MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION

In this paper we use a comparative perspective to explore the ways in which institutions and networks have influenced entrepreneurial development in Russia. We utilize Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data collected in 2001 and 2002 to investigate the effects of the weak institutional environment in Russia on entrepreneurship, comparing it first with all available GEM country samples and second, in more detail, with Brazil and Poland. Our results provide strong evidence that Russia's institutional environment is important to explain its relatively low levels of entrepreneurship development, where the latter is measured in terms of both number of start-ups and of existing business owners. In addition, Russia's business environment contributes to the relative advantage of entrepreneurial insiders (those already in business) to entrepreneurial outsiders (newcomers) in terms of new business startups.

This paper develops a framework of international human resource management (lHRM) that moves bcyotid strategy and structtire to focus on proces.ses. The results of six case studies of large German multinational corporations in three countries show different conligurations of IHRM strategies and policies. International knowledge flows and coordination varied in intensity, content, direction and tiiechanistiis used. With 'cognofederate' IHRM one type was identified that has been hitherto neglected.

This article examines how multinational corporations, recognizing the symbolic value of oil pipelines, flow stations, and platforms as ancestral promises of wealth to subject populations, work with NGOs and communities (sometimes in collaboration with the latter, but sometimes in a more adversarial manner) in setting up governance structures that often compete with, and sometimes oppose, the state in struggles over territorial control and resource extraction. These forms of contestations, it argues, create new sites of power in which NGOs aid multinational oil corporations in negotiating new sites of governance that in themselves create new structures of power.

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.

Using firm-level survey data from Barcelona, Stockholm, Vienna in Europe and Singapore, Penang (Malaysia) and Bangkok in SouthEast Asia the paper enquires into the different R&D and innovation behaviour of multinational and local companies in these Metropolitan Regions. Scrutinizing a set of input, throughput and output indicators as well as information on cooperation characteristics, we try to evaluate a) if the spatial pattern of more (intense) innovation activity in Europe when compared to SouthEast Asia is still valid; and b) if there are reasons to believe that R&D units of multinational corporations in Europe are mainly concerned with the enhancement of the knowledge base and the development of future competitiveness by tapping into localized knowledge and using the particular host regions' innovation systems, while, on the other hand, MNCs in SouthEast Asia use R&D to support existing production facilities in order to exploit an existing competitive advantage. We are able to show that there is still a major gap in the innovation performance between SouthEast Asia and Europe and that there are indeed indications that R&D units in Europe are more orientated towards the augmentation of the company's knowledge base.

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

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 affected by the technological characteristics of industries, the specific technological assets of firms as well as by some peculiar features of the Italian innovation and production systems, namely its specialisation in traditional goods and mechanical engineering combined with its weakness in the science-based sectors. Three distinct innovation patterns of FAs have been identified and labelled respectively as "low-tech" "adaptive" and "asset seeking". These patterns differ on the basis of the overall commitment of FAs to innovation, the sources and objectives of the technological activities undertaken, and according to the nature, strength and geographical horizon of technological links established with the external environment. Among the three, the adaptive pattern is by far the dominant one, while FAs following an "asset-seeking"strategy are rare, and they are surprisingly lacking in high-tech sectors. The empirical findings presented in this paper, along with reflecting the structural features of the Italian industry and innovation system, highlight some more general stylised features of innovative strategies of FAs.

Multinational corporations are continually seeking sources of competitive advantage. In addition to strategic, technological, financial, and organizational capabilities as sources of competitive advantage, this paper argues that ethical capability also can be an important source of sustainable advantage. The paper presents the challenges of ethics in an intemational context, discusses the resource-based view of competitive advantage, and describes how a multinational company can develop and sustain ethical capability through the related processes of transformational leadership, organizational learning, and human re.wurce management.

This study examines the strategies that firms deploy in developing and scaling up organizational ambidexterity under conditions of environmental uncertainty. Using five emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) in the Nigerian financial sector as case studies the study provides a framework of four main ambidextrous strategies deployed by these firms. Based on the dynamic capabilities' lens, the study found that EMNEs pursue a combination of contextual and structural ambidextrous strategies, including new business models, investment in technology for strategic innovation, developing strategic alliances, and internationalization. These strategies serve as levers of dynamic capabilities for fostering exploration of new business opportunities, while strengthening, enriching, and exploiting their existing capabilities. These findings contribute to enriching the existing literature on ambidexterity by contributing to the ongoing debate about how ambidexterity manifest in EMNEs during periods of environmental uncertainty, particularly from an emerging country context.

