IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intman/v20y2014i4p379-389.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Host-country Headquarters of U.S. Firms in China: An Empirical Study

Author

Listed:
  • Pan, Yigang
  • Teng, Lefa
  • Yu, Mingyang
  • Lu, Xiongwen
  • Huang, Dan

Abstract

Recent studies show that large multinational enterprises (MNEs) adopt an organizational unit, called host-country headquarters (HCHQ), in key foreign countries (Ma and Delios, 2010; Ma, Delios and Lau, 2013). In this study, we examine the factors that are associated with the establishment of an HCHQ by US firms in China. We hypothesize that an HCHQ is associated with both firm-specific factors and host country-specific factors. We find that an HCHQ is associated with the firm's scope diversification and degree of internationalization, and the strategic importance of foreign host country and subsidiary diversification in that host country. The findings are based on archival data of U.S. Fortune 500 firms. The findings add to the understanding of an important organizational structure of large U.S. firms in China, and possibly to MNE structures more widely in key foreign countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Pan, Yigang & Teng, Lefa & Yu, Mingyang & Lu, Xiongwen & Huang, Dan, 2014. "Host-country Headquarters of U.S. Firms in China: An Empirical Study," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 379-389.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:20:y:2014:i:4:p:379-389
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2014.02.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075425314000179
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intman.2014.02.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rebecca Henderson & Iain Cockburn, 1996. "Scale, Scope, and Spillovers: The Determinants of Research Productivity in Drug Discovery," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 27(1), pages 32-59, Spring.
    2. Alan M. Rugman & Alain Verbeke, 2005. "A Perspective on Regional and Global Strategies of Multinational Enterprises," Chapters, in: Analysis of Multinational Strategic Management, chapter 8, pages 104-119, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 2009. "The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1411-1431, December.
    4. Otto Andersen, 1993. "On the Internationalization Process of Firms: A Critical Analysis," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 24(2), pages 209-231, June.
    5. Henry Wai-chung Yeung & Jessie Poon & Martin Perry, 2001. "Towards a Regional Strategy: The Role of Regional Headquarters of Foreign Firms in Singapore," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 38(1), pages 157-183, January.
    6. William G. Egelhoff, 1988. "Strategy and structure in multinational corporations: A revision of the stopford and wells model," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), pages 1-14, January.
    7. Jean-Claude Cosset & Jean Roy, 1991. "The Determinants of Country Risk Ratings," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 22(1), pages 135-142, March.
    8. John H Dunning, 1998. "Location and the Multinational Enterprise: A Neglected Factor?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(1), pages 45-66, March.
    9. Stewart Johnston & Bulent Menguc, 2007. "Subsidiary size and the level of subsidiary autonomy in multinational corporations: a quadratic model investigation of Australian subsidiaries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(5), pages 787-801, September.
    10. Guey-Huey Li & Chwo-Ming Yu & Dah-Hsian Seetoo, 2010. "Toward a Theory of Regional Organization," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 5-33, February.
    11. Tony W Tong & Jeffrey J Reuer, 2007. "Real options in multinational corporations: organizational challenges and risk implications," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(2), pages 215-230, March.
    12. Christian Geisler Asmussen & Torben Pedersen & Charles Dhanaraj, 2009. "Host-country environment and subsidiary competence: Extending the diamond network model," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(1), pages 42-57, January.
    13. Alain Verbeke & Thomas P Kenworthy, 2008. "Multidivisional vs metanational governance of the multinational enterprise," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(6), pages 940-956, September.
    14. Igor Filatotchev & Jenifer Piesse, 2009. "R&D, internationalization and growth of newly listed firms: European evidence," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(8), pages 1260-1276, October.
    15. Bai, Chong-En & Du, Yingjuan & Tao, Zhigang & Tong, Sarah Y., 2004. "Local protectionism and regional specialization: evidence from China's industries," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 397-417, July.
    16. Luo, Yadong, 2007. "From foreign investors to strategic insiders: Shifting parameters, prescriptions and paradigms for MNCs in China," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 14-34, March.
