Digitalisation at the Crossroads: Case studies of a Chinese State-Owned MNE in Egypt and Malaysia

This thesis explores how multinational enterprises, particularly state-owned multinational enterprises, manage digitalisation when operating across diverse national contexts. While digital technologies can enhance efficiency and facilitate knowledge sharing across global operations, implementing them internationally is often complex. Differences in digital infrastructure, organisational capabilities, and coordination between headquarters and overseas subsidiaries can slow digitalisation efforts. These challenges are further intensified by tightening digital regulations, techno-nationalism, and rising geopolitical tensions that increasingly shape cross-border business activities. Drawing on case studies and interviews conducted in China, Malaysia, and Egypt, this research identifies key organisational and institutional barriers to digitalisation and highlights the strategies state-owned multinational enterprises adopt to navigate complex international environments.