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The authors investigate conditions that drive innovation performance in foreign-owned subsidiaries. The authors study five variables affecting innovation performance: organizational agility and digital capabilities as the main drivers and competencies and embeddedness in internal and external networks as complementary antecedents of innovation.

The authors draw on the neo-configurational perspective and apply fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to empirically test survey data from subsidiaries located in the emerging economies of Thailand and Vietnam.

While the authors find no single condition on its own determining innovation performance, the authors do find that in concert they form four configurations of high innovation performance. The results indicate that all configurations contain competencies, as well as that subsidiaries should prioritize between internal and external networks to complement agility, digital capabilities, to achieve high innovation performance. The authors also reveal intriguing contextual differences in the innovation performance configurations between the two host countries.

By incorporating causal complexity as well as substitutability and complementarity of innovation drivers, the authors extend the current understanding of subsidiary innovation performance outcomes.

Although organizational identification has been recognized as crucial for multinational enterprises, its configurations regarding innovation performance at the subsidiary level have hitherto received scant attention. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to identify the types of configurations in which organizational identification in foreign-owned subsidiaries leads to high innovation performance.

We base our research on social identity theory and the neo-configurational perspective to test our framework using survey data collected from subsidiaries located in Thailand and Vietnam.

Our results provide evidence that organizational identification serves as a glue that binds strong inter- and intra-organizational network relationships to drive innovation performance. While we find some variation in that pattern between the two host countries, it appears overall that the conditions of expatriates in top management and the geographic distance between home and host country only play a peripheral role. We identify the “integrated innovation driver” and “distant local hub” as two subsidiary archetypes that show how organizational identity can drive high innovation performance in subsidiaries.

This study is one of the first to empirically investigate the main complementing factors in the context of organizational identification and innovation in foreign-owned subsidiaries, which have previously predominantly been investigated in isolation of each other.

This research investigates performance determinants of service sector foreign-owned subsidiaries located in an emerging market. The focus is on the two dimensions of organizational networks (Who do you know?) and competencies (What do you know?).

Data were collected via a large-scale survey of managing directors located in the midrange emerging economy of Taiwan. The data are analyzed using partial least squares structured equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) techniques.

The results show the importance of intraorganizational network strength as a key determinant of subsidiary performance, and that combinations of interorganizational network strength and competencies can determine performance in several subsidiaries.

This article offers new insights by testing a theoretical framework based on network perspective and the competence-based view of the firm in an emerging market context. It also offers an additional twist by employing symmetric (PLS-SEM) and nonsymmetric (fsQCA) methods to test the framework. This allows to arrive at robust conclusions about the complementarity and substitutability of the applied theories. This research also contributes to the current literature by providing fine-grained insights into the nature and impact of competencies and networks. It is also one of the few studies to focus specifically on service sector subsidiaries.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of networks and autonomy in competence development of foreign-owned subsidiaries (FOS) located in Taiwan.

Survey data have been collected from FOS located in the mid-range emerging economy of Taiwan and analysed using structured equation modelling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) techniques.

The results show that decision-making autonomy and intra-organisational networks are important factors for primary and support competence development. However, by using fsQCA technique the authors also show that many subsidiaries differ from that main pattern. For instance, local business and non-business networks can also contribute to primary competence development, but only in high autonomy subsidiaries.

The originality of this paper lies in the detailed investigation of how fine grained network relationship strengths (intra-, business-, non-business local networks) affect different levels of subsidiary competencies (primary and support activities). The authors also provide novelty in applying a combination of symmetric (structural-equation modelling – partial least squared) and non-symmetric (fsQCA) analytical techniques.

This study explores how customers' individual characteristics and perceptions affect acceptance of service robots as a hotel workforce. The Interactive Technology Acceptance Model (iTAM) has inspired us to investigate effects of customers' technological self-efficacy, perceived interactivity, sense of utility, and enjoyment-level of acceptance related to hotel-service robots as staff.

Data were collected from 224 customers via an online questionnaire conducted in the period April–June 2022 by convenience sampling, and then analyzed by using partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The findings show that customers' technological self-efficacy and perceived interactivity with service robots enhances perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment, serving as functional and emotional value components of service robots. They also demonstrate that robot's interactivity outweighs other robot's value components, such as perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment for acceptance of service robots as employees in hotels.

While empirically validating the iTAM, this study emphasizes service robot interactivity as the most important aspect for customers' acceptance, and it adds a new perspective regarding the underexplored role of the customer-robot interface. Combining specific dimensions from different technology acceptance models (functional/socio-emotional/relational; utilitarian/hedonic) the study contributes to the service robot literature currently missing a more holistic understanding of consumers' experience and adoption drivers, and it provides managerial guidance on how to successfully implement service robots in hotel environments.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of network relationship strength and subsidiary initiatives on the headquarters value added and performance in foreign-owned subsidiaries.

