Corporate governance in emerging economies: Understanding the game

Corporations now face the oftentimes daunting task of integrating the interests of multiple stakeholders. The general intent behind this multiple stakeholder focus has been to ensure that corporations operate for the benefit of society as a whole, with corporate governance in the oversight role for all activities. Our research suggests doing business in an emerging economy is confounded by the fact that rules, regulations, and marketplace expectations of the home market do not apply. Due to their evolving nature, the environments in emerging economies are uncertain and complex. Governance is not just an oversight issue related to making the most appropriate decisions. Instead, responsible governance in emerging markets entails governing bodies understanding the characteristics of the unsettled environment in which the company is, or will be, operating. Four major characteristics (demographic trends, technological development, natural resources, and political/legal unease) of emerging economies have led to significant challenges and stormy passage with respect to governance. The continual evolution and understanding of these factors must, of necessity, shape a company's governance process in the developing marketplace.     

Corporate governance reforms in China and India: Challenges and opportunities

In this article, we examine the evolution of corporate governance reforms in the emerging economies of China and India. We first describe the two major driving forces behind governance reforms in these countries: privatization and globalization. After summarizing the evolution of governance reforms in each context, we identify four major obstacles that impede their implementation in both countries, namely: (1) lack of incentives, (2) power of the dominant shareholder, (3) underdeveloped external monitoring systems, and (4) shortage of qualified independent directors. Next, we highlight practical implications of these governance challenges for foreign firms contemplating, or already involved in, major investments in these emerging economies. We emphasize that foreign firms that are sensitive to context-specific challenges are more likely to put in place appropriate contractual or other safeguards, as well as identify more practical and meaningful forms of participation in the governance of their ventures. Finally, we conclude with some implications for future research.     

MNE translation of corporate talent management strategies to subsidiaries in emerging economies

The rise of emerging economies in recent years has motivated calls for research into how multinational enterprises translate their corporate strategies to subsidiaries in these countries. This study addresses this issue and presents a heuristic framework derived from the resource-based view and neo-institutional theory. We propose that the translation of corporate talent management strategies to emerging economies is affected by metropolitan and provincial institutional and cultural differences. We develop propositions pertaining to corporate-local level decision-making, community relations, skills shortages, and diversity, to inform future research and practice.     

Corporate governance and firm performance in emerging markets: Evidence from Turkey

This is a study of the relationship between context, internal corporate governance and firm performance, looking at the case of Turkey, an exemplar of family capitalism. We found more concentrated ownership, often in the hands of families, led to firms performing better; concentrated ownership means that controlling families bear more of the risks of poor performance. Less predictably, given that the institutional environment is so well attuned to family ownership, we found that mechanisms that accord room for a greater range of voices and interests within and beyond families – larger boards and foreign ownership stakes – seem to also make for positive performance effects. We also noted that increase in cross ownership did not influence market performance, but was negatively associated with accounting performance. Conversely, we found that a higher proportion of family members on boards had no discernable effect on performance. Our findings provide further insights on the relationship between the type of institutions encountered in many emerging markets, internal corporate governance configurations and firm performance.     

Institutional duality and political strategies of foreign-invested firms in an emerging economy

This study investigates how the complex institutional environment surrounding foreign-invested firms (FIEs) affects their corporate political strategies (CPS) in China. Analyses of data on 442 FIEs operating in China show that the relative potency of dual institutional pressure from FIEs’ home and host countries shapes their strategic choices. Institutional factors at the country, region, and firm levels not only affect firms’ adoption of multiple firm-based tactics but also shape their collective-oriented associational activities. Moreover, participation in both foreign and domestic business associations enhances an FIE's adoption of firm-based political tactics, but joining domestic business associations has a stronger effect.     

Engaging informal institutions through corporate political activity: Capabilities for subnational embeddedness in emerging economies

This study examines how multinational enterprises (MNEs) organize internally to enhance subnational institutional fit in new frontier developing economies. We consider how corporate political activity (CPA) can facilitate local embeddedness by engaging informal institutions and nonmarket stakeholders at local community level. We apply an exploratory, qualitative, multi-case study approach to six MNEs in Uganda’s electricity generation sector. The findings suggest that in markets like Uganda, MNEs depend on being bridged with subnational informal institutions such as tribal, social, and religious norms and grassroots political networks. Such bridging in turn positions these MNEs to contribute to developmental processes by integrating recognizable informal institutions into grassroots projects.Drawing on institutional theory and an organizational capabilities perspective, we identify the diverse bridging capabilities that enable MNEs to successfully embed locally, thereby simultaneously pursuing business objectives and achieving societal relevance.     

International business-government relations: The risk management strategies of MNEs in emerging economies

In emerging economies where the institutional environment is weak, the level of risk faced by MNEs remains high. Extant literature recognizes the forms of risks faced by MNEs, but only a few studies have attempted to explain how firms identify and mitigate these risks. This study addressed the commercial risk management strategies of MNEs operating in Vietnam. We found that the government remained the key stakeholder and maintaining active relations with them aided MNEs’ operational success. The risk mitigation strategies employed by MNEs included managing alertness, portraying good behavior, navigating through the state of comfort, and active mediation.     

