshoring parts, components, and services to producers in distant countries, and contracts are drawn up specific to the parties and distinct legal systems involved. This book examines the contractual frictions that arise in the international system of production and how these frictions influence the world economy. The book discusses the inevitable complications that develop in contract negotiation and execution. It provides a unified framework that sheds light on the factors helping global firms determine production locations and other organizational choices. The book also implements a series of systematic empirical tests, based on recent data from the U.S. Customs and Census Offices, which demonstrate the relevance of contractual factors in global production decisions. Using an integrated approach, the book is an excellent resource for researchers, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates interested in the inner workings of international economics and trade.Less
This is the first book to provide a fully comprehensive overview of the complicated issues facing multinational companies and their global sourcing strategies. Few international trade transactions today are based on the exchange of finished goods; rather, the majority of transactions are dominated by sales of individual components and intermediary services. Many firms organize global production around offshoring parts, components, and services to producers in distant countries, and contracts are drawn up specific to the parties and distinct legal systems involved. This book examines the contractual frictions that arise in the international system of production and how these frictions influence the world economy. The book discusses the inevitable complications that develop in contract negotiation and execution. It provides a unified framework that sheds light on the factors helping global firms determine production locations and other organizational choices. The book also implements a series of systematic empirical tests, based on recent data from the U.S. Customs and Census Offices, which demonstrate the relevance of contractual factors in global production decisions. Using an integrated approach, the book is an excellent resource for researchers, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates interested in the inner workings of international economics and trade.
Murphy Halliburton
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781501713460
- eISBN:
- 9781501713972
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501713460.003.0006
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Asian Cultural Anthropology
The boom town of Hyderabad is the center of India’s pharmaceutical industry, and this was where I met with representatives from two Indian pharmaceutical companies to discuss topics such as economies ...
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The boom town of Hyderabad is the center of India’s pharmaceutical industry, and this was where I met with representatives from two Indian pharmaceutical companies to discuss topics such as economies of scale in pharmaceutical production—the special capacity of the Indian pharma sector—licenses with foreign multinationals such as Gilead and prospects for new research and development. This chapter argues that those who anticipate a simple takeover by “multinational” companies of “Indian” companies, which are in fact also multinational, simplify what are complex and surprising emergences negotiated by quite powerful India-based corporate actors. The chapter also examines the first two patented drugs developed in India under the new patent regime, an anti-malarial medication and a cancer drug, and considers whether new research by Indian companies will focus on medical problems affecting low income countries or on products for high income markets.Less
The boom town of Hyderabad is the center of India’s pharmaceutical industry, and this was where I met with representatives from two Indian pharmaceutical companies to discuss topics such as economies of scale in pharmaceutical production—the special capacity of the Indian pharma sector—licenses with foreign multinationals such as Gilead and prospects for new research and development. This chapter argues that those who anticipate a simple takeover by “multinational” companies of “Indian” companies, which are in fact also multinational, simplify what are complex and surprising emergences negotiated by quite powerful India-based corporate actors. The chapter also examines the first two patented drugs developed in India under the new patent regime, an anti-malarial medication and a cancer drug, and considers whether new research by Indian companies will focus on medical problems affecting low income countries or on products for high income markets.
George S. Yip and Audrey J.M. Bink
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199229833
- eISBN:
- 9780191696374
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199229833.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy, International Business
Multinational companies need to manage their relationships with multinational customers with a globally integrated approach. This book provides a systematic framework for developing and implementing ...
