Prelims
Walking the Talk? MNEs Transitioning Towards a Sustainable World
ISBN: 978-1-83549-118-8, eISBN: 978-1-83549-117-1
ISSN: 1745-8862
Publication date: 16 May 2024
Citation
(2024), "Prelims", van Tulder, R., Grøgaard, B. and Lunnan, R. (Ed.) Walking the Talk? MNEs Transitioning Towards a Sustainable World (Progress in International Business Research, Vol. 18), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. i-xv. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1745-886220240000018014
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024 Rob van Tulder, Birgitte Grøgaard and Randi Lunnan
Half Title Page
WALKING THE TALK?
Series Page
PROGRESS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS RESEARCH
Series Editors: The European International Business Academy (EIBA)
Recent Volumes:
Volume 1: | Progress in International Business Research – Edited by Gabriel R. G. Benito and Henrich R. Greve |
Volume 2: | Foreign Direct Investment, Location and Competitiveness – Edited by John H. Dunning and Philippe Gugler |
Volume 3: | New Perspectives in International Business Research – Edited by Maryann P. Feldman and Grazia D. Santangelo |
Volume 4: | Research on Knowledge, Innovation and Internationalization – Edited by Jorma Larimo and Tia Vissak |
Volume 5: | Reshaping the Boundaries of the Firm in an Era of Global Interdependence – Edited by José Pla-Barber and Joaquín Alegre |
Volume 6: | Entrepreneurship in the Global Firm – Edited by Alain Verbeke, Ana Teresa Tavares-Lehmann and Rob van Tulder |
Volume 7: | New Policy Challenges for European MNEs – Edited by Rob van Tulder, Alain Verbeke and Liviu Voinea |
Volume 8: | International Business and Sustainable Development– Edited by Rob van Tulder, Alain Verbeke and Roger Strange |
Volume 9: | Multinational Enterprises, Markets and Institutional Diversity – Edited by Alain Verbeke, Rob van Tulder and Sarianna Lundan |
Volume 10: | The Future of Global Organizing – Edited by Rob van Tulder, Alain Verbeke and Rian Drogendijk |
Volume 11: | The Challenge of BRIC Multinationals – Edited by Rob van Tulder, Alain Verbeke, Jorge Carneiro and Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez |
Volume 12: | Distance in International Business: Concept, Cost and Value – Edited by Alain Verbeke, Jonas Puck and Rob van Tulder |
Volume 13: | International Business in the Information and Digital Age – Edited by Rob van Tulder, Alain Verbeke and Lucia Piscitello |
Volume 14: | International Business in a VUCA World: The Changing Role of States and Firms – Edited by Rob Van Tulder, Alain Verbeke and Barbara Jankowska |
Volume 15: | The Multiple Dimensions of Institutional Complexity in International Business Research – Edited by Alain Verbeke, Rob van Tulder, Elizabeth L. Rose and Yingqi Wei |
Volume 16: | International Business in Times of Crisis – Edited by Rob van Tulder, Alain Verbeke, Lucia Piscitello and Jonas Puck |
Volume 17: | International Business and Sustainable Development Goals – Edited by Rob van Tulder, Elisa Giuliani and Isabel Álvarez |
Title Page
PROGRESS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS RESEARCH – VOLUME 18
WALKING THE TALK? MNEs TRANSITIONING TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
TRIBUTE VOLUME TO ALAIN VERBEKE
Edited By
ROB VAN TULDER
RSM Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
BIRGITTE GRØGAARD
BI Norwegian Business School, Norway
AND
RANDI LUNNAN
BI Norwegian Business School, Norway
Copyright Page
Emerald Publishing Limited
Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.
First edition 2024
Editorial matter and selection © 2024 Rob van Tulder, Birgitte Grøgaard, and Randi Lunnan.