Graft and business in emerging economies: An ecological perspective

In this study we examine how a firm's engagement in graft in emerging economies is shaped by its organizational attributes. Building on the logic of organizational ecology, we envisage that a firm's engagement in graft is influenced by its (1) institutional structure (e.g., public ownership, foreign ownership, and government ownership), (2) market orientation (foreign vs. local market), and (3) firm capabilities (e.g., capacity utilization, product quality, and leadership quality). Using the World Bank's data, we analyzed 1782 firms in China, Brazil, Russia, Poland and South Africa, and found general support for our argument. The results suggest that a firm's engagement in graft is, at least in part, an organizational phenomenon influenced by the firm's founding conditions, required legitimization in the market, and capability conditions.     

Impact of international entry choices on the nature and type of innovation: Evidence from emerging economy firms from the Indian bio-pharmaceutical industry

As emerging economy multinational enterprises (EMNEs) enter foreign countries in search of new markets, seeking to expand their knowledge bases, research on the type and nature of innovation activity is needed to address the impact of EMNEs’ choices related to international expansion. Building on prior literature on entry mode and location choices, as well as on organizational learning, we argue that how and where an EMNE expands internationally will impact the nature of its innovation. We carry out empirical analysis on a sample of 167 Indian bio-pharmaceutical firms for the period from 1997–2017. Our findings suggest that greenfield ventures foster innovation in core technologies, while cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) foster innovation in non-core technologies. In addition, locating subsidiaries in high income countries encourages product innovations, while locating in low income countries encourages process innovations. Our findings contribute to the growing literature on differences in learning outcomes of EMNE internationalization.     

International entrepreneurship research in emerging economies: A critical review and research agenda

This article systematically reviews and critically examines international entrepreneurship research in emerging economies (IEEE research), and articulates its importance, timeliness and relevance in consideration of the growing influence of emerging markets in the global economy. A systematic analysis of eighty-eight journal articles published over the last two decades reveals that IEEE research is a vibrant and rapidly growing stream of the broader international entrepreneurship (IE) domain, and that it is methodologically and topically diverse. Our review also shows that IEEE research has a limited presence in premier journals, is highly skewed in its geographic coverage, and is somewhat fragmented. We therefore inventory and critically evaluate the extant IEEE research with the aim of increasing its quality, coherence, scope, and impact. On the basis of our critique, we develop an ambitious research agenda that addresses a number of emergent global phenomena and raises exciting new questions for scholars in entrepreneurship, international business, and other related disciplines.     

CSR and stakeholder salience in MNE subsidiaries in emerging markets

The purpose of this study is to identify the key stakeholder groups pressuring multinational enterprises (MNEs) in emerging markets (EMs), also if the pressure is global or local, to develop corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies. Drawing on stakeholder salience and institutional theories, all the stakeholder groups acknowledged and analysed in the literature were identified and examined to understand if they were perceived by MNEs in China as effective in pressuring them to engage in CSR strategies and activities. Results demonstrate that only stakeholder groups with power – government power or voting power – are perceived as having enough pressure to make MNEs’ Chinese subsidiaries engage in CSR, which is contrary to current theories. Our results allow us to theorise on an extension of the concept of utilitarian power and political power when analysing stakeholder salience in EMs. This research has important implications for managers as balancing and working with limited resources and correctly identifying and prioritising key stakeholders are vital to successfully improving performance.     

De-industrialisation,comparative economic performance and FDI inflows in emerging economies

We address calls to incorporate comparative political economy considerations into IB scholarship. In particular, we conceptualise and test empirically the hitherto unexplored relationship between de-industrialisation and relative performance of groups of countries, and FDI inflows in emerging economies. Using a panel dataset over the period 1996–2004 and employing conceptual and methodological innovations (not least the use of comparative independent variables), we find support for the ideas that relative de-industrialisation of developed economies will increase FDI inflows into emerging economies, while the relative under-performance of developed countries will reduce it. We also find that divergence in business cycles-de-coupling between the two groups of countries fosters FDI inflows in emerging economies. These help explain and predict recent changes in the global business landscape and inform public policy and managerial practice.     

Corporate governance,globalization and firm productivity

We examine the relationship between globalization, corporate governance and firm productivity. The results, using longitudinal data from Korea, indicate that the positive effect of liberalising equity ownership on firms’ total factor productivity (TFP) was reinforced by indirect managerial effects when a firm improved its corporate governance. Our findings also confirm that the interaction of the managerial effect with increased foreign equity ownership is more significant than interaction with exports, suggesting that liberalising foreign investment in the host market is more effective in capitalising on the potential benefits of corporate governance reform than increasing exports to overseas markets, reflected in learning by exporting.     

