Technical change and some British multinationals in Kenya: some global considerations

Abstract

IDS Working Paper No. 228 examined the behaviour of the subsidiaries of seven British Multinationals in Kenya with regard to their generation and acquisition of new technology. This Working Paper is complementary to the earlier one insofar as it examines to that extent the behaviour of the Kenyan subsidiaries is explicable in terms of the organisation of the global market in each industry. The global market is thus described, the role of the particular firm situated and an evaluation made of the extent to which this role explains the behaviour of the Kenyan subsidiaries. Some tentative inclusions are offered, but the limitation of sample size is emphasized.