The role of headquarters in the contemporary MNC

The headquarters of multinational corporations face myriad challenges stemming from their internal and external environments, which influence their ability to manage global organizations. This paper highlights the issue of environmental complexity and the knowledge situation of headquarters in relation to different headquarters levels in the organization, in connection to its value-adding or value-destroying potential in the multinational corporation. The paper also discusses the implications of the existence of multiple headquarters operating within one multinational corporation. The paper presents some considerations for future research and for practitioners and summarizes the contributions that make up this special issue on the role and functions of headquarters in multinational corporations.