Corporate governance and family business performance

Family business continuity plans commonly establish a governance structure for the family and for the family business. The purpose of those structures is to improve strategy and control mechanisms of the family business and, to organize the communication and relationship between family owners and business executives. This research focuses on assessing the impact of those structures on family business performance. Specifically, the study assesses the impact a professional board of directors has on a company's performance. The research team selected a set of 22 family businesses. Some of these families have undergone a process of developing a family protocol over the last seven years. The authors captured the relevant information for this research by sending out a survey to each family member and to each non-family director or executive.     

How Chinese companies deal with a legitimacy imbalance when acquiring firms from developed economies

Chinese companies are increasingly pursuing acquisitions from developed economies (DE) with varying degrees of success. Because of their late-comer and emerging-economy (EE) status, Chinese firms are often perceived as having less legitimacy than the firms they are acquiring. In this study, we examine how Chinese companies’ deal with this legitimacy imbalance by investigating five cases where Chinese firms acquired firms from more developed economies. We find that there is a difference in internal and external legitimacy vis a vis internal and external stakeholders, and that their relative importance changes over the course of the merger process. External legitimacy is more important in the pre- and during- merger stages, while internal legitimacy plays a more important role in the post- merger stage. In addition, we find that during the three stages of the merger process, Chinese MNEs utilize various strategies in an attempt to address the legitimacy imbalance when entering a developed economy, such as relationship building, cooperation with co-investors, allowing the acquired company to operate independently in the first few years, and operational commitment. We discuss the implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners and suggest future research directions.     

How strategic orientations influence the building of dynamic capability in emerging economies

Under the fierce pressures of the fast changing environments that characterize emerging economies, firms must develop dynamic capabilities to survive the competition. This study examines how strategic orientation helps build dynamic capability and its contingencies in China's emerging economy. A survey of 380 firms indicates strategic orientations are important drivers of adaptive capability, a key element of dynamic capabilities. The effectiveness of strategic orientations is contingent on market dynamics. In particular, when market demand becomes increasingly uncertain, customer orientation has a weaker impact, whereas technology orientation has a stronger effect on adaptive capability. As competition intensifies, both competitor and technology orientations build adaptive capability more effectively.     

Venture capital as an innovation ecosystem engineer in an emerging market

How can venture capital (VC) firms transform a weak innovation ecosystem into a productive and robust one? While the literature has found VC firms’ catalyst role in innovation in developed markets, we know little about whether and how they affect innovation in an emerging market, where formal institutions (e.g., regulations and markets) and informal institutions (e.g., professional networks) to enable VC firms’ catalyst role are relatively lacking. First, we argue that VC firms play a different and more proactive role in these markets as an “ecosystem engineer” through governing the resource flow and selecting deviation, which drive regional innovation performance. Second, such effects are further positively moderated by the presence of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in a region. Lastly, over time, while the direct effects of VC firms persist and increase, the moderating effects of MNE presence decline. Empirically, we examined a Chinese provincial-level panel data of VC activities (1999–2009) and patent applications (2000–2010) and found supportive evidence. Implications are discussed.     

Board independence, firm performance and ownership concentration: Evidence from Chile

What determines the composition of companies' boards in the context of high ownership concentration? Are independent directors important as an internal governance mechanism in companies with high ownership concentration? Do markets favor companies whose controlling shareholders use voting rights to elect professional directors?Using a four-year, 160-company panel data, and controlling for endogeneity, this paper addresses these three related questions, finding that an increase in the proportion of outside directors affects company value. The paper also finds that companies that present more exacerbated agency conflicts tend to incorporate professional directors to the boards, in an effort to improve corporate governance and ameliorate the agency problem.     

Transfer of corporate governance practices into weak emerging market environments by foreign institutional investors

We advance the practice transfer theorising of corporate governance (CG) by developing a framework that uncovers how foreign institutional investors (FIIs) improve on CG practices of firms in weak institutional environments. Using hand-collected data for 85 listed Nigerian firms covering the 2011–2016 period, we show that FIIs bypass the weak regulatory environment in emerging markets by transferring good CG standards to host countries. Furthermore, FIIs’ ability to enhance the CG quality of firms in such environments is moderated by their home country’s legal system, with FIIs from countries with strong legal enforcement having an enhanced ability to improve CG practices of firms in weak institutional environments. However, cultural differences between the FIIs’ home and host countries negatively moderate this relationship. Our results are robust to the choice of estimation technique and various sources of endogeneity.     

Environmental sustainability practices and offshoring activities of multinational corporations across emerging and developed markets

Using panel data of 1080 multinational corporations (MNCs) from the United States, we examine the effects of environmental sustainability practices on the degree of firms’ offshoring activities. In addition, we disaggregate offshoring activities into their core components depending on whether or not the firm buys (inputs) or sells (outputs) and/or owns assets in a given country and examine the extent to which sustainability practices influence the different components of offshoring decisions. The results indicate that sustainability practices significantly affect offshoring activities of MNCs. In particular, we found that sustainable business practices matter when the firm sells goods or owns assets in the given host nation. Additionally, the results show that the sustainability–degree of the internationalization relationship is crucial for MNCs that have offshoring activities in advanced economies relative to those firms that have activities in emerging markets. Our results are robust to alternative explanations.