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Multinational companies need to manage their relationships with multinational customers with a globally integrated approach. This book provides a systematic framework for developing and implementing such global customer management programmes. It draws on in-depth research at over twenty major US and European multinational companies, such as ABB, Bechtel, BP, Bosch, British Airways, Carrefour, Daimler–Chrysler, Hewlett–Packard, HSBC, IBM, Schlumberger, Shell, Siemens, Tesco, Unilever, Vodafone, Wal–Mart, and Xerox. The book teachers how to think about managing global customers in the context of their overall global strategy, develop effective global customer management programmes, overcome barriers to implementation and success, build better relationships with important customers, and get the entire company to engage with managing global customers. This book takes a strategic, total business, and not just sales, approach to managing global customers. It also takes a customer as well as a supplier perspective. The book provides guidance on both strategy and implementation. It takes a systematic and logic driven approach, yet provides many creative insights and practical advice. The book highlights the rewards of taking a step beyond global account management to create a Global Customer Management approach, integrating globally all aspects of the relationship between supplier and customer. The book gives a framework that guides international companies in using their relationships with global customers to their full potential.Less
Multinational companies need to manage their relationships with multinational customers with a globally integrated approach. This book provides a systematic framework for developing and implementing such global customer management programmes. It draws on in-depth research at over twenty major US and European multinational companies, such as ABB, Bechtel, BP, Bosch, British Airways, Carrefour, Daimler–Chrysler, Hewlett–Packard, HSBC, IBM, Schlumberger, Shell, Siemens, Tesco, Unilever, Vodafone, Wal–Mart, and Xerox. The book teachers how to think about managing global customers in the context of their overall global strategy, develop effective global customer management programmes, overcome barriers to implementation and success, build better relationships with important customers, and get the entire company to engage with managing global customers. This book takes a strategic, total business, and not just sales, approach to managing global customers. It also takes a customer as well as a supplier perspective. The book provides guidance on both strategy and implementation. It takes a systematic and logic driven approach, yet provides many creative insights and practical advice. The book highlights the rewards of taking a step beyond global account management to create a Global Customer Management approach, integrating globally all aspects of the relationship between supplier and customer. The book gives a framework that guides international companies in using their relationships with global customers to their full potential.
Daniel N. Shaviro
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199359752
- eISBN:
- 9780199359776
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199359752.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Private International Law
International tax rules, which determine how countries tax cross-border investment, are increasingly important with the rise of globalization, but the modern U.S. rules, even more than those in most ...
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International tax rules, which determine how countries tax cross-border investment, are increasingly important with the rise of globalization, but the modern U.S. rules, even more than those in most other countries, are widely recognized as dysfunctional. The existing debate over how to reform the U.S. tax rules is stuck in a sterile dialectic, in which ostensibly the only permissible choices are worldwide or residence-based taxation of U.S. companies with the allowance of foreign tax credits, versus outright exemption of the companies' foreign source income. This book explains why neither of these solutions addresses the fundamental problem at hand, and it proposes a new reformulation of the existing framework from first principles. It shows that existing international tax policy frameworks are misguided insofar as they treat “double taxation” and “double non-taxation” as the key issues, conflate the distinct questions of what tax rate to impose on foreign source income and how to treat foreign taxes, and use simplistic single-bullet global welfare norms in lieu of a comprehensive analysis.Less
International tax rules, which determine how countries tax cross-border investment, are increasingly important with the rise of globalization, but the modern U.S. rules, even more than those in most other countries, are widely recognized as dysfunctional. The existing debate over how to reform the U.S. tax rules is stuck in a sterile dialectic, in which ostensibly the only permissible choices are worldwide or residence-based taxation of U.S. companies with the allowance of foreign tax credits, versus outright exemption of the companies' foreign source income. This book explains why neither of these solutions addresses the fundamental problem at hand, and it proposes a new reformulation of the existing framework from first principles. It shows that existing international tax policy frameworks are misguided insofar as they treat “double taxation” and “double non-taxation” as the key issues, conflate the distinct questions of what tax rate to impose on foreign source income and how to treat foreign taxes, and use simplistic single-bullet global welfare norms in lieu of a comprehensive analysis.
Drusilla K. Brown, Alan V. Deardorff, and Robert M. Stern
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226036151
- eISBN:
- 9780226036557
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226036557.003.0009
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, International
This chapter assesses the empirical evidence on the effects of multinational production on wages and working conditions in developing countries. It is motivated by the controversies that have ...
