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919481 |
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Course |
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| Multinational Corporations in an Age of Anti-Globalization | ||
Faculty |
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Associate Professor, Christian Geisler Asmussen, Department of Strategic Management and Globalization Professor mso, Larissa Rabbiosi, Department of International Economics and Management |
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Course Coordinator |
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| Christian Geisler Asmussen | ||
Prerequisites |
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Aim |
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Compared to the 1980s, where MNCs flourished due to the neo-liberal turn that embraced globalization, and which did bring dynamism, wealth and leadership practices across the globe, the 2010s are characterized by increased skepticism towards globalization. This skepticism arises from increased inequality, but also technological innovation, whereby blue-collar workers are increasingly becoming redundant. It has for instance expressed itself in the populist revolt that underpinned the 2016 US presidential election and Brexit and it seems that the neoliberal order is now being reconfigured, with a greater focus on nationalism and national interests. There is also an increased focus on the behavior and strategies of MNCs. These issues are being addressed by governments, the EU and international organizations (IOs) such as the UN. The aim of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive theoretical understanding and ability to apply theories from various disciplines—including international management, international political economy, and economic geography—to the phenomena of globalization and anti-globalization. This, in turn, will serve as a foundation for their ensuing ability to do research on the current global challenges MNCs face, which types of strategies they adopt in response, in what way they organize their activities, what the responses of IOs and governments are, and what these responses imply for the strategies of MNCs. Academic research on this question can generate new insights into the relationship between firm-level decision-making by MNCs, in relation to international organizations, the EU and governments and the increasingly anti-global environment they all operate in. The course provides a high-level overview of the theories that are most pertinent to the phenomena of globalization and anti-globalization, and to the understanding of MNCs operating under these conditions. Though this course is intended to provide students with the knowledge required to complete their degrees, it is equally concerned with their scholarly development. Acknowledging the importance of publishing for career progress, this course will have a significant focus on research practice. The intention is for students to experience the process of conducting research and crafting a paper. This is knowledge best learnt through practice. In brief, this course aims at: 1. Providing students with an overview of processes of globalization and anti-globalization, and different ways of studying MNCs. 2. Develop critical skills for the evaluation of work in this area. 3. Pushing students to develop a theoretical argument related to a question and to think about the appropriate empirical evidence to test it. |
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Course content |
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Rather than attempting an exhaustive survey of the vast literature attached to the study of globalization, anti-globalization, and MNCs, the course focuses on key, influential readings. In approaching the required readings, students should think about the following questions: 1. How is the research motivated and framed? What do the authors (implicitly or explicitly) regard as incomplete in existing research such that their argument constitutes a significant contribution? 2. What is the main theoretical argument of the paper? What causal mechanisms are proposed and why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such theory? 3. What types of evidence do the authors bring to bear to support their argument? How convincing is it? What other evidence might help them test their argument better? 4. Is this paper a contribution to a “big picture” question in the field? Could the work have made a bigger contribution in any other way? The course includes 6 modules, each of which consists of a total of six 45 minute lectures, distributed over two sessions on two different days in the same week (except the introductory module which only consists of one day/session of two 45 minute lectures). This gives a total of 32 lectures of 45 minutes. Because of the small numbers of participants, the sessions will be conducted in a highly interactive manner where students will prepare memos on and lead discussions on the assigned readings. The themes of the modules are indicated in the curriculum below. The course begin with a clarification of main phenomena being studied—globalization and anti-globalization—and then proceeds to cover various theoretical perspectives on these phenomena from different disciplines. |