    17. Chiung-Hui Tseng & Patriya Tansuhaj & William Hallagan & James McCullough, 2007. "Effects of firm resources on growth in multinationality," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(6), pages 961-974, November.
    18. Cyril Bouquet & Allen Morrison & Julian Birkinshaw, 2009. "International attention and multinational enterprise performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(1), pages 108-131, January.
    19. Julian Birkinshaw, 1997. "Entrepreneurship In Multinational Corporations: The Characteristics Of Subsidiary Initiatives," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 207-229, March.
    20. G R G Benito & B Grøgaard & R Narula, 2003. "Environmental influences on MNE subsidiary roles: economic integration and the Nordic countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(5), pages 443-456, September.
    21. Pankaj Ghemawat, 2003. "Semiglobalization and international business strategy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(2), pages 138-152, March.
    22. Alan M Rugman & Alain Verbeke, 2008. "The theory and practice of regional strategy: a response to Osegowitsch and Sammartino," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(2), pages 326-332, March.
    23. Michael J Enright, 2009. "The location of activities of manufacturing multinationals in the Asia-Pacific," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(5), pages 818-839, June.
    24. Shige Makino & Takehiko Isobe & Christine M. Chan, 2004. "Does country matter?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(10), pages 1027-1043, October.
    25. Xufei Ma & Andrew Delios & Chung-Ming Lau, 2013. "Beijing or Shanghai? The strategic location choice of large MNEs’ host-country headquarters in China," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(9), pages 953-961, December.
    26. Farok J. Contractor, 2007. "Is international business good for companies? The evolutionary or multi-stage theory of internationalization vs. the transaction cost perspective," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 453-475, June.
    27. Rugman, Alan M. & Brewer, Thomas L. (ed.), 2001. "The Oxford Handbook of International Business," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199241828.
    28. Cantwell, John, 1995. "The Globalisation of Technology: What Remains of the Product Cycle Model?," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 19(1), pages 155-174, February.
    29. Jean-Luc Arregle & Paul W Beamish & Louis Hébert, 2009. "The regional dimension of MNEs' foreign subsidiary localization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(1), pages 86-107, January.
    30. Alfred D. Chandler, 1991. "The functions of the HQ unit in the multibusiness firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(S2), pages 31-50, December.
    31. Xufei Ma & Andrew Delios, 2010. "Host-country headquarters and an MNE's subsequent within-country diversifications," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(3), pages 517-525, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tomi Laamanen, 2019. "Dynamic attention-based view of corporate headquarters in MNCs," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Andrews, Daniel S. & Fainshmidt, Stav & Ambos, Tina & Haensel, Kira, 2022. "The attention-based view and the multinational corporation: Review and research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
    3. Yi Wang & Yingming Zhu & Maojun Yu, 2023. "Identification of the most suitable areas for the development of headquarters economy in China: a theoretical framework and empirical case study," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(10), pages 11487-11515, October.
    4. Xufei Ma & Andrew Delios & Shu Yu, 2020. "Innovation in MNC’S strategy and structure: the (re) emergence of host country headquarters in large emerging markets," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 609-632, September.
    5. Li, Xiaoqing & Quan, Rose & Stoian, Maria-Cristina & Azar, Goudarz, 2018. "Do MNEs from developed and emerging economies differ in their location choice of FDI? A 36-year review," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 1089-1103.
    6. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Harhoff, Philippa-Luisa, 2021. "The accelerating effect of institutional environment unfamiliarity on subsidiary portfolio expansion in a new host country," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    7. Teng, Lefa & Huang, Dan & Pan, Yigang, 2017. "The Performance of MNE Subsidiaries in China: Does It Matter to Be Close to the Political or Business Hub?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 292-305.
    8. Sewak, Mayank & Sharma, Anurag, 2020. "Performance implications of MNE subsidiary federation: Evidence from India," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chidlow, Agnieszka & Holmström-Lind, Christine & Holm, Ulf & Tallman, Steve, 2015. "Do I stay or do I go? Sub-national drivers for post-entry subsidiary development," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 266-275.
