scholarly journals Institutional knowledge

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie A. Bell ◽  
Sarah Y. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Product Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Specific Product ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Institutional Knowledge ◽  
Institutional Learning ◽  
Knowledge Seeking

Purpose Rarely have studies on the acquisition of knowledge in internationalisation focused on institutional knowledge. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to investigate the acquisition of this knowledge, and its assimilation and exploitation processes in internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach The paper utilises ten longitudinal revelatory case studies built from multiple semi-structured interviews conducted with three different firm types of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) in the pharmaceutical industry and secondary documents to which the researchers obtained proprietary access. Findings The study enhances the conceptual understanding of the institutional learning process in internationalisation by, for the first time, developing a framework to characterise this process. The study explores and identifies multiple types of institutional knowledge required, the sequencing of their acquisition, sources and learning methods utilised. It also discusses transferability of this learning across foreign markets and firms’ absorptive capacity for that knowledge. Regulatory-specific product knowledge, found to be the most important type required, appeared to affect significantly both market selection and mode of entry, and when acquired insufficiently, prevented internationalisation. Research limitations/implications While the sample size is relatively small, and sector-specific, the findings were consistent across all the SME firms and firm types. They may also be generalisable to other sectors, firm sizes such as MNEs and types, particularly those which are knowledge-based or highly regulated, given that similar institutional knowledge and processes of acquisition are necessary for firms of all sizes in internationalisation. Practical implications International marketing managers will gain valuable insights, based on a framework proven to propel firms to successful internationalisation, upon how to plan, organise, manage and match their institutional knowledge-seeking and learning activities with their firms’ internal capabilities, staffing and other resources in an effective and timely manner. Originality/value This study contributes to the conceptual understanding of the institutional knowledge learning process in the internationalisation.

scholarly journals Chinese expatriates working with African partners: power struggles and knowledge hiding

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdoulkadre Ado ◽  
Roseline Wanjiru ◽  
Zhan Su
Keyword(s):  
Joint Ventures ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Control Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Hiding ◽  
Knowledge Seeking

PurposeThe study explores African partners' experiences regarding Chinese expatriates' knowledge control practices in 29 Sino-African joint ventures in 12 countries. It provides insights into power dynamics and knowledge transfer (KT) from African partners' perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative paper mobilized semi-structured interviews with Africans who worked with Chinese expatriates across Africa. The study focused on understanding the experiences of African partners when collaborating with their Chinese expatriate colleagues on assignments in joint ventures (JVs) in Africa.FindingsChinese expatriates employed five tactics, as described by African partners, to control knowledge based on power, behaviors and knowledge type. Particularly, through the lens of unofficial power, this study explains knowledge hiding tactics between knowledge-holding Chinese expatriates and host country knowledge-seeking locals. A new dimension of authority-based knowledge hiding is discovered.Originality/valueThe paper brings new insights into the analysis of power (official and unofficial) boundaries regarding knowledge control mechanisms in joint venture collaborations between employees from China and Africa. Unofficial power appeared as a major leverage for expatriates in monopolizing their strategic knowledge. The study recommends mobilizing African diaspora and repatriates from China to improve KT for Africa.

Exploring teacher learning process in Chinese lesson study: a case of representing fractions on a number line

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingfeng Huang ◽  
Rongjin Huang ◽  
Mun Yee Lai
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cell ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Lesson Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Expansive Learning ◽  
Oriented Activity

PurposeThis paper presented the learning process of a group of primary mathematics teachers who participated in two iterations of lesson design, enactment and reflection in a Chinese Lesson Study.Design/methodology/approachAn expansive learning theory was employed to examine the teachers’ learning process in lesson study (LS) on representing fractions on a number line. The evolution of a germ cell was utilized to feature the transformation of the object of activity from abstract to concrete through resolving contradictions among LS members. The videos of lesson planning, research lessons (RLs) and debriefing meetings were collected and analyzed to reveal the expansive learning process.FindingsThe analysis showed that the teachers expanded their learning through transforming the object from diffuse to concrete and expanded through consciously articulating the germ cell. The outcomes of object-oriented activity include improving the enacted lesson which promoted students’ conceptual understanding.Originality/valueThis study made a unique contribution to understanding the learning process of teachers in Chinese LS from the perspective of expansive learning.

