Emerging Market Multinational Companies and Internationalization: The Role of Home Country Urbanization

We develop a multilevel theoretical framework for investigating the role of home country urbanization for emerging market multinational companies' (EMNCs) international expansion. We propose that more urbanized home environments directly increase EMNC's proclivity to internationalize and moderate the effects of firm intangible and tangible resources. The empirical counterpart studies 592 EMNCs from 18 different countries in 2010 and an unbalanced panel of a subsample of these firms over the period 2006–2010. Our hypotheses are confirmed in both datasets. We find that while urbanization complements firm financial resources when expanding abroad, it appears to substitute to some extent for internal R&D capabilities. Our findings further our understanding of the drivers of internationalization of EMNCs.     

The Smirk of Emerging Market Firms: A Modification of the Dunning's Typology of Internationalization Motivations

In the past two decades, emerging market multinationals (EMMs) have been trying to catch up with developed market multinationals (DMMs) and are increasingly making their presence felt on the global competitive landscape. It is essential for DMMs to monitor the strategies and geographical footprint of EMM operations more closely, or DMMs could cede competitive advantage to EMMs. In this study, we evaluate the adequacy of the Dunning typology of multinational enterprise (MNE) internationalization motivations in classifying the international investment motives of EMMS and DMMs. While recognizing the importance of country-level determinants of international expansions, we focus on a firm-level theoretical framework (the value chain) to present a modified typology of the international investment motivations consisting of six categories namely: 1) End-Customer-Market Seeking, 2) Natural Resource Seeking, 3) Downstream and Upstream Knowledge Seeking, 4) Efficiency Seeking, 5) Global Value Consolidation Seeking, and 6) Geopolitical Influence Seeking. We discuss the implications of the modified typology as well as future research directions.     

Internationalization,Innovation and Institutions: The 3 I's Underpinning the Competitiveness of Emerging Market Firms

The past decade has seen an increase in the extent of research focused on and around emerging market firms (EMFs) and their rising levels of competitiveness in both their home markets and more importantly in the global market place. At the same time, the practitioner-oriented literature has been documenting a growing number of corporate success stories that originate in emerging market economies. We posit that the growing prominence of EMFs is a result of three interrelated phenomena: the fast-paced internationalization of EMFs into both developing and developed market economies; the rapidly increasing extent to which business enterprises in emerging economies are focusing on knowledge-intensive processes and innovation; and the continuous evolution of institutions in these markets, particularly in terms of economic liberalization.     

The Role of Local Context in the Cross‐border Acquisitions by Emerging Economy Multinational Enterprises

This paper explores the role of local context in cross‐border acquisitions by emerging economy multinational enterprises (EMNEs). It argues that the importance of local context has remained despite the increased global integration of the world economy. Hypotheses are tested using data on Indian acquisitions hosted in 70 countries over an eight‐year period. Results, which are consistent across number and value of cross‐border acquisitions, show that the local context in host countries offers contrasting benefits. Emerging economy multinational enterprises exploited these benefits by embedding in host countries through acquisitions. The acquisition strategy is conventional in the motives underpinning internationalization, but novel in its geographical clustering of host countries, and idiosyncratic owing to the EMNE's ability to draw on home country embeddedness. The paper develops theoretical implications and extends the concept of embeddedness, treating it as a series of internalization or quasi‐internalization decisions across a variety of local contexts by multinationals.     

Explaining the Diffusion of Knowledge Management: The Role of Fashion

This paper provides evidence on the emergence and diffusion of the discourse of knowledge management. A literature review of the knowledge management and learning organization literatures demonstrates the lack of learning from one discourse to another and major differences in the concerns and issues that they address. At the same time, evidence on the level of interest in each discourse shows a tendency towards a normal curve distribution. Analytically, these findings suggest that the widespread diffusion of knowledge management might be explained in terms of the management fashion model. However, further consideration of the professionally-differentiated appropriation of knowledge management concepts by the information systems and human resource communities suggests that the fashion model provides only a partial explanation for the observed diffusion of knowledge management.     

