跨国企业母子公司知识整合的理论研究

跨国企业母子公司的知识整合已经成为母公司和子公司组织创新、核心能力发展和竞争优势产生的主要方式。本文详细论述了跨国企业母子公司间知识转化及知识整合的内容,跨国企业母子公司知识整合需要穿越的三个边界,以及跨国企业母子公司间边界渗透和知识整合的实现。     

HRM practices affecting extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of knowledge receivers and their effect on intra-MNC knowledge transfer

This paper explores why and how human resource management (HRM) matters for knowledge transfer within multinational corporations. It is built on the premise that there are certain HRM practices influencing extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of knowledge receivers. It is found that complementarity among HRM practices exists but does not always have a positive effect on knowledge transfer. Three hypotheses derived from these arguments are tested on data from 92 subsidiaries of Danish multinational corporations located in 11 countries.     

跨国公司文化管理

随着世界经济一体化的进程,跨国公司在世界经济生活中的作用日趋明显。同时,跨国公司的跨文化管理问題也成为了国际化经营管理中的重要课题。不同的国度有不同的文化观念,跨国文化的差异引起了跨国公司内部之间以及跨国公司与外部环境的文化冲突,那么,跨国公司文化管理就是在跨国经营中,对不同种族、不同文化类型、不同文化发展阶段的子公司所在国的文化冲突进行协调和融合,创造出公司独特的文化管理过程以维系不同文化背景的员工共同的行为和观念准则。     

A race to lower standards? Labor standards and location choice of outward FDI from the BRIC countries

Scholars argue that multinational corporations tend to locate their investment in countries with lower labor standards, but empirical results are highly inconsistent. In this paper, we investigate the effect of differential labor standards on the location choice of outward greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) from Brazil, Russia, India and China (i.e. the BRIC countries). We find robust evidence that while there is a tendency toward the attraction of FDI by lower labor standards in developed countries, such a “race” is absent in FDI directed to developing countries. Location choice is highly path dependent upon previous trading relations between the home and the host country, which hampers the MNCs’ ability to arbitrage. Conversely, capital mobility at the industry level is found to intensify the race to lower standards.     

跨国公司在华跨文化管理刍议

本文认为,随着对华直接投资的迅猛发展,跨国公司遍布中国各地,它们面临着由单一、同质的文化环境向多元、异质的文化环境的转变,在华跨国公司经营过程中不可避免地遇到或多或少的文化冲突。为了解决跨文化管理的问题,跨国公司要采取合适策略,进行文化理解与学习,施行文化适应与变革,构建兼容性的企业文化,组织跨文化培训,实施文化当地化战略。     

跨国公司人才全球化战略浅析

在当今时代经营本土化已成为跨国公司全球化经营的前提,其中人力资源的本土化战略又被列为首要战略。人才全球化又是实现公司经营全球化的基础。跨国公司在实现人才全球化过程中缺少共同的价值观,母公司以及海外法人的经营管理体制不够明确。推行人才全球化除了要有中长期的战略之外,必须建立一套完善的执行体制。     

Anti-Corporate Anger as a Form of Care-Based Moral Agency

Although corruption is ubiquitous, attitudes toward it differ among countries. Until the 1997 OECD Convention, the U.S. had been one of the only two countries with an explicit extraterritorial anti-bribery law, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977. The FCPA employs a two-pronged approach to control the supply side of corruption: (1) anti-bribery provisions; and (2) accounting (books and record and internal controls) provisions. I offer evidence, albeit indirect, to show that the FCPA had limited success. The OECD Convention adopts the same two-pronged approach, but, since it is a multilateral treaty, is likely to be more successful provided that enforcement is vigorous enough. The signatory nations effectively form a cartel to reduce the cost of doing business. As with any cartel, however, each multinational corporation has an incentive to deviate. Thus, the mutual enforcement of the agreement is crucial for its success. However, the two-pronged approach is not sufficient, since internal control does not adequately monitor decisions made at the top level. I argue that the two lessons drawn from the U.S. experience are: (1) law enforcement must be credible; and (2) internal controls alone are not sufficient. Stronger and more effective corporate governance within an appropriate regulatory framework is needed to ensure that multinational corporations conduct their business in an ethical manner.     

