Dynamics of appropriability and appropriation strategies of innovation case Coca-Cola

Abstract. The phenomenon of the ability to capture the value and profit more from innovation for the inventor itself has attracted the attention of scholars and practitioners. Here, the basic premise of the matter is that innovation becomes a main competitive element for a potential innovator only if s/he is able to appropriate benefits from innovation. The studies show that innovation itself not necessary brings a lot of advantages to the business, rather appropriability or appropriation strategies of innovation are value creators to the business. It was found that different appropriation strategies bring different results to the business. Proper understanding of the use of appropriability mechanisms and appropriation strategies will help to save innovation from imitation and same time will save resources of the company. This study aims to deepen the understanding of the dynamic use of appropriation strategies and appropriability mechanisms. For this research work, the Coca-Cola company has been chosen as an example of successful and innovative business. To implement analysis three elements of the Coca-Cola product have been chosen Merchandise 7x, the bottle of Coca-Cola drink, and a variety of drinks. The data was collected from the various sources with time interval starting from the date of establishment of the company, ending the year 2020. The finding is that the Coca-Cola company was able to protect its own main innovation from imitation for more than 130 years. To succeed in the protection of the innovation various appropriation strategies and appropriability mechanisms were adapted. Also, to protect main innovation complementary assets such as packaging and variety of drinks were chosen. Moreover, the complementary assets were also protected from imitation. The main finding is that appropriation strategies and appropriability mechanisms for the same element were changed during time according to the internal and external changes of the company. This finding is consistent with previous literature suggesting that the use of appropriability mechanisms or appropriation strategies is changing with the evolution of enterprises

The effects of partner protectiveness and transfer capacity on degree of inter-firm technology transfer in international joint ventures

Based on the underlying knowledge-based view (KBV) and organizational learning (OL) perspectives, the main objective of this paper is to empirically examine the effects of two critical elements of technology supplier characteristics: partner protectiveness and transfer capacity on two dimensions of degree of technology transfer: degree of tacit and explicit knowledge. Using the quantitative analytical approach, the theoretical model and hypotheses in this study were tested based on empirical data gathered from 128 joint venture companies registered with the Registrar of Companies of Malaysia (ROC). Data obtained from the survey questionnaires were analyzed using the correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression analyses. The results revealed that partner protectiveness, as the critical element of technology recipient characteristics, has 1) a low significant effect on degrees of tacit knowledge, and 2) no significant effect on degree of explicit knowledge. Nonetheless, transfer capacity showed strong significant effects on both degrees of tacit and explicit knowledge; where the effect on degree of explicit knowledge is slightly stronger that its effect on degree of tacit knowledge. The study has bridged the literature gaps in such that it offers empirical evidence on the effects of two generic technology supplier attributes: partner protectiveness and transfer capacity on degree of inter-firm technology transfer: degree of tacit and explicit knowledge in IJVs

Knowledge transfer to facilitate industrial symbiosis : a case study of UK-China collaborators

Interest in how industrial production could be adapted to promote sustainable development has increased in recent decades worldwide. Industrial symbiosis (where one company’s unwanted materials become the input for another company) is one approach to reducing the environmental impact of production, which itself has attracted widespread policy interest. The UK’s National Industrial Symbiosis Programme has become known internationally as an example of a successful industrial symbiosis initiative, attracting both academic interest and policy imitation. However, the suitability of industrial symbiosis development initiatives to be transferred between geographic contexts is a largely neglected issue in industrial symbiosis literature. Practice replication can be viewed as a knowledge transfer process. In order to address that issue, this study adopts a theoretical framework drawn from the knowledge transfer literature, which suggests that language skills, technical assistance and expertise are among the factors influencing the success of international attempts at practice replication. The knowledge transfer literature, however, has focussed on commercial activity, i.e., firms’ primary activities, not environmental initiatives such as industrial symbiosis. Theoretical framework on knowledge transfer is therefore adopted to study the topic.The research aims to provide a deeper understanding of factors affecting the process of replicating one country’s industrial symbiosis development practice to another. A European Commission funded project replicating the UK’s industrial symbiosis network facilitation approach to the Tianjin Binhai New Area of China has been selected to conduct an in-depth case study. This case study can be viewed as a transnational knowledge transfer practice. In addition, this research used a knowledge transfer perspective to inform an in-depth analysis of the organisation of National Industrial Symbiosis Programme. Also, it conducted the analysis of policy context affecting industrial symbiosis activities in the UK and China to provide a background of industrial symbiosis development in the two countries. Qualitative research methods such as semi-structured interviews and participant observation have been used to collect data.This research contributes to knowledge transfer theory through proposing a knowledge-based model illustrating the process of knowledge development within an organisation and the process of transnational knowledge transfer from the knowledge source to another. Also, factors affecting the process of transnational knowledge transfer have been summarised. In addition, the research provides a deeper understanding of a industrial symbiosis network facilitation approach which has been widely cited as an industrial symbiosis development exemplar. Theoretical contributions could guide future transnational collaborations on replicating good practices for industrial sustainable development

