AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings - Academy of International ...

SUNDAY
(For more information, please contact: Paz Estrella Tolentino, Birkbeck, University of London, United Kingdom:
p.tolentino@bbk.ac.uk)
Congruence between Subsidiary Strategic Role and Relational Characteristics on Knowledge Development:
Evidence from the UK KIBS Sector
Zhaleh Najafi Tavani, University of Leeds
Ghasem Zaefarian, University of Leeds
Peter Naude , University of Manchester
Stephan Henneberg, University of Manchester
Axèle Giroud, University of Manchester
Grounded in configuration theory and the network view of the firm, this research seeks to understand how the
congruence of subsidiary's strategic role and subsidiary-parent relational characteristics relate to knowledge
development. Our configuration analysis, utilizing profile deviation for each subsidiary strategic role, used a
sample of 184 foreign subsidiaries operating in knowledge intensive business services in the U.K. The results
provide support for equifinality of alternative subsidiary strategic roles and indicate that the subsidiary's internal
ability to develop knowledge is greater when the underlying relational characteristics match those of ideal types
for a given subsidiary strategic role. (For more information, please contact: Zhaleh Najafi Tavani, University of
Leeds, United Kingdom: z.najafitavani@leeds.ac.uk)
The Interplay of Networking Activities and Internal Knowledge Actions for Subsidiary Influence within MNCs
Zhaleh Najafi Tavani, University of Leeds
Axèle Giroud, University of Manchester
Ulf Andersson, Copenhagen Business School
Building on resource dependency theory; this research investigates the joint impacts of subsidiary knowledge
based actions (Reverse Knowledge Transfer (RKT) and knowledge development) and networking activities
(internal and external embeddedness) on its strategic influence in the multinational corporation. The proposed
model was tested with data on 184 foreign owned subsidiaries in the United Kingdom. The results indicate that
the possession of strategic resources (knowledge or embedded relations) is not adequate for a subsidiary to
increase its influence unless it is accompanied with RKT. (For more information, please contact: Zhaleh Najafi
Tavani, University of Leeds, United Kingdom: z.najafitavani@leeds.ac.uk)
Session: 1.1.9 - Competitive
Track: 6 - Innovation and Knowledge Mgmt.
Knowledge at Home and Abroad: Who Knows What
Presented On: July 1, 2012 - 09:00-10:15
Chair: Denise Dunlap, Northeastern University
How Do Cosmopolitan and Local Employees Influence Innovativeness of Foreign and Domestic Firms
Annique Un, Northeastern University
Fernando Muñoz-Bullón, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Maria Sánchez-Bueno, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
We analyze the effects of skills of employees on innovation of subsidiaries of foreign multinational enterprises
(MNEs) and domestic firms competing in the same country. In contrast to previous studies that argue that
subsidiaries of foreign MNEs suffer from a disadvantage or liability of foreignness in comparison to domestic
AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings
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