Individual chapters © 2024 The authors.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-83549-118-8 (Print)
ISBN: 978-1-83549-117-1 (Online)
ISBN: 978-1-83549-119-5 (Epub)
ISSN: 1745-8862 (Series)
Contents
List of Figures | viii |
List of Tables | ix |
List of Contributors | xi |
Preface: A Tribute to Professor Alain Verbeke | xiii |
Chapter 1: Introduction: Setting the Scene | |
Rob van Tulder, Birgitte Grøgaard and Randi Lunnan | 1 |
Part I: Walking the Talk in International Business Studies | |
Chapter 2: Evidence-based International Business Scholarship | |
Alain Verbeke | 19 |
Chapter 3: Taking Wishes for Reality: The Neglected Role of Complementary Resources in the Choice of Foreign Market Entry, the Internationalization of Digital Ventures, and Catching-up by Emerging Market Firms | |
Jean-François Hennart | 43 |
Chapter 4: Distance, (Multi)Regional Strategies, and Limitations to Bridge Distance | |
Thomas Hutzschenreuter | 61 |
Chapter 5: Governance for Sustainability: Alain Verbeke’s Contribution to International Business Scholarship and Practice | |
Liena Kano and Luciano Ciravegna | 71 |
Part II: Walking the Talk in Sustainability Issues | |
Chapter 6: The Societal Responsibilities of Corporations in the 21st Century: Four Types of Challenges, Four Types of Strategies | |
Jacqueline Mees-Buss | 89 |
Chapter 7: Behind the Talk: Towards a Conceptual and Analytical Framework of Corporate Human Rights Reporting | |
Stefan Zagelmeyer | 107 |
Chapter 8: The European Union’s Cross-border Adjustment Mechanism and its Implications for International Business | |
Viviana Pilato and Ari Van Assche | 127 |
Chapter 9: How Can Large International Financial Firms ‘Go Green’ and ‘Walk the Talk’? | |
John Holland | 141 |
Part III: Walking the Talk at the Interface with Government Policies | |
Chapter 10: The Involvement of Firms in Chinese Foreign Aid Projects: A Data Overview and Research Agenda | |
Guus Hendriks | 169 |
Chapter 11: De-internationalization or Re-internationalization? The Role of Environmental Sustainability Orientation at Firm and Country Level | |
Martina Barbaglia, Roberto Bianchini, Vincenzo Butticè and Stefano Elia | 197 |
Chapter 12: Diffusion of Technologies: Delivering on the Promises of Battery Electric Vehicles | |
Alessandro Lampo and Susana C. Silva | 223 |
Chapter 13: Discussing Insights from the Carbon Performance Literature for IB: The Institutional Complexity of Climate Change Policy | |
Gunnar Leymann and Anna Kehl | 237 |
Part IV: Walking the Talk in Global Value Chains | |
Chapter 14: How Institutions Influence Firms’ Climate Change Strategies: Extending the Perspectives of International Business and Global Value Chains with Business Systems | |
Mohammad B. Rana and Matthew M. C. Allen | 265 |
Chapter 15: Come Closer! On Transaction Costs and Spatial Choices in a Circular Economy | |
Corina Fehlner | 295 |
Chapter 16: Disentangling the Effects of Circular Economy Principles on GVCs’ Activities, Configuration, and Governance | |
Cristina Di Stefano, Stefano Elia, Paola Garrone and Lucia Piscitello | 319 |
Chapter 17: The Role of Sustainability in Backshoring Decisions – A Conceptual Framework | |
Lise Lillebrygfjeld Halse | 335 |
Chapter 18: Corporate Social Responsibility, Irresponsibility, and Firms’ Financial Performance: Evidence from Emerging versus Developed Countries | |
Stefano Elia, Gezim Hoxha and Lucia Piscitello | 351 |
Chapter 19: The Role of NGOs in the Transition Towards More Sustainable and Innovative Agri-food GVCs | |
Cyntia Vilasboas Calixto Casnici, Germano Glufke Reis, David Schulzmann, Marina Papanastassiou and Jeremy Clegg | 373 |