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This chapter assesses the empirical evidence on the effects of multinational production on wages and working conditions in developing countries. It is motivated by the controversies that have emerged, especially in the past decade or so, concerning whether or not multinational firms in developing countries are exploiting their workers with “sweatshop” conditions—that is, paying low wages and subjecting them to coercive, abusive, unhealthy, and unsafe conditions in the workplace. The chapter is organized as follows. Section 8.2 addresses these controversies in the context of the efforts and programs of social activist groups and universities and colleges involved in the anti-sweatshop campaign in the United States, and the related issues of the social accountability of multinational firms and the role of such international institutions as the International Labor Organization and World Trade Organization in dealing with labor standards and trade. Section 8.3 presents a conceptual treatment of the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on wages in host countries and the effects of outsourcing and subcontracting by multinational firms. Section 8.4 reviews empirical evidence on multinational-firm wages in developing countries together with evidence on the relationship between FDI and labor rights, and Section 8.5 concludes. A commentary is also included at the end of the chapter.Less
This chapter assesses the empirical evidence on the effects of multinational production on wages and working conditions in developing countries. It is motivated by the controversies that have emerged, especially in the past decade or so, concerning whether or not multinational firms in developing countries are exploiting their workers with “sweatshop” conditions—that is, paying low wages and subjecting them to coercive, abusive, unhealthy, and unsafe conditions in the workplace. The chapter is organized as follows. Section 8.2 addresses these controversies in the context of the efforts and programs of social activist groups and universities and colleges involved in the anti-sweatshop campaign in the United States, and the related issues of the social accountability of multinational firms and the role of such international institutions as the International Labor Organization and World Trade Organization in dealing with labor standards and trade. Section 8.3 presents a conceptual treatment of the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on wages in host countries and the effects of outsourcing and subcontracting by multinational firms. Section 8.4 reviews empirical evidence on multinational-firm wages in developing countries together with evidence on the relationship between FDI and labor rights, and Section 8.5 concludes. A commentary is also included at the end of the chapter.
Nick Bloom, Tobias Kretschmer, and John Van Reenen
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226261942
- eISBN:
- 9780226261959
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226261959.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, International
A debate is raging all over the developed world about quality of work issues. As unemployment has fallen in the United States and United Kingdom, attention has focused more on the quality rather than ...
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A debate is raging all over the developed world about quality of work issues. As unemployment has fallen in the United States and United Kingdom, attention has focused more on the quality rather than quantity of jobs. This has sharpened as women's participation has risen and issues of work–life balance and family-friendly policies have risen up the political agenda. This chapter sheds some empirical light on these debates. It characterizes two opposing views of globalization: the pessimistic and the optimistic view. A hybrid view between these two extremes is found. Finally, looking at U.S. multinationals based in Europe, an intriguing result is found that states that these firms appear to bring over their superior U.S. management practices with them to Europe but then adopt more worker-friendly European work–life balance practices.Less
A debate is raging all over the developed world about quality of work issues. As unemployment has fallen in the United States and United Kingdom, attention has focused more on the quality rather than quantity of jobs. This has sharpened as women's participation has risen and issues of work–life balance and family-friendly policies have risen up the political agenda. This chapter sheds some empirical light on these debates. It characterizes two opposing views of globalization: the pessimistic and the optimistic view. A hybrid view between these two extremes is found. Finally, looking at U.S. multinationals based in Europe, an intriguing result is found that states that these firms appear to bring over their superior U.S. management practices with them to Europe but then adopt more worker-friendly European work–life balance practices.
Andrew Coulson
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199679966
- eISBN:
- 9780191765964
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679966.003.0019
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Before the Second World War, little manufacturing took place in Tanganyika other than the first-stage processing of crops such as sisal, tea, cotton or coffee, which was essential if they were to be ...
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Before the Second World War, little manufacturing took place in Tanganyika other than the first-stage processing of crops such as sisal, tea, cotton or coffee, which was essential if they were to be exported. Import substitution started in the post-war years. The early factories were mainly Asian owned. And then, in the three years either side of Independence, came the opening of nine textile factories, a new brewery, and factories producing corrugated iron sheets, aluminium cooking utensils, shoes, cigarettes, plastic and rubber products, and household chemicals. By 1965, a cement factory, a glass-bottle factory and an oil refinery were under construction. Many of these were investments by multinational companies such as Lonrho and many were sister-factories for companies already located in Kenya. Most depended on imported inputs and had few linkages with other local firms. The country was a long way from being an integrated manufacturing sector.Less
Before the Second World War, little manufacturing took place in Tanganyika other than the first-stage processing of crops such as sisal, tea, cotton or coffee, which was essential if they were to be exported. Import substitution started in the post-war years. The early factories were mainly Asian owned. And then, in the three years either side of Independence, came the opening of nine textile factories, a new brewery, and factories producing corrugated iron sheets, aluminium cooking utensils, shoes, cigarettes, plastic and rubber products, and household chemicals. By 1965, a cement factory, a glass-bottle factory and an oil refinery were under construction. Many of these were investments by multinational companies such as Lonrho and many were sister-factories for companies already located in Kenya. Most depended on imported inputs and had few linkages with other local firms. The country was a long way from being an integrated manufacturing sector.
