Power and Enterprise

Abstract

This thesis examines the interplay between State Power and Multinational Enterprise behavior at the intersection of International Relations and International Business. Adopting a Realist framework emphasizing anarchy, security, and power competition, integrated with Dunning’s OLI paradigm (ownership, location, and internalization advantages), it addresses the question: How do the observed actions of multinational enterprises challenge or reinforce prevailing theories in International Relations and International Business, and under what conditions does an integrated Realist–OLI mechanism best explain outcomes? Using a qualitative multiple case study design, the analysis draws on historical and contemporary examples—the Dutch East India Company, United Fruit Company, Huawei, and Emirates Airlines—to explore coproduced outcomes through theoretical triangulation, chronological narratives, and cross-case synthesis. Findings reveal patterns of convergence, such as state-corporate symbiosis and control of strategic chokepoints, enabling mutual gains in power and profit, alongside divergences like asymmetric time horizons and moral hazards that expose tensions in agency and logic. These dynamics highlight Multinational Enterprises as pivotal actors in geopolitical arenas, blurring state-firm boundaries and fostering institutional innovations like charters and compliance architectures. This thesis contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship by refining a hybrid framework while reflecting on the evolution of sovereignty in a fragmenting world order.