Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Due to surging energy prices and global demand, the energy multinational corporations (MNCs) have been garnering record earnings and profits. Yet the environment for energy MNCs has never seemed worse with assets, employees, and income lost to government

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Commercial liberalism argues that it is better to trade than to invade. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman following a similar line of argument in his new book, The World is Flat, states that ?no two countries that are both part of a major global supply chain, like Dell?s, will ever fight a war against each other as long as they are both part of the same global supply chain.? Friedman terms this his Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention. Liberals argue that economic interdependence is important, not because it prevents states from going to war, but because it may lead states to define their interests in a way that makes war less important to them. Trade offers states an alternative to transform their position through economic growth rather than through military or political conflict. By examining the Egyptian and Jordanian-Israeli Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs), which were established in 1996, this research explores the value of commercial liberalism in areas of protracted political and/or military conflict. Like the maquiladoras that operate along the Mexican side of the US border, Egyptian and Jordanian plants adjacent to the Israeli border are afforded preferential trade treatment in order to stimulate economic development. Ideally, firms operating in the QIZs might cooperate to some extent with Israeli companies. Has this economic interdependence led to less political and military conflict? This work argues yes but not because of a redefinition of a state?s national interest as commercial liberals argue but because the existence of QIZs and of other international obligations force Middle East policymakers to liberalize their domestic economy. The emergence of a politically powerful middle class and of influential multinational corporations proves to be a much stronger explanation for how economic interdependence decreases tension in areas of protracted conflict. By examining the historical record, interviewing relevant policymakers and businesspeople, this paper concludes that in this case, MNCs have not been agents of change for peace in the Middle East.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper is part of a larger project which addresses two
research questions: (1) While it is widely acknowledged that FDI and
MNCS are economically and politically powerful in host countries, why
is it that scholars (Gilpin; Strange) observe that MNCs have not
dominated developing host countries and that their influences have
weakened in the recent decades? As often shown, MNCs and FDI have grown
in their economic significance in the past several decades. (2) How
does FDI and MNCs affect political governance in host countries? I
argue that democratic governance provides an institutional basis for
smart regulation to emerge. More specifically, more democratic
countries are more likely to reduce entry barriers and to offer better
property rights protection, engaging less in nationalization and
expropriation of foreign assets, reducing risks and increasing profits
for foreign firms. But they are less likely to provide generous tax
incentives and give a green light to mergers and acquisitions that
reduce market competition. They are also more likely to impose
performance requirements on incoming foreign firms.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper aimed to tackle the lately hot issue that MNCs� undergoing trust crisis in China and accordingly the revelation of the importance of effective international crisis communication. The paper applied an integrated management perspective to organizational crisis research. Three representative PR crisis cases involving KFC, Haagen-Dazs and Nestle were reported and accessed specifically. Following Pearson and Clair�s crisis management model and looking at the degree to which the perspectives used to study crisis communication in Western cultures are predicative of audience perceptions in a non-Western culture, a tentative conclusion was drawn that the Western frameworks are generalizable. This study reported several findings that suggest cross-cultural variation in crisis communication. We found three Chinese distinctive cultural factors influential to the success of crisis communication in China consisting the importance of Ren Qing revealed by appropriate attitudes, position and wording, preference to no comment and practical compensation rather than minimization and apology, which is different from the Western society. Also, the other factor relevant to the rapid social change was draw such as the media has high level of public credibility particularly in the context of negative information although it may sometimes arouse mass compliance. Also, the concept of �Guanxi� was clarified for the sake of the applicability of personal influence model. The practical and theoretical implications for international crisis communication were suggested.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In recent years organizations like the World Bank, OECD, and European Union have actively promoted the concept of “good governance” to promote national and international reforms for advancing global development. While international society has applauded