{"title":"Productivity gap and expatriate utilization","authors":"Sooyoung Lee, Unjung Whang, Sihoon Nahm, C. Oh","doi":"10.1108/mbr-04-2022-0051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-04-2022-0051","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to investigate how the gap between a multinational enterprise’s (MNE) productivity and that of its competitor determines the utilization of expatriate managers in its foreign subsidiaries.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The authors first develop a formal analytical model where expatriate managers are relatively more reliable and expensive while local managers are prone to job-hopping. The authors then test the predictions of the analytical model using subsidiary-level data of Korean MNEs.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The findings show a positive relationship between the productivity gap and the share of expatriate managers in a foreign subsidiary. The empirical findings also show that the job position (middle versus top managers) is another key determinant of the utilization of expatriate managers.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The results of this paper are consistent with the literature that finds that MNEs choose a governance structure that minimizes the hazard of opportunism in their subsidiaries, yet the paper reveals a novel aspect of the determinants of expatriate utilization.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45497932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Politics, rumors and identity: how does a domestic firm challenge an MNE in the non-market environment amidst home–host political hostility?","authors":"Cheng-Hua Tzeng","doi":"10.1108/mbr-05-2021-0059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-05-2021-0059","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Prior studies of competitive dynamics in emerging economies restricted their attention to how the multinational enterprise (MNE) initiates actions against the domestic firm in the market environment with no regard for the home-host relations. By contrast, this study aims to investigate how the domestic firm challenges the MNE in the non-market environment when there is home–host political hostility.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The authors conducted a case study of non-market rivalry between an MNE from the Taiwan region and a domestic firm on the Chinese mainland in the period 2004–2008.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Riding the home–host political hostility, the domestic firm mounted political tactics against the MNE on two fronts. It lobbied the government for identity-targeted policy changes, which demanded state-funded clients buy only from domestic suppliers. It also unethically spread identity-targeted political rumors to vilify the MNE in the local society. The MNE defended itself against the unfavorable policy by engaging in identity work of restructuring its distribution channels to conceal its “foreign” (non-domestic) identity. To fight off the rumors, it built a corporate citizen identity by identity work of aligning corporate social responsibility and research and development with local policy priorities.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The authors broaden the concept of competitive aggressiveness to include non-market actions, particularly unethical ones targeting a rival’s identity. The authors contribute to identity work scholarship by pinpointing an unrecognized phenomenon – high-effort identity work, used by the MNE as a defensive response. The emergent findings develop a moral perspective on non-market rivalry.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48758522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Foreign and domestic multinationals’ linkages in advanced, small open economies: do foreignness, regional origin and technological capability matter?","authors":"Joanna Scott-Kennel, Axèle Giroud, Iiris Saittakari","doi":"10.1108/mbr-05-2021-0062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-05-2021-0062","url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Purpose</h3>\u0000<p>International business theory suggests that multinational enterprises (MNEs) seek to internalise resources embedded in local firms to complement their own through inter-organisational relationships, yet little is known about whether and how these business linkages differ between foreign (F)MNEs and domestic (D)MNEs. This paper aims to explore the linkage differential between DMNEs and FMNEs operating in the same single-country contexts and to examine whether foreignness, regional origin and technological capability make a difference.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Design/methodology/approach</h3>\u0000<p>This study is based on a unique firm-level data set of 292 MNEs located in five advanced, small open economies (SMOPECs). This study analyses the benefit received – in the form of technical and organisational resources and knowledge – by DMNEs and FMNEs via backward, forward and collaborative linkages with local business partners.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Findings</h3>\u0000<p>Our research finds FMNEs benefit less from linkages than DMNEs; and FMNEs originating from outside the region especially so. However, the results also show technological capability mitigates this difference and is thus a game changer for FMNEs from outside the region.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Originality/value</h3>\u0000<p>This paper differentiates between FMNEs and DMNEs in their propensity to benefit from resources received from different local partners and explores the influence of regional origin and technological capability. Despite the advanced and internationally oriented nature of SMOPECs, DMNEs still gain more benefit, suggesting either liabilities of foreignness and outsidership persist, or FMNEs do not desire, need or nurture local linkages.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":"58 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138507793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Formal institutions, type of diversification and the diversification – performance relationship: a meta-analysis","authors":"Pete Tashman, Ettore Spadafora, Dominik Wagner","doi":"10.1108/mbr-12-2021-0175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-12-2021-0175","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The authors meta-analyze research on the diversification–performance relationship to empirically establish the impact of home-country formal institutional quality on this relationship. Prior research assumes that a country’s formal institutional quality negatively affects the diversification–performance relationship, especially when it involves unrelated diversification. However, empirical evidence for these propositions is inconclusive because existing studies consider blocks of countries with limited institutional heterogeneity. To provide more clarity, this study aims to consider the diversification–performance relationship across developed, emerging and developing countries.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The meta-analysis relies on a sample of 293 effect sizes of the diversification–performance relationship from 76 primary studies across 15 countries between 1988 and 2019. The sample excludes effects sizes from papers that consider both product and international diversification to control for complex interactions between the strategies, as well as papers that did not consider both related and unrelated diversification.