Headquarters-Politics in Europe*

Viola Gröbner (inquired) - Director Industrial Policy and Economic Reforms, DG Enterprise and Industry, European Commission

Reinhold Mitterlehner - Austrian Federal Minister of Economy, Family and Youth

European politics and multinational enterprises interact in various ways and mutually influence each other. This opening session invites politicians andcompany representatives to debate options.

The Decentering of the Global Firm

Keynote: Prof. Mihir A. Desai - Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance and Senior Associate Dean for Planning and University Affairs, Harvard Business School

Prof. Bodo Schlegelmilch - Dean of Executive Education and Chair of the Institute of International Marketing Management, Vienna University of Economics and Business

Multinational Enterprises spread their subsidiaries and production sites around the globe. However, their Headquarters activities basically stay in the country of origin. Thus a strong linkage between companies and their national identities persists. As corporations no longer are national actors, this approach is considered to be out of date. Basic Headquarters functions do not necessarily need to be concentrated in the same location. A decentralized structure opens new scopes of action. Mihir A. Desai will present the theses of his corresponding work – but in how far are they convertible into managerial practice? Thus he will be challenged by Bodo Schlegelmilch subsequently.

Parallel-Presentations:

• Tax consequences of headquarters mobility in Europe*
• Location factor competences: Competence Centers vs. Holding Companies*
• Headquarters Map: Top-Locations*

Location-strategies of multinational Enterprises (MNEs)

Keynote: Jiancheng Chen - Founder and Chairman of the Board, Wolong Holding Group

John A. Heugle – CEO, austriamicrosystems

N.N.* – Representatives of previous parallel sessions

Since the number of Multinational Enterprises globally increases, the significance of regional Headquarters rises as well. The coherent locational choice of companies is a complex process and includes various determining factors. Currently, traditional European Headquarters locations are reassessed. At the same time, particularly Asian companies are on the lookout for interesting Headquarters locations across Europe.

Parallel-Presentations:

• The Present and Future Role of CEE Headquarters

Prof. Arnold Schuh - Director of the Competence Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Vienna University of Economics and Business

An increasing heterogeneityamong CEE countries in terms of economic and institutional development, improved local management competence and the search for efficiency gains and morec entralization in multinational enterprises are changing the context for CEE Headquarters. Currently, a study focusing on the present and future role of regional Headquarters in CEE is carried out by Prof. Arnold Schuh. He will present the results in this session of the Congress.

• International Human Capital*

International Human Capital refers to the knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise, of a company´s employee. Due to globalizationand thus increasing mobility, migration and interconnectedness, international Human Resource Management (HRM) became even more important for Headquarters.But how can Headquarters react to changes within society, as migration flows, demographic changes or skills shortage? Current studies and surveys as well as best-practice-examples of multinational enterprises and international benchmarks will be presented.

• Logistics*

Increasing complexity in today´s economic world demands sophisticated logistics. The inclusion of logistics in corporate management will be examined based on field reports. Furthermore, current trends and best practice examples will be presented in this session.

The future of Headquarters: European and global perspectives*

Based on an interdisciplinary approach, European and global perspectives of Headquarters will be evaluated. Visionary ideas, creative concepts and alternative ways of thinking are pillars of this “Future Factory”. Business as usual is considered to be a one-way road, not leading to prosperity and welfare anymore. Instead, sustainable and long-term approaches need to be implemented and the position of companies within society reassessed. New business models emerge, but in what way are they realistic or just visionary? What impacts do they have on Headquarters? And in what way are Headquarters involved in such an overall transformation of business?