The Multinational Enterprise

This book summarises Mark Casson’s recent research on the multinational enterprise. This work is firmly rooted in history and examines the evolution of the internalisation theory of the multinational enterprise over the past forty years and, in the light of this, considers its potential for further development. The book also explores internationalisation theory in respect to marketing and brands, the supply chain, risk management as well as methodology.

A key distinctive feature of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) as organizations resides in the fact that they span across borders. This exposes them to dissimilar and often unfamiliar social and economic conditions as they venture in foreign countries. MNEs from industrialized economies that are active in developing countries and emerging markets face particularly challenging hurdles due to both economic and institutional discrepancies between their home and host countries. This book focuses on the uneasy interaction between the traditional logics of developing countries and the economic logic of MNEs. The traditional logics of most developing countries are built around community-based legitimacy and an intuitive but concrete epistemology. Conversely, the economic logic of MNEs from developed economies is built around technical and economic legitimacy and an abstract intellectual epistemology. Unpacking the uneasy interactions between these two logics will help achieve MNEs’ objectives of competitiveness in developing countries as well as globally. The Montreal Local Global Research Group is a well recognized research group in formulating and researching local and global issues in strategic management from the perspective of integrating divergent dominant logics into the strategy conceptualization process, and this will be the first book to be dedicated to the study of the interaction between the traditional logic of developing country and the economic logic of Multinational Enterprise (MNE). The cultural diversity of the contributing authors and the multidisciplinary approach offers a fresh perspective from which to explore beneficial corporate and local strategies that promote long-term economic growth consistent with local traditional and cultural norms. This collection will be primarily of interest to scholars of international business, international development, and economics. Furthermore, this book is immediately relevant to decision makers in Multinational corporations, NGOs and political decision makers that mediate the interaction between local actors and corporate agents in developing and transitional economies.

This book presents a new approach to the analysis of the multinational enterprise, with a new introduction the analysis is brought firmly up-to-date.

This book brings together the work of noted authorities in the field of multinational enterprises who explain and debate the merits of internalization theory as the new general theory of the multinational enterprise. Alternatives to internalization, such as licensing, joint ventures and other contractual arrangements are also evaluated. There are many applications to actual businesses, such as in the hotel, fish, food and banking industries. Also considered are regional office location and applications of the theory to Canada, Japan, the former Yugoslavia, the UK and USA.

The book focuses on the major environmental implications stemming from the growth of the multinational enterprise in a multiple currency world; the international transfer of technology; industrial relations and labour utilization in foreign-owned firms in the UK; multinational companies and trade union interests; foreign direct investment, the balance of payments and trade flows; the multinational enterprise and developing countries; government policy alternatives and the problem of international sharing and a case study of a multinational enterprise in Europe. A survey of the background to the multinational enterprise and concluding summaries ensure that this book is one of the most widely embracing volumes available on the subject.

In contemporary economies, businesses must consistently make strides to remain competitive and profitable at both national and international levels. Unlike in the developed world, corporations in developing nations face a different set of challenges for achieving growth. Multinational Enterprise Management Strategies in Developing Countries is an authoritative reference source for the latest scholarly research on diverse opportunities and obstacles facing multinational corporations in emerging economies. Highlighting innovative perspectives and real-world examples, this book is ideally designed for researchers, practitioners, upper-level students, and industry professionals interested in management approaches for achieving success in international corporations.

The growth and impact of the multinational enterprise (MNE) in the post war period is one of the most important phenomena of our time. This volume, originally published in 1981 provides a comprehensive and detailed review of both the theoretical and policy issues at a time when the subject had reached a watershed, after the controversies of the 1970s. The book provides a balanced discussion of major themes such as the development of modern theories of international production; the impact of the MNE on the nation-state and the structure of the international market; the response of governments and the appropriate framework for policy measures; and the historical context and likely future of the MNE.