Multinational Subsidiary Performance: Evidence from the Ghanaian Banking Sector

Abstract

The global economic volatility has given rise to diverse firm operational strategies including internationalization through subsidiary establishment. This has aroused the interest of scholars to the study of multinational firm performance. The study seeks to ascertain the factors that contribute to the performance of multinational subsidiary banks in Ghana. Using an unbalanced random effects panel regression estimation following the Hausman specification test, the study found that increasing bank size does not necessarily lead to performance. As it stands, the Multinational Subsidiary (MNS) banks under perform as they increase in size. It was further noted that the banks are inefficient and so shift their costs and risks to customers in the form of high interest charges on credit. Notwithstanding, it appears that older MNSs perform better than the relatively younger ones. The study found that leadership origin does not have any significant impact on bank performance. Evidence was, however, found about the significant influence of the host country economic conditions on MNS performance.

Keywords: Multinational Subsidiary, Performance, Banking, Panel Data Model, Ghana