Most multinational enterprises face difficulties regarding what and how to best communicate activities related to corporate social responsibility. Therefore, this master thesis addresses the online communication of corporate social responsibility by Swedish multinational enterprises. The purpose is to contribute to the understanding of the way Swedish multinational enterprises reveal messages regarding corporate social responsibility to their international stakeholders while communicating with them online via their websites and social media. This research is of qualitative nature and follows a multiple case study design. The six Swedish MNEs the Volvo Group, H&M, Atlas Copco, Securitas AB, Svenska Kullagerfabriken, and Svenska Cellulosa AB are included in the sample. Two methods for data collection are combined: online observation of the communication regarding corporate social responsibility on the corporate websites including sustainability reports or alike and in social media as well as qualitative, semi-structured interviews with the employees in charge of corporate social responsibility. The results indicate that the examined multinational enterprises communicated corporate social responsibility in different ways depending on whether they communicate via their corporate websites, their reports or in social media. This master thesis concludes with practical recommendations for multinational enterprises involved in communication of corporate social responsibility.

Foreign Direct investment (FDI) has been recognized as a vital source of development for African countries, which are mainly capital importing countries. This has led to a quest for effective regulation of the activities of foreign investors in a country while considering the profit making goals of the investors as well. As there is a need to strike a balance between the need to regulate entry and activities of investors and reaping the immense benefits of FDI such as growth and development. The regulation of FDI thus becomes important. However, there is no universal multilateral agreement on Investment (MAI) that binds most states oft the world. What we have is attempts at regional levels to regulate Investment uniformly. This quest has led to debates with many developing countries (Africa Inclusive) resisting attempts to formulate a MAI. This paper will start with an introduction of the importance of FDI as well as the various attempts that have been made to regulate FID on a multilateral level. Then the paper will go on to examine two Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) Botswana-China BIT on Promotion and Protection of Investments 2000,Czech-Tunisia BIT for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment 1997, and two Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) - Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 1990 and the investment provisions of the U.S –Morocco Free Trade Agreement 2004, to identify those trends that are common to these agreements that have been entered into by African countries. It will examine these provisions in line with the rights and obligations they create for the investors as well as the host countries. / Magister Legum - LLM

<p>Foreign Direct investment (FDI) has been recognized as a vital source of development for African countries, which are mainly capital importing countries. This has led to a quest for effective regulation of the activities of foreign investors in a country while considering the profit making goals of the investors as well. As there is a need to strike a balance between the need to regulate entry and activities of investors and reaping the immense benefits of FDI such as growth and development. The regulation of FDI thus becomes important. However, there is no universal multilateral agreement on Investment (MAI) that binds most states oft the world. What we have is attempts at regional levels to regulate Investment uniformly. This quest has led to debates with many developing countries (Africa Inclusive) resisting attempts to formulate a MAI. This paper will start with an introduction of the importance of FDI as well as the various attempts that have been made to regulate FID on a multilateral level. Then the paper will go on to examine two Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) Botswana-China BIT on Promotion and Protection of Investments 2000,Czech-Tunisia BIT for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment 1997, and two Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) - Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 1990 and the investment provisions of the U.S &ndash / Morocco Free Trade Agreement 2004, to identify those trends that are common to these agreements that have been entered into by African countries. It will examine these provisions in line with the rights and obligations they create for the investors as well as the host countries.</p>