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Teaching style |
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Lecture plan |
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1. INTRODUCTION: GLOBALIZATION AND ANTI-GLOBALIZATION September 15, 2017 at 13 in PH 18B S0.23 Faculty: Christian Geisler Asmussen 2. THEORIES OF THE (MULTINATIONAL) FIRM: TCE, RBV, AND AGENCY October 6 and October 13, 2017 at 13 in PH 18B S0.23 Faculty: Christian Geisler Asmussen Required Readings Williamson, O.E. (1991). Comparative economic organization: The analysis of discrete structural alternatives. Administrative Science Quarterly, 36: 269-296. Gibbons, R. (1998). Incentives in Organizations. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 12(4): 115-132. Foss, K. and N.J. Foss (2005). Resources and transaction costs: how property rights economics further the resource based view. Strategic Management Journal, 26(6): 541-553. Peteraf, M. and J.B. Barney (2003). Unraveling the resource-based tangle. Managerial and Decision Economics, 24(4): 309–323. Hennart, J. F. (1989). The transaction cost theory of the multinational enterprise. In C. N. Pitelis, & R. Sugden, The nature of the transnational firm (pp. 81–116). London: Routledge Supplementary Readings Poppo, L. and T. Zenger (1998). Testing alternative theories of the firm: Transaction cost, knowledge-based, and measurement explanations for make-or-buy decisions in IT Services. Strategic Management Journal, 19: 853-877. Leiblein, M.J. and D.J. Miller (2003). An empirical examination of transaction- and firm-level influences on the vertical boundaries of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 24(9): 839-859. Hansen, G. S. and B. Wernerfelt (1989). Determinants of firm performance: the relative importance of economic and organizational factors. Strategic Management Journal, 10: 399–411. Makadok, R. (2010). The interaction effect of rivalry restraint and competitive advantage on profit: Why the whole is less than the sum of the parts. Management Science, 56(2): 356-372. Dunning JH, Rugman AM. 1985. The influence of Hymer’s dissertation on the theory of foreign direct investment. American Economic Review 75(2): 228–236. 3. MANAGING THE MULTINATIONAL FIRM: INTEGRATION-RESPONSIVENESS AND HQ-SUBSIDIARY DILEMMAS October 24 at 13 in Kilen room K4.74 and October 30, 2017 at 13 in Kilen room K3.54 (INO's white meeting room) Faculty: Dana Minbaeva, Larissa Rabbiosi Required Readings Ghoshal, S., Nohria, N., 1989. Internal differentiation within the multinational corporation. Strategic Management Journal 10, 323-337. Nohria, N., & Ghoshal, S. (1994). Differentiated fit and shared values: Alternatives for managing headquarters‐subsidiary relations. Strategic Management Journal, 15(6), 491-502. Noorderhaven, N., Harzing, A.-W., 2009. Knowledge-sharing and social interaction within MNEs. Journal of International Business Studies 40, 719-741. Rabbiosi, L., 2011. Subsidiary roles and reverse knowledge transfer: an investigation of the effects of coordination mechanisms. Journal of International Management, 17: 97-113. Minbaeva, D., Pedersen, T., Björkman, I., Fey, C. F. and Park, H. J. (2003). ‘MNC knowledge transfer, subsidiary absorptive capacity, and HRM’. Journal of International Business Studies, 34, 586–99. Supplementary Readings Mudambi, R., Navarra P. (2004). Is Knowledge Power? Knowledge Flows, Subsidiary Power and Rent-Seeking within MNCs. Journal of International Business Studies, 35 (5), 385-406. Gupta, A.K., Govindarajan, V., 1991. Knowledge flows and the structure of control within multinational corporations. Academy of Management Review 16, 768-792. Edstrom, A., Galbraith, J.R., 1977. Transfer of managers as a coordination and control strategy in multinational organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly 22, 248-263. Daft, R.L., Lengel, R.H., 1986. Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science 32, 554-571. Björkman, I., Barner-Rasmussen, W., Li, L., 2004. Managing knowledge transfer in MNCs: the impact of headquarters control mechanisms. Journal of International Business Studies 35, 443-455. Asmussen, C.G., Foss, N.J., and Pedersen, T. “Knowledge Transfer and Accommodation Effects in Multinational Corporations: Evidence from European Subsidiaries”. Journal of Management, 39(6): 1397-1429. Verbeke, A. and Asmussen, C.G. “Global, Local, or Regional? The Locus of MNE Strategies”. Journal of Management Studies, 53(6): 1051-1075. Egelhoff, W. G. 1991. Information-prosessing theory and the multinational enterprise. Journal of International Business Studies, 22(3): 341–368. 