Media as nonmarket influencer in international business

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Luo, Yadong; Zhang, Anlan; Fang, Tony
• 署名单位: University of Miami; Hong Kong Metropolitan University; Stockholm University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/s41267-026-00887-2
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: social media; news; coverage; GLOBALIZATION; COMMUNICATION; OPPORTUNITIES; INFORMATION; legitimacy; EVOLUTION; exposure

摘要

Media has emerged as a powerful yet under-theorized force shaping the nonmarket environments of multinationals (MNEs), particularly amid intensifying geopolitical tensions and ideological polarization. Drawing on mass communication theory, we conceptualize media, encompassing both institutional news media and social media platforms, as a distinct nonmarket influencer that actively constructs legitimacy, propagates geopolitical narratives, and accelerates public sentiment across borders. We develop a framework that explicates the pathways through which media reconfigures nonmarket influences facing MNEs, including legitimacy arbitration, geopolitical narrative, sentiment cascades, and shaping liabilities of foreignness and origin across interconnected home, host, and global arenas. We advance media literacy as a form of corporate soft power that enables MNEs to sense media-driven threats, seize narrative opportunities, and reconfigure communication structures as part of an integrated nonmarket strategy and corporate diplomacy. By repositioning media as a constitutive force rather than a peripheral communication channel, we present a foundation for understanding how MNEs develop their capacity to anticipate media-driven risks, manage legitimacy across borders, and adapt nonmarket strategies under geopolitical and ideological uncertainty. Les m & eacute;dias ont & eacute;merg & eacute; comme une force puissante mais pourtant sous-th & eacute;oris & eacute;e, fa & ccedil;onnant les environnements non marchands des multinationales (MNEs), en particulier dans un contexte de tensions g & eacute;opolitiques croissantes et de polarisation id & eacute;ologique. Nous appuyant sur la th & eacute;orie de la communication de masse, nous conceptualisons les m & eacute;dias, englobant & agrave; la fois les m & eacute;dias d'information institutionnels et les plateformes de m & eacute;dias sociaux, comme un influenceur non marchand distinct qui construit activement la l & eacute;gitimit & eacute;, propage des r & eacute;cits g & eacute;opolitiques, et acc & eacute;l & egrave;re les sentiments publics au-del & agrave; des fronti & egrave;res. Nous d & eacute;veloppons un cadre th & eacute;orique qui explicite les voies par lesquelles les m & eacute;dias reconfigurent les influences non marchandes auxquelles les MNEs sont confront & eacute;es, notamment l'arbitrage de la l & eacute;gitimit & eacute;, les r & eacute;cits g & eacute;opolitiques, les cascades de sentiments, fa & ccedil;onnant les co & ucirc;ts et les handicaps li & eacute;s au statut & eacute;tranger et & agrave; l'origine de l'entreprise & agrave; travers des ar & egrave;nes interconnect & eacute;es : pays d'origine, pays h & ocirc;te et sph & egrave;re globale. Nous pr & eacute;sentons la comp & eacute;tence m & eacute;diatique comme une forme de soft power d'entreprise laquelle permet aux MNEs de d & eacute;tecter les menaces induites par les m & eacute;dias, de saisir les opportunit & eacute;s narratives et de reconfigurer les structures de communication dans le cadre d'une strat & eacute;gie non marchande int & eacute;gr & eacute;e et d'une diplomatie d'entreprise. En repositionnant les m & eacute;dias comme une force constitutive plut & ocirc;t qu'un simple canal de communication p & eacute;riph & eacute;rique, nous posons les bases permettant de comprendre comment les MNEs d & eacute;veloppent leur capacit & eacute; & agrave; anticiper les risques induits par les m & eacute;dias, & agrave; g & eacute;rer la l & eacute;gitimit & eacute; au-del & agrave; des fronti & egrave;res, et & agrave; adapter leurs strat & eacute;gies non marchandes dans un contexte d'incertitude g & eacute;opolitique et id & eacute;ologique. Los medios de comunicaci & oacute;n han