The Impact of Size on the Performance of Transnational Corporations Operating in the Textile Industry in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of this work is to understand the impact of size on the performance of transnational corporations (TNCs) operating in the textile and clothing industry in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, we used ORBIS data for the period 2019–2020 and narrative, financial and correlation analyses to assess the performance of five companies. Thus far, the impact of company size on the competitiveness of Portuguese textile affiliates during the pandemic has remained unexplored. The results show that smaller firms performed better than larger ones, likely due to the higher fixed costs of the latter at times when orders declined worldwide. Our analysis suggests that there are some characteristics of TNCs that matter in explaining company-level performance during crises, such as management experience and flexibility. Furthermore, as Portugal is a major European textile exporter, it is useful for the host country to assess the economic sustainability of its foreign investors. The results provide some policy recommendations regarding the promotion of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Portugal.

Emerging Issues in the Internationalization of Librarianship in the Era of Digital Competitive Advantage

This chapter discusses the importance of the concept of internationalization for library and information science education in the growing atmosphere of digital competitive advantage. It has significantly reflected that the rising of transnational corporations and the transformation of knowledge in higher education buzz in various perspectives. Further, it has shown it consists of international and intercultural knowledge, skills, and abilities to interact and share opportunities and unique insights with multi-cultural and international settings. Also, it has shown the importance of engaging in multi-cultural environments to ensure increasing of knowledge and abilities to working in the competitive advantage. However, the results have revealed that education in library and information science has not yet fully understood ways in which to employ the concept of internationalization in the development journey of its progress in establishing the competitive advantage.

Holding Transnational Corporations Accountable for Environmental Harm Through Counterclaims in Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Myth or Reality?

Considering the imperative need to protect our environment, the present article begins by highlighting the absence of a comprehensive international framework under which transnational corporations may be held accountable for environmental harm. Drawing from the successful decisions on environmental counterclaims in Perenco v Ecuador and Burlington Resources v Ecuador, this article thus argues that this legal void could be filled by holding transnational corporations accountable for environmental harm under international investment law. However, the practice of environmental counterclaims as they have materialised in these recent decisions emphasises the existence of a gap between theory and reality and, thus, their limited chances of success. It is nevertheless suggested that, in the context of current debates surrounding an investor-State dispute settlement reform, States hold the cards to ensure that transnational corporations are held accountable for environmental harm under international investment law.

Transnational Corporations and Human Rights

International trade has introduced many features in its classical or contemporary practice wherein peoples respectfully exchanged goods and ideas. Unfortunately, the legacy of large multinational corporations, concerning human rights, has generally been dismal. It is recognised that states are the primary bearers of responsibility to respect, protect, fulfill, and promote human rights and freedoms. Current developments in the field of international human rights law, however, designated transnational corporations (hereafter TNCs), organisations, and individuals in a diagonal and/or horizontal responsibility on the respect and protection of human rights. The need to make these non-state actors, especially TNCs, responsible under international law is originated from their ever-increasing influence on state actors and their impact on the individuals’ enjoyment of their social, political, and economic rights. This article deals with the multidimensional influence of TNCs on the respect, protection, and fulfilment of fundamental human rights and demonstrates the possibilities of building legal obligation over them by reviewing existing literature.

FDI and Intellectual Property Protection in China: A Game Theory Perspective

The large-scale spread of R&D activities by MNCs to investment host countries is a new phenomenon of globalization in the past ten years. For the host country, especially a developing host country such as China, how to promote the spillover effect of TNC research and development institutions on the host country and curb its crowding-out effect is a new topic. This paper analyzes the R&D strategy adopted by transnational corporations in China. We explain the relationship between the strength of intellectual property protection in China and the choice of the organization form of R&D activities by transnational corporations with game theory and proves the relationship between the two with data. Finally, policy implications are proposed for the trend of sole proprietorship of R&D activities of transnational corporations.

impact of the transnationalization process on the consumer market of Ukraine

During the research it was found that globalization in no way affects the content of monopoly capital, which had changed its form because of existence of transnationalization process. The increasing number of transnational corporations not only enhances engagement with the state at the nowadays process of globalization. Minimization the negative consequences of transnational corporations on the consumer market, providing the country’s food security suggested the implementation of a strategy of import substitution and reasonable protectionism. It triggers upgrades foreign economic strategies, improves institutional and organizational and economic efforts of state regulation to ensure the protection of the boundaries of the consumer market. Here are target goals are defined: growth of own production; increase in investment demand; increasing non-raw exports through the export of high-tech, knowledge-based goods and services; intensification of measures within the system of integrated export support.