New sociopolitical forces: the globalization of conflict.

Not only must multinational corporations deal with governments of their home countries and various host countries, they must now contend with the pressures of change exerted through international organizations such as U.N.-based agencies and public interest groups. The Nestle infant formula controversy, more so than any other event, has crystallized the growing internationalization of conflicts.     

Fair Trade in Italy: Too Much ‘Movement’ in the Shop?

With the advent of globalization, the track record of multinational corporations (MNCs) has been mixed at best in relation to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) involvement in developing countries. This article attempts to cross-fertilize insights from the business-society and international business political behavior literature streams to identify relevant dimensions and contingencies that can be used to analyze the CSR of MNCs in developing countries and the extent of standardization or localization of their strategies. The article makes use of the new theoretical framework in the context of an interpretive research methodology to examine the CSR orientations of a sample of MNC subsidiaries in Lebanon. The findings reveal patterns of global CSR being diffused to developing countries, but also being diluted along the way in view of specific subsidiary endowments and host market characteristics.     

Equity-based entry modes of the Greater Chinese Economic Area's foreign direct investments in Vietnam

In January 2007, Vietnam became the 150th member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Vietnam is located in the heart of Asia and has a resource-rich economy, which offers it a significant advantage in attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs). The research focuses on equity-based entry mode choices adopted by multinational corporations (MNCs) in the Greater Chinese Economic Area (GCEA) for entering Vietnam. The statistical results indicate that equity-based entry modes are significant when FDI firms entering Vietnam originate from the GCEA, which includes Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. However, the interaction results show that industry does not have a moderating effect on the relationship between location and entry mode, whereas it is not found that industrial cluster is specific to any one location. The generalized model has implications for the theoretical and managerial perspectives of both the host and the home countries.     

Modified vendettas as a method of punishing corporations

Methods of punishing corporations have changed from self-regulation to economic sanctions by government as corporations have evolved from small groups of entrepreneurs to multinational entities. It is proposed that the next stage in the evolution of punishment methods is modified vendettas, or organized attempts by non-government groups to influence corporations through the application of economic and non-economic sanctions. This paper develops the concept of modified vendettas as a complement to government-initiated economic sanctions. The effectiveness of modified vendettas is analyzed through two case examples. As with any punishment method, however, the usefulness of a modified vendetta depends not only on its effectiveness but also on how well it meets society's needs to monitor and check corporate activity while preserving corporations' rights to operate. To resolve this issue, modified vendettas are assessed using a philosophical framework incorporating both retributive and utilitarian principles. It is found that modified vendettas extend society's ability to control corporate behavior while corporations have legal and public relations means to protect themselves from frivolous use of the technique. Did you ever expect a corporation to have a conscience, when it has no soul to be damned, and no body to be kicked? (Baron Thurlow)     

Empirical asymmetries in foreign direct investment and taxation

This paper assesses the sensitivity of the operations of multinational corporations (MNCs) to host country taxation. The empirical analysis is based on two different measures of MNC activity by U.S. majority-owned foreign affiliates: panel data for aggregate real gross product in manufacturing that originates in a given host country and micro data for a single year regarding the likelihood of a firm locating in a given host country. The empirical estimates indicate that investment geared toward export markets, rather than the domestic market, is particularly sensitive to host country taxation, that this sensitivity appears to be greater in developing countries than developed countries, and that it is becoming greater over time.     

Putting the Corporation in its Place

This article challenges the idea that the corporation is a globallysuperior form of business organization and that the Anglo-Americancommon-law is more conducive to economic development than thecode-based legal systems characteristic of continental Europe.Although the corporation had important advantages over the mainalternative form of organization (partnerships), it also haddisadvantages that limited its appeal to small- and medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs). As a result, when businesses were providedwith an intermediate choice, the private limited liability company(PLLC) that combined the advantages of legal personhood andjoint stock with a flexible internal organizational structure,most chose not to organize as corporations. This article tracksthe changes that occurred in the menu of business organizationalforms in two common-law countries (the United Kingdom and theUnited States) and two countries governed by legal codes (Franceand Germany) and presents data showing the rapidity with whichfirms in each country responded to enabling legislation forPLLCs. We show that the PLLC was introduced first and most easilyin a code country (Germany) and last and with the most difficultyin a common-law country (the United States). Late introductionwas associated with prolonged use of the partnership form, suggestingthat the disadvantages of corporations did indeed weigh heavilyon SMEs.     