    2. Verbeke, Alain & Kano, Liena & Yuan, Wenlong, 2016. "Inside the regional multinationals: A new value chain perspective on subsidiary capabilities," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 785-793.
    3. Pla-Barber, José & Botella-Andreu, Ana & Villar, Cristina, 2021. "Intermediate units in multinational corporations: A resource dependency view on coordinative versus entrepreneurial roles," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1).
    4. Xufei Ma & Andrew Delios & Shu Yu, 2020. "Innovation in MNC’S strategy and structure: the (re) emergence of host country headquarters in large emerging markets," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 609-632, September.
    5. Youngok Kim & Sidney J Gray, 2017. "Internationalization strategy and the home-regionalization hypothesis: The case of Australian multinational enterprises," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 42(4), pages 673-691, November.
    6. Chakravarty, Dwarka & Hsieh, Ying-Ying & Schotter, Andreas P.J. & Beamish, Paul W., 2017. "Multinational enterprise regional management centres: Characteristics and performance," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 296-311.
    7. Villar, Cristina & Dasí, Àngels & Botella-Andreu, Ana, 2018. "Subsidiary-specific advantages for inter-regional expansion: The role of intermediate units," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 328-338.
    8. Viacheslav Iurkov & Gabriel R G Benito, 2018. "Domestic alliance networks and regional strategies of MNEs: A structural embeddedness perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(8), pages 1033-1059, October.
    9. Dirk Ulrich Gilbert & Patrick Heinecke, 2014. "Success Factors of Regional Strategies for Multinational Corporations: Exploring the Appropriate Degree of Regional Management Autonomy and Regional Product/Service Adaptation," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 54(5), pages 615-651, October.
    10. Danchi Tan & Weichieh Su & Joseph T. Mahoney & Yasemin Kor, 2020. "A review of research on the growth of multinational enterprises: A Penrosean lens," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 498-537, June.
    11. Nielsen, Bo Bernhard & Asmussen, Christian Geisler & Weatherall, Cecilie Dohlmann, 2017. "The location choice of foreign direct investments: Empirical evidence and methodological challenges," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 62-82.
    12. Benoit Decreton & Henrik Dellestrand & Philip Kappen & Phillip C. Nell, 2017. "Beyond Simple Configurations: The Dual Involvement of Divisional and Corporate Headquarters in Subsidiary Innovation Activities in Multibusiness Firms," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(6), pages 855-878, December.
    13. Nguyen, Quyen T.K. & Kim, Sylvia, 2020. "The multinationality and performance relationship: Revisiting the literature and exploring the implications," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    14. Jiang, Guoliang F. & Holburn, Guy L.F. & Beamish, Paul W., 2016. "The spatial structure of foreign subsidiaries and MNE expansion strategy," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 438-450.
    15. Arregle, Jean-Luc & Miller, Toyah L. & Hitt, Michael A. & Beamish, Paul W., 2018. "The role of MNEs’ internationalization patterns in their regional integration of FDI locations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(6), pages 896-910.
    16. Yang, Yong & Driffield, Nigel, 2022. "Leveraging the benefits of location decisions into performance: A global view from matched MNEs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 468-483.
    17. Chakravarty, Dwarka & Goerzen, Anthony & Musteen, Martina & Ahsan, Mujtaba, 2021. "Global cities: A multi-disciplinary review and research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(3).
    18. Achcaoucaou, Fariza & Miravitlles, Paloma & León-Darder, Fidel, 2014. "Knowledge sharing and subsidiary R&D mandate development: A matter of dual embeddedness," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 76-90.
    19. Naveen Kumar Jain & Tanvi Kothari & Vikas Kumar, 2016. "Location Choice Research: Proposing New Agenda," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 303-324, June.
    20. Ando, Naoki, 2024. "Multinationals’ intraregional geographic expansion and foreign subsidiary performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:20:y:2014:i:4:p:379-389. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.