Dindial, M. orcid.org/0000-0001-6489-6705 and Voss, H. (2024) Persistence of wicked problems in opaque global value chains. Critical Perspectives on International Business, 20 (3). pp. 321-327. ISSN 1742-2043
Abstract
Purpose
This paper engages with the important work of Raškovic (2023). The authors agree with Raškovic’s (2023) argument that international business (IB) policy is well positioned to inform and address many of society’s wicked problems, including modern slavery. Beyond supporting this position, the purpose of this paper is to highlight IB’s internal and ongoing debate regarding multinational ownership and control, and how this unresolved theoretical issue can hinder the contribution of IB policy in addressing wicked problems.
Design/methodology/approach
By leveraging prior literature, this paper synthesises opposing views on the extent of control that multinational enterprises (MNEs) exert across global value chains (GVCs). The authors then demonstrate why these conflicting perspectives should be resolved to fully realise the task that Raškovic (2023) has laid out for IB policy.
Findings
This study argues that IB is steeped in a tradition where ownership has been a proxy for meaningful control. Rising GVCs have complicated this relationship, and while IB recognises this, the field remains short of explicating a set of robust conditions that can detect control in the absence of ownership. Given that responsibility is often based on an assumption of who has control, this ongoing and unresolved debate limits IB’s utility in advancing appropriate policy interventions to tame wicked problems.
Originality/value
This paper makes a contribution by bringing together diverse perspectives on the ongoing debate regarding MNE control in GVC. It demonstrates how this seemingly abstract debate can have significant implications for IB’s role in addressing society’s grand challenges. The authors further suggest that embracing interdisciplinarity and novel analytical tools can assist in demystifying the opaqueness of GVCs and resolving the control “fuzziness” that confuses responsibility boundaries across the GVC.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited. This author accepted manuscript is provided for your own personal use only. It may not be used for resale, reprinting, systematic distribution, emailing, or for any other commercial purpose without the permission of the publisher. |
Keywords: | International Business, Multinational enterprises, Global value chains, Ownership versus control |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 19 Feb 2024 16:53 |
Last Modified: | 21 Aug 2024 13:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Emerald |
Identification Number: | 10.1108/cpoib-11-2023-0107 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:209313 |