The ambivalent influence of a business developer's social ties in a multinational company

Abstract

The aim of this article is to determine how business developers overcome the challenge of developing new opportunities in multinationals by using their personal networks. Our study addresses a new activity development project that began in 2005 at the French R&D centre of NXP, one of the leading producers of semiconductors. In 2011, this project was established in a new company. By using primary and secondary data, we describe the resources a business developer managed to access through his personal and professional network between 2006 and 2014 and the obstacles that hampered his efforts. We demonstrate that the business developer's personal network was useful in acquiring new ideas and getting people involved in the project. However, the MNC may have prevented the business developer from developing a network adequate to secure financing for the project.