The research deals with the extent to which multi-national corporation rely on Taiwan subsidiaries¡¦ knowledge resource while operating their capital in subsidiaries in Mainland China. From the interview of the case study, there are three major driving forces affecting parent companies to count on their Taiwan subsidiaries, forces such as specific of parent companies, resource specific of Taiwan subsidiaries and local resource specific in Mainland China, Regarding specific of parent companies, the following factors effect the extent to which parent companies depend on Taiwan subsidiaries¡¦ knowledge resource:1.entry mode 2.experience in Chinese markets 3.The scope of value activities 4. the human resource exercise. Regarding resource specific of Taiwan subsidiaries, the following factors effect the extent to which parent companies depend on Taiwan subsidiaries¡¦ knowledge and resource.1.the strategic roles 2.strive actively to develop 3.industries 4. vertical and horizontal mode of value activities Regarding specific of local resource qualities in Mainland China, the following factors increase the extent to which parent companies depend on Taiwan subsidiaries¡¦ knowledge and resource.1.culture distance 2.uncertainty of local political and economic environment 3.industry value system of the local environment 4.local appropriate talent and the cost

Abstract Globally recognized for its investment strengths, Taiwan offers superior geographical and cultural advantages, a vibrant yet stable economy, technological prowess, tightly integrated industrial infrastructure, professional talent and a skilled labor force. Taiwan¡¦s economic strength is rooted in its industrial base, which started with a manufacturing boom in basic-level exported goods and progressed to technology intensive industries, such as electrical goods and chemicals. The Taiwan government is dedicated to attracting investment by establishing a free and open investment system, and by providing a good environment for corporate operations. According to the 2005¡ã2006 global competitiveness report issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), in 2005 Taiwan ranks fifth in the world (behind the countries of Finland, the US, Sweden and Denmark), and first in Asia, in growth competitiveness. In its 2nd report in 2006, Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI) of Switzerland ranks our investment environment sixth in the world and third in Asia. The assessments compiled by these institutions, all of which enjoy a high degree of public trust, make it clear that Taiwan has a low-risk investment environment that is suitable for investment, and that its investment environment is a highly advantageous one1. Therefore, the study applies the resource-based theory to the exploration of relationship between core resources and strategy, makes use of records and case study to develop the relevant conclusion and further presents the academic and practical contributions, and provides suggestions for Taiwan enterprises to deliberate the further strategy and direct how the subsequent research concerned is conducted.

This dissertation is a study of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) from its inception in 1919 to the Brussels Conference in 1925. The study argues, based upon evidence from ICC conference proceedings and reports that the ICC, as well as the League of Nations, was part of the pre-war Allied (the United States, Great Britain, and France) imperial project that sought to maintain Allied global hegemony following the Great War. The businessmen of the ICC, who had numerous Allied political ties, were descendants of the social Darwinist milieu, which guided their thought processes and perceptions of the world. Their belief that they operated in a globalized world was, therefore, a misconception. Business leaders were mistakenly convinced that free trade would create and maintain world peace. Business and government operated through a symbiotic relationship throughout the 1920s. Fledgling industries, including automotive and air transport, relied upon government assistance. Thus, Allied and corporate international manipulation of markets was cloaked in the rhetoric of “free trade.” Furthermore, ICC business leaders, operating during the Progressive Era’s focus upon scientific efficiency, were convinced that mass production was the key to rebuilding the global economy in the aftermath of the Great War. Evidence shows that the political economic system erected by the bankers, businessmen and politicians of the 1920s helped lay the foundations for the Great Depression. The system, controlled by the Allied powers, included the gold standard system of international fiduciary exchange, trade regimes operated under the auspices of Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence, Allied multinational corporate (MNC) control of Latin America and the Middle East, via electrical MNCs and oil MNCs, and the control and manipulation of labor and migration. This study contributes to the literature concerning the causes of the Great Depression as well as studies regarding global capitalism. Moreover, the evidence contained within this work suggests that many parts of the neoliberalist argument are actually rooted in the 1920s rather than the late 1970s.

