Decreasing importance of national economies as subjects of international trade and increasing importance of multinational corporations as the most important actor of international business activities is a characteristic trend in the world economy since the end of the 20th century. The thesis describes actual status of national economies and multinational corporations in the global economic system and its role in international trade; defines possibilities of growth in competitiveness of national economies and analises an extent to which multinational corporations can participate on this growth or be its source.

My thesis concentrates on a specific Czech company, owned by a foreign multinational corporation and its effects on the Czech market. The name of the company is Eurest, Ltd., its owner is a british company Compass Group PLC. The thesis is dividend into two main parts. First, theoretical, deals with globalization, FDI and multinational corporations in general. The second, practical part is focused on the description of the company's activities, offered products and services and the internal affairs. This thesis also describes relationships with customers, suppliers and other important subjects involved in business with Eurest. It also describes and analyzes particular effects and indicators it has had on the Chech market over the period from 2002 to 2007. The future plans of the company are also described.

This thesis deals with multinational companies and their operations in developing countries. The first part describes characteristics and general functioning of multinational companies, their origin, development and role in the global economy. The second section introduces economic and social structure of developing countries and analyzes the positive and negative impacts of multinational companies on economic, social and political development, culture and environment of host developing counties. The subject of the third chapter is description of two particular examples of these companies in developing countries -- Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria and Nike in Southeast Asia. The fourth chapter presents the possibilities of regulation of multinational corporations.

The subject of the diploma thesis is Foreign Exchange Management. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the differences of FX management in multinational corporations based on the case study. The theoretical part focuses on the possibilities of FX exposure management. In the case study the process of FX management in particular multinational company is analysed.

In the current global market, knowledge is viewed as a source of competitive advantage. In particular, it has become a crucial factor for Multinational Corporations (MNCs). MNCs are searching for appropriate ways to manage and use their knowledge effectively and efficiently. Their challenge is how to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and maximise the value from all available knowledge assets. In response to this, MNCs use Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs) for sharing, utilising and integrating knowledge as well as supporting Decision-making Processes. Therefore, the primary concern of this research is to examine knowledge sharing by using KMSs to support decision-making processes in MNCs. The study extends the existing literature on KMSs, knowledge sharing, and decision-making processes by proposing and empirically testing a new conceptual model in MNCs. For this purpose, a mixed-methods approach has been designed, combining semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire to collect data from MNCs participants from Europe and the Middle-East. In the first phase of this study, 42 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from 32 different MNCs in 12 countries to explore the main factors affecting knowledge sharing by using KMSs to support decision-making processes. A conceptual framework comprising four core dimensions was developed using thematic analysis. In the first dimension, Knowledge Management Systems, three themes were identified: technology acceptance, communication tools, and KMSs usage. In the second dimension, Knowledge Sharing Practices, the three themes were: content, willingness to share, and external factors. In Culture, the themes were: national culture, organisational culture, and information technology culture. In the fourth dimension, Decision-making Processes, extent of analysis and speed of decision-making were identified. This study went a step further than merely identifying the factors that affect KS. A conceptual model and twelve hypotheses were developed based on the findings of the thematic analysis, literature review, and the research objectives. The new model comprises seven constructs: organisational culture, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of using KMSs, KMSs usage, knowledge sharing, decision-making processes and organisational effectiveness. A survey was conducted to collect data on participants’ perceptions to test the model. Responses from 221 KMSs users were analysed. Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the hypothesised relationships. The results revealed that all hypotheses are statistically significant. KMSs usage and organisational culture have a positive and significant impact on knowledge sharing, with organisational culture having the largest impact. KMSs usage, knowledge sharing and organisational culture have a significant effect on decision-making processes; knowledge sharing has the biggest impact, followed by KMSs usage, and a marginally positive impact of organisational culture. Moreover, perceived ease of use has a strong and positive significant impact on the perceived usefulness of KMSs. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and organisational culture have a positive and significant effect on KMSs usage, with organisational culture having the largest impact. Finally, organisational culture, decision-making processes and perceived usefulness have a positive and significant impact on organisational effectiveness, but decision-making processes have the biggest impact. This study has practical implications for different stakeholders in MNCs, including managers, decision makers, KMSs designers, IT specialists, and consultants, in linking KMSs usage and knowledge sharing with decision-making processes and organisational effectiveness, and by focusing on organisational culture in knowledge management.