CORPORATE SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE US TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

В статье проводится исследование особенностей осуществления корпоративной социальной деятельности американского транснационального бизнеса в развивающихся странах Юго-Восточной Азии. В исследовании проводится анализ концепций государственного регулирования и корпоративной совести применительно к транснациональным корпорациям. Авторы статьи обосновывают тезис о том, что американские ТНК являются наиболее влиятельными в мире, тем не менее, их корпоративная социальная деятельность в Юго-Восточной Азии нуждается в повышении эффективности.

International investment liberalization, transnational corporations and NCD prevention policy non-decisions: a realist review on the political economy of tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed food

Background Public health concerns relating to international investment liberalization have centred on the potential for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS)-related regulatory chill. However, the broader political and economic dimensions that shape the relationship between the international investment regime and non-communicable disease (NCD) policy development have been less well explored. This review aimed to synthesise the available evidence using a political economy approach, to understand why, how and under what conditions transnational corporations may use the international investment regime to promote NCD prevention policy non-decisions. Main body Methods: Mechanisms explaining why/how the international investment regime may be used by transnational health-harmful commodity corporations (THCCs) to encourage NCD prevention policy non-decisions, including regulatory chill, were iteratively developed. Six databases and relevant grey literature was searched, and evidence was extracted, synthesized and mapped against the various proposed explanatory mechanisms. Findings: Eighty-nine sources were included. THCCs may be incentivised to use the ISDS mechanism since the costs may be outweighed by the benefits of even just delaying regulatory adoption, particularly since the chilling effect tends to ripple out across jurisdictions. Drivers of regulatory chill may include ambiguity in treaty terms, inconsistency in arbitral rulings, potential arbitrator bias and the high cost of arbitration. Evidence indicates ISDS can delay policy adoption both within the country directly involved but also in other jurisdictions. Additionally, governments are adopting standard assessments of public health regulatory proposals for trade and ISDS risk. Various economic, political and industry-related factors likely interact to increase (or decrease) the ultimate risk of regulatory chill. Some evidence indicates that THCCs take advantage of governments’ prioritization of foreign investment over NCD prevention objectives to influence the NCD prevention regulatory environment. Conclusions While ISDS-related regulatory chill is a real risk under certain conditions, international investment-related NCD prevention policy non-decisions driven by broader political economy dynamics may well be more widespread and impactful on NCD regulatory environments. There is therefore a clear need to expand the research agenda on investment liberalization and NCD policy beyond regulatory chill and engage with theories and approaches from international relations and political science, including political economy and power analyses.

Transnational Corporations and Human Rights

The problem of the different ways transnational corporations (TNCs) are held responsible for their violations of human rights standards has its own, long history. All the academic and legal efforts to date that have sought to clarify the proper grounds for effective remedies for wrongs that have been committed, have however failed to overcome the substantive obstacles and objections. Against such a complicated background the Authors present some reflections regarding the question of whether there is any possibility to take a step forward. Bearing in mind the powerful position of the TNCs, the Authors try to argue that – to some extent – mechanisms connected to State obligations in the field of human rights could be effective, if properly used, in relation to this type of corporate entity. Moreover, the absence of legally binding international rules (i.e. hard law) in the field under discussion is undoubtedly a missing factor for success. The article concludes that as long as the obligations and responsibilities of TNCs are not covered by legally binding and effectively enforced international rules, it will be impossible to cut this “Gordian knot”.