Firm Knowledge Research Articles

The impact of intellectual capital-enhancing HR practices and culture on innovativeness—mediating role of knowledge management processes

PurposeThe study examines the effect of human and social capital-supporting human resource (HR) practices and structural capital-supporting culture on innovativeness and the mediating role of knowledge management (KM) processes in the knowledge-intensive Indian IT sector.Design/methodology/approachUsing a quantitative approach, the authors collected data from 387 employees in 30 IT organizations via a questionnaire survey. The authors analyzed data using structural equational modeling using AMOS 26.FindingsThe results indicate complete mediation of KM processes between human capital-HR (HCHRP), social capital HR (SCHRP), bureaucratic culture (BOC) space and innovativeness. KM processes partially mediated the effect of innovative-competitive culture (IOC) on innovativeness. KM processes have a robust predictive capacity for innovativeness, suggesting that human capital-supporting HR and innovative-competitive culture significantly contribute to KM Processes and innovativeness, respectively.Practical implicationsThis study provides practical insights to HR and knowledge managers to leverage their HR practices and organizational culture for improving innovation performance in KISO.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the intellectual capital and KM literature by exploring the mediating role of the KM process in the underlying mechanism suggesting that intellectual capital can enhance HR and culture, leveraging a firm's knowledge resources for innovativeness. It fills a research gap by providing original evidence based on primary data collected from India's IT sector.

Defending Firm Knowledge against Industry Rivals

Defending Firm Knowledge against Industry Rivals

Miscategorized subset-knowers: Five- and six-knowers can compare only the numbers they know.

Initial acquisition of the first symbolic numbers is measured with the Give a Number (GaN) task. According to the classic method, it is assumed that children who know only 1, 2, 3, or 4 in the GaN task, (termed separately one-, two-, three-, and four-knowers, or collectively subset-knowers) have only a limited conceptual understanding of numbers. On the other hand, it is assumed that children who know larger numbers understand the fundamental properties of numbers (termed cardinality-principle-knowers), even if they do not know all the numbers as measured with the GaN task, that are in their counting list (e.g., five- or six-knowers). We argue that this practice may not be well-established. To validate this categorization method, here, the performances of groups with different GaN performances were measured separately in a symbolic comparison task. It was found that similar to one to four-knowers, five-, six-, and so forth, knowers can compare only the numbers that they know in the GaN task. We conclude that five-, six-, and so forth, knowers are subset-knowers because their conceptual understanding of numbers is fundamentally limited. We argue that knowledge of the cardinality principle should be identified with stricter criteria compared to the current practice in the literature. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Children who know numbers larger than 4 in the Give a Number (GaN) task are usually assumed to have a fundamental conceptual understanding of numbers. We tested children who know numbers larger than 4 but who do not know all the numbers in their counting list to see whether they compare numbers more similar to children who know only small numbers in the GaN task or to children who have more firm number knowledge. Five-, six-, and so forth, knowers can compare only the numbers they know in the GaN task, similar to the performance of the one, two, three, and four-knowers. We argue that these children have a limited conceptual understanding of numbers and that previous works may have miscategorized them.

The Spectrum of ABO and Rhesus Blood Group Systems in a Blood Center in Southern Karnataka

Introduction: Hereditary characteristics, such as ABO and Rhesus (Rh) blood group antigens, are helpful for population genetic studies, for settling medicolegal disputes, and most vitally immunologic safety of blood during transfusion. Having firm knowledge of blood grouping is essential for managing the collection of blood banks. It can lower the likelihood of morbidity and mortality brought on by lack of blood in specific areas. The objective of our study was to screen and determine the frequencies of the occurrence of ABO and Rh blood groups among residents from both the urban and rural populations of the South Karnataka region. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study. The study was conducted in a blood center and included all the donors from January 17 to December 22. Hemoglobin estimation was estimated by copper sulfate method and ERMA INC-PCE-210 3-Part analyzer. After blood bank validation, Tulip Diagnostics Limited standard anti-sera of anti-A, anti-B, and anti-D were used to conduct antigen–antibody slide agglutination test to determine the ABO grouping and Rh typing following blood donation. Simple percentages were used to report data on the ABO and Rh blood group distribution patterns. Results: Out of 19497 donors, predominant age group was 25–29 years (29.46%). The male:female ratio was 108:1. Voluntary donors (91.03%) were more than replacement donors, with predominant donors being Rh positive. Maximum donors had the blood group O (42.5%), followed by B > A > AB. There were also four Bombay blood group donors in our study. Conclusion: Good knowledge and understanding of blood grouping have an imperative involvement in the management of blood bank inventory. It can help to minimize the morbidity and mortality rate due to lack of blood in a particular geographical area.

