Localization of foreign multinational companies in Korea

In response to the 1997 Asian financial crisis that devastated the Korean economy, the government performed promotional efforts, comprehensive structural reform, and implemented policies to create a favorable environment for foreign direct investment (FDI). While the Korean government announced deregulation plans to support foreign companies, the public also became more aware of the need for foreign capital to overcome the crisis and revive the economy. The change of atmosphere and the perception on the need to induce the inflow of foreign capital provided the basis for this study. In addition, the crucial role of foreign multinational companies and their efforts to achieve market recognition in a more comprehensive way have provoked this study on the localization of foreign multinational companies in Korea. Investment purposes, entry methods, and the degree of competition by multinational companies in Korea were the variables that lead these companies to respond to localization.     

Analysis of Productivity Differences among Foreign and Domestic Firms: Evidence from Germany

This paper presents differences in firm-level total factor productivity (TFP) across 22 manufacturing and 17 service industries in Germany over the period 1995–2004. It is an attempt to study whether and to what extent foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) are more productive relative to German firms. As well as distinguishing between foreign and domestic firms, we also distinguish between German MNEs and domestic firms that do not have any foreign presence. Controlling for endogeneity through semi-parametric techniques, our findings indicate considerable heterogeneity in firm performance across types of firms. The foreign/domestic distinction is not as clear cut as has been suggested elsewhere; multinationality is important in explaining productivity differences rather than foreignness. JEL no. D24, F21, F23     

Performance of Domestic and Foreign Banks: The Case of Korea and the Asian Financial Crisis

Abstract

This paper examines the performance of banks, domestic and foreign, in Korea before and after the Asian financial crisis, examining how the profitability of those banks differed and identifying factors that explain why those differences existed. The performance of Korean banks deteriorated dramatically in 1998 with most banks recovering somewhat in 1999. Foreign banks did not experience the same negative effect on their performance as a rule. Overall, the domestic Korean banks suffered more severely from the Asian financial crisis than foreign banks. Several possible explanations exist. First, foreign banks, unlike domestic Korean banks, were not subject to credit allocation directives from the Korean government to selected, favoured industries. Second, foreign banks, since they relied for governance on the mother bank in the home country, achieved higher efficiency and better asset and liability management. Finally, foreign banks rely more heavily on fee-for-service income rather than loan revenue.     

Demographic Aspects of Urbanization in Korea

Abstract

This study analysed the location selection determinants of Korean foreign direct investment (KFDI) from the perspectives of OLI paradigm and resource- and knowledge-based views. The study involved a sample of 1911 Korean multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their 3095 foreign subsidiaries during the period of 1999–2004. Specifically, the study compared the differences of foreign direct investment (FDI) location decisions (1) between less-developed and developed countries (LDCs and DCs) and (2) between chaebols and non-chaebols. The results showed that the partitioned sample model of chaebols versus non-chaebols was found to have more detailed effects on the location decision between the two regions than the combined full sample model. In addition, the results showed that there are clear, effectual differences for subsidiary scale and prior host country experience between chaebols and non-chaebols.     

The determinants of location choice of South Korean FDI in China

By using extensive and unique firm-level data for South Korean foreign affiliates in China, we investigated the determinants of location choice for South Korean multinational companies. South Korean companies are unevenly distributed inside China with more than 60 percent of their affiliates being located in the three northeast regions. Using conditional logit estimation, we found that market size and government policies approximated by economic zones, quality of labor, and transport infrastructure play a positive role in deciding location. On the other hand, labor costs, inner waterways, and distance show negative and significant coefficients. Finally, the model specification is shown to be robust to possible violation of the assumption of identical independent error terms. Some of the estimation results stand in contrast to those of other studies on the determinants of FDI stock flows from the world or Japan.     

日本跨国公司在山东省直接投资的内生增长模型分析

文章借鉴了内生增长模型的核心思想,在领先国--追随国模型的基础上,提出并利用跨国公司--本土企业模型来分析目前日本跨国公司对山东省直接投资的利与弊.在肯定了日本跨国公司过去十几年间对山东省经济发展做出大量贡献并分析其原因的同时,也指出目前日本跨国公司在山东省的经营仍有诸多需要改进之处,并提出大力引导大型跨国公司来山东省投资,防止出现"集体外逃"事件,在保持东部地区发展的同时注意引导跨国公司去山东省的中西部地区投资,吸引更多的日本R&D投资以及管理层本土化等政策建议.     

