Paper presented at the 6th Copenhagen Conference on: 'Emerging Multinationals': Outward Investment from Emerging Economies, Copenhagen, Denmark, 11-12 October 2018 MARKET-POLITICAL AMBIDEXTERITY AND BUNDLING OF LOCAL RESOURCES AND FOREIGN STRATEGIC ASSETS: A RECIPE FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE? Inge Ivarsson School of Business, Economics & Law - University of Gothenburg Box 610, Vasagatan 1, Building J Floor 8, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden Telephone: +46 31-786 1381; Email:
[email protected] Bent Petersen (corresponding author) Copenhagen Business School Porcelaenshaven 24, 1st Floor, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark Telephone: +45 3815-2510; Email:
[email protected] 0 MARKET-POLITICAL AMBIDEXTERITY AND BUNDLING OF LOCAL RESOURCES AND FOREIGN STRATEGIC ASSETS: A RECIPE FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE? ABSTRACT Through a longitudinal study of Geely’s transformation into a global, privately held Chinese automotive company, we explore the duality of market-political ambidexterity as well as the bundling of local resources with foreign strategic assets. The case study describes the process through which Geely obtains ownership of local resources that complement strategic assets acquired abroad, including the Volvo Car Corporation. We find that access to complementary local resources and the acquisition of foreign strategic assets are closely intertwined and recursive. Our study supports the proposition of the bundling model, which suggests that country-specific advantages are not equally available to all firms. In particular, ownership of local resources in emerging economies hinges on firm-specific aptitudes, including political embeddedness. However, in addition to establishing and maintaining political ties, emerging economy firms have to develop business ties, management skills, and entrepreneurial capabilities in order to leverage strategic foreign assets.