Knowledge Acquisition Capability Research Articles

How the digital empowerment of mobile social platforms improves Chinese traditional retail enterprises’ operational performance: from the knowledge management capabilities perspective

Purpose Based on the perspective of knowledge management capability, this paper aims to reveal the internal mechanism of the digital empowerment of mobile social platforms to improve the operational performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises. Such improvements have crucial theoretical value and practical implications for Chinese traditional retail enterprises to achieve transformation and sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach This study applied the typical analysis method, selected China’s leading mobile social platform, WeChat, as a typical case, and observed and analyzed the public data of the traditional retail industry and social platforms and interviews with relevant enterprises. On this basis, this study used the inductive and deductive methods of qualitative research to conduct an in-depth analysis of the mechanism by which WeChat’s digital empowerment improves the operational performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises. It also discussed the critical role and path knowledge management capabilities play in this mechanism. Findings This research demonstrated that mobile social platforms empower Chinese traditional retail enterprises to build diversified digital channels, enhance the knowledge acquisition capability of enterprises and thus improve their performance; empower Chinese traditional retail enterprises to build digital community networks, enhance the knowledge diffusion capability of enterprises and thus improve their performance; and empower Chinese traditional retail enterprises to integrate online and offline businesses, enhance the knowledge integration capability of enterprises and thus improve their performance. Research limitations/implications This study clarifies the internal mechanism of how the digital empowerment of mobile social platforms can improve the performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises. This mechanism implies that knowledge management capabilities (knowledge acquisition, diffusion and integration capability) are the underlying logic for Chinese traditional retail enterprises to achieve higher performance levels. This has important practical implications for managers of Chinese traditional retail enterprises to leverage the digital infrastructure of mobile social platforms to achieve the sustainable development of enterprises. Originality/value This study provides an in-depth analysis of how the traditional retail industry uses digital social platforms to improve operational performance from the perspective of knowledge management capabilities, which can further promote the theoretical research and practical development of digitalization and knowledge management. At the same time, this study explored the research on the operational performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises from the perspective of knowledge management capabilities and expanded the research on knowledge management in related fields. The authors have initially sorted out the impact of knowledge management capabilities on the operational performance of Chinese traditional retail enterprises in the digital era. This will help better understand the role and function of knowledge management in strategic transformation and expand the application of knowledge management theory.

Adapting to discontinuous technological change from the perspective of knowledge management: a case study from the lighting industry in Lin’an, China

Purpose This study aims to answer the question of how incumbent firms cultivate dynamic capabilities through knowledge management so that they can efficiently adapt to the changing external environment. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a case study approach and collects data through interviews and secondary public information on the lighting industry and two lighting firms in Lin'an, China. It qualitatively examines the challenges and strategic recommendations for incumbent firms in the context of discontinuous technological change from a knowledge management perspective. Findings Incumbent firms often face a variety of challenges when responding to discontinuous technological change. These challenges include identifying opportunities, overcoming path dependence and dealing with employee resistance to change. To overcome these difficulties, three strategies have been proposed to enhance the dynamic capabilities of incumbent firms through knowledge management: cross-border search helps firms improve their knowledge acquisition capabilities and better understand their environment to identify opportunities; building strategic leadership overcomes path dependence and improves knowledge integration capabilities; organizational learning deepens employees’ understanding of change and enhances organizational knowledge application capabilities. Research limitations/implications Previous research attributes a firm's ability to cope with discontinuous technological change solely to its general resources, which weakens the importance of knowledge management in this context. This study emphasizes the importance of knowledge as a crucial strategic resource in developing the essential dynamic capabilities for incumbent firms to cope with discontinuous technological change. Practical implications This study provides an in-depth analysis of incumbent firms' coping strategies in the new context of discontinuous technological change and further promotes cross-disciplinary research. Originality/value This study provides an in-depth analysis of coping strategies in the new context of discontinuous technological change, furthermore theoretically advancing the interdisciplinary research of firm transformation and knowledge management. Meanwhile, it is crucial to identify the preconditions for cultivating dynamic capabilities, especially from a knowledge-based view, which enhances the depth of knowledge management research.

Methodology for Selecting Optimal Knowledge Acquisition Through Analytic Hierarchy Process and Environment Parameters Impact.

In a global economy characterised by increasingly dynamic markets and technologies, the primary importance of intangible resources like knowledge is growing dramatically, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Therefore, many companies are trying to support changes by configuring their production systems towards mass customisation. This evolving paradigm shift from mass production to mass customisation brings about complex product lifecycles that require continuous re-engineering/configuration of modern manufacturing systems. Rapid manufacturing companies' changes result in adjusting and updating the existing knowledge base to maintain their competitive advantage. Within companies, different tacit and explicit knowledge are available, relating to resources, processes and components. This data is usually not digitised, and therefore the main challenge for small and medium-sized enterprises is how to automate the knowledge acquisition process, choosing the best tools for knowledge preservation. Starting from the analysis of models presented in the literature, we defined a methodology to support selecting the optimal acquisition of knowledge and preservation in any phase of production systems. In an environment where business uncertainty is the norm, developing knowledge acquisition capabilities is increasingly important. The paper's main contribution is the AHP-PIE methodology, which provides a helpful guideline as a structured and logical means of ranking KA methods for evaluating appropriate tools for a small manufacturing industry organisation.