文化距离和国际直接投资流向：S型曲线假说

文化距离和国际直接投资流向的关系一直是学术界研究的热点问题,并且存在着“文化距离悖论”。本文在文化距离所产生的“外来者劣势”和“外来者收益”的基础上建立了新的理论框架,以此来分析文化距离和国际直接投资流向之间的复杂非线性关系。1993-2006年49个世界重要经济体在29个OECD成员国的国际直接投资数据表明,文化距离和国际直接投资流向之间存在着水平S型曲线关系。这一研究结果能够较好地解释文化距离和国际直接投资流向之间的“文化距离悖论”。     

On the performance of the foreign subsidiaries of Korean banks: are securities investments really profitable?

This study, by focusing on the securities investments of Korean banks’ foreign subsidiaries, analyzes the background of the increase in those securities investments, the present situation, and the influence of securities investments on performance. The major sources of income for Korean banks’ foreign subsidiaries are composed of loans, foreign exchange activities, and securities investments. However, as loans and foreign exchange activities are not profitable because of high funding costs, tighter supervision in host countries, competition among the Korean banks, and the concentration of exports and imports on specific countries, the foreign subsidiaries of Korean banks have increased the weight of their securities investments. The results of this analysis reveal that securities investments affect negatively on the performance of Korean banks’ foreign subsidiaries, and it strongly suggests that the foreign subsidiaries of Korean banks—short on credit, size, technology, experience, and networking—need more preparation for financial globalization.     

Export Spillovers to Chinese Firms: Evidence from Provincial Data

Multinational firms are important conduits of managerial skills, foreign market linkages, and technology. Foreign export spillovers associated with multinational firms have the potential to reduce entry costs for local exporting firms. This paper examines whether exports by multinational firms increase the probability of exporting by domestic Chinese firms. The findings from the Probit estimation highlight the varying relationships between multinational exports and local foreign entry based on the type of ownership. The results from separating foreign-invested enterprises into overseas Chinese companies and OECD-based multinational firms suggest that the export activity of the former does not increase the probability of exporting by local firms, whereas the latter positively influence the export decision of local firms, particularly under processing trade.     

Variations in the regional distribution of cross-border activity of Swedish transnational corporations during the 20th century

Abstract

This article outlines variations in the regional distribution of foreign activity of eight of the most important long-standing Swedish industrial corporations during the last century. It focuses on foreign subsidiaries, employment and sales by these companies, to determine what were the principal long-term trends: globalization or Europeanization. A wave of Europeanization occurred around 1900–1929, when the companies began establishing their worldwide reach. Before the Great Depression, almost all had founded subsidiaries in both Europe and USA. During the 1950–79 period, all had established subsidiaries in all parts of the world. I show that geographical spread in Europe and the spread in the rest of the world have both been significant trends. During the latter part of the 2011 century, there was a considerable intensification of business activity outside Europe, which in most cases was accompanied by a relative decline of the share in foreign business activity of the home region.     

Foreign Ownership and Firm Innovation: Evidence from Korea

ABSTRACT

This study examines whether foreign equity investment promotes domestic firms’ innovation activities. Using panel data on the Korean firms during the 1999–2013 period, we find that foreign ownership has a positive effect on firms’ innovation activities. Furthermore, we also show that, as compared to non-chaebol firms, chaebol firms’ innovation activity becomes much greater with the increase of foreign ownership. Finally, we investigate industry-level spillover effects of innovation. Specifically, we find that foreign ownership promotes innovation activities via forward linkage, the effect of which is also more pronounced in chaebol firms.     

Occupational Composition Within Multinational Firms: Evidence From Korean Employer-Employee Matched Data

Using Korean employer-employee matched data, we investigate the difference in occupational structure between domestic and multinational firms in manufacturing sectors. The main result shows that the occupational composition of the multinational firms is more skewed toward high-skills and service occupations than domestic firms. Furthermore, we find the heterogeneous labour structure among multinational firms upon types and locations of foreign affiliates. The multinationals that are establishing production plants or locating their affiliates in emerging countries tend to be composed of relatively smaller share of high-skills and service occupations than those with foreign R&D centres or business branch or with affiliates located in advanced countries.     

Global value chains and servicification of manufacturing: Evidence from firm-level data

Recent literature on global value chains (GVCs) has mainly focused on manufacturing firms’ global sourcing and investment strategies. Our question here is that, if the manufacturing firms established foreign manufacturing plants and engaged in sourcing inputs and exporting outputs, have they changed their domestic employment composition toward service workers? This is what we call servicification of manufacturing firms in this paper. To answer this question, using Korean firm-establishments matched data, we examine changes in the shares of service employment in manufacturing firms from 2008 to 2013, when those firms are participating in both import-and-export and foreign direct investment (i.e., GVC firms). We find that the two-way trading firms that own manufacturing plants in foreign countries—and particularly in nearby foreign countries—have changed their domestic employment structures to increase the number of service workers they employ. Moreover, the relatively greater increase in the share of R&D workers than of wholesale-and-retail workers serves as further evidence of the servicification of domestic manufacturing. Overall, our findings suggest that Korean firms who engage in GVCs through both trade and foreign direct investment have reorganized domestic labor structure to be able to provide high value-added headquarter services for their manufacturing plants that are closely located in foreign countries.     

