An important topic in international business (IB) has recently been the expansion of firms from institutionally and economically less developed countries to more advanced economies [e.g. De Beule, Elia, Piscitello, 2013]. A lot of academic attention has been devoted to the peculiarity of these firms' strategies as compared to traditional multinational enterprises (MNEs). Specifically, the motives of establishing subsidiaries in more advanced contexts have been studied in the past [e.g. Chen, Li, Shapiro, 2012]. Given the surge of upmarket investments, it is the strategic asset-seeking motivation that has recently gained on relevance and, consequently, academic attention [e.g. Luo, Tung, 2007; Buckley et al., 2008]. This asset-augmenting focus, particularly discussed in the context of Chinese firms' foreign expansion through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), can be associated with resource disadvantages related to their status of latecomers to the international economy. However, the evidence on the expansion of firms from post-transition economies from the region of Central Eastern Europe (CEE) into more advanced economies and the ways in which these firms build up legitimacy in order to survive and develop in those markets, still remains scarce [Trąpczyński, Banalieva, 155 2016]. This stays in contrast with the actual relevance of Germany as a host country for Polish investment, whereby it was the second largest destination for FDI outflows in 2019 with EUR 266.4 million [Narodowy Bank Polski, 2020]. From the perspective of institutional theory, the entry of emerging market firms into more advanced markets raises a number of challenges related to achieving legitimacy in the host country and therefore ensuring sustained performance. This chapter aims to explore the methods of building legitimacy by post-transition economy firms in a more advanced economy on the example of Polish firms in Germany, and the considerations are preliminary in nature. (fragment of text)

Purpose Unlike the traditional growth model of emerging markets after economic liberalization, India's inward foreign direct investment (FDI) surged paralleling its strong economic growth in the 2000s, despite the failure to establish a strong secondary sector. This creates an opportunity to deepen the conceptual and contextual understanding of the pivotal mechanisms that impel foreign multinational enterprises to invest into India and provides a natural setting to better understand the nature of its institutional, political and economic environment. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop a theory contextualized to Indian inward FDI patterns for the 2000-2017 period. The theoretical framework expands upon received investment motives, with explicit consideration given to the idiosyncrasies of developments in India's recent macro and socioeconomic environment. The authors test the hypotheses using panel data from 134 countries that invested in India, using a Hausman-Taylor estimation. Findings The authors find that India's transition toward a knowledge economy attracts asset augmenting rather than asset exploiting FDI. Investors appear to target long-term investments by gaining access to India's digital capabilities, R&D, and growing talent base with a high degree of specialization within analytics, biotechnology, engineering, or pharmaceuticals. Foreign investors do not seem to be notably deterred by infrastructural challenges nor by legal and regulatory restrictions. Originality/value By providing a new perspective on India's atheoretical economic development and FDI environment, this study offers a distinct point of comparison with regard to established hypotheses within the extant literature on FDI into emerging markets. Rethinking contemporary investment motive theory by introducing an adapted conceptual framework provides further opportunity to inform the understanding of firm strategies in similar environments.

Earnings management decisions and ineffective monitoring activities have contributed to financial accounting scandals and reduced confidence in firms’ reporting quality among potential investors, lenders and other creditors. The implementation of an effective top management team (TMT) is considered essential in this context. It is well known that top managers have considerable discretion over firms’ financial reporting since they choose whether and how to manage earnings. However, research has yet to establish the relationship between top managers’ diversity attributes and firms’ earnings management levels. Therefore, this study analyses whether and how top managers’ nationality, gender and age diversity are associated with accounting quality. Based on a sample of German DAX 30 listed firms from 2011 to 2018, we found that diversity in TMT nationality and gender have a positive impact on accounting quality. This relationship is context-dependent and negatively moderated by the tenure of the chief financial officer. Our findings provide novel insights on accounting quality for practitioners such as investors, regulators and stock corporations. The implications of this study further advance the academic debate on diversity in TMTs and its effects on earnings management.

This study investigates the role of organizational learning in financial inclusion in India using qualitative research methods. Financial inclusion refers to the appropriate and affordable access to financial products and services and is targeting the part of the population that is unbanked or underbanked. In India, the government has formulated financial sector goals and policies in the last years to alleviate the situation of that part of the population. The study specifically investigates the private banking sector in India as a key protagonist in implementing those policies. The study finds that private banks operate in an overall context that is beneficial towards organizational learning. It identifies the tension between exploration and exploitation as the core of the organizational learning process in financial inclusion. Areas in which organizational learning occurs are related to products and customers, technology, information processing, monitoring and internal/ external training. In those areas, knowledge creation, transfer and retention drive the development of, e.g., new products, internal processes, and guidelines.