Index | 393 |
List of Figures
Fig. 7.1 | Analytical Framework 1 – Domestic Setting. | 112 |
Fig. 7.2 | Analytical Framework 2 – International Setting. | 119 |
Fig. 8.1 | Carbon Dioxide Emissions Embodied in the EU’s Net Trade, 1995–2018. | 129 |
Fig. 9.1 | Hypotheses About Change. | 159 |
Fig. 12.1 | Authors’ model based on the UTAUT-2 (Venkatesh et al., 2012). | 227 |
Fig. 13.1 | Conceptual Framework. | 250 |
Fig. 13.2 | Stringency and Dynamism of Climate Change Policies. | 251 |
Fig. 13.3 | Change in Economic and Regulatory Climate Policy Instruments. | 252 |
Fig. 13.4 | Change and Stringency of R&D Climate Policy Instruments. | 253 |
Fig. 13.5 | Policy Instrument Diversity and Institutional Coordination Indices of Selected Countries. | 254 |
Fig. 15.1 | Transaction Costs for CE Activities Relative to LE. | 308 |
Fig. 15.2 | CE Adaptation, Spatial Closeness, and Relative CE Transaction Costs. | 312 |
Fig. 17.1 | How Sustainability Can Affect Backshoring Decision and Be an Outcome of Backshoring (Based on DiMaggio & Powell, 1991; Di Stefano & Fratocchi, 2019). | 345 |
Fig. 18.1 | Plot of the Interaction Between CSR and Advanced Countries Performed in Model 4 of Table 18.5. | 364 |
Fig. 18.2 | Plot of the Interaction Between CSI and Advanced Countries Performed in Model 5 of Table 18.5. | 364 |
List of Tables
Table 6.1. | A Framework for the Typology of CSR Issues. | 94 |
Table 8.1. | Share of Foreign Value Added and Foreign CO2 Emissions in EU Final Demand, by Country, 1998 and 2018. | 130 |
Table 8.2. | Share of Foreign Value Added and Foreign CO2 Emissions in EU Final Demand, by Industry, 1998 and 2018. | 131 |
Table 8.3. | Impact of CBAM on EU Trade and FDI. | 135 |
Table 10.1. | Overview of the Number of Projects Managed by Government Agencies, Private Firms, and SOEs, by Targeted SDG. | 177 |
Table 10.2. | Overview of the Number of Projects Managed by Government Agencies, Private Firms, and SOEs, by Project Aim. | 178 |
Table 10.3. | Overview of the Number of Projects Managed by Government Agencies, Private Firms, and SOEs, by Project Aid Conditions. | 178 |
Table 10.4. | Overview of the Number of Projects Managed by Government Agencies, Private Firms, and SOEs, by Project Size. | 179 |
Table 10.5. | Overview of the Number of Projects Managed by Government Agencies, Private Firms, and SOEs, by Key Characteristics of Recipient Countries. | 181 |
Table 10.6. | Overview of the Number of Projects Managed by Government Agencies, Private Firms, and SOEs, by Recipient Countries’ GDP Share of Natural Resource Rents. | 182 |
Table 10.7. | Research Agenda and Framework of Research Issues. | 185 |
Table 11.1. | Correlation Matrix. | 210 |
Table 11.2. | Summary Statistics. | 211 |
Table 11.3. | Distribution of Relocation Announcements by Industry. | 211 |
Table 11.4. | Distribution of Relocation Announcements by Home, First Host, and Second Host Country. | 212 |
Table 11.5. | Regression Results. | 212 |
Table 12.1 | BEVs Adoption in Macau. | 225 |
Table 12.2. | Definition of UTAUT-2 Constructs. | 227 |
Table 12.3. | Summary of Hypotheses. | 228 |
Table 12.4. | Summary of Respondents’ Profiles. | 229 |
Table 12.5. | Constructs Reliability and Validity. | 230 |
Table 12.6. | HTMT Ratios. | 230 |
Table 12.7. | Assessment of Hypotheses. | 231 |
Table 14.1. | Institutional Features Conditioning Firm Characteristics on Climate Change and Sustainability Strategies. | 273 |
Table 16.1. | Impacts of CE Adoption by the MNE on GVC Aspects. | 323 |
Table 17.1. | Case Companies. | 342 |
Table 18.1. | Distribution of Companies Across Home-country Location. | 358 |
