تجزیه و تحلیل انتقال دانش: از MNE های خارجی تا تامین کنندگان چینی

This paper investigates vertical knowledge transfers from inward-invested multinational enterprises to indigenous Chinese suppliers in the electrical and electronics industry in Wuxi, China. Through 16 dyadic case studies, a three-stage pathway of relationship development is established in which the types of knowledge transferred evolve as the relationship and the cooperative activities within it, deepen. Contingency factors are found to either accelerate or prolong the relationship development at each stage. We conclude with implications of our findings for academic scholars and managers.

For over quarter of a century, the Chinese government has encouraged inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in the hope that it will contribute to the increased competitiveness and productivity of domestic industries. The realization of this hope, however, hinges upon the assumptions (a) that knowledge transfers take place and (b) upon the depth and types of knowledge transferred. However, uncertainty associated with an unfamiliar and risky environment may lead MNEs to be cautious about what they transfer and how they do it. We, therefore, examine the process and types of knowledge transferred from inward invested multinational enterprises (MNEs) to their indigenous Chinese suppliers. Specifically we ask: • What is the nature of the knowledge transfers to Chinese suppliers by MNEs? • What are the processes by which they transfer this knowledge? • Does the nature of the knowledge and processes by which they are transferred, change as the supply relationship matures? An analysis of 16 dyadic case studies, using a process-oriented approach, leads us to identify the types of knowledge transferred, and the means by which they are transferred at each stage. In combination they lead us to establish three stages of relationship development—the initiating, developing and intensifying stages. The dynamics of inter-firm cooperation demonstrate how, with the improvement of the supplier's capability and an increasing degree of mutual trust, the relationship can shift from being an arms-length transaction to one that involves the development of firm-specific capabilities. This has important implications for managers of both MNEs and supplier firms as to what types of knowledge are, and can be, transferred. The paper takes the following format. Following the literature review, we present details of our methodology and data collection process. The findings from our cases are advanced and used to develop two conceptual devices: a pathway of relationship development between inward-invested MNEs and their local Chinese suppliers, and a typology of knowledge which is transferred at each stage of the development pathway. We conclude with implications of the research findings and acknowledge the limitations of our research.