Purpose This study aims to examine the theoretical foundations of resilience and sustainability in relation to multinational enterprises and international organisations operating in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It provides an understanding of how resilience and sustainability can be developed in the context of multinational enterprises and international organisations in LAC. Design/methodology/approach Using the PRISMA methodology, 61 academic articles were analysed using a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative and qualitative techniques. The study identifies and analyses the Sustainable Development Goals addressed in the literature. Findings The study provides a structured synthesis of how multinational enterprises and international organisations address resilience and sustainability in LAC, highlighting gaps in contextual analysis and database coverage. It identifies the principal research themes and reveals four thematic clusters. The findings emphasise the need to broaden the scope of future research and highlight implications for policy and practice. Opportunities for cross-sector collaboration among academia, businesses, policymakers and international organisations are also discussed. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is among the first to provide a comprehensive synthesis of research on resilience and sustainability in relation to multinational enterprises and international organisations in LAC. By integrating bibliometric and content analyses, it maps the intellectual structure of the field, identifies key research themes and knowledge gaps and develops a future research agenda. The findings offer valuable insights for scholars, practitioners and policymakers seeking to strengthen resilience and sustainability strategies within the international business context of LAC.
Purpose The nexus between firms and political actors is increasingly complex, particularly for foreign-owned firms operating in host countries. While corporate political connections can provide local knowledge and legitimacy, potentially transforming foreign-owned firms from "outsiders" to "insiders," they entail substantial challenges and risks. This study aims to examine under what conditions foreign-owned firms opt to engage in political appointments relative to domestic firms. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on resource dependency theory (RDT) to question, and extend, the Liability of Outsidership (LoO), the study shows that the value of political appointments for foreign-owned firms varies with firm dependence on local markets and governments. Hypotheses are tested using firm-level data from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey, covering 22,388 firms across 41 countries, and employing various regression specifications. Findings Despite their presumed necessity to overcome the outsider status, foreign-owned firms are, overall, less likely than domestic-owned firms to make political appointments, due to-the authors explain- reputational concerns, heavier reliance on home markets, and expropriation risks. In fact, the severity of the outsider problem depends on how much a firm relies on host country resources and institutions. Political appointments turn advantageous for foreign entrants when they become highly dependent on host markets, operate in industries where informal practices (e.g. bribery) are prevalent, and when they operate within autocratic host political systems. Originality/value Political strategizing can be high commitment, risky and less than optimal for firms. By enhancing traditional LoO assumptions with the RDT logic, this study provides a nuanced explanation of variations in political strategies between foreign-and domestic-owned firms. The study highlights the need for careful managerial evaluation of the tradeoffs involved in high-commitment political strategies, particularly political appointments.
Purpose This paper advances the resilience imperative in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), a strategically significant yet underexplored context in international business research, by offering a conceptual point of view. This study aims to conceptually integrate diverse empirical and conceptual contributions from the special issue to clarify how the region’s distinctive institutional, political and social dynamics shape organizational and community resilience. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a multilevel and multistakeholder perspective, this viewpoint synthesizes insights from the special issue’s contributions, including conceptual reviews, qualitative case studies, longitudinal phenomenological research and participatory action research on organizational, community and sectoral resilience in LAC. The discussion organizes these insights into four interrelated analytical dimensions: regional institutional context and value definition; governance architectures and policy alignment; capability development encompassing digital, social and environmental dimensions; and stakeholder embedding and legitimacy. Findings This paper identifies four mutually reinforcing dimensions of resilience in LAC. First, institutional context and value definition are shaped by pendular policy regimes and persistent implementation gaps. Second, governance architectures affect community resilience by allocating decision rights and rents. Third, multidimensional capability development spans digital, social and environmental aspects. Finally, stakeholder embedding and legitimacy reveal a potential dark side of resilience, whereby firm-level adaptation strategies may externalize risks to vulnerable workers and communities. Originality/value This paper proposes a five-step blueprint to guide multinational enterprises, domestic firms and policymakers in developing context-sensitive resilience strategies for LAC that are effective, competitive and socially inclusive. It reframes resilience as both a strategic and ethical imperative in international business, extending beyond a narrow risk-management perspective. It also advances an agenda for longitudinal, multilevel and comparative research that examines both the enabling and constraining outcomes of resilience across contexts.
Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects of green ambidextrous innovation on firms’ internationalisation speed and the boundary conditions of these effects. Design/methodology/approach Using panel data on Chinese A-share listed companies from the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2007 to 2022, they test the proposed hypotheses empirically. Findings The results reveal that green exploratory innovation is positively associated with firms’ internationalisation speed; whereas green exploitative innovation exhibits a nonlinear U-shaped relationship with internationalisation speed. Moreover, foreign ownership moderates these relationships in different ways: a higher level of foreign ownership strengthens the positive effect of green exploratory innovation on internationalisation speed, while weakening the U-shaped effect of green exploitative innovation. Originality/value This study advances understanding of how green ambidextrous innovation shapes firms’ internationalisation speed by differentiating the effects of green exploratory and exploitative innovation. It enriches the literature on green innovation and internationalisation speed and offers practical insights for managers on aligning green innovation strategies with international expansion.
Purpose This study aims to examine the role of the incoming CEO as a precipitating circumstance that converts latent divestment pressures into foreign divestments. The authors develop a governance-based theoretical framework explaining when and why incoming CEOs increase the likelihood of foreign divestments.Design/methodology/approach Drawing on Boddewyn's condition-motivation-precipitating circumstances framework and information asymmetry, the authors argue that CEO succession creates acute information asymmetry between the board and the incoming CEO, triggering heightened monitoring and generating incentives for early, visible and attributable strategic action. They test the predictions using an unbalanced panel of 8,682 firm-year observations from 835 publicly listed European firms.Findings Incoming CEOs are more than three times as likely as incumbent CEOs to initiate foreign divestments. This effect is stronger for outsider CEOs, non-native CEOs and CEOs appointed following unplanned successions - contexts in which information asymmetry between the board and the incoming CEO is most pronounced.Research limitations/implications The study relies on archival data and does not directly observe information asymmetry or board monitoring processes. Future research should examine these mechanisms more directly.Practical implications Boards can reduce unintended incentives for early-tenure divestments through more structured succession planning. Incoming CEOs should be attentive to how their succession context shapes their interpretation of early strategic actions.Originality/value This study integrates Boddewyn's precipitating circumstances logic with information asymmetry theory to provide a novel governance-based explanation for foreign divestments. It shifts attention from structural and environmental antecedents toward the managerial and informational dynamics surrounding CEO succession.