Value co-creation in the B2B context: a diagnosis of knowledge management based on multiple case studies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Bonamigo ◽  
Camila Guimarães Frech ◽  
Ana Carolina Custódio Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Knowledge Asymmetry ◽  
Business To Business ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to empirically investigate how organizations delivering services in business-to-business relations deal with the boundary paradox and knowledge asymmetry in value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative multiple case study strategy. Datas were gathered through 13 semi-structured interviews that were then analyzed through the content analysis. Findings The authors identified three mechanisms that organizations use to deal with the boundary paradox and two strategies to handle the knowledge asymmetry. Research limitations/implications First, no opportunities were afforded to involve more participants. Second, owning to confidentiality reasons, not all organizations provided us documents to be analyzed. Practical implications The findings guide managers in balancing the use of contracts and trust in inter-firm collaborations and fostering the learning of customers. Also, insights to protect knowledge based on the paradox of openness in value co-creation. Originality/value This study’s findings address the gap in value co-creation literature concerning the lack of empirical studies.

The state of the knowledge-based economy in the Arab world: cases of Qatar and Lebanon

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Ben Hassen
Keyword(s):  
Arab World ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Current State ◽  
Knowledge Based Economy ◽  
Low Performance ◽  
Ict Infrastructure

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of the knowledge-based economy in two distinctive case studies in the Arab World: Qatar and Lebanon. Based on five aspects of the knowledge-based economy namely: ICT, human capital and education; innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic and institutional regime, we provide a careful view of the obstacles and challenges that Qatar and Lebanon are facing and how this is hindering their transformation to a knowledge-based economy.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology of this research is based on a literature review and information collected through semi-structured interviews with the different stakeholders of the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon.FindingsThe research reveals that numerous factors shape the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon. In Qatar, the main strength of the knowledge-based economy is the determination of the Qatari government to diversify the economy and the main weaknesses are the shortage of qualified human resources, the fear of failure and the low performance of the innovation system. In Lebanon, the knowledge-based economy is driven by the education system and the entrepreneurship culture, nevertheless the political instability of the country and the weak ICT infrastructure impede its development.Originality/valueThese findings contribute to the clarification and critical analysis of the current state of the knowledge-based economy in Qatar and Lebanon, which would have several policy implications.

scholarly journals Trust initiation and development in SME-university collaborations: implications for enabling engaged scholarship

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariba Darabi ◽  
Mark N.K. Saunders ◽  
Murray Clark
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Knowledge Application ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Maximum Variation Sample ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore trust initiation and development in collaborations between universities and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the implications for enabling engaged scholarship (ES). Design/methodology/approach Adopting a qualitative inductive approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive maximum variation sample comprising 14 SMEs and 12 university stakeholders. Findings The authors highlight the role of calculus-based trust in the initiation of collaborations emphasising the key roles of networking and referrals. As collaborations develop, reciprocal insights regarding stakeholders’ competencies and integrity and the development of knowledge-based trust can support engagement, in particular, knowledge application. Although relationships have a common sense of purpose, a fully engaged campus remains absent. Research limitations/implications This study is based on a collaborative research between eight SMEs and one university business school and does not reflect ES fully as conceptualised. It provides few insights into the role of trust (or distrust) in such collaborations where things go wrong. Practical implications Universities looking to enable ES collaborations with SMEs need to develop and enact strategies which support ongoing engagement and enable identification-based trust (IBT). Recommendations for universities and human resource development regarding interventions to support trust initiation and development to enable knowledge application ES are outlined and suggestions are offered for future research. Social implications University strategies to support the development of trust and, in particular, IBT are likely to benefit longer-term relationships and the development of ES between SMEs and universities. Originality/value Little research has been undertaken on trust initiation and development between academic and SME stakeholders or the associated implications for ES.