This study is based on survey data collected from foreign-owned subsidiaries located in Thailand. The authors use symmetric structured equation modelling partial least squared (SEM-PLS) and asymmetric fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) techniques to analyse the data.

The authors found that intra-organisational relationship strength is one of the key determinants for high headquarter value added. They also found that headquarter value added plays a crucial role in explaining subsidiary performance. The role of subsidiary initiatives seem overall less pronounced than initially thought.

The originality of this study lies in the conceptual framework based on networks and subsidiary initiatives. This is one of the few studies that empirically tests headquarters value-added determinants in subsidiaries located in an emerging market. Furthermore, the authors use SEM-PLS and fsQCA to look beyond more commonly tested symmetric associations.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate what role national top management team diversity (TMTD) plays in foreign-owned subsidiary performance. The authors develop a conceptual framework based on the asset bundling model and the neo-configurational perspective to argue that the impact of TMTD on subsidiary performance depends on its conjunction with other assets.

The authors test our framework on a sample of subsidiaries located in the emerging economies of Thailand and Taiwan. The authors utilise structural equation modelling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis techniques.

The results indicate that TMTD can contribute and hurt subsidiary performance depending on its bundling with other assets such as organisational network strength, competencies, as well as regional and cultural differences between the home and host country.

This is one of the first studies to empirically test the asset bundling model in the context of national TMTD in foreign-owned subsidiaries using a configurational approach.

The purpose of this study is to expand our understanding of performance determinants in foreign-owned subsidiaries (FOSs) located in an emerging economy.

A survey has been conducted of all known FOSs in Taiwan.

The results show that intra-organisational relationships and subsidiary competences are positively associated with various performance dimensions. Being located in a global city, as well as geographically distant from the home country, seem to have the opposite impact. The moderating factors of subsidiary age and authority are partially relevant.

This study is based on a cross-sectional sample of FOSs in Taiwan.

The study shows that in an emerging market context, being strongly linked with the rest of the multinational enterprises might still be more conducive to subsidiary performance than venturing out. This is an important consideration, given the constant resource constraints for managers.

This study highlights important factors that ought to be taken into consideration by policymakers to attract suitable foreign direct investment.

This study provides a comprehensive test of major performance determinants for FOSs located in an emerging economy.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderation effect of strategic knowledge management (SKM) on the relationship between three components of intellectual capital (IC) and firm innovation and market performance. The authors argue that specific combinations of IC components and SKM activities can lead to higher innovation and market performance. It is also trying to assist companies to capitalize on both their IC and SKM.

Survey data have been collected from 101 Serbian companies, and these have been analyzed by using structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) techniques.

The SEM results show that structural capital and relational capital have a direct effect on innovation performance. Although, there is no significant direct effect of human capital on innovation performance, the relationship becomes significant when moderated by SKM. The effects of human and structural capital on innovation performance are negatively moderated by SKM activities, while SKM positively moderates the effect of relational capital on innovation performance, but remained insignificant. Moreover, the insights from fsQCA show a clear pattern of equifinality, in that there are multiple combinations of static and dynamic conditions that can lead to higher innovation and market performance.

Two separate research fields of “static” IC and “dynamic” knowledge management have been combined in one integrated framework. From a methodological perspective, symmetric and asymmetric statistical tools have been combined to better understand contingency and interactions. This approach contributes to the literature and potentially offers a better understanding of how static intangible assets should be enabled by dynamic knowledge-based managerial activities to achieve high performance. The paper demonstrates that SKM capability matters with only a specific constellation of IC resources and therefore suggests a novel explanation for performance variances.

The purpose of this paper is to understand communication strategies formed by multinational subsidiaries in a transition economy during disruptive events. The authors develop and test a framework based on political realism and situational crisis communication theory (SCCT).

The authors collect and analyze communication statements from multinational subsidiaries located in Russia and made in the first two months (March–April, 2022) of the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

This study’s main findings are twofold. First, this study extends SCCT by showing that multinational subsidiaries use communication strategies that go beyond the traditional categories of diminish, rebuild and bolster. In particular, this study identifies so-called “shut the door” and “burning bridges” methods as possible industrial and home country contingent communication strategies. Second, this study shows that possession of a political realism lens provides us with powerful communication strategies made requisite during disruptive events.

The results provide practical hands-on advice for subsidiary managers on how to communicate effectively and efficiently during disruptive events such as the one described. This study offers novel communication strategies that help to understand the wider implications for managers in both home and host countries.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first papers to apply SCCT and political realism to a current disruptive event for multinational enterprises, i.e. the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict. In that context, this study expands both perspectives by highlighting their complementarities and their conceptual boundaries. The authors can base those insights on two unique and purpose-built databases of multinational subsidiary characteristics in Russia-proper.