emergido como una fuerza poderosa pero insuficientemente teorizada que moldea los entornos no de mercado de las empresas multinacionales (EMN), particularmente en un contexto de crecientes tensiones geopol & iacute;ticas y polarizaci & oacute;n ideol & oacute;gica. Con base en la teor & iacute;a de la comunicaci & oacute;n de masas, conceptualizamos a los medios, tanto los medios informativos institucionales como las plataformas de redes sociales, como un influyente distintivo que construye activamente legitimidad difunde narrativas geopol & iacute;ticas y acelera el sentimiento p & uacute;blico a trav & eacute;s de las fronteras. Desarrollamos un marco anal & iacute;tico que explica los mecanismos mediante los cuales los medios reconfiguran las presiones no de mercado que enfrentan las empresas multinacionales, incluyendo el arbitraje de legitimidad, la configuraci & oacute;n de narrativas geopol & iacute;ticas, las cascadas de sentimiento y la configuraci & oacute;n de las desventajas de extranjer & iacute;a y de origen en los & aacute;mbitos interconectados de origen, destino y global. Proponemos la alfabetizaci & oacute;n medi & aacute;tica como una forma de poder blando corporativo que permite a las empresas multinacionales detectar amenazas impulsadas por los medios, capitalizar oportunidades narrativas y reconfigurar estructuras de comunicaci & oacute;n como parte de una estrategia no de mercado integrada y de la diplomacia corporativa. Al reposicionar a los medios como una fuerza constitutiva, m & aacute;s que como un canal de comunicaci & oacute;n perif & eacute;rico, ofrecemos una base para comprender c & oacute;mo las empresas multinacionales desarrollan su capacidad para anticipar riesgos impulsados por los medios, gestionar la legitimidad transfronteriza y adaptar sus estrategias no de mercado bajo condiciones de incertidumbre geopol & iacute;tica e ideol & oacute;gica. A m & iacute;dia emergiu como uma for & ccedil;a poderosa, embora pouco teorizada, que molda os ambientes n & atilde;o mercadol & oacute;gicos das multinacionais (MNEs), particularmente no contexto do aumento das tens & otilde;es geopol & iacute;ticas e da polariza & ccedil;& atilde;o ideol & oacute;gica. Com base na teoria da comunica & ccedil;& atilde;o de massa, conceitualizamos a m & iacute;dia, abrangendo tanto meios de comunica & ccedil;& atilde;o institucionais quanto plataformas de m & iacute;dia social, como um influenciador n & atilde;o mercadol & oacute;gico distinto que constr & oacute;i ativamente legitimidade, propaga narrativas geopol & iacute;ticas e acelera o sentimento p & uacute;blico al & eacute;m das fronteiras. Desenvolvemos um modelo que explica os caminhos pelos quais a m & iacute;dia reconfigura influ & ecirc;ncias n & atilde;o mercadol & oacute;gicas enfrentadas pelas MNEs, incluindo arbitragem de legitimidade, narrativas geopol & iacute;ticas, cascatas de sentimento e forma & ccedil;& atilde;o da desvantagem de ser estrangeiro e origem em arenas interconectadas de origem, destino e globais. Propomos a habilidade midi & aacute;tica como uma forma de poder corporativo brando que permite & agrave;s MNEs identificar amea & ccedil;as impulsionadas pela m & iacute;dia, aproveitar oportunidades de narrativa e reconfigurar estruturas de comunica & ccedil;& atilde;o como parte de uma estrat & eacute;gia integrada, n & atilde;o mercadol & oacute;gica, & agrave; diplomacia corporativa. Ao reposicionar a m & iacute;dia como uma for & ccedil;a constitutiva, em vez de um canal de comunica & ccedil;& atilde;o perif & eacute;rico, apresentamos uma base para compreender como MNEs desenvolvem sua capacidade de antecipar riscos impulsionados pela m & iacute;dia, gerenciar a legitimidade al & eacute;m das fronteiras e adaptar estrat & eacute;gias n & atilde;o mercadol & oacute;gicas em meio & agrave; incerteza geopol & iacute;tica e ideol & oacute;gica. (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (MNE) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) ((sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)MNE(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)MNE(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)MNE(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).