IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/worbus/v48y2013i4p478-489.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do indigenous firms incur a liability of localness when operating in their home market? The case of China

Author

Listed:
  • Jiang, Fuming
  • Stening, Bruce W.

Abstract

Liability of foreignness has been one of the building blocks of theories of multinational enterprises. This paper looks at a parallel issue – the liability of localness that local firms may face as a result of foreign firms’ presence in their country. The results show that local Chinese firms enjoy location-based advantages over their foreign counterparts and these, together with their firm-specific advantages, have significant positive effects on their performance. The superior firm-specific advantages of foreign firms appear to erase the magnitude of such effects and create a significant negative impact on local Chinese firms’ performance, and this effect is heightened by foreign firms’ multinationality advantages. The research suggests that local Chinese firms incur a liability of localness, and the extent of the negative impact of such liability on local firm performance is largely dependent on the relative strength of various advantages that the local and foreign firms possess.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiang, Fuming & Stening, Bruce W., 2013. "Do indigenous firms incur a liability of localness when operating in their home market? The case of China," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 478-489.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:48:y:2013:i:4:p:478-489
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2012.09.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951612001058
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jwb.2012.09.004?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. Francisco Diaz Hermelo & Roberto Vassolo, 2010. "Institutional development and hypercompetition in emerging economies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(13), pages 1457-1473, December.
    2. Rui, Huaichuan & Yip, George S., 2008. "Foreign acquisitions by Chinese firms: A strategic intent perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 213-226, March.
    3. Gaylen N. Chandler & Steven H. Hanks, 1994. "Founder Competence, the Environment, and Venture Performance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 18(3), pages 77-89, April.
    4. Alan M. Rugman & Alain Verbeke, 2005. "A Note on the Transnational Solution and the Transaction Cost Theory of Multinational Strategic Management," Chapters, in: Analysis of Multinational Strategic Management, chapter 2, pages 16-26, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Lilach Nachum, 2003. "Liability of foreignness in global competition? Financial service affiliates in the city of London," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(12), pages 1187-1208, December.
    6. Farok J Contractor & Sumit K Kundu & Chin-Chun Hsu, 2003. "A three-stage theory of international expansion: the link between multinationality and performance in the service sector," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(1), pages 5-18, January.
    7. Zaheer, Srilata, 2002. "The liability of foreignness, redux: a commentary," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 351-358.
    8. Stephen J. Kobrin, 1991. "An empirical analysis of the determinants of global integration," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(S1), pages 17-31, June.
    9. Perez-Batres, Luis A. & Eden, Lorraine, 2008. "Is there a liability of localness? How emerging market firms respond to regulatory punctuations," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 232-251, September.
    10. Alan M. Rugman & Nessara Sukpanich, 2006. "Firm-Specific Advantages Intra-Regional Sales and Performance of Multinational Enterprises," Working Papers 2006-19, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
    11. Gupta, Anil K. & Govindarajan, V., 1994. "Organizing for knowledge flows within MNCs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 443-457, December.
    12. David J. Teece, 2008. "Technology Transfer By Multinational Firms: The Resource Cost Of Transferring Technological Know-How," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: The Transfer And Licensing Of Know-How And Intellectual Property Understanding the Multinational Enterprise in the Modern World, chapter 1, pages 1-22, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    13. Kendall Roth & Allen J Morrison, 1992. "Implementing Global Strategy: Characteristics of Global Subsidiary Mandates," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 23(4), pages 715-735, December.
    14. Peter J Buckley, 1990. "Problems and Developments in the Core Theory of International Business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 21(4), pages 657-665, December.
    15. Cui, Lin & Jiang, Fuming, 2009. "FDI entry mode choice of Chinese firms: A strategic behavior perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 434-444, October.
    16. M Krishna Erramilli & Sanjeev Agarwal & Seong-Soo Kim, 1997. "Are Firm-Specific Advantages Location-Specific Too?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(4), pages 735-757, December.
    17. Klaus E Meyer, 2004. "Perspectives on multinational enterprises in emerging economies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 259-276, July.
    18. Helpman, Elhanan, 1984. "A Simple Theory of International Trade with Multinational Corporations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 92(3), pages 451-471, June.
    19. J Markham Collins, 1990. "A Market Performance Comparison of U.S. Firms Active in Domestic, Developed and Developing Countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 21(2), pages 271-287, June.
    20. John H Dunning, 1988. "The Eclectic Paradigm of International Production: A Restatement and Some Possible Extensions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(1), pages 1-31, March.
