IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/buspol/v14y2012i3p1-30n3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

International strategy for the nonmarket context: stakeholders, issues, networks, and geography

Author

Listed:
  • Lucea Rafael

    (The George Washington University, Funger 401, 2201 G Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20052, USA)

  • Doh Jonathan

    (Villanova University, Bartley Hall Rm 2079, Management, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085, USA)

Abstract

Multinational companies (MNCs) shape their nonmarket strategies in response to the social and political context in which they operate. Empirical evidence shows that these strategies frequently fall into one of two categories: they either consist of a disparate portfolio of disconnected country-level social and political programs or are composed of standardized corporate policies that are applied uniformly across geographies. The former type of strategy implies that MNC managers view their firm’s context as extremely fragmented across country borders, while the latter reflects the perception of a highly homogeneous international environment. Yet, most industries and firms operate in a semi-globalized socio-political context. In this paper we propose that producing strategies that truly fit with the specific characteristics of an MNC’s nonmarket context requires that this context be defined along four dimensions: stakeholders, issues, networks, and geography. Conceptualizing an MNC socio-political context in this way broadens dramatically the strategic choices of MNC managers. We illustrate the use of our model by describing four socio-political contexts frequently encountered by MNCs, and showing how alternative nonmarket strategies seem a better option than the standard “one-size-fits-all” or “every-country-a-different-strategy” approaches of today.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucea Rafael & Doh Jonathan, 2012. "International strategy for the nonmarket context: stakeholders, issues, networks, and geography," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 14(3), pages 1-30, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:buspol:v:14:y:2012:i:3:p:1-30:n:3
    DOI: 10.1515/bap-2012-0018
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/bap-2012-0018
    Download Restriction: For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/bap-2012-0018?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Doh, Jonathan P. & Teegen, Hildy, 2002. "Nongovernmental organizations as institutional actors in international business: theory and implications," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(6), pages 665-684, December.
    2. John H Dunning, 1998. "Location and the Multinational Enterprise: A Neglected Factor?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(1), pages 45-66, March.
    3. Stephen J. Brammer & Stephen Pavelin, 2006. "Corporate Reputation and Social Performance: The Importance of Fit," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(3), pages 435-455, May.
    4. Sikkink, Kathryn, 1993. "Human rights, principled issue-networks, and sovereignty in Latin America," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(3), pages 411-441, July.
    5. Margaret Peteraf & Randal Reed, 2007. "Managerial discretion and internal alignment under regulatory constraints and change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(11), pages 1089-1112, November.
    6. John H Dunning, 2009. "Location and the multinational enterprise: A neglected factor?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(1), pages 5-19, January.
    7. Abagail McWilliams & Donald S. Siegel & Patrick M. Wright, 2006. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategic Implications," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 1-18, January.
    8. John Cantwell & John H Dunning & Sarianna M Lundan, 2010. "An evolutionary approach to understanding international business activity: The co-evolution of MNEs and the institutional environment," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(4), pages 567-586, May.
    9. Pankaj Ghemawat, 2003. "Semiglobalization and international business strategy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(2), pages 138-152, March.
    10. Michael J. Lenox & Charles E. Eesley, 2009. "Private Environmental Activism and the Selection and Response of Firm Targets," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 45-73, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maktoba Omar & Collins Osei, 2015. "An investigative analysis of the factors influencing degree of involvement in a foreign market," Transnational Marketing Journal, Oxbridge Publishing House, UK, vol. 3(1), pages 45-60, May.