Internationalization of Emerging Economy SMEs: A Tripod Approach

Research suggests that internationalizing SMEs in the West enjoy far greater institutional support. There is, however, little understanding of the internationalization processes of emerging economies' SMEs (EESMEs) and yet they are notable contenders in international trade. Accordingly, this research draws from an integrated strategy tripod framework to develop new perspectives accounting for how Iranian-based EESMEs internationalize and compete in international markets. A comprehensive analysis of Iranian EESMEs' survey data revealed that, other than their owner's managerial perceptions of their industry, firm, and institutional constraints, international market knowledge (IMK) significantly moderated their internationalization strategies. Such understanding advances research on firm internationalization by pinpointing the central role of IMK in forming internationalization strategies by EESMEs in hard-to-reach contexts, which has implications for academic research and policy-making, leading to needed reform based on theory and practice.     

Internationalization Orientation in SMEs: The Mediating Role of Technological Innovation

This study examines the relationship between internationalization orientation and international performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the mediating effect of technological innovation. Prior research suggests that internationalization is a prominent strategic choice for SMEs growth and profitability. However, there is still no explicit agreement on how internationalization affects international performance. Similarly, the role of innovation on performance has long been emphasized, but the implications of technological innovation on international performance are still eluding us. Our investigation of 116 SMEs in the United Kingdom reveals that internationalization orientation has a significant effect on their international performance, with SMEs adopting simultaneously an inward and outward international orientation achieving superior results. We further demonstrate that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between technological innovation and international firm performance among SMEs. Meanwhile, we find that technological innovation positively mediates the effect of internationalization orientation on international firm performance, particularly for the SMEs exhibiting moderate levels of technological innovation activities. The findings of this study suggest that managers can improve international performance by combining inward and outward internationalization orientation with technological innovation activities in their strategic decisions.     

战略与结构匹配对新兴市场企业集团绩效的影响

本文采用市场制度演化的视角研究战略与结构匹配对我国台湾地区企业集团绩效的影响作用。本文发现,战略与结构匹配带来的效率优势能否转化为较高的企业集团绩效取决于市场制度。在我国台湾地区市场尚未完全开放、市场制度相对欠发达时,战略与结构的匹配仅有微弱的积极作用,而构建社会关系以及争取政治保护能够给企业带来更直接的利益。随着市场的发展和竞争机制的完善,战略与结构匹配对企业集团绩效的促进作用得到显著加强。     

Temporal and Spatial Constructs in Service Firms' Internationalization Patterns: The Determinants of the Accelerated Growth of Emerging MNEs

The recent years have witnessed an unprecedented surge of Emerging Multinational Enterprises (EMNEs), i.e. firms from the emerging economies that have started internationalization very late and have expanded abroad in a rather accelerated fashion.In particular, pace and international diversification emerge as distinctive features of service EMNEs' successful internationalization patterns, inducing scholars to question the applicability of traditional internationalization theories to EMNEs. The Linkage–Leverage–Learning (LLL) Model and the springboard perspective identified some of the critical EMNEs uniqueness and investigated potential antecedents of their abnormal patterns. Nevertheless, previous contributions neglected to provide a solid empirical base for measuring spatio-temporal dimensions of EMNEs' internationalization.This paper aims to empirically investigate the dimensions affecting the pace at which EMNEs enlarge their geographic scope, by performing OLS regression analysis.The main outcomes demonstrate the crucial role of cumulative benefits from inward internationalization and inter-regional diversification strategies in boosting EMNEs' overseas expansion, in opposition to traditional MNEs (TMNEs). The results corroborate some assumptions of emerging theories on EMNEs, and provide insight for extending traditional MNEs theories by rethinking concepts, relations and causalities.     

