Multinational Banks (MNBs) have the potential to drive sustainable growth by prioritising capital allocation, social responsibility, financial inclusion, and fostering a culture of sustainability. Global partnerships are essential in advancing these objectives. Despite their importance, the contribution of MNBs to Sustainable Development Goal 17 - Partnerships for the goals (SDG17) still needs to be explored. This study employs a Systematic Review of Literature (SLR) using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology (Page et al., 2021b,a) to identify, screen, and evaluate relevant literature from 2015 to 2023. While some studies illustrate the positive impacts of MNBs on sustainability through financial inclusion, infrastructure development, and capacity-building initiatives, other studies highlight challenges such as governance and funding constraints that impede effective SDG implementation. Additionally, this review uncovers a notable gap in the literature regarding the formal involvement of MNBs in SDG17,i.e., Banking Social Responsibility (BSR), with few studies addressing this aspect directly.

The convergence of factors such as climate change, geopolitical tensions, and recent global disruptive events has heightened the complexity of international procurement decisions. Adopting a behavioral lens, this study explores how individual characteristics and cognitive biases influence procurement managers’ decision-making processes in navigating the trade-off between resilience and sustainability. By examining these biases and their impact on managers’ strategic evaluations, this research seeks to fill a critical gap in understanding managerial decision-making process within the context of international market dynamics. Preliminary findings reveal that age and industry-specific factors significantly shape procurement managers' strategic decisions. This paper aims to offer practical insights for firms, aligning managerial tendencies with organizational goals and guiding decision-making amid uncertainties in the global business arena.

This study explores how a firm’s foreign operation that was motivated by a notion of sustainability fell short of advancing sustainable development in the host country and considers contributing factors to the shortcomings. It draws on the framework of sustainability governance from the global value chain perspective while revisiting the concept of immiserizing growth.

The paper adopts a case study design relating to a Japanese hand sanitiser manufacturer, Saraya, and its FDI in Uganda. Saraya’s scope for sustainability and its approach to the host-country context are analysed through content analysis of archival data.

Although Saraya has been successful in promoting its business in Uganda alongside hand-washing campaigns focusing on hygiene practices, its narrow scope of sustainability has failed to address wider issues at the macro level, especially on sugarcane farmers who are positioned at the bottom of the value chain.

The paper provides a unique case of Japanese FDI in Africa, which is largely understudied. Our study demonstrates the case firm’s efforts and shortcomings through its FDI that was intended to contribute to sustainability. By considering the context-specific factors, the study also sheds light on the nexus between value chains and poverty in the host country during the coronavirus pandemic.

Amidst the heightened imperative for multinational enterprises (MNEs) to implement substantial corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions, they encounter a multifaceted array of fragmented environmental and social laws, regulations, and expectations across different countries. This heterogeneity poses considerable challenges to crafting CSR strategies that are both effective and compliant within local jurisdictions. This study examines how emerging market MNEs (EMNEs) address the complexities of cross-border institutional environments by engaging in institutional works to manage and mitigate conflicts at the micro/local level. Through a multi-case analysis of ten Chinese MNEs operating in Australia, we identify two key home-country meso-level constrains and eight distinct practices of institution creation, maintenance and disruption employed by these subsidiaries, ranging from delineating boundaries and responsibilities to decoupling organization from implementation. These practices help reconcile internal conflicts and adapt operations to effectively - or ineffectively - implement localised CSR practices in developed host markets. Based on our findings, we propose a typology that enriches the theoretical understanding of the convergence versus divergence in MNE CSR by integrating the dimensions of home-based meso-level institutions and institutional works into the formation of cross-border CSR strategies.