In this paper I respond to Ajay Sharma's Portrait of a Science Teacher as a Bricoleur: A case study from India, by speaking to two aspects of the bricoleur: the subject and the discursive in relation to pedagogic perspective. I highlight that our subjectivities are negotiated based on the desires of the similar and competing discourses we are exposed to, and the political powers they hold in society. As (science) teachers we modify our practices based upon our own internal arbitrations with discourses.

This study aims to identify how institutional forces, such as regulatory and stakeholder pressures, are related to proactive environmental behavior by hotel facilities participating in Certification for Sustainable Tourism, a voluntary environmental program established by the Costa Rican government. This program is among the first third-party performance-based environmental certification initiatives implemented in the developing world. Findings suggest that voluntary environmental programs that include performance-based standards and third-party monitoring may be effective in promoting beyond-compliance environmental behavior when they are complemented by isomorphic institutional pressures exerted by government environmental monitoring and trade association membership. These results are consistent with neo-institutional theory from the organizational sociology literature. Surprisingly, findings also indicate that compared to locally owned hotels, foreign-owned and multinational subsidiary facilities do not seem to be significantly correlated with higher participation and superior environmental performance in Certification for Sustainable Tourism.

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...

There is a growing literature exploring the role of international trade channels on economic growth, looking at the mechanisms through which import and export flows might affect productivity, technology diffusion and output growth. However, most of this literature appears to neglect an important part of the story, which is the form and the organisation of the relationships (the governance) among the various actors involved in these activities and their implications for development. The recent literature on global value chains and their governance takes this element explicitly into account, and we explore it empirically with a new dataset on Thailand. To this aim, we study global and domestic value chains in Thailand, and develop a quantitative measure of their governance, which takes into account different levels and types of buyer involvement with supplier activities. We then use this measure to explore econometrically its relationship with performance of suppliers. An important finding is that in value chains led by a multinational corporation, the relationships that the leaders have with their suppliers is multifold and generally more intense than for domestic value chains. Our estimates suggest that more intense buyer involvement with local suppliers, not only in the definition of product characteristics, design and quality, but also in technology dissemination and R&D, is generally associated with higher supplier productivity. This is consistent with other sources of evidence. However, the governance of the value chain appears to affect the productivity of suppliers in domestic value chains to a greater extent than for firms supplying multinational corporations or for exporters. We suggest that this result may be explained by the different nature of the information and knowledge being exchanged, and by the larger gaps in knowledge and capabilities between the domestic leader and its suppliers. two anonymous referees for helpful comments. We are also indebted to seminar participants in CNR workshops in Milan, Globelics India 2006 in Trivandrum, Eindhoven Technical University, UNU-MERIT Maastricht for many helpful comments. Financial contribution from the MIUR-PRIN project on 'Capabilities dinamiche tra organizzazione di impresa e sistemi locali di produzione' is gratefully acknowledged. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors and do not involve their respective organisations.

The paper firstly describes how, using the two laws of 'increasing firm size' and 'uneven development', Hymer characterises the multinational corporation (MNC) as a geographically segmented hierarchy. In this structure HQs in a limited number of core countries exercise authoritarian control over global operations through the centralised generation of competitive advantages and determination of strategy. Poor hinterland countries then execute static and dependent low-value roles. The paper then discusses a number of changes to the practical configuration of MNCs since Hymer wrote. Notably the use of integrated supply networks, decentralisation of innovation and R&D and even of strategic decision making. The new organisation is seen in terms of Hedlund's heterarchy. But it is also noted that Hymer foresaw the potential of supply networks and showed the technological feasibility of heterarchical 'grids'. The predicted persistence of hierarchy, for Hymer, was therefore a choice taken by MNCs to secure the continuation of core-country control and the ability to appropriate surplus from the periphery. q

The aim of this article is to contribute to laying a theoretical foundation for visually communicating competence through PechaKucha presentations. PechaKucha is a PowerPoint presentation format consisting of 20 slides that are shown for 20 seconds each. This article argues that the PechaKucha presentation format can be aligned with Nonaka's SECI model (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization) to look at competences from a knowledge creation perspective. From a managerial perspective, the theoretical discussion in this article can be used in organizational settings to share knowledge through PechaKucha presentations between people with different backgrounds. On the other hand, from a research perspective, this article has at least two implications. First, by combining semiotics with knowledge management this article attempts to renew the call for a semiotic/ linguistic perspective to knowledge management. Second, by combining visual communication with written and oral communication, the author calls for a more holistic approach to knowledge-related research in organizational settings.

