The International Strategic Alliance (ISA) literature regards trust as a proxy for institutions and a crucial ISA governance mechanism that is influenced by formal and informal institutions. The current study argues that considering trust-building as an informal institution can explain the role of trust and institutions in ISAs more appropriately. I explore institutionalised patterns of behaviour that sway trustworthiness by adopting an interpretive case study approach. The following contributions can be expected. (1) Identifying multilevel patterns for trust-building in ISA governance, which are underexplored in the literature. While previous research identifies trust as a governance mechanism, it does not theorise how to enact that mechanism. (2) Redirecting research on trust from its primary focus on trust antecedents to trust-building behaviours. While numerous multidimensional antecedents were identified in previous studies to improve trust when a trustor is in possession of information about the antecedents, the literature is not able to explain behavioural patterns for obtaining that information. (3) Contributing to further understanding of the interaction between formal and informal institutions and their joint impact on ISA governance. (4) Identifying relevant contexts and contingencies of ISA trust pillars from the perspectives of Global Value Chain (GVC) and industry characteristics.

According to the EU Joint Research Centre, the Steel industry accounts for 5% of CO2 emissions in the EU and 7% globally. Current production locations in Europe were historically determined; a legacy based on available technologies in the past and associated competitive advantages of coastal and inland locations, combined with access to markets and end- customers. With the implementation of the European ETS Phase 4 and the EU Green Deal, the European Steel industry is forced to lower its CO2 footprint to 55% of 1990 levels. At the same time a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is being implemented to prevent carbon leakage to non-EU countries with lax regulations. These radical changes in the institutional environment require MNEs in the European Steel industry to transform. But how? They are faced with the choice of shifting at least part of their production to countries with lax regulations and to accept the carbon tax, or to adopt new – non-commercialized - technologies, such as electrical metallurgy or hydrogen-based steelmaking. The shift from coal requires both higher utilization of natural gas and increased renewable electricity. This analysis explores how EU MNEs deal with these strategic choices relating to internalizing new technology.

Changes in the income distribution may have a larger causal effect on retail prices in terms of organic food more than conventional food, which can lead to dietary habit disparities in different regions. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the direct impact of regional economic inequality and the mediating effect of price premium on the relationship between economic inequality and organic product takeoff. It also examines the moderating effect of both store-level (i.e., stoe size and catogory assortment) and market-level (i.e., competitive intensity and market turbulence) factors reflecting consumer behavior in the dynamic market, on the relationship between organic premium and product takeoff.