Stephen Kobrin

Education

PhD, University of Michigan, 1975; MBA, University of Pennsylvania, 1961; BMgtE, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1960

Career and Recent Professional Awards; Teaching Awards

Fellow, Academy of International Business

Academic Positions Held

Wharton: 1987present (Editor, Wharton School Publishing, 2008present; Director, The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies, 20062007; named William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management, 1992; Director, The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies, 19942000; Director, William H. Wurster Center for International Management Studies, 199294; Chairperson, Management Department, 198992; AnheuserBusch Term Professor of Management, 198792). Previous appointments: New York University; The Conference Board; Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Other Positions

Brand Manager, Procter & Gamble, 196571

Professional Leadership

Fellow, World Economic Forum, 1995present; President, Academy of International Business, 20012002

Stephen J Kobrin (2009), Private Political Authority and Public Responsibility: Transnational Politics, Transnational Firms and Human Rights , Business Ethics Quarterly.

Abstract: Transnational corporations have become actors with significant political power and authority which should entail responsibility and liability, specifically direct liability for complicity in human rights violations. Holding TNCs liable for human rights violations is complicated by the discontinuity between the fragmented legal/political structure of the TNC and its integrated strategic reality and the international state system which privileges sovereignty and nonintervention over the protection of individual rights. However, the postWestphalian transition – the emergence of multiple authorities, increasing ambiguity of borders and jurisdiction and blurring of the line between the public and private spheres – should facilitate imposing direct responsibility on transnational firms. Mechanisms for imposing direct responsibility on TNCs are considered including voluntary agreements and international law. However, I conclude that a hybrid publicprivate regime which relies on nonhierarchical compliance mechanisms is likely to be both more effective and consistent with the structure of the emerging transnational order.

Stephen J Kobrin (2008), It Ain't Over Until the Fat Lady Sings: Three Narratives Relating to the Rise and Possible Fall of the Second Wave of Globalization ,.

Stephen J Kobrin (2008), Globalization, Transnational Corporations and the Future of Global Governance , Handbook of Research on Global Corporate Citizenship.

Stephen J Kobrin (2005), The Determinants of Liberalization of FDI policy in Developing Countries: A CrossSectional Analysis, 19922001 , Transnational Corporations, 14: 1.

Abstract: The decade of the 1990s was characterized by widespread liberalization of laws and regulations affecting inflows of foreign direct investment in developing countries. Using a data base supplied by UNCTAD, this article employs a crosssectional regression methodology to analyze the determinants of liberalization of foreign direct investment policies in 116 developing countries from 1992 to 2001. Ninetyfive per cent of the changes in such policies over the decade (1,029 of 1,086) were liberalizing rather than restrictive. Two possible explanations of liberalization are suggested: policy makers’ beliefs that attracting more foreign direct investment is in the best interests of their countries, and external pressure to adopt neoliberal economic policies either from the dominant power (the United States) or international organizations such as the World Bank or International Monetary Fund. Results provide strong support for the “rational” decision (or “opportunity costs of closure”) argument and only limited support for the external pressure thesis. Country size, level of human resource capabilities and trade openness are found to be the primary determinants of the propensity to liberalize.

Stephen J Kobrin (2005), Multinational Enterprise and Public Responsibility: The Case of Talisman Energy and Human Rights in Sudan , International Business Government Relations in the 21st Century, In Robert Grosse, ed. Cambridge University Press.

Stephen J Kobrin (2004), Oil and Politics: Talisman Energy in Sudan , NYU Journal of Law and Politics, 36: 23.

Stephen J Kobrin (2004), Safe Harbours are Hard to Find: The TransAtlantic Data Privacy Dispute, Territorial Jurisdiction and Global Governance , Review of International Studies, 30.

Abstract: The transAtlantic dispute over application of the European Union’s Data Directive (1995) is discussed as a case study of an emerging geographic incongruity between the reach and domain of the territoriallydefined Westphalian state and the deep and dense network of economic relations. The article reviews significant EUUS differences about the meaning of privacy and the means to protect it, the history of attempts to apply its provisions to information transferred to the US, and the less than satisfactory attempt at resolution – the Safe Harbor agreement. It then argues that attempting to apply the Directive to transactions on the Internet raises fundamental questions about the meaning of borders, territorial sovereignty and political space and explores the implications for territorial jurisdiction and global governance at some length.

