Globalization and relocation of companies.

Summary At a time when the effects of globalization are provoking a demand for protection of workers and territories and encouraging governments to promote national production, here is a precise analysis of the logic, scope and real effects of corporate globalization. Multinational firms are seeking access to dynamic markets in the form of direct investments abroad and are also looking for favorable production cost conditions by developing relocation operations in the form of international subcontracting or outsourcing. What are the effects of offshoring on employment, trade and the technological advantages of industrialized countries? Is the international fragmentation of the value chain of labor-intensive industries challenged by rising transport and wage costs in emerging countries? How can we explain the opposite movement of relocation of activities?