Nexus between Pakistani Firm's Profitability and Foreign Direct Investment

Globalization and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have a very strong association. FDI increases competition, externalities, domestic firm profitability, technology transfer, knowledge transfer, manpower training, market networking, and economic benefits. This study examined how foreign direct investment affects Pakistani banks' profits. The analysis used 1996–2015 time series data. EViews estimated the research model. The study uses the autoregressive model for finding any association between the response variable, profitability of domestic companies, and the net FDI inflows (percentage of GDP), FDI (foreign direct investment), and four response variable lags. Return on Assets (ROA) quantified domestic firm profitability. The model indicated and the coefficient showed that ROA and FDI and FDI per capita have a positive significant association, but ROA and ROA (-4) in the host country have a negative significant link. Pakistani firms will profit more as FDI increases.

Social and political capabilities as nonmarket activities: What are they and how do firms develop them?

AbstractFirms recognize the need for strategic efforts in the nonmarket environment to improve their performance. We seek to explore the different ways in which firms learn about nonmarket strategies (NMS), whether the social or the political dimension. We conducted a search of previous NMS studies and analyzed this literature to reflect on the process of development and evolution of political and social corporate capabilities. Based on the theoretical insights of resource dependency theory (RDT) and the resource‐based view (RBV) and its variants, we adopt an external perspective of how firms capture critical political and social knowledge in the nonmarket environment and an internal perspective of how firms develop nonmarket capabilities from this new knowledge. We argue that the new knowledge obtained from the observation of peer firms, from co‐opting and collaborating with nonmarket and market actors and from their own experiences is incorporated into the firm's knowledge system and allows for the development and evolution of capabilities to integrate and deploy resources for strategic purposes. We also point out that changes in the nonmarket environment require firms to constantly seek new social and political capabilities. They learn, unlearn and relearn.

Toward the identification of mechanisms to ensure effective university-industry collaboration in sub-Saharan Africa

PurposeThis study aims at advancing the understanding of University-Industry Collaboration (UIC) by proposing an adapted conceptual model for comprehensive contextual analysis taking industry perspective and identifying effective mechanisms for stimulating UIC in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Design/methodology/approachThis study was designed as a multicase qualitative study. Data were collected through interviews of focus groups representing 26 agro-processing companies operating in Rwanda. The process consisted of two sessions evaluating the current collaboration patterns, and two sessions identifying the desired future and the mechanisms to realize it. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti software with the grounded theory techniques.FindingsFindings indicate that current interactions are unidirectional and focus on educational collaboration. Results are short-term and do not yield sufficient benefit for the companies involved. Industry aspirations for future collaboration were identified, along with linkages between inputs, activities and outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has two noteworthy limitations. First, this study did not consider the capacity of firms to collaborate. Second, for simplification purposes, this study did not integrate other complementary sources of knowledge for firms. To overcome these omissions, a short introduction of University–Industry Collaboration (UIC) was presented to participants highlighting and justifying the scope of the study. As research implications, this paper presents a new integrated conceptual framework, which can be useful for studies focusing on a comprehensive analysis of the UIC context and identifying effective mechanisms for improvement in the future. A construct of policies that stimulate UIC is proposed, thereby facilitating further operationalization and testing of context-specific hypotheses on policy stimuli.Practical implicationsIn practice, the identified conceptual framework allows to holistically capture and reflect on the interrelationships between UIC factors and outcomes for a specific context, hence, informing better UIC decision-making. In this way, this paper advances the operationalization of the argument for reconciling organizational theories with their practices.Social implicationsThis paper presents a systemic means for organizational theories to perform their adaptive role in society. Indeed, as demonstrated by the empirical results, the proposed framework is effective not only in systematically assessing the current situation, but also in predicting the desired state in the future. In other words, the proposed framework facilitates prescience theorizing, which is a mechanism for ensuring that organizational theories adapt to future requirements of the society.Originality/valueThis study develops a new integrative conceptual framework to accommodate the interaction between UIC’s institutional decision-making and existing macrolevel frameworks of innovation ecosystems. In terms of methodology, the value of this study lies in its adoption of an ex ante approach to the development of mechanisms to stimulate UIC. This use of prescience theory (Corley and Gioia, 2011) constitutes an important – but long-neglected – approach to UIC and its adaptive role in society.

