Connect to learn – the internationalisation of multinational corporations in emerging markets, Rebecca Rehn
Rebecca Rehn Uppsala University, Sweden rebeccarehn@gmail.com
DOI: 10.47556/B.OUTLOOK2018.16.25
Purpose: The overarching purpose of this research is to study a Multinational corporation’s (MNCs) expansion into an Emerging Market (EM). It does this by further investigating how MNCs partner with non-traditional actors when entering EMs, and how the exchange of knowledge is carried out at the micro-level in these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory field study was conducted in Myanmar over a period of one month. The purpose was to study an MNC’s expansion into an EM. The study includes interviews with both an MNC and the United Nations, including observations on site, and a documentary analysis.
Findings: The study contributes to research in proving that internationalisation in emerging markets seems to be a two-way experiential knowledge direction, where MNCs also need to take an active part in educating the emerging market in order to enter.
Originality/value: By studying an MNC’s cooperation with the UN as part of their expansion in Myanmar, the research will increase the understanding of the complex phenomenon of multi-stakeholder partnerships between MNCs and the UN. This is an area that has received limited research among both political science scholars as well as international business scholars.
Keywords: Internationalisation process, experiential knowledge, emerging economies, Uppsala model, United Nations; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Myanmar, Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP), Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