This exploratory study aims to find out the challenges multinational corporations are facing when communicating about the ecological pillar of sustainability internally. By conducting an in-depth investigation of one multinational company, the study identifies three themes which imply potential drawbacks for the company’s goal to become an environmental pioneer within the operating industry. The first obstacle is related to the abstract content and intrinsic character of the sustainability idea. Furthermore, complex international business structures including different target groups hamper the internal sustainability communication, which pursues a peculiarly wide audience and is therefore dependent on the multiplier effect for the spread of information. Moreover, the intrinsic value of sustainability causes a priority lack, perception difficulties of the communicated messages as well as gaps between attitude and behavior. A long time period is required in order for the internal communication to achieve a change. All in all, especially the abstract, voluntary and intrinsic character of sustainability makes the communication uniquely difficult and thus demanding an overall change of the society’s attitude and prospect towards the topic.

In the area of knowledge management and knowledge governance, previous research has mostly focused on either knowledge stocks or knowledge flows of firms or organizational units. Contrary to this work, our study is among the first to integrate these two perspectives in order to shed light on the complementarity effects of different types of knowledge stocks and flows in the multinational corporation (MNC). We investigate intra-functional as well as cross-functional complementarity effects from the perspective of the knowledge recipient. We test the impact of stocks on flows on the benefit that is created for MNC units. Based on a comprehensive sample of 324 relationships between MNC units we find that both types of complementarity create benefits for these units, but that the effects from intra-functional combinations of knowledge stocks and flows are significantly stronger than from cross-functional combinations.

South African Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are expanding their operations and seeking investment opportunities elsewhere bedsides South Africa. Some of these opportunities present themselves in unfamiliar environments which are politically risky nonetheless South African MNCs continue to invest in such countries. The aim of this research paper is to establish the impact of political risk on foreign direct investment decisions by South African MNCs. The paper seeks to establish key political risk factors that South African MNCs consider prior to investing in a country deemed politically risky. Once they have indentified these political risk factors, what are the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) drivers attracting them to a specific country despite its political climate? The paper attempts to understand the decision making process of MNCs when seeking to invest in a politically risky country and to what extent do MNCs involve the incumbent government and other local stakeholders in this process. Lastly the paper seeks to establish how MNCs manage the impact of political risk in a country.A qualitative research methodology with an exploratory design was used to collect the data. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with eight representatives from South African MNCs which are doing business in politically risky countries.The results reveal that political risk has a significant impact on the FDI decision making process of South African MNCs and how they go about conducting this process has a far reaching impact on the success of the MNC in a politically risky country. Conducting a thorough political environment assessment is critical, by engaging the incumbent government and all relevant stakeholders is key when seeking to invest in politically risky countries. Politics drive economics therefore one cannot separate economics and politics. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Attention of top managers has an impact on future direction of an organization according to the attention-based view of the firm. In the context of multinational corporations, headquarters’ attention is likely to influence the actions and behavior of subsidiaries. Thus, in the thesis, I respond to calls for more research on this topic: enhancing the understanding about how a subsidiary’s perception of headquarters’ attention relates to its choice of communication moves when sharing business ideas with headquarters (also known as subsidiary voice). In recent research, subsidiary voice is viewed as a bottom-up tool for subsidiaries to attract headquarters’ attention to issues that they consider important for their local units and the entire organization. In line with the research purpose, the data were collected at the subsidiary level through a combination of both, survey and interviews. The findings based on empirical data point out that a subsidiary’s perception of headquarters’ attention engagement has a positive impact on its voice. This means that subsidiaries not having regular interaction with headquarters are unable to select communication moves that can attract headquarters’ attention and hence encounter challenges in adopting an initiative-taking approach to gain influence or a central position in the organization. As a result, contrary to the claims put forth in recent research, the thesis findings highlight that subsidiary voice alone is not enough to attract headquarters’ attention. Instead, subsidiaries can only use their voice when they have power (also called weight) to influence headquarters’ attention and decisions. This gives rise to an unequal playing field because subsidiaries that lack considerable weight are unable to contribute to strategy formulation and future planning done by the headquarters, with regard to their own units and the organization in general. On the contrary, subsidiaries with a considerable weight experience a high degree of attention engagement from the headquarters and thus find it easier to attract headquarters’ attention for their business ideas.