Dan Breznitz
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300120189
- eISBN:
- 9780300153408
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300120189.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, International
This chapter describes the role of the public research institutions in the development of the information technology (IT) industry in Taiwan. Taiwan is the only society in the region that has, in ...
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This chapter describes the role of the public research institutions in the development of the information technology (IT) industry in Taiwan. Taiwan is the only society in the region that has, in many critical aspects, closed the gap in innovational activities with the leading Western industrial nations and with Japan. Taiwan has also developed a vibrant industrial system of indigenous new small- and medium-sized enterprises, a system that is not dominated by a few huge conglomerates or subsidiaries of foreign multinational companies (MNCs). Taiwanese companies have become a prominent force in the IT industry's global production network. Taiwan has also followed a distinct policy with regard to MNCs and the shaping of the relationships between its local IT industry and global markets.Less
This chapter describes the role of the public research institutions in the development of the information technology (IT) industry in Taiwan. Taiwan is the only society in the region that has, in many critical aspects, closed the gap in innovational activities with the leading Western industrial nations and with Japan. Taiwan has also developed a vibrant industrial system of indigenous new small- and medium-sized enterprises, a system that is not dominated by a few huge conglomerates or subsidiaries of foreign multinational companies (MNCs). Taiwanese companies have become a prominent force in the IT industry's global production network. Taiwan has also followed a distinct policy with regard to MNCs and the shaping of the relationships between its local IT industry and global markets.
David M. Wight
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- January 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781501715723
- eISBN:
- 9781501715747
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501715723.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Middle Eastern Politics
This chapter discusses the US international empire in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since the 1920s. Constructed by both US multinational oil companies (MNOCs) and the US government, US ...
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This chapter discusses the US international empire in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since the 1920s. Constructed by both US multinational oil companies (MNOCs) and the US government, US empire in the MENA sought to ensure the cheap, plentiful flow of oil from the region to Western consumers. However, US and European empires in the MENA generated popular local resistance to client regimes and their Western backers. This resistance to the US-led order developed in part due to poor labor and human rights conditions, cultural and religious alienation toward encroaching foreign social systems (including capitalism), and nationalist aspirations. This situation increasingly led oil-rich US allies in the MENA to collaborate with each other and additional oil-rich countries to challenge the US-dictated terms of the global petroleum economy. Growing US support for Israel would likewise increasingly push US-allied, oil-rich Arab governments to join Arab countries more hostile to Washington in challenging the United States.Less
This chapter discusses the US international empire in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since the 1920s. Constructed by both US multinational oil companies (MNOCs) and the US government, US empire in the MENA sought to ensure the cheap, plentiful flow of oil from the region to Western consumers. However, US and European empires in the MENA generated popular local resistance to client regimes and their Western backers. This resistance to the US-led order developed in part due to poor labor and human rights conditions, cultural and religious alienation toward encroaching foreign social systems (including capitalism), and nationalist aspirations. This situation increasingly led oil-rich US allies in the MENA to collaborate with each other and additional oil-rich countries to challenge the US-dictated terms of the global petroleum economy. Growing US support for Israel would likewise increasingly push US-allied, oil-rich Arab governments to join Arab countries more hostile to Washington in challenging the United States.
Alice O. Nakamura, Kathryn L. Shaw, Richard B. Freeman, Emi Nakamura, and Amanda Pyman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226032887
- eISBN:
- 9780226032900
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226032900.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Econometrics
Both job-seeker and employer search and selection activities are referred to as recruiting. Employer surveys provide insight into the substantial usage that companies now make of e-recruiting. ...
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Both job-seeker and employer search and selection activities are referred to as recruiting. Employer surveys provide insight into the substantial usage that companies now make of e-recruiting. E-recruiting services can help employers find and consider more, and more widely located job candidates in the early phases of the recruiting process. E-recruiting services can help employers find and consider more and more widely located job candidates in the early phases of the recruiting process. A downward pressure was anticipated on wage rates for types of jobs that outside workers can compete for and for which the numbers of qualified workers are globally plentiful. It is believed that e-recruiting is likely to be especially helpful for the U.S. multinational companies that need to hire in multiple nations.Less
Both job-seeker and employer search and selection activities are referred to as recruiting. Employer surveys provide insight into the substantial usage that companies now make of e-recruiting. E-recruiting services can help employers find and consider more, and more widely located job candidates in the early phases of the recruiting process. E-recruiting services can help employers find and consider more and more widely located job candidates in the early phases of the recruiting process. A downward pressure was anticipated on wage rates for types of jobs that outside workers can compete for and for which the numbers of qualified workers are globally plentiful. It is believed that e-recruiting is likely to be especially helpful for the U.S. multinational companies that need to hire in multiple nations.
