Recently for over 20 years, the scholar who studies multinational corporation study the focus to move from MNC headquarter to MNC subsidiaries gradually, make the research about subsidiary's management increase gradually. And the autonomy is a subject that is worth studying among them, for MNCs, the subsidiary¡¦s autonomy is more and more important. Supports MNC headquarter and carries out the global strategies are subsidiary¡¦s mission. But with the difference of the control system of MNC, with the difference of the fierce change degree of environment, will cause the difference of subsidiary¡¦s autonomy. Try to find out the factor influencing autonomy from Taiwan and mainland subsidiary in this research. This research studies with four factors to find out which variable affect the extent of subsidiary¡¦s autonomy: First, how the subsidiary manager¡¦s traits influence on MNC subsidiary¡¦s autonomy; Second, how the MNC headquarters¡¦ traits influence on MNC subsidiary¡¦s autonomy; Third, how the environmental traits influence on MNC subsidiary¡¦s autonomy; Fourth, how the MNC subsidiary¡¦s traits influence on MNC subsidiary¡¦s autonomy. This research takes the measure of case study by interview. The case company sets up subsidiaries in Taiwan and mainland, and for the high-order executive of the interview case company. Originally discover the headquarter exerts a tremendous influence, nearly determine the extent of subsidiary¡¦s autonomy. And subsidiary manager's great ambition is also an important influence factor. In addition, discover that subsidiary's autonomy is dynamic equilibrium, result of compromise, and subsidiary¡¦s autonomy changes like a cycle.

Horizontal relationships between subsidiaries within an MNC are rarely shown on an organisation chart but the interactions along this dimension are critical to the achievement of an MNC’s global operations and strategic activities. Different interaction logics of social relationships and economic exchanges in horizontal relationships induce simultaneous competition and collaboration between the subsidiaries. Collaboration and competition is a business reality in inter-subsidiary relationships as they collaborate to share resources and knowledge, but ultimately compete for resources, customers and profits. While much research has focused on the effects of internal collaboration, and to a lesser extent internal competition, on organisational performance, little is known about the antecedents of competition and collaboration and the interplay of simultaneously occurring interactions. By focusing on one or the other, any understanding of the inherent tensions between the two is overlooked. This research explores the coopetitive nature of the inter-subsidiary relationship using a qualitative approach within three MNCs, where internal competition and collaboration are more salient. Data were gathered from 98 semi-structured interviews with top and senior management, top management focus groups and a body of secondary data including internal reports, policy documents and external publications, among others, has been referenced. The study makes three key contributions. First, by extending Luo’s (2005) theoretical model of intra-MNE coopetition, the study identifies additional respective antecedents of competition and collaboration. Second, the study locates inherent tensions arising from inter-subsidiary coopetition and explicates how the tensions are managed by the HQ and subsidiaries using spatial, balancing and assessing mechanisms and specific interventions. Third, the study offers an empirically-based model of inter-subsidiary coopetition with a more dynamic and temporal set of multiple relationships among the subsidiaries within the MNCs. Management implications include that senior management teams be aware of the opportunities and constraints of promoting a culture of collaboration while simultaneously fostering inter-subsidiary competition through internal accounting policies and incentive systems, and that the capability of senior managers to work effectively within dual organisational structures be developed and incorporated into executive development programmes.

This study has investigated the evolution of Michelin Siam Group (MSG), a Thai subsidiary of the Michelin Group (France), over the period between 1987 and 2007. Particular attention has been given to the process of changing subsidiary roles as well as factors influencing the process. The study has adopted a qualitative case-study approach based on the data collected from interviews of senior managers at MSG. The analysis has demonstrated that over the past 20 years, MSG has undergone several changes in its charters and capabilities, with the changes in its roles accordingly. In its early years (pre-1997), MSG was a ??local implementer?? in its MNC network, mainly serving the local market in a limited range of product lines mandated by the headquarters (HQs). Its charters, both manufacturing and commercial charters, have since been extended to cover broader product lines and international markets beyond Thailand through the accumulation of production capabilities enhanced by a range of training programmes. MSG has thus increasingly shifted from a ??local implementer?? to a ??regional/global implementer??. More importantly, it has also been revealed that the changes in MSG??s roles have been strongly influenced by the HQs. Through its control over decision making, the HQs has been heavily involved in introducing changes at MSG. However, the role of subsidiary, industry, and local environment factors should not be neglected. MSG??s increasing capabilities and superior performance coupled with the favourable and dynamic local environment as well as the competitive nature of an industry have been found to have instigated HQs?? favourable decisions for MSG. While the HQs has been the dominant driver of MSG??s roles and changes in its roles, the findings of this study largely appear to support the influences of the interplay of corporate, subsidiary, industry, and local environment factors in shaping subsidiary roles over time.

