Transnational Corporations, Technology and Economic Development

Backward Linkages and Knowledge Transfer in South East Asia

New Horizons in International Business series

Axèle Giroud, Professor of International Business, University of Manchester, UK

这种创新的书提供了greater understanding of the relationships between transnational corporations and the economic development of host economies. In the age of globalisation, awareness of the mechanisms through which foreign firms impact on host countries is crucial. The emphasis lies on backward linkages and knowledge transfer to local firms. The book offers a theoretical framework for the activities of TNCs and a review of their impacts on South East Asian economies.

‘In a meticulously researched and insightful study, Dr Axèle Giroud has provided a valuable contribution to the literature on the role of transnational corporations (TNCs) in technology transfer and, thereby, the development process. Of course, there are many studies on technology transfer, but few look in so much detail at the nitty-gritty of inter-corporate relations and the contingent, delicate and intricate web of relationships underlying the processes of knowledge transfer. The book focuses on the linkages between TNCs and local suppliers and, by showing which factors explain the existence and degree of knowledge transfer, Dr Giroud illuminates a sorely neglected area of research.’
– Hafiz Mirza, University of Bradford, UK

‘This is a very impressive text indispensable for those who want to better understand the linkages between transnational corporations, technology transfer and economic development. Axèle Giroud’s comprehensive analysis on this topic presents the reader with useful theoretical insights, new conceptual syntheses and detailed empirical material. Furthermore, she manages to convey the more technical and complex aspects of the subject matter in a clear and concise fashion. The various schematic diagrams deployed throughout the text are especially helpful in this respect. Giroud’s research is based on a rigorous combination of questionnaire surveys, semi-structured interviews and interesting case studies drawn from the Malaysian electrical and electronic sector. Overall, this is a fine piece of scholarship.’
– Christopher M. Dent, University of Leeds, UK