U S Trade Foreign Direct Investments And Global Competitiveness

The American position in trade and direct investment has not recovered from the large deficits incurred during the 1980s. Foreign investors expand their foothold in the United States economy daily and create the lion's share in the American trade deficit, while America's leadership in the global economy continues to decline. From U. S. Trade, Foreign Direct Investments, and Global Competitiveness, you'll derive an understanding of the position of the United States in the global market since the 1950s when it emerged as the world's largest trader and direct investor. You will also learn the new approaches that are necessary to adequately portray and measure structural changes in the world economy and the roles of the major players in this new environment.

Seven articles are presented addressing topics related to United States-Japan trade, foreign investment, and U.S. competitiveness in the global market. The first article, "Super 301 and the Changing Japan-American Relationship" by Glenn Davis describes recent U.S.-Japan trade frictions, epitomized by Super 301, and explains the influence of the economy, politics, national security, and technological issues related to the current trade crisis. Stephen Magee in his article, "The Decade Effect: The Stock Market Malaise of the 1990s," compares two opposing predictions for the stock market. In "Zero Defect Manufacturing," Hirofumi Matsuo outlines the efforts managers need to make to produce high quality products and emphasizes that company-wide and coordinated activities are indispensable to survive in the competitive market. "What are 'Sogo Shosha' and Their Function in today's U.S.-Japan Trade Relations?" by Yasutomo Katsuno discusses how sogo-shosha, Japanese trading companies, contribute to the resolution of frictions. The article by Jim George, "High Technology Competition between U.S. and Japanese Companies," explains why it is important for the United States and Japan to remain friends. Mio Reynolds in "Foreign Direct Investment in the United States" examines public opinion concerning foreign investments. The final article by Elsie Echeverri-Carroll, "The Future of the Maquila Industry in Mexico," describes the historical changes in the maquila industry and various factors that will affect the industry in the future. (KM)

Once unquestionably the world's leading economic and industrial power, the United States now views with growing dismay the impressive industrial efficiency, vigorous work ethics, and large American holdings of various other nations. Is the United States truly lagging in its ability to compete effectively in world markets? Concern over this question has been voiced in both the business and government sectors, as well as by academic economists. A recent conference, sponsored by the National Bureau of Economic Research, explored the effects of trade policies on a nation's ability to compete in international markets. In Trade Policies for International Competitiveness, Robert C. Feenstra collects seven papers from the conference, each accompanied by discussants' comments, and adds a helpful introduction. Some of the issues considered by contributors are effects of macroeconomic and strategic foreign policies on competitiveness; the recent influx of foreign direct investment in the United States, primarily from Japan; the extent to which Japanese trade patterns are a reflection of underlying factor and endowments rather than trade barriers; and the market structure of Canadian industries, including applications for ongoing U.S.-Canadian free trade negotiations. Topical and provocative, these papers will be of value to economists, policymakers, and those in the business world.

This volume comprises 15 of John Dunning's most widely acknowledged writings on the changing characteristics of the global economy over since the 1970s. It examines in particular how these events have shaped, and been shaped by, the growing internationalism of all forms of business activity. The book is divided into five thematic sections, each of which illustrates a particular aspect of change and the author's analysis of it. It examines: the main features of the new global economy, its origin, opportunities and challenges; the author's writings on the factors affecting the location of economic activity by international firms; the changing nature and form of the contribution of FDI and cross-border strategic alliances to economic development and to the restructuring of national economies; and the relationship between the competitive advantages of international firms and the productivity and dynamic comparative advantage of the economies in which they operate.

In this incisive book, Quinlan explains that investors and policy makers don't understand how U.S. companies operate and compete in the world economy today. Trade and exports are the main forms of global engagement, but foreign direct investment and the strategic utilization of foreign affiliates are the means by which U.S. firms compete in world markets. Only through understanding this "global engagement" will people have a true understanding of the global economy and today's business opportunities.

This book provides an excellent overview of the changing relationship between multinationals and economic development as globalization has taken off, and substantially altered the conditions for catching up as opposed to falling behind. The authors move very effectively between the discussion of concepts that are crucial to understanding such changes, and various empirical evidence on foreign direct investment, trade, inter-firm relationships, institutional settings and competitiveness. John Cantwell, Rutgers University, US The globalisation of the world economy has undermined many of the old certainties regarding foreign direct investment flows. Dunning and Narula use the concepts of alliance capitalism and technological evolution to analyse recent trends in international business. They identify the challenges to government policymakers from regional integration, and the consequent intensification of political competition to attract high-technology investment. This masterful and incisive analysis brings great clarity to perplexing issues, and delineates a cogent industrial policy agenda for a globalised economy. Mark Casson, University of Reading, UK This book offers an important contribution to the contemporary debate on the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in economic development in an increasingly globalizing, knowledge-intensive and alliance-based world economy. Each of the chapters touches upon critical issues now facing the global economy. They also address the growing importance of innovative activities of firms in promoting economic development and industrial restructuring, as well as the role of FDI and cooperative agreements in furthering this goal. Emphasis is placed on the increasingly significant role of national governments in promoting the intellectual capital of their indigenous resources and capabilities, and of inter-firm collaborative alliances. Globalization and technological advances are reconfiguring the ingredients of the competitiveness of firms and nation states. They are emphasizing the increasingly important role of both private and social institutions as determinants of the success of corporations and of the economic development of societies. Covering a range of issues from economic development, alliance capitalism, government policies, regional integration and industrial development, this authoritative book will greatly appeal to academics and economists, especially those interested in international business and management.

The purpose of this collection of chapters is to analyse from several angles, factors which may explain, and/or influence, the relationship between the competitiveness of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and the countries in which they operate.