A Teoria de Negócios Internacionais sugere que ao aumentar o seu grau de internacionalização, as Empresas Multinacionais dos Países Emergentes dependerão cada vez menos dos efeitos dos seus países de origem, escapando assim das mazelas e deficiências desses países e igualando-se às Empresas Multinacionais dos Países Desenvolvidos. Essa argumentação de escape do país de origem, ou argumentação de escape, enfrenta, no entanto, dois desafios. O primeiro refere-se à geração das vantagens competitivas das multinacionais. As firmas originárias dos países desenvolvidos utilizam-se principalmente de capacidades tecnológicas e marketing para construir suas vantagens com base em seus produtos e marcas diferenciados, enquanto as multinacionais dos países emergentes o fazem a partir do aproveitamento de condições específicas do seu país de origem, utilizando-se de capacidades de inovação em processos e operações e em funções administrativas. O segundo desafio refere-se a evidências empíricas de que efeitos de país de origem se fazem sentir mesmo nas empresas multinacionais maduras de países desenvolvidos. A presente pesquisa busca ampliar o conhecimento sobre as capacidades de inovação das empresas multinacionais de países emergentes através do estudo dos limites do argumento do escape. Uma análise longitudinal das capacidades de inovação das empresas multinacionais brasileiras é utilizada para este fim. Estuda-se um período de cinco anos em que o ambiente de negócios do Brasil mudou de estável e favorável a turbulento e desafiador. A análise utiliza dois \"surveys\" aplicados em 2010 e 2015, além de informação complementar de fontes primárias e secundárias. Os resultados sugerem que as capacidades de inovação dessas empresas multinacionais ainda podem sofrer influência do ambiente institucional político e econômico do seu país de origem, mesmo com incremento do seu grau de internacionalização. Observam-se ainda diferentes consequências conforme a estratégia de internacionalização utilizada pelas firmas. As implicações dos achados são discutidas. / The international Business theory suggests that as they increase their degree of internationalization, Multinationals from Emerging Markets reduce their dependency on their Country of Origin Effects, escaping from these countries\' instabilities and deficiencies, therefore leveling with Multinationals from developed countries. The escape from the country of origin, or escape argument, faces two challenges. The first is that firms from developed countries base their advantages on technology and marketing capabilities to build strong products and brands, whereas firms from emerging countries do so mainly by exploiting their country of origin effects using innovative capabilities related to process and operations and to administrative functions. The second challenge relates to empirical evidence of the persistence of country of origin effects on mature multinational firms from developed countries. This research attempts to improve the knowledge on the innovation capability of Emerging Markets Multinational Enterprises through studying the limits of the escape argument. A longitudinal analysis of the innovative capabilities of Brazilian Multinational firms is used for that purpose. The five-year period studied involves a shift in Brazil\'s conditions from a stable and positive institutional environment to one of turbulence and instability. The research uses data from two surveys executed in 2010 and 2015, as well as other primary and secondary sources. The results suggest that the innovative capabilities from Emerging Market Multinationals can still suffer influences from changes in their home country political and economic institutional environment, even with an increase in their degree of internationalization. The outcomes vary according to the internationalization strategy used by the firms. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Magister Legum - LLM

The aim of this dissertation is to contribute to a better understanding of highly skilled (re-)migrants as labour force in multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their role in cross-border knowledge transfers. To achieve this goal, an actor-centred research perspective will be adopted, which allows for a detailed examination of both individual employees and strategies of MNEs. The basic conceptual understanding of this work is based on the relational economic-geographical approach (Bathelt and Glückler 2002), on the basis of which research strands and theories of economic geography, international business studies and migration studies were intertwined. The empirical study is based on the example of highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin who work for German companies in Turkey. The study focuses on (re-)migrants of Turkish origin who have obtained a university degree in Germany. The study follows a qualitative research design based on 95 semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with highly skilled (re-)migrants as well as with company internal and external experts. In addition to the semi-structured interviews, a netnographic collection of data from an online group for (re-)migrants of Turkish origin is conducted. The findings of this thesis show that highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin who have obtained a university degree in Germany are not to be regarded as a homogeneous group but rather have diverse educational and career paths. In addition to their high level of education, they have excellent language skills (mostly Turkish, German and English). They are also mostly familiar with the cultural and institutional contexts in Germany and Turkey, which, according to Hess (2004), is referred to as dual societal embeddedness. Highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin are important transnational experts for German companies in Turkey. They are particularly in demand if the companies 1) have a strong orientation towards German-speaking markets and/or 2) are dependent on close cooperation with German company locations. In these companies, highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin are strategically deployed in central areas of the company, where they often work at interfaces due to their transnational abilities, which require close contact with local employees and employees of German company locations. The empirical results also show that highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin make a significant contribution to the cross-border knowledge transfers in German companies in Turkey. Highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin are primarily involved in intra-organisational knowledge transfer with employees of German company locations. Due to their dual societal embeddedness and their profound language skills, highly skilled (re-)migrants are able to bridge the institutional distance between German and Turkish company locations. This is particularly important for the transfer of implicit knowledge, which is based on know-how and experience and is therefore difficult to transfer between different cultural and institutional contexts. In concrete terms, highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin facilitate cross-border knowledge transfers through three main activities: building knowledge networks, mediating frictions, transmitting knowledge. The results of a case study also show that highly skilled (re-)migrants can play a decisive role in the offshoring of knowledge intensive business services within global production networks Thereby, highly skilled (re-)migrants help to mitigate resistance and facilitate the dis- and re-embedding of knowledge within the offshoring process. Overall, this thesis contributes to the geographical (re-)migration research, to research on the geography of knowledge in MNEs, and to global production network research.

