Journal of Management Research and Review (JMRR) · Research article · Open access
Entry Mode Choice by Emerging Market Multinationals: A Review of Theory, Evidence, and Unresolved Debates
Raja Muneeb Anwar, Syeda Fatima Hussain, Rezwan Hossain
27 August 2026 · Vol. 2, Issue 8, pp. 700-702
DOI: 10.65150/EP-jmrr/V2E8/2026-17
Download full text (PDF)Cite this article
What is this article about?
The international expansion of emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) has become one of the defining features of the global economy, yet the theoretical apparatus of international business — developed largely from the experience of Western multinationals — fits EMNE behaviour imperfectly. This review synthesises three decades of research on foreign market entry mode choice and evaluates how well its core frameworks (transaction cost economics, the eclectic paradigm, institutional theory, and the resource-based and learning perspectives) explain the observed strategies of EMNEs.
Article at a glance
- Published
- 27 August 2026
- Volume / issue / pages
- Vol. 2, Issue 8, pp. 700-702
- ISSN
- 3051-3588 (online) · 3051-357X (print)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 — free to read and reuse with attribution
- Peer review
- Double-blind, at least two independent reviewers
- Publisher
- EP Journals Group
Abstract
The international expansion of emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) has become one of the defining features of the global economy, yet the theoretical apparatus of international business — developed largely from the experience of Western multinationals — fits EMNE behaviour imperfectly. This review synthesises three decades of research on foreign market entry mode choice and evaluates how well its core frameworks (transaction cost economics, the eclectic paradigm, institutional theory, and the resource-based and learning perspectives) explain the observed strategies of EMNEs. The review documents systematic divergences between theoretical predictions and EMNE behaviour: a greater willingness to enter institutionally difficult markets, heavier reliance on partnership-based modes, springboard acquisitions aimed at asset acquisition rather than asset exploitation, and internationalisation sequences that compress or invert the incremental stages predicted by process models. The paper organises competing explanations of these divergences, identifies the conditions under which conventional theory retains predictive power, and sets out an agenda for research on entry mode dynamics — mode change over time — which remains the least developed area of the field.
Keywords: entry mode, emerging market multinationals, internationalisation, transaction cost economics, institutional theory, springboard perspective, literature review
Cite this article
Raja Muneeb Anwar, Syeda Fatima Hussain, & Rezwan Hossain (2026). Entry Mode Choice by Emerging Market Multinationals: A Review of Theory, Evidence, and Unresolved Debates. Journal of Management Research and Review, 2(8), 700-702. https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jmrr/V2E8/2026-17
@article{Raja2026,
title = {Entry Mode Choice by Emerging Market Multinationals: A Review of Theory, Evidence, and Unresolved Debates},
author = {Raja Muneeb Anwar and Syeda Fatima Hussain and Rezwan Hossain},
journal = {Journal of Management Research and Review},
year = {2026},
volume = {2},
number = {8},
pages = {700-702},
doi = {10.65150/EP-jmrr/V2E8/2026-17},
url = {https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jmrr/V2E8/2026-17}
}Questions about this article
Who wrote this article?
Raja Muneeb Anwar, Syeda Fatima Hussain, Rezwan Hossain.
Where and when was it published?
In Journal of Management Research and Review, Volume 2, Issue 8, pages 700-702, published by EP Journals Group on 27 August 2026.
Is this article free to read?
Yes. It is open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) licence, so anyone can read, share and reuse it with attribution.
What is the DOI of this article?
10.65150/EP-jmrr/V2E8/2026-17 (https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jmrr/V2E8/2026-17).
How do I cite this article?
APA: Raja Muneeb Anwar, Syeda Fatima Hussain, & Rezwan Hossain (2026). Entry Mode Choice by Emerging Market Multinationals: A Review of Theory, Evidence, and Unresolved Debates. Journal of Management Research and Review, 2(8), 700-702. https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jmrr/V2E8/2026-17
More research from JMRR
- Responsible Governance of Artificial Intelligence in the Design and Delivery of Higher Education Curricula in Vietnam
Nguyễn Văn Thản · Oct 2026
- From Open Educational Resources to an Open Learning Resource Ecosystem in the AI Era: Policy Implications for Vietnamese Higher Education
Nguyễn Thị Tuyết · Oct 2026
- University Lecturers’ Digital Competence and Training Quality in the Context of Generative Artificial Intelligence: An Integrative Review and Proposed Impact Framework
Lý Bích Ngọc · Oct 2026
- Challenges Analysis on Digitalization and Digital Platforms Adoption of Small Business Enterprises That Engaged in the Takeaway Industry—Evidence from Auckland
Kassim M. Mohammed · Oct 2026
- The Effect of Green Human Resource Management on Green Work Performance in Manufacturing Enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City
Le Thi Cam Tu · Oct 2026