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The results confirm that stronger home-country formal institutions weaken the diversification–performance relationship by decreasing the relative efficiency of internal markets versus external ones. Further, the effect is less negative for related diversification because this strategy can better exploit market frictions in countries with stronger formal institutions and more efficient external markets than its unrelated counterpart.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The study contributes to the literatures on the diversification–performance relationship and home-country governance by providing robust evidence for how formal institutional quality impacts the efficacy of related and unrelated diversification.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45655516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CEO polychronicity and SME internationalization","authors":"A. Agnihotri, S. Bhattacharya","doi":"10.1108/mbr-10-2021-0143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-10-2021-0143","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study, leveraging the upper echelon and social network theories, aims to explore the association between chief executive officers (CEO’s) polychronicity and small and medium size enterprises (SMEs’) international performance under the complete mediation effect of social networks. The paper explores this relationship under the moderation effect of CEO perceived time pressure and synchrony preference.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The paper investigates a moderated mediating relationship based on a sample of 186 UK firms.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The findings of this study suggest that social network fully mediates the CEO polychronicity and firm international performance relationship. Furthermore, CEO perceived time pressure moderates the social network and SME international performance relationship such that it reduces the positive indirect association between CEO polychronicity and SME international performance. CEO synchrony preference, on the contrary, enhances the positive indirect association between CEO polychronicity and SME performance.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Extant research suggests SMEs having a more robust set of organizational capabilities helps them network and avail foreign market knowledge. However, research exploring antecedents of this organizational capability is scant.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48163326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prevalence of the born-global phenomenon in different countries: an integrated perspective","authors":"Carlos-Javier Prieto-Sánchez, Fernando Merino","doi":"10.1108/mbr-09-2021-0120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-09-2021-0120","url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Purpose</h3>\u0000<p>The main purpose of this study is to analyze how factors such as innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and motivation, as well as various economic and environmental factors, affect the creation of born-global (BG) companies.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Design/methodology/approach</h3>\u0000<p>The research model was tested through logistic regression techniques to a sample obtained from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data set for the period from 2007 to 2016.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Findings</h3>\u0000<p>Empirical findings suggest that innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and motivation, as well as government policies, contribute to a company’s likelihood of becoming BG.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Originality/value</h3>\u0000<p>Recent research has shown interest in the development of explanatory models of BG firms that allow the study of how context and institutions affect the development of international business activities. Following an integrative and a multidisciplinary approach with a temporal dimension, this study expands the literature by comparing countries with different income levels and analyzing macroeconomic aspects along with certain characteristics of the entrepreneur and the environment as possible determinants. This study provides a better understanding of the prevalence of the BG business phenomenon by paying attention to country characteristics and how they affect the traits of individuals.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":"132 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138507777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Overcoming institutional challenges in cross-border acquisitions: how home- and host-country acquisition experiences shorten the deal completion phase","authors":"Abrahim Soleimani, K. M. Yang","doi":"10.1108/mbr-03-2021-0024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-03-2021-0024","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Drawing on the institutional theory and organizational learning literature, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between prior acquisition experience and the duration of the deal completion stage in cross-border acquisitions and the impacts of the quality of business institutions in the host country and the institutional distance between home and host countries on this relationship.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This study uses the sixth wave of mergers and acquisitions, the first truly global wave that covered a wide range of institutional settings, to test the hypotheses. Using a panel data regression method, it analyzes 8,175 cross-border acquisitions from 2003 to 2009, conducted by acquirers from 47 advanced and emerging economies in 56 advanced and emerging economies.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000This study finds that host-country acquisition experience has more impact on shortening deal completion duration. Home-country acquisition experience is more effective in host countries with less developed business institutions than in those with more developed ones. The results of this study show that the quality of business institutions in the host country and the institutional distance between the home and host countries amplify or attenuate the effect of past acquisition experiences, depending on their origin and the quality of business institutions and institutional distance of where they are used.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The growing popularity of cross-border acquisitions among emerging country acquirers calls for a systemic study of the cross-border acquisition process. One of the critical and less understood stages in this process is the deal completion stage. This study examines how the institutional environments in the home and host countries impact the effectiveness of past acquisition experiences on shortening this stage.