Innovation in Emerging Markets: The Role of Management Consulting Firms

Firms in emerging markets are often reluctant to invest in innovation because of the institutional voids endemic to such markets. Addressing the gap in the literature concerning the role of consultancy firms in emerging markets, we argue that management consultancy firms can fill institutional voids and thus help firms implement innovation initiatives. We buttress our main argument by combining strands of institutional theory with the resource-based view. Acknowledging the tensions inherent in the use of consultancy firms, we also examine two contextual variables that may mitigate their positive effects. We explore the critical aspects of the firms' internal and external environments and posit that well-functioning national institutions and a high level of firm competency attenuate the positive roles of management consulting firms because there are few voids that management consultancy can effectively address under such conditions. To test our hypotheses, we examine the effects of management consultancy on both the input and output aspects of innovation. We use a sample of 1330 establishments operating in nine emerging markets. Our findings support all main and moderating effects on innovation inputs but not on innovation outputs. We discuss the theoretical implications of our findings and provide suggestions for future research.     

来自新兴市场的公司上市对目的地市场的影响——以中国香港市场为例

选取1993-2017年数据,以H股在香港证券市场上市为研究对象,运用DCC-MVGARCH模型、线性回归模型和事件研究法等多种组合方法,考察来自新兴市场的公司上市对目的地市场发展和目的地既有上市公司影响。结果表明:第一,H股在港上市扩大了香港市场的市场规模和交易活动,吸引了更多的国际资本流入;第二,H股在港上市提升了H股与香港市场既有股票的收益相关性,以及香港市场与大陆市场及全球市场的联动性;第三,H股在港上市对既有股票的估值影响是积极的。总之,来源于新兴市场的公司上市对目的地市场和既有上市公司的综合影响是积极的,溢出效应大于"质量传染"效应和分流效应,促进了目的地市场质量提升和市场发展。本文结论有助于丰富跨境上市对目的地市场影响的研究,对于基于"一带一路"新兴市场国家开放资本市场战略构建国际金融中心的我国具有重要的启示意义。     

动态能力维度在企业创新国际化各阶段中的作用变化分析——基于海尔的案例研究

选取海尔作为案例研究对象,探究在创新国际化的不同阶段动态能力各维度作用的变化。研究发现,动态能力维度与创新国际化阶段相互关联:在创新国际化的起步阶段,以环境洞察能力、组织学习和组织革新为主,组织柔性最弱;在发展阶段,以环境洞察能力、组织革新和组织学习为主,但组织柔性有较大幅度提升;在高级阶段,以环境洞察能力和组织柔性为主。在这3个阶段中,环境洞察能力是最重要的维度;同时,在创新全球化的高级阶段,企业要注重组织柔性的培养。     

Internationalization and Indigenous Technological Efforts of Emerging Economy Firms: The Effect of Multiple Knowledge Sources

Getting engaged in competitive international markets motivates exporting firms to enhance their technological competitiveness and invest in research and development (R&D). While in-house R&D investment is important for getting advanced technologies, the technologies needed by exporters located in emerging economies (EEs) typically readily exist overseas. Drawing on organizational learning literature, we argue that the R&D intensity stimulated by exporting may be reduced when 1) EE exporters are better prepared and motivated to absorb foreign knowledge, 2) foreign sources of knowledge are more available, and/or 3) local technology supply is poor. An analysis on 5592 automobile parts and component manufacturers in China during 2005–2007 supports these arguments. To compete in markets abroad, Chinese firms' R&D intensity increases with export intensity when their export intensity is low. As the export intensity exceeds a certain threshold, their R&D intensity starts to decrease as intensive exporters are better prepared and motivated to acquire knowledge from foreign sources. When substitutive foreign knowledge sources such as foreign parents and FDI spillovers in the local industry is available, firms' R&D intensity stimulated by exporting can be further reduced. Better local technology supply can increase the R&D intensity stimulated by exporting.     

