International experience and FDI location choices of Chinese firms: The moderating effects of home country government support and host country institutions

We examine the extent to which Chinese government support of foreign direct investment (FDI) projects and host country institutional environments interact with prior entry experience by Chinese firms, and how this interrelationship affects FDI undertaken by Chinese firms. We hypothesize that home country government support and well-established host country institutions enhance organizational capabilities to take risks in FDI. As such, they reduce the need to accumulate experiential knowledge and capabilities relating to entering host countries based on prior entry experience in a particular country when undertaking follow-up investment projects. Using a unique, hand-collected panel data set of Chinese publicly listed firms during 2002–2009, we find that home government support and well-developed host country institutions reduce the importance of prior entry experience and significantly increase the likelihood of FDI entry into a host country. Further, from our subsample analyses we identify differences between entering developed and developing host countries in terms of the impact of home country government support and quality of host country institutions. Our findings help explain the puzzle concerning why emerging economy firms have rapidly internationalized in a short period of time and do not follow the pattern predicted by classical IB theories

Regulator Vulnerabilities to Political Pressure and Political Tie Intensity: The Moderating Effects of Regulatory and Political Distance

This study applies the institution-based view and neo-institutional theory in addressing how managerial perceptions of regulator vulnerabilities to political pressure, and institutional distance, influence intensification of political ties. Our analysis of 181 wholly owned foreign subsidiary (WOFSs) operating in the Philippines suggests that managerial perceptions of regulator vulnerability to political pressures positively enhance the intensification of political ties. Our results also reveal that regulatory distance and, more importantly, the simultaneous presence of political and regulatory distance diminish the positive relationship between managerial perceptions of regulator vulnerability to political pressures and a WOFS’s propensity to enhance the intensification of political ties. Managerial implications and future research directions are discusse

Anti-granulocyte opsonic activity and autoimmune neutropenia.

Sera from patients with unexplained neutropenia have been assayed for anti-granulocyte opsonic activity using a chemiluminescence technique which measures the metabolic response of human monocytes to antibody-coated granulocytes. This rapid and simple technique was more sensitive than indirect immunofluorescence in the detection of anti-granulocyte antibodies. Anti-granulocyte opsonic activity was detected in sera from 17 of 31 patients, suggesting that their neutropenia may have had an autoimmune basis. The opsonic activity of five of the 17 sera was increased when granulocytes were sensitized in the presence of fresh serum. Four of these sera bound IgM and C3b to granulocytes in the immunofluorescence test. Human IgG when added to the monocyte suspension medium inhibited monocyte response to IgG antibody-opsonized granulocytes. This inhibition was less when granulocytes were opsonized with sera containing IgM and complement granulocyte-binding activity. This observation may be relevant to the selection of neutropenic patients for therapeutic use of intravenous immunoglobulin

Anti-granulocyte opsonic activity in sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Neutropenia is common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but mechanisms of cell depletion remain obscure. To investigate the possible autoimmune aetiology of neutropenia in SLE, sera from 31 patients with this disorder were tested for anti-granulocyte activity. Granulocyte-binding immunoglobulins were detected by indirect immunofluorescence, and the ability of patient sera to opsonize granulocytes was determined by measuring the chemiluminescent response of human monocytes to granulocytes sensitized by test sera. Sera from 22 of the 31 patients bound IgG to granulocyte cell membranes and/or to nuclei, but only membrane-binding antibodies opsonized the cells for recognition by monocytes. There was no correlation between neutrophil count and the level of granulocyte-binding IgG as measured by indirect immunofluorescence. In contrast, opsonic activity and neutrophil count were inversely correlated (r = 0.5; P less than 0.05). However, opsonic activity was present in sera from most non-neutropenic patients. In patients with SLE, impaired reticuloendothelial system function may allow sensitized granulocytes to remain in the circulation

Beijing or Shanghai the strategic location choice of large MNEs' host-country headquarters in China

10.1057/jibs.2013.49Journal of International Business Studies449953-96