    2. Matthew Walker & Bob Heere & Milena Parent & Dan Drane, 2010. "Social Responsibility and the Olympic Games: The Mediating Role of Consumer Attributions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(4), pages 659-680, September.
    3. Ilgaz Arikan & Asli M. Arikan & Oded Shenkar, 2022. "Revisiting emerging market multinational enterprise views: The Goldilocks story restated," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(4), pages 781-802, June.
    4. Xinming He & Jianhong Zhang & Jinmeng Wang, 2015. "Market Seeking Orientation and Performance in China: The Impact of Institutional Environment, Subsidiary Ownership Structure and Experience," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 389-419, June.
    5. Rana, Mohammad B. & Elo, Maria, 2017. "Transnational Diaspora and Civil Society Actors Driving MNE Internationalisation: The Case of Grameenphone in Bangladesh," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 87-106.
    6. Clegg, Jeremy & Lin, Hsin Mei & Voss, Hinrich & Yen, I-Fan & Shih, Yi Tien, 2016. "The OFDI patterns and firm performance of Chinese firms: The moderating effects of multinationality strategy and external factors," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 971-985.
    7. Lee, Gilsoo & Cho, Sam Yul & Arthurs, Jonathan & Lee, Eun Kyung, 2020. "Celebrity CEO, identity threat, and impression management: Impact of celebrity status on corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 69-84.
    8. Danny Zhao‐Xiang Huang, 2022. "An integrated theory of the firm approach to environmental, social and governance performance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(S1), pages 1567-1598, April.
    9. Clampit, Jack & Gaffney, Nolan & Fabian, Frances & Stafford, Thomas, 2023. "Institutional misalignment and escape-based FDI: A prospect theory lens," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(3).
    10. Yi Liu & Wenqian Li & Yuan Li, 2020. "Ambidexterity between low cost strategy and CSR strategy: contingencies of competition and regulation," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 633-660, September.
    11. Ben-Nasr, Hamdi & Ghouma, Hatem, 2018. "Employee welfare and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 700-725.
    12. Saeidi, Sayedeh Parastoo & Sofian, Saudah & Saeidi, Parvaneh & Saeidi, Sayyedeh Parisa & Saaeidi, Seyyed Alireza, 2015. "How does corporate social responsibility contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of competitive advantage, reputation, and customer satisfaction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 341-350.
    13. Ayse Saka-Helmhout & Richard Deeg & Royston Greenwood, 2016. "The MNE as a Challenge to Institutional Theory: Key Concepts, Recent Developments and Empirical Evidence," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(1), pages 1-11, January.
    14. Chris Wagner, 2020. "Deducing a state-of-the-art presentation of the Eclectic Paradigm from four decades of development: a systematic literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(1), pages 51-96, February.
    15. Francesco Perrini & Angeloantonio Russo & Antonio Tencati & Clodia Vurro, 2011. "Deconstructing the Relationship Between Corporate Social and Financial Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(1), pages 59-76, March.
    16. Shu-Chen Hsu & Kun-Tsung Wu & Qing Wang & Yuan Chang, 2023. "Is capital structure associated with corporate social responsibility?," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-20, December.
    17. Preuss, Lutz & Vazquez-Brust, Diego & Yakovleva, Natalia & Foroughi, Hamid & Mutti, Diana, 2022. "When social movements close institutional voids: Triggers, processes, and consequences for multinational enterprises," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(1).
    18. Hajer Tebini & Bouchra M’Zali & Pascal Lang & Paz Méndez-Rodrı́guez, 2015. "Social Performance and Financial Performance: A Controversial Relationship," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: Enrique Ballestero & Blanca Pérez-Gladish & Ana Garcia-Bernabeu (ed.), Socially Responsible Investment, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 53-73, Springer.
    19. Gregori, Wildmer Daniel & Martinez Cillero, Maria & Nardo, Michela, 2021. "The effects of cross-border acquisitions on firms' productivity in the EU," JRC Working Papers in Economics and Finance 2021-06, Joint Research Centre, European Commission.
    20. Bailey, Nicholas & Warby, Brian, 2019. "Explaining the competition for FDI: Evidence from Costa Rica and cross-national industry-level FDI data," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 67-77.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:buspol:v:14:y:2012:i:3:p:1-30:n:3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyter.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.