Institutional Voids,Economic Adversity and Inter‐firm Cooperation in an Emerging Market: The Mediating Role of Government R&D Support

This paper examines the mediating mechanism of the relationship between institutional voids (IVs) and inter‐firm cooperation and the moderating role of economic adversity in the context of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) based in emerging markets. The hypotheses are tested using time‐lagged survey data from 214 SMEs in Ghana. The findings provide support for the hypotheses by showing that: (1) IVs positively influence the use of government research and development (R&D) support; (2) the use of government R&D support mediates the relationship between IVs and inter‐firm cooperation; and (3) economic adversity positively moderates the relationship between IVs and the use of government R&D support. The findings contribute to understanding the role of IVs in inter‐firm cooperation. The wider implications for theory and practice are examined.     

Business planning in Tanzanian State Enterprises

Business planning in government-owned enterprises in Tanzania is far from optimum. Symptoms of problematic performance such as constrained flow of goods, uncoordinated investments, liquidity constraints and the visible absence of long term objectives are easily identifiable. The problem would have been regarded marginal if the ideological setting and the established policies of the State did not envisage an eventual dominance of all economic activities by those enterprises. And with this in mind the following paper discusses business planning in some dominant Tanzanian enterprises in terms of macro links, system design, conceptual content and, finally, flaws. In order to give credence to research findings, the study was confined to three nationally important state enterprises which contribute significally to overall and sectoral GDP, wage employment and macro development policies. These state enterprises are: the Board of Internal Trade (BIT), the National Development Corporation (NDC) and the National Textile Corporation (TEXCO). The State Trading Corporation (STC), the forerunner of BIT was also included because of the vital role it played in developing and implementing one of the very early business planning models of the country.     

Promoting Public Trust in Public Organizations: Explaining the Role of Public Accountability

This paper is aimed at explaining the role of public accountability in promoting public trust in public organizations. Initially a conceptual model was developed. Then, the model was tested empirically in Iran. The result shows that public accountability influences the public trust by improving citizens’ satisfaction. In other words, legal, ethical, financial, functional, and utmost political accountability affect public trust through influencing citizens’ satisfaction. This study also confirms that changes in social trust, citizens’ trust in government, and media will moderate trust in public organizations.

Public Trust in Local Government: Explaining the Role of Good Governance Practices

Public Organization Review - The primary purpose of this study was to examine the role of good governance practices on public trust in local government. In this study, a conceptual model was...     

The Role of Cluster Presence and Quality Certification in Internationalization and Performance of Offshore Service Providers

Offshore Service Providers (OSPs) have been a subject of research for several years now. However, there is little known about what drives the internationalization of OSPs. In this paper, we combine insights from economic geography and institutional view to investigate cluster presence and quality certification as the drivers of OSP internationalization and their performance. We hypothesize the facilitating role these two factors play in driving the performance of internationalized firms. We test our hypotheses using data from Indian software firms between 1992 and 2002. We find a positive effect of certification on OSP internationalization. Although certification contributes negatively to OSP performance, it positively moderates the performance effect of OSP internationalization. Cluster presence was found to drive OSP's overall performance, but has no effect on internationalization. Through our findings, we contribute towards the literature on OSP internationalization.     

Subnational Institutions and Location Choice of Emerging Market Firms

I examine how subnational institutions of emerging markets affect the location choice of emerging market firms. I argue that the weak institutions in emerging markets push firms to acquire the skills needed for survival in unfavorable institutional environments. When they start their international venturing, such knowledge, skills, and capabilities will become their unique advantage, which makes them more resilient to red tape, nepotism, and corruption in the host countries. Using a sample of 143 outward FDI events of Chinese multinationals, I test the relationship between subnational institutions at home and firm propensity to enter a target market with weak institutional systems and found robust empirical support for the use of different estimation strategies. Further, my results demonstrate that the effect of subnational institutions at home on location choice is more pronounced in private enterprises compared to state-owned enterprises. This study reveals the importance of home country effects in location choice research and tests empirically the existence of institutional advantage.