Knowledge transfer and competitive advantage on environmental uncertainty: An empirical study of the Taiwan semiconductor industry

This study investigates the inter-relationships among environmental uncertainty, knowledge transfer, and competitive advantage. Based on 176 subjects from the R&D and manufacturing department of 56 Taiwan semiconductor companies, this paper implements a structural equation model to test the research framework and hypotheses. It finds that knowledge transfer could develop semiconductor firms’ core competence and then build their own competitive advantage. In addition, this study considers that environmental uncertainty is a vital factor during knowledge transfer. Research results indicate that the partially mediated model shows good model fitness for this relationship. In addition, the relationship between environmental uncertainty and knowledge transfer is negative, and knowledge transfer and competitive advantage have a positive relationship. This means that environmental uncertainty could hinder knowledge transfer and lead semiconductor firms to develop knowledge by themselves. Therefore, knowledge transfer to semiconductor firms is very important for technological and knowledge management activity in this rapidly changing industry environment.     

Measurement Issues in Financial Reporting

Research on management control has emphasised the relevance of controls for knowledge integration on a project-by-project basis. This work contributes to this field by proposing a framework to explain how management control systems foster knowledge transfer between organisational units in knowledge-intensive firms. By combining network theory and knowledge network research, this study suggests that the design of management control systems should consider various forms of relationships between individuals (strong/weak, direct/indirect) that these systems activate and that are necessary to transfer various forms of knowledge (process, outcome, technology or opportunities) characterised by different levels of causal ambiguity and relatedness. An in-depth empirical analysis of a software firm and three of its projects shows that management controls may act as important mechanisms of knowledge circulation and that some principles reinforce this function. In particular, to achieve organisational knowledge transfer, enforceability of manuals and procedures, scalability of reviews and decisions, mobility induction of individuals, and multiplicity of roles and accountabilities are indicated as desirable design properties of control systems in knowledge-intensive firms.     

A Knowledge Accessing Theory of Strategic Alliances

ABSTRACT The emerging knowledge‐based view of the firm offers new insight into the causes and management of interfirm alliances. However, the development of an effective knowledge‐based theory of alliance formation has been inhibited by a simplistic view of alliances as vehicles for organizational learning in which strategic alliances have presumed to be motivated by firms’ desire to acquire knowledge from one another. We argue that the primary advantage of alliances over both firms and markets is in accessing rather than acquiring knowledge. Building upon the distinction between the knowledge generation (‘exploration’) and knowledge application (‘exploitation’), we show that alliances contribute to the efficiency in the application of knowledge; first, by improving the efficiency with which knowledge is integrated into the production of complex goods and services, and second, by increasing the efficiency with which knowledge is utilized. These static efficiency advantages of alliances are enhanced where there is uncertainty over future knowledge requirements and where new products offer early‐mover advantages. Compared with alternative learning‐based approaches to alliance formation, our proposed knowledge‐accessing theory of alliances offers the advantages of greater theoretical rigour and consistency with general trends in alliance activity and corporate strategy.     

Italian industrial districts as cognitive systems: Are they still reproducible?

Adopting a knowledge-based perspective, this study develops a framework of how Italian industrial districts (IDs) operate and evolve as cognitive systems. First, we analyse the mechanisms that facilitate knowledge diffusion across firms within IDs, the enabler of cross-firm knowledge transfer (absorptive capacity) and the process of producing new knowledge by combination. Within this analysis, we consider the formation of new firms resulting from the break-away of human resources from existing district firms (spin-offs) as a particular form of knowledge transfer and production within districts. Knowledge production by combination may take place not only within boundaries of IDs, but also involve external sources. We suggest that innovations made by combining internal and external knowledge have played an important role in shaping the evolutionary trajectories of IDs. Finally, again from the cognitive perspective, we address the issue of how globalization impacts on district systems, concentrating on the positive role that two different types of local actors play in their reproduction and evolution: the global–local firms and institutions providing knowledge-intensive business services.     