In recent years nearly every aspect of how we function as a society has transformed from analogue to digital. This has spurred extraordinary change and acted as a catalyst for technology innovation, as well as big data generation. Big data is characterized by its constantly growing volume, wide variety, high velocity, and powerful veracity. With the emergence of COVID-19, the global pandemic has demonstrated the profound impact, and often dangerous consequences, when communicating health information derived from data. Healthcare companies have access to enormous data assets, yet communicating information from their data sources is complex as they also operate in one of the most highly regulated business environments where data privacy and legal requirements vary significantly from one country to another. The purpose of this study is to understand how global healthcare companies communicate information derived from data to their internal and external audiences. The research proposes a model for how marketing communications, public relations, and internal communications practitioners can address the challenges of utilizing data in communications in order to advance organizational priorities and achieve business goals. The conceptual framework is based on a closed-loop communication flow and includes an encoding process specialized for incorporating big data into communications. The results of the findings reveal tactical communication strategies, as well as organizational and managerial practices that can position practitioners best for communicating big data. The study concludes by proposing recommendations for future research, particularly from interdisciplinary scholars, to address the research gaps.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media are constantly drawing attention to human rights violations caused by multinational corporations abroad (MNC). Due to the lack of an adequate framework to hold corporations accountable for their corporate misconduct across borders, there is a liability gap. Extensive research has been undertaken by political philosophers as well as lawyers attempting to fill the gap, leaving the question why it still exists. Currently, there is a debate in the Swiss parliament about the implementation of a constitutional law which could fill this gap. By conducting an argumentation analysis on the parliamentary debate about the Swiss Business Initiative (SBI), this thesis seeks to analyze how politicians are framing the debate, as well as what normative concerns of the academy have been discussed or left out. Finally, the paper concludes with seven findings that could be focused on more in praxis.

This dissertation explores (i) the determinants of executive selection in the international labor market, (ii) how these determinants shift relative to economic and institutional conditions, and (iii) how they differ for various functional roles. Using regression-based analysis and competitive assignment matching models, I examined executive appointment patterns in the subsidiaries of global banks located in Central & Eastern Europe between 2005 and 2012. The setting and timeframe not only yielded a heterogeneous sample of executive appointments under a variety of environmental conditions but also provided the opportunity to study the impact of financial shocks in the environment and/or the subsidiary network on executive succession during and in the aftermath of the Financial Crisis of 2008. The results indicate that there exists a substantial difference in appointment strategies by functional role, which remains intact regardless of the level of environmental uncertainty present in the subsidiary market. In examining the entire subsidiary executive team, the results of the two-sided competitive assignment matching model show that firm-specific human capital is the dominant determinant of an executive appointment during an economic upswing, but during an economic downturn firm-specific human capital is nearly four times weaker in driving an executive—subsidiary match than general human capital. Upon limiting the sample to just subsidiary CEOs, I find that while broad economic shocks and subsidiary-specific performance shocks both incite CEO turnover, they prompt different preferences for successors' human capital attributes. Specifically, country-wide economic crisis promotes a preference for local human capital, while performance shocks limited to the subsidiary are associated with a preference for expatriate human capital and for successors with broad international experience.

A shift in economic power from the developed world to emerging markets has seen the BRICS countries becoming the new growth centre of the world. In 2010, half of the total global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows went to emerging economies. A large portion of these FDI flows goes to the manufacturing industry with a quarter of the global GDP being generated by the production processes of multinational manufacturing enterprises (MMEs). The challenge for the BRICS countries will be to sustain their trend in FDI inflow. Previous studies on this topic focused on the determinants of FDI at country level as opposed to an industry specific focus. The outcome of this study assists MMEs in their entering decisions and policy makers in developing policies that create an enabling environment that will attract foreign capital.This research analyses the BRICS countries as potential destinations for FDI in the manufacturing industry. The analyses followed a three phased approach. The first phase identified the potential determinants of FDI to the manufacturing industry of the BRICS countries. The second phase either validated or disproved investor perceptions about the factors that would impact on the performance of an investment. In the third and final phase of the analysis, the competitiveness of the BRICS countries in attracting FDI to the manufacturing industry was assessed.The analysis of the three hypotheses contributed to the overarching theme of evaluating the BRICS countries as potential destinations for MMEs. The outcome of the analysis highlights that countries are unique and that investor perceptions about a country’s conditions and how this will impact on the performance of an investment are not always valid. In the overall analysis of the BRICS countries as potential destinations for FDI, the majority of the BRICS countries, with the exception of South Africa, are found to be competitive destinations for attracting FDI to the manufacturing industry. On the basis of the outcome of the analysis and the methodology followed in this study, a general model that can be used in future FDI research is suggested. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a source that improves the competiveness of the host country which can be further utilised to develop the country’s own resources and capabilities. In addition, non-affiliated local firms that do not have a foreign partner improve their performance due to the spillover effects gained either through the sharing of resources, learnings or due to the increase in competition. As such, FDI is seen as an important economic growth driver in developing economies since these economies struggle to compete in the global economy.The objective of this research is to determine whether foreign ownership in a developing economy is beneficial in terms of national competiveness; reducing the income gaps; improving employment opportunities; improving the financial performance of an acquired local firm and if the foreign parent introduces new technologies into the economy. Due to the mining- and manufacturing sector being the main recipients of FDI in South Africa and both having similar operations specifically being high capital and labour intensive, these sectors were chosen for the purpose of this research. The data sample was analysed using multiple regression as it is a flexible method of data analysis that may be appropriate whenever a quantitative dependent variable needs to be examined to find a relationship with two or more independent or explanatory variables.The results indicate significant benefits for the host economy in attracting FDI into the country. The benefits seemingly outweigh the costs and the presence of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in South Africa will help it in elevating some of the socio-economic challengers like high unemployment rate and the shortage of skills through resource sharing with the MNCs. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted