Multi - National enterprises

Résumé du document

A uni national company is an enterprise or a business, a venture which target is to have some customers in order to make some profits. But, it is represented in only one country. They can be smalls or big like the railway company in France SNCF for example. A multinational enterprise (MNE) may be defined as a company that owns or controls production or service facilities in more than one country. In other words, a multinational is not simply a company that trades internationally by exporting its product (or by licensing overseas producers). It actually owns (via a wholly or partly-owned subsidiary) or controls (via a branch plant, joint venture or minority shareholding) productive facilities outside its home country. Very large multinationals have budgets that exceed those of many countries. They can have a powerful influence in international relations, given their large economic influence in politicians' representative districts, as well as their extensive financial resources available for public relations and political lobbying.

Extraits

[...] In emerging countries, female have more opportunities to work because MNEs does not care about social facts or religions. But, most of time the jobs are low-skilled and low-paid. In most cases, women work in manufactures (mainly in the textile and garment industries), but in certain countries they can work in agriculture or tourist fields. Concerning the agricultural employments, the agricultural companies are in rural areas, and so the women are there. In many rural areas there is substantial male out-migration to urban areas, leaving women behind to care for the household (Cloud,1999). [...]

[...] Too often the costs of technology transfer and adaptation are underestimated. In a pioneering study, Teece (1976) showed that depending on the production and product-specific characteristics of the foreign investors, the cost of the adaptations to product, process and materials made necessary by a different production and marketing environment might be considerable. So, MNEs can change and adapt more easily than local firms, they can transfer their products and technology towards a country to another. Being able to use their technologies in different ways, and be adaptive, MNEs have just to take those points into account and know that it could be a cost considerable. [...]

[...] But, we cannot say that there is a real link. Indeed, in Europe and US, women are more and more qualified, there are fewer stereotypes; so, women have more high-skilled jobs but that is not still totally fear because they are less-paid than men!! Anyway, they have job with high responsibilities. However, it is a different situation in Japan even if it is a Western country. Thus, Japanese multinationals perpetuate gender divisions and discrimination, not in new, but in ways women have traditionally had to endure. [...]

[...] Indeed, they are disrupting long-established industrial relations or encouraging a dual labour market by paying wages that are out of line with their competitors. (Dunning 1998.p376) Working conditions and employee recruitment: Most studies say that the working conditions in MNEs are close to their own industry or local firms. However, some working practices in foreign affiliates reflect the cultures of their parent companies. But, in all cases even if they keep their own culture, corporate, they have nevertheless to adapt themselves. [...]

[...] Different studies suggests that larger MNC's generally pay more than local firms and at least match or exceed working conditions and other employment benefits in the local labour market (UNCTAD 1994:198-201). While there are still disturbing incidences of "fly by night" MNC's, an increasing number of MNC's are emphasising their social responsibility, which reflects itself in a basic commitment to workers' welfare and "guiding" the employment practices of subcontractors and joint venture partners (UNCTAD 1994:325-27). This role is being reinforced through promotion of the ILO's. [...]