Product details
- ISBN 9781032943060
- Weight: 620g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 01 Jun 2026
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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For two centuries, multinational enterprises (MNEs) have arrived in waves on Australia’s shores. Highly visible and influential household names among them – Ford, IBM, Kodak, Electrolux, ANZ – but also many smaller, lesser-known enterprises. Foreign MNEs in Australia today account for almost half of our top 2,000 firms and control over A$1.4 trillion of assets. There is much we do not understand about these important institutions, why they chose to invest here, how they entered, and why some firms survived for long periods, while others exited.
The history of MNEs, more than most topics, is inextricably connected to international experience. Across half a century of research, their history has emerged as a vibrant field of investigation in North America, Europe, and, increasingly, Asia. MNE activity in Australia, briefly referenced in some of these studies, formed an important part of the global presence of many firms. This is the first history of foreign MNEs in twentieth-century Australia, filling a major gap in the economic and business history literature of Australia and of the history of international business globally. It integrates the important and distinctive Australian experience with an extensive international and comparative scholarship on big business and MNEs.
Simon Ville, Emeritus Professor of Economic and Business History at the University of Wollongong, was the Whitlam–Fraser Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard University (2022–2023), and he was elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (2006).
Pierre van der Eng is Associate Professor of International Business and Business History at the Australian National University. His research interests range across economic history, development economics, business history, and international business.
André Sammartino is Associate Professor of International Business & Strategic Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia. André has written extensively on the expansion strategies of multinational enterprises.
David Merrett is Professor Emeritus at the University of Melbourne. He has published widely in Australian economic and business history. His current interests include the rise of big business and the internationalisation of the Australian economy in the 20th century.
Monica Keneley is Honorary Professor of Finance at Deakin University. Her research interests include various aspects of the conduct and performance of financial institutions, with a specific focus on the operations of life and general insurance firms and mutual associations.
