Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/30244
Title: Engaging informal institutions through corporate political activity: Capabilities for subnational embeddedness in emerging economies
Authors: Mbalyohere, C
Lawton, TC
Keywords: MNE nonmarket strategy;corporate political activity;local embeddedness;bridging capabilities;informal institutions;emerging markets
Issue Date: 23-Sep-2021
Publisher: Elsevier
Citation: Mbalyohere, C. and Lawton, T.C. (2022) 'Engaging informal institutions through corporate political activity: Capabilities for subnational embeddedness in emerging economies', International Business Review, 31 (2), 101927, pp. 1 - 15. doi: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2021.101927.
Abstract: 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.
URI: https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/30244
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2021.101927
ISSN: 0969-5931
Other Identifiers: ORCiD: Thomas C. Lawton https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8560-3836
101927
Appears in Collections:Brunel Business School Research Papers

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