Performance shortfalls and outward foreign direct investment by MNE subsidiaries: Evidence from China

Foreign subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs) have been conducting outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) into new overseas destinations. Drawing upon the behavioural theory of the firm, we explain that such OFDI can occur in response to performance shortfalls relative to aspirations. When performance shortfalls in subsidiaries are attributed to the institutional distance between them and the home country of the parent firm, these subsidiaries select institutionally closer destinations for their own OFDI. Our study goes beyond the direct investment of MNE headquarters and advances the internationalisation process model by investigating the underexplored, secondary and springboard-based internationalisation, and by underscoring the value of a subsidiary’s OFDI behaviour.     

Managerial incentives and the international organization of production

We develop a model in which the heterogeneous firms in an industry choose their modes of organization and the location of their subsidiaries or suppliers. We assume that the principals of a firm are constrained in the nature of the contracts they can write with suppliers or employees. Our main result concerns the sorting of firms with different productivity levels into different organizational forms. We use the model to examine the implications of falling trade costs for the relevant prevalence of outsourcing and foreign direct investment (FDI).     

Entering China Today

Summary

The peripherally growing and remarkably dynamic Chinese economy is now encouraging the use of more diverse and creative entry modes for international investors. This article illustrates various entry modes of foreign direct investment available at present to foreign companies entering China. These entry modes include equity joint ventures, wholly foreign owned subsidiaries, contractual joint ventures, umbrella companies, acquisitions, representative offices, branches, build-operate-transfers, licensing and franchising. The merits and limitations of each entry mode are discussed. Some practical advice on entry strategies for international executives active in the Chinese market is also highlighted.     

财政分权、FDI引资竞争与私人投资挤出——基于中国省际面板数据的经验研究

在我国财政分权体制下,地方政府针对FDI展开了激烈的引资竞争,各地针对FDI的优惠措施不断强化,使得外资企业对国内私人投资企业形成了过度的竞争优势,导致FDI对私人投资的"挤出"。实证表明:各地对FDI的引资优惠引致并强化了FDI对我国私人投资的挤出效应;我国中西部地区对外资的优惠强度明显高于东部,由此导致的挤出效应也最为显著。即使在"两税合并"后,分权体制所导致的引资冲动仍使得地方政府有足够激励采取各种变相优惠吸引FDI,因此,应从根本上调整地方政府激励机制,规范区域间引资竞争行为。     

The investment-divestment relationship: Resource shifts and intersubsidiary competition within MNEs

This paper examines the interdependencies between MNE investment and divestment decisions. We derive a conceptual framework of “segmented intersubsidiary competition” and hypothesize that the competitive pressure of new investments on existing subsidiaries varies by regional dimension. Based on a database of 3524 French MNEs, we analyse intersubsidiary competition and intertemporal adjustment processes of the investment-divestment relationship between 2002 and 2010. Our empirical findings support the theoretical notion of segmented intersubsidiary competition within MNEs: Foreign investments create competitive pressure for foreign subsidiaries to be divested in subsequent periods, where domestic investments spur divestment at home. Inversely, foreign divestments are more likely to create new investment opportunities in the foreign than in the domestic arena. Our differentiations between investments/divestments in EU countries and in non-EU countries shows that the competitive pressure of new investments on existing subsidiaries is mainly limited to the same region.     

Competing globally: How Japanese MNCs have matched goals and strategies in India and China

Japanese MNCs have established strong investment positions in the US, Europe and Asia. China has been a major recipient of Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI), while investment in India has grown much more slowly. We argue that the differences extend much beyond the levels of investment—Japanese involvement in India and China is qualitatively different. Japanese FDI in China was motivated by access to location-specific productive resources, and it involved a high degree of technology, management skills and organizational knowledge transfer. The Japanese subsidiaries in China were integrated with the network of international subsidiaries as a part of the MNC's global strategy. Japanese FDI in India, however, was motivated by the desire to access local markets. It involved less transfer of technology and management skills, and Japanese subsidiaries in India operated independently as part of a multi-domestic strategy. We conclude that foreign entrants to the region should be aware and able to respond to the unique advantages of each host country and to the different strategies and capabilities of the subsidiaries of Japanese MNCs.     

