Monograph presenting a critical analysis of the situation and image of multinational enterprises - investigates their economic and political behaviour, both in developed countries and developing countries together with the respective national level goals, and considers enterprise strategies in the light of technology and stabilization (entropy). Bibliography pp. 219 to 251, graphs and statistical tables.

Through a series of international case studies, the nature and the geographical implications of the development of multinational corporations is examined. The volume concentrates on the latter Post-War period of corporate restructuring and readjustment in response to world-wide recession in the mid-1980s. The volume is divided into two parts. In the first each of the chapters considers a particular aspect of the problem of how multinational corporations have developed. In the second part the chapters consider different aspects of the economic and social impacts of these corporations. The common theme that links all the papers is their emphasis on careful historical analysis of different forms of spatial organisation and their transformation into other, different forms.

Multinational enterprises play a vital role in the economic activity of most developing countries. In India MNE affiliates dominate whole sectors of industry - such as plastics and pharmaceuticals - characterised by a high degree of product differentiation, complex technology and high skill intensity. Such advantages, combined with intangible assets, centralised decision making and global outlook lead to a divergence of approach between MNEs and their local counterparts in host developing countries. This book analyses the inter-industry pattern of MNEs in India in the framework of the internationalisation theory, also examining the comparative behaviour of MNE affiliates and LCEs in terms of conduct and performance. The book goes further to explain the different performance of these two strategic groups by assessing profit and export.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) and multinational corporations (MNCs)--for better and worse--play a large and growing role in shaping our world. The integrating thesis of this book is the inevitability of heterogeneity in FDI and MNCs and, accordingly, the imperative of disaggregation. Large companies doing business on a global basis increasingly dominate the production and marketing of the world's goods and services. The importance of these companies continues to grow while the debate about their nature and effects remains mired in a long-standing stalemate couched in strong black and white terms. Stephen D. Cohen seeks to reconcile this impasse by analyzing multinational corporations and foreign direct investment in an eclectic, nuanced manner. The core thesis is that an accurate understanding of the nature and impact of these phenomena comes from acknowledging the dominance of heterogeneity, perceptions, and ambiguity and the paucity of universal truths. This approach should contribute significantly to both a better academic understanding and a more productive policy debate of an increasingly important element of the world economy.

Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: Nestlé and the Infant Formula Controversy presents an in-depth analysis of the infant formula controversy and the resulting international boycott of Nestlé products launched by various social activist groups and church organizations. The actions of those groups culminated in the passage of the first international marketing code under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Based on exhaustive and unique research, the book details the Nestlé case and uses it to analyze a number of other major issues bearing on contemporary business strategy and operations in the national and international arena. Issues addressed include: The rising phenomenon of social activism and its affect on public opinion and public policy; The changing role of churches and other religious groups and their impact on corporate strategy and behavior; The emergence of UN affiliated international bodies, as both arbiters and regulators of market conduct of multinational corporations; The changing dynamics between multinational corporations and host countries; The factors which determine a company's behavior and its ability to adapt to changing societal expectations. £/LIST£ Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: Nestlé and the Infant Formula Controversy presents a microcosm of business society conflicts being played out in all parts of the world. This scholarly book will be of great interest to academics in the areas of management, business ethics, social conflict, and international regulation. It will also appeal to a broad corporate and government audience and to anyone interested in contemporary world affairs and the increasing globalization of socio-economic conflicts.

Mathews examines a handful of multinationals from the "Periphery" that have globalized their operations extremely rapidly. These firms have utilized strategies of international linkage and leverage to speed their global coverage. Mathews contends that the new global business world will offer unprecedented opportunities for firms that know how to enmesh themselves in global networks.