Effect of knowledge network embedding on exploitative and exploratory innovation: evidence from Chinese advanced manufacturing firms

ABSTRACT This study constructs firm knowledge networks using patent data of advanced Chinese manufacturing firms. It applies panel stochastic negative binomial regression analysis to explore the mechanism of the effect of knowledge network (KN) embedding on exploitative innovation (EI) and exploratory innovation (EY) in advanced manufacturing firms. The results indicate, relationship embedding (RE) has a clear inverted U-shaped relationship with EI and EY, while structure embedding (SE) has a significant positive impact on EI and an inverted U-shaped effect on EY. An increase in knowledge diversity (KD) flattens the inverted U-shaped relationship between RE and EY. Conversely, weakening the positive impact of SE on EI. Knowledge integration capacity (KIC) mediates the relationship between KN embedding (RE and SE), EI, and EY.

Digital Transformation and Firm Performance

Digital transformation has become an important channel for firms to build a competitive advantage in the digital economy. However, user participation, an important source of external knowledge for firms, has received limited attention in research related to digital transformation. Drawing on the knowledge-based view, the study uses a sample of 247 Chinese firms to investigate the impact of digital transformation on firm performance. The study examines the mediating role of user participation between digital transformation and firm performance and the moderating role of both environmental dynamics and absorptive capacity on the relationship between user participation and firm performance. Findings herein encourage digital transformation firms to pay attention to user participation, strengthen their ability to establish good relationships with users, improve their ability to absorb their knowledge, and make a strong effort to cultivate digital users.

Identification and assessment of risks related to digitalization in Indian construction: a quantitative approach

PurposeThe purpose of this research article is to investigate the critical risk factors associated with the digitalization impact on the Indian construction industry, as these firm plans to implement digitalization in order to improve their construction management processes.Design/methodology/approachIn this research article, risk factors and dimensions are taken from diverse industries and validated in the construction domain by industry and academic experts. Further, multi-criteria decision-making techniques are employed to assess the Indian construction sector scenario quantitatively. The interrelationship and weightage of risk factors and dimensions are determined by the Fuzzy Decision-making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory Analytic Network Process (DANP) method. However, the method Grey Technique for the Order of Prioritization by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to determine the ranking of each risk factor.FindingsThis study finds 14 critical risk factors along with four risk dimensions. Operational and financial dimensions are significant risk dimensions. Whereas the threat of high outlay and low yield is a significant risk factor in construction. Besides that, the interrelationship among risk factors, the weightage of each factor and the ranking of critical risk factors are also identified.Research limitations/implicationsThis research article uses Fuzzy DANP and Grey TOPSIS techniques as exploratory research methods with a limited group of construction professionals from a leading Indian construction firm. Furthermore, comprehensive confirmatory research can also be performed with a large group of construction experts using advanced analytical techniques to validate the ranking of critical risk factors.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study provide insight into the knowledge of construction firms by emphasizing significant risk factors related to digitalization in construction operations. Another finding of this study shows that the risks associated with digitalization in construction are similar to those in manufacturing, where high outlay and low yield hold a significant role in the transformation process.Originality/valueThe research is unique since there have only been limited studies in the Indian construction scenario to analyze the significant risks associated with digitalization. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the combination of Fuzzy DANP and Grey TOPSIS techniques may be used successfully to prioritize risks in construction digitalization, which is still in its early phases.

The Economic Agglomeration Effects of the Industrial and Business Sectors in Pengerang Johor, Malaysia from a Spatial Perspective

The economic agglomeration effects of the industrial and business sectors refer to the positive externalities that result from the concentration of firms in a specific geographic area. These effects can take different forms, including increased productivity, better innovation, and lower firm costs. Additionally, the concentration of businesses and industries in one area can result in knowledge spillovers, where firms can benefit from the expertise and knowledge of other firms in the same field. This study aims to provide spatial visualisation of the industrial area with GIS technology within the Pengerang District. Data from the Pengerang City Council and Companies Commission of Malaysia was utilised to conduct a Getis-Ord Gi* (Hot Spot) analysis to determine the agglomeration pattern of industrial and business activities in the study area. This study identifies Bandar Penawar and Pengerang as the areas with the highest concentration of industrial and business activities. The factors or effects of the economic agglomeration in the study area include the concentration of industrial and business activities, the presence of supporting industries and services, the availability of transportation infrastructure, and the availability of skilled labour. The study also identifies the positive spillover effects of economic agglomeration, such as increased productivity, knowledge spillovers, and innovation. The analysis results can guide future strategic planning in the industrial and business sectors in Pengerang District.