How competitiveness factors propel SMEs to achieve competitive advantage?

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-338
Author(s):  
Shirzad Farhikhteh ◽  
Ali Kazemi ◽  
Arash Shahin ◽  
Majid Mohammad Shafiee
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Medical Device ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Sales Promotion ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Stone Cutting

Purpose This paper aims to assess the contribution of competitiveness factors in how small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) would access competitive advantage (CA) by focussing on industry structure and devise a conceptual model thereof. Design/methodology/approach The enterprises from three industries consisting of knowledge-based, single-use medical device producers and construction stone cutting each with different structures were assessed. The method is qualitative and quantitative where grounded theory and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) are applied. The initial survey involves 36 deep semi-structured interviews with some of the top managers of each of the three selected industries and a questionnaire distributed among 158 individuals with 46 structured questions. Findings The findings indicate that the micro-competitiveness factors are more contributive in achieving CA than macro factors as follows: in knowledge-based enterprises, customer relationship management (CRM), goods/services features and knowledge management are the most important variables. As to single-use medical device production industry, the sales force, sales promotion, and CRM are the most effective factors. Regarding construction stone-cutting industry, quality of the stone, sales promotion, and advertisement play the same role. The results of the EFA indicate that the three impressive factors, including capabilities of the enterprises, strategies of the enterprises and macro factors, are the extracted factors. Practical implications The findings here would assist SMEs’ managers in identifying the most essential factors in accessing CA. Originality/value The innovation of this study is that although there exist many studies on SMEs and their CAs, this study seeks the models of CA among SMEs in industries with different structures.

Knowledge-based dynamic capabilities: a joint R&D project in the French semiconductor industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kadígia Faccin ◽  
Alsones Balestrin ◽  
Bibiana Volkmer Martins ◽  
Claudia Cristina Bitencourt
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Semiconductor Industry ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Knowing That ◽  
Methodological Advance ◽  
Successful Innovation

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify dynamic capabilities in joint R&D projects, that enable them to successfully achieve knowledge creation and discover how they behave throughout the life cycle of a collaborative project, although this understanding could enhance the interorganizational knowledge creation process. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted 65 semi-structured interviews and utilized secondary data from a joint R&D project. The authors analyzed all data using the Gioia method. Findings The authors confirm that specific dynamic capabilities are needed to create interorganizational knowledge and discovered 11 knowledge-based dynamic capabilities (KBDCs) for successful innovation results in joint R&D projects. Gioia method allowed to discover that different KBDCs are necessary for the different phases of the project lifecycle. Additionally, the authors identify two microprocesses in which KBDCs are engaged in joint R&D projects, knowing that is a part of the sensing and seizing processes and synthetizing that is a part of the seizing process, and establish several KBDC microfoundations. Research limitations/implications We used retrospective interviews. This kind of interviews are impacted by the experiences of the respondents lived after they have participated in the joint R&D project. Practical implications Dynamic capabilities for collaborative knowledge creation and their specific microfoundations can help managers delineate their strategic practices and actions to achieve more sustainable, long-lasting results from joint R&D projects. Originality/value The authors improve Teece’s model and propose two microprocesses in which dynamic capabilities are engaged, that emerged in the context of a joint R&D project, knowing that is a part of the sensing and seizing processes and synthetizing that is a part of the seizing process, which supplement those already known: sensing, seizing and transforming. The authors tested the Gioia method, which is important for detecting dynamic capabilities; therefore, the authors propose a methodological advance that can contribute to future studies. The authors provide an interorganizational perspective on KBDC and a methodological view of the changes in KBDCs required for joint R&D projects.

