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Strangers in a Strange Land: Legitimacy Formation by Polish Multinationals Venturing into Sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Aleksandra Wąsowska

    (University of Warsaw)

  • Krzysztof Obłój

    (Kozminski University)

  • Dominik Kopiński

    (University of Wroclaw)

Abstract

Our paper revisits one of the fundamental questions of International Business (IB) scholarship, investigating the ways through which multinational enterprises (MNEs) establish legitimacy when entering a foreign market. We address this question in a novel context of Central and Eastern European (CEE) firms venturing into Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), employing a multiple case study approach. We investigate the process of legitimacy formation by Polish firms entering SSA for market-seeking reasons. We find that the firms studied use their initial liabilities of foreignness, outsidership, and origin as starting points for pragmatic, moral, and cognitive legitimacy-building by developing narratives that neutralize the distance between themselves and important local stakeholders. Our findings contribute to an understanding of the contingent nature of ‘liabilities’ in IB literature and shed light on the role of narratives in the internationalization process.

Suggested Citation

  • Aleksandra Wąsowska & Krzysztof Obłój & Dominik Kopiński, 2024. "Strangers in a Strange Land: Legitimacy Formation by Polish Multinationals Venturing into Sub-Saharan Africa," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 671-700, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:manint:v:64:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s11575-024-00548-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11575-024-00548-2
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