Table 18.2. | Distribution of Companies Across Sectors. | 359 |
Table 18.3. | Measurement Items and Description of Variables. | 361 |
Table 18.4. | Descriptive Statistics and Pairwise Correlations. | 362 |
Table 18.5. | Main Regression Analysis. | 363 |
Table 18.6. | Robustness Check. | 365 |
Table 19.1. | How the Transition to Cultivated Meat Innovation Relates to the UN’s SDGs. | 378 |
Table 19.2. | Interviews Summary. | 380 |
Table 19.3. | Data Presentation. | 381 |
List of Contributors
Matthew M. C. Allen | Manchester Metropolitan University, UK |
Martina Barbaglia | Politechnico di Milano, Italy |
Roberto Bianchini | Politechnico di Milano, Italy |
Vincenzo Butticè | Politechnico di Milano, Italy |
Cyntia Vilasboas Calixto Casnici | Leeds University Business School, UK |
Luciano Ciravegna | INCAE Business School, Costa Rica; University of Reading, UK |
Jeremy Clegg | Leeds University Business School, UK |
Cristina Di Stefano | Politecnico di Milano, Italy |
Stefano Elia | Politecnico di Milano, Italy |
Corina Fehlner | BI Norwegian Business School, Norway |
Paola Garrone | Politecnico di Milano, Italy |
Birgitte Grøgaard | BI Norwegian Business School, Norway |
Lise Lillebrygfjeld Halse | Molde University College, Norway |
Guus Hendriks | University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
Jean-François Hennart | Tilburg University, The Netherlands; Aalborg Business School, Denmark |
John Holland | University of Glasgow, UK |
Gezim Hoxha | Politechnico di Milano, Italy |
Thomas Hutzschenreuter | Technical University of Munich, Germany |
Liena Kano | University of Calgary, Canada |
Anna Kehl | University of Bremen, Germany |
Alessandro Lampo | University of Saint Joseph, China |
Gunnar Leymann | University of Bremen, Germany |
Randi Lunnan | BI Norwegian Business School, Norway |
Jacqueline Mees-Buss | University of New South Wales, Australia |
Marina Papanastassiou | Leeds University Business School, UK |
Viviana Pilato | HEC Montréal, Canada |
Lucia Piscitello | Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Henley Business School, UK |
Mohammad B. Rana | Aalborg University, Denmark |
Germano Glufke Reis | Federal University of Parana, Brazil |
David Schulzmann | Leeds University Business School, UK |
Susana C. Silva | Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, Portugal |
Ari Van Assche | HEC Montréal, Canada |
Rob van Tulder | RSM Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands |
Alain Verbeke | University of Calgary, Canada; University of Reading, UK; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium |
Stefan Zagelmeyer | The University of Manchester, UK |
Preface: A Tribute to Professor Alain Verbeke
This Progress in International Business Research (PIBR) volume is a tribute to one of the most influential international business (IB) scholars, Professor Alain Verbeke. Professor Verbeke’s scholarship transcends four decades where he has successfully advanced IB theory and ensured that scholars remember the importance of managerial relevance. His impact in the IB community is clear. His scholarly work is highly cited by other scholars both within and outside the IB community. His legacy is also clearly visible through his active involvement in the IB community including formal and informal service to the academic community and IB journals. Professor Verbeke is currently a distinguished fellow of European International Business Academy (EIBA) as well as the Academy of International Business and has edited 11 past volumes of PIBR. He recently stepped down as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS), after serving in this role for two consecutive terms.
