The Urban Geography of Subsidiary Headquarters in North America: Explorations by sector and Foreign Linkage

Abstract

The complexity of the firm is a hallmark of the current economy. Corporate subsidiaries and their headquarters are a key expression of the development of businesses today. The analysis presented here extends on previous subsidiary research by analyzing the evolving headquarters location of foreign and domestic subsidiaries in the United States and Canada from 1996 to 2004. This study finds that certain U.S. and Canadian sectors are home to disproportionate numbers of subsidiaries. It also shows that different sectors in each country have seen major changes in their subsidiary communities, that foreign and domestic subsidiaries in the United States and Canada exhibit distinctive geographies, and that parent corporations from various countries follow distinctive strategies in locating their U.S. and Canadian subsidiary headquarters. The study argues that this line of research is one component in the strengthening of theory related to the location of elite corporate activities.