IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/hig/fsight/v12y2018i2p24-35.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Perspectives of Manufacturing Subsidiaries of Foreign Companies in Russia: Frontier, Faubourg or Sticks?

Author

Listed:
  • Igor Gurkov

    (National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russian Federation))

  • Evgeniy Morgunov

    (National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russian Federation))

  • Zokirzhon Saidov

    (National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russian Federation))

  • Alexander Arshavsky

    (Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (Russian Federation))

Abstract

We present the dynamics of the position of Russian manufacturing subsidiaries of Western MNCs in 2012–2016. The analysis is based on interviews with the heads of subsidiaries, a repeated survey of plant managers and on secondary data on subsidiaries’ activities. We propose a new portfolio model that desalinates “the core” and “the periphery” of the corporation and further allocates peripheral subsidiaries into several classes depending on intensity of value transfer from and to a subsidiary and the possibility to apply a “standard” set of instruments for capital allocation decisions. We argue that in the current situation of the Russian economy the only possibility for Russian manufacturing subsidiaries to remain close to the corporate core is to demonstrate high net profitability of assets. Otherwise subsidiaries are downgraded into “sticks”. That position enables subsidiary managers to enjoy high autonomy and wide subsidiary mandates, but endanger the long-term perspectives on maintaining innovativeness and competitiveness of subsidiaries.

