IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/cesisp/0054.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Why Do Some Multinational Corporations Relocate Their Headquarters Overseas?

Author

Listed:
  • Birkinshaw, Julian

    (London Business School,)

  • Braunerhjelm, Pontus

    (CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies, Royal Institute of Technology)

  • Holm, Ulf

    (Department of Business Studies, Uppsala University,)

  • Terjesen, Siri

    (Cranfield School of Management)

Abstract

This paper examines the decision by a multinational corporation (MNC) to relocate its business unit and/or corporate HQ overseas. We argue that business unit HQs move overseas in response to changes in the internal configuration of their unit’s activities and the demands of the product markets in which they operate, whereas corporate HQs move overseas is response to the demands of external stakeholders, in particular global financial markets and shareholders. Using data on 125 business unit HQs and 35 corporate HQs, we test and find support for these arguments. The research highlights important differences between corporate- and business-level strategy, and it suggests ways in which the theory of the MNC needs to be reconsidered.

Suggested Citation

  • Birkinshaw, Julian & Braunerhjelm, Pontus & Holm, Ulf & Terjesen, Siri, 2006. "Why Do Some Multinational Corporations Relocate Their Headquarters Overseas?," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 54, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0054
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://static.sys.kth.se/itm/wp/cesis/cesiswp54.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mats Forsgren & Ulf Holm & Jan Johanson, 1995. "Division Headquarters Go Abroad ‐ A Step In The Internationalization Of The Multinational Corporation," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(4), pages 475-491, July.
    2. Alan M. Rugman & Alain Verbeke, 2005. "A Note on the Transnational Solution and the Transaction Cost Theory of Multinational Strategic Management," Chapters, in: Analysis of Multinational Strategic Management, chapter 2, pages 16-26, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Marco Pagano & Ailsa A. Röell & Josef Zechner, 2002. "The Geography of Equity Listing: Why Do Companies List Abroad?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(6), pages 2651-2694, December.
    4. Baaij, Marc & Van Den Bosch, Frans & Volberda, Henk, 2004. "The International Relocation of Corporate Centres:: Are Corporate Centres Sticky?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 141-149, April.
    5. Julian Birkinshaw & Omar Toulan & David Arnold, 2001. "Global Account Management in Multinational Corporations: Theory and Evidence," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(2), pages 231-248, June.
    6. La Porta, Rafael & Lopez-de-Silanes, Florencio & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert, 2000. "Investor protection and corporate governance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1-2), pages 3-27.
    7. Alfred D. Chandler, 1969. "Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the American Industrial Enterprise," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262530090, April.
    8. 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.
    9. Jacquemin, Alexis P & Berry, Charles H, 1979. "Entropy Measure of Diversification and Corporate Growth," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(4), pages 359-369, June.
    10. Ghosh Chinmoy & Rodriguez Mauricio & Sirmans C. F., 1995. "Gains from Corporate Headquarters Relocations: Evidence from the Stock Market," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 291-311, November.
    11. Goold, Michael & Pettifer, David & Young, David, 2001. "Redesigning the corporate centre," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 83-91, February.
    12. Raymond Vernon, 1966. "International Investment and International Trade in the Product Cycle," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 80(2), pages 190-207.
    13. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    14. Masaaki Kotabe & Glenn S Omura, 1989. "Sourcing Strategies of European and Japanese Multinationals: A Comparison," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 20(1), pages 113-130, March.
    15. Kasim L. Alli & Gabriel G. Ramirez & Kenneth Yung, 1991. "Corporate Headquarters Relocation: Evidence from the Capital Markets," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 19(4), pages 583-600, December.
    16. Merton, Robert C, 1987. "A Simple Model of Capital Market Equilibrium with Incomplete Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(3), pages 483-510, July.
    17. Shahrokh M Saudagaran & Gary C Biddle, 1995. "Foreign Listing Location: A Study of MNCs and Stock Exchanges in Eight Countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 26(2), pages 319-341, June.
    18. Torben Pedersen & Steen Thomsen, 1997. "European Patterns of Corporate Ownership: A Twelve-Country Study," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(4), pages 759-778, December.
    19. Stephen R. Foerster & G. Andrew Karolyi, 1999. "The Effects of Market Segmentation and Investor Recognition on Asset Prices: Evidence from Foreign Stocks Listing in the United States," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(3), pages 981-1013, June.
    20. Salva, Carolina, 2003. "Foreign listings, corporate governance, and equity valuations," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(5-6), pages 463-485.
    21. Noronha, Gregory M. & Sarin, Atulya & Saudagaran, Shahrokh M., 1996. "Testing for micro-structure effects of international dual listings using intraday data," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(6), pages 965-983, July.