Contemporary advances in the fields of globalization and technologies raise the question of the relationship between international business and the global common good. Half of the hundred biggest economies in the world are now corporations. Nation-states were traditionally viewed as the guarantors of the common good; however, the current historical stage is marked by the waning of the role of government, and reveals an emerging situation characterized by a co-responsibility of multiple agents in this respect. Three major evolutions are likely to induce multinational corporations (MNCs) to take the global common good into account: the imperative of the preservation of our biosphere, the rise of an anti-globalization sentiment with all its potential consequences, and the necessity to design a global social contract. Besides, these three phenomena are interconnected, which adds to the pressure on MNCs to change their policies.b asr_339 153..182

As multinational corporations (MNC) strive for long term competitiveness in complex business environments the Strategic Development Process has emerged as a potential source of competitive advantage . Despite this recognition there is limited knowledge of the strategy development process and the contributors to strategy development at the subsidiary level of the MNC.

ultinational corporations affect economic, political, and interpersonal relations wherever they do business. But, as the diverse and rapidly growing body of literature on the local impacts of multinationals attests, a general theory that accounts for the scope and character of these effects--even for a limited set of corporations or a specific type of contact--does not exist.

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

The literature on multinational corporations argues that a foreign firm can legitimize its activities, improve its reputation ina host country, and reduce the risk of hostile actions by thehost government (including expropriation) by approachingand incorporating influential members of the domestic elite in its business. By using the concept of obsolescing political legitimacy, we argue that this legitimating strategy can lead to aloss of reputation and eventual illegitimacy when the hostcountry undergoes significant social and institutional changes. When these changes take place, the domestic society can per-ceive that the multinational benefited from a previous social and institutional order increasingly considered as illegitimate. Under these circumstances, the new order will question the legitimacy of the multinational's operations, increasing the riskof expropriation. We illustrate our hypothesis with the caseof the political strategies of the International Telephone and Telegraph Company (ITT) in Chile in the twentieth century.

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The concept of global mobility has always been an implicit notion within international human resource management (IHRM) and in particular expatriate placement however it is also now becoming more common place in the general career landscape and in particular the field of professional recruitment. This paper addresses the increasing importance of global mobility skills and the role these skills play in effective communications and decision making. Globalisation, the spread of multinational corporations and the increasing number of Australian based medium and small enterprises throughout the Asia Pacific region have boosted a trend within organisations for global skill capabilities. This will mean that for many recently graduated business professionals a placement in an overseas office is fast becoming an expectation and an element of professional career progress. Professional skills, knowledge and attitudes in the areas of global competencies, diversity management, cross cultural communication skills, employability skills and graduate attributes will be explored. This paper represents the first phase in exploratory research that will focus on global mobility skills as a professional skill requirement and career development essential for business graduates. The research integrates the discipline fields of professional management education, international human resource management (IHRM) and career development.

Recent developments in the global economy and in multinational corporations have placed significant emphasis on the cognitive orientations of managers, giving rise to a number of concepts such as "global mindset" that are presumed to be associated with the effective management of multinational corporations (MNCs). This paper reviews the literature on global mindset and clarifies some of the conceptual confusion surrounding the construct. We identify common themes across writers, suggesting that the majority of studies fall into one of three research perspectives: cultural, strategic, and multidimensional. We also identify two constructs from the social sciences that underlie the perspectives found in the literature: cosmopolitanism and cognitive complexity and use these two constructs to develop an integrative theoretical framework of global mindset. We then provide a critical assessment of the field of global mindset and suggest directions for future theoretical and empirical research.

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 ...

Firms are social communities that specialize in the creation and internal transfer of knowledge. The multinational corporation arises not out of the failure of markets for the buying and selling of knowledge, but out of its superior efficiency as an organizational vehicle by which to transfer this knowledge across borders. We test the claim that firms specialize in the internal transfer of tacit knowledge by empirically examining the decision to transfer the capability to manufacture new products to wholly owned subsidiaries or to other parties. The empirical results show that the less codifiable and the harder to teach is the technology, the more likely the transfer will be to wholly owned operations. This result implies that the choice of transfer mode is determined by the efficiency of the multinational corporation in transferring knowledge relative to other firms, not relative to an abstract market transaction. The notion of the firm as specializing in the transfer and recombination of knowledge is the foundation to an evolutionary theory of the multinational corporation

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 ...