State, institutional entrepreneurship and the creation of the biopharmaceutical industry in a developing country

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Babaee ◽  
Ali N. Mashayekhi ◽  
Rouholah HamidiMotlagh
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Biopharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Institutional Entrepreneurship ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Knowledge ◽  
Industry Emergence

Purpose This study aims to explore the emergence and development of new industries, especially in the context of developing countries, by considering industry emergence and development as a large-scale institutional change or transition. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an inductive case study research on the emergence of the biopharmaceutical industry in a developing country. The data on the emergence and development of Iran’s biopharmaceutical industry during 1990 and 2018 were collected through semi-structured interviews, participation in meetings, visits to companies and analysis of archival texts. The data analysis was an inductive and iterative process. Findings In the emergence and development of the biopharmaceutical industry, there have been a few key agents, institutional entrepreneurs (IEs), in both the state and private sectors, who played main roles. Moreover, the most important type of knowledge which has been crucial for the decision-making of IEs has been informal, tacit and institutional knowledge. Furthermore, the authors identified a mechanism, inter-institutional circulation, as being most effective in the transfer of institutional knowledge among IEs. Originality/value The originality of this study is applying insights from institutional entrepreneurship and knowledge management literature to the extant literature on industry emergence and development.

Investigating the role of knowledge transfer in supply chain collaboration

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 284-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Whitehead ◽  
Zach Zacharia ◽  
Edmund Prater
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Absorptive Capacities ◽  
Literature Base

PurposeDespite the large literature base associated with dyadic collaboration, its knowledge-based antecedents are still not well understood. The purpose of this paper is to better understand those antecedents and to explore why the supply chain (SC) literature has found mixed results regarding knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity in dyadic collaboration research.Design/methodology/approachThe critical incident technique (CIT) was utilized, using qualitative semi-structured interviews to refine a proposed research model. In total, 43 executives were interviewed each providing a description of both a successful and an unsuccessful SC dyadic collaboration. The interviews were analyzed to better understand the knowledge-based antecedents of buyer–supplier collaboration.FindingsThis study suggests that dyadic collaboration and subsequent outcomes are improved by successful knowledge transfer. Additionally, knowledge transfer requires both distributive and absorptive capacities in each participant. The research also uncovered new evidence to support the need for a collaborative orientation to support successful knowledge transfer.Research limitations/implicationsThe interviews conducted using the CIT provided a wealth of information and executive experiences in SC collaboration. However, the interviews only provide a single perspective of collaborative engagements. Multiple perspectives of each collaboration would add value to this research.Originality/valueSC collaboration and knowledge transfer have been well studied across disciplines. This research introduces new knowledge-related variables that can contribute to successful collaboration: distributive capability and SC collaborative orientation.

Exploring the double-edged sword of familiness from a knowledge-based perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-96
Author(s):  
Omar Belkhodja ◽  
Abdelkader Daghfous
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based

PurposeFor family businesses, familiness constitutes a unique bundle of resources and capabilities resulting from family relationships and influences. The extant literature has shown that familiness impacts organizational outcomes such as performance and innovation. This paper investigates the role of familiness in relation to absorptive capacity (ACAP). It also explores the specificities of nonfamily members’ social capital when different knowledge management (KM) approaches are adopted.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory comparative case study design is adopted. Data from three family firms based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) provide the empirical setting for this study. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, available documents, observations and company websites.FindingsOur results reveal that the role of familiness in relation to ACAP varies according to the adopted KM approach. Familiness targets the potential ACAP when an explicit KM approach is adopted, the realized ACAP when a tacit KM approach is adopted, and both potential and realized ACAPs when a strategic KM approach is adopted. Our results also show that family firms invest in KM processes that support knowledge exploration and/or exploitation.Originality/valueThis paper provides further evidence for the role of familiness. It moves beyond the study of familiness from a resource-based view and adopts a knowledge-based perspective to develop a better understanding of the role of familiness in relation to ACAP. It also improves our understanding of nonfamily members’ social capital in family firms.

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