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This is the second of a three-part series of special e-books on Business Strategies in Latin American Markets, guest edited by Juan Carlos Sosa Varela of Turabo University, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

In this e-book five distinctive and critical contributions draw our attention to a range of issues in relation to a transnational elite and a globally mobile professional and managerial class; each of the contributions deal with important groups and questions that relate to a ‘transnational elite’.Together the papers in this e-book offer a diverse range of investigations of the global elite. Their diversity indicates the breadth of possible ways in which a global elite and globally mobile professionals might be studied and highlights the substantial opportunities that exist to research such groups from a critical perspective. We hope that this e-book stimulates others to further develop critical research agendas on the topic of the global elite, the transnational capitalist class and globally mobile professionals.

Eighth in a series of annual reports comparing business regulations in 183 economies, Doing Business 2011 measures regulations affecting 10 areas of everyday business activity: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and closing a business. The report updates all 10 sets of indicators, ranks countries on their overall ease of doing business and analyzes reforms to business regulation- identifying which countries are improving strengthening their business environment the most and which ones slipped. Doing Business 2011 includes results on the ongoing research in the area of getting electricity\" and illustrates how reforms in business regulations can translate into better outcomes for domestic entrepreneurs and the wider economy. It also focuses on how women in particular are affected by complex business regulations

Unleash entrepreneurship and navigate global business regulations.This report, eighth in a series, compares business regulations across 183 economies, revealing which are improving and which are slipping.

A retrospective by John H. Dunning on location and the MNE, written in the form of responses to questions posed by Rajneesh Narula in an interview recorded at the University of Reading which was shown at the JIBS Decade Award session at the AIB annual meetings in Milan, June 2008.

We examine the decision of private sector enterprises from developed countries to acquire state-owned enterprises (SOEs) abroad. Using a sample of US firms buying targets abroad between 1987 and 2009, we find that bidders of SOE fare worse than bidders of non-SOE both in terms of stock price and operating performance. We also find that the quality of the target country location - as captured by the Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) Index - greatly influences the choice of SOE targets. Interestingly, the quality ranking of the target country location on the EFW Index and the performance of the bidder of a SOE target are inversely related. Our findings imply that the characteristics of the location of the target firm affect bidders' choice of targets in international mergers and acquisitions; otherwise, acquiring non-SOEs is more lucrative. Furthermore, either limiting conditions in the business environment force managers to work harder to generate more wealth, or in weak legal and business environments buying targets with ties to the government yields extra wealth. Our findings are highly relevant within the international business literature as they influence the choice of foreign market entry mode.

It is generally assumed that the performance of a firm improves with greater multinationality. Yet recent empirical studies have shown both a U-shaped relationship (which suggests an initially negative effect of international expansion on performance, before the positive returns of international expansion are realized) and an inverted-U-shaped relationship (which suggests that international expansion beyond an optimal level is again detrimental to performance, and results in a negative slope). This paper proposes a new unified three-stage theory of international expansion that incorporates both concepts in a sigmoid hypothesis. It then tests this on data from 11 service industries, highlighting the difference between knowledge-based and capital-intensive service sectors.

Background Parents are exposed to breastmilk substitutes and baby foods marketing on the internet and social media, which hinders adequate breastfeeding and complementary feeding. This study identifies digital marketing strategies for breastmilk substitutes, specifically commercial milk formula and baby foods used by the industry to influence infant and young children’s feeding practices in Mexico and proposes regulatory recommendations that can be useful for similar countries. Methods Qualitative study based on the CLICK monitoring framework developed by the World Health Organization, adapted for digital marketing of commercial milk formula and baby foods. Semi-structured interviews ( n  = 53) with key actors were conducted between November 2020 and March 2021, and used grounded theory for the analysis and interpretation with the MAXQDA 20 software. Results Commercial milk formula and baby food companies use digital media to contact and persuade parents to use their products by sending electronic newsletters with advertising. Companies hire influencers to market their products because there is no regulation prohibiting the advertisement of breastmilk substitutes on social media, and promote formula among health professionals inviting them to participate in sponsored webinars on infant nutrition, ignoring conflict of interest and the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Parents trust formula and baby food advertisements, which use emotional messages and health and nutrition claims to encourage their consumption. Health professionals consider that claims contribute to the indiscriminate use of formula, and some actors propose the use of plain packaging for these products. Conclusions Breastmilk substitutes companies promote their products in digital media using unethical strategies that fail to comply with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. They generate strong conflicts of interest with health professionals, taking advantage of legal framework gaps and the lack of monitoring and effective sanctions for non-compliers. Updating the legal framework and monitoring compliance, including digital media, is urgently needed to protect children’s right to breastfeeding, healthy nutrition and life, and the rights of women to health and informed decision-making.

These papers explore the interplay among country and company cultures, examine corporate strategy and identify the stage that company and business unit development has reached. The contributors offer a deeper understanding of multinational and global leadership issues.