Effects of Culture on Preferred Individual Learning Systems: Consequences for Knowledge Management System Use

Global enterprises increasingly deploy Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs) to raise productivity and remain competitive. KMSs, by prescribing ways of capturing and disseminating information, mediate the learning processes in organizations. Because of this mediating effect, individuals from distinct national cultures may react differently to KMSs. This research examines how cultural characteristics (e.g., those identified by Hofstede, Trompenaars, and Hall and Hall) may be related to the individual use of KMSs for learning. The first phase of the study examines individual cultural characteristics and learning preferences (degree of structure and extent of direct social interactions). The second phase examines the relationships between cultural measures and actual KMS use

The Diagnostic Value and Anchoring Effect of References in Acquisition Premium Decisions:The Influence of Overconfident and Powerful CEOs

CEOs often must make strategic decisions under extreme uncertainty. One way they deal with this uncertainty is by relying on references – that is, recent comparable decisions. However, there is a conundrum that underlies these references: they can have diagnostic value but also induce anchoring. We shed light on this conundrum by unpacking diagnostic value and anchoring effects of two commonly used references in acquisition premium decisions: an external reference (the premium paid for the preceding acquisition in the target industry) and an internal reference (the premium paid by a focal firm for its preceding acquisition). We theorize that while external references have diagnostic value and anchoring effects, internal references only have anchoring effects. Moreover, we argue that powerful and overconfident CEOs rely more on internal references. Our results, based on a hedonic regression analysis of 3072 completed acquisitions, support these hypotheses.</p

The double-edged sword of cultural distance in international acquisitions

This study aims to bring together seemingly contradicting arguments in the literature about the role of cultural distance in international acquisitions. We offer a model that postulates that cultural distance relates negatively to international acquisition performance because it taxes integration capabilities during international acquisitions, but that cultural distance also elevates the positive association of integration capabilities and international acquisition performance because it provides more learning opportunities that can only be exploited with strong integration capabilities. Empirical tests with a sample of international acquisitions by 118 US multinational companies provide support for the proposed model. On one hand, we find that cultural distance impedes understandability of key capabilities that need to be transferred, and constrains communication between acquirers and their acquired units, bringing about a negative indirect effect on acquisition performance. On the other hand, we find that cultural distance enriches acquisitions by enhancing the positive effects of understandability and communication on acquisition performance. Acquirers that can overcome the impeding effects of cultural distance on understanding key capabilities and effective communication appear to reap significant performance gains. Our study provides initial support for a double-edged sword effect of cultural differences on acquisition performance, and illustrates the importance of integration capabilities.

Antecedents and outcomes of supply chain effectiveness: An exploratory investigation: Working paper series--06-07

A growing body of research suggests that firms who effectively manage their supply chains can realize improved performance. To provide more specific insights into the key antecedents and outcomes of supply chain effectiveness, findings are reported from four focus groups involving 46 supply chain executives. The findings are integrated with extant research to derive a testable model proposing that firm performance is shaped, in part, by how firms manage their supply chain. The proposed supply chain model asserts that a firm's knowledge, technology, and trust in supply chain partners are key enablers of knowledge transfer along the chain, and that the application of this knowledge has important implications for both the supply chain's and focal firm's performance

Business Networks and Local Partners in Global Competition

More and more firms address collaborations and cooperation as strategic topics in order to build competitive networks and broaden the global competences provided by the community thus created. These firms can cooperate with partners to share resources, competences, risks or costs. Besides, penetrating new markets can be easier when associating new partners. The selection process of an adequate partner considered for a specific objective is a key success factor and it varies depending on many aspects, even during the relationship itself

Meta-analyses of International Joint Venture Performance Determinants

While research on international joint ventures (IJVs) has intensified over the last few decades, numerous reviewers have criticized the field for lack of accumulation. We use meta-analytic techniques to quantitatively synthesize and evaluate agency theory and the behavioral perspective in their ability to explain IJV performance variance. Overall, we find support for these theories but moderator analyses unveil important effects of artifactual variables, and point to a unique character of IJVs in China