Is the multinational firm in danger?: The threat of nationalism

A ground swell of nationalism in foreign countries may mean the end of the multinational firm; steps to accommodate to public sentiment in the host country offer only temporary relief, and the proposed. “supranational” corporation would still be considered an outsider. A new form of international business activity must evolve. One possibility is a management contract, whereby the Western firm supplies management skills and technical knowledge without the equity participation and direct control that have been the essence of traditional foreign investment. This device would remove the principal objection of host countries to direct investment from abroad—foreign ownership of local industry—and the foreign firm would benefit from some revenue—better than eviction.     

中国跨国公司的市场产权问题研究

市场产权理论是继产权理论之后,近几年来一些学者提出的重要理论,受到国内外学者的普遍关注。但市场产权在其内容、主体及来源上均有商榷之处。因为市场主体不只是国家,还可以是企业,特别还可以是跨国公司。因此,跨国公司要扩张和发展,获取市场产权更有重要意义。根据国际经验,中国跨国公司可以通过投资结构的改变、技术控制、品牌控制及跨国并购来获取市场产权。但根据中国的实际情况,还应采取综合运用各种途径、培植知识产权扩张实力、利用两个市场并打好本土化的基础以及深化市场产权的体制改革等对策来获取市场产权,从而促进中国跨国公司的扩张。     

Global Consistency Versus Local Responsiveness: Deutsche Telekom's Human Resource Management Strategies in Central and Eastern Europe

This article analyses the competing demands faced by Deutsche Telekom for global consistency and local responsiveness as it attempted to coordinate its human resource management strategies across its Eastern European subsidiaries. It considers the degree to which the former economic and political histories of Eastern Europe continue to influence and/or constrain multinational corporation strategies and practices in the post-2000 era. Institutional path dependency, strategic international human resource management, and international industrial relations theories are used to assist in analyzing the data. The study concludes that managerial constraints associated with the historical and economic legacies of these former socialist countries are rapidly declining, thereby allowing multinational firms to implement “Western-style” human resource management strategies. It further suggests that industrial relations institutions at the European Union level, rather than individual country level, have the greatest potential to impact on international human resource management strategies in the region. Multinational corporations should therefore engage in more-integrated strategic international human resource management and international industrial relations approaches.     

Managing MNC-Government Negotiations in Saudi Arabia: The Key Role of Elites

This article explores the relationships between multinational corporations (MNCs) and a host country, in this case Saudi Arabia (the Kingdom). The interests of Saudi businesses and the political elite, along with the evolution of their relationship are surveyed. Furthermore, the validity of traditional and two-tier models of bargaining between MNCs and developing countries are assessed in the context of the Kingdom. It is argued that while both models may be useful, the two fail to capture the nature of MNCs-Saudi Arabia bargaining process. These two models are revised and enriched to adequately reflect the Kingdom's specific advantage, the nature of its national firms, and the unique relations it has with MNCs and their home countries. The study concludes that under current global political and economic conditions, the elite and MNCs interests appear to converge around business objectives.     

跨国公司嵌入与地方产业集聚的互动机制研究

跨国公司嵌入与地方产业集群之间具有互动耦合关系。一方面,跨国公司作为集群主导成员,发挥着增长极和孵化器作用,可以促进地方产业集群的发展,提升区域经济竞争力;另一方面,地方产业集群的发展对跨国公司竞争优势也具有重要影响,使集群优势向跨国公司区位优势转化,可以增强跨国公司自身的核心竞争力。跨国公司的嵌入与地方产业集群良性互动可以形成系统性的循环机制。     

制度分割、产业集群与跨国公司区位

当前,产业集群快速发展,并已成为跨国公司的新区位,对文献的回顾也证明集聚经济已成为跨国公司新的优势来源。本文从经济组织角度研究了产业集群对于跨国公司区位的意义,特别注重制度分割对于产业集群的组织属性、效率边界及演进动力的作用,以及这种作用对于跨国公司区位的影响。最后提出发展中国家应以制度分割推进产业集群建设来制定引资战略的政策建议。