Stephen J Kobrin (2002), Economic Governance in an Electronically Networked Global Economy , The Emergence of Private Authority: Forms of Private Authority and Their Implications for Global Governance.

Stephen J Kobrin (2001), With Technology Growing, Our Privacy is Shrinking , Philadelphia Inquirer.

Stephen J Kobrin (2001), Sovereignty@Bay: Globalization, Multinational Enterprise, and the International Political System , Oxford Handbook of International Business, Chapter 7.

Past Courses

MGMT208 MNGING GLOB & ANTIGLOB

Globalization and International Political Economy is an upper level undergraduate course designed to provide the background necessary to understand globalization and the changes taking place in the international politicaleconomy. The course objective is to help students develop a conceptual framework that will provide an understanding of the current international politicaleconomic environment, provide a basis for thinking about the fundamental changes which are now taking place, and to build a solid foundation to which new material can be added throughout the students' careers. ,Format: Class discussions will be interactive and structured to encourage maximum student participation. ,Requirements: Take home midterm exam, a final course paper of 1015 pages and two shorter (12 page papers) dealing with the readings for the day. Students will not be allowed to enroll after the third class session.

MGMT715 POL & SOC ENVIRON OF MM

Managing effectively in challenging sociopolitical environments (e.g., emerging markets) requires a melding of art and skill in engaging external stakeholders to advance corporate interests. This means crafting international coalitions of stakeholders spanning politicians, regulators, bureaucrats, analysts, investors, lawyers, reporters, consumers, nonprofits, activists and local communities. It involves influencing these stakeholders' opinions, perceptions, behaviors and decisions so as to secure a favorable policy outcome, collective decision, shift in group opinion or pooling of resources that enhances the corporation's ability to generate a profit by satisfying a market demand. This course surveys the managerial, political, economic, sociological and psychological foundations of corporate diplomacy as well as case study examples of successful and failed implementation in order to develop an interdisciplinary framework for navigating complex sociopolitical environments. The insights gained can be applied to influence team decisionmaking and organizational politics as well as by individuals and organizations in lobbying, marketing, product development, distribution and sales, political campaigns and corporate, national or multilateral projections of soft power.

