IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/eurjou/v29y2023i2p123-140.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

MNC effects? A cross-national comparison of the role of aerospace multinationals in the UK and Australian professional engineering skill formation systems

Author

Listed:
  • Cassandra Bowkett

Abstract

This article undertakes a cross-national comparison of the aerospace sectors in two ‘liberal’ countries, the UK and Australia, examining how several multinational firms engage with engineering skill institutions: regulation of entry to profession, entry-level and ongoing training. The paper empirically demonstrates and theoretically argues that the social partners and employment protection institutions can in certain contexts play an important role in professional skill development. Institutional legacy matters, shaping multinational responses and providing distinct resources for various actors including unions. Tension between existing skill institutions (‘country’ or ‘sector’ effects) and the capacity of multinationals (MNCs) to shape practices are addressed. Both country cases demonstrate how MNCs may be able to shape practices in such a way that they create ‘MNC’ effects, defined as a combination of large firm/subsidiary, and ‘corporate’ effects, that affect engineering skill development for other firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Cassandra Bowkett, 2023. "MNC effects? A cross-national comparison of the role of aerospace multinationals in the UK and Australian professional engineering skill formation systems," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(2), pages 123-140, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eurjou:v:29:y:2023:i:2:p:123-140
    DOI: 10.1177/09596801221127110
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09596801221127110
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/09596801221127110?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jurgens, Ulrich & Krzywdzinski, Martin, 2016. "New Worlds of Work: Varieties of Work in Car Factories in the BRIC Countries," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198722670.
    2. Paul Ryan & Howard Gospel & Paul Lewis, 2007. "Large Employers and Apprenticeship Training in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 45(1), pages 127-153, March.
    3. Crouch, Colin, 2005. "Capitalist Diversity and Change: Recombinant Governance and Institutional Entrepreneurs," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199286652.
    4. Richard M. Locke & Kathleen Thelen, 1995. "Apples and Oranges Revisited: Contextualized Comparisons and the Study of Comparative Labor Politics," Politics & Society, , vol. 23(3), pages 337-367, September.
    5. Morris M. Kleiner, 2000. "Occupational Licensing," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 189-202, Fall.
    6. Tony Royle, 2006. "The Dominance Effect? Multinational Corporations in the Italian Quick‐Food Service Sector," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(4), pages 757-779, December.
    7. N. A. Phelps, 2008. "Cluster or Capture? Manufacturing Foreign Direct Investment, External Economies and Agglomeration," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(4), pages 457-473.
    8. Vildan Tasli‐Karabulut & Arjan Keizer, 2020. "Multinational corporations as institutional entrepreneurs: the dynamic interplay between automobile firms and the Turkish vocational education and training system," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 153-168, May.
    9. Alexander J. S. Colvin & Owen Darbishire, 2013. "Convergence in Industrial Relations Institutions: The Emerging Anglo-American Model?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(5), pages 1047-1077, October.
    10. Peer Hull. Kristensen & Glenn Morgan, 2012. "From Institutional Change to Experimentalist Institutions," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51, pages 413-437, April.
    11. Chiara Benassi & Niccolo Durazzi & Johann Fortwengel, 2022. "Comparative institutional disadvantage: Small firms and vocational training in the British manufacturing sector in comparative perspective," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(2), pages 371-390, 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. Phil Almond & Maria C. Gonzalez & Jonathan Lavelle & Gregor Murray, 2017. "The local in the global: regions, employment systems and multinationals," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 115-132, March.
    2. Julie M É Garneau & Sara Pérez-Lauzon & Christian Lévesque, 2023. "Digitalisation of work in aerospace manufacturing: expanding union frames and repertoires of action in Belgium, Canada and Denmark," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 29(1), pages 139-154, February.
    3. Gregor Murray & Christian Lévesque & Glenn Morgan & Nicolas Roby, 2020. "Disruption and re-regulation in work and employment: from organisational to institutional experimentation," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(2), pages 135-156, May.
    4. Aruna Ranganathan, 2021. "Identification and Worker Responses to Workplace Change: Evidence from Four Cases in India," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 74(3), pages 663-688, May.
    5. Nahee Kang, 2014. "Towards middle-range theory building in development research: Comparative (historical) institutional analysis of institutional transplantation," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 14(3), pages 221-235, July.
    6. Anders Gustafsson, 2019. "Busy doing nothing: why politicians implement inefficient policies," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 282-299, September.
    7. J. Mark Ramseyer & Eric Rasmusen, 2013. "Lowering the Bar to Raise the Bar: Licensing Difficulty and Attorney Quality in Japan," Working Papers 2013-12, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
    8. Nicholas A. Phelps & Andrew Wood, 2018. "Promoting the global economy: The uneven development of the location consulting industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 50(6), pages 1336-1354, September.
    9. Jens Arnholtz & Nana Wesley Hansen, 2013. "Labour market specific institutions and the working conditions of labour migrants: The case of Polish migrant labour in the Danish labour market," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 34(3), pages 401-422, August.
    10. Emil Evenhuis, 2017. "Institutional change in cities and regions: a path dependency approach," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 10(3), pages 509-526.
    11. Sauro Mocetti & Giacomo Roma & Enrico Rubolino, 2022. "Knocking on Parents’ Doors: Regulation and Intergenerational Mobility," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 57(2), pages 525-554.
    12. Amable, Bruno & Azizi, Karim, 2011. "Varieties of capitalism and varieties of macroeconomic policy. Are some economies more procyclical than others?," MPIfG Discussion Paper 11/6, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    13. Hyman, Richard, 2015. "Three scenarios for industrial relations in Europe," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 61888, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. repec:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2009-034 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Tony Edwards & Paul Marginson & Anthony Ferner, 2013. "Multinational Companies in Cross-National Context: Integration, Differentiation, and the Interactions between MNCS and Nation States," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(3), pages 547-587, May.
    16. Backes-Gellner Uschi & Lehnert Patrick, 2023. "Berufliche Bildung als Innovationstreiber: Ein lange vernachlässigtes Forschungsfeld," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 24(1), pages 85-97, April.
    17. Bamieh, Omar & Cintolesi, Andrea, 2021. "Intergenerational transmission in regulated professions and the role of familism," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 857-879.
    18. Riccardo Crescenzi & Simona Iammarino, 2017. "Global investments and regional development trajectories: the missing links," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 97-115, January.
    19. Boschma, Ron & Capone, Gianluca, 2015. "Institutions and diversification: Related versus unrelated diversification in a varieties of capitalism framework," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(10), pages 1902-1914.
    20. Eduardo Ortas & Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez & Igor Álvarez, 2019. "National institutions, stakeholder engagement, and firms' environmental, social, and governance performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 598-611, May.
    21. Riccardo Crescenzi & Carlo Pietrobelli & Roberta Rabellotti, 2016. "Regional strategic assets and the location strategies of emerging countries’ multinationals in Europe," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(4), pages 645-667, April.

    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:sae:eurjou:v:29:y:2023:i:2:p:123-140. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.