This study explores the effect of coordination needs on alliance governance. We examine coordination needs that arise as a consequence of the characteristics and the context of the alliance. We posit that alliance characteristics and contextual factors influence alliance form and equity...

In this retrospective, we revisit the goals of the original paper, and we review the studies that have used our paper to discuss the “concept” and the “development” of absorptive capacity. We also propose directions for future research, stressing the need to develop thorough theoretical...

Based on a sample of 169 subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in the USA, Russia, and Finland, this paper investigates the relationship between MNC subsidiary HRM practices, absorptive capacity and knowledge transfer. First, we examine the relationship between the...

Knowledge and learning are ascribed pivotal roles in firms' internationalization processes: perceived market uncertainties, namely knowledge gaps related to business environments in foreign markets, may curb firms' inclinations to commit resources to these markets. This study explores whether...

Although the literature provides ample evidence that the global transfer and local implementation of knowledge represents a key advantage for multinational corporations (MNCs), we lack comparable understanding as to whether knowledge-creating MNC parents can actively expand the absorptive...

This Introduction discusses the contrast between, on the one hand, the current popularity of addressing MNC organization in knowledge terms and, on the other, the lack of adequate understanding of many of the causal mechanisms and contextual factors in relations between knowledge processes and...

Several decades of research in the field of international business have advanced various theories and studies on the internationalization of firms. Our assessment of the literature on internationalization shows that the focus has been primarily on path-dependency and learning-based aspects of...

We extend the “centers of excellence” concept to address the diversity and multidimensionality of subsidiary competence. Using Rugman and Verbeke's diamond network model, we hypothesize the contingencies influencing the links between host-country environments and subsidiary competence...

A number of qualitative studies have shown striking international differences in corporate governance systems. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of ownership structures among the hundred largest companies in twelve European countries. The existence of a highly significant nation effect...