On May 18, Dr. Wensong Bai from Faculty of Economics, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University (SMBU) shared his paper research with 30 DBA students. The topic Multinational enterprises’ vulnerability to host country sanctions: A strategy tripod perspective explores why a multinational enterprise (MNE) may be vulnerable to sanctions in foreign countries. By examining the case of H&M and the Chinese sanctions imposed on it, he identified institutional, industry-based, and resource-based factors and their interactive effects that make a company more vulnerable to sanctions. Moreover, the paper provides a more nuanced understanding of the role of various factors in sanction decisions and highlights the importance of ESG considerations for MNEs operating in highly regulated and politically charged environments. The presentation generated an overwhelming response and the students benefited greatly.

Dr. Wensong Bai

Dr. Bai serves as an associate professor at Faculty of Economics, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University (SMBU) and a research fellow at Uppsala University, Sweden and University of Aberdeen, UK. His research interests focus on technology entrepreneurship and innovation (particularly in China's transition economy), and international talent mobility and knowledge transfer between emerging and developed economies. His papers on the above issues have appeared in Journal of World Business, Journal of International Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management and others.