This paper attempts to develop a set of generic questions the answers to which allow any given R&D activity to be correctly classified in one or another conventional R&D box-basic, applied, development, etc. Such systematic pigeon-holing allows latecomer countries to gauge the distance of their R&D activity from the world frontier, and how policies may be designed to overcome the hurdle that divides applied research and developmental research.

This paper focuses on the study of transnational corporations and their business development through foreign direct investments made in other countries, mostly greenfield type countries. The objective of this paper is to determine the impact of these companies enlargement on the Romanian retail market, especially on the consumer goods market. Transnational companies have experienced a very dynamic economic growth, enjoying success at first in their country and then expanding to other countries. As independent players on the international market, multinational corporations are becoming more and more powerful every day. Most of these companies record annual sales of ten million dollars each. The most important aspect of business globalization is the interdependence between national economies. In this process, Foreign Direct Investments have an important role, given the fact that the internal resources are not enough to ensure the development and support of businesses hence the need to obtain external resources. Generally, FDI have a strong training effect both in the national and global economy, providing the replacement and modernization of techniques and technologies, increasing production and supply of goods, improving their quality and competitiveness, creating new jobs and growing the quality of life. Thus, each national economy is building its economic development strategy in which investments have a predominant role. Foreign Direct Investment is a major driver of globalization that characterizes the modern economy. Increasing of Foreign Direct Investment flows, accompanied by the increasing of the portfolio investments, highlights the major role played by transnational corporations, especially in developing economies and transition economies. The most important areas in which FDI was made in Romania are: financial intermediation and insurance, trade, construction and real estate, information technology and communication. The entering of retail networks on the Romanian market generated mutations in the forms of trade, causing modern trade, which by 2010 reached a market share of 50% of total trade.

There is considerable debate as to the determinants of the human resource policies of human resource management: do they reflect national institutional or cultural realities, emerging common global practices, parent country effects or the dual effects of transnational and national realities? We use an extensive international database to explore these differences, assessing variations in a range of human resource practices. We find new evidence of national differences in the manner in which indigenous firms manage their people, but also evidence of a similarity in practice amongst multinational corporations. In other words, multinational corporations tend to manage their human resources in ways that are distinct from those of their host country; at the same time, country of origin effects seem relatively weak. Whilst there is some evidence of common global practices, sufficient diversity in practice persists to suggest that duality theories may provide the most appropriate explanation.

The paper has 2 major objectives: first, to identify control and delegation issues confronting multinational corporation managers; second, to develop a conceptual model to assist multinational corporation managers in selecting appropriate control systems and determining the extent of delegation to be provided to subsidiary managers. Finally, the paper suggests directions for future research. * Students of organizations have been greatly concerned with issues of control and decision making [

This paper analyzes a range of host country characteristics that determine foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developing countries, using panel data on 72 countries for the period 1970-2008. Keeping in view the endogeneity problem of the chosen host country's characteristics, the model is estimated using the General Method of Moments (GMM) technique. The analysis shows that gross domestic product (GDP), economic growth, and per capita income positively affect FDI-a result consistent with the marketseeking behavior of multinational corporations (MNCs). Furthermore, we find that remittances have a significant and positive impact on FDI. On the other hand, inflation and the balance of payments deficit have negative effects on FDI. MNCs are attracted to host countries that are outward looking and follow trade-promoting policies. This is confirmed by the positive effect of openness on FDI flows to developing countries. The study also finds that the effect of military expenditures on FDI is negative and significant. Finally, our analysis finds that the real exchange rate has a significantly negative impact on FDI.

Purpose -There exists limited research directly highlighting the relationship between value preference and its association with people's expectations from the workplace. Studying personal value preference is important because a substantial body of research indicates that a specific pattern of value orientations predicts world views, and, hence, it may predict behavior in the workplace. Based on the above-mentioned assumptions, the present study aims to explore the impact of value preferences on the meaning of workplace, across MBA-and non-MBA graduates and Indian and non-Indian graduates. It is proposed that value preferences will have a significant impact on meaning of workplace and values preferences are likely to differ across national culture. Design/methodology/approach -The paper draws on qualitative research, a pilot study and survey research design. Data were gathered from a sample of 312 graduates, consisting of 231 management students and 81 non-management students. Of these 245 are Indians and 67 non-Indians studying in India, the USA, and the UK. Findings -Results of exploratory factor analysis helped the authors to derive ten significant factors from the meaning of workplace scale and four factors from the values scale. Results of stepwise multiple regression analysis have shown significant positive impact of value preference on the choice of preferred workplace. More specifically, higher progressive orientation has been found to positively influence the intrapreneurship factor of meaning of workplace factor. Values of personal growth, self-fulfillment, and community development have explained a large amount of variances in work-life balance and physical ambience.