知识管理：企业管理新视野

企业的竞争优势来自哪里?企业知识论的观点认为,企业是一个知识集合体,企业当前的知识存量和知识结构决定了企业发现和利用未来机会和资源配置的方法,能产生企业独特性和作为企业独特资源的是它运用各种知识的能力.知识管理的实质就是帮助人们认识公司真正的资源和获取持久的竞争优势.知识管理是一种全新的经营管理模式,主要包括企业信息的积累和保存,知识在企业内部的交流和共享,知识的创新.知识管理要求在企业建立知识远景和知识战略,形成知识型组织结构,创造知识管理的企业文化,改善企业领导方式,尊重关键人物.     

Learning from the world? Horizontal knowledge flows and geopolitics in international consulting firms

This paper examines the nature of the contemporary multinational corporation (MNC) through a study of the use of knowledge management systems (KMS) in four major international consulting firms. In particular, we explore whether and how such systems facilitate horizontal (inter-subsidiary) flows of knowledge, as described in the network view of the MNC. Our analysis reveals the presence of horizontal flows within the four firms, but flows that are contextually constrained and partly shaped by geopolitical power relations. Thus, our study gives some support to the image of the MNC as a network whilst highlighting the contextual limits of horizontal knowledge transfer and, importantly, the geopolitical conditions under which such knowledge transfer takes place. At the same time, it challenges the claim that consulting firms are model organizations in the area of knowledge management as well as the more negative view that questions the ability of KMS to facilitate knowledge transfer.     

Green Knowledge Sharing,Stakeholder Pressure,Absorptive Capacity,and Green Innovation: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Firms

A central issue faced by many Chinese manufacturing firms is how to absorb and utilize green knowledge shared among supply chain members for superior green innovation. Invoking the indirect research stream of organizational learning theory, we develop a moderated mediation model in which absorptive capacity mediates the interactive effects of green knowledge sharing and stakeholder pressure on green innovation. Our hypotheses were tested using a sample of 247 Chinese manufacturing firms. The results from multiple regression and bootstrapping tests reveal that absorptive capacity fully mediates the link between green knowledge sharing and green innovation, and the mediation effect is positively contingent upon stakeholder pressure. These findings provide managerial implications for Chinese manufacturing firms, recommending that these firms effectively develop their absorptive capacities and closely monitor stakeholder pressure to realize the green innovation benefits of green knowledge sharing.     

Configuring absorptive capacity as a key process for research intensive firms

Absorptive capacity is a dynamic capability which creates new firm resources by searching, acquiring, assimilating, transforming and exploiting external knowledge with internal resources and act as a process framework for innovation. Despite being one of the most frequently cited strategic management concepts, absorptive capacity as a dynamic capability has limited empirical evidence with unverified assumptions. The concept is at risk of reification. With this study we contribute to the literature by providing empirical evidence for absorptive capacity which challenge the assumptions of how the construct is configured. We follow the strategic factor of intellectual property rights (IPR) in European biopharmaceutical firms using a qualitative process study with temporal bracketing. By tracking IPR, we found evidence for absorptive capacity in all firms we studied, but the process framework in use is different to Zahra and George’s (2002. Acad. Manage. Rev. 27, 185–203) and Todorova and Durisin’s (2007. Acad. Manage. Rev. 32, 774–786) theoretical models. Based on our evidence and literature review we develop some theoretical insights and propose a modified absorptive capacity model. This new model puts a greater emphasis on assimilating knowledge from outside the firm and provides more clarity on how research intensive firms might use absorptive capacity.     

