Print

Print


Sorry for cross-posting.


*Call for Papers for a Special Issue in the **International Journal of
Emerging Markets*


THE GROWING POWER OF CHINESE MULTINATIONALS AND THE NECESSITY FOR THE
EVOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS THEORIES


Submission Deadline: March 31, 2017


Guest Editors:

Byung Il Park, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea

Kwangho Kim, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea

Consulting editor: Christoph Lattemann, Jacobs University Bremen, Germany


Purpose and Research Questions:


Following the rapid economic growth of China during the last few decades,
Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) have emerged as a force to be
reckoned with and many of them have turned into new global giants (e.g.,
Huawei, Xiaomi and Lenovo and so on) in the world economic arena (Alon et
al., 2011; Gugler & Vanoli, 2015; Yang & Stoltenberg, 2014). Both
state-owned and private Chinese MNCs successfully internationalized their
business operations, and thus their presence is often considered as a
formidable power in developing countries. For instance, the number of
Chinese companies in the ‘Global Fortune 500’ has more than doubled to 85
companies in 2013, versus 42 in 2010 (Fortune, 2010; 2013). By this
measure, China recently overtook Japan, which has 62 companies on the
Fortune list, and trails only the US, which still holds the top spot with
132 companies.


Despite the rise of Chinese MNCs as the part of emerging market firms, our
understanding of these firms still remains in its infancy (Alon et al.,
2012; Jansson & Söderman, 2015). While scholars have investigated diverse
topics on MNCs, existing studies have developed theories by predominately
focusing on MNCs from the developed (Western) countries. Thus, conventional
theories on international business (IB), such as internalization
perspective (Buckley & Casson, 1976; 1999; Rugman & Verbeke, 1995) and OLI
paradigm (Dunning, 1993; 2000) might not be sufficiently applicable to
emerging market multinationals, such as Chinese MNCs considering the
difference in culture, political and economic systems, foreign direct
investment motivations and governance structure between emerging markets
and the developed countries (the challenges that Chinese MNCs may
encounter, their behavioral patterns, and the ways that they localize, etc.
might be highly dissimilar to those of Western MNCs in developed markets)
(Lattemann & Alon, 2015).


For example, imbalance theory (Moon & Roehl, 2001) argues that the
conventional theories (i.e., internalization perspective and OLI paradigm)
are not satisfactory in providing adequate explanations for the rich
variety of FDI activities observed from Chinese MNCs based on emerging
markets. The imbalance theory suggests that Chinese MNCs often undertake
FDI to build new assets which will strengthen the firm’s own arsenal of
resources for future competition. Resource dependence theory (Pfeffer &
Salancik, 1978) also points out that no one firm possesses sufficient
resources to efficiently compete against other rivals in the global arena
and thus the former needs to look for complementary resources that are not
available internally from external environments (refer to the acquisition
of IBM’s personal computer business by Lenovo and Shanghai General Motors’
takeover for Ssangyong Motor Company operating in South Korea). According
to the uppsala model (Johanson & Vahlne, 1977), the typical strategy of
these Chinese firms is to accumulate experience from the domestic market to
some extent and then gradually intensify their activities in foreign
markets. Based on these discussions, we believe that this is an appropriate
time to try to refine mainstream IB theories considering
multinationalization primarily as the outcome of competitive advantage
based on possession of unique assets (Moon & Roehl, 2001). In addition, IB
researchers should attempt to explore an evolution of the theoretical
domains by synthesizing a variety of FDI motivations, much of which are not
well explained by ownership-specific and internalization advantage
approaches.


Thus, this special issue aims to improve our understanding on Chinse MNCs
as well as to offer a unique opportunity to re-consider diverse extant
theories on MNCs by promoting an extension to account for emerging market
MNCs. Investigating Chinese MNCs can provide appropriate implications for
other MNCs from emerging economies. We seek papers that advance theoretical
perspectives, which are able to integrate the extant theoretical lens into
Chinese MNCs, provide valuable insights and new knowledge and subsequently
offer implications for MNCs from emerging markets.


