Description

00:14:42 Paper Song - Corporate Roads

🎙 Welcome to "Revise and Resubmit" – your go-to podcast for dissecting the most cutting-edge research in business and management!

Today, we’re diving into a fascinating question:When multinational corporations take a stand on controversial issues, why do they sometimes flip their stance in different countries?

Think about it—an MNC proudly supports LGBTQ+ rights in its home country but stays silent in a host country where the issue is just as pressing. Why does this happen? Is it corporate hypocrisy? A calculated strategy? Or something deeper—an intricate dance with the forces of institutional complexity?

To answer this, we turn to the prestigiousJournal of International Business Studies—anFT50 journal—whereIshva Minefee and Lori Qingyuan Yue introduceCorporate Sociopolitical Activism (SPA) into the international business conversation. Their paper, published bySpringer Nature, lays out a compelling theory of how MNCs navigate the treacherous waters of activism across borders.

In this episode, we unpack the core arguments:
✅ How institutional complexities—within, between, and beyond countries—shape MNC decisions.
✅ Why sociopolitical activism isn’t just another arm of corporate social responsibility.
✅ And what future research must explore in this ever-polarized world.

A huge thanks toIshva Minefee and Lori Qingyuan Yue for their brilliant work and toSpringer Nature for bringing it to the world.

Before we go—subscribe to"Revise and Resubmit" onSpotify, Amazon Prime, Apple Podcasts, and check out ourYouTube channel, Weekend Researcher!

And here’s a final thought:Should companies have a moral compass that stays true no matter where they go, or is adapting to local norms just smart business? 🤔 Let us know what you think!

#CorporateActivism #MNCStrategy #InstitutionalComplexity #FT50 #BusinessResearch #ReviseAndResubmit #WeekendResearcher #SpotifyPodcasts #ApplePodcasts #AmazonPrime

Reference

Minefee, I., Yue, L.Q. Taking a stand while abroad? Towards a theory of MNCs’ sociopolitical activism in host countries. J Int Bus Stud (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-024-00761-z

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🌍 Corporate Roads (Stand or Stay Quiet?) 🎶

(Soft guitar strumming, gentle whistle in the background)
(Clap, clap—whistle—clap, clap—whistle)

Multinationals, cross the border,
Big decisions, storm gets colder.
Home they stand, voices bold,
But abroad, silence unfolds.

Corporate roads, take a stand,
Or stay quiet, where they land.
Host-land voices, rules so tight,
Do they fight or dim their light?

One foot here, one foot there,
Same old issue, do they care?
Stand for justice, speak so loud,
But in some lands, they hush the crowd.

Ooooh, the laws, the norms, the pressure high,
One land’s truth, another’s lie.
Can they hold to values true,
Or does the market shape their view?

Ohhh, yeah!
Do they change with every tide?
Or hold their heads with global pride?

Corporate roads, take a stand,
Or stay quiet, where they land.
Host-land voices, rules so tight,
Do they fight or dim their light?

Multinationals, where you go,
Truth or silence—let us know…?

(🎸 fades into the wind…)