Why do some multinational corporations relocate their headquarters overseas?
Open accessAbstract
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 in 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. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Governments are most successful in controlling internet access and use when they directly own the ISPs operating in their territory or when they collaborate with local business elites.
“As Freyburg and others 10 suggest, governments are most suc cessful in controlling internet access and use when they directly own the ISPs operating in their territory or when they collaborate with local business elites.”
From Authoritarian collaboration and repression in the digital age: balancing foreign direct investment and control in internet infrastructure (2026) · cites this paper as [10]
The Predictors of Corporate HQ Relocation and Discussion and Conclusions passages address multinational headquarters and public policy, not control of internet access. Searches for government ownership of ISPs and collaboration with local business elites found no passage addressing either claim in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)
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References 62 · Cited by 20
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- Authors
- Birkinshaw, J., Braunerhjelm, P., Holm, U., & Terjesen, S.
- Affiliations
- London Business School (GB)
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SE)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- Max Planck Society (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Birkinshaw, Julian
- Venue
- Strategic Management Journal
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2006-05-23
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 681-700
- ISSN
- 0143-2095 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-0266
- OpenAlex
- W1516947424
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 2.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Strategic Management Journal (publishedVersion)
- QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- QUT Business School
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › International Business and FDI
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management Information Systems › Outsourcing and Supply Chain Management
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Accounting › Corporate Finance and Governance
- Keywords
- headquarters relocation, multinational corporations, corporate headquarters, corporate-level strategy, business-level strategy, international financial markets, shareholder demands
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