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Explores shifting theories of the roles of markets, hierarchies, interfirm alliances, & governments in organizing economic activity. It is argued that, while there are a number of reasons for changing theories, differences among scholars generally reflect the time frame of their analyses. Current internationalization &, more recently, globalization of economic activity modify the governance of resource creation & deployment. The growing mobility of both tangible & intangible assets, as well as changing patterns of demand & technological advances, makes modification of the agenda & policies of national & supranational organizations necessary. More scholarship is needed on the role of geography in economic policy making. 1 Table, 102 References. Adapted from the source document.

There has been a structural shift of employment in developed countries towards the tertiary sector, and an increase in the proportion of economic activity being conducted by international firms. This paper is an examination of the factors that influence location choice of international offices, by means of survey data that facilitate a sectoral analysis of location choice. Analysis of the motives that lead to direct foreign operations is based on the ownership–location–internalisation paradigm, which suggests that international firms tend to be most active in those sectors in which their ownership advantages are most pronounced, and in which these advantages are best exploited internally to the firm. A branch–regional classification is used to distinguish cases in which office-location choice is dominated by external market forces (branch offices) and those in which location is determined by internal organisational forces. The primary influences on location choice are market size and the need for personal presence to serve this market. There is also clear evidence of a 'bandwagon' effect. But more detailed influences vary with office type and sector. In this respect, the quality and availability of resources are generally more important than direct costs. The United Kingdom emerges as a high-skill economy with a flexible labour force and good communications facilities. It is also the case that, although proximity to London remains important, there is a clear tendency to consider locations further from London, a tendency that will be further encouraged by technical change and improvement in domestic travel infrastructure.

Discusses the interaction of multinational corporate integration with regional economic integration within the European Economic Community. Argues that for Europe any systematic analysis of the extent and character of multinational intra-firm trade is lacking. In contrast to the United States, where a good deal of work has been done on intra-firm trade by U.S. multinationals, the only European surveys are those for Swedish multinationals. (AM)

The forces that affect growth, location, and distribution in the service sector will have elements in common with those at work in manufacturing, but equally will exhibit certain unique features. This paper examines such forces in the specific context of location choices made by offices of multinational enterprises (MNEs). Such enterprises emerge in response to particular market imperfections and to exploit particular 'ownership specific' advantages. The nature of such ownership specific advantages is discussed with specific reference to MNE office location, and tested using data drawn from a survey of European offices of mainly US-based MNEs. It is shown that a distinction must be drawn between offices that provide a service for final consumption and those that provide a mainly coordinating role. The former types of office are shown to be heavily market oriented and to act in ways consistent with theory. The latter types of office are more complex, but again locate in ways consistent with theory; in particular they are influenced more by accessibility and by environment than by cost and geography.

School-based dental clinics, when well-managed, can bring good quality care to children where they normally congregate, thus avoiding many of the problems found where children must be taken to private offices out of school hours. Both capital and running expenses for primary care can be substantially reduced. Utilization figures for school-based dental services now reach 98 per cent of eligible children in New Zealand, where dental nurses do simple operative dentistry including cavity preparation and fillings. Australia, where a modified New Zealand plan has been expanding for about 12 years, is moving rapidly to attain similar utilization. In Sweden, 95 per cent of the school-age population is reported to receive school-managed dental service through a government program. In the United States, however, it is commonly reported that less than one-half the school-age population receives good periodic dental care.