ABSTRACT   Date: [2023-05-30] Level:  Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr  Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University  Authors:  Naiymie Binta Arman   Miriam Lini       (00/02/27)    (02/05/06) Title:    Navigating the Challenges of International Business: An Analysis of     Factors Influencing the Exit of Multinational Corporations. Supervisor:    Edward Gillmore  Keywords:    Multinational Enterprises, Market Exit, Transaction Cost Theory,      Institutional Theory, Isomorphism, Legitimacy, Entry modes      (internationalization), Exit modes, Institutional distance, Institutional &amp;     Infrastructural hassle factors  Research question:   What are the internal and external characteristics that drive market exit?  Purpose:    The aim of this study is to investigate the internal and external factors that contribute to the exit of MNEs from foreign markets, and to provide insights for firms operating in foreign markets. Problematization:   The scarcity of research on the predominant factors influencing the exit of     MNEs from established foreign markets highlights the need to understand effective strategies for minimizing financial losses and preserving reputation. Method:   Qualitative research paper; Thematic analysis using semi-structured interviews and secondary data.  Conclusion:    The researchers aimed to explore the factors driving market exit for     Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). They identified internal factors such as financial performance, lack of proper financial guidance, and inadequate resource allocation as key drivers for Company X's market exit. External factors included economic differences, high competition, and regulatory constraints in the Swedish market, leading to contract termination for     Company X.

The thesis investigates how FDI intra-industry spillovers are affected by MNE ownership modes and sub-national locations. A conceptual framework is developed which utilises IB theories to propose how MNE ownership modes and sub-national locations are likely to matter for FDI spillovers. The research propositions are explored quantitatively using an unbalanced firm-level panel dataset of 1624 Indian manufacturing firms (1991-2008) with 5203 firm-year observations. The model estimation is carried out in STATA 13.0 in two stages; firstly, by using semi-parametric (Levinsohn-Petrin) method to derive the dependent variable (TFP of domestic firms); and secondly, by using fixed effects model estimated in first-differences to relate TFP of domestic firms' with different measures of foreign presence. Results from the first model reveal that WOSs and MAJVs have positive spillover effects whereas MIJVs have negative spillover effects in the Indian manufacturing sector. The second model finds that the net spillover effect in non-metropolitan regions is higher than in metropolitan regions. The thesis discusses the possible major policy implications of the results and considers possible reasons for the differences in the spillovers for different ownership modes and sub-national locations. / PhD Studentship, University of Bradford