High‐Performance Work Systems in Professional Service Firms: Examining the Practices‐Resources‐Uses‐Performance Linkage

Professional service firms (PSFs) play an important role in the knowledge‐based economy. Their success is highly dependent on their people, the knowledge resources they possess, and how they use these resources. However, how to systematically manage human resources to attain high performance is not fully understood. This study addresses this issue by investigating the linkage mechanisms through which high‐performance work systems (HPWS) influence the performance of PSFs. We integrate resource‐based and dynamic capability theories in order to identify and investigate two intervening mechanisms that link HR practices to firm performance. The first mechanism is the intellectual capital resources comprising the human, social, and organizational capital that HPWS create. The second mechanism is the uses to which both HPWS and resources can be applied, operationalized as organizational ambidexterity, the simultaneous exploitation of existing knowledge and exploration of new knowledge. These mechanisms are hypothesized to link HPWS to firm performance in the form of a practices‐resources‐uses‐performance linkage model. Results from a longitudinal study of 93 accounting firms support this linkage model. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Exploring the effect of buyer engagement on green product innovation: Empirical evidence from manufacturers

In this study, we are interested in how export firms organize knowledge management and increase product innovation performance. Prior studies have concluded that knowledge transfer from external actors leads to operational performance outcomes; others have questioned the positive influence of buyer-driven knowledge transfer activities on innovation performance. Drawing on absorptive capacity, we aim to offer a better understanding, how export firms as recipients of knowledge resources, organize their internal capabilities in order to realize firm-level product innovation. This empirical study examines the interplay of buyer-driven knowledge activities, resource acquisition and combining, and product innovation outcomes in the context of Pakistani export firms. Drawing on survey data from 239 export-manufacturing firms, we test hypotheses using structural equation modeling. Our findings show that buyer-driven knowledge transfer activities play a crucial role in enhancing export firms in absorbing and combining resources that lead to product innovation. The pragmatic suggestion of the research suggests that managers look closely at developing a culture of involvement with their buyers that promotes the development of knowledge resources. The results of this study have research, policy, and managerial implications.     

基于知识网络的高校知识转移价值增值的影响因素研究

知识经济时代,高校的知识转移成为企业获取竞争优势的重要途径,越来越多的企业通过知识网络来共享和转移高校互补性知识,从而提升企业创造价值的能力。本文分析了知识网络中高校知识转移价值增值的传递过程,并进一步探讨了高校知识转移价值增值的影响因素,在此基础上构建基于知识网络的高校知识转移价值增值的影响因素模型,旨在为促进高校知识转移价值增值提供一种新的分析思路。     

论高职院校图书馆人力资源的创新管理

高职院校由于沿用传统的人事管理方式管理图书馆,人力资源管理观念不强,导致以下问题的存在：图书馆高素质人才短缺;图书馆馆员知识结构不合理,高学历人才少;人力资源管理制度不规范,难以调动馆员工作积极性;人力资源的配置机制不合理,影响工作效益。因此,在信息时代、知识经济时代和网络时代,为了更好地为师生提供高质量的信息服务,高职院校图书馆必须创新人力资源管理方式。     

IT服务企业跨项目知识转移的影响因素研究

跨项目知识转移是许多企业内部知识积累和创造的重要途径。以一般知识转移相关研究为基础，本文构建了跨项目知识转移影响因素的初步理论模型；然后以K公司房地产事业部为案例研究对象，通过案例分析进一步修正和完善了该理论模型。研究发现，与一般知识转移相比，项目任务特征（任务相似性、任务紧迫性）和知识的嵌入性特征会影响到跨项目知识转...     

Corporate social responsibility and public procurement: How supplying government affects managerial orientations

How does government drive the corporate social responsibility of firms that supply it with goods and services? This paper reviews relevant theory and practice to describe ways in which public procurement shapes corporate social responsibility, and it builds upon theory to develop testable propositions to describe these influences. Using the case of U.S. defense procurement, statistical analysis indicates a significant relationship between the extent to which firms engage in defense procurement and the corporate social responsibility orientations of their managers. The findings have application both for social responsibility theory and for public procurement policy and practice.     

Gestaltungsparameter zur Förderung des innerbetrieblichen Wissenstransfers – Ein Strukturierungsrahmen

There is an ongoing discussion regarding the management of knowledge transfer in firms in theory and practice. Over time, a considerable amount of measures to foster this transfer has been proposed. However, their interplay in practice is difficult to judge. This paper picks up this aspect and develops a theory-based framework of factors that have to be considered when trying to influence knowledge transfer. This framework offers the possibility to improve the analysis regarding the mentioned interplay between different measures.     

