跨国零售企业母子公司知识转移机制——以沃尔玛为例

零售企业在跨国扩张过程中必然伴随母国知识的转移活动,而由于国情不同,在母公司发展起来的优势知识到了海外市场可能无法适应,知识的内隐程度和地区嵌入程度将影响零售知识的跨国转移效果。本文以沃尔玛为对象,通过研究其在华经营活动,从知识特性的角度分析了母子公司间的知识转移机制。研究发现:知识内隐程度的高低可以影响转移的媒介,地区嵌入程度的高低能够影响知识转移的深度及本土化程度。内隐程度高的知识倾向以人员作为转移媒介,通过人员媒介可以使隐性知识显性化,并逐渐固化成标准化的物件范式;内隐程度低的知识则倾向以物件作为转移媒介。地区嵌入程度高的知识,母公司仅转移知识架构,在华子公司自行建构知识具体内容,以本土化为主;地区嵌入程度低的知识,母公司同时转移知识架构和具体内容,以标准化为主;对那些地区嵌入程度正在降低的知识,可以在初步本土化探索的同时,实施收缩等待战略,待时机成熟再实施与母国相同的标准化转移策略。

Knowledge Transfer Mechanism between Parent Company and Subsidiaries of Transnational Retailers on the Basis of Characteristics of Knowledge——Case Study on Wal-Mart

The process of cross-border expansion of retail enterprises must be accompanied by the knowledge transfer activities of the parent company.But because of the different national conditions,the advantage knowledge formed from the parent company may not be able to adapt to a subsidiary.The implicit degree and regional embedding degree of knowledge can affect the knowledge transfer of retail companies.This paper took Wal-Mart as an example,analyzed knowledge transfer mechanism between parent corporation and subsidiaries from the perspective of knowledge characteristics.We found that implicit degree and regional embedding degree of knowledge will influence knowledge transfer modes.Implicit degree can affect the transfer medium and regional embedding degree can affect knowledge transfer depth and retailers’ adaptation strategy.Knowledge with high implicit degree tends to transfer through staff medium,while knowledge with low implicit degree tends to transfer through object medium.For knowledge with higher regional embedding degree,the parent corporation only transfers the structure of knowledge,subsidiaries in China construct the specific content of knowledge in a localized way.For knowledge with lower regional embedding degree,the patent corporation transfers both the structure and the specific content of knowledge in standardized way.In terms of the knowledge which the degree of regional embedding is reducing,it can take initial exploration of localization and at the same time implement the contracting strategy,waiting the time when it is ripe to implement the same standardized transfer strategies as in home country.