东北地区FDI就业效应实证分析

研究东北老工业基地的就业基本情况,从理论上分析FDI对于就业所带来的影响,得出建立模型求出外资对于就业发展的弹性,可利用拓宽外资渠道,调整外资策略,多种外资形式等扩大农业利用外资。     

Foreign direct investment motivations and knowledge acquisition from MNEs in overseas subsidiaries

Despite studies exploring factors affecting knowledge acquisition from multinational enterprises in subsidiaries, what accounts for a successful acquisition is unresolved. We argue that such disparity may stem from inattention to investment motivations of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in foreign markets and to the fact that learning patterns of subsidiaries can be influenced by foreign firms' market‐seeking or efficiency‐seeking behaviors. We find that absorptive capacity in learning organizations and daily interactions with knowledge possessors are essential to learning from parent firms. In addition, active support from parent firms is particularly crucial for subsidiaries seeking to improve operational efficiency of MNEs. We also suggest that potential absorptive capacity plays a catalyst role in initiating knowledge acquisition, particularly in cases where MNEs have market‐seeking motivations. Copyright © 2014 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Foreign subsidiaries as vehicles of industry 4.0: The case of foreign subsidiaries in a post-transition economy

We ask whether foreign subsidiaries may work as entities that neutralize the threat of marginalization of the post-transition economies in terms of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) adoption. Building on a conceptual model of foreign subsidiaries as I4.0 vehicles, we conducted interviews with 440 foreign subsidiaries from the manufacturing sector established in Poland. The originality of the paper concerns three key issues. First, our study shows that the strategy adopted by the headquarters is critical, as it impacts the possibility of foreign subsidiaries to act as vehicles of I4.0 transformation in host economies. Second, embeddedness in local environment guarantees the transition of knowledge, whereas the innovation capacity of a foreign subsidiary does not seem to play any role. Third, we focus on foreign subsidiaries established in a post-transition economy. The results of our research enrich the literature on types of foreign subsidiaries in transmitting and diffusing the knowledge received from headquarters and expose the prominent role of links with host market entities.     

Problems of foreign subsidiaries of SMEs compared with large companies

This paper draws on institutional theory, supplemented with foreign direct investment (FDI) theory, to explain the level of problems encountered by foreign subsidiaries of Japanese small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and compares them with large companies. The study confirms the importance of institutional factors such as institutional distance, legitimacy, and the state's coercive influence, as well as factors that FDI theory suggests are associated with multinationals, such as high technology and industry concentration. SMEs differ from large companies in some of the operational areas in which their foreign subsidiaries face high levels of problems, but both seem challenged by problems with labor and low-price foreign competition.     

韩国对外直接投资与产业结构调整的实证分析

韩国近几年来对外直接投资迅速发展,尤其是对华投资大幅度提高,同时韩国国内着手实施新一轮的产业政策,进一步加大产业结构调整的步伐。借鉴相关研究成果,运用Granger因果检验和建立韩国对外直接投资与产业结构的定量模型,验证韩国产业升级战略与其大规模对外直接投资关联的设想是否吻合。实证结果表明:韩国产业结构调整促进了对外直接投资的扩大,其中,第三产业的发展对韩国对外直接投资影响程度最大。     

投资决策的期权方法

根据投资的不可逆性和延期投资的可能性,认为投资机会是有价值的,这个价值是投资的机会成本。如果考虑投资机会的价值,投资者作出投资决策的原则是:只有当净现值大于投资机会的价值时,才可以进行投资。贴现率、投资成本、产品价格在未来上升的概率和下降的幅度对投资决策有影响。     

中国外商投资与贸易政策的经济学分析

文章对经典文献中的关税决定与外商投资的政治经济学模型进行了扩展,引入了内生外商投资决定机制.通过MATLAB模拟出特定数值参数下博弈的均衡解并对均衡解的性质进行讨论,得出了在一定条件下,均衡的贸易保护水平与外资水平之间存在正向关系的命题,而均衡解是高水平均衡还是低水平均衡则取决于该行业的特定行业参数,正是这些行业特定参数的差异导致了现实中复杂的贸易保护结构和外商投资水平.为了检验由模型所得出的命题,文章利用中国第三次工业普查的数据进行了实证检验,通过联立方程组计量模型对数据进行回归,结果对理论模型的结论给予了支持.     

Performance of foreign direct investment from Singapore

This study was conducted with two broad aims: to assess the performance levels attained by foreign direct investment (FDI) undertaken by Singapore firms and to identify the key determinants of the performance levels attained. We employed a broad set of perceptual measures, as reported by the MNC parent managers, to assess the performance of foreign subsidiaries. The measures included: stability, profitability, overall success, market share and sales growth. We hypothesized that the performance of (FDI) will be influenced by the following factors: mode of entry, cultural distance, relative size of the subsidiary and host government attitudes. Based on an analysis of 128 responses to a survey, we find that Singapore firms’ foreign subsidiaries achieve moderate levels of performance. The data analysis also revealed that FDI performance was positive under the following conditions: the host government attitudes were positive and the subsidiaries were of large size relative to the parent.     

