The Political Power of Global Corporations
The Political Power of Global Corporations

Author: John Mikler

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-02-12

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 0745698492

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We have long been told that corporations rule the world, their interests seemingly taking precedence over states and their citizens. Yet, while states, civil society, and international organizations are well drawn in terms of their institutions, ideologies, and functions, the world's global corporations are often more simply sketched as mechanisms of profit maximization. In this book, John Mikler re-casts global corporations as political actors with complex identities and strategies. Debunking the idea of global corporations as exclusively profit-driven entities, he shows how they seek not only to drive or modify the agendas of states but to govern in their own right. He also explains why we need to re-territorialize global corporations as political actors that reflect and project the political power of the states and regions from which they hail. We know the global corporations' names, we know where they are headquartered, and we know where they invest and operate. Economic processes are increasingly produced by the control they possess, the relationships they have, the leverage they employ, the strategic decisions they make, and the discourses they create to enhance acceptance of their interests. This book represents a call to study how they do so, rather than making assumptions based on theoretical abstractions.

Globalization: A Very Short Introduction
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Manfred B. Steger

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-05-28

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 0192589334

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We live today in an interconnected world in which ordinary people can became instant online celebrities to fans thousands of miles away, in which religious leaders can influence millions globally, in which humans are altering the climate and environment, and in which complex social forces intersect across continents. This is globalization. In the fifth edition of his bestselling Very Short Introduction Manfred B. Steger considers the major dimensions of globalization: economic, political, cultural, ideological, and ecological. He looks at its causes and effects, and engages with the hotly contested question of whether globalization is, ultimately, a good or a bad thing. From climate change to the Ebola virus, Donald Trump to Twitter, trade wars to China's growing global profile, Steger explores today's unprecedented levels of planetary integration as well as the recent challenges posed by resurgent national populism. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Global Goliaths
Global Goliaths

Author: James R. Hines

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2021-04-20

Total Pages: 585

ISBN-13: 0815738560

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How multinationals contribute, or don't, to global prosperity Globalization and multinational corporations have long seemed partners in the enterprise of economic growth: globalization-led prosperity was the goal, and giant corporations spanning the globe would help achieve it. In recent years, however, the notion that all economies, both developed and developing, can prosper from globalization has been called into question by political figures and has fueled a populist backlash around the world against globalization and the corporations that made it possible. In an effort to elevate the sometimes contentious public debate over the conduct and operation of multinational corporations, this edited volume examines key questions about their role, both in their home countries and in the rest of the world where they do business. Is their multinational nature an essential driver of their profits? Do U.S. and European multinationals contribute to home country employment? Do multinational firms exploit foreign workers? How do multinationals influence foreign policy? How will the rise of the digital economy and digital trade in services affect multinationals? In addressing these and similar questions, the book also examines the role that multinational corporations play in the outcomes that policymakers care about most: economic growth, jobs, inequality, and tax fairness.

Transnational Corporations in Urban Water Governance
Transnational Corporations in Urban Water Governance

Author: Joyce Valdovinos

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-08-14

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1000426661

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This book examines the role played by business in urban water governance by analyzing the evolution of the global private water sector along with four public-private partnerships in Mexico and the U.S. The local nature of water services often hides the global developments behind the rise of transnational water corporations, which have gone from being local operators to becoming dynamic and powerful actors within an interconnected transnational space for water. This book focuses on the French groups Veolia and Suez, two of the most prominent private actors in global water governance, and the development and adaptation strategies of both companies in the cities of Aguascalientes, Mexico City, Atlanta, and Milwaukee over the past 30 years. Drawing on over 100 interviews conducted with corporate executives, public authorities, and local users of water services, this book moves beyond the simplistic dichotomy of the public-private debate and develops a theoretical framework that analyzes the economic and political power wielded by transnational business actors in global water governance. Not only does the book explain how Veolia and Suez strategically mobilize resources at difference scales in order to expand their global operations, but it also provides a nuanced picture of how state regulation remains of central importance to understanding the dynamics and evolution of the global water sector. Students and scholars interested in business and the environment, including public-private partnerships, business management and transnational corporations, and water governance, will find this book of great interest as will professionals and policymakers working in these fields.

