How do digital information good characteristics influence pace and modalities of international market entry?

The paper develops theory to propose how considering digital information good characteristics modify and extends existing explanations with regard to entry mode choices (in single markets) and internationalization paths (across countries). Explanations offered relate to network and lock-in effects, complementary infrastructure investments, branding, and customer learning – factors that are particular important for understanding international market entry of digital information good providers.MNCs; entry mode; learning; digital information goods

Global Strategy and the Acquisition of Local Knowledge How MNCs Enter Regional Knowledge Clusters

The paper addresses two recent interrelated phenomena: High- tech regional knowledge clusters, and globalization of R&D activities by multinational corporations (MNCs). Combining MNC literature; regional development literature; and literature on social networks, the paper discusses determinants of entry modes used by MNCs that localize R&D units in regional knowledge clusters. The paper states that the entry mode used by a MNC depends upon the type of agglomeration economies the latter seeks to appropriate: Those related to network relations; to local labor market specialization; or to institutional specialization. The paper adds theoretical insight into advantages and disadvantages of different entry modes with respect to appropriation of agglomeration economies, and special attention is dedicated to discussing acquisition. Through the use of an empirical case ¾ the entry of five MNCs into the Danish telecommunications cluster in Aalborg, the paper exemplifies its theoretical observations, but also points to how the evolution of a knowledge cluster may be severely affected by MNCs that enter through acquisition.MNCs; entry mode; acquisition; explorative R&D; regional clusters; localized learning; networks; telecommunications industry; North Jutland; Denmark.

Does knowledge sharing pay? A multinational subsidiary perspective on knowledge outflows

Empirical studies on the impact of knowledge management on the performance of MNC subsidiaries remain elusive to date. This study examines the effect of knowledge management tools on absorptive capacity and firm performance with unique data from subsidiary units in a large German MNC – HeidelbergCement. The findings suggest that knowledge management tools unfold their performance impact through their significant influence on absorptive capacity and knowledge inflows. The key contributions to the current literature on knowledge flows in the MNC include an empirically corroborated link between deployments of knowledge management tools and their impact on the subsidiary employee’s ability and motivation to learn from internal knowledge flows in the MNC as well as their impact on subsidiary business performance

Strategy Research and the Market Process Perspective

We argue that strategizing fundamentally concerns disequilibrium phenomena, such as discovery, innovation, resource-combination, imagination - in short, entrepreneurship. Therefore, the understanding of strategizing is likely to be led astray by drawing too heavily on equilibrium theories. Arguably, the three dominant economic approaches to strategy - the Porter industry analysis approach, the new industrial organization, and the ressourcebased approach - are characterized precisely by their strong reliance on equilibrium methodology. We argue that the market process approach in its Austrian version offers much inspiration for bringing process issues to bear on strategy issues.Strategy, organization, competitive advantage.

Processes of Strategic Renewal, Competencies, and the Management of Speed

We discuss strategic renewal from a competence perspective. We argue that the management of speed and timing in this process is viewed distinctively when perceived through a cognitive lens. Managers need more firmly grounded process-understanding. The key idea of this paper is to dynamically conceptualize key activities of strategic renewal, and possible sources of break-down as they relate to the managment of speed and timing. Based on a case from the media industry, we identify managerial trade-offs and show how these can be influenced through managing subjective perception, strategic involvement and external knowledge-sourcing.Strategic Renewal, Process, Learning, Knowledge-Sourcing

Knowledge Management What Can Organizational Economics Contribute?

Knowledge management has emerged as a very successful organization practice and has been extensively treated in a large body of academic work. Surprisingly, however, organizational economics (i.e., transaction cost economics, agency theory, team theory and property rights theory) has played no role in the development of knowledge management. We argue that organizational economics insights can further the theory and practice of knowledge management in several ways. Specifically, we apply notions of contracting, team production, complementaries, hold-up, etc. to knowledge management issues (i.e., creating and integration knowledge, rewarding knowledge workers, etc.) , and derive refutable implications that are novel to the knowledge management field from our discussion.Transaction costs, organizational economics

Firm Growth from a Knowledge Structure Perspective

Although there are several theories of growth of the firm, the literature is limited in two interrelated respects. First, empirical evidence does not match well theoretical predictions. Second, the firm growth literature does not address the structure of knowledge both in firms and sectors as well as knowledge flows between them. Based on existing theoretical and empirical literature, the paper outlines an ‘appreciative’ theory of firm growth and presents new testable hypotheses to inform present and future empirical research. The paper seeks to address this gap by analysing not only levels of human capital, but also its composition both on a firm and sector level. A key departure from earlier approaches is the inclusion of the role of ‘knowledge structures’ played in the growth of the firm. In this context make a distinction between (a) levels of human capital available to firms, (b) the composition of various kinds of human capital (‘firm- specific’, ‘industry-specific’, and ‘general knowledge’) contained, and (c) the diversity of knowledge domains represented to characterise the knowledge structure of firms. In addition, we present our first empirical results, using the knowledge structure approach. In the first part of our empirical analysis we find – while controlling for intial size and industry affiliation – that the availability of a high fraction of employees with higher education within each establishment (an aspect of ‘general kowledge’), is in general conducive to establishment growth. In the second part of the empirical analysis, we find important sectoral differences with respect to the ability of the level of formal education to explain firms growth.firm growth, human capital, knowledge structure

Limits to outsourcing and the evolutionary perspective on firm boundaries

Although there is reason to expect that outsourcing plays an increasingly important role in world of commerce, theories of firm boundaries poorly address associated processes of governance change. This paper seeks to address this gap in the spirit of the evolutionary theory of the firm. This approach highlights the significance of outsourcing as a "process of shifting from internal to external procurement of activities." Adopting an evolutionary process perspective suggests limits to outsourcing due to governance inseparability and partly tacit complementarity of capabilities as well as related dis-aggregation costs, including the costs of knowledge codification in the specification of interfaces in supplier/buyer relations, loss of absorptive capacity and integrating capabilities in the supplier’s system. A key departure from earlier approaches to firm boundaries is an explanation of such limits to outsourcing and their impact on two interrelated sources of efficiency: incentives and capabilities. For instance, when limits to outsourcing obtain, governance change for particular activities involves compromises of capability- and/or incentive efficiency in the experimental determination of organizational boundaries. Also discussed are environmental dynamics that variously emphasise efficiency properties of dispersed or concentrated ownership and capability development