    21. John H. Dunning, 1977. "Trade, Location of Economic Activity and the MNE: A Search for an Eclectic Approach," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Bertil Ohlin & Per-Ove Hesselborn & Per Magnus Wijkman (ed.), The International Allocation of Economic Activity, chapter 12, pages 395-418, Palgrave Macmillan.
    22. Luo, Yadong, 2000. "Dynamic capabilities in international expansion," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 355-378, January.
    23. Sniezek, Janet A., 1989. "An examination of group process in judgmental forecasting," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 171-178.
    24. Luo, Yadong, 2007. "From foreign investors to strategic insiders: Shifting parameters, prescriptions and paradigms for MNCs in China," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 14-34, March.
    25. Rugman, Alan M. & Li, Jing, 2007. "Will China's Multinationals Succeed Globally or Regionally?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 333-343, October.
    26. Morck, Randall & Yeung, Bernard, 1992. "Internalization : An event study test," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1-2), pages 41-56, August.
    27. Lin Cui & Fuming Jiang, 2012. "State ownership effect on firms' FDI ownership decisions under institutional pressure: a study of Chinese outward-investing firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(3), pages 264-284, April.
    28. Carl F Fey & Ingmar Björkman, 2001. "The Effect of Human Resource Management Practices on MNC Subsidiary Performance in Russia," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(1), pages 59-75, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Olga Golubeva, 2017. "Does Perception of Business Climate Differ Between Foreign and Local Investors. A Firm-level Study of Transition Economies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia," Applied Economics and Finance, Redfame publishing, vol. 4(2), pages 113-128, March.
    2. Michael Young & Terence Tsai & Xinran Wang & Shubo Liu & David Ahlstrom, 2014. "Strategy in emerging economies and the theory of the firm," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 331-354, June.
    3. Yang, Wei & Meyer, Klaus E., 2020. "How do local and foreign firms compete? Competitive actions in an emerging economy," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    4. Claudio Giachetti, 2013. "Competitive Aggressiveness and Performance of Developed Country-Based Firms in the Chinese Emerging Economy: The Moderating Effect of Institutional Voids and Entry Mode Degree of Control," Working Papers 1, Venice School of Management - Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    5. Chen, Jianxun & Zhan, Wu & Tong, Zhaodi & Kumar, Vikas, 2020. "The effect of inward FDI on outward FDI over time in China: A contingent and dynamic perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).
    6. Dan V. Caprar & Sunghoon Kim & Benjamin W. Walker & Paula Caligiuri, 2022. "Beyond “Doing as the Romans Do”: A review of research on countercultural business practices," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(7), pages 1449-1483, September.
    7. Popli, Manish & Raithatha, Mehul & Fuad, Mohammad, 2021. "Impact of institutional imprinting on the persistence of superior profits: A study of regulatory punctuation in India," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 223-235.
    8. Fuming Jiang & Tatiana Zalan & Herman H. M. Tse & Jie Shen, 2018. "Mapping the Relationship Among Political Ideology, CSR Mindset, and CSR Strategy: A Contingency Perspective Applied to Chinese Managers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 419-444, January.
    9. Zhang, Jianhong & Jiang, Jiangang & Noorderhaven, Niels, 2019. "Is certification an effective legitimacy strategy for foreign firms in emerging markets?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 252-267.
    10. Almodóvar, Paloma & Nguyen, Quyen T.K., 2022. "Product innovation of domestic firms versus foreign MNE subsidiaries: The role of external knowledge sources," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    11. Fuming Jiang & Subramaniam Ananthram & Jizhong Li, 2018. "Global Mindset and Entry Mode Decisions: Moderating Roles of Managers’ Decision-Making Style and Managerial Experience," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 413-447, June.
    12. Antonios Georgopoulos & Felicitas Nowak-Lehmann D. & Vasilios Sogiakas, 2013. "Survival Characteristics and Adjustment of MNE Affiliates in the European Integrated Market," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 225, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    13. Jiang, Fuming & Travaglione, Tony & Liu, Li Xian & Li, Jizhong, 2021. "When does the global mindset affect headquarters–subsidiary relationships?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 523-542.
    14. Haslam, Paul Alexander & Ary Tanimoune, Nasser & Razeq, Zarlasht M., 2019. "Is “being foreign” a liability for mining companies? Locational liabilities and social conflict in Latin America," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-1.
    15. Bernadine J. Dykes & Ikenna Uzuegbunam, 2023. "Foreign partner choice in the public interest: Experience and risk in infrastructure public–private partnerships," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(1), pages 47-66, March.
    16. Demirbag, Mehmet & McGuinness, Martina & Akin, Ahmet & Bayyurt, Nizamettin & Basti, Eyup, 2016. "The professional service firm (PSF) in a globalised economy: A study of the efficiency of securities firms in an emerging market," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 1089-1102.
    17. Liu, Li Xian & Jiang, Fuming & Sathye, Milind, 2017. "Does bonding really bond? Liability of foreignness and cross-listing of Chinese firms on international stock exchanges," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 109-124.
    18. Jane W. Lu & Hao Ma & Xuanli Xie, 2022. "Foreignness research in international business: Major streams and future directions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 449-480, April.