L’influence des multinationales pétrolières dans la société contemporaine est devenue un élément central de la problématique relative aux droits de l’homme et au développement durable. Elles sont maintenant très nombreuses à opérer dans le secteur public et privé avec des stratégies et objectifs particulièrement divers. Grâce à des budgets conséquents, et une technologie complexe et avant-gardiste, elles sont responsables de l’exploration, de la production, du raffinage et de la distribution du pétrole brut. Cela dit, dans le but de pointer du doigt les déséquilibres importants dans les relations entre l’industrie pétrolière et les pays en développement, la commission mondiale sur l’environnement et le développement a très tôt mis en avant le terme de « développement durable », se caractérisant par un « développement qui répond aux besoins du présent sans compromettre la capacité des générations futures à répondre aux leurs ». Le secteur pétrolier et gazier est déjà depuis un certain temps un leader en matière de responsabilité sociale. Les compagnies pétrolières attachent de plus en plus d’importance à leur impact économique, social et environnemental et elles font aussi de plus en plus attention à leur image. En plus d’autres éléments, ce phénomène se démontre par l’extraordinaire augmentation des codes de conduite et par des initiatives relatives à la responsabilité sociale comme le « global compact » de Kofi Annan. Cela dit, l’efficacité de ces initiatives est souvent remise en question et il existe un certain nombre de preuves attestant du fossé existant entre les déclarations de principes et le véritable comportement des acteurs sur le terrain. Toute la question est donc de savoir si une conciliation est possible. Mots- / The influence of Multinational oil corporations in contemporary society is becoming an increasingly central element of human rights and sustainable development problematic. There are now many MNOCs operating in both private and public sectors with remarkably diverse objectives and strategies. Thanks to large budgets and complex advanced technology, they are responsible for exploration, production, refining and crude oil distribution. In order to address the imbalance between industrial oil and lessdeveloped countries, the world commission on environment and development has early pointed up the term « sustainable development » which is « that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ». As a result, the oil and gas sector has been among the leading industries in championing Corporate Social Responsibility a while ago. Oil companies attach greater importance to their economical, social and environmental impact and they also pay more and more attention to their image. Among other things, this phenomenon is demonstrated by the extraordinary growth in corporate codes of conduct and CSR initiatives such as Kofi Annan’s Global Compact. However, the effectiveness of these initiatives has been regularly questioned and there is a mounting evidence of a gap between the statements of principles and the real actor’s behaviour on the field. Finally, is a conciliation possible?

In their pursuit of profits, adventure and new markets, humans have traded since prehistoric times. The relations between trade, profits and technological change, how- ever, were not the main concern of early economists ranging from Aristotle to the mercantilists. Presumably because in their world, the rate of technological change was decidedly low, and the basket and quality of goods available through production and trade did not change much over decades, or even centuries! In addition, it was not the technological change that brought markets closer, but “the ferocity of nomadic horsemen or the edge of a scimitar”, while “violently imposed monopolies and plunder”. (Findlay and O’Rourke, 2003) made trade more profitable. It was not until the industrial revolution that growth rates began to rise to high levels. Now that human inventions and discoveries came faster and cheaper than ever, trade liberalization was not only the way to gain access to new markets; trade liberalization had also a role in promoting growth. Trade liberalization in the form of lower trade costs, increases profits from exporting, and consequently, overall profits. That increases the incentives to innovate, produce something new and export it. Trade liberalization thus promotes technological change by increasing the incentives firms have to conduct R&amp;D, implement the innovation or improvement and make larger profits. The field of economics that studies economic growth as the result of decisions made by profit-maximizing firms is called endogenous growth theory. There have been a number of theoretical advances in endogenous growth theory over the last 20 years, but there is no consensus on whether trade liberalization promotes growth or not. Some models predict that trade liberalization has a positive effect on growth. Other models predict no effect at all. In addition, not all countries have benefited equally from globalization. In this dissertation, I study the linkages between trade liberalization and economic growth (papers one and two). In papers two and three, I also explore the relationships between globalization, growth and the demand for labor. There is well documented evidence from a number of countries, that the demand for less-skilled labor has decreased in recent decades, and this decrease has resulted in a higher skilled-wage premium, that is, the degree in which the wages of skilled workers exceed less-skilled worker wages. This phenomenon has occurred in several countries, including the U.S. The skilled- wage premium has also increased in Europe, although less dramatically. In paper two, the relationships between trade liberalization, growth and wage inequality are analyzed using an endogenous growth model. The third and final paper is an empirical study on the relationships between the demand for labor and offshoring. More specifically, I examine what happens to the demand for different types of labor (not only skilled and unskilled labor) in the Swedish plants of Swedish multinational enterprises, when these multinationals expand abroad. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, 2011