4. STUDYING ANTI-GLOBALIZATION: HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONALISM November 13 and November 14, 2017 at 9 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 Faculty: Eddie Ashbee Required Readings Paul Pierson (2000) ‘Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics’, American Political Science Review, Vol. 94(02), pp 251-267 James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen (2010) ‘A Theory of Gradual Institutional Change’, in James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen, Explaining Institutional Change: Ambiguity, Agency, and Power, Cambridge University Press, pp 1-37. Supplementary Readings Edward Ashbee (2015) ‘Intercurrence and its Implications’, in Edward Ashbee, The Right and the Recession, Manchester University Press. Herman Schwartz, Down the Wrong Path: Path Dependence, Increasing Returns, and Historical Institutionalism, http://people.virginia.edu/~hms2f/Path.pdf 5. INNOVATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND MULTINATIONAL FIRMS November 29 at 13:00-16:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 Faculty: Wolfgang Sofka Required readings Kogut B, Zander U. 1993. Knowledge of the firm and the evolutionary theory of the multinational corporation. Journal of International Business Studies 24(4): 625-645. Birkinshaw J, Hood N. 1998. Multinational subsidiary evolution: Capability and charter change in foreign-owned subsidiary companies. Academy of Management Review 23(4): 773-795. Sofka W, Preto MT, de Faria P. 2014. Mnc subsidiary closures: What is the value of employees' human capital in new jobs? Journal of International Business Studies 45(6): 723-750. Supplementary readings Spender J-C, Grant RM. 1996. Knowledge and the firm: An overview. Strategic Management Journal 17(Winter Special Issue): 5-9. Katila R, Ahuja G. 2002. Something old, something new: A longitudinal study of search behavior and new product introduction. Academy of Management Journal 45(6): 1183-1194. Cantwell J, Mudambi R. 2005. Mne competence-creating subsidiary mandates. Strategic Management Journal 26(12): 1109-1128. Sofka W, Shehu E, de Faria P. 2014. Multinational subsidiary knowledge protection—do mandates and clusters matter? Research Policy 43(8): 1320-1333. 5. INNOVATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND MULTINATIONAL FIRMS December 1 at 9:00-12:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 Faculty: Evis Sinani Required Reading Aitken, B., & Harrison, A. 1999. Do domestic firms benefit from direct foreign investment? Evidence from Venezuela. American Economic Review, 89(3): 605–618. Driffield, N., and Hughes, D. 2003. Foreign and Domestic Investment: Regional Development or Crowding Out? Regional Studies, 37(3), 277-288. Zhang, Y., Li, H., Li, Y., Zhou, Li. 2010. Fdi Spillovers in an emerging market: The role of Foreign firms’ country origin diversity and domestic firms absorptive capacity. Strategic Management Journal, 31:969-989 Wei and Liu (2006). Productivity spillovers from R&D, Exports and FDI in China’s manufacturing sector. Journal of International Business Studies 37 (4), 544-557. Meyer KE and Sinani E. 2009. When and where does foreign direct investment generate positive spillovers? A meta-analysis. Journal of International Business Studies 40 (7), 1075-1094 Supplementary Readings Zhang, A., Li, Y., Li, H. 2014. FDI Spillovers over time in an Emerging Market: The Roles of Entry Tenure and Barriers to Imitation. Academy of Management Journal, 57(3), 698-722. Juan Alcácer, Wilbur Chung. 2007. Location Strategies and Knowledge Spillovers. Management Science, 53(5): 760-776. Javorcik, B. S. 2004. Does foreign direct investment increase the productivity of domestic firms? In search of spillovers through backward linkages. The American Economic Review, 94(3): 605–627. Balsvik, Ragnhild. 2011. Is labor mobility a channel for spillovers from multinationals? Evidence from Norwegian manufacturing. Review of Economics and Statistics Volume 93 (1), page 285 – 297. 6. GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY January 8, 2018 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 and January 10, 2018 at 9 in Porcelænshaven room 18B S0.23 Faculty: Peter D. Ørberg Jensen, Marcus Møller Larsen Required Readings Haakonsson, S.J.; Jensen, P.D.Ø. & Mudambi, S.M. (2013). A Co-evolutionary perspective on the Drivers of International Sourcing of Pharmaceutical R&D to India. Journal of Economic Geography, 13(4): 677-700. Jensen, P.D.Ø. & Pedersen, T. 2011. The Economic Geography of Offshoring: The Fit between Activities and Local Context. Journal of Management Studies, 48(2): 352-372. Gereffi, G., Humphrey, J. & Sturgeon, T. 2005; 2005. The Governance of Global Value Chains. Review of International Political Economy, 12(1): 78-104. Supplementary Readings Beugelsdijk, S., McCann, P. & Mudambi, R. 2010. Introduction: Place, Space and Organization— Economic Geography and the Multinational Enterprise. Journal of Economic Geography, 10(4): 485-493. Asmussen, C.G., Larsen, M.M., and Pedersen, T. “Organizational Adaptation in Offshoring: The Relative Performance of Home- and Host-based Learning Strategies”. Organization Science, 27(4): 911-928. Larsen MM, Manning S, Pedersen T (2013) Uncovering the hidden costs of offshoring: The interplay of complexity, organizational design, and experience. Strategic Management Journal 34(5):533–552. |