Firm's resilience to supply chain disruptions: Scale development and empirical examination

This paper expands our understanding of factors that contribute to development of firm resilience to supply chain disruptions. In doing so, we operationalize firm resilience to understand how supply chain disruption orientated firms can develop resilience to supply chain disruptions. We find that supply chain disruption orientation alone is not enough for a firm to develop resilience. Supply chain disruption oriented firms require the ability to reconfigure resources or have a risk management resource infrastructure to develop resilience. The way in which supply chain disruption oriented firms develop resilience through resource reconfiguration or risk management infrastructure depends on the context of the disruption as high impact or low impact. In a high impact disruption context, resource reconfiguration fully mediates the relationship between supply chain disruption orientation and firm resilience. In a low impact disruption context, supply chain disruption orientation and risk management infrastructure have a synergistic effect on developing firm resilience.     

Knowledge and performance in an emerging telecommunication industry: The moderating role of organisational orientation

The ability of existing research to guide managerial decision making along a broad range of strategic orientations with which knowledge must be acquired, created, and utilised to improve organisational performance still remains an unfilled gap in the literature. Consequently, by adopting a wide range of organisational orientations that inherent knowledge‐based resources in the organisation can be applied, this paper examined the moderating effect of organisational orientation on the relationship between organisational knowledge and performance of telecommunication firms. Data were gathered using quantitative research approach. This involved the use of structured questionnaire from 230 managers and other administrative and technical employees of firms in the Global System for Mobile Communication submarket of Nigeria's telecommunications industry. The statistical analysis was subject to hierarchical multiple regression.     

Industrial and knowledge relocation strategies under the challenges of globalization and digitalization: the move of small and medium enterprises among territorial systems

Owing to globalization and digitalization, small and medium firms adopt relocation strategies to transfer their activities (and implicitly also knowledge) among territorial systems, inducing transformations into both source and destination areas. Cognitive proximity and knowledge creation/transfer play a crucial role, especially critical when concerning tacit knowledge, which can be transferred only by moving people. In each industrial cluster or industrial district it is possible to identify a kernel of critical activities, which requests complex competencies and has high added value, and a kernel of tacit knowledge, which is based on repeated face-to-face interactions. The former resists globalization and the latter prevents digitalization, which impacts heavily on territorial systems lacking trust, cooperative attitude, and other socio-cognitive factors. Relocation strategies are divided into selective and replicative alternatives, depending on the ability to preserve large kernels. When replicative strategies are followed by many firms, the socio-cognitive integrity and the economic competitiveness of the territorial system are severely damaged. Thus, in order to prevent the ruinous consequences of massive replicative relocation, local and regional governments should steer territorial systems towards selective relocation strategies supporting innovation and improving human capital, paying attention and developing socio-cognitive factors too. In the final part of the paper, case studies of industrial and knowledge relocation at intra-European level are discussed, and a general model is proposed.     

基于协同创新的知识管理模型构建

知识管理是一种全新的管理理念和管理方法,其显著特点就是系统性。我国实施"2011计划",积极推动协同创新,促进政产学研结合,为知识管理的进一步研究工作开辟了新途径。现有的知识管理研究还没有从协同创新的角度,全面系统地分析从知识的原始积累到形成产业化经济的全过程知识管理行为。本文基于协同创新的视角,系统地分析知识管理全运行过程的基本要素,构建基于协同创新的知识管理网络模型,并详细分析知识管理主干系统、协同组织子系统、评价机制子系统的系统结构、运行机理,为知识管理和创新提供一种新的研究方法,并指导科技创新实践工作。     

知识联盟与企业知识转移

知识联盟是现代企业战略联盟的一种重要形式。企业在组建知识联盟的过程中,可促使企业之间隐含性知识的转移,并且还能学习和创造新的交叉知识。企业隐含性知识能否在知识联盟的过程中实行有效转移,组织学习具有非常重要的意义,企业需要有明确的学习目标和较强的学习能力。