This research aims to 1) analyse the key roles and activities performed by foreign MNC subsidiaries in Japan, and 2) investigate the key factors leading to the creation of centres of excellence among those subsidiaries.We surveyed 134 MNC foreign subsidiaries in Japan and identified three key areas for the formation of centres of excellence in Japan. The first is the continuous expansion of R&D activities; the second is the integration of R&D processes and functions within the rest of the MNC; the third is subsidiary linkage with external suppliers. Whilst we have many in-depth studies of multinational MNC activities in markets outside of Japan, fewer investigate foreign MNC activities in Japan. Our study has practical implications for senior management of multinational MNCs who intend to start up or expand operations in the Japanese market.In summary, centres of excellence in Japan need to have all-round balanced capabilities with strong competence in the R&D area.

The trend of green consumerism and increased standardization of environmental regulations has driven multinational corporations (MNCs) to seek standardization of environmental practices or at least seek to be associated with such behavior. In fact, many firms are seeking to free ride on this global green movement, without having the actual ecological footprint to substantiate their environmental claims. While scholars have articulated the benefits from such optimization of uniform global green operations, the challenges for MNCs to control and implement such operations are understudied. For firms to translate environmental commitment to actual performance, the obstacles are substantial, particularly for the MNC. This is attributed to headquarters’ (HQ) control challenges (1) in managing core elements of the corporate environmental management (CEM) process and specifically matching verbal commitment and policy with ecological performance and by (2) the fact that the MNC operates in multiple markets and the HQ is required to implement policy across complex subsidiary networks consisting of diverse and distant units. Drawing from the literature on HQ challenges of MNC management and control, this study examines (1) how core components of the CEM process impact optimization of global environmental performance (GEP) and then uses network theory to examine how (2) a subsidiary network’s dimensions can present challenges to the implementation of green management policies. It presents a framework for CEM which includes (1) MNCs’ Verbal environmental commitment, (2) green policy Management which guides standards for operations, (3) actual environmental Performance reflected in a firm’s ecological footprint and (4) corporate environmental Reputation (VMPR). Then it explains how an MNC’s key subsidiary network dimensions (density, diversity, and dispersion) create challenges that hinder the relationship between green policy management and actual environmental performance. It combines content analysis, multiple regression, and post-hoc hierarchal cluster analysis to study US manufacturing MNCs. The findings support a positive significant effect of verbal environmental commitment and green policy management on actual global environmental performance and environmental reputation, as well as a direct impact of verbal environmental commitment on green policy management. Unexpectedly, network dimensions were not found to moderate the relationship between green management policy and GEP.

In networked MNCs where knowledge and power are distributed, corporate strategy processes benefit from input arising from many different levels of the organization. Recently, the regional (i.e., supra-national) level has been emphasized as an important additional source of knowledge and input, and as a bridge between local subsidiaries and global corporate headquarters. This paper builds theory on the antecedents to regional headquarters' influence on corporate decisions (i.e., organizational, behavioral, and motivational). Based on a survey of regional headquarters in Europe and their relations with MNC headquarters, we provide empirical evidence that a regional headquarters' autonomy and signaling behavior have significant effects on its influence on corporate strategy. Furthermore, we find support for our hypothesis that the regional headquarters' charter moderates such bottom-up influence. (authors' abstract)

Horizontal relationships between subsidiaries within an MNC are rarely shown on an organisation chart but the interactions along this dimension are critical to the achievement of an MNC’s global operations and strategic activities. Different interaction logics of social relationships and economic exchanges in horizontal relationships induce simultaneous competition and collaboration between the subsidiaries. Collaboration and competition is a business reality in inter-subsidiary relationships as they collaborate to share resources and knowledge, but ultimately compete for resources, customers and profits. While much research has focused on the effects of internal collaboration, and to a lesser extent internal competition, on organisational performance, little is known about the antecedents of competition and collaboration and the interplay of simultaneously occurring interactions. By focusing on one or the other, any understanding of the inherent tensions between the two is overlooked. This research explores the coopetitive nature of the inter-subsidiary relationship using a qualitative approach within three MNCs, where internal competition and collaboration are more salient. Data were gathered from 98 semi-structured interviews with top and senior management, top management focus groups and a body of secondary data including internal reports, policy documents and external publications, among others, has been referenced. The study makes three key contributions. First, by extending Luo’s (2005) theoretical model of intra-MNE coopetition, the study identifies additional respective antecedents of competition and collaboration. Second, the study locates inherent tensions arising from inter-subsidiary coopetition and explicates how the tensions are managed by the HQ and subsidiaries using spatial, balancing and assessing mechanisms and specific interventions. Third, the study offers an empirically-based model of inter-subsidiary coopetition with a more dynamic and temporal set of multiple relationships among the subsidiaries within the MNCs. Management implications include that senior management teams be aware of the opportunities and constraints of promoting a culture of collaboration while simultaneously fostering inter-subsidiary competition through internal accounting policies and incentive systems, and that the capability of senior managers to work effectively within dual organisational structures be developed and incorporated into executive development programmes.

In this paper, we examine responses to the conflicting institutional demands faced by an e-commerce subsidiary located in Sub-Saharan Africa and headquartered in Europe. Following an inductive approach, we gathered data from a 6-month participant-observation study and interviews with local managers. Our findings show that the subsidiary managers responded to conflicting institutional demands in a dynamic way, taking one response after the other. In some cases, the subsidiary managers responded in a way that they thought would be satisfactory but subsequent pressures from their headquarters or their local environment pushed them to adopt a new response. In other cases, the subsidiary managers intentionally adopted responses knowing that they would (have to) adopt another response later in the process.

With the development of globalization, increasingly more companies began to use worldwide resources to do product or service research and development. Multinational corporations (MNC) became to more rely on their subunits that located in different countries to conduct innovations. As a result, keep a good knowledge transfer between headquarter and subunits or among peer subunits is crucial for MNC to operate R & D activities. This study explores the relationship between knowledge transfer and R & D operations through two knowledge transfer mechanisms and three categories of R & D configurations.   By applying the qualitative strategy with a focus on four case companies (three are from Sweden, one is from China), we conduct a cross case analysis and the result shows that both expatriate management policy and communication frequency are very important knowledge transfer mechanisms for MNC to keep a good knowledge transfer in global R & D operations. In terms of expatriate management policy, it is very important for MNC sending engineers from headquarter to subunits or between peer subunits in order to transfer technology knowledge and facilitate R & D operations. Moreover, send top managers from headquarter to subunits could also help transfer process knowledge and keep overall control of subunits. In terms of communication frequency, if MNC employs a concentrated development in headquarter (or R & D center), it is very important to maintain a frequent communication between headquarter and subunits so as to keep a smooth knowledge transfer between them. And if MNC applies a dispersed research and development configuration, keep a frequent communication between peer subunits is crucial. In addition, this study also found certain connections between innovation process and R & D configurations.

The purpose of this study was to examine how Swedish-based MNCs handle their repatriation process with a focus on knowledge transfer upon return. Moreover, the study reviewed whether a global mindset is present or not in the companies and if it is associated with how repatriates’ knowledge is utilized. The study was conducted through interviews with seven repatriates and six HR managers in six different MNCs. The findings show a lack of awareness about what the repatriates have learnt during their assignments, and that there are no routines in place for capturing the knowledge upon return. Also, it identifies a gap between the companies’ and the repatriates’ views about the goals of the assignment and the value of the overall international experience. Finally, the study suggests various improvements for companies on how to better utilize their resources and enhance their global mindset in order to create a sustainable competitive advantage.