Talk: “Turkish Multinationals in the World: Recent Trends, Motivations and Strategies,” Caner Bakır, Koç University, A-214, 12:40PM November 18 (EN)

Talk: “Turkish Multinationals in the World: Recent Trends, Motivations and Strategies”

Emerging Market Multinationals (EMNCs) have started to play an increasingly important role in the economic globalisation processes. One of the most recent trends in EMNC internationalisation is their investments in developed markets. Some of the non-financial Turkish MNCs are now among the world’s global players in several industries, ranging from food (Yildiz Holding) to ferrocrome (Yildirim Group), to tiles (Eczacibasi Yapi). Further, several Turkish firms have internationalised in aggressive and innovative ways, whilst competing with established players. Thus, it is legitimate to investigate grossly understudied new trends, strategies and motivations in Turkish MNC investment activities. There several interesting questions to address: Where do TMNCs go? Do majority of their investments concentrate developing or developed countries? Are majority of their investments located in developed or developing countries? What are their Firm Specific Advantages (FSAs) and Country Specific Advantages (CSAs)? Why do they internationalise? Are widely used frameworks in international business (IB) theory relevant to explain TMNC behaviour? Are there TMNC acquisitions in EU motivated by the global consolidator strategy? How do structural complementarities inform the outcome of TMNC acquisitions?

by Caner Bakir, Koc University

12.40 p.m., Friday, November 18
A-214, FEASS Building

Short Bio:

Caner Bakir is Associate Professor of Political Science, with a special focus on International and Comparative Political Economy, and Public Policy and Administration at Koc University, Istanbul. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Monash University in Melbourne. He is Co-director of Center for Globalisation, Peace and Democratic Governance (GLODEM). His work relates to political economy and public policy with special emphasis on comparative institutional analysis and policy change. His research interests include varieties of national financial systems, the political economy of central banking, financial regulation and governance, state and international business relations, Turkish multinationals and macroeconomic bureaucracies. He has published 11 SSCI articles including leading journals such as Policy Sciences (forthcoming), Governance, Public Administration, Development and Change, and New Political Economy. He has authored three books and co-authored five books, most recently, with Louis Brennan, Emerging Market Multinationals in Europe (Routledge 2016), Dunyayla Is Yapanlar: Kuresellesme Surecinde Turk Cokuluslulari (Koc Universitesi, 2016), and Bank Behaviour and Resilience: Effect of Structures, Institutions and Agents (Palgrave MacMillan 2013). He is the recipient of The 2010 Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) Incentive Award, and TUBITAK Early Career Award in 2008. All of his research is supported by national and international research councils, including TUBITAK and European Science Foundation (COST). He is the Associate Editor of Policy Sciences, and editorial board member of Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, International Journal of Emerging Markets.