Y’ello Africa internationalisation of an emerging market multinational : a case study of South Africa's MTN Group

Abstract

Motivation for this research was driven by the fact that even though telecommunications is regarded as the primary sector driving overall infrastructure development in emerging economies, it is acknowledged that the area of telecommunications internationalisation is relatively new. The MTN Group’s internationalisation strategy on the African continent was used as the object of study. Drawbacks to traditional theories were explored in terms of fast-paced internationalisation. A conceptual framework (figure 2.1) was created from loosely-held concepts extracted from the literature review. Qualitative data analysis of the in-depth interviews conducted with 15 respondents in executive and senior roles, revealed a validation of the constructs in the conceptual framework as factors influencing MTN’s internationalisation strategy. The conceptual framework that emerged from the findings was found to represent an integrated view of the dynamism in which micro (entry mode, entry timing, firm size, and entrepreneurial proclivity) and macro (institutional development, culture, and country of origin effects) level constructs simultaneously influenced MTN’s rapid internationalisation on the African continent. Copyright