1. ¹Department of Managerial Economics, Strategy and Innovation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
2. ²Department of Technology Management, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, The Netherlands
3. ³Fortis Bank NV, Brussels, Belgium

Correspondence: René A. Belderbos, Department of Managerial Economics, Strategy and Innovation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Naamsestraat 69, Leuven B-3000, Belgium. Tel: +32 16 326912; Fax: +32 16 326732; E-mail: Rene.belderbos@econ.kuleuven.be

Received 25 November 2005; Revised 18 September 2006; Accepted 19 June 2007; Published online 4 October 2007.

Abstract

We take a flexibility perspective to analyse employment growth in a large sample of Japanese manufacturing affiliates in nine Asian countries during the years leading up to and into the Asian financial crisis (1995–1999). We find that joint ventures are less flexible than wholly owned affiliates in responding to changing environmental conditions in the focal country, and underperform in high-growth environments. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) use the flexibility created by their multinational plant network to adjust affiliate employment in response to labour cost changes in other countries in which they operate plants. However, no evidence was found that the presence of joint ventures in multinational plant networks reduces this network flexibility. Our findings suggest that more research is needed on the heterogeneous responses of MNEs and their affiliates to changing economic environments.