International R&D alliances and innovation for emerging market multinationals: roles of environmental turbulence and knowledge transfer
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
ISSN: 0885-8624
Article publication date: 5 March 2019
Issue publication date: 7 October 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between environment turbulence, knowledge transfer and innovation performance for emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) in an asymmetric international R&D alliance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a survey of high-tech firms in Zhejiang Province of China from 2013 to 2015.
Findings
Innovation performance of EMNEs is positively influenced by knowledge transfer activities (knowledge replication and knowledge adaption), technological and market turbulence, while negatively influenced by institutional turbulence. In addition, different aspects of environmental turbulence moderate the relationship between knowledge transfer practices and innovation performance of EMNEs differently.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies could use a longitudinal design to capture the dynamism driving innovation performance of EMNEs through R&D alliances.
Practical implications
Practical guidelines are provided particularly for EMNE managers on how to develop an innovation strategy by leveraging external knowledge, adaptive innovation and environmental turbulence.
Originality/value
This study deepens the knowledge of how EMNEs enhance their innovation by building the linkage between environmental turbulence and absorptive capacity through knowledge transfer activities in an asymmetric international R&D alliance.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “Institutional environment and collaborations/consolidations in B2B”, guest edited by En Xie, Zhi Yang and K.S. Reddy.
This research is partially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (71872161, 71874150, 71732008 & 71872053), The MOE (Ministry of Education) Project of Key Research Initiatives of Humanities and Social Sciences at Chinese Universities (17JZD020) and the Monte Ahuja Endowment Fund for the Chair of Global Business at Cleveland State University, USA. The authors are grateful to three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and developmental inputs which are instrumental in strengthening our paper significantly. Finally, the authors are deeply indebted to the special issue editors, Dr En Xie and Dr Zhi Yang, for their excellent editorial guidance during the entire review process.
Citation
Liu, Y., Deng, P., Wei, J., Ying, Y. and Tian, M. (2019), "International R&D alliances and innovation for emerging market multinationals: roles of environmental turbulence and knowledge transfer", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 34 No. 6, pp. 1374-1387. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-01-2018-0052
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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