Transferências internas de conhecimento em empresas multinacionais: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

In the current marketplace, characterised by globalisation, proliferation of technology and hostile competition, the exploitation and management of internal knowledge in companies has become the best vehicle for ensuring a differentiated international positioning, developing organisational knowledge bases, improving performance and growth, as well as to increase market responsiveness. Multinational companies face even more challenges in these processes, since they have to manage multiple knowledge transfers between headquarters and subsidiaries, among subsidiaries, and also within each of these units, in very different cultural, geographic and economic scenarios. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to deepen the knowledge about this phenomenon and to uncover the main influencing factors on internal knowledge transfers in multinational companies. Apart from including intra-unit knowledge transfers, this dissertation also analyses transfers between units, namely conventional, horizontal and reverse knowledge transfers. For this purpose, a systematic review of the literature was conducted to synthesise the content of 72 articles. Conclusions were drawn regarding the most recurrent publication years and sources, theoretical foundations, research methods, countries and industries in the literature. Moreover, this dissertation allowed to summarise the results for each type of knowledge transfer, identifying eight thematic categories and 97 topics covered in the literature, thus creating a complete framework of this phenomenon. Some gaps in the literature and contributions to theory, research and management are also highlighted, which will help to advance knowledge in these fields.Nos mercados atuais — marcados pela globalização, pela proliferação da tecnologia e pela competitividade agressiva — a exploração e gestão do conhecimento interno das empresas tornou-se o melhor veículo para assegurar um posicionamento internacional diferenciador, desenvolver a base de conhecimento organizacional, incrementar o desempenho e crescimento das empresas, bem como para aumentar a capacidade de resposta às necessidades dos mercados. As empresas multinacionais atravessam ainda mais desafios na gestão destes processos, pois têm de gerir múltiplas transferências de conhecimento entre sede e subsidiárias, entre subsidiárias e também dentro de cada uma destas unidades organizacionais, em cenários culturais, geográficos e económicos muito distintos. Assim, o objetivo desta dissertação é aprofundar o conhecimento sobre o fenómeno descrito e determinar os principais fatores que influenciam as transferências internas de conhecimento em empresas multinacionais, englobando transferências dentro de uma unidade e transferências entre unidades — incluindo transferências convencionais, horizontais e reversas. Para esse fim, é adotado um método de revisão sistemática da literatura para sintetizar o conteúdo de 72 artigos. Foram tiradas conclusões sobre os anos, as revistas científicas, as bases teóricas, os métodos de investigação, as indústrias e os países mais explorados na literatura. Para além disso, esta dissertação permitiu sumariar os resultados para cada tipo de transferência, identificar oito categorias temáticas e 97 tópicos abordados, criando, assim, um esquema completo sobre este fenómeno. Por fim, são destacadas algumas lacunas na literatura e contribuições para a teoria, a investigação e a gestão, que ajudarão a progressão do conhecimento nestas áreas.Mestrado em Gestã

Accommodative public leadership in wind energy development:Enabling citizens initiatives in the Netherlands

This research centers around the question: How can provincial governments take the lead in implementing an adaptive governance approach considering citizen-led wind energy development? A framework for ‘accommodative leadership’ was created - building on the work of Meijerink and Stiller (2013) regarding leadership in climate change adaptation, and the work of Sotarauta (2010) on place leadership. The combination of the two provides a leadership framework which aims to include both governmental actors and local citizens initiatives as potential leaders in wind energy development. Three cases studies in three regions of the Netherlands were assessed. The results show that provinces adopt various leadership styles, referred to as ‘facilitative decentralization’, ‘deliberative innovation’ and ‘authoritative reluctance’. Our conclusion is that there is no roadmap for effective accommodative leadership, as it occurs in many forms. Nonetheless the developed framework can be used by regional governments as an assessment tool to understand the roles and actions which can potentially be taken by this authority to purposefully allocate their leadership capacities, while allowing citizen-led wind energy development

An examination of technology transfer and technological learning through intermediaries: the case of intermediaries in the Omani oil and gas sector

