The Multinational Business Review最新文献

{"title":"The multiplicity of international corporate social responsibility standards","authors":"L. Fransen, A. Kolk, M. Rivera-Santos","doi":"10.1108/mbr-08-2019-0083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-08-2019-0083","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose This paper aims to examine the multiplicity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards, explaining its nature, dynamics and implications for multinational enterprises (MNEs) and international business (IB), especially in the context of CSR and global value chain (GVC) governance. Design/methodology/approach This paper leverages insights from the literature in political science, policy, regulation, governance and IB; from the own earlier work; and from an inventory of CSR standards across a range of sectors and products. Findings This analysis’ more nuanced approach to CSR standard multiplicity helps distinguish the different categories of standards; uncovers the existence of different types of standard multiplicity; and highlights complex trends in their evolution over time, discussing implications for the various firms targeted by, or involved in, these initiatives, and for CSR and GVC governance research. Research limitations/implications This paper opens many avenues for future research on CSR multiplicity and its consequences; on lead firms governing GVCs from an IB perspective; and on institutional and market complexity. Practical implications By providing overviews and classifications, this paper helps clarify CSR standards as “new regulators” and “instruments” for actors in business, society and government. Originality/value This paper contributes by filling gaps in different existing literatures concerning standard multiplicity. It also specifically adds a new perspective to the IB literature, which thus far has not fully incorporated the complexity and dynamics of CSR standard multiplicity in examining GVCs and MNE strategy and policy.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"71 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127389378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of home-country conditions and geographical diversification on the domestic productivity of telecom multinationals","authors":"P. Symeou, Hemant Merchant","doi":"10.1108/mbr-07-2018-0048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-07-2018-0048","url":null,"abstract":"Previous work in international business largely disregards the interplay between home-country conditions and firms’ geographical diversification – implying that, regardless of indigenous conditions, firms can modify their domestic performance (which the authors measure in terms of change in firms’ domestic productivity) merely by diversifying into international markets. The authors contest this view and argue that diversification does not substitute for home-country conditions. Rather, it moderates the baseline impact of home-country conditions on indigenous firms’ domestic performance. The purpose of this study is to describe these mechanisms and empirically examine their implications for indigenous firms’ performance.,The authors investigate the above model based on a 20-year longitudinal analysis of 600 observations involving telecommunication incumbents from 65 countries. They control for possible reverse causality between firms’ international diversification (and other firm-specific factors) and their domestic performance, and conduct several robustness checks.,The authors find – as hypothesized – that international diversification moderates the baseline performance impact of different home-country attributes in different ways. Such diversification does not have a uniform moderating effect on home-country attributes. In other words, the baseline effects of home-country conditions are altered as indigenous firms become more internationalized.,Theoretically, this work bridges the micro- and macro-level arguments that interweave strands from the competitive strategy and national competitive advantage literatures. By unpacking diversification’s role vis-a-vis the effect of upstream (home-country) conditions on firm performance, the authors attempt to shed light on the mechanisms that help (or hinder) indigenous firms’ performance. Empirically, this study helps to reconcile seemingly opposite views about whether and, if so, how much home-country conditions shape indigenous firms’ expansion after they have diversified internationally.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"114 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122324181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resilience and risks of cross-border mergers and acquisitions","authors":"Ching-Chiu Hsu, Jeong‐Yang Park, Y. Lew","doi":"10.1108/mbr-05-2019-0035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-05-2019-0035","url":null,"abstract":"In cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As), acquirers often fail to achieve the expectations they held when they made the M&A deals. This paper aims to propose that the risks of cross-border M&As can be mitigated by building and cultivating organizational resilience as a prime means of risk management.,The research examines risks associated with cross-border M&A and how such risks can be mitigated by developing resilience. It presents dual cases of acquisitions of the biggest branded mobile phone manufacturer in Taiwan.,The authors find that the acquirer faces multiple risks in cross-border M&A transactions, including financial, strategic and organizational, and process risks that arise from misalignment between the goal of the M&As and the post-acquisition performance of the target firms.,The research provides theoretical insights on organizational resilience and how it can mitigate the specific risks involved in cross-border M&As, thereby developing coherent organizational resilience processes.