Title: Strategic micro-lending to create corporate competitive advantage

Authors: Jack T. McCann; Suhanya Aravamudhan; Don McCarren

Addresses: School of Business, Lincoln Memorial University, Room 106 Business and Education Building, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, USA. ' Lincoln Memorial University, Room 121 Business and Education Building, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, USA. ' Lincoln Memorial University, Room 132 Business and Education Building, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, USA

Abstract: Corporate social responsibility in the form of microlending is examined as a means to create comparative advantage in the quest to secure long-term petroleum leases within the developing world. The changing competitive landscape, which now includes sovereign nations, such as China is also discussed in this essay. The long-term role of petroleum in the global context is explored and major assumptions going forward are presented to create alternative strategies from the perspective of the Integrated Oil Companies (IOCs). Microlending is also discussed both from the positive and negative experience of more than four decades. This grass roots strategy seeks to establish long-term relationships with the host countries, which are positive and which avoid the adversarial relationship of the past, such that a true partnership that produces long-term benefit for both parties is the result.

Keywords: corporate strategy; corporate social responsibility; CSR; strategic microlending; microfinance; competitive advantage; long-term leases; petroleum leases; developing countries; sovereign nations; China; alternative strategies; integrated oil companies; grass roots strategies; long-term relationships; host countries; adversarial relationships; partnerships; long-term benefits; business competition; business growth.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBCG.2012.044054

International Journal of Business Competition and Growth, 2012 Vol.2 No.1, pp.21 - 36

Published online: 15 Nov 2014 *

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