Insights @ CEM Magazine

The decision to expand internationally for emerging market companies is often attributed to a desire to escape the constraints of home environments, particularly weak rule of law, underdeveloped financial markets, inconsistent regulatory enforcement, and limited access to capital. However, recent research by Jialin Du and Eric Yanfei Zhao also reveals that a company's standing within its home country can be significantly enhanced by expanding abroad, particularly to developed markets, such as those in Europe and North America.

Global value chains often rely on labor in low-income countries, where gender inequality persists. Shengwen Li and Anthony Goerzen studied a Village Savings & Loan Association (VSLA) intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo's artisanal mining communities. The NGO-led project aimed to empower women through financial access, legal gold sales, and leadership opportunities. While the initiative initially improved women's confidence and economic standing, these gains diminished once NGO support ended. The study highlights both the potential and limitations of targeted interventions, emphasizing the need for long-term, sustainable strategies to ensure enduring improvements in gender equality within global value chains.

For decades, the innovation pipeline for multinational corporations (MNCs) largely flowed in one direction, from global R&D centers in developed economies to emerging market subsidiaries. The role of local R&D units in emerging markets were typically limited to adapting existing products for local tastes or finding ways to reduce costs. The assumption was that sophisticated “lead customers” and cutting-edge external experts resided primarily in developed markets, making them the natural epicenters of innovation. However, recent research challenges this paradigm, revealing how emerging market R&D units can become powerful engines for global innovation.

The Spring 2024 issue of Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets brings together researchers from Northeastern University and the broader global academic community to explore a diverse set of topics including sustainability, trade policy, supply chains, family business and global leadership in emerging markets. These topics shed light on sustainable growth opportunities in emerging markets and the pivotal roles that both regional and multinational firms play in supporting that growth.

Read the fourth issue of Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets, bringing together researchers from Northeastern University and the broader global academic community to explore the topic of sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility in emerging markets. Understanding these concepts enables managers and policymakers to make ethical decisions, safeguard long-term business success, and effectively handle the unique socio-environmental contexts of these key growth areas.

Read the third issue of Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets, bringing together researchers from across Northeastern University to examine topics such as innovation in Chinese management, cultural agility, the challenges of informal entrepreneurship, shifts in global supply chain management, the future of healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa, reverse innovation, and the locational effects of the United Nations Environment Programme in Kenya.

Read the second issue of Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets, bringing together researchers from the fields of corporate governance, accounting, entrepreneurship, international business, and legal studies to explore topics such as corruption in transition economies, how blockchain is modernizing global supply chains, and the impact of developmental assistance on entrepreneurship.

Read the first issue of Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets, bringing together international business and strategy experts examining topics such as foreign direct investment in China, the role of multinational companies in sustainable development, and corporate governance in the Middle East.