A Review of Theories of Multinational Enterprises (original) (raw)
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Transformations in Business and Economics
Multinational enterprises – as key determinants and results (in the same time) of the globalization process that characterize the economic world nowadays – know a lot of different approaches in the academic literature; this is a consequence of the refinement (in time) of the (firm's) internationalization strategies and practices – which is determined, at its turn, by the continuous dynamics and challenges of the world economy. By this paper we would like to bring into attention two of these general theoretical frameworks; they were developed by Wladimir Andreff (into his 2003 book: Les multinationals globales), and Mats Forsgren respectively (into his 2008 book: Theories of the Multinational Firm). The main idea is to capture the essence of the theories of the multinationals on one hand (no matter if they claim their roots to be into the international business, theory of the firm or international management academic field), and to discover the particularities that each one of th...
Journal of International Business Studies, 2003
This paper assesses the continued relevance of Buckley and Casson's (1976) book on The Future of the Multinational Enterprise (MNE), against a background of increasing criticism of transaction-cost-related scholarly work. We demonstrate that the 'schism' that can currently be observed in the field between international business and international management is misguided, as the transaction cost/internalization school may offer useful insights to both management scholars and managers. For this to occur, however, it is necessary first to extend the empirical scope of transaction-cost-based reasoning to include the functioning of differentiated network MNEs. The paper suggests that Buckley and Casson's book still represents a beacon of clarity and a superb starting point for the study of the MNE, even if the complexity of this governance structure has grown far beyond what any international business scholar or even international management scholar could have predicted 25 years ago.
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This chapter takes stock of interdisciplinary research on Multinational Corporations (MNCs) by elucidating paradigmatic shifts in the world of MNCs in the new millennium and analysing more recent developments in the disciplines of International Business (IB) and Organization Theory (OT). The chapter also introduces the altogether 14 individual contributions of this 49th volume of the Research in the Sociology of Organizations series. It closes by looking into the questions of where interdisciplinary OT/IB research on MNCs is now and where it is likely to go in the future.
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www.laetusinpraesens.org, 1968
Report originally published in Yearbook of International Organizations, 12th ed, 1968-69, pp. 1189-1214, with the detailed report, including the survey data on which this article is based. The report included a list of 600 multinational business enterprises. Tables separate. [Version française abregée]. Report also published in International Associations, 1968, 1, pp. 1-11, without tables [PDF version]
Emerging market multinationals and the theory of the multinational enterprise
Global Strategy Journal, 2012
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Global Strategy Journal, 2012
This theory note offers a detailed microanalysis of the benefits, costs, and limits to international expansion to explain why multinational firms exist, in response to critiques which ask whether any generalizable theory relationship exists between firm performance and its degree of multinationality. Some even question the validity of the entire multinationality-performance field. These critiques fly in the face of the fact that multinational firms exist, thrive, increase in number, and are generally regarded as earning superior profits versus their purely domestic counterparts. This note proposes alternative methodological reasons for the seemingly contradictory and confusing results of past empirical studies over 30 years, indicates directions for future research, and calls for a contingent variable approach to empirical studies in the field.
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In this article, the issues that have captured the attention of researchers in multinational corporations (MNC) are discussed and the emerging research agenda is laid out. The first part focuses on understanding the history, and contemporary scale and significance of multinationals as economic actors. Two opposing perspectives are distinguished, the economic and the political. In the past, there was a rigid divide between these but, increasingly, researchers are using elements of both perspectives to understand the dynamics of multinationals. The crucial additional feature here is the importation of insights from institutional literature on the relationship between firms and national contexts. Multinational corporations (MNCs) are playing a large and growing role in shaping our world, both economically and politically. Public and academic opinion has long been mired in an inconclusive debate as to whether these phenomena are beneficial things that should be encouraged or harmful things that need intensive governmental regulation. The integrating thesis of this book is that the question as to whether they are good or bad is the wrong question and is based on the fundamentally faulty premise that all foreign subsidiaries are essentially similar, i.e., MNCs are homogeneous entities The inevitability of heterogeneity results in the imperatives of disaggregation and the fallacy of generalization if these complex, differentiated phenomena are to be properly understood.