Reinterpreting Multinational Enterprises Through a Revitalized Transnational Social Space Perspective: Introduction and Outlook

This introductory paper advocates for a revitalized examination of multinational enterprises (MNEs) through the lens of transnational social spaces (TSSs), arguing that the TSS perspective offers critical insights into how MNEs engage with societal challenges, such as climate change, inequality, and geopolitical shifts. It highlights the underutilization of this perspective in International Business (IB) and Management research on MNEs in the past decade. In past TSS studies, there has been a dual focus when it comes to the role of MNEs: first, TSSs within the MNE, which examines how MNEs internally adapt to and foster TSSs, for example, through diversity management, global talent harnessing, and innovation promotion; and second, the MNE within TSSs, which explores MNEs’ external engagement with global challenges, for example, through corporate diplomacy and transnational community (TC)-building across supply chains. By combining these two views, our volume presents a broader understanding of MNEs, as commonly studied in IB, examining them as both participants in and shapers of TSSs. This paper highlights the significance of the TSS perspective in enhancing our understanding of MNEs’ roles in addressing complex societal challenges, advocating for further theoretical and empirical investigation.