    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. Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric & Olarreaga, Marcelo & Carrère, Céline & Fugazza, Marco, 2016. "On the heterogeneous effect of trade on unemployment," CEPR Discussion Papers 11540, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Jisun Yu & Sung Kim, 2013. "Understanding liability of foreignness in an Asian business context: A study of the Korean asset management industry," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 30(4), pages 1191-1217, December.
    3. Jane W. Lu & Hao Ma & Xuanli Xie, 2022. "Foreignness research in international business: Major streams and future directions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 449-480, April.
    4. Quyen T. K. Nguyen, 2017. "Multinationality and Performance Literature: A Critical Review and Future Research Agenda," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 311-347, June.
    5. Nielsen, Bo Bernhard & Asmussen, Christian Geisler & Weatherall, Cecilie Dohlmann, 2017. "The location choice of foreign direct investments: Empirical evidence and methodological challenges," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 62-82.
    6. Lei Li, 2008. "Multinationality and technical efficiency: A neglected perspective," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 39-64, February.
    7. Yang, Jie & Mohammad, Shoeb, 2023. "Is the cure worse than the disease? The effect of emerging market MNEs on host country corruption," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(3).
    8. Ziyi Wei & Quyen T. K. Nguyen, 2020. "Local responsiveness strategy of foreign subsidiaries of Chinese multinationals: The impacts of relational-assets, market-seeking FDI, and host country institutional environments," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 661-692, September.
    9. Cui, Lin & Meyer, Klaus E. & Hu, Helen Wei, 2014. "What drives firms’ intent to seek strategic assets by foreign direct investment? A study of emerging economy firms," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 488-501.
    10. Ilgaz Arikan & Ipek Koparan & Asli M Arikan & Oded Shenkar, 2022. "Dynamic capabilities and internationalization of authentic firms: Role of heritage assets, administrative heritage, and signature processes," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(4), pages 601-635, June.
    11. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2016. "Institutional Voids and Tax litigation in Emerging Economies: The verdict of Vodafone cross-border acquisition of Hutchison," MPRA Paper 74264, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2016.
    12. Li, Linjie & Liu, Xiaming & Yuan, Dong & Yu, Miaojie, 2017. "Does outward FDI generate higher productivity for emerging economy MNEs? – Micro-level evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 839-854.
    13. Ravi Ramamurti & Jenny Hillemann, 2018. "What is “Chinese” about Chinese multinationals?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(1), pages 34-48, January.
    14. Demirbag, Mehmet & McGuinness, Martina & Akin, Ahmet & Bayyurt, Nizamettin & Basti, Eyup, 2016. "The professional service firm (PSF) in a globalised economy: A study of the efficiency of securities firms in an emerging market," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 1089-1102.
    15. Buckley, Peter J. & Munjal, Surender & Enderwick, Peter & Forsans, Nicolas, 2016. "Cross-border acquisitions by Indian multinationals: Asset exploitation or asset augmentation?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 986-996.
    16. Cristina López-Duarte & Esteban García-Canal, 2007. "Stock market reaction to foreign direct investments: Interaction between entry mode and FDI attributes," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 393-422, June.
    17. Ilan Alon & John Anderson & Ziaul Haque Munim & Alice Ho, 2018. "A review of the internationalization of Chinese enterprises," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 573-605, September.
    18. Hongping Du & Liliana Mitkova & Na Wang, 2020. "The Paths of Internationalization of Chinese Innovative Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-27, March.
    19. Wang, Chi-Feng & Chen, Li-Yu & Chang, Shao-Chi, 2011. "International diversification and the market value of new product introduction," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 333-347.
    20. Marina Papanastassiou & Robert Pearce & Antonello Zanfei, 2020. "Changing perspectives on the internationalization of R&D and innovation by multinational enterprises: A review of the literature," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 623-664, June.

    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:eee:worbus:v:48:y:2013:i:4:p:478-489. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620401/description#description .

    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.