Clearly, a substantial challenge for multinational corporations (MNCs), in the current environment of intensified competition and rapid industry consolidation, is one of much greater worldwide integration. Necessitated by intense competitive pressures, MNCs are integrating their disparate country operations in order to achieve economies across markets and operating units. This article integrates the motives and facilitators of the progression towards commonality in practices and metrics across subsidiaries and affiliates into a comprehensive framework of a global company. Preliminary results from a pilot study of the characteristics of common global practices among a sample of MNCs are presented as an initial validation of the conceptualization. The article also explores the benefits MNCs derive from the implementation of common practices across their worldwide operations, in pursuit of a global strategy.

Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs) are becoming part of the agenda in many of today's leading firms. Through in-depth case studies of seven multinational companies (MNCs), examined over a period of four years, we identify four distinctive types of KMS e Fragmented, Content-based, Process-based and Capability-based -and their characteristics. These characteristics include both the structure, dimension and flow of the knowledge itself, and the staffing, training and reward systems in place to support the KMS. Relevant organisational factors influencing KMS design and implementation include the level of resource commitment by the headquarters, the structure of the firm, and the distribution of roles between headquarters and subsidiaries. Key external influences include the degree of environmental change and pressures to follow industry norms in technology investment. Our empirical evidence suggests that while some MNCs adopt the same type of KMS for relatively long periods of time, others transit between different KMS types. Moreover, transitions between types may follow either an increased resource commitment and augmented KMS sophistication, or a decreased resource commitment and reduced KMS complexity. Insights from the strategy-structure-process and change management literatures are utilised to examine these transitions between KMS types. Key lessons for MNC managers are provided in relation to both the initial adoption of a KMS and the handling of transitions between different systems.

We link up with the recent literature on the differentiated MNC and in particular with its stress on intra-MNC knowledge flows. However, rather than focusing on the characteristics of knowledge as determinants of knowledge transfer within MNCs, we focus instead on levels of knowledge in subsidiaries, the sources of transferable subsidiary knowledge and on the organizational means and conditions that realize knowledge transfer as the relevant determinants. We find largely positive support for the relevant hypotheses. These are tested on a unique dataset on knowledge development in subsidiary firms [the Centre of Excellence (CoE) project]. D

In this paper we explore the notion of convergence in managerial practice as a result of globalization. Focused on convergence at the national level, we offer a more nuanced exposition of convergence than has been evident in previous literature and draw upon a study that empirically analyzes the development of HRM in larger private sector firms in 13 European countries between 1992 and 2004 to examine any evidence of human resource management practices becoming more alike. We find considerable evidence of directional similaritypractices increasing or decreasing in the same way across the countriesbut no evidence of final convergencecountries becoming more alike in the way they manage people. The findings have important implications for theories of convergence, theories of HRM, and for practitioners in multinational corporations.

The European Commission's eEurope initiative aims to bring every citizen, home, school, business and administration online to create a digitally literate Europe. The value lies not in the objective itself, but in its ability to facilitate the advance of Europe into new ways of living and working. Just as in the first literacy revolution, our lives will change in ways never imagined. The vision of eEurope is underpinned by a technological infrastructure that is now taken for granted. Yet it provides us with the ability to pioneer radical new ways of doing business, of undertaking science, and, of managing our everyday activities. Key to this step change is the development of appropriate mechanisms to automate and improve existing tasks, to anticipate desired actions on our behalf (as human users) and to undertake them, while at the same time enabling us to stay involved and retain as much control as required. For many, these mechanisms are now being realised by agent technologies, which are already providing dramatic and sustained benefits in several business and industry domains, including B2B exchanges, supply chain management, car manufacturing, and so on. While there are many real successes of agent technologies to report, there is still much to be done in research and development for the full benefits to be achieved. This is especially true in the context of environments of pervasive computing devices that are envisaged in coming years. This paper describes the current state-of-the-art of agent technologies and identifies trends and challenges that will need to be addressed over the next 10 years to progress the field and realise the benefits. It offers a roadmap that is the result of discussions among participants from over 150 organisations including universities, research institutions, large multinational corporations and smaller IT start-up companies. The roadmap identifies successes and challenges, and points to future possibilities and demands; agent technologies are fundamental to the realisation of next generation computing.

