MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION

Relevance, nature and economic effects of innovation activities of multinational corporations (MNCs) are highly debated topics in the current literature on “globalisation of technology”. A controversial theme concerns the innovation strategies of foreign affiliates (FAs) and the role they play in host countries. This paper sheds new light on this topic using data provided by the second Community Innovation Survey (CIS 2). In particular the paper aims at: i. assessing the technological contribution of FAs in a host country (i.e. Italy) by comparing the innovation performances and strategies of FAs and domestic firms; ii. identifying and qualifying the main patterns of innovative activities of MNCs. The empirical evidence presented shows that FAs and domestic firms differ from each other more in terms of “type of innovation strategies ” pursued by the firms than in terms of “innovation performances”. However, innovation strategies of FAs present a high degree of heterogeneity, being a...

In this article we analyze the corporate dominance of health care in the United States and the dynamics that have motivated the international expansion of multinational health care corporations, especially to Latin America. We identify the strategies, actions, and effects of multinational corporations in health care delivery and public health policies. Our methods have included systematic bibliographical research and in-depth interviews in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. Influenced by public policy makers in the United States, such organizations as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization have advocated policies that encourage reduction and privatization of health care and public health services previously provided in the public sector. Multinational managed care organizations have entered managed care markets in several Latin American countries at the same time as they were withdrawing from managed care activities in Medicaid and Medicare within the United States. Corporate strategies have culminated in a marked expansion of corporations’ access to social security and related public sector funds for the support of privatized health services. International financial institutions and multinational corporations have influenced reforms that, while favorable to corporate interests, have worsened access to needed services and have strained the remaining public sector institutions. A theoretical approach to these problems emphasizes the falling rate of profit as an economic motivation of corporate actions, silent reform, and the subordination of polity to economy. Praxis to address these problems involves opposition to policies that enhance corporate interests while reducing public sector services, as well as alternative models that emphasize a strengthened public sector.

The shift toward multinational corporations has exposed the auditor to many risks not found on domestic audits, including foreign currency issues, international political risks, international economic risks, greater information asymmetry, and greater complexity. As the client base of the large accounting firms becomes more multinational, it is important to understand whether multinational risk factors are associated with “audit failures.” We

Dentro del ámbito de la Sociología de las Organizaciones, la cultura empresarial se ha abierto un interesante campo desde la década de los 80, a partir de la cual se empezó a confiar en la posibilidad de dirigir grandes compañías con el respaldo de un conocimiento más íntimo de su cultura. Por lo tanto, el conjunto de disciplinas que aborda la teoría organizacional se ve atraído por su estudio, dada la demostrada utilidad de estandarizar comportamientos dentro de la compañía, así como la posible alteración de la propia cultura para repercutir positivamente en producción y beneficios. Estas premisas nos llevaron al estudio de caso de Maersk España en Algeciras. Para tal efecto, abordamos la realidad laboral de la compañía, generando un modelo propio de análisis que nos ha facilitado retratar su cultura empresarial, aplicando distintas técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas. Este diagnóstico nos ha permitido conocer las consecuencias de la integración de distintas subculturas del traba...

The purpose of this paper is to present a reference model for global software development, based on the results found in a case study conducted in two software development units from multinational organizations located in Brazil. A preliminary description of this model was originally published in 2004. In this paper, we present the reference model in detail, improving the description and discussing the factors that enable multinationals corporations to operate successfully across geographic and cultural boundaries. At the end, we also discuss a preliminary evaluation of the reference model usage

This article investigates attitudes that underlie international strategy processes. We propose survey scales of these attitudes and describe tests that support their reliability and validity as measures of constructs—including integration, responsiveness, and coordination—that ...

The US multinational United Fruit Company has been considered the quintessential representative of American imperialism in Central America. Not only did the company enjoy enormous privileges in that region, but also counted on authoritarian governments in dealing with labour ...