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.

The Determinants of MNC Subsidiary¡¦s Autonomy and Initiative An Empirical Study of MNC Subsidiary in Taiwan Abstract The research focus of MNC subsidiary has been transferred from HQ perspective to transnational network perspective. Under network perspective, MNC subsidiary¡¦s role and function have been widely recognized. Some subsidiaries do not play a receptive role dictated from HQ, but leap to an international player or product mandate. Through fifty years economic development, the MNC Taiwan subsidiary¡¦s role has been changed. Therefore, it is worthy to study the MNC Taiwan subsidiary¡¦s behavior. This thesis focuses on the determinants of subsidiary¡¦s autonomy and initiative. We define the subsidiary autonomy as the level to which the HQ delegate and the subsidiary initiative as the result of subsidiary¡¦s autonomous innovation. The subsidiary autonomy demonstrates the subsidiary¡¦s ability to operate independently. The subsidiary initiative exhibits the subsidiary can contribute to the whole MNC. This research utilizes the HQ¡Xsubsidiary dyadic relationship characteristics, the level to which subsidiary¡¦s dependence on MNC, the subsidiary¡¦s resource and subsidiary¡¦s network characteristics as the explanatory variables to examine the effects on subsidiary¡¦s autonomy and initiative. The rationales of the hypotheses include procedure justice theory, resource dependence perspective, resource based view and MNC network perspective. This research uses survey to collect data. The population is the list of foreign enterprises in Taiwan published by Dun and Bradstreet, 2000. The subsidiaries belong to manufacturing industry and non-financial service industry. The subsidiaries are owned by foreign MNC. Its scale is above 30 people and its operation time must exceed one year. We use cluster analysis to formulate the subsidiary role, and use multi-regression and ANCOVA analysis to examine the effects of independent variables on subsidiary¡¦s autonomy and initiative. After analyzing 67 MNC¡¦s Taiwan subsidiaries, the results reveal that HQ¡¦s procedure justice, subsidiary¡¦s integration with MNC, the subsidiary¡¦s local responsiveness and subsidiary¡¦s relative capability have influence on subsidiary autonomy. In addation, HQ¡¦s procedure justice, subsidiary¡¦s dependence of knowledge resource on MNC, subsidiary¡¦s ownership structure, subsidiary¡¦s entrepreneurship level, subsidiary¡¦s relative capability, subsidiary¡¦s local responsiveness and subsidiary autonomy can affect the subsidiary initiative. These results assert that the subsidiary¡¦s role is highly influenced by its position in MNC network. Therefore this finding coincides with MNC network perspective. However, while examining the subsidiary¡¦s behavior, we still can¡¦t neglect the effects of HQ-subsidiary dyadic relationship and subsidiary¡¦s intrinsic characteristic, its resource. Therefore, these dissertation results respond to Birkinshaw¡¦s perspective. The subsidiary behavior is simultaneously influenced by HQ, subsidiary and local environment. Moreover, these research findings also correspond to the three subsidiary research stream, including HQ-subsidiary relationship, subsidiary role and subsidiary evolution. Finally, by conducting this research in Taiwan, this results also reply the researchers¡¦ attention on the MNC subsidiaries in the developing countries.

Yes / Although social innovation can help multinational enterprise (MNE) subsidiaries create social value for developing countries, they often encounter significant challenges in successfully implementing social innovation projects. This research applies the knowledge-based perspective to propose and test a theoretical framework to explain why MNE subsidiaries differ in their ability to pursue social innovation successfully in a developing country. The framework contends that MNEs’ relationship learning contributes to social innovation variability under varying levels of subsidiary autonomy and mode of entry. Analysis of primary data collected from 207 subsidiaries of MNEs operating in Ghana shows that relationship learning has a positive relationship with social innovation. Further analysis reveals that subsidiary autonomy enhances the positive association between relationship learning and social innovation, and that this moderating effect is stronger for subsidiaries with equity entry mode as opposed to non-equity entry mode. These insights advance the limited understanding of the antecedents of MNEs’ social innovation in developing countries and offer guidance on how MNE subsidiaries can successfully pursue social innovation interventions in a developing country. / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the twelve month publisher embargo.