Can British multinational enterprises finance economic development in South East Asia?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed new light on the debate about the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) and public policy in fostering economic development. Specifically, can the capital inflow of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and the ability of the subsidiaries to raise funds locally help promote development? This paper addresses this issue by examining the capital structure and financing sources of foreign subsidiaries of MNEs. Design/methodology/approach – This paper integrates the capital structure theories in finance with internalization theory in international business. It uses an original primary dataset collected by a survey of 101 foreign subsidiaries of British MNEs in six emerging economies in the ASEAN region. Findings – There are three significant findings. First, these subsidiaries rely heavily on internal funds generated within the MNEs and less on external debts raised in the host countries. Second, the foreign subsidiary's capital structure is influenced by the home country of origin of the parent firm and the parent firm's financing sources. Third, these subsidiaries have used the financial resources to develop business networks with local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which contribute to economic development of the host countries. Originality/value – This paper examines the internal capital market within the MNE. It provides theoretical and empirical support for the capital structure theory of the hierarchy financing approach and also for internalization theory by addressing FDI inflows by MNEs and the raising of funds locally. These findings have important implications for public policy, namely the facilitation of MNE entry to encourage economic development.

Site-specific and geographical segmental social, environmental and ethical disclosures by the Ghanaian mining sector

Purpose: This paper explores the extent of site-specific and geographic segmental social, environmental and ethical reporting by mining companies operating in Ghana. We aim to: (i) establish a picture of corporate transparency relating to geographic segmentation of social, environmental and ethical reporting which is specific to operating sites and country of operation, and; (ii) gauge the impact of the introduction of integrated reporting on site-specific social, environmental and ethical reporting. Methodology/Approach: We conducted an interpretive content analysis of the annual/integrated reports of mining companies for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 in order to extract site-specific social, environmental and ethical information relating to the companies’ mining operations in Ghana. Findings and Implications: We found that site-specific social, environmental and ethical reporting is extremely patchy and inconsistent between the companies’ reports studied. We also found that there was no information relating to certain sites, which were in operation, according to the Ghana Minerals Commission. This could simply be because operations were not in progress. Alternatively it could be that decisions are made concerning which site-specific information is reported according to a certain benchmark. One policy implication arising from this research is that IFRS should require geographic segmental reporting of material social, environmental and ethical information in order to bring IFRS into line with global developments in integrated reporting. Originality: Although there is a wealth of sustainability reporting research and an emergent literature on integrated reporting, there is currently no academic research exploring site-specific social, environmental and ethical reporting

Foreign executive appointments: a multilevel examination

As multinational enterprises (MNE) expand, their attachment to the country of origin is challenged by the need to adapt to an increasingly diverse geographical posture. We examine how these countervailing forces affect top management team (TMT) composition and test a model that associates foreign executive appointments with individual- and firm-level antecedents. Using multilevel data comprising 1,446 TMT appointments at 360 large European firms between 2001 and 2005, we show that individual experiential characteristics, the type of TMT function, prior performance of the MNE, and the MNE’s overall degree of internationalization are associated with foreign TMT appointments. We discuss how our findings contribute to the international business literature and complement recent research on the internationalization of TMTs.

Bortom skolframgång : En analys av PISA 2006 ur ett intersektionellt perspektiv

Beyond school performance An analysis of PISA 2006 from an intersectional perspective One of the central questions in recent discussions about Swedish schools is which factors that influence school performance. Socio-economic background, gender, ethnicity, country of birth are some aspects that are mentioned in many international and national studies. Sweden is one of the participants in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the results of PISA since 2000 show deteriorated results for Sweden in reading performance, mathematics and science among 15-year-old students. In order to set school performance in a broader context we analyzed data for the Swedish part of PISA 2006, in which 57 countries participated (of which 30 OECD-countries), with multivariate methods from an intersectional perspective. Our analysis of PISA 2006 shows a complexity of different social, economic and cultural factors behind students’ school performance. This intersectional result is also strengthened by the results from PISA 2009, not analysed here. Further, our results show that students’ school performance vary with immigration status but that this variation increases by the factor of social inequality in the Swedish society.