Big Business, Poor Peoples
Big Business, Poor Peoples

Author: John Madeley

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2009-06-15

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1848133758

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Transnational corporations are one of the most important actors in the global economy, occupying a more powerful position than ever before. In their persistent battle to increase profits, they have increasingly turned to the developing world, a world that holds many attractions for them. But what is their impact on the poor? Now in its second edition, Big Business, Poor Peoples finds that these corporations are damaging the lives of millions of poor people in developing countries. Looking at every sector where transnational corporations are involved, this vital book is packed with detail on how the poor are affected. The book exposes how developing countries' natural resources are being ceded to TNCs and how governments are unwilling or unable to control them. The author argues that TNCs, answerable to no one but their shareholders, have used their money, size and power to influence international negotiations and taken full advantage of the move towards privatization to influence government policies; sovereignty is passing into corporate hands, and the poor are paying the price. But people are fighting back: citizens, workers, and communities are exposing the corporations and looking for alternatives. The first edition of this path-breaking book put the issue of transnational corporations and the poor firmly on the agenda. This second edition contains significant new and updated material and is an essential read for anyone who wants to know more about the effects of corporate power on the poor.

The Nature of the Transnational Firm
The Nature of the Transnational Firm

Author: Christos Pitelis

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0415057485

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The Nature of the Transnational Firm brings together the major approaches to the transnational firm in one volume. Leading thinkers present overviews of a vibrant theoretical literature and assess the current state of analysis. Thoroughly revised and updated to take account the explosive growth of foreign direct investment in the 1990s, this volume will be welcomed by students and researchers of international business, international economics and business economics. Contributors include: John Cantwell, John H. Dunning, Edward M. Graham, Jean-Francois Hennart, Neil Kay.

Transnational Corporations
Transnational Corporations

Author: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Publisher: United Nations

Published: 2019-06-03

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 921047595X

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Transnational Corporations is a policy-oriented journal for the publication of research on the activities of transnational corporations and their implication for economic development. Articles accepted for publication in this issue report on the following research themes: international tax

Global Value Chains and Production Networks
Global Value Chains and Production Networks

Author: Fengru Cui

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2018-12-05

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 0128148489

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Global Value Chains and Production Networks: Case Studies of Siemens and Huawei presents theories and frameworks that facilitate the evolution of GPN studies, from macro perspectives based on territory and industry to the use of micro (firm-level) data. The book explores these theories and frameworks through detailed case studies of two major corporations, Siemens and Huawei. With the GPN/GVC structure of Chinese firms not well known outside China, despite the growing importance of Chinese firms in the global economy, this guide plays a pivotal role in facilitating the use of data that promise to unlock economic cooperation and value. - Emphasizes micro-data analytical models and their methodological underpinnings - Illustrates how these data illuminate the economic structures of two comparable GPNs within highly divergent institutional contexts - Suggests how companies can cooperate with foreign partners to enhance their global management capacity and reshape their advantages in international competition

The Rise of Transnational Corporations from Emerging Markets
The Rise of Transnational Corporations from Emerging Markets

Author: Karl P. Sauvant

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 1848441460

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Having undertaken billions of FDI in many continents and nations, between Argentina and the PRC, I consider Dr Sauvant s book an eye-opener, a new page, showing us a new super highway. The OFDI volume of emerging markets today, surpassing the entire FDI volume of not even 20 years back, is a signal of success of the free market economy. It signals also the end of privileges for the Europeans. It reflects entrepreneurship at its best on the part of the fast developing nations of Asia. It shows that free access to know how and capital has permitted Asia to catch up at an unprecedented speed. Contrary to often repeated but wrong opinions, the poor of the world have benefited the most by globalization. A market place of unimaginable potential is under construction in the first half of the 21st century, accelerated by FDI. This book should find many readers, particularly among the political leaders of today and tomorrow. Carl H. Hahn, Chairman Emeritus of Volkswagen AG This comprehensive analysis deals with the range of issues raised by the rise of transnational corporations from emerging markets. This insightful book shows that foreign direct investment (FDI) from emerging markets has grown from negligible amounts in the early 1980s to $210 billion in 2007, with the stock of investment now being well over $1 trillion. This reflects the rise of firms from these economies to become important players in the world FDI market. The contributors to this book comprehensively analyze the rise of emerging market TNCs, the salient features of the transnational activities of these firms, the relationship of outward FDI and the competitiveness of the firms involved, their impact on host and home countries and implications for the international law and policy system. The subject of this study is both topical and important and poses a number of challenges that will require considerable policy attention in the future. It will appeal to academics interested in FDI as well as emerging markets. Karl P. Sauvant has gathered together a group of leading academics that makes this an informative and valuable read for anyone interested in the subject, including academics, students at all levels and private sector entities, as well as government officials dealing with outward FDI.