The purpose of this paper is to assess how the transfer of explicit and tacit knowledge is affected by the knowledge disseminative capacity of a foreign parent firm, with an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess how the transfer of explicit and tacit knowledge is affected by the knowledge disseminative capacity of a foreign parent firm, with an emphasis on the moderating role of psychic distance, by developing and testing a theoretical model of international joint venture (IJV) learning.
Design/methodology/approach
The author tested the hypotheses with survey data collected from 199 IJVs in South Korea, estimating a structural equation model using AMOS 23.0.
Findings
The author found that the capacity of the foreign parent to disseminate knowledge to the IJV has a greater impact on explicit knowledge transfer than tacit knowledge transfer. He also found that the relationship between disseminative capacity and explicit knowledge transfer is significantly moderated by psychic distance, but the relationship between disseminative capacity and tacit knowledge transfer is not.
Originality/value
The results are critical for IJVs and parent firms seeking to improve knowledge transfer, as they establish the importance of parent firms’ disseminative capacities and the moderating role of psychic distance in the process of both tacit and explicit knowledge transfer. This research addresses the research gap regarding disseminative capacity by providing empirical evidence.
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Chansoo Park, Chang Hoon Oh and Azilah Kasim
The purpose of this paper is to advance a theoretical framework that incorporates the relationship between market challenge and learning and customer orientations, and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to advance a theoretical framework that incorporates the relationship between market challenge and learning and customer orientations, and the influence of these orientations on innovativeness in an international joint venture (IJV) context.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors estimate a structural equation model utilizing survey data collected from 199 IJVs in the Republic of Korea.
Findings
The authors found that while market challenge does not influence learning orientation in IJVs, it does have a significant positive influence on customer orientation. Further, the authors’ findings support that both learning orientation and customer orientation have positive impacts on IJV innovativeness. Another interesting finding shows that the impact of learning orientation on IJV innovativeness is significant only when IJVs have high levels of interaction with parent firms. The study also reveals that having a strong learning orientation amplifies the impact of customer orientation on innovativeness in IJVs.
Originality/value
Despite increased interest in IJVs, there has been relatively little work linking IJV innovativeness with learning and customer orientations. The study contributes to recent streams of research that seek to understand the role of these orientations in IJV innovativeness.
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Chansoo Park, Ilan Vertinsky and Chol Lee
The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a theoretical model to examine how exchange climate attributes and contextual factors between two parent firms in an international…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a theoretical model to examine how exchange climate attributes and contextual factors between two parent firms in an international joint venture (IJV) affect tacit knowledge transfer. The authors investigate how this tacit knowledge, which comprises international marketing expertise, knowledge about foreign cultures and tastes and managerial practices, impacts IJV performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on data from a survey of IJV managers in 326 Korean firms from a variety of industries, structural equation modeling (AMOS 18.0) is used to test the authors’ hypotheses.
Findings
The findings show that conflict resolution and cooperation positively affect tacit knowledge transfer, but communication does not. It was found that the difference in the relative levels of economic development in the environments of partners significantly influences tacit knowledge acquisition, but cultural distance does not. Tacit knowledge acquisition positively influences IJV performance.
Originality/value
The paper fills a gap in the literature by articulating the relationships between exchange climate attributes and tacit knowledge acquisition. Exchange climate, characterized by behavioral processes that directly impact knowledge transfer, constitutes an important missing link in prior research about tacit knowledge transfer. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the dynamic relationships among relational capital, exchange climate and tacit knowledge transfers. The model the authors develop and test has important implications for the design of organizational processes that facilitate tacit knowledge transfer.