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PHELPS N. A., MACKINNON D., STONE I. and BRAIDFORD P. (2003) Embedding the multinationals? Institutions and the development of overseas manufacturing affiliates in Wales and North East England, Reg. Studies 37 , 27-40. The impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) upon host regions is a topic of perennial interest within the fields of regional economics, industrial geography and regional development. Much of the early literature here draws negative conclusions regarding the wider indirect impacts of FDI on host regions, pointing to the branch plant syndrome. In light of significant processes of corporate restructuring and the build-up of host region institutional capacities, however, recent literature has claimed that the plants of multinational enterprises (MNEs) are becoming increasingly "embedded' in regional economies. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to provide a critical assessment of the regional "embeddedness' of FDI in Wales and the North East of England. Based upon an extensive survey of overseas-owned manufacturing affiliates in these regions, the paper examines key indicators of MNE embeddedness, and assesses the influence of regional agencies on the embedding process. In general, we find little evidence of increasing embeddedness while the effects of regional differences in institutional capacity on the embedding process appear to be somewhat limited. As such, we suggest that the idea of " extended enclaves' encapsulates some key dimensions of the relationships between MNEs and the economies of peripheral UK regions. PHELPS N. A., MACKINNON D., STONE I. et BRAIDFORD P. (2003) Ancrer les multinationales?: les institutions et le developpement des filiales industrielles etrangeres au pays de Galles et dans le nord-est d'Angleterre, Reg. Studies 37 , 27-40. Les retombees de l'investissement direct etranger (IDE) sur les zones d'accueil est un sujet d'inte ret perpetuel dans les domaines de l'economie re gionale, de la geographie industrielle et de l'amenagement du territoire. Dans une large mesure, la premiere documentation a ce sujet tire des conclusions negatives quant aux retombees indirectes importantes de l'IDE sur les zones d'accueil, faisant allusion au syndrome des etablissements. Cependant, a la lumiere de la restructuration d'entreprise et du developpement des capacites institutionnelles de la zone d'accueil, la documentation recente affirme que les etablissements des multinationales deviennent de plus en plus " ancrees' dans des economies regionales. Sur ce fond, cet article cherche a faire une critique de "l'ancrage' regional de l'IDE au pays de Galles et dans le nord-est d' Angleterre. A partir d'une enquete detaillee aupre s des filiales industrielles a capital etranger situees dans ces regions-la, cet article cherche egalement a examiner les indicateurs cle de l'ancrage des multinationales et a e valuer l'influence des assemblees regionales sur le processus d'ancrage. En regle generale, une augmentation du degre "d'ancrage' s'avere peu evidente alors que les effets des divergences re...

Purpose -Aims to explore aspects of employee relations in firms included within The Sunday Times list of the UK's "Best Small Companies to Work For", focusing in particular on the use of high performance work systems (HPWS), and the way they impact upon performance in these businesses. Design/methodology/approach -The research is based upon a postal survey supplemented by detailed face-to-face interviews with CEOs in 60 per cent of the ranked firms. Findings -The SMEs studied are found to be highly successful in terms of sales and employment growth. Our analysis suggests that the common explanation for enhanced business performance in terms of HPWS (coherent bundles of human resource management practices that function synergistically and thus have more effect than might be expected from the sum of the parts) is a valid but partial. The bundles employed in these businesses are synergetic, but the enhanced outcomes produced need to be understood in terms of the system as a whole, not just the more concrete practices that are normally considered. Research implications/limitations -While there is a need to explore further some of the findings through larger scale qualitative research, we contend that the deeper understanding of HPWS emerging from this approach is important to the formation of effective policy in relation to the small business sector. Originality/value -It is suggested that the cultures, values and norms established within the businesses are necessarily part of the system and that they play a fundamental role in shaping, empowering and reproducing the practices used.

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