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Sugden, Roger --- "Internationalism and Economic Development: Transnational Corporations, Small Firm Networking and Universities" [2003] ELECD 83; in Waterson, Michael (ed), "Competition, Monopoly and Corporate Governance" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2003)

Book Title: Competition, Monopoly and Corporate Governance

Editor(s): Waterson, Michael

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781843760894

Section: Chapter 4

Section Title: Internationalism and Economic Development: Transnational Corporations, Small Firm Networking and Universities

Author(s): Sugden, Roger

Number of pages: 21

Extract:

4. Internationalism and economic
development: transnational
corporations, small firm networking
and universities
Roger Sugden

1. INTRODUCTION

A frequently advocated policy for economic development relies on `free
markets' and emphasises a prominent role for large, typically trans-
national corporations. This approach leads to `strategic failures', produc-
tion governed in narrow self-interest with adverse consequences for
societies. In contrast, an alternative suggests that strategic decision
making in production be characterised by economic democracy, the pros-
pect for which requires an analysis of certain sorts of clusters and net-
works. Underlying these alternatives is a choice between different forms
of internationalism. One is based on economic activity characterised by
a transverse structure, a mere crossing of nations without intending to
meet the aims and objectives of the peoples of particular localities. The
other is founded on a multinational perspective, a coming together based
on and respecting different desires, experiences, histories, traditions, cul-
tures and competencies.
This chapter illustrates these possibilities in the context of strategies for
internationalisation in a particular sector ­ education, more specifically
universities. Two models are considered. The first is based upon copying
and serving large corporations. It is argued that adoption of this
approach would imply significant failures in the educational process. In
the extreme, it would result in a world with a small number of first-tier
universities that fail to serve the interests of the communities and soci-
eties in which they operate. The second is a type of networking, a so-
called multinational web. This draws ...