Explaining employment changes in foreign manufacturing investment in the UK

This article tests the view that the impact which foreign direct investment (FDI) has upon employment within the host economy will vary according to the entry mode which the multinational enterprise (MNE) chooses, the type of subsidiary and the nationality of the parent organisation which is established in the regional economy. Data were collected from the subsidiaries of foreign-owned firms in the UK. A model was devised and tested with estimations using this data. The results provide support for the view that the impact of FDI may be differentiated by entry mode, nationality and subsidiary type. Specifically, firms which entered by way of greenfield investment created positive employment effects as compared to those which entered by means of a merger or acquisition where the effects were relatively negative. There is some evidence that impact is also ownership specific. Finally, those subsidiaries which performed more value-added functions had a positive effect on employment.     

The effect of temporary devaluation on foreign investment: A trade-theoretic analysis and an application to Mexico

We develop a two-period model with foreign investment and international borrowing and lending. We find that temporary devaluation has no effect on contemporaneous foreign investment, but the effect on future foreign investment is positive via the working of the credit market. These findings are then tested for Mexico with regression analysis.     

What changes the rules of the game in wholly owned subsidiaries? Determinants of knowledge acquisition from parent firms

We examine key factors affecting the extent of knowledge acquisition from multinational enterprises (MNEs) in their wholly owned subsidiaries (WOSs). As the volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) by MNEs is rapidly growing, empirical studies dealing with knowledge acquisition from parent firms in subsidiaries are in the limelight. However, as far as we know, none has attempted to identify primary mechanisms influencing subsidiary learning by dividing WOSs based on ‘investment mode’ and ‘investment direction’. We believe WOSs are characterized by these two issues and thus this research contributes to current literature by providing a detailed picture of learning mechanisms in subsidiaries. We advance a series of propositions to achieve the research objective by using a sample of WOSs established by MNEs in Korea. By doing this, we reveal that subsidiary learning depends significantly on absorptive capacity in learning organizations, relational capital and parent firms’ behavior. Also, we confirm that factors facilitating knowledge acquisition are influenced by investment mode and investment direction. Based on the results, this study provides some useful implications for MNEs and policy makers in local markets.     

外国直接投资、外国证券投资与经济增长:以美国为例

本文以美国1972-2002年的统计数据为例,在建立VAR模型的基础上通过脉冲响应曲线和方差分解表对流入美国的外国直接投资(FDI)、外国证券投资(FPI)和经济增长之间的关系进行了实证研究,结果表明流入美国的FDI和FPI均有助于美国经济的增长。但相对而言,美国经济增长更加依赖于外国证券投资,研究还发现流入美国的FDI与FPI之间关系紧密,两者之间存在积极的良性互动关系,且FPI对FDI的影响明显大于FDI对FPI的影响。     

Sources of sectoral fluctuations in business fixed investment

A model of macroeconomic complementarity is used to assess causes of comovement in investment spending across nine sectors of the U.S. economy. It is hypothesized that the irreversibility and uncertainty of investment spending imply a greater role for investment linkages and aggregate factors in investment fluctuations compared with estimates for employment and output. For the average sector, past investment growth across all sectors, changes in aggregate demand, and a common factor account for two-thirds of the variance of investment growth. After accounting for aggregate demand, sectoral shocks explain 70% of the average sector’s innovations to investment growth.     

The Influence of Firm's Size and International Experience on the Ownership Structure of Italian FDI in Manufacturing

The literature on foreign direct investment (FDI) has analysed the entry mode choice by multinational enterprises (MNEs) from several theoretical viewpoints. Nevertheless, previous studies have mainly focused on the behaviour of large and established MNEs while little attention has been given to small- and medium-sized firms.The paper aims at providing further empirical evidence on the role of firm size and international experience in influencing the ownership structure of FDI. The main hypothesis is that smaller firms, characterised by financial and managerial constraints, as well as firms lacking experience in managing foreign operations, suffer from a condition of adverse asymmetry in information costs, compared to their competitors. Therefore, they are forced to act prudently, minimising risk and thus preferring a less control arrangement of foreign subsidiaries.A binomial logistic model is developed with reference to manufacturing foreign direct investments undertaken by Italian firms in the period 1986–1993.