ABSTRACT
This fmal chapter has the role of providing a summary and conclusions to Foreign multinationals and the British economy, as well as giving some pointers to policy and UK competitiveness in the future. Figure 7.1 provides an overview of the principal thrusts of the book. At its simplest, being concerned with impact and policy, the book has had as its touchstone the 'impact zone' shown in the figure and observed in the introduction to Chapter 6. The basic premise has been that corporate strategy and government policy are closely intertwined and not always compatibly so. As the diagram suggests, some of the chapters, notably 1, 2 and 5 have been concerned with a series of inputs into the MNE decision processes and a resultant range of outcomes. Many of the former have served to remind both corporations and governments that, dynamic though this sector is, it is not immune from dramatic change, restructuring, loss of competitiveness and so on. On the other side, the outcomes, as Chapter 2 indicated, present the UK with both threats and opportunities through new forms of investment and investment from new sources. In this regard it is particularly important to interpret the implications of Chapter 5 for the UK, pointing as they do to more integrated MNE. strategies and less country allegiance as such. The signals here are not unequivocal. On the one hand, there is growing cost pressure for higher levels of local supply, through 'just in time' and associated procedures, the net effect of which would be to place a new premium on sound local infrastructure. On the other hand, shortening product cycles and reduced project cost recovery periods enhance mobility in some high technology projects.