Reaching beyond the acquirer-target dyad in M&A – Linkages to external knowledge sources and target firm valuation

Access to unique knowledge of a target firm is the strategic rationale for many firm acquisitions with the expectation of improving the acquirer's innovation performance. We argue that the acquisition price reflects opportunities for value creation through innovation and investigate whether acquirers pay not just for the target firm's knowledge but also for the opportunity to access localized knowledge when targets are embedded in the knowledge flows of their region. Accordingly, we integrate embeddedness theory with literature on the expectations for knowledge-based value creation in M&A. We hypothesize that target firms that are highly embedded in local knowledge flows have higher acquisition prices. Using data on 520 technology-oriented firm acquisitions in Europe between 2001 and 2010, we find that the acquisition price increases with the target firm's local embeddedness. The effects are weaker when an acquirer's knowledge base is closely related to the localized knowledge and stronger when the target's knowledge base is closely related to the localized knowledge, suggesting that local embeddedness conditions the ability of acquirer and target to absorb localized knowledge.

The individual manager in the spotlight: Protecting sensitive knowledge in inter-firm coopetition relationships

When firms collaborate with their competitors (i.e., engage in coopetition), individual managers play a pivotal role in protecting their firm's sensitive knowledge from potential misuse by partners. But which managers are more successful in performing this role? To better understand the senior-level human resources who help secure a firm's competitive advantage, we build on the Upper Echelons Theory and explore how managers' cognitions and values, as expressed in their demographic characteristics, influence knowledge protection in coopetitive relationships. To test our hypotheses, we use multi-source, time-lagged data on a sample of 176 small and medium-sized firms involved in coopetition. Our results suggest that managers' tenure and female gender relate positively to knowledge protection, which in turn contributes to subsequent firm performance, whereas managers' age and higher education impact knowledge protection negatively. On this basis, our study helps develop micro-macro linkages between the Upper Echelons Theory and the Resource-Based View, and reveals how different managerial characteristics influence knowledge protection, thereby threatening or securing sustainable firm performance. We discuss the implications for knowledge protection processes and human resource management.

Towards Ethical Consumption Activities among Tourism Firms: Nexus of Environmental Knowledge, CSR Participation and Psychological Social Support

Employees’ psychosocial competency and CSR participation help them to achieve pro-environmental knowledge for enhancing ethical consumption behaviors. The aim of this study is to assess the level of social responsibility of tourism firms and also examine the impact of environmental knowledge on ethical consumption. The study further investigates the indirect influence through the mediating role of CSR participation and moderating role of psychological social support (PSS) between environmental knowledge and ethical consumption links in tourism firms. This research used quantitative methods and questionnaires for data collection. Data were composed of 387 employees and owners working within tourism firms and hotels. Results demonstrate that environmental knowledge is positively associated with ethical consumption. Findings show that CSR participation mediates the relation between environmental knowledge and ethical consumption. Furthermore, outcomes reveal that psychological social support acts as a moderator between environmental knowledge and ethical consumption. The know-how of employees is dependent on their environmental knowledge and CSR participation. By addressing the mediating mechanism of CSR participation and the interplay of psychological social support, our study adds several insights to the prior literature streams about ethical consumption. As a result of CSR programs, residents become more familiar with ecological protection and more concerned about ethical consumption patterns and develop a sense of responsibility for the environment. Therefore, we recommended that firms should launch CSR programs to increase pro-environmental awareness of consumers and encourage their ethical consumption actions.

Predicting primary and secondary stakeholder engagement: A CEO motivation-means contingency model

Our research predicts different stakeholder engagement emphases through a CEO motivation-means contingency model. Drawing upon regulatory focus and power theories, we argue that higher levels of CEO prevention focus and informal power (firm experience, knowledge, and board connections) are associated with stronger primary stakeholder engagement, whereas higher levels of CEO promotion focus and formal power (CEO duality and equity ownership) are associated with stronger secondary stakeholder engagement. By analyzing a panel dataset of S&P 500 firms, we found support for our hypotheses. These findings accentuate our contributions by emphasizing the importance of considering both CEO motivation (regulatory focus) and means (power) to understand how CEOs’ characteristics influence their firms’ stakeholder engagement. Our study extends recent work in the strategy and upper echelons literatures by showing that executives’ regulatory focus does not operate in a vacuum; rather, its effects on managerial decision-making and firm strategies are context-specific.