Michael J. Graetz
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300122749
- eISBN:
- 9780300150193
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300122749.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic Systems
This chapter discusses the need to reduce the corporate income tax rate in the United States. It argues that the tax which the federal government imposes on large businesses, or the corporate income ...
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This chapter discusses the need to reduce the corporate income tax rate in the United States. It argues that the tax which the federal government imposes on large businesses, or the corporate income tax, as it is known, is an odd phenomenon, even by the mysterious lights of the tax law. Corporate taxes are popular with the public, and people think that taxes remitted by corporations, especially large multinational companies, are paid by someone other than themselves. The plan presented in the chapter calls for a reduction of the corporate income tax rate to a maximum of 20 percent and perhaps a reduction to 15 percent, which would match the current capital gains and dividend rates. The chapter argues that this would dramatically improve the competitive position of the American economy and reduce tax-sheltering behavior.Less
This chapter discusses the need to reduce the corporate income tax rate in the United States. It argues that the tax which the federal government imposes on large businesses, or the corporate income tax, as it is known, is an odd phenomenon, even by the mysterious lights of the tax law. Corporate taxes are popular with the public, and people think that taxes remitted by corporations, especially large multinational companies, are paid by someone other than themselves. The plan presented in the chapter calls for a reduction of the corporate income tax rate to a maximum of 20 percent and perhaps a reduction to 15 percent, which would match the current capital gains and dividend rates. The chapter argues that this would dramatically improve the competitive position of the American economy and reduce tax-sheltering behavior.
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804771535
- eISBN:
- 9780804775144
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804771535.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the impact of foreign direct investment on environmental regulation in China. It provides evidence that China's integration with the ...
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This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the impact of foreign direct investment on environmental regulation in China. It provides evidence that China's integration with the international market has not unleashed a race to the bottom or led to a systemic regulatory chill which has turned China into a pollution haven, and explains that multinational companies from the developed world do not adopt a strategy of low compliance in their operations in China. The chapter also discusses the relationship between global investment and environmental protection, and offers recommendations on how the Chinese government can look for opportunities to expand the environmental elements in preferential policies designed to attract investment.Less
This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the impact of foreign direct investment on environmental regulation in China. It provides evidence that China's integration with the international market has not unleashed a race to the bottom or led to a systemic regulatory chill which has turned China into a pollution haven, and explains that multinational companies from the developed world do not adopt a strategy of low compliance in their operations in China. The chapter also discusses the relationship between global investment and environmental protection, and offers recommendations on how the Chinese government can look for opportunities to expand the environmental elements in preferential policies designed to attract investment.
Angela Huyue Zhang
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- July 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198826569
- eISBN:
- 9780191865497
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198826569.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Competition Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
This book explores the clash between antitrust, a body of law originally designed to address market failures in western democracies, and China, an economic superpower under authoritarian control. It ...
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This book explores the clash between antitrust, a body of law originally designed to address market failures in western democracies, and China, an economic superpower under authoritarian control. It analyses two simultaneous sources of conflict. The first is the significant challenges Chinese antitrust regulation poses to foreign multinational companies doing business in China. The second is the tremendous difficulties Chinese firms face in complying with antitrust rules in foreign countries. Ultimately, the book offers a cautionary tale of the challenges globalization poses to law and economic order by showing that the conflicts observed today are deeply rooted in institutional factors, both political and economic.Less
This book explores the clash between antitrust, a body of law originally designed to address market failures in western democracies, and China, an economic superpower under authoritarian control. It analyses two simultaneous sources of conflict. The first is the significant challenges Chinese antitrust regulation poses to foreign multinational companies doing business in China. The second is the tremendous difficulties Chinese firms face in complying with antitrust rules in foreign countries. Ultimately, the book offers a cautionary tale of the challenges globalization poses to law and economic order by showing that the conflicts observed today are deeply rooted in institutional factors, both political and economic.
