Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the formal political, legal and economic institutional legitimacy challenges for (US-based) multinational corporations (MNCs) attempting to enter the Cuban market, discuss the key local constituencies in Cuba that are able to grant legitimacy and sketch out respective strategies to deal with each of these formal institutional challenges. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach comprising semi-structured executive interviews was used, combined with the analysis of media accounts and recent governmental policies and developments. The authors interpreted the gathered data and information based on institutional theory. Findings This paper sketches out specific legitimacy challenges for (US-based) MNCs when entering Cuba and discusses strategies to manage these challenges.
Originality/value This paper is an original application of institutional theory to the emerging market of Cuba using a qualitative research approach, and so contributes to an emerging stream of research studying this market context from an academic and practical perspective.