There is large body of research that has investigated inter-firm technology transfer and technological learning within direct producer-user relationships within the context of developing countries. However, due to the growth in the technology transfer market, there has also been an increasing tendency for users to become isolated from producers, as new actors have emerged, which have been named technology intermediaries. The motivation for this thesis is driven by the absence of both theoretical and empirical studies examining technology transfer and learning through intermediaries, particularly in emerging nation contexts, what factors influence the functions of intermediaries along the process, and how those factors influence the recipients’ learning. By learning from the technology transfer experiences of the two main users of technologies in the Omani oil and gas sector, namely Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), and Oman Liquefied Natural Gas (OLNG), this research tries to address this theoretical and empirical gap. Through semi-structured interviews, this study explored technological learning during the technology transfer through intermediaries from the perspective of 48 employees (Omani and expatriates) at different levels of hierarchy (managers, section heads/team leaders, site engineers) and from different departments across the two firms. The perspectives of those employees are supplemented by data such as annual reports, which also serves as important triangulation instruments to validate the data collected from respondents. Within-cases and cross-cases qualitative and interpretive content analysis was employed to analyse the empirical data gathered from the two firms. The empirical evidence identified five main factors that influence the functions of intermediaries along the transfer process. These are the proximity of intermediaries with users (geographical and cognitive), specialization of intermediaries (industrial or technological), characteristics of technologies (tacitness, complexity, newness), recipient firm’s absorptive capacity, and recipients firm’s technology strategy. A good understanding of these factors can increase the ability of firms to reap the maximum potential of inward technology transfer for local learning through intermediaries

Franchising, Knowledge Transfer Practices, and Institutions : Perspectives from Emerging Markets

Paper III is not published yet.The popularity of franchising as a method for businesses expansion is increasing, from small, medium-sized, and large firms to social enterprises. To enjoy the benefits of franchising experienced by Western countries, Africa, through the African Development Bank, has put more effort in using the franchising model to promote SME development and the private sector with the goal of creating wealth and reducing poverty. Identifying the core practices of franchising is therefore essential in order to promote the general understanding of franchising among entrepreneurs, bankers, lawyers, management consultants, investors, donors, governments, and policymakers. By conducting three independent but related studies, this thesis contributes to the building of knowledge concerning knowledge management in franchising firms. Study 1 reviews the research on knowledge management for over two decades to provide an overview of what has been done and determine the gaps that need to be filled to advance theory and practice. I conducted two empirical studies to investigate the knowledge transfer practices of franchising firms in Africa. Study 2 investigates the factors that contribute to the choice of knowledge transfer mechanisms. I found that the successful transfer of knowledge depends not only on the choice of the correct transfer mechanisms but also on the use of such mechanisms to transfer the relevant knowledge to franchisees. Study 3 explores institutional factors and how they impede knowledge transfer practices. In this study I used a company that has utilized the franchising model successfully to grow in African countries regarded as having weak institutions. I found that franchising firms expand into different institutional environments by adapting knowledge transfer practices without altering the core practices of the model.publishedVersio

Critical Analysis of Strategies Towards Creating an Adequate Level of Awareness on Cybercrime among the Youth in Gauteng Province

This study aims to determine any measures taken by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to create awareness about cybercrime among the youth in the selected policing areas in the Gauteng province. A qualitative research method was applied using semi-structured interviews to find the views of participants, of measures if any, to create youths’ awareness in the area of cybercrime. A total of 37 participants comprised of 29 youths aged between 19 and 35 years, including an additional eight participants from the SAPS Crime Intelligence Unit who agreed to participate. Among these participants, there were 18 females and 19 males. The findings highlighted that there was a lack of awareness on the measures taken by the SAPS in educating the youth about the risks associated with cybercrime. The other challenges highlighted by the SAPS were a lack of capacity, resources, and training to increase the technical skills amongst the SAPS members to work effectively on cybercrime-related challenges, lack of collaboration among role players to respond adequately to cybercrime, and ineffective implementation of cybercrime policies, therefore, there was a lack of cybercrime-related campaigns. Based on the findings, five themes were explored in this study, including a lack of capacity, resources, and training to increase the technical skills amongst the SAPS members to work effectively on cybercrime-related challenges, lack of collaboration among role players to respond adequately to cybercrime and ineffective implementation of cybercrime policies. The recommendations are provided as a potential step towards tailoring education packages and awareness programs to ensure at-risk groups are equipped with actionable mechanisms to protect themselves against cybercrimes