The object of this research is to analyze the evolution of the maquiladora industry in Mexico and the multinational corporations in Malaysia. It is believed that there might be a similar behavior of these industries in both countries, because they have been characterized by a high growth of the industrial activity related to the exports. A shift – share analysis is undertaken for the Mexican case. Shift – share is a widely used technique for regional analysis. It easily allows seeing the performance of a region compared to the national average. Publication/Conference: 4th International Malaysian Studies Conference; 3-5 August 2004, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi. Authors: Tonatiuh Nájera & Angélica Santana.