Variety of Capitalism
Choose a firm in a particular Variety of Capitalism in a particular institutional context of one country, or two firms in different countries (within one Variety of Capitalism or contrasting Varieties and this can be a developed country or an emerging market country).
What sort of property rights are and have been protected and how? What sort of state fiscal and legal capacity has evolved over time in that country? What type of legal system has evolved in that country? How do these characteristics affect your chosen firm(s) strategies – in terms of labour conditions and working practices and in terms of corporate governance practices? How have these institutional characteristics affected your firms’ internationalization strategies and other strategies?
Highlight and give examples of particular issues: over wage setting/collective bargaining; unionization and strike activity; over corporate governance issues such as use of the stock market, the incidence of merger and acquisition activity, the concentration or dispersion of shareholding of your company, the state influence on the firm in its strategy-making. Analyse the links between the firm(s) and the Variety of Capitalism in that country and its institutional characteristics.
You can choose one firm in a particular country or compare two firms in two different countries.
See the attached for the full guidelines: Governance..docx.
You should focus on US’s variety of capitalism, relevant institutions (property right, rule of law) and its evolution throughout time. Link these macro aspects to a specific US firm in relation to their corporate governance, business strategy, labour treatment etc.
