Research has emphasized the various factors that impact foreign subsidiary survival and divestment. Using the attention-based view of the multinational enterprise (MNE), in this paper, we first argue that subsidiary density – the number of subsidiaries operated by an MNE in a host country – reduces the attention given to individual subsidiaries by the MNE and can lead to reduced chances of a subsidiary’s survival (or increased chances of divestment). We further argue that this effect will be moderated by the order in which the subsidiary has entered the host market, such that, entering later into the host market will reduce the negative effect of subsidiary density on survival. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 1718 foreign subsidiaries of 255 Finnish MNEs operating in 70 host countries. The empirical results support our conjectures. Our paper contributes to international business literature by emphasizing the influence of attention and commitment of the headquarters (HQ) to the propensities of foreign subsidiary divestment.

As global emphasis on sustainable development intensifies, the synergy between academic research and industry expertise becomes vital for advancing low-carbon technologies. Nevertheless, the prior literature focuses on MNEs' capabilities in collaborating with local universities to promote sustainable development goals, underestimating the critical role of IJVs in leveraging university-industry partnerships. This paper investigates the IJV’s networking capabilities in managing university-industry partnerships to facilitate low-carbon innovation over time. The study delves into how IJVs, as unique collaborative entities between MNEs and local firms, leverage their networking capabilities to link universities' theoretical knowledge and parents' practical, market-driven focus to promote low-carbon innovation. Adopting a longitudinal multiple case study, we conducted data collection in three rounds from 2017 to 2023, featuring 60 semi-structured interviews with 23 informants. Our findings highlight the networking capabilities of IJVs comprising different functionalities for relationship initiation, development and establishment/termination over time. IJVs with reactive networking capabilities participate in joint R&D projects with parents and universities in parent networks to share research outputs addressing common technical problems. In contrast, proactive networking capabilities enable IJVs to actively search, select, extend and deepen IJV-university partnerships from parent networks and independent channels, creating competitive advantages in the existing and prospective low-carbon technology sector.

Since the proposals made by Boschma in 2005, the interrelationship between trust and proximity has been undeniable. However, with the advancement of both literatures over the years, new questions have emerged about the role of these constructs in the practice of international alliances. This article aims to conduct an in-depth review of these themes and correlate them, including the dimension of distrust that has been suppressed from previous analyses. To illustrate our arguments, we present a model that theoretically portrays the possibilities of different configurations of these constructs. We close the discussion with propositions and a research agenda.