Knowledge @ Wharton

How Changes to U.S.Cuba Policy Will Impact Businesses, Knowledge @ Wharton 06/23/2017 What the Future Holds for U.S.Cuba Relations, Knowledge @ Wharton 04/11/2017 Can Trump – or Anyone – Bring Back American Manufacturing?, Knowledge @ Wharton 11/30/2016 The Coming Collision of Superpowers in the Pacific, Knowledge @ Wharton 12/03/2015 Havana or Bust: How U.S.Cuba Relations Will Impact Tourism, Knowledge @ Wharton 03/23/2015 Barnes & Noble, the Last Big Bookseller Standing: But for How Long?, Knowledge @ Wharton 01/16/2013 Arab Spring to Arab Firestorm: Parag Khanna on the Revolutions and the Coming ‘Hybrid Reality’, Knowledge @ Wharton 10/02/2012 What Guided Google to Frommer’s?, Knowledge @ Wharton 08/20/2012 Textbook Case: Apple and Others Strive to Be the Next Wave in Educational Publishing, Knowledge @ Wharton 02/29/2012 Textbook Case: Apple and Others Strive to Be the Next Wave in Educational Publishing, Knowledge @ Wharton 02/15/2012 Digital Books: ‘Enhanced’ — But for Whom?, Knowledge @ Wharton 01/20/2012 Peter Fader on Customer Centricity and Why It Matters, Knowledge @ Wharton 11/18/2011 ‘Finance & Accounting’ for the Rest of Us: A Conversation with Richard A. Lambert, Knowledge @ Wharton 11/18/2011 Paul J.H. Schoemaker’s ‘Brilliant Mistakes’: Finding Opportunity in Failures, Knowledge @ Wharton 11/09/2011 What Steve Jobs Leaves Behind, Knowledge @ Wharton 10/06/2011 Dos and Don’ts for Amazon’s Redesign, Knowledge @ Wharton 09/06/2011 Is Quality Control Lacking in Business Books?, Knowledge @ Wharton 07/18/2011 Can Discounted Tablets Lure New Newspaper Subscribers?, Knowledge @ Wharton 07/14/2011 Parag Khanna on ‘How to Run the World’, Knowledge @ Wharton 07/13/2011 Food Security Concerns Lurking Amid Arab Region’s Unrest, Knowledge @ Wharton 07/06/2011 Life in Doha’s Slow Lane, Knowledge @ Wharton 06/09/2011 A Better Way to Buy Books?, Knowledge @ Wharton 05/09/2011 No Volcanic Ash but Plenty of Book News, Knowledge @ Wharton 04/11/2011 Latest Buzz in the Book Business, Knowledge @ Wharton 02/14/2011 Chinese Checkers: The U.S. Jumps China on Trade, Knowledge @ Wharton 01/19/2011 China at a Crossroads: Trade Tensions Vie with Consumer Needs, Knowledge @ Wharton 01/12/2011 The Tata Tapes and Beyond: Juggling Privacy, Reputation and Public Interest, Knowledge @ Wharton 12/16/2010 SinoU.S. Trade Relations: ‘They’re Playing Football; We’re Playing Baseball’, Knowledge @ Wharton 11/10/2010 Man the Barricades: Is a Trade War on the Horizon?, Knowledge @ Wharton 09/29/2010 Man the Barricades: Is a Trade War on the Horizon?, Knowledge @ Wharton 09/15/2010 Supply and Sustainability: Piecing Together the Energy Puzzle, Knowledge @ Wharton 07/14/2010 What Does the Drooping Book Business Need? How About a Jolt of Espresso?, Knowledge @ Wharton 05/26/2010 What Does the Drooping Book Business Need? How About a Jolt of Espresso?, Knowledge @ Wharton 04/28/2010 Etextbooks: The New Bestsellers, Knowledge @ Wharton 03/03/2010 Paid vs. Free Content, Publishing Pains, Apple Tablets and All That …, Knowledge @ Wharton 02/03/2010 Why Economists Failed to Predict the Financial Crisis, Knowledge @ Wharton 05/13/2009 Trade Wars: Will Protectionism Win out over Recovery?, Knowledge @ Wharton 02/18/2009 Doha Debacle: What’s Next for Global Commerce, Knowledge @ Wharton 08/06/2008 The New Global Middle Class: Potentially Profitable — but Also Unpredictable, Knowledge @ Wharton 07/09/2008 When Local Risks Become Global Risks, and How We Can Minimize Them, Knowledge @ Wharton 03/21/2007 Unwitting Exposure: Does Posting Personal Information Online Mean Giving Up Privacy?, Knowledge @ Wharton 10/04/2006 Avian Flu: What to Expect and How Companies Can Prepare for It, Knowledge @ Wharton 03/08/2006 Delhi in Davos: How India Built its Brand at the World Economic Forum, Knowledge @ Wharton 02/22/2006 Cosmetics and Steel: How Two Companies Defied Conventional Wisdom by Going Global, Knowledge @ Wharton 07/27/2005 An End to Global Textile Quotas: Watch China Sew Up the Market, Knowledge @ Wharton 02/09/2005 Collapse in Cancun: The World Trade Agenda Gets Sidetracked, Knowledge @ Wharton 09/24/2003 The TransAtlantic Data Privacy Dispute, Knowledge @ Wharton 03/12/2003 Testing His Metal – and His Motives: Bush’s Steel Tariffs Spark an Uproar, Knowledge @ Wharton 03/13/2002 The New Business Reality, Knowledge @ Wharton 01/30/2002 Up for Sale: How Best to Protect Privacy on the Internet, Knowledge @ Wharton 03/19/2001