    22. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    23. Foss, Nicolai J, 1997. "On the Rationales of Corporate Headquarters," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 6(2), pages 313-338, March.
    24. Yip, George S. & Montgomery, David B., 2000. "The Challenge of Global Customer Management," Research Papers 1619, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    25. Michael J. Enright, 2000. "Regional Clusters and Multinational Enterprises," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(2), pages 114-138, June.
    26. Franck Bancel & Cusha Mittoo, 2001. "European Managerial Perceptions of the Net Benefits of Foreign Stock Listings," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 7(2), pages 213-236, June.
    27. Krishna Palepu, 1985. "Diversification strategy, profit performance and the entropy measure," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(3), pages 239-255, July.
    28. 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.
    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. Roosenboom, Peter & van Dijk, Mathijs A., 2009. "The market reaction to cross-listings: Does the destination market matter?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1898-1908, October.
    2. Reese, William Jr. & Weisbach, Michael S., 2002. "Protection of minority shareholder interests, cross-listings in the United States, and subsequent equity offerings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 65-104, October.
    3. Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric & Olarreaga, Marcelo & Carrère, Céline & Fugazza, Marco, 2016. "On the heterogeneous effect of trade on unemployment," CEPR Discussion Papers 11540, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Deschryvere, Matthias, 2009. "Mobility of Corporate Headquarter Functions: A Literature Review," Discussion Papers 1203, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    5. Karolyi, G. Andrew, 2012. "Corporate governance, agency problems and international cross-listings: A defense of the bonding hypothesis," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 516-547.
    6. Ghadhab, Imen & M’rad, Mouna, 2018. "Does US cross-listing come with incremental benefit for already UK cross-listed firms," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 188-204.
    7. Wang, Daphne & Esqueda, Omar A., 2014. "National cultural effects on leverage decisions: Evidence from emerging-market ADRs," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 152-177.
    8. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2016. "Institutional Voids and Tax litigation in Emerging Economies: The verdict of Vodafone cross-border acquisition of Hutchison," MPRA Paper 74264, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2016.
    9. Kunisch, Sven & Menz, Markus & Birkinshaw, Julian, 2019. "Spatially dispersed corporate headquarters: A historical analysis of their prevalence, antecedents, and consequences," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 148-161.
    10. Sarkissian, Sergei & Schill, Michael J., 2004. "Are There Permanent Valuation Gains to Overseas Listing? Evidence from Market Sequencing and Selection," Working Papers 05-4, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, Weiss Center.
    11. Amira, Khaled & Muzere, Mark L., 2011. "Competition among stock exchanges for equity," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 2355-2373, September.
    12. De la Torre, Augusto & Schmukler, Sergio, 2007. "Emerging Capital Markets and Globalization: The Latin American Experience," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 349.
    13. Moghaddam, Kaveh & Sethi, Deepak & Weber, Thomas & Wu, Jun, 2014. "The Smirk of Emerging Market Firms: A Modification of the Dunning's Typology of Internationalization Motivations," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 359-374.
    14. Bailey, Warren & Andrew Karolyi, G. & Salva, Carolina, 2006. "The economic consequences of increased disclosure: Evidence from international cross-listings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(1), pages 175-213, July.
    15. Nicola Cetorelli & Stavros Peristiani, 2015. "Firm Value and Cross Listings: The Impact of Stock Market Prestige," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-31, March.
    16. Bianconi, Marcelo & Tan, Liang, 2010. "Cross-listing premium in the US and the UK destination," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 244-259, April.
    17. Gozzi, Juan Carlos & Levine, Ross & Schmukler, Sergio L., 2008. "Internationalization and the evolution of corporate valuation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 607-632, June.
    18. Sumit Majumdar & Davina Vora & Ashok Nag, 2012. "Legal form of the firm and overseas market choice in India’s software and IT industry," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 659-687, September.
    19. Levine, Ross & Schmukler, Sergio L., 2003. "Migration, spillovers, and trade diversion : the impact of internationalization on stock market liquidity," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3046, The World Bank.
    20. Mejda Bahlous, 2013. "Does Cross-Listing Benefit the Shareholders? Evidence from Companies in the GCC Countries?," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer;Japanese Association of Financial Economics and Engineering, vol. 20(4), pages 345-381, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Multinational Corporation; Headquarters; Corporate Strategy; Internationalization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:hhs:cesisp:0054. 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: Vardan Hovsepyan (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cekthse.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.