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TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS
Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2012
Corporations whose sales and production are carried out
in many different nations. As a result of their multinational reach these transnational
corporations are often thought to be beyond the political control of any individual nation
state.
The Illusion of State Power: Transnational Corporations and
the Neutralization of Host-Country Legislation - Thomas J. Biersteker, Department
of Political Science Yale University and the International Peace Research Institute,
Oslo - Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 17, No. 3, 207-221 (1980) © 1980
International Peace Research Institute, Oslo
Ten years ago there was widespread agreement that transnational corporations constrained
the exercise of state power in the Third World. During the 1970s, however, there have been
increasing challenges to this idea. Neo-conservatives, neo-mercantilists, bargaining
writers, and statists have all been struck by the growth of economic nationalism and the
resurgence of the state. Thus, a new orthodoxy has emerged which suggests that the
transnational corporation rather than national sovereignty is increasingly 'at bay'.
The research described in this article examined the responses of transnational
corporations to Nigeria's increasingly stringent indigenization policies during the 1970s.
Transnational corporations have developed a range of defensive strategies which
effectively neutralize the Nigerian policy. Thus it is clear first that an increase in the
frequency of state actions is by no means equivalent to an increase in the effectiveness
of state actions. Second, the sharing of equity is a long way from the sharing of control
in joint ventures with transnational corporations. Third, any assessment of the balance of
bargaining power between states and transnational corporations must take account of the
dynamics of change within each of the major protagonists.
Changes have taken place in the relationship between states and transnational corporations
during the 1970s. However, most observers have ignored the defensive responses and
capabilities of transnational corporations. The balance of bargaining power between host-
countries and transnational corporations has not shifted either as far or as quickly as
most of the advocates of the 'resurgence of the state' literature maintain. -
jpr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/3/207
Transnational Corporations - Power, Influence and
Responsibility
Sorcha Macleod, University of Sheffield, UK
Douglas Lewis, University of Sheffield, UK
Global Social Policy, Vol. 4, No. 1, 77-98 (2004) © 2004 SAGE Publications
In terms of the New World Order, the largest Transnational Corporations (TNCs) are central
players. They influence the policies of governments worldwide; they help to order the
agenda of the World Trade Organization. They influence the destinies of individual
economies in the developing world, they have a crucial impact on the eco-system, they set
wage-levels, which can cause the first world to bend to their demands, and so on. Any
constitutional architect who does not attempt to set a framework of accountability and
global citizenship for the TNCs would demean their craft. How do we orchestrate the
healthy influence of TNCs in terms of economic growth and opportunity with the necessity
of their conforming to the underlying values of the world community? Can we legislate for
corporate responsibility and if so, how? If not, what alternatives are available? This
article will explore the values and mechanisms for ensuring that the corporate world is in
tune with the expectations of cosmopolitan democracy. How much can be done by national
governments, how much can be done by regional groupings such as the EU, how much can be
done by bodies such as the OECD, what is the influence of global trade unions, can codes
of practice be influential and if so, who are the most promising prime movers? Can
procurement policies be directed to achieve corporate responsibility and how influential
is civil society in the form of NGOs, for example? More and more detailed information is
becoming available on the influential activities of TNCs but as yet there appears to be no
game plan for where they fit in to canons of global responsibility. This article explores
some possibilities. - gsp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/4/1/77
Transnational Corporations and Repression of Political Rights and Civil Liberties: An
Empirical Analysis - MATTHIAS BUSSE, HWWI - Hamburg Institute of International
Economics - Kyklos, Vol. 57, pp. 45-65, February 2004
Abstract: Transnational Corporations are often accused by non-governmental organisations
of ignoring fundamental democratic rights, such as civil liberties and political rights,
in the countries of their investments. This paper attempts to explore empirically the
complex relationship between foreign investment and democracy in a systematic way, using
different econometric techniques. In contrast to the public discussion over recent years
and the view held by non-governmental organisations, the results show that enhanced
democratic rights are associated with higher foreign investment in the 1990s.