Suggested Citation

  • Igor Gurkov & Evgeniy Morgunov & Zokirzhon Saidov & Alexander Arshavsky, 2018. "Perspectives of Manufacturing Subsidiaries of Foreign Companies in Russia: Frontier, Faubourg or Sticks?," Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 12(2), pages 24-35.
  • Handle: RePEc:hig:fsight:v:12:y:2018:i:2:p:24-35
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://foresight-journal.hse.ru/data/2018/07/03/1153163558/2-Gurkov-24-35.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Julian Birkinshaw, 1996. "How Multinational Subsidiary Mandates are Gained and Lost," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(3), pages 467-495, September.
    2. Gabriel R. G. Benito, 2005. "Divestment and international business strategy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 5(2), pages 235-251, April.
    3. Dikova, Desislava, 2009. "Performance of foreign subsidiaries: Does psychic distance matter?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 38-49, February.
    4. Igor Gurkov, 2015. "Russian Manufacturing Subsidiaries of Western Multinational Corporations: Support from Parents and Cooperation with Sister-Subsidiaries," HSE Working papers WP BRP 37/MAN/2015, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    5. Heather Berry, 2010. "Why Do Firms Divest?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(2), pages 380-396, April.
    6. Conroy, Kieran M. & Collings, David G., 2016. "The legitimacy of subsidiary issue selling: Balancing positive & negative attention from corporate headquarters," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 612-627.
    7. René Belderbos & Jianglei Zou, 2009. "Real options and foreign affiliate divestments: A portfolio perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(4), pages 600-620, May.
    8. Hernández, Virginia & Nieto, María Jesús, 2015. "The effect of the magnitude and direction of institutional distance on the choice of international entry modes," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 122-132.
    9. Anne-Wil Harzing & Markus Pudelko, 2016. "Do We Need to Distance Ourselves from the Distance Concept? Why Home and Host Country Context Might Matter More Than (Cultural) Distance," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 56(1), pages 1-34, February.
    10. Heather Berry & Mauro F Guillén & Nan Zhou, 2010. "An institutional approach to cross-national distance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(9), pages 1460-1480, December.
    11. Dörrenbächer, Christoph & Gammelgaard, Jens, 2010. "Multinational corporations, inter-organizational networks and subsidiary charter removals," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 206-216, July.
    12. Günter K Stahl & Rosalie L Tung & Tatiana Kostova & Mary Zellmer-Bruhn, 2016. "Widening the lens: Rethinking distance, diversity, and foreignness in international business research through positive organizational scholarship," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(6), pages 621-630, August.
    13. Igor Gurkov, 2016. "Oriflame CIS: The Successful Evolution of a Regional Subsidiary’s Mandate," HSE Working papers WP BRP 50/MAN/2016, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    14. Robert Salomon & Zheying Wu, 2012. "Institutional distance and local isomorphism strategy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(4), pages 343-367, May.
    15. Naga Lakshmi Damaraju & Jay B. Barney & Anil K. Makhija, 2015. "Real options in divestment alternatives," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(5), pages 728-744, May.
    16. Johannes Glückler, 2014. "How controversial innovation succeeds in the periphery? A network perspective of BASF Argentina," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 14(5), pages 903-927.
    17. Song, Sangcheol, 2014. "Unfavorable Market Conditions, Institutional and Financial Development, and Exits of Foreign Subsidiaries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 279-289.
    18. Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R. & Puri, Manju, 2015. "Capital allocation and delegation of decision-making authority within firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(3), pages 449-470.
    19. Heather Berry, 2013. "When Do Firms Divest Foreign Operations?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 246-261, February.
    20. Igor Gurkov, 2014. "Management practices in Russian manufacturing subsidiaries of foreign multinational corporations: challenging some beliefs about contemporary Russian industrial management," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 220-240, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Igor B. Gurkov & Michael J. Morley, 2017. "Contributions Towards a Renewed Debate on Multinational Headquarter-Subsidiary Relations:Subsidiary Mandates, Corporate Parenting Styles and Collective Psychological Contracts," HSE Working papers WP BRP 55/MAN/2017, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    2. Coudounaris, Dafnis N. & Orero-Blat, María & Rodríguez-García, María, 2020. "Three decades of subsidiary exits: Parent firm financial performance and moderators," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 408-422.
    3. Jiménez, Alfredo & Salvaj, Erica & Lee, Jeoung Yul, 2018. "Policy risk, distance, and private participation projects in Latin America," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 123-131.
    4. Viacheslav Iurkov & Gabriel R G Benito, 2020. "Change in domestic network centrality, uncertainty, and the foreign divestment decisions of firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(5), pages 788-812, July.
    5. Xu, Kai & Hitt, Michael A. & Brock, David & Pisano, Vincenzo & Huang, Lulu S.R., 2021. "Country institutional environments and international strategy: A review and analysis of the research," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    6. Igor Gurkov & Michael J. Morley, 2022. "Anticipated Trajectories Of Development In Global Industries And The Evolution Of Corporate Parenting Styles Of Multinational Corporations," HSE Working papers WP BRP 65/MAN/2022, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    7. Wu, Yan & Strange, Roger & Shirodkar, Vikrant, 2021. "MNE divestments of foreign affiliates: Does the strategic role of the affiliate have an impact?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 266-278.
    8. Arte, Pratik & Larimo, Jorma, 2019. "Taking stock of foreign divestment: Insights and recommendations from three decades of contemporary literature," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 1-1.
    9. Schmid, David & Morschett, Dirk, 2020. "Decades of research on foreign subsidiary divestment: What do we really know about its antecedents?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4).
    10. Ozkan, Kubilay S.L., 2020. "International market exit by firms: Misalignment of strategy with the foreign market risk environment," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(6).
    11. Marty Reilly & Esther Tippmann & Pamela Sharkey Scott, 2023. "Subsidiary closures and relocations in the multinational enterprise: Reinstating cooperation in subsidiaries to enable knowledge transfer," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(6), pages 997-1026, August.
    12. Belderbos, René & De Michiel, Federico & Sleuwaegen, Leo & Wu, Shubin, 2021. "Global market integration, efficiency orientation, and drivers of foreign subsidiary divestments," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(5).
    13. Tatiana Kostova & Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & W. Richard Scott & Vincent E. Kunst & Chei Hwee Chua & Marc Essen, 2020. "The construct of institutional distance through the lens of different institutional perspectives: Review, analysis, and recommendations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 467-497, June.
    14. Castellões, Bernardo & Silva-Rêgo, Bernardo & Dib, Luís Antônio, 2023. "Understanding divestment from an Uppsala school perspective," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).
    15. Procher, Vivien D. & Engel, Dirk, 2018. "The investment-divestment relationship: Resource shifts and intersubsidiary competition within MNEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 528-542.
    16. Alex Mohr & Georgios Batsakis & Zita Stone, 2018. "Explaining the effect of rapid internationalization on horizontal foreign divestment in the retail sector: An extended Penrosean perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(7), pages 779-808, September.
    17. Lazarova, Mila & Peretz, Hilla & Fried, Yitzhak, 2017. "Locals know best? Subsidiary HR autonomy and subsidiary performance," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 83-96.
    18. Li, Wen & Guo, Bin & Xu, Gangxiang, 2017. "Making the next move: When does the newness of experience matter in overseas sequential entries of multinational companies?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 908-926.
    19. Konara, Palitha & Shirodkar, Vikrant, 2018. "Regulatory Institutional Distance and MNCs' Subsidiary Performance: Climbing up Vs. Climbing Down the Institutional Ladder," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 333-347.
    20. Rickley, Marketa & Karim, Samina, 2018. "Managing institutional distance: Examining how firm-specific advantages impact foreign subsidiary CEO staffing," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(5), pages 740-751.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    multinational companies; manufacturing; Russia; sanctions; corporate development; portfolio models; forecast;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C53 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Forecasting and Prediction Models; Simulation Methods
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:hig:fsight:v:12:y:2018:i:2:p:24-35. 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: Nataliya Gavrilicheva or Mikhail Salazkin (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/hsecoru.html .

    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.