Home Institutions, Host Barriers: How Indian and Chinese Firms Navigate U.S. Policy Shifts in Internationalization
Author
Nehme, Ale
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-06-01
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan indiske og kinesiske virksomheder fra fremvoksende økonomier tilpasser deres internationaliseringsstrategier til nylige amerikanske industripolitiske ændringer, herunder CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act og Executive Order 14257. Med en kvalitativ, abduktiv multiple-case-tilgang analyseres fire virksomheder – Tata Motors, Wipro, SAIC Motor og Lenovo – valgt for at afspejle forskellige ejerskabsformer (familieejet, professionelt ledet, statsejet, hybrid) og sektorer (automotive og teknologi) i perioden 2020–2025. Studiet trækker på institutionel teori, resource-based view (RBV), transaction cost theory (TCT) og LLL-rammen for at forstå, hvordan regulative, normative og kapabilitetsmæssige forhold former virksomheders svar. Fundene viser, at ejerskabsstruktur og sektorpositionering i fællesskab påvirker virksomhedernes evne til at navigere i regulatorisk volatilitet. Fire tilpasningslogikker træder frem: (1) regulatorisk efterlevelse og normativ tilpasning (fx Wipro), (2) strategisk lokalisering (fx Tata), (3) institutionelle workarounds (fx SAIC) og (4) omgåelse via tredjelandsruter (fx Lenovo). Tværgående mekanismer som narrativ legitimitet, geografisk fleksibilitet og institutionel buffering modererer disse svar. Afhandlingen foreslår en raffineret konceptuel ramme og bidrager til international business-litteraturen ved at vise, at EMF’er er aktive institutionelle aktører, som omfortolker og omkonfigurerer strategier i komplekse, politiserede værtsmiljøer, med praktiske implikationer for virksomheder, beslutningstagere og investorer.
This thesis investigates how emerging market firms from India and China adapt their internationalization strategies to recent shifts in U.S. industrial policy, including the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and Executive Order 14257. Using a qualitative, abductive multiple-case design, it examines four firms—Tata Motors, Wipro, SAIC Motor, and Lenovo—selected to span ownership types (family-owned, professionally managed, state-owned, hybrid) and sectors (automotive and technology) over 2020–2025. Drawing on institutional theory, the resource-based view (RBV), transaction cost theory (TCT), and the LLL framework, the study analyzes how regulatory, normative, and capability factors shape firm responses. Findings indicate that ownership structure and sectoral position jointly condition firms’ capacity to navigate regulatory volatility. Four adaptation logics emerge: (1) regulatory compliance and normative alignment (e.g., Wipro), (2) strategic localization (e.g., Tata), (3) institutional workarounds (e.g., SAIC), and (4) circumvention through third-country routing (e.g., Lenovo). Cross-cutting mechanisms—narrative legitimacy, geographic flexibility, and institutional buffering—moderate these responses. The thesis proposes a refined conceptual framework and contributes to international business research by showing that EMFs are active institutional actors that reinterpret and reconfigure strategies in complex, politicized host environments, offering practical insights for firms, policymakers, and investors.
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