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International Markets and Global Firms
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International Markets and Global Firms
A Comparative Study of Organized Business

Edited by:

May 1991 | 288 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
How do global firms relate to their international markets? How do firms create policy regimes favorable to them within the countries/regions in which they operate? Do business interest associations help firms in their dealings with government policies and the planning of business strategy? Is it in the best interests of governments to deal with associations representing the collective interests of an industry or with individual firms? This volume is the first international comparative study of the role of business interest associations, government politics and business strategies in the governance of an industry of great importance in the world economy--the chemical industry. This analysis covers the last two decades which have been characterized by extensive technological innovation, sectoral shifts in international trade and far-reaching social transformations. Interdisciplinary and multinational, this volume combines a developed theoretical framework with substantial empirical findings. For academics and researchers of political economy and the international marketplace, this volume provides provocative insights and direction for future research. "This book is a welcome addition to the literature bridging economics, management, and sociology. Focusing on the chemical industry, this volume makes an excellent methodological and empirical contribution to three areas of sociological interest: organizations and environments, the social behavior of economic actors, and comparative sociology. . . . An insightful and worthy case study of the relationship between firms and their social environments. . . . The overall picture that emerges from the book enlightens us in two ways. It provides a comprehensive view of the economic, social, and organizational context of the global chemical industry, and it greatly enhances (and helps recast) our theoretical and conceptual understanding of the social behavior of business firms. . . . This book makes a very important contribution to our understanding of business organizations and how they adapt to local, national, and global environments. It will appeal to those interested in organizations, economic sociology, management, and international political economy, and is well suited for courses in any of these areas." --Contemporary Sociology "An important contribution by a multidisciplinary group to an aspect of business usually side stepped by economists." --The Economic Times

 
Preface
Alberto Martinelli
Introduction
Giuliano Mussati and Anna Soru
International Markets and Competitive Systems
Wyn Grant
Associated Systems in the Chemical Industry
Wyn Grant and Alberto Martinelli
Political Turbulence, Enterprise Crisis and Industrial Recovery
ICI and Montedison

 
Pamela Adams
State Policy and the Chemical Industry in Western Europe
Antonio M Chiesi
The Logic of Membership in Chemical Business Interests Associations
Henry J Jacek
The Functions of Associations as Agents of Public Policy
Colin Whitston
Chemical Unions in the United Kingdom and Germany
William E Paterson
Self Regulation Under Pressure
Environmental Protection Policy and the Industry's Response

 
Wyn Grant
The Overcapacity Crisis in the West European Petrochemicals Industry
Alberto Martinelli and Wyn Grant
Conclusion

`Martinelli must be commended for focusing public attention on how global firms respond to the international economic environment and what role the industrial associations play in the formulation of government policies in the countries where they operate...This book is compulsory reading ...Martinelli's editing makes the book eminently readable...business leaders must look at the ways in which the industrial associations can play a far more meaningful role' - Financial Express, New Delhi

`This book is a welcome addition to the literature bridging economics, management, and sociology. Focusing on the chemical industry, this volume makes an excellent methodological and empirical contribution to three areas of sociological interest: organizations and environments, the social behavior of economic actors, and comparative sociology.... Overall, this book makes a very important contribution to our understanding of business organizations and how they adapt to local, national, and global environments. It will appeal to those interested in organizations, economic sociology, management, and international political economy, and is well suited for courses in any of these areas.' - Contemporary Sociology

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Hardcover
ISBN: 9780803984363
$154.00