Rival States, Rival Firms Hardback: Competition for World Market Shares: 18 (Cambridge Studies in International Relations, Series Number 18) - Hardcover

"Stopford (London Business School) and Strange (formerly of The London School of Economics) provide a fascinating theoretical analysis rooted in a study of 50 multinationals and more than 100 investment projects in Brazil, Kenya, and Malaysia...This richly documented volume is accessible to undergraduates and is strongly recommended for academic and large public libraries." Choice

"As an alliance of a business school academic and a political scientist, Stopford and Strange have produced a very interesting joint product that reflects their complementary skills....a useful book for many economists unfamiliar with the workings of the world of business or the insights from international political economy." David B. Yoffie, Journal of Economic Literature

In this theoretically original work, two distinguished authors explore the mutual interdependence of states and firms throughout the world. They show how global structural changes - in finance, technology, knowledge and politics - often impel governments to seek the help and cooperation of managers of multinational enterprises. Yet, as Professors Stopford and Strange demonstrate, this is constrained by each country's economic resources, its social structures and its political history. Based on grass-roots research into the experience of over 50 multinationals and more than 100 investment projects in three developing countries- Brazil, Malaysia and Kenya - the authors develop a matrix of agendas. They present the impact on projects of the multiple factors affecting the bargaining relationships between the government and the foreign firm at different times and in a variety of economic sectors. In conclusion they offer some guidelines for actions to both governments and firms and some points to future interdisciplinary research.