Interestingly, this positive link does not hold for the 1970s and 1980s, when a
substantial portion of foreign investment went to countries with repressive governments. -
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=513730
Transnational firms and the changing organisation of innovative activities
A Zanfei, Universitą di Urbino, Ise-Facoltą di Economia, Via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino,
Italy
Abstract: It is suggested that a transition is taking place towards new modes of
organising transnational corporations' innovative activities. First, different units of
multinational firms, including foreign-based subsidiaries, are increasingly involved in
the generation, use and transmission of knowledge. Secondly, multinationals are developing
external networks of relationships with local counterparts, through which foreign
affiliates gain access to external knowledge sources and application abilities. As a
result of this evolutionary process, multinationals' organisation is subject to both
centripetal and centrifugal forces. Considerable efforts are then necessary to innovate
coordination procedures and mechanisms, in order to enhance the generation, circulation
and use of knowledge. A number of empirical works are reviewed, providing some evidence of
the evolutionary process discussed in the paper. -
cje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/24/5/515
Controlling Transnational Corporations: The Role of Governmental Entities and
Grassroots Organizations in Combating White-Collar Crime
Jurg Gerber, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville
Eric L. Jensen, Department of Sociology, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-1110,
USA
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 44, No. 6,
692-713 (2000) DOI: 10.1177/0306624X00446006 © 2000 SAGE Publications
Controlling transnational corporations is problematic because of the absence of powerful
international regulations and inconsistent national legislation. Corporations that conduct
business in several countries can therefore often engage in corporate behaviors that are
illegal in one country but not in others. However, efforts to control these corporations
are undertaken in spite of such difficulties. Insights from state theory and social
movement/ problem theory are used to explain the relative successes of efforts to control
corporations active in the infant formula, pharmaceutical, and tobacco industries. -
ijo.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/44/6/692
Transnational Corporations and Global Citizenship - HAZEL HENDERSON
American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 43, No. 8, 1231-1261 (2000) DOI:
10.1177/00027640021955847 © 2000 SAGE Publications
Abstract: Transnational corporations are major global actors, many larger than most nation
states. The evolution of their organizational structures and of relevant national and
international law is reviewed briefly. The focus of the article then shifts to examine how
corporations are evolving to address the broader demands of their customers, shareholders,
employees, and community stakeholders. These new demands go beyond the traditional bottom
line to address issues of human and employee rights, child labor, workplace safety,
impacts of technology, and environmental protection. Corporate responses to such demands
for good global citizenship are assessed, together with the growth of social and ethical
investment criteria among shareholders, mutual funds, and pension asset managers. -
abs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/43/8/1231
Transnational Corporations, Competition and Monopoly
Rhys Jenkins, University of E. Anglia, Norwich.
Review of Radical Political Economics, Vol. 21, No. 4, 12-32 (1989) DOI:
10.1177/048661348902100402 © 1989 Union for Radical Political Economics
The paper argues that much of the literature on the impact of TNCs on the Third World is
located at the level of circulation. Making use of the recent critical literature on
monopoly and competition, it is argued that surplus profits earned by NCs in Third World
countries are not primarily the result of market power, but derive from their ability to
enter markets in which very favorable demand conditions exist and from their productivity
advantages with respect to local firms. - rrp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/4/12
A New Transnational Corporate Social Structure of Accumulation for Long-Wave Upswing in
the World Economy? - Phillip Anthony O’Hara, Global Political Economy
Research Unit, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia
Review of Radical Political Economics, Vol. 36, No. 3, 328-335 (2004) DOI:
10.1177/0486613404267695 © 2004 Union for Radical Political Economics
Abstract: This article examines whether a new transnational corporate social structure of
accumulation (SSA) has emerged in the global economy to promote long-wave upswing. It
explores the main tendencies of the transnational corporate system; three main engines of
potential growth; and the evidence of profitability, accumulation, productivity, and
growth. Then the dominant contradictions are surveyed. Overall, a new transnational
corporate SSA does not seem to be operating, and long-wave upswing is not evident for the
global corporate economy. - rrp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/3/328
The Power of Rights: Imposing Human Rights Duties on Transnational Corporations for
Environmental Harms - AMY SINDEN, Temple University - James E. Beasley School of
Law
THE NEW CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE LAW, Doreen
McBarnet, Aurora Voiculescu, & Tom Campbell, eds., Cambridge University Press,
2007
Abstract: This essay attempts to construct a normative justification for the imposition of
human rights duties on transnational corporations (TNCs) that commit environmental wrongs
in the developing world. Under the now near-hegemonic worldview of welfare economics, TNCs
are analogised to individuals competing in the marketplace and thus placed squarely on the
private side of the public/private divide. If we step outside of the economic worldview,
however, and recognise the extent to which the normative justifications for civil and
political human rights have traditionally been rooted in a perceived need to counteract
the imbalance of power between the individual and the state, it becomes clear that it is
frequently far more appropriate to treat TNCs as “like states” than “like
individuals.” Many TNCs, after all, wield more power and resources than many states.
Accordingly, at least where one of two sets of factual circumstances exist, human rights
duties should be imposed directly on TNCs for environmental harms: 1) where the state has
become so weak and/or corrupt as to be non-functional, or 2) where the TNC has so much
power and influence within the domestic government that it essentially controls state
decision-making.
