The Hybrid Imperative and Its Discontents: Multinational Corporations, Localisation Strategies, and Development in Africa

Abstract

The strategic imperative for MNCs to balance global integration with local adaptation is a basic assumption of international business. Yet, the application and outcomes of this hybrid model are still critically underexplored in the case of Africa. This paper explores the localisation strategy of MNCs operating within the consumer goods and fast-food industries across South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania. Utilising a qualitative multi-case study approach, it juxtaposes the operational, marketing, and corporate social responsibility strategies of firms such as KFC and Coca-Cola. Results identify an emergent taxonomy: while technological and marketing adaptations abound, often successful, as in the case of KFC's use of Zenput and micro-influencer campaigns. The implementation of labour standards often fails; similarly, CSR initiatives vary from transformative social embeddedness, such as KFC's Add Hope, to more criticised "soft marketing" efforts, as evident in Coca-Cola's water projects. The paper concludes that the effectiveness of the hybrid model is not inherent but rather a function of its implementation. It calls for a co-development paradigm in which MNC performance would be measured by its ability to build equitable partnerships, ensure radical transparency, and align its core operations with SDGs so as to address deep-seated critiques of neo-colonialism and corruption.