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46958031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in the context of multinational business research","authors":"M. Linnenluecke","doi":"10.1108/mbr-11-2021-0148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-11-2021-0148","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to examine the state of research on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in the context of multinational business research. This paper discusses research progress as well as various issues and complexities associated with using ESG ratings in cross-country studies and for assessing the performance of multinational enterprises (MNE) and emerging market multinationals (EMNEs).\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The paper identifies emerging literature that focuses on tracking the development and uptake of ESG ratings in the international context. It discusses three emerging research streams: Research examining the ESG-financial performance relationship in emerging markets, research tracking the ESG performance of multinationals in the various countries and regions they are operating, and frameworks for assessing ESG-related risks on a country level.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000While the emerging body of work adds an important dimension to the identification and awareness of ESG issues globally, numerous unresolved issues become evident. ESG frameworks have been built to assess corporate sustainability as it relates to firms in their “home” countries (typically with a focus on developed countries), with limited applicability and transferability to emerging markets. International firm activities are often not captured in detail and not comprehensively mapped across firm subsidiaries and a firm’s corporate supply chain where ESG issues are prone to happen, and ESG scores do not comprehensively integrate views and voices from various local stakeholders that are impacted by firm activities, particularly indigenous communities.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000Research on ESG ratings in the context of multinational business research is generally sparse and fragmented, thus creating opportunities for future research to expand on existing and emerging findings.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000The paper creates awareness of issues to consider when using ESG ratings in cross-country studies and for assessing the ESG performance of MNEs and EMNEs: ESG scores can be subject to bias and are not weighted by materiality, which can be misleading for portfolio construction and performance measurement purposes. Managers need to be aware that ESG scores are often not capturing ESG issues occurring in supply chains and ESG issues affecting local communities.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This study enriches the understanding of ESG in the context of multinational business research practice.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2022-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43241993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Subsidiaries’ behavioural responses to volatile local contexts in emerging African markets: evidence from Nigeria","authors":"Akiebe Humphrey Ahworegba, Myropi Garri, Christophe Estay","doi":"10.1108/mbr-06-2020-0138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-06-2020-0138","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to explore subsidiaries’ behavioural responses to volatile institutional pressures in the local context of the emerging Nigerian market.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The authors built on institutional and contingency theory to analyse previous literature on developed markets and apply it to African contexts. The authors used a context-specific volatile local context model to show how porous formal and strong informal institutions constitute international business (IB) as a contested terrain in the host country. The authors also used a qualitative methodology, involving multiple actors, to investigate this phenomenon in practice.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The findings indicated different types of institutional pressures shaping volatile local contexts, which together or separately impact subsidiaries, depending on their degree of exposure. Subsidiaries behaviourally respond to cope with these pressures through inclusive negotiations involving their home and host countries’ networks.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Previous research has imposed developed markets’ norms on emerging African markets, regardless of their volatility. As subsidiaries’ responses to local contexts in emerging African markets are poorly understood, the authors developed a volatile local context model, showing how IB becomes a contested terrain in host countries and the authors proposed a model that differentiates between informal institutions. The authors highlighted the impact of contextual pressures on subsidiaries, according to their levels of exposure to the local context. The authors concluded that committed alignment with a local context is necessary for presenting an effective contingent response to its volatilities.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2021-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45737092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura M. Fernández-Méndez, Esteban García-Canal, R. García-García
{"title":"Litigations with the home State and internationalization","authors":"Laura M. Fernández-Méndez, Esteban García-Canal, R. García-García","doi":"10.1108/mbr-03-2021-0036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/mbr-03-2021-0036","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to investigate whether Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can be driven by the creative compliance knowledge that firms gather in their home country through litigations with the government.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The authors draw on the knowledge-based view and organizational learning theory to argue that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between experience in litigating with the home State and a firm’s level of FDI. The authors test this hypothesis using negative binomial regressions on a sample of Spanish listed firms for the period between 1986 and 2008.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The findings of this study confirm the hypothesized inverted U-shaped relationship between a firm’s experience in litigating with the home State and its FDI levels. Firms seem to face an exploration–exploitation dilemma regarding their compliance with domestic regulation. Once they have accumulated a certain amount of creative compliance knowledge, it would be better for them to exploit it both domestically and internationally in the form of creative compliance routines, instead of continuing to push the limits of regulation.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Firms willing to explore the gray areas of the law are usually forced to litigate with the State. As a result, they develop creative compliance knowledge that they can incorporate into their legal routines and capabilities so that they can later exploit it in foreign countries. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that attempts to understand the influence of creative compliance knowledge on a firm’s international investments.\u0000","PeriodicalId":46630,"journal":{"name":"Multinational Business Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2021-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42356308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}