The Legality Acquisition Mechanism for Grain and Oil Enterprises “Going Out” within the Scope of the Belt and Road Initiative: A Case Study of Xi’an Aiju Group
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/qwjgeg18Keywords:
The Belt and Road, Grain and Oil Enterprises, Organizational Legitimacy, Aiju GroupAbstract
The “Belt and Road” initiative has afforded Chinese grain and oil enterprises significant opportunities for global expansion. However, these enterprises encounter considerable challenges in securing organizational legitimacy within host countries. This paper utilizes a three-level coding method grounded in theory, employing Xi’an Aiju Group as a case study. The research refines an “institutional-social-operational-sustainable four-dimensional synergistic legitimacy dynamic model”, unveiling the evolutionary trajectory of legitimacy from “compliance entry” to “symbiotic integration”. The findings suggest that attaining organizational legitimacy is a dynamic process that balances institutional breakthroughs, social symbiosis, capability demonstrations, and strategic bindings. This perspective contributes to a novel theoretical understanding of the mechanisms by which Chinese enterprises secure legitimacy during their global expansion. Furthermore, it provides valuable insights into other enterprises’ international practices in countries along the “Belt and Road” route.
Downloads
References
[1] M. Weber, Economy and society: an Outline of Interpretive Sociology. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978.
[2] W. R. Scott, Institutions and Organizations: Ideas, Interests and Identities, 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc, 2013.
[3] M. C. Suchman, “Managing Legitimacy: Strategic and Institutional Approaches,” The Academy of Management Review, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 571–610, 1995.
[4] G. George, L. Dahlander, S. D. Graffin, and S. Sim, “Reputation and Status: Expanding the Role of Social Evaluations in Management Research,” Academy of Management Journal, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 1–13, Feb. 2016.
[5] X. Yu, X. Meng, Y. Chen, Y. Chen, and B. Nguyen, “Work-family conflict, organizational ambidexterity and new venture legitimacy in emerging economies,” Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 135, pp. 229–240, Oct. 2018.
[6] J. V. Singh, D. J. Tucker, and R. J. House, “Organizational Legitimacy and the Liability of Newness,” Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 2, p. 171, Jun. 1986.
[7] H. E. Aldrich and C. M. Fiol, “Fools Rush in? the Institutional Context of Industry Creation,” Academy of Management Review, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 645–670, Oct. 1994.
[8] E. T. Tornikoski and S. L. Newbert, “Exploring the Determinants of Organizational emergence: a Legitimacy Perspective,” Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 311–335, Mar. 2007.
[9] J.-P. Vergne, “Toward a New Measure of Organizational Legitimacy: Method, Validation, and Illustration,” Organizational Research Methods, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 484–502, Apr. 2010.
[10] M. T. Dacin, C. Oliver, and J.-P. Roy, “The Legitimacy of Strategic alliances: an Institutional Perspective,” Strategic Management Journal, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 169–187, 2007.
[11] I. Filatotchev and C. Nakajima, “Corporate Governance, Responsible Managerial Behavior, and Corporate Social Responsibility: Organizational Efficiency Versus Organizational Legitimacy?,” Academy of Management Perspectives, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 289–306, Aug. 2014.
[12] H. Herlin, “Better Safe than Sorry,” Business & Society, vol. 54, no. 6, pp. 822–858, Jan. 2013.
[13] E. Colleoni, “CSR Communication Strategies for Organizational Legitimacy in Social Media,” Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 228–248, Apr. 2013.
[14] K. U. Shah, “Organizational Legitimacy and the Strategic Bridging Ability of Green Alliances,” Business Strategy and the Environment, vol. 20, no. 8, pp. 498–511, Feb. 2011.
[15] J. D. Byrd and A. Landry, “Distinguishing Community Benefits: Tax Exemption versus Organizational Legitimacy,” Journal of Healthcare Management, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 66–78, Jan. 2012.
[16] Y. Y. Yu and Q. Mei, "The impact of industrial cluster relationship embeddedness on new venture performance through the mediating role of organizational legitimacy," J. Manage. Sci., vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 697-706, 2016. (in Chinese)
[17] Y. B. Wu, W. Han, and Y. F. Shao, “Digital platform capabilities, novel business model innovation, and growth of new ventures,” Res. Dev. Manage., vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 71-84, Jun. 2023. (in Chinese)
[18] F. Q. Zhao, S. Y. Hu, Y. Chen, and Q. Zhou, “The impact of entrepreneurial narratives on entrepreneurial performance: The role of organizational ambidexterity, resource acquisition, and rhetorical strategies,” Nankai Business Review, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 4-17, 2024. (in Chinese)
[19] J. Q. Su, Y. M. Zhang, and J. J. Lin, "The 'expel from the car' legalization strategy and its construction mechanism when Chinese enterprises enter emerging fields," Sci. Sci. Technol. Manage., vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 70-86, May 2019. (in Chinese)
[20] J. C. Scott and B. G. Glaser, “The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research.,” American Sociological Review, vol. 36, no. 2, p. 335, Apr. 1971.
[21] K. M. Eisenhardt, “Building Theories from Case Study Research,” The Academy of Management Review, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 532–550, 1989.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Academic Journal of Management and Social Sciences

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.