Transnational corporations and the geographical transfer of localised technology: a
multi-industry study of foreign affiliates in Sweden
Inge Ivarsson, Department of Human and Economic Geography, School of Economics and
Commercial Law, Box 630, S-405 30 Göteburg, Sweden. email
Inge.Ivarsson@geography.gu.se
Abstract: Based on unique firm-level data from 323 majority-owned foreign affiliates
(MOFAs) located in West Sweden in the beginning of 2000, we show that foreign-located
affiliates of transnational corporations (TNCs) generate technological competencies, both
internally as well as through organised cooperation with external business partners in the
host country. This seems true not only for manufacturing affiliates, but also for
wholesale affiliates supplying industrial products, as well as professional service
affiliates providing technical services. In addition, all three categories of affiliates
are engaged in ‘dynamic technological integration’, i.e. a geographical transfer
to parent and sister firms of technological competence that MOFAs have developed in
cooperation with external business partners in Sweden. This indicates that not only the
technological competence of MOFAs themselves, but even the geographical context in which
they are embedded is a relational asset that is crucial for the overall technological
competitiveness of TNCs.
Above all, technological linkages were established with host country customers. Important
technological linkages were established both with local business partners in West Sweden,
as well as business partners in the Rest of Sweden.
Using a logistic regression analysis, we found that technological integration is
especially associated with affiliates operating in competitive host country clusters,
indicating that a large pool of indigenous technological competence acts as an important
pull-factor for inward asset-seeking FDI. However, technological linkages between foreign
TNCs and host country partners does not come automatically, instead they need substantial
and long-term investments in personal and non-personal resources. -
joeg.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/2/2/221
Transnational Corporations and the Global Food System - Author: McLaughlin,
Martin M
Source: Center of Concern
Abstract: This chapter from the book World Food Security describes in very accessible
terms the structure and behavior of the global food system, likening it to a corporate
cartel dominated by a handful of powerful food companies. - agribusinessaccountability.org
US-Based Transnational Corporations and Emerging Markets
Nitzan, Jonathan. (1996). Emerging Markets Analyst. Vol. 5. No. 3. July. pp. 13-24.
(Magazine Article; English).
Abstract or Brief Description: Transnational corporations are accounting for a growing
share of global economic activity and their dependence on emerging markets is rapidly
rising. For US-based TNCs, the attraction of emerging markets stems from superior economic
growth, higher rates of return and, most importantly, from the prospects of expanding
market share. - bnarchives.yorku.ca/54/
Transnational Corporations and Education: Current Issues and Prospects - Cieslik,
Jerzy
Source: International Review of Education, v28 n4 p457-67 1982
Abstract: Discusses how transnational corporations might contribute to various forms of
education in developing countries and describes measures states should take to encourage
their receiving benefits. - eric.ed.gov
Human rights and transnational corporations: the way forward
High Commissioner’s Report: A speaker summarised the report of the Commissioner
of Human Rights on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and related business
enterprises with regard to human rights of 15 February 2005 (E/CN.4/2005/91). The report
reviewed existing initiatives and standards and compared their scope and legal status, in
particular the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational
Enterprises and Social Policy, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the
United Nations Global Compact, and the draft Norms on the Responsibilities of
Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights
(draft Norms). - chathamhouse.org.uk/pdf/research/il/ILP070605.doc
Human rights codes for transnational corporations: what can the Sullivan and MacBride
principles tell us?
McCrudden, C (1999) Human rights codes for transnational corporations: what can the
Sullivan and MacBride principles tell us?. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 19(2):pp.
167-202.
Abstract: The development of codes of conduct for transnational corporations is
considered, particularly those involving human and labour rights. The issue of compliance
with such codes is examined through a detailed consideration of the development and
operation of the Sullivan and MacBride Principles. The origin, evolution, and effects of
these Principles is considered. Particular attention is paid to institutional and other
features surrounding their enforcement, including the use of selective purchasing,
shareholder activism, and linkage to government financial incentives. The paper considers
what conclusions may be drawn from the operation of these Principles to inform current
debates about the effectiveness of corporate codes of conduct. -
eprints.ouls.ox.ac.uk/archive/00000545/
HOPE-HELIUM: GLOBAL SOCIAL CHANGE AND RATIONALE OF TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS’
PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS
DISSERTATION SUBMITTED FOR MASTERS DEGREE IN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Dissertation Supervisor Dr. Hugo Radice
SVETLANA V. POUCHKAREVA, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, INSTITUTE FOR POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES
E-mail: wpushkarevasv@mail.ru
Abstract: With the purpose of generating a discussion over the rationale of transnational
corporations’ partnership with community foundations, the scholar explores a blend of
theories from political, business and social studies and matches them with the data
received from community foundations and the partner transnational corporations in seven
countries. The study approaches concepts of global social change and social capital
affecting transnational corporations and suggests that community foundations, due to their
features of ‘glocality’ – ability to respond efficiently to local community
needs worldwide; and ‘epistemics’ – knowledgebased networks of influence,
assist transnational corporations to strategically align their business needs with the
demands of their multiple communities, thus, maximise their competitive advantages. -
tcfn.efc.be
Joint ventures with transnational corporations
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