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128680568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antecedents of psychological attachment in multinational enterprises","authors":"Davina E. Vora, T. Kostova","doi":"10.1108/mbr-04-2019-0026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-04-2019-0026","url":null,"abstract":"This paper aims to examine the individual-level headquarters–subsidiary relationship issue of psychological attachment in multinational enterprises (MNEs). Antecedents to subsidiary manager identification and commitment to the MNE and subsidiary are explored.,Those in subsidiary manager roles regardless of country of origin were surveyed. Hypotheses were tested using partial least squared structural equation modeling.,For both MNE and subsidiary models, perceived prestige related to commitment. All components of positive interaction related to subsidiary commitment (but not identification), while just one related to MNE identification and commitment. For the MNE model only, collectivism positively related to identification and commitment, cultural distance positively related to commitment, geographic distance negatively related to commitment, and language similarity marginally negatively related to commitment. Organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) partially mediated relationships of perceived prestige and positive interaction with commitment in MNE and subsidiary models.,This microfoundational approach to psychological attachment in an MNE setting suggests similarities and differences for antecedents in MNEs and subsidiaries, as well as the importance of OBSE. This study is limited by its exclusion of other antecedent variables and types of attachment, and a cross-sectional study design.,MNEs can increase psychological attachment by communicating the importance of the MNE and/or subsidiary, developing processes to improve interactions with other organizational units, and demonstrating that employees are valued.,Exploration of the individual-level of analysis of headquarters–subsidiary relationships is rare, and different findings for the MNE and subsidiary are highlighted, something that is not fully explained by current research on psychological attachment.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125403693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Wag the Dog” initiatives and the corporate immune system","authors":"R. Schweizer, K. Lagerström","doi":"10.1108/mbr-07-2019-0059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-07-2019-0059","url":null,"abstract":"This paper aims to contribute to the subsidiary initiative literature by studying the interaction between a headquarters and its subsidiary during an initiative process that has the potential to “wag the corporate dog” that is, for the global corporation’s promising subsidiary initiative in a strategically important emerging market to question the corporation’s prevailing schemata.,The longitudinal single case study draws on evidence from the Indian subsidiary of Swedish Volvo Bus and its efforts to introduce a value product in India.,The study argues that wag the dog initiatives provoke the corporate immune system independent of the initiative’s potential and the subsidiary’s autonomy and legitimacy. If the idea behind the wag the dog initiative is perceived as strategically important for the multinational corporation, then the corporate immune system tries to engulf – most likely unsuccessfully – the idea within the prevailing schemata. Failed attempts to engulf the initiative weaken the corporate immune system temporarily, thereby opening the organization to revitalization of the original initiative. Resistance, even though weakened, from the corporate immune system continues to exist.,Subsidiary managers need to avoid having their headquarters perceive an initiative as a wag the dog initiative by balancing their need to sell persistently the initiative with avoiding negative attention.,This study is a pioneer in explaining how the corporate immune system reacts towards wag the dog initiatives taken from subsidiaries in large emerging markets.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121206846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Country-specific determinants of FDI inflows to the MENA region","authors":"A. Dimitrova, Tim Rogmans, Dora Triki","doi":"10.1108/mbr-01-2019-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-01-2019-0003","url":null,"abstract":"This paper aims to synthesize, analyze and categorize the empirical literature on country-specific factors that affect foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Identifying gaps and methodological challenges in the reviewed articles, recommendations are made to guide future research.,Applying the systematic review methodology, content analysis is conducted of 42 relevant empirical studies that explore country-specific FDI determinants in the MENA region during the period 1998–2018.,This review study identifies four main research gaps in the extant literature: a lack of consensus on a common definition of the MENA region and a weak understanding of the specificities of its investment environment; a limited set of FDI theories used and a lack of other theoretical perspectives; a recurrent focus on the direct relationship between host country–specific determinants and FDI, thus ignoring the moderating and mediating effects of some variables; and the absence of certain country-specific factors pertaining to the MENA countries.,This study contributes to the international business field by enhancing our understanding of the FDI determinants in emerging and developing markets, especially the MENA countries. It develops a typology of FDI country-specific factors in the MENA region based on four main categories: macroeconomic and financial, institutional and regulatory, natural resource endowment and socio-cultural. Paths for future research are suggested.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130162750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corruption, political discretion and entrepreneurship","authors":"Alfredo Jiménez, I. Alon","doi":"10.1108/MBR-01-2018-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-01-2018-0009","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000While common sense suggests that corruption will likely have a negative impact on the economy as it raises the cost of doing business, research on the topic showed inconsistent results (positive, negative and neutral). This paper aims to verify whether corruption has a “grease” or “sand” effect on the wheels of entrepreneurial rates and under which conditions corruption will have stronger or weaker effects. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Design/methodology/approach \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Using institutional theory as the basis for the hypotheses, generalized least squares estimation is conducted to empirically examine the role of corruption and political discretion in entrepreneurship in a sample of 93 countries. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Findings \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Countries with higher levels of corruption are associated with lower levels of firm creation. However, this negative effect of corruption is weaker when there are higher levels of political discretion. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Originality/value \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000This is the first evaluation of the moderating effect of political discretion on the negative impact of corruption on entrepreneurship.