The state and multinational enterprises in less-developed countries: Edith Penrose

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-515
Author(s):  
Leyla Orudzheva ◽  
Nolan Gaffney

Purpose Research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) continues to proliferate, but why and how multinational enterprises (MNEs) from different parts of the world engage in CSR is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in behavior based on the status of the MNE’s home country relative to the host country. Design/methodology/approach Applying a social dominance theory (SDT) framework, the authors explain variations in MNE behavior because of perceived hierarchical differences between a MNE’s home country and that of the host country. It is posited that these hierarchical differences trigger a country-of-origin bias that affects stakeholders’ expectations for the MNE, as well as that firm’s response to those expectations. In this integrative conceptual paper, we propose a testable framework derived from a deductive approach that applies the tenets of SDT to predict outcomes of CSR implementation by MNE’s subsidiaries. Findings MNEs from less developed countries are subject to lower expectations and engage in self-debilitating behavior, which may hinder their attempts to implement CSR initiatives in more developed countries. Paradoxically, engaging in CSR initiatives could help reduce liability of foreignness and increase chances for competitive advantage. Practical implications MNEs from developing countries should be aware of a potential country-of-origin bias affecting decisions on CSR implementation and that could also be detrimental to their competitive advantage when operating in more developed countries. Conversely, MNEs from developed countries should be ready for higher expectations of their CSR initiatives in less developed countries. Originality/value This paper strives to contribute to two extant literatures. First, it contributes to the social dominance literature by applying the perspective in the international business context, specifically research on MNE liability of origin. Second, this perspective offers testable propositions on how perceived hierarchies and liability of origin affect firm decision-making, specifically in the context of developing country MNEs. Third, this paper seeks to expand the discussion of MNE subsidiary CSR behavior to account for the relative context of the home and host country.


2020 ◽  
pp. 113-138
Author(s):  
D. Hugh Whittaker ◽  
Timothy J. Sturgeon ◽  
Toshie Okita ◽  
Tianbiao Zhu

Chapter 5 explores the ways in which less-developed countries experience the era-related effects of compressed development and try to cope with them. Chapter 4 compared late-developer Japan and compressed-developer China, but countries with poor or mixed records of economic development also face the opportunities and constraints of compression, and must do so with institutions, policies, and industries which emerged under prior conditions. Large-market less-developed countries such as Brazil, India, and even China face the era effects of compression, with legacies that are often poorly suited and sometimes antithetical to the demands of global value chains and technology ecosystems. Discontinuities and differences across sectors further complicate the role of the state in the era of compressed development.


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