This book brings together the work of noted authorities in the field of multinational enterprises who explain and debate the merits of internalization theory as the new general theory of the multinational enterprise. Alternatives to internalization, such as licensing, joint ventures and other contractual arrangements are also evaluated. There are many applications to actual businesses, such as in the hotel, fish, food and banking industries. Also considered are regional office location and applications of the theory to Canada, Japan, the former Yugoslavia, the UK and USA.

Until this book was published little had appeared on the matter of the organization of production in oil gathering. This book: Describes the global offshore oil supply industry and its features on one of the world’s major offshore oil services bases Draws on the theory of the multinational corporation to explain why buyers and sellers should have internationalized themselves into a symbiotic relationship Discusses the preference of the oil companies for vertical disintegration Explains the transaction cost paradigm Integrates the largely American literature on the transaction cost paradigm with the literature on the multinational corporation (which is largely British).

This book examines how joint ventures work in practice. Drawing on extensive personal experience and using case study examples where appropriate the author analyses the various stages, discusses the problems of partner selection, implementation and control and points out the various benefits and pitfalls. He draws out the implications for improving practice and discusses how the experience of joint ventures affects the theory of the multinational enterprise.

The growth and impact of the multinational enterprise (MNE) in the post war period is one of the most important phenomena of our time. This volume, originally published in 1981 provides a comprehensive and detailed review of both the theoretical and policy issues at a time when the subject had reached a watershed, after the controversies of the 1970s. The book provides a balanced discussion of major themes such as the development of modern theories of international production; the impact of the MNE on the nation-state and the structure of the international market; the response of governments and the appropriate framework for policy measures; and the historical context and likely future of the MNE.

This book, based on extensive original research, examines the spatial structure and geographical implications of modern multinational corporations. It looks at the geography of multinational corporations, relates this geography to management and decision making structures and discusses how these items are changing. Exploring the themes of centre and periphery in the corporation it surveys the impact of corporate change and restructuring on regional economies.

This book examines the international technology transfer process and the role of both multinationals and host-country governments in that process, with emphasis on the experience of the more developed countries. It explores a range of issues and presents much original thinking and research findings. It discusses in particular the strategies of the multinationals, assessing how far they are willing to accept technology transfer to external partners (as opposed to subsidiaries which they can control). It also examines how far technical transfers are successful from the viewpoint of the firm and countries involved, arguing that governments are most likely to succeed in attracting multinational transfers if they are aware of and accommodate to some degree multinationals’ preferences.

This book presents a world survey of multinational firms in the key parts of the service sector. The service sector has grown greatly in importance in recent years in many countries of the world. Many of the key parts of the service sector that are growing most rapidly are dominated by large multinational firms and this has important implications for the future shape of the world economy and for closer economic integration between countries. In addition, the particular style and operations of multinational firms in one sector can provide useful lessons for multinational enterprise in other sectors. The book examines the operations and the style of the firms considered and explores how they dominate their sectors. It charts how the firms have developed, discusses the critical issues facing them; and suggests how present trends may continue in the future.