MNC strategy, knowledge transfer context, and knowledge flow in MNEs
Journal of Knowledge Management
ISSN: 1367-3270
Article publication date: 8 April 2019
Issue publication date: 28 November 2019
Abstract
Purpose
Cross-border flow of knowledge is fraught with many challenges. The complexity associated with the organization of multinational corporations (MNCs), and the information asymmetry in foreign locations poses particular challenges to knowledge flow. Yet, effective transfer of knowledge is critical for the survival and performance of MNCs. The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive framework to understand the difficulties in the smooth flow of knowledge in MNCs.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is conceptual in nature and is based on an extensive review of the extant literature.
Findings
This review of the literature suggests that knowledge flow in MNCs is affected by country-level, firm-level and individual-level factors. The authors discuss these in the backdrop of the MNC strategy and the knowledge transfer context. The authors present their theoretical model and discuss the implications for advancing research in this domain.
Originality/value
This is one of the first papers to present a comprehensive framework to understand knowledge flows in MNCs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Number 71672072, 716020107001].
Citation
Gaur, A.S., Ma, H. and Ge, B. (2019), "MNC strategy, knowledge transfer context, and knowledge flow in MNEs", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 23 No. 9, pp. 1885-1900. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2018-0476
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited