The Multinational Corporation in China: Controlling Interests »

Before becoming an academic, Stephen Rudman spent 20 years in business, as Vice President of a publicly-quoted manufacturer, general counsel for the motor carrier subsidiary of a major US railroad, international tax attorney for a major multinational bank, and senior counsel for a major international container shipping company. He has lectured at the Haas School of Business, the University of California at Berkeley and is currently Assistant Professor in the International Business Department at San Francisco State University.

The Multinational Corporation in China: Controlling Interests addresses how multinational corporations control and coordinate their worldwide affiliates, with a fascinating inside story on contemporary China.

Focusing on the control and coordination by four large US multinational corporations of their China operations, Rudman bases the book on his own original research within the China affiliates of these companies, conducted over a two-year period. Sources include personal interviews with senior managers, as well as discussions with consultants, lawyers, and government officials. Rudman also reviews internal and publicly available company documents, and books, periodicals, and newspapers dealing with relevant industries and with China.

The book concentrates on dynamic management control processes, enabling readers to understand how multinational corporations are managed; its precise definition of control and coordination facilitates the development of a coherent theory of management control. Alongside a clearer understanding of multinational management control, readers will find in this book rich insights into the nature of business relationships in China.