Driven by the adoption of novel technologies, digital transformation has turned into a strategic priority for many firms. In response, the recently introduced role of the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) however, causes dissension regarding its delineation from the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Hence, the present study employs a systematic literature review and analysis to investigate how the tasks and responsibilities, requirements and skills, and the role types of the CDO and CIO differ in the context of digital transformation. A detailed examination of their duties reveals that the CDO focuses almost exclusively on demand-side activities, whereas the CIO is in charge of information systems (IS) supply-side and demand-side tasks. The intersection with the role of the CDO increases as the CIO’s demand-side focus grows. The implications of this study are summarized in a first guideline that supports firms that employ a CIO and consider the appointment of a CDO.

With the ongoing globalization and changes in the economic environment, organizations need to be flexible and adaptable towards new situations and opportunities. In a context where firms strategically reach across national borders, firms are encountering differing cultural backgrounds. Multinational corporations (MNCs) are confronted with the question of how to fill executive positions. The need for employees with international expertise arises to reap the advantage of nationality diversity by matching the complexity of the global environment with the right level of board capital. Such firm managers must work in increasingly international contexts and cross-cultural environments. Scholars have regarded diversity as an essential element that helps organizations and their executives to deal with uncertainties arising from globalization. (Koles 2014). The top executives of an organization are regarded as an essential criterion for firm´s success. Top managers have considerable influence over the fate of the organizations they lead. These trends have led to increasing instability in classic employment relationships and show greater diversity and mobility within organizational and occupational boundaries (Dokko/Wilk/Rothbard 2009; Greenhaus/Callanan 2012; Biemann/Zacher/Feldman 2012; Koch et al. 2017). This dissertation further aims at advancing our empirical understanding of top managers diversity, internationalisation and their careers. The three research manuscripts that form the core of this thesis advance research on top managers in several ways and extend knowledge in the area of executive characteristics. All three manuscripts are anchored in the European context and address topics that are relevant yet underexplored in extant, mostly centred in the US and Western economies top management literature (Tosi/Greckhamer 2004; Carter et al. 2009; Boyd et al. 2012; Dauth 2012).

With rapidly advancing technologies and digital innovations, companies face the need to adapt to the new digital world and to digitally transform their business models. For executing the digital transformation process, more and more companies decide to entrust a new C-level manager with all challenges and complexity arising from digital transformation, the Chief Digital Officer (CDO). As the CDO position is still fairly new, research in this field is limited and requires further attention by scholars. Therefore, this study aims to address three fundamental research questions concerning the nature of the CDO position and corresponding implications not only to inform practitioners but also to enrich the scholarly discussion on CDOs. By understanding existing literature on CDOs based on a systematic literature review, this thesis answers the first research question regarding what characterizes the CDO position. Building on these insights and drawing from a comprehensive theoretical framework consisting of upper echelons theory, contingency theory, human capital theory and the resource-based view, hypotheses are developed for answering research questions two and three. While the second research question focuses on factors, which influence CDO presence within a company, the third research question addresses the impact of a CDO on company performance. Based on a large-scale sample of panel data comprised of S&P 500 companies, generalized estimating equations models, propensity score matching and fixed effects regression models are exploited in order to derive answers for both research questions two and three. As influencing factors for CDO presence, the results show that especially early tenure CEOs and CEOs of larger companies are more likely to employ a CDO. Although no evidence can be observed for positive performance implications of CDOs, also given different company contingencies, the insights of this study's analyses show that certain CDO characteristics as well as in combination with CIO presence and varying CEO characteristics are more favorable over others in terms of company performance measured by return on assets and Tobin's Q.

At a time where firms encounter a “race for talent”, it is crucial for many MNCs to present themselves as attractive employers. Failing to position themselves in the international labor market can reduce firms' ability to acquire valuable international human capital, thereby generating disadvantageous organizational effects. Against this backdrop, drawing on signaling theory and employer branding literature, our paper aims to shed light on the association between nationality diversity in the executive suite and MNCs' employer attractiveness. Our lines of argument build on the notion that top management team composition can affect MNCs' efforts to promote diversity among their employees. This focus on diversity, in turn, can affect MNCs' employer attractiveness. Examining firms from various European countries, we find that top management team nationality diversity is positively associated with firms' employer attractiveness for foreign job seekers. We also show that a firm's efforts to promote diversity mediate the relationship between TMT nationality diversity and employer attractiveness. We therefore advance the academic debate on diversity as an employer branding tool and a means to enhance employer attractiveness. In practical terms, we also provide valuable insights for firms wishing to transform into (more) diverse entities.

At the beginning of 2006, one of the biggest takeovers in the sporting goods industry took place: the leading German sporting goods company Adidas acquired its U.S. competitor Reebok. Building on an analysis of the sporting goods industry and the characteristics of Adidas and Reebok, the present case study explores the complexities of the cross-border acquisition. It outlines not only the motives and risks associated with the acquisition but also some major consequences for Adidas’ and Reebok’s strategy, structure and culture. In particular, the case study examines the brand positioning of Adidas and Reebok before and after the acquisition as well as the related challenges. Furthermore, it analyses the integration of Reebok into the Adidas Group between 2007 and 2017, especially in the context of increasing levels of competition, such as competition by industry rivals Nike and Under Armour.