I analyse firms organisational choices when they face uncertainty about institutional conditions in foreign locations with heterogeneous final good producers and incomplete contracts. As firms learn about the conditions abroad, the increasing offshoring activity increases competition in the...

In an integrated global economy, multinational enterprises (MNEs) have more opportunities than ever to reap the benefits of broader markets and more possibilities for an extensive division of labour between different locations. In spite of this, the evidence on the spread of the activities of...

This paper provides the first in-depth study of the organization of knowledge in multinational firms. The paper develops a theoretical model that studies how firms optimally split knowledge between their headquarters and their production plants if communication costs impede the access of...

This paper provides the first in-depth study of the organization of knowledge in multinational firms. The paper develops a theoretical model that studies how firms optimally split knowledge between their headquarters and their production plants if communication costs impede the access of...

This paper provides the first in-depth study of the organization of knowledge in multinational firms. In the theory, knowledge is a costly input for firms that they can acquire at their headquarters or their production plants. Communication costs impede the access of the plants to headquarter...

This paper extends the global sourcing model with informal labor, which spawns reputation and legal costs for violating the rules and regulations imposed on foreign firms regarding accessing informal labor under integration. Under these circumstances, foreign firms, facing a higher cost than...

We show that a longer relationship length with the main bank fosters Italian firms' foreign direct investment (FDI) and, weakly, production off-shoring abroad. Possibly, longer bank relationships help secure external financing for these companies, which have become more opaque because of their...

"Being international" has nearly become an undisputed aim for firms in a globalized world. Several papers find a positive relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and the home performance of firms. In this paper we address the "FDI - export" relationship to better understand this...

In international joint ventures, where one of the partners is a multinational enterprise (MNE) and the other is a local firm that possesses some significant advantage in its market, there are sometimes issues of control (who is in charge of what) that may be reflected in the financial structure...