The role of geographical distance on the relationship between cultural intelligence and knowledge transfer

Purpose: This paper's purpose is to investigate the ways in which the geographical distance between headquarters and subsidiaries moderates the relationship between cultural intelligence and the knowledge transfer process. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 103 senior expatriate managers working in Croatia from several European and non-European countries was used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected using questionnaires, while the methodology employed to test the relationship between the variables was Partial least square. Furthermore, interaction-moderation effect was utilised to test the impact of geographical distance and, for testing control variables, Partial least square multigroup analysis was used. Findings: Cultural Intelligence plays a significant role in the knowledge transfer process performance. However, geographical distance has the power to moderate this relationship based on the direction of knowledge transfer. In conventional knowledge transfer, geographical distance has no significant impact. On the contrary, data have shown that, in reverse knowledge transfer, geographical distance has a moderately relevant effect. We supposed that these findings could be connected to the specific location of the knowledge produced by subsidiaries. Practical implications: Multinational companies should take into consideration that the further away a subsidiary is from the headquarters, and the varying difference between cultures, cannot be completely mitigated by the ability of the manager to deal with cultural differences, namely cultural intelligence. Thus, multinational companies need to allocate resources to facilitate the knowledge transfer between subsidiaries. Originality/value: The present study stresses the importance of cultural intelligence in the knowledge transfer process, opening up a new stream of research inside these two areas of research

A three decade mixed-method bibliometric investigation of the IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management

This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (IEEE TEM) from 1985 to 2017. This paper employs a mixed-method examination based on an in-depth interview with the new editor-in-chief regarding the challenges for the future of IEEE TEM, along with a bibliometric analysis of the journal. By using Web of Science Core Collection data, the analysis maps the knowledge produced and disseminated by IEEE TEM, revealing the most cited papers, the most frequently occurring keywords and the interconnection between them, the most prolific authors and their coauthorship network, and the most prolific countries for published articles. This paper also shows the main avenues of research covered by IEEE TEM and their evolution through the analysis of the correlation of keywords. This paper offers an example application of a mixed-method bibliometric analysis, seeking to extend the quantitative findings by including other sources of data

Expatriates managers' cultural intelligence as promoter of knowledge transfer in multinational companies

This study analyzes the role of the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) of expatriate managers in the processes of Conventional (CKT) and Reverse Knowledge Transfer (RKT) in Multinational Companies (MNCs). The Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was adopted to analyze the data from a survey of 103 senior expatriate managers working in Croatia. The study reveals how CQ, in all of its four dimensions (metacognitive, cognitive, behavioral, and motivational), acts as a knowledge de-codification and codification filter, assisting managers in the Knowledge Transfer process. The study also reveals how previous international experience does not moderate the positive effect of CQ on both CKT and RKT, offering important theoretical and practical insights to support MNCs in the KT process

B2B digital platform adoption by SMEs and large firms: Pathways and pitfalls

The ongoing paradigm shift towards two-sided and multi-sided platforms is reshaping business transactions and collaborations worldwide. Such digital platforms have found widespread acceptance in business-to-business markets, serving as catalysts for strategic networking, transparency, and traceability, especially in sourcing activities that demand strategic solutions for supplier selection and collaboration. Nonetheless, the variables influencing platform adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large firms remain somewhat opaque. In this study, the social network theory (SNT), diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, and technology–organisation–environment (TOE) framework were used as analytical lenses. Drawing from a sample of 318 responses from supply chain managers, this study employs a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify 15 configurations related to the adoption of two-sided platforms in both SMEs and large manufacturing firms. The results underscore that SMEs' drive for platform adoption is primarily anchored in their need for flexible, fluid networks, thus reinforcing the value of two-sided platforms in cultivating robust supplier relationships. In contrast, large firms are driven by potential advantages in efficiency and transactional security. However, the low adoption intention in both SMEs and large firms can be attributed to perceived barriers and a lack of perceived benefits, respectively

A philosophical approach to entrepreneurial education: a model based on Kantian and Aristotelian thought

In the field of entrepreneurship education, how to develop an effective program to teach entrepreneurship has been widely debated. However, an inductive approach based on analysis of educational program experiences and outcomes has led to mixed conclusions about the appropriate scope and structure of entrepreneurship education. In contrast, we take a deductive approach to develop a comprehensive entrepreneurship education model based on concepts from two schools of philosophical thought: the Kantian debate about freedom versus determinism, and the Aristotelian concepts of praxis and poïesis. These philosophical concepts are related to scope and structure dimensions that delineate the soft (art) and hard (science) of entrepreneurship education, their components and interrelationships. Pedagogies associated with each component as well as integrative pedagogies are identified to guide the development of entrepreneurship education programs and teaching. Theoretical propositions are presented for future research

Skeletal anomalies in dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe 1834) juveniles reared with different methodologies and larval densities

The first attempts to reproduce dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus, Lowe 1834) under controlled conditions started in 1995, but the egg and larvae quality was very low. Mass production is still encountering many difficulties, mainly concentrated in the larval period when very high mortality rates are observed, confirming what has been observed in the rearing of other grouper species. The main bottlenecks have been identified as the difficulty to properly nourish the larvae, stress shock syndrome, and the high deformation rates. We analysed 633 dusky grouper larvae and juveniles (0.2–7.2 cm total length, TL), sampled during two larval rearing cycles carried out in 2001 and 2002 in Italy. The specimens at different development stages were stained in toto for bone and cartilage and examined for skeletal anomalies during dusky grouper ontogenesis. The incidence of anomalies in groupers hatched from the same egg batch but reared using two different methods (green waters and semi-intensive rearing) and three stocking densities (8, 16 and 28 larvae/l) was compared, with a view to providing tools for identifying the most appropriate larval rearing method in order to at least limit the onset of skeletal anomalies. Our results suggest that during development no particular skeletal anomaly patterns (or fate) can be clearly identified as a high variability was observed in malformation typologies and the regions affected. No significant differences in the morphological quality between groupers reared using semi-intensive (LV02 lot) and green water (GW02-01 lot) methodologies were observed, whilst groupers reared at the highest stocking density (28 larvae/l) showed the highest frequency of deformed individuals (75.8%), the highest malformation charge (average of 5.5 anomalies per deformed individual), the largest range of anomaly typologies (38), and the highest incidence of individuals with at least one severe anomaly (30.9%). Whilst in green waters no evident effects of larvae density were observed on survival rates, the survival rate in large volume reared individuals (17.5%) was considerably higher with respect to those reared in green waters (0.2%) at 7–8 larvae/l. This indicates that the semi-intensive methodology should be considered more effective in enhancing the survival rate of dusky grouper larvae

Infrared absorption from Charge Density Waves in magnetic manganites

The infrared absorption of charge density waves coupled to a magnetic background is first observed in two manganites La{1-x}Ca{x}MnO{3} with x = 0.5 and x = 0.67. In both cases a BCS-like gap 2 Delta (T), which for x=0.5 follows the hysteretic ferro-antiferromagnetic transition, fully opens at a finite T{0} < T{Neel}, with 2 Delta(T{0})/kT{c} close to 5. These results may also explain the unusual coexistence of charge ordering and ferromagnetism in La{0.5}Ca{0.5}MnO{3}.Comment: File revtex + 3 figs. in epsf. To appear on Phys. Rev. Let