In addition, and perhaps most importantly, our decision to make this volume a tribute to Professor Verbeke, is based on his pioneering work related to sustainability and his tireless efforts to support and encourage other scholars to contribute to this field in research, teaching as well as practical engagement. During the 2022 EIBA conference, scholars discussed if firms are really walking the Talk and developing necessary capabilities and collaborative efforts to move toward a sustainable world. Verbeke and co-authors made significant advances to this conversation over 25 years ago. One example of this is their distinction between compliance to environmental policies and developing green capabilities (Rugman & Verbeke, 1998b). Professor Verbeke was also an early and influential contributor linking sustainability issues to IB through research on topics including (but not limited to) collaboration between governments and firms, environmental strategies and stakeholder management, and the effects of environmental policies and taxation (Buysse & Verbeke, 2003; Rugman & Verbeke, 1998a, 2000; Verbeke & Coeck, 1997). His pioneering article on proactive environmental strategies and stakeholder management in the prestigious Strategic Management Journal (Buysse & Verbeke, 2003) contributed to bridging IB and sustainability research, and remains his most cited publication to date.
Alain Verbeke’s prolific teaching activities have spanned a long period, covering many IB relevant topics, but mostly focused on the strategic management of multinational enterprises (MNEs). He has taught in or has been associated with a large number of prestigious academic institutions (including Dalhousie University, University of Toronto, Université Catholique de Louvain, Tilburg University, Erasmus University, University of Reading, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Skolkovo Institute for Emerging Market Studies, China Europe International Business School, Nanyang Technical University, and University of Antwerp) in the role of associate professor, visiting professor, or MBA program director (Solvay Business School, Vrije Universiteit Brussel). For his teaching activities, he received the PhD Supervisor Excellence award at the University of Calgary in 2018.
Professor Verbeke’s societal engagement has involved active participation in projects with stakeholders – for instance, port clusters. He has been a member of the European Science and Technology Assembly, the highest advisory body to the European Commission on the future of European scientific and innovation policy and has served on the board of directors of various educational and scientific research institutions.
Professor Verbeke early recognized the challenges of energy transition, the role of renewable energy, and the importance of integrating sustainability into strategic thinking (Illegems & Verbeke, 2003; Yuan et al., 2011). In the role of editor of JIBS, Verbeke co-organized a special issue on the long-term energy transition with the British Journal of Management, emphasizing the importance of actionable research addressing global grand challenges (Verbeke, 2021; Verbeke & Hutzschenreuter, 2021). This special issue is merely one of many examples where Verbeke has championed the importance of making IB research actionable and relevant for business, particularly related to sustainability. Through his exemplary scholarship and service, he continues to support the IB community with a passion and genuine interest to ensure that IB research makes an impact (Santangelo & Verbeke, 2022). This will be increasingly important to support firms, governments, and societies in transitioning toward a sustainable world.
His personal contribution to this volume (Chapter 2) illustrates his continued passion and concern about the relevance of IB scholarship and the critical role played by MNEs as well as by societal stakeholders in creating a more sustainable world. To quote his words:
Our role as IB scholars is to describe and explain the value creating and value distributing processes put in motion by entrepreneurial parties with complementary resources, willing and able to establish and to nurture business linkages across borders. Acknowledging the role of parties not directly involved in establishing and operating international activities but with some type of decision rights in this realm, is clearly critical. However, an objective and evidence-based analysis is unlikely to conclude that more can and should “obviously” be done by all internationally operating firms beyond their present role in creating and distributing economic value. International entrepreneurial behavior emerges because economic actors chase attractive business opportunities and this opens them up to a wide spectrum of vulnerabilities, which explain the relative absence of global MNEs.
We cannot agree more!
The editors
➝ Photo of Alain Verbeke
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2001 – selected McCaig Chair in Management (with wife Juliet) | 2020 – with R. Edward Freeman |
References
Buysse, & Verbeke 2003Buysse, K., & Verbeke, A. (2003). Proactive environmental strategies: A stakeholder management perspective. Strategic Management Journal (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) – 1980 to 2009, 24(5), 453.
Illegems, & Verbeke 2003IIIegems, V., & Verbeke, A. (2003). Moving towards the virtual workplace: Managerial and societal perspectives on telework. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Rugman, & Verbeke 2000Rugman, A., & Verbeke, A. (2000). Six cases of corporate strategic responses to environmental regulation. European Management Journal, 18(4), 377.