We invite submissions from scholars who, individually or collectively, draw
on varied theoretical perspectives, adopt diverse empirical approaches, and
investigate at multiple levels of analysis. We seek both theoretical and
empirical papers that may address, but are not limited to, the following
list of potential research questions:


l  How can extant literature combine existing international business
theories with foreign direct investment motivations undertaken by Chinese
MNCs?



l  What are critical factors positively affecting Chinese MNCs’ successful
transformation into global giants?



l  What are the challenges that particularly Chinese MNCs may encounter in
their global business operations and what are the critical determinants
helping Chinese MNCs to overcome such challenges?



l  Are business operations and strategies of Chinese MNCs different between
the developed and the developing countries?



l  Do state-owned Chinese MNCs and private Chinese MNCs show different
globalization patterns and different performance outcomes?



l  To what degree, can the existing theories on MNCs that mainly reflect
Western MNCs’ perspective be applicable to Chinese MNCs?



l  How do Chinese MNCs improve their image and reputation as creative and
innovative?




Submission Instructions:

The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2017. For further information of
International Journal of Emerging Markets, including style guidelines,
please visit the International Journal of Emerging Markets website at:
http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/editorial_
team.htm?id=ijoem.


All submissions will be subject to the regular double-triple peer review
process at the International Journal of Emerging Markets. The guest editors
are seeking reviewers for this issue and are soliciting nominations and
volunteers to participate as reviewers. Please contact the guest editors to
volunteer or nominate a reviewer.


More Information:

To obtain additional information, please contact the guest editors:


Byung Il Park, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea (
[log in to unmask])

Kwangho Kim, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea (
[log in to unmask])


References


Alon, I., Child, J., Li, S., & McIntyre, J. R. (2011). Globalization of
Chinese firms: Theoretical universalisam or particularism. *Management and
Organizational Review*, 7(2), 191-200.

Alon, I., Molodtsova, T., & Zhang, J. (2012). Macroeconomic prospects for
China’s outward FDI. *Transnational Corporations Review*, 4(2), 16-40.

Buckley, P. J., & Casson, M. (1976). *The future of the multinational
enterprise*. London: Macmillan.

Buckley, P. J., & Casson, M. (1999). *A theory of international operations*.
In: Buckley, P. J. and Ghauri, P. N. (eds.), The internationalization of
the firm. London: International Thomson Business Press, 55-60.

Dunning, J. H. (1993). *Multinational enterprises and the global economy*.
Wokingham: Addison-Wesley.

Dunning, J. H. (2000). The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic
and business theories of MNE activity. *International Business Review*, 9,
163-190.

Fortune. (2010). Fortune 500. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/fortune500/

Fortune. (2013). Fortune 500. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/fortune500/

Gugler, P., & Vanoli, L. (2015). Technology-sourcing investment abroad as
an enhancer of Chinese MNWs’ innovative capabilities. International Journal
of Emerging Markets, 10(2), 243-271.

Janssen, H., & Söderman, S. (2015). International strategic management
hybrids in China. *International Journal of Emerging Markets*, 10(2),
209-223.

Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J. E. (1977). The internationalization process of
the firm - model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market
commitments. *Journal of International Business Studies*, 8(1), 23-32.

Lattemann, C, & Alon, I (2015). The rise of Chinese multinationals: A
strategic threat or an economic opportunity?, *Georgetown Journal of
International Affairs*, 16(1), 168-175.

Moon, H-C., & Roehl, T. W. (2001). Unconventional foreign direct investment
and the imbalance theory. *International Business Review*, 10, 197-215.

Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (1978). *The external control of
organizations: A resource dependence perspective*. New York: Harper and Row.

Rugman, A. M., & Verbeke, A. (1995). Transnational networks and global
competition: An organizing framework. *Research in Global Strategic
Management*, 5, 3-23.

Yang, X., & Stoltenberg, C. D. (2014). A review of institutional influences
on the rise of made-in-China multinationals. *International Journal of
Emerging Markets*, 9(2), 162-180.

-- 

Dr. Byung Il Park

Professor of International Business
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
College of Business
Tel: +82-2-2173-3193
Mobile: +82-10-4157-3532
Personal Homepage: http://hufs.ac.kr/user/leedspark/index.action

Editor in Chief: International Journal of Multinational Corporation Strategy

____
AIB-L is brought to you by the Academy of International Business.
For information: http://aib.msu.edu/community/aib-l.asp
To post message: [log in to unmask]
For assistance:  [log in to unmask]
AIB-L is a moderated list.