The Determinants of Knowledge Transfer in International Manufacturing Alliances: The Knowledge Receiver’s Perspective

• Main Authors: Wei-Li Wu, 吳偉立
• Other Authors: Ryh-Song Yeh
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/52494039364728391043

博士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 國際企業學系 === 96 === Learning from international manufacturing alliances has been a key factor for Taiwanese firms to develop their technological capability. Although researchers have discussed a lot about how to efficiently promote knowledge transfer in the context of strategic alliances in the past years, extant studies still could not offer a deep and complete result for us to understand the issue of knowledge transfer in international strategic alliances. Based on the foundation of previous studies, this study uses the knowledge receiver’s perspective to re-explore and test the relationship between knowledge transfer and its determinants in international manufacturing alliances, and further to explore whether there exists condition factors during the process of cross-national knowledge transfer. After a literature review and four case studies are conducted, we identify four important determinants of knowledge transfer, which are based on the perspectives of knowledge receiver characteristics and partner relationship; they are learning intent, resource-based learning capacity, incentive-based learning capacity and relational capital. Then, we assume that relational capital, national culture difference, information technology usage are conditional factors for the relationship among learning intent, learning capacity and knowledge transfer. Finally, we conduct an empirical survey and then collect 206 usable samples, which are from Taiwan’s public companies and the top 1000 firms of Taiwan listed in the China Credit Information Service Incorporation, to test our hypothetic relationships drawn from the theoretical framework of this study. The results of empirical study show: (1) a higher level of learning intent, resource-based learning capacity (i.e., resource support and communication) and incentive-based learning capacity corresponds with a higher level of knowledge transfer; (2) a higher level of relational capital associates with a higher level of knowledge transfer; (3) the influence of relational capital on tacit knowledge acquisition is more significant than on explicit knowledge acquisition; (4) the relational capital, national culture difference and information technology usage are confirmed to be conditional factors for the process of knowledge transfer, although the moderating effects of these conditional factors are different from what are expected.