| Summary: | This paper aims to explore the applicability of various concepts in neoinstitutional theory and provocations developed by Kostova, Roth and Dacin (2008) to the context of multi-national corporations (MNCs) using case study approach. In particular, two cases— Carrefour’s and Wal-Mart’s ventures into the Chinese market are chosen. Carrefour and Wal-Mart have so far struggled to extend their oligopolistic dominance to the Chinese market. By using neoinstitutional theory and Kostova’s four provocations, their expansion strategies in China are compared and analysed. We also drew references from academic research papers on the study of Carrefour and Wal-Mart in China to identify other possible factors to explain the deviations from the theoretical framework. Managerial implications in relation to the practice of international expansion strategies are provided based on the findings and conclusions.
Key words: Institutional Theory, MNCs, China, Wal-Mart, Carrefour
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