Multinational Enterprise - Answers a firm with production and/or distribution facilities in two or more
countries
Subsidary Unit - Answers any operating unit which exists outside of the home country of the MNE
(affiliate) in literature
Subsidiary development - Answers Involves both the attraction and sustaining of foreign direct
investment- usually involving very high levels of subsidary iniative
MNE Subsidiary Management Research Evolution - Answers The four central subsidiary management
research streams:
-The Strategy-Structure Stream
-The Headquarters-Subsidiary relationship stream
- The subsidiary Roles Stream
- The Subsidary Development STream
Strategy Structure Stream - Answers The idea behind this notion was that structure was something that
would change to fit strategy and strategy itself was seem to be developed only in headquarters,
negelecting the subsidary role in strategy creation
Parent Persepctive
Key concern: Integration and responisiveness
Role of subsidiary typically 'implementer'
The Headquarters- Subsidiary Relationship Stream - Answers Scholars started to accept the possibility of
subsidiaries having considerable autonomoy and influence over the corporation and the apparent
necessity of subsidiary-management involvement in the decision-making process
Parent Perspective
Centralization-decentralization of decision-making
, Differentiation of HQ-subsidiary relationships- MNE as an 'Interorganizational Network'
Differentiation of subsidiary roles- Subsidiary seen as potential 'contributor'
The Subsidiary Roles STream - Answers Focused on the subsidiary as a unit of analysis and treat
headquarters as an external factor, allowing authors to analyze in detail the various strategic roles of
subsidiaries
Peripheral open economy- stream of other studies generated
Subsidiary has ability to create strategy through bargaining for autonomy and influence
Forms basis for what we know about subsidiaries
The Subsidiary Development Stream - Answers Subsidiary's main objective was to give priority to its own
strategic business decisions instead of simply focus on improving efficiency for HQs
Most recent and dynamic- investigates chcanges in subsidiary role
Role of subsidiary iniative- both positive- specializations within the MNE end up in correct location
NEgative- against the MNE agenda, and fueled by resources in local economy
'Subversive' behavior by subsidary managers
Parent Company influences - Answers Head Office Assignment
Decision made by head office managers regarding the allocation of roles/activities to the subsidiary