Strategic sourcing is critical for firms practicing the principles of supply chain management. It specifically deals with managing the supply base in an effective manner by identifying and selecting suppliers for strategic long-term partnerships, involving in supplier development initiatives by effectively allocating resources to enhance supplier performance, providing benchmarks and continuous feedback to suppliers, and in some cases involving in supplier pruning activities. Currently, the methodologies in practice for strategic sourcing have mostly been subjective in nature with few objective decision models focused at supplier evaluation, which are also not devoid of limitations. This paper proposes an objective framework for effective supplier sourcing, which considers multiple strategic and operational factors in the evaluation process. Suppliers are categorized into groups based on performance, which assists managers in identifying candidates for strategic long-term partnerships, supplier development programs, and pruning. In addition, this research investigates the differences among supplier groups in proposing possible improvement strategies for ineffectively performing suppliers. Also, we demonstrate the methodological richness of our framework when compared to some of the traditional methods proposed and utilized for supplier evaluation purposes. The supplier data utilized in the study is obtained from a large multinational corporation in the telecommunications industry.

Multinational corporations have made significant contributions to the economic growth of Singapore; American and Japanese companies are among those in the forefront. This study is aimed at finding the extent to which US and Japanese companies have transferred and implemented the management practices in their subsidiaries operating in Singapore. Extensive and intensive interviews of a small sample of companies in the electronic/electrical industry reveal that the Japanese are not practising what they do in Japan while the Americans have demonstrated that the transferability of their management practices is feasible and they are workable in Singapore.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to propose potential challenges faced by multinational companies (MNCs) managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based on two inductive case studies of French MNCs in the retail sector. Data from interviews and documents were collected and analysed at the headquarters in France and the Brazilian subsidiary. Findings -The paper contributes in the following ways: five challenges are proposed that must be faced by MNCs in managing their CSR strategy. The challenges are related to the link between literature and three dimensions and five sub-dimensions that emerged from the two cases studied: the governance structure (the structure of the CSR department and dialogue with stakeholders); corporate ethics (the definition of objectives and corporate posture); and organizational learning (awareness and information exchanged about CSR). Research limitations/implications -As this is a topic that is little addressed by the CSR's literature, a future research agenda for the relation between the headquarters and the subsidiary in considering CSR strategies can be established. It is suggested that the five challenges presented here should be deeply explored and potential solutions for each one can be investigated in depth. Practical implications -The proposed challenges can yield some implications for managers of MNCs who are intending to manage the headquarters/subsidiary relationship considering the MNCs' CSR strategies. They should identify adapted ways to introduce actions related to the three dimensions and five sub-dimensions presented here. Originality/value -Little attention has been paid to this specific link between CSR and MNC literature: the relation between the headquarters and the subsidiary considering CSR strategies. This paper proposes some challenges that can help researchers investigate potential solutions and managers to have an agenda to be addressed.

This paper investigates how subsidiary companies are able to contribute to the firm-specific advantages of the multinational corporation (MNC). Specifically we examine the determinants of the contributory role of the subsidiary and subsidiary initiative. The study reveals the following significant relationships: (a) internal subsidiary resources in combination with initiative have a strong positive impact on the subsidiary's contributory role; (b) subsidiary initiative is strongly associated with the leadership and entrepreneurial culture in the subsidiary; and (c) contributory role is strongly associated with subsidiary autonomy and a low level of local competition. We discuss the implications of these findings and some of the theoretical issues associated with subsidiary initiative. Our provisional conclusion is that MNC subsidiaries can not only contribute to firm-specific advantage creation, they can also drive the process.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between religiosity and the feeling of work stress, as represented by Muslim attitudes towards the religiosity scale. Design/methodology/approach -A sample of 212 employees from the United Arab Emirates participated in the study. Frequencies, regression, ANOVA, and ratios were applied in the paper. Findings -The major results revealed that self-evaluation of faith level is not related significantly to any dependent variable. The majority of the respondents reported a low level of faith. Muslim females were identified to experience more work stress than males. Additional studies concerned with other religions can provide more comprehensive findings related to the relationship between religion and work stress. Originality/value -Multinational corporation and other business organizations can derive great benefit from the results of this paper with regard to business in Islamic countries.