Case Study Methodology

Abstract

From the outset of this chapter, we are at pains to stress that the issues we are addressing in our study do not seek to explain everything. We are not claiming that the consequences of MNE behaviour that we explore here are replicated in all instances. As we argued in Chapter 3, the role of the MNE in raising regulatory standards appears to work under certain conditions. What we do argue, however, is that as there appears to be a trend towards increasing integration of regulatory systems on a regional basis, and to a lesser degree on a global basis the role of MNEs could be important in driving and furthering this process. This chapter aims to develop more explicitly our empirical methodology. In particular, by generating our empirical hypotheses and relating these to the case studies we develop, our aim is to build a framework, which we use in our case studies in the chapters that follow.