From the Host to the Home Country, the International Upgradation of EMNEs in Sustainability Industries—The Case of a Chinese PV Company

Jun Jin, Zhengyi Zhang and Liying Wang
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Jun Jin: School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Zhengyi Zhang: School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Liying Wang: China Institute for Small and Medium Enterprises, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310027, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: With the internationalization of firms from emerging-markets, the upgradation along the global value chain of emerging-market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) has attracted the attention of academics and industries. However, the role of upgradation of EMNEs in a host country to the transition of EMNEs in the home country is ignored. This study explored how EMNEs from emerging-markets could upgrade their operations in their home countries driven by the transformation of subsidiaries in host countries. An in-depth analysis of Company S was conducted to elaborate on the resources and trigger time a firm needs to transform the function of a subsidiary in the host country, and the upgradation of the firm in the home country during the internationalization process. Research on the internationalization of Company S suggested that with the complementary capabilities and markets as the fundamental basic resources, the industrial crisis triggers the firm’s upgrading in the host country. In addition, the intrafirm (internal) market mechanism makes it possible to sustain the upgrading process without conflicts between subsidiaries. Moreover, synergies will develop through interactions with subsidiaries, owing to complementary capabilities and the internal market. The synergetic development promotes the transition of firms in the home country and emphasizes the complementarity of the manufacturing and engineering service. Finally, this study demonstrates the two-stage international upgrading process, in which the international upgrading of firms in the home country is driven by the development and transition of the subsidiary in the host country, which provides contributions to the internationalization upgrading strategy and process of firms from emerging-markets.

Keywords: photovoltaic; upgrading; internationalization; global value chain; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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