“Judge Softly"

Studio instruction in voice inevitably involves the monitoring of pronunciation in the text of the song or aria. The contrastive approach regularly applied in ESL instruction is a resource that can clarify systematically the differences between languages, especially for the student whose first language is not English. Instruction based on a firm basic knowledge of the sound pattern of a student’s first language—especially those outside the languages of the standard literature—provides an enhanced understanding of singing in languages other than the student’s own, more than imitative modeling alone can.

Internationalisation, knowledge intensity, adaptive culture and absorptive capacity: a strategic entrepreneurship enabling logic for export firms

PurposeThis study proposes a logic to enable strategic entrepreneurship for export firms through absorptive capacity and adaptive culture to capitalise on the knowledge intensity from internationalisation.Design/methodology/approachThe study sample comprises 422 key role employees at 98 export firms in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The data are analysed using a structural equation model.FindingsThe results reveal that the firm's knowledge intensity may serve as a reservoir, absorbing and reconciling knowledge acquired from internationalisation and redistributing it to strategic entrepreneurship. A firm's absorptive capacity and adaptive culture can act as buffers, allowing internationalisation knowledge to permeate and transfer to administrative bodies and fostering strategic entrepreneurship.Originality/valueThis study proposes an integrated model of the relationship between the degree of internationalisation and strategic entrepreneurship through novel lenses of knowledge-based perspective with the organisational capabilities.

The effects of relational knowledge emphasis on new product development strategy

Business-to-Business (B2B) firms often rely on relational knowledge to manage customer relationships. Previous studies have provided substantial insights into how such knowledge affects relationship performance. However, they overlook an important situation where a firm simultaneously possesses different types of relational knowledge, yet knowledge is also dispersedly distributed across areas of expertise within the organization. To bridge this gap, we propose the notion of relational knowledge emphasis, which captures the extent to which a firm's relational knowledge is disproportionately allocated to certain areas of expertise and investigate how such knowledge emphasis affects its NPD strategy. We suggest that different types of relational knowledge emphasis (i.e., interactional, functional, and market) influence how a firm orchestrates its resources, thus affecting its NPD strategy. Moreover, we find that such impacts are contingent on a firm's internal and external environmental needs, including ownership structure and technology turbulence. Using data from 178 B2B firms, we find robust evidence supporting our hypotheses.

Emergence of microbial resistance against nanoparticles: Mechanisms and strategies.

Antimicrobial nanoparticles have gained the status of a new generation of drugs that can kill bacterial pathogens by multiple means; however, nanoparticle resistance acquired by some bacterial pathogens has evoked a cause of concern. Several reports suggested that bacteria can develop nanoparticles, specifically metal nanoparticle resistance, by mechanisms: nanoparticle transformation-induced oxidative stress, membrane alterations, reversible adaptive resistance, irreversible modifications to cell division, and a change in bacterial motility and resistance. Surface properties, concentration and aggregation of nanoparticles, biofilm forming and metal exclusion capacity, and R plasmid and flagellin synthesis by bacteria are crucial factors in the development of nanoparticle resistance in bacteria. Studies reported the resistance reversal by modifying the surface corona of nanoparticles or inhibiting flagellin production by bacterial pathogens. Furthermore, strict regulation regarding the use and disposal of nano-waste across the globe, the firm knowledge of microbe-nanoparticle interaction, and the regulated disposal of nanoparticles in soil and water is required to prevent microbes from developing nanoparticle resistance.

Bibliometric review of research on corporate governance and firm value

This study aims to provide a bibliometric review (Zupic & Čater, 2015; Hallinger, 2019) of the corporate governance and firm value knowledge base. This paper is guided by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and based on the Scopus index for determining and extracting data. A total of 1,661 articles from 1983 to 2021 are included. The USA, the UK, and Australia are the leaders in the literature. A significant gap exists for further research from developing and non-Western settings. We identified authors with the highest citations (Danny Miller, Luc Renneboog, and Kose John), the most prominent authors based on the citation for each document (Danny Miller, Luc Renneboog, and Igor Filatotchev), and the most highly cited documents (“Higher market valuation of companies with a small board of directors”, Yermack, 1996; “Disentangling the incentive and entrenchment effects of large shareholdings”, Claessens et al., 2002, and “Boards: Does one size fit all?”, Coles et al., 2008). Besides, the review reveals an intellectual structure of the corporate governance and firm value knowledge base in three schools of thought: agency theory, firm value, and boards of directors. Our findings provide an overview of top-influential research for new scholars and enable us to identify highly cited theoretical foundations quickly.