Rugman, & Verbeke 1998aRugman, A. M., & Verbeke, A. (1998a). Corporate strategies and environmental regulations: An organizing framework. Strategic Management Journal (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) – 1980 to 2009, 19(4), 363–375.
Rugman, & Verbeke 1998bRugman, A. M., & Verbeke, A. (1998b). Corporate strategy and international environmental policy. Journal of International Business Studies, 29(4), 819–833.
Santangelo, & Verbeke 2022Santangelo, G. D., & Verbeke, A. (2022). Actionable guidelines to improve ‘theory-related’ contributions to international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 53(9), 1843–1855.
Verbeke 2021Verbeke, A. (2021). The long-term energy transition and multinational enterprise complexity: A BJM–JIBS joint initiative. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(5), 803–806.
Verbeke, & Coeck 1997Verbeke, A., & Coeck, C. (1997). Environmental taxation: A green stick or a green carrot for corporate social performance? Managerial & Decision Economics, 18(6), 507–516.
Verbeke, & Hutzschenreuter 2021Verbeke, A., & Hutzschenreuter, T. (2021). Imposing versus Enacting Commitments for the Long-Term Energy Transition: Perspectives from the Firm. British Journal of Management, 32(3), 569–578.
Yuan, Bao, & Verbeke 2011Yuan, W., Bao, Y., & Verbeke, A. (2011). Integrating CSR initiatives in business: An organizing framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 101(1), 75–92.
- Prelims
- Chapter 1: Introduction: Setting the Scene
- Part I: Walking the Talk in International Business Studies
- Chapter 2: Evidence-based International Business Scholarship
- Chapter 3: Taking Wishes for Reality: The Neglected Role of Complementary Resources in the Choice of Foreign Market Entry, the Internationalization of Digital Ventures, and Catching-up by Emerging Market Firms
- Chapter 4: Distance, (Multi)regional Strategies, and Limitations to Bridge Distance
- Chapter 5: Governance for Sustainability: Alain Verbeke’s Contribution to International Business Scholarship and Practice
- Part II: Walking the Talk in Sustainability Issues
- Chapter 6: The Societal Responsibilities of Corporations in the 21st Century: Four Types of Challenges, Four Types of Strategies
- Chapter 7: Behind the Talk: Towards a Conceptual and Analytical Framework of Corporate Human Rights Reporting
- Chapter 8: The European Union’s Cross-border Adjustment Mechanism and its Implications for International Business
- Chapter 9: How Can Large International Financial Firms ‘Go Green’ and ‘Walk the Talk’?
- Part III: Walking the Talk at the Interface with Government Policies
- Chapter 10: The Involvement of Firms in Chinese Foreign Aid Projects: A Data Overview and Research Agenda
- Chapter 11: De-internationalization or Re-internationalization? The Role of Environmental Sustainability Orientation at Firm and Country level
- Chapter 12: Diffusion of Technologies: Delivering on the Promises of Battery Electric Vehicles
- Chapter 13: Discussing Insights from the Carbon Performance Literature for IB: The Institutional Complexity of Climate Change Policy
- Part IV: Walking the Talk in Global Value Chains
- Chapter 14: How Institutions Influence Firms’ Climate Change Strategies: Extending the Perspectives of International Business and Global Value Chains with Business Systems
- Chapter 15: Come Closer! On Transaction Costs and Spatial Choices in a Circular Economy
- Chapter 16: Disentangling the Effects of Circular Economy Principles on GVCs’ Activities, Configuration, and Governance
- Chapter 17: The Role of Sustainability in Backshoring Decisions – A Conceptual Framework
- Chapter 18: Corporate Social Responsibility, Irresponsibility, and Firms’ Financial Performance: Evidence from Emerging versus Developed Countries
- Chapter 19: The Role of NGOs in the Transition Towards More Sustainable and Innovative Agri-food GVCs
- Index