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"215 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134304661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The dilemma of institutional duality and multinational firms 1967-2017: Implications and future research","authors":"Akiebe Humphrey Ahworegba","doi":"10.1108/MBR-03-2017-0014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-03-2017-0014","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the dilemma of institutional duality (ID) confronting multinational corporations and to propose a workable solution for this problem.,The author has searched the literature using several terms directly related to the dilemma of ID and multinational firms.,The findings reveal that to attain “legitimacy”, subsidiaries strive to balance institutional pressures stemming from external environments in the host country and their parent organizations. Understanding institutional theories of multinational corporations enables the subsidiaries to manage external pressures. ID impact varies among subsidiaries, depending on institutional contexts and internal strategies of subsidiaries.,An “institutional duality incidence model” portraying how dual institutions make “legitimacy” problematic for subsidiaries is proposed. A framework for identifying factors generating ID dilemma and their management approach is also proposed. It is concluded that a multinational corporation that recognizes ID as a central concern is more likely to achieve and maintain a higher level of harmony with its subsidiaries and host countries.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"75 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115026647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foreign firms’ strategic positioning and performance in a host market","authors":"H. Xie, Qian Xie, Hongxin Zhao","doi":"10.1108/MBR-08-2017-0060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-08-2017-0060","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Strategic positioning of foreign firms in a host market is vital for their success. By integrating the resource partitioning theory and the resource-based view, this study aims to investigate foreign firms’ strategic positioning (i.e. their choice of generalist or specialist positioning strategy) and its performance implications in the US market. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Design/methodology/approach \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The final sample includes 212 foreign companies from 28 countries operating in the US market. Multiple data sources were used to collect data of these foreign companies’ subsidiaries in the USA This study used logistic regression to test its major hypotheses. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Findings \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The results of this study suggest that a generalist positioning strategy is positively related to performance in a host market. It is also found that market concentration and local market knowledge moderate this strategic positioning – performance relationship. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Research limitations/implications \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000For a foreign firm that enters a host market, market concentration (an industry-level factor) in the host market and the firm’s local market knowledge (a firm-specific factor) play prominent roles in the strategic positioning – performance relationship. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Originality/value \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000This study offers a novel perspective of international business strategy by applying the lens of resource partitioning theory to study the relationships between multinational enterprises’ strategic positioning and performance. This study contributes to the strategy literature in that it examines the performance implications of firms’ strategic positioning (i.e. generalist or specialist positioning).","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"57 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132620984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geography of corporate innovation","authors":"Irina Ervits","doi":"10.1108/MBR-07-2017-0052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-07-2017-0052","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The purpose of this paper is to identify major developments in corporate innovation. The author focuses on the behavioral differences between MNEs from developed and emerging markets in the way they locate their R&D activities. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Design/methodology/approach \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000With the help of descriptive statistics, the paper identifies major trends in the global distribution of innovative activity. The novel source of patent statistics, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications, is used as a proxy for innovative effort by leading MNEs. This paper is among the first attempts to analyze the global geography of innovation based on PCT statistics. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Findings \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The analysis underscores differences in the patenting activities of MNEs from emerging and advanced markets. It confirms that innovative activity by major MNEs remains largely home-based, which contradicts the premise of the global nature of corporate innovation. At the same time, the growing importance of China as a research center attracts MNEs from a variety of developed markets. Emerging MNEs also file patent applications domestically. Most Chinese R&D subsidiaries of MNEs from advanced economies in our sample do not pursue technological specialization, as they produce patents in the same technological areas as the corporate headquarters or other subsidiaries. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Originality/value \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000A number of assumptions about the innovation geography of major MNEs were empirically tested. An attempt was made to fill the gaps in our understanding of innovation strategies pursued by MNEs in emerging markets. The author uses the concept of MNEs as meta-integrators to explain the observed dynamics. Its explanatory power is more convincing as applied to our data than the concept of national systems of innovation.","PeriodicalId":108650,"journal":{"name":"The Multinational Business Review","volume":"276 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116558734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}