This thesis focuses on the private sector response to the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and the United States (US) in multinational businesses and corporations. From an epidemiological perspective HIV/AIDS and its co infections cause acute and chronic illness in the workforce leading to programs and interventions of various complexity and effectiveness. Workforce HIV/AIDS epidemiology in South Africa and the US is reviewed and discussed. From a critical medical anthropology perspective multinational corporations are political and economic entities with immense resources and power over people, communities, and governments globally. Corporate culture becomes important in the design of prevention and treatment strategies. Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) global AIDS program (GAP) allowed the researcher to conduct key informant interviews and participant observation in five multinational business in South Africa. Important issues are raised regarding workforce education, stigma, workplace and community relationships, rapid-saliva versus blood sample testing, and the need for more disclosure and involvement of people with HIV/AIDS (PWHAs) in the workplace. In light of increasing global capitalization, poor government services for prevention and treatment, and the fact that HIV/AIDS discrimination is a human rights abuse, from a collective standpoint businesses have been slow to respond to HIV/AIDS, in southern Africa as well as in the United States, and should make it a core component of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies regardless of disease prevalence in the workforce.

This thesis emphasizes the technological evolution of technologically advanced foreign subsidiaries of multinational corporations, in order to examine specific and related research questions as to what is the nature of the advanced modern MNC regarding technological growth. In particular, evolutionary paths and potential limits to the development of technological capabilities at the level of individual foreign subsidiaries, and to what extent these subsidiaries serve as significant sources of technological capabilities for other actors in the multinational group are highlighted. More specific, longitudinal patterns and pace in the emergence and diffusion of new technological capabilities by advanced foreign subsidiaries are studied.   Event history analysis of the complete U.S. patenting activity of 23 Swedish multinationals over the 1893-1990 time period reveals accelerated emergence of new technological capabilities by advanced foreign subsidiaries, but at moderate hazard rates. The results also show that there are substantially different probabilities of introducing new technological capabilities depending on the type of entry mode and that acquired subsidiaries are much more important than greenfield subsidiaries as growth engines for the technological renewal of the MNC. Moreover, the findings suggest the presence of an increased pace in reverse diffusion, hence the later into the time period a technological capability emerges in an advanced foreign subsidiary, the faster it is diffused to headquarters. The results also demonstrate that the type of subsidiary has a significant influence on diffusion patterns of new technological capabilities and thus how capabilities are leveraged throughout the MNC network.   To conclude, a balanced view on the creative capabilities of the MNC seems to be called for. The modern MNC does have and display many of the features of the modern MNC as identified in previous literature, but the expectations traditionally and generally expressed in the literature may have been an overstatement of actual conditions and developments. The ultimate technological limits of advanced foreign subsidiaries seem far from reached, and the final word on the ultimate importance of these subsidiaries as significant sources of new technological capabilities for other actors in the MNC is still to be spoken.

Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are facing the paradox of globalization and localization in entering each new market. Generally, there are two perspectives which regard to how a MNC configure its cross-border activities: The first is global convergence perspective, which focuses on leveraging corporate resources and attaining global synergies. The second is international diversity perspective, which lays more emphasis on local adaptation and harnessing diversities. Both perspectives have their pros and cons, a balance between international standardization and local adaptation is vital. For the major Auto Giants in the world operating and competing worldwide, the significance of China market is as clear as day to everyone. This paper focuses on how the major Auto Giants balance the paradox of globalization and localization in the China market. In other words, how the MNCs deal with the dilemma of globalization and localization under different strategic contexts? We adopt a model which divides their activities in China into 6 stages and which includes criteria with regard to the dilemma of localization and globalization.