Spatial analysis of competition among local governments and the price of land: the case of Zhejiang Province

Abstract

This empirical study focuses on competition between local governments as they strive to attract companies through the auction of land use rights. In the literature on competition between local governments, the focus has tended to be toward growth rates based on performance evaluation or tax rate-based competition for attracting companies. In China, the property tax system is still underdeveloped and local governments cannot independently set tax rates. Therefore, this study focuses on a type of ‘dumping’ activity by which local governments auction land use rights to attract industrial companies and empirically test this hypothesis using the spatial lag model.     

Multinationals, Hedging, and Capital Structure under Exchange Rate Uncertainty

This paper examines the interplay of the financing and hedging decisions of a risk-averse multinational firm having a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary. Exchange rate risk management of the multinational firm is shown to have direct impacts on its international capital structure decision and on its currency of denomination decision. If a currency forward market exists, the multinational firm will devise its international capital structure so as to minimize the global weighted average cost of capital. Or else the multinational firm has to rely on a money market hedge through issuing more foreign currency denominated debt and less domestic currency denominated debt, thereby resulting in a higher global weighted average cost of capital. JEL Classification Numbers: D81, F23, G32     

Latin American multinationals: A historical and theoretical approach*

Among the so‐called multinationals from the South, Latin American multinationals are outstanding for being pioneers. Their history goes even back to the end of the 19th century. In this article, we sketch a brief history of Latin American multinationals, but we concentrate on their development and growing importance since the 1980s within the context of economic reforms and globalization. We then apply a theoretical and typological perspective in order to characterize these multinational companies and to identify the elements that will condition their future behavior and development     

Some Methodological Issues on Estimating Foreign Exchange Exposure of US Multinational Firms: Evidence from the Asian Crisis

Abstract

This article asks whether sample specification of firm, period, and exchange rate matters in estimating foreign exchange exposure of US multinational firms. By sampling US firms that had Asian sales and assets from 1996 to 1998, we find that the firms’ returns are more likely to be significantly exposed to the Asian-oriented exchange rate changes for the Asian crisis, when the exchange rate changes were unexpectedly sizable. Also, by examining firms’ exposure in the share of Asian sales and assets, we find that the firms are more exposed as their operations are more involved in the Asian region.     

跨国公司资金管理策略与我国的对策

跨国公司全球化运作,要求跨国公司在全球范围内安排资金、人力和物力等企业资源,其中,对跨国公司的资金管理成了跨国公司各项业务的首要,是跨国公司管理的核心。为了有效推动公司全球战略的实施,跨国公司制定了严密的资金管理目标、策略,同时对资金管理技术也做了较为全面的规划。面对跨国公司全球资金管理策略,中国必须采取相应措施,在利用好外资的同时,防止外资运动对我国经济的不良影响。     

The Effect of the Liberalization of Investment Policies on Employment and Investment of Multinational Corporations in Africa

Abstract: There has been a remarkable shift in the attitudes towards globalization. Specifically, the discussion among academics and policymakers has shifted from whether globalization should be encouraged to how countries can position themselves to benefit from globalization. This paper focuses on one aspect of globalization — the liberalization of investment policies — and analyzes its impact on employment and investments by multinational corporations in Africa. We use data for 33 countries over the period 1984–2003 and we employ a dynamic panel estimator for our analysis. There are two major findings. First, liberalization has a significant and positive effect on investment. Second, liberalization does not have a direct impact on multinational employment — the effect is indirect: liberalization stimulates multinational investments which in turn increases multinational employment. By increasing investment and employment from multinational firms, these liberalization programs contribute to poverty alleviation.     

高技术跨国公司组织创新影响因素与路径研究

通过使用问卷调研、专家访谈等方法，总结出高技术跨国公司组织创新特征有复杂性、系统性和动态性。分别从管理者能力、企业要素禀赋和企业外部环境视角，总结出了高技术跨国公司组织创新影响因素及其作用机理。最终提出提升高技术跨国公司组织创新效率的对策建议，包括提升企业管理者能力，优化企业资源配置，积极适应企业外部环境。