Multinationals in Transnational Social Spaces and Communities: Circular Economy Transition in Global Value Chains

Mohammad B. Rana, Matthew Allen

Research output: Contribution to book/anthology/report/conference proceedingConference abstract in proceedingResearchpeer-review

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) transition has implications for economic and social relations in global value chains that links brands, suppliers, and circularity-related actors from the global North and the South. Much of the existing literature on MNEs and the transition to a CE tends to adopt an economic perspective with an MNE-centric approach considering them to be key protagonists pushing for a more circular economy. By doing so, those literatures tend to downplay how socio-economic relations amongst MNEs, and a broad range of other national and transnational actors, known as transnational social space (TSS), shape MNEs and their supplier’s effort to move towards a more circular economy system. Drawing on the concepts of TSS and transnational communities (TC) we examine how the multi-tier organisational and
global stakeholders’ collective initiative complements MNEs effort to move their supply chains to a circular economy. Using two TSSs in Bangladesh’s apparel industry i.e. ‘Circular Fashion Partnership’ and ‘SWITCH2CE’, as embedded case studies, our study explores three emergent properties (i.e. drivers): (i) actors shared purposes, (ii) shared cognition and logics, and (iii)symbolic change and transformation that shape TSS’s effort to move MNEs supply chain towards a circular economy, potentially leading TSS to a TC. The TSS and TC concepts
facilitate an embedded and contextualized view of MNEs, placing MNEs as one amongst a group of actors; instead of a central actor, who come together to work on a common, yet sometimes contested goal. We, thus, explore the ‘emergent properties’ of moves, by TSS, towards a circular economy in MNEs’ global supply chains; and thereby heed the call by Marano et al. (2024), and present an alternative perspective to IB literature to understand the
multi-tier and multi-stakeholders collaboration in transitioning towards a CE.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEuropean International Business Academy Conference 2024, Helsinki, Finland
Number of pages46
Publication date12 Dec 2024
Publication statusPublished - 12 Dec 2024
EventCREATE Work packages, Circular economy Conceptions, and Apparel Industry Dynamics - Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Duration: 30 Jan 20236 Feb 2023

Workshop

WorkshopCREATE Work packages, Circular economy Conceptions, and Apparel Industry Dynamics
LocationAhsanullah University of Science and Technology
Country/TerritoryBangladesh
CityDhaka
Period30/01/202306/02/2023

Keywords

  • MNEs. circular economy, transnational social space, transnational communities, global value chains, apparel industry.

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