Pub. date: 2008 | Online Pub. Date: May 28, 2008 | DOI:
10.4135/9781412963930 | Print ISBN: 9781412941655 | Online ISBN:
9781412963930| Publisher:SAGE Publications, Inc.About this
encyclopedia Giuliana Campanelli Andreopoulos & Alexandros
Panayides One of the most important phenomena of the latter half
of the 20th century in international business was the emergence
of the multinational corporation (MNC). The many different
definitions of MNCs usually rest on one of the following common
characteristics: (a) company headquarters far removed from the
country where the activity occurs, (b) foreign sales
representing a high proportion of total sales, and (c) stock
ownership and management that are multinational in character.
Perhaps the most common definition of a MNC, however, is that it
is a company that manages and controls facilities in at least
two countries. MNCs diversify their operations along vertical,
horizontal, and conglomerate lines within the host and home
countries. Vertically integrated MNCs produc