Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
6-2024
Abstract
International business scholars have recognized the impact of political and economic nationalism on the multinational enterprise (MNE). We complement these approaches by highlighting the sociological manifestations of nationalism and their implications for the MNE. We argue that nationalist sentiments, i.e. widely-shared assumptions of superiority over other nations and cultures, constitute an under-researched but critical element in international business (IB). Drawing insights from organizational sociology, we elucidate how nationalist sentiments manifest in the MNE’s external and internal environment. Specifically, we suggest that nationalist sentiments accentuate national institutional logics, generate status-based categorizations of foreign and domestic firms, and heighten emphasis on national organizational identities. These manifestations impact on the MNE’s operations by limiting room for hybridization of dissimilar practices and routines, increasing the risk of discrimination and stereotyping by local audiences, and entrenching resistance to foreign ideas and practices among organizational members. We suggest that MNEs have three strategic choices in responding to nationalist sentiments: avoid their manifestations, mitigate their implications, or leverage nationalist sentiments to the MNE’s advantage. In sum, our framework provides a starting point for IB scholars to examine the strategic implications of nationalist sentiments for the MNE.
Keywords
Nationalism, institutional logics, categories, status, organizational identity
Discipline
Organizational Behavior and Theory | Politics and Social Change | Work, Economy and Organizations
Research Areas
Strategy and Organisation
Publication
Journal of International Business Studies
Volume
55
First Page
825
Last Page
839
ISSN
0047-2506
Identifier
10.1057/s41267-024-00713-7
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
Embargo Period
5-8-2024
Citation
EDMAN, Jesper; CUYPERS, Ilya R. P.; ERTUG, Gokhan; and AGUILERA, Ruth V..
Nationalist sentiments and the multinational enterprise: Insights from organizational sociology. (2024). Journal of International Business Studies. 55, 825-839.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7491
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-024-00713-7
Included in
Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Work, Economy and Organizations Commons