Designing and Implementing Impactful Sustainability Strategy in Multinational Enterprises Exploring the Effect on Competitive Advantage
Authors
Horsager, Sofie ; Wind, Emil Anker-Møller ; Juhl, Hanne Stenner
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2023
Pages
119
Abstract
Denne specialeundersøgelse belyser, hvordan multinationale virksomheder (MNE’er) kan designe og implementere en bæredygtighedsstrategi, der skaber effekt både i hovedkontoret og i datterselskaber, samt hvilken betydning dette kan få for konkurrenceevnen. Med udgangspunkt i den stigende opmærksomhed på bæredygtighed i international business undersøges casen Trackunit med en kritisk-realistisk tilgang og et casestudie, der kombinerer kvalitative semistrukturerede interviews med spørgeskemaer (primære og sekundære) i en trianguleret, abduktiv metode. Et a priori-rammeværk fra litteraturen videreudvikles gennem analysen til et case-specifikt a posteriori-rammeværk. Analysen fremhæver ledelsesmæssig beslutningstagning som en central intern faktor og peger på, at succesfuldt design og implementering kræver opmærksomhed på de komplekse institutionelle kontekster, virksomheden opererer i, samt håndtering af den uklare definition af bæredygtighed. En autonom og bemyndigende organisationsstruktur med lav grad af formel ledelse skaber både muligheder og udfordringer i processen. Endelig indikerer resultaterne, at et proaktivt syn på bæredygtighed kan placere MNE’er i en gunstig konkurrencemæssig position, der kan føre til konkurrencefordele. Fundene tilbyder et afsæt for videre forskning i bæredygtighedsstrategi.
This thesis examines how multinational enterprises (MNEs) can design and implement sustainability strategies that have impact in both headquarters and subsidiaries, and how such strategies may affect competitive advantage. Motivated by the growing emphasis on sustainability in international business, the study investigates the case of Trackunit using a critical realist stance and a case-study design that integrates qualitative semi-structured interviews with primary and secondary survey data in a triangulated, abductive approach. An a priori framework grounded in existing literature is refined through analysis into a case-specific a posteriori framework. The analysis highlights managerial decision-making as a key internal factor and concludes that successful design and implementation require close attention to the complex institutional contexts in which the firm operates, as well as to the ambiguous definition of sustainability. An autonomous, empowered organizational structure with low levels of formal leadership creates both opportunities and challenges for the process. Finally, the findings suggest that adopting a proactive stance on sustainability can place MNEs in a favorable competitive position that may translate into competitive advantage. The results provide a stepping-stone for further research on sustainability strategy.
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