Tillhörighetens gränser : Internationell adoption och ursprungets betydelse i svensk utredningsretorik

Boundaries of belonging: transnational adoption and the significance of origin in Swedish official rhetoric This article explores how the category of ‘transnational adoptees’ in Sweden is constructed in two Official Government Reports (SOU). The article is inspired by poststructuralist perspectives on welfare and social categorization, and draws from a postcolonial and feminist theoretical framework. ‘Transnational adoptees’ as a category is understood as constituted through discourse, and given meaning in different contexts. In the reports, a fundamental importance is attached to the fact that individuals with a background as transnationally adopted have been separated from their birth family and country of birth. It is argued that mental problems and a split identity are consequences to be expected from the separation. (Re)connection to the origin is therefore considered to be crucial for the well-being of the group. The article concludes that this line of reasoning is based on a specific logic of blood and roots, in which ‘transnational adoptees’ are understood as belonging to their countries of birth, rather than Sweden. The logic of blood and roots can be read as a form of racialized othering, but also as a discursive exclusion of ‘transnational adoptees’ from Sweden as an imagined, national community.

Etikettdesign hos framgångsrika alesorter i Sverige från olika produktionsländer

Föreliggande studie syftar till att kartlägga vilka designfaktorer som främst förekommer på etiketter hos framgångsrika aleproducenter från olika länder, samt undersöka om konsumenter kan urskilja produktionsland endast genom granskning av etiketten. För att undersöka detta genomfördes en visuell innehållsanalys för att ta fram designfaktorer för fem utvalda länder, varefter fem typexempel skapades. Typexemplen testades på konsumenter via en webbenkät. Slutsatsen är att det i vissa fall går att ta fram ett typexempel och i vissa fall kan en del av konsumenterna se vilket det tänkta produktionslandet är. I majoriteten av fallen gick det emellertid inte att ta fram ett perfekt typexempel och konsumenten kunde inte urskilja det tänkta produktionslandet.

Nação, sociedade civil, estado e estado-nação: uma perspectiva histórica

Nação e sociedade civil são formas de sociedades politicamente organizadas, o estado, a instituição central, e o estado-nação a unidade político-territorial que se formaram a partir da Revolução Capitalista. Cada país de um estado-nação é constituído de uma nação ou uma sociedade civil, um estado e um território. Cada estado é a expressão de sua respectiva forma de sociedade politicamente organizada, mas a relação entre estado e sociedade é explicitamente dialética, uma vez que cada sociedade nacional cria seu estado para que este a regule. Considerando-se que essas definições são históricas, as formas de sociedade e, correspondentemente, as formas de estado se transformam de acordo com a história. Este trabalho apresenta de forma sumária estas formas históricas.

Explorando o potencial de uso do 'made in...' no Brasil

Este relatório, sob as óticas de Estratégia Empresarial e de Marketing, apresenta os conceitos essenciais de certificação de origem. Foram relatadas as experiências de certificação emblemática da champagne (França) e das carnes ovinas da Patagônia (Argentina). O estudo foi conduzido por meio de um estudo exploratório junto a 20 profissionais de restaurantes e estabelecimentos similares, em São Paulo, no final do ano de 1999. Os resultados permitiram concluir que, embora apresente relativa escassez de estudos associados à certificação de origem, o Brasil possui vários produtos e serviços com potencial para desenvolvimento de trabalhos dessa natureza.

Imagem e país de origem e atitude em relação a filmes de origens diversas: a influência do afeto, cognição e comportamento

The study has the purpose to check the existence of correlation between country image and attitude towards films from different countries. The study also had the objective of verify the predominance of one of the three components of attitude: affect, cognition and behavior towards films from different countries. In order to accomplish the objective, 310 self-administered questionnaires, of five different kinds, each one relating to one of the five counties studied (China, France, Iran, India and United States) were applied. In all of them a session referring to Brazilian¿s films was introduced. From the data collected, it was possible to conclude that there is correlation among country image and attitude toward films from China, France, Iran, India and USA. It is also possible to conclude that in low involvement situation with films, there seems not to be any difference between the affective and cognitive means and the affective and behavioral means. Nevertheless, in high involvement situations with films, it was possible to verify a significant difference between cognitive and behavioral means, but not between cognitive and affective means. Based on the answers obtained from the sample studied, there is no significant difference between the means of the affective and the cognitive component and the affective and behavioral component of attitudes towards films, in situations of high involvement with the country of origin of the film. Finally, it was possible to conclude, from the sample studied that Brazilian¿s students seems to be more favorable to Brazilian films than to films from China, Iran, India and France and only north-american films seems to be seen by the students, as more favorable than Brazilian films.

