The evolution of corporate parenting styles of multinational corporations under anticipated trajectories of development in global industries

Igor Gurkov, Michael J. Morley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to present the impact of several likely trajectories of development for global industries, namely, re-shoring, regionalization, diversification and replication, recently identified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, on the evolution of the corporate parenting styles (CPSs) of multinational corporations (MNCs). Design/methodology/approach: This viewpoint presents a novel view of CPSs as a set of relationships between the corporate centers of MNCs and their subsidiaries, including domestic ones, identifies the most likely connections between anticipated trajectories of development in global industries and the evolution of CPSs of MNCs and outlines directions for further research. Findings: The anticipated trajectories of the development of global industries may result in changes in prevailing CPSs and lead to the proliferation of previously less common parenting styles. Although many of the anticipated changes in CPSs may be pursued by corporate headquarters (CHQs), a combination of powerful subsidiaries putting bottom-up pressure on CHQs and powerful owners capable of imposing requirements on top management teams and generating top-down pressure may affect the CPSs used by corporations. Originality/value: The authors connect possible trajectories of development for global industries with the evolution of CPSs of MNCs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)218-230
Number of pages13
JournalReview of International Business and Strategy
Volume34
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Mar 2024
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Corporate parenting styles
  • Headquarter-subsidiary relations
  • Multinational corporations
  • Organizational change
  • Trajectories of development of global industries

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