Divisional power, intra-firm bargaining and rent-seeking behavior in multidivisional corporations

Increasing divisional operational responsibilities and the dispersal of knowledge creating activities within the firm have loosened the traditional hierarchical structure of multi-divisional firms. In this paper we argue that a similar mixture of competition and cooperation that is found in inter-firm relationships now characterizes intra-firm relationships. Our model describes a situation in which divisional managers have their own objectives that may diverge from those of the firm as a whole.Thus, divisional managers are both profit-seekers in creating value that can be appropriated and rent-seekers in attempting to maximize their divisional share of the value d by the firm. The bargaining power of a division to maintain and increase its share of the profits generated by the operations of the firm as whole is crucially determined on its strategic independence.

Political culture and foreign direct investment: The case of Italy

Does the political culture of an area have any impact on the foreign direct investment (FDI) decisions of multinational corporations (MNCs)? This question is difficult to address empirically, as locations differ in many dimensions. We therefore address this question by examining MNC investment location decisions with regard to different regions within a single country. The country we examine is Italy, which exhibits one of the highest levels of variation with regard to the political culture of its geographical regions. We find that political culture as represented by the pattern of support for political parties at different points on the political spectrum has a significant impact on the MNC investment location decision. Thus, in choosing between locations on a short list, where economic and financial location factors are roughly similar, political culture can have a determining influence. In the case of Italy, a Center-right orientation is conducive to MNC FDI, while a Center-left orientation is not. A Far-left orientation is found to have a very negative effect on FDI. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003Key words: Foreign direct investment, political culture, MNCs, JEL Classification Numbers: F23, D72, D73,

Political culture and foreign direct investment The case of Italy

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