Advocacy das organizações da sociedade civil: um estudo comparativo entre Brasil e Estados Unidos

As organizações da sociedade civil e suas formas de atuação têm ganhado importância tanto na sociedade como nos estudos acadêmicos. Uma das suas formas de atuação que vem se destacando é o papel de influenciar políticas públicas, também conhecido por advocacy, advocacy em políticas públicas e lobbying, dependendo do contexto e país de análise. O significado de advocacy e como esse fenômeno se manifesta constituem o foco deste estudo exploratório que busca, por meio de revisão da literatura, de entrevistas em profundidade e estudos de casos, comparar a atuação de três organizações da sociedade civil: o Independent Sector nos Estados Unidos, o Grupo de Institutos, Fundações e Empresas (GIFE) e a Associação Brasileira de Organizações não Governamentais (ABONG) no Brasil. Essas organizações se caracterizam por ser associações que representam outras organizações da sociedade civil e fazem advocacy em políticas públicas como parte de sua estratégia. É analisado como ocorre esse advocacy e qual o papel dessa forma de atuação dentro de um contexto de democracia deliberativa que pressupõe a discussão, a deliberação por parte dos cidadãos na esfera pública, de assuntos de seu interesse, como a elaboração, a execução e o monitoramento de políticas públicas.

A formação e a prática do educador e sua relação com a educação das classes populares

É no interior das relações sociais capitalistas que situamos e buscamos compreender a Formação e a Prática do Educador. Marcadas pelas contradições inerentes às relações de dominação, a Formação e a Prática do Educador refletem e expressam essas contradições. Assim, a formação que o educador recebe e a prática que ele desenvolve como trabalhador da educação, ao mesmo temoo em que reproduzem as relações de dominação, podem contribuir para a transformação dessas relações. Partindo deste pressuposto, o nosso trabalho propõe uma reflexão sobre a interferência da formação do educador na sua prática diária junto às classes populares. A suposição de que o instrumental teórico/metodológico veiculado pelos cursos de formação pouco contribui para o educador desenvolver e analisar a sua prática junto às classes populares e de que, assim, pode contribuir para o fracasso escolar dessas crianças foi trabalhada, tendo como base de informações a experiência de dois projetos educativos. Um deles envolve o Curso de Pedagogia da Universidade Santa Ursula, e o outro, o "MEC/USU", integrando a Universidade e escolas públicas de 1o grau no Município do Rio de Janeiro. O processo de análise nos permitiu, por um lado, concluir que existe uma coerência, unificada pela ideologia do sistema, entre o tipo de formação alienada e diluída dos educadores e sua prática junto as classes populares, evidenciando que esta formação e esta prática contribuem para a reprodução do "status quo". Por outro lado, constatamos a presença de elementos indicadores de postura critica, o que revela a existência de contradições no interior do curso de Pedagogia e das escolas de 1o grau, demonstrando a possibilidade de a Formação e a Prática do Educador contribuir para as transformações educacionais, sociais, politicas, econômicas e culturais no bojo das contradições do processo histórico, na medida em que estes indicadores forem trabalhados e reforçados.

Product placement in movies: a cross cultural study between Brazil and the USA

The broader objective of this study undertaking can briefly be articulated in particulate aims as follows: to measure the attitudes of consumers regarding the brand displayed by this strategy as well as to highlight recall, recognition and purchase intentions generated by product placement on consumers. In addition, check the differences and similarities between the behavior of Brazilian and American consumers caused by the influence of product placements. The study was undertaken targeting consumer audience in Brazil and the U.S. A rang3 modeling set ups were performed in order to realign study instruments and hypothesis towards the research objectives. This study gave focus on the following hypothesized models. H1: Consumers / Participants who viewed the brands / products in the movie have a higher brand / product recall compared to the consumers / participants who did not view the brands / products in the movie. H2: US Consumers / Participants are able to recognize and recall brands / products which appear in the background of the movie than Brazil. H3: Consumers / participants from USA are more accepting of product placements compared to their counterparts in Brazil. H4: There are discernible similarities in consumer / participant brand attitudes and purchase intentions in consumers / participants from USA and Brazil in spite of the fact that their country of origin is different. Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient ensured the reliability of survey instruments. The study involved the use of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for the hypothesis testing. This study used the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to assess both the convergent and discriminant validities instead of using the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) or the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This reinforced for the use of the regression Chi Square and T statistical tests in further. Only hypothesis H3 was rejected, the rest were not. T test provided insight findings on specific subgroup significant differences. In the SEM testing, the error variance for product placement attitudes was negative for both the groups. On this The Heywood Case came in handy to fix negative values. The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative approach where closed ended questionnaires and interviews respectively were used to collect primary data. The results were additionally provided with tabulations. It can be concluded that, product placement varies markedly in the U.S. from Brazil based on the influence a range of factors provided in the study. However, there are elements of convergence probably driven by the convergence in technology. In order, product placement to become more competitive in the promotional marketing, there will be the need for researchers to extend focus from the traditional variables and add knowledge on the conventional marketplace factors that is the sell-ability of the product placement technologies and strategies.