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Learning objectives |
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Exam |
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The course is based on a high level of student involvement. Students are expected to be thoroughly prepared and to take an active part in the presentation and discussion of the material. After the completion of the course, each student will receive a grade on the Danish 7-point grading scale. To pass the course students must: 1. Write weekly memos and actively participate in class (30% of the grade). Students must submit a two-page note critically discussing one of the readings by 4:00 pm the day before class. (These will be sent as email attachments to the relevant faculty who is charge of next day’s session and the other PhD students). Each student will provide a 5-10 minute overview of his/her assigned reading as part of the class discussion. Everyone, however, is expected to prepare all the required readings, not just the ones they are writing about. Students are also expected to actively participate in class, as the success of this course depends on them reading the material and be prepared to talk critically about it. The class participation grade will depend both on the quantity and quality of the student’s contributions. 2. Write research exercises and term paper (70% of the grade). Students will also be required to partake of an ongoing research exercise in which they develop their own paper or research proposal. The emphasis of this exercise will be to develop theory and to search for the appropriate empirical evidence to test it. Students will be required to hand in memos at regular intervals and present them briefly during class. Individual feedback will be provided during each presentation, and students will be expected to incorporate this (and other students’ feedback) as appropriate in the final paper. |
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Other |
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| Students are expected to be present at all sessions. | ||
Start date |
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| 15/09/2017 | ||
End date |
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| 10/01/2018 | ||
Level |
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| PhD | ||
ECTS |
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| 10 | ||
Language |
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| English | ||
Course Literature |
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| Pls see lecture plan | ||
Fee |
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| DKK 13,000 | ||
Minimum number of participants |
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| 20 | ||
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Maximum number of participants |
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| 20 | ||
Location |
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The course takes place in six weeks distributed over the Fall Semester 2017, from September 2017 to January 2018 First lecture takes place in Porcelænshaven 18B room S0.23 at 13 October 6, 13:00-16:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 Theories of the (Multinational) Firm: TCE, RBV, AND AGENCY (Christian Geisler Asmussen) October 13, 13:00-16:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 Theories of the (Multinational) Firm: TCE, RBV, AND AGENCY (Christian Geisler Asmussen) October 24 at 13 in Kilen room K4.74 Managing the Multinational firm: Integration-Responsiveness and HQ-subsidiary Dilemmas (Dana Minbaeva) October 30, 2017 at 13 in Kilen room K3.54 (INO's white meeting room) Managing the Multinational firm: Integration-Responsiveness and HQ-subsidiary Dilemmas (Larissa Rabbiosi) November 13, 9:00-12:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 Studying anti-Globalization: Historical Institutionalism (Eddie Ashbee) November 20, 9:00-12:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 Studying anti-Globalization: Historical Institutionalism (Eddie Ashbee) November 29, 13:00-16:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 Innovation, Knowledge and Multinational Firms (Wolfgang Sofka) December 1, 9:00-12:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23, Innovation, Knowledge and Multinational Firms (Evis Sinani) January 8, 2018, 9:00-12:00 in Porcelænshaven 18B S0.23 and Global value chains and Economic Geography (Peter D. Ørberg Jensen & Marcus Møller Larsen) January 10, 2018, 9:00-12:00 in Porcelænshaven room 18B S0.23 Global value chains and Economic Geography (Peter D. Ørberg Jensen & Marcus Møller Larsen) |
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Contact information |
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Bente S. Ramovic bsr.research@cbs.dk Tel +45 3815 3138 |
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Registration deadline |
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| 06/09/2017 | ||
| Please note that your registration is binding after the registration deadline. | ||