Automação e robótica nas indústrias brasileiras: um estudo exploratório

A Automação e o processo de Robotização vêm, cada vem mais, se tornando pauta nas discussões de centenas de indústrias brasileiras, onde a tendência clara e identificada é a de investimentos expressivos na melhoria de processos e produtos, por intermédio dessas tecnologias; com foco, sempre que possível, na nacionalização de equipamentos. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o modelo proposto por Paul Kennedy (1993) com relação à tendência de Automação e Robotização nas Indústrias Mundiais, analisando o estudo realizado diante de uma economia emergente como a brasileira. Para tanto, foram pesquisadas empresas no Brasil, em diferentes segmentos industriais, o estado da arte em termos de tecnologia de automação e robótica aplicada a processos industriais, e sugerido um modelo diferente do idealizado originalmente por Kennedy. A análise do autor se baseou no teorema que, na matemática discreta, chamamos de “law of the excluded middle”, ou seja, segundo Kennedy, o Brasil estaria vivendo hoje uma migração gradual das indústrias para os países ricos. O Brasil é um exemplo de país industrializado, de economia emergente, que investe intensamente em processos automatizados, mas que não é classificado dentro do grupo desses países ricos. Através da pesquisa realizada será apresentado um novo modelo, no qual países emergentes como o Brasil têm acesso à tecnologia de ponta em automação e robótica, aplicando a mesma em seus processos industriais.

Cross-border reverse takeover: o caso das multinacionais brasileiras

O Cross-border reverse takeover, conduzido pelas multinacionais brasileiras, gerou desempenho superior? Cross-border reverse takeover tem sido a expressão usada para designar a aquisição de empresas em países desenvolvidos por empresas de países em desenvolvimento. Essas aquisições, reversas porque invertem o fluxo tradicional dos investimentos internacionais, respondem atualmente por parcela significativa desses investimentos e colocam em cheque a forma tradicional de pensar os negócios internacionais. Meu argumento é que as empresas que fizeram aquisições em países desenvolvidos passam a ter acesso aos recursos não disponíveis no país de origem, tais como novas tecnologias, técnicas de gestão mais avançadas, mercado de capitais mais desenvolvidos, recursos financeiros de baixo custo, entre outros. Por outro lado, elas já desenvolveram competências para gerir esses recursos e passam a ter vantagem competitiva sobre os competidores locais, levando ao desempenho superior. No entanto, partindo dos dados da base de dados Thomson ONE, que registra todas as fusões e aquisições anunciadas, oncluídas ou não, e empregando as metodologias de estudos de evento e de regressões multivariadas, com base em dados contábeis sobre uma amostra de empresas brasileiras listadas em bolsa de valores, esta tese demonstra que estatisticamente não é possível afirmar que essas empresas obtiveram desempenho superior.

Natural fibers based composites - Technical and social issues

Brazil is the only country in South America to have an automotive supplier sector based on natural fibers. New opportunities are arising due to an increase demand by the car makers in applying natural fibers in their parts. Several crop fibers have been developed in Brazil. Among them can be listed caroa, piacava, pupunha, mutum and others of regional application. For the automotive industry, which requires large quantities with uniform quality, the alternatives are sisal (170,000 ton/yr), curaua (150 ton/yr in 2003), malva, 200 ton/yr; Brazil is the single largest producer country of sisal, and commercially, the only one in curaua. For South America, the alternatives are fique in Colombia, abaca in equator, flax in Argentina and curaua in Venezuela. It must be understood by the target countries of drugs, is that crop fiber can be an economic alternative to coca in the Andes region, therefore an instrument of land reform and drug reduction plantations. Several companies have a strong program of apply natural fibers based components in their products: Volkswagen do Brazil, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors do Brazil. Among their suppliers can be listed companies such Pematec (curaua), Toro (sisal, coir and jute), Incomer (sisal and jute), Ober (jute, curaua), Indaru (jute and sisal), Antolin (imported kenaf,) Tapetes Sao Carlos (sisal), Poematec (coir) and Art-Gore, with Woodstock'' wood and natural fibers). Figures about production and demand are discussed in the paper.