Internationalization and corporate sustainability expenditure: The role of institutional support and foreign knowledge acquisition

AbstractThis study extends the literature on international business and sustainability by examining the impact of internationalization on corporate sustainability expenditures, and the conditions under which this relationship is enhanced or attenuated. Based on insights from institutional and firm resource theories, we examine the moderating effects of institutional support and foreign knowledge acquisition capability on the hypothesized relationship. Survey data were collected from 260 small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, a developing sub‐Saharan African country, and analyzed using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The results indicate that increased internationalization levels are positively and significantly linked to corporate sustainability expenditure. In addition, the results of the moderation analyses reveal that the positive effect of internationalization on sustainability expenditure is stronger at high levels of institutional support for firms with high foreign knowledge acquisition capability. This study offers new perspectives and directions for improving SMEs' internationalization and sustainability practices through an integrated strategy that enhances the quality of domestic institutional environments by policymakers, augmented by managers' proactive efforts to develop their firms' foreign market learning capabilities. The limitations of this study and their implications for further research are discussed.

Tacit knowledge acquisition and incremental innovation capability: Proximity perspective

Knowledge, especially tacit knowledge (TK), has become the most strategic resource for firms' innovativeness and competitiveness. However, most agricultural firms struggle to effectively manage TK to improve their innovation capability. This study aims to examine the relationships between firms’ proximity, including geographic proximity (GP), cognitive proximity (CP), social proximity (SP) and organizational proximity (OP), external tacit knowledge acquisition (ETKA) and incremental innovation capacity (IIC). The study also examines the mediating role of ETKA in the relationship between proximity dimensions and FFF's IIC. The paper draws on the theoretical framework of knowledge-based view and knowledge management (KM) and adopt structural modeling equation for research hypothesis testing. Primary data are collected between October and November 2021 through face-to-face interviews at 320 FFF level. The results reveal that SP and OP positively affect ETKA and IIC of FFF, while GP and CP failed. The evidence further shows that ETKA significantly improves FFF' IIC. The results also highlight the partial mediating effect ETKA. The study suggests that FFF owner-managers can improve ETKA and boost IIC by building and optimizing strong close relationships between FFFs based on trust and shared goals. The finding provides useful implications for policymakers and agricultural firms managers regarding the adoption of embedded open innovation paradigm based on proximity dimensions. This study extends the literature on agricultural innovation by providing evidence of the link between proximity-KM-IIC.

Entrepreneurial leadership fostering service innovation in the hospitality firms: the roles of knowledge acquisition, market-sensing capability and competitive intensity

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of entrepreneurial leadership on service innovation in the hospitality industry and examine the mediating effects of market-sensing capability and knowledge acquisition. Additionally, the study explores the moderating role of competitive intensity in the relationships between market-sensing capability, knowledge acquisition and service innovation, drawing on the dynamic capability theory and resource dependence theory.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were obtained from 322 employees and 137 leaders working in 103 hotels in Vietnam, using a time-lagged approach. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in SPSS Amos 28.FindingsThe results of this study reveal a significant positive association between entrepreneurial leadership and service innovation, with mediation effects observed through both knowledge acquisition and market-sensing capability. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that competitive intensity moderates the association between knowledge acquisition and service innovation.Practical implicationsThe results of this study provide implications for hospitality firms to cultivate entrepreneurial leadership through leadership training and development programs and enhance their dynamic capabilities (i.e. market-sensing capability and knowledge acquisition) to allow them to survive and develop in a competitive market.Originality/valueThis study advances entrepreneurial leadership research in the hospitality context by identifying mediating and moderating mechanisms that translate entrepreneurial leadership into hospitality firms’ service innovation.

When Does External Knowledge Benefit Team Creativity? The Role of Internal Team Network Structure and Task Complexity

Creativity in teams is spurred by members’ access to diverse knowledge, often from interactions with external sources. However, not all teams that have the capabilities to acquire such external knowledge are equally creative. Integrating theories of absorptive capacity and creative synthesis in teams, we propose that teams’ external knowledge acquisition capabilities in securing a wide variety of knowledge resources need to be complemented by internal knowledge integration capabilities that facilitate balanced/equal participation of all team members in the creative problem-solving process. In turn, this combination enables effective information elaboration processes underlying the generation of truly creative team outcomes. We test these ideas in two field studies. First, in a sample of 81 research and development teams in three organizations in science and technology fields, we find that teams’ connections with a wide range of external parties—indicating their external knowledge acquisition capability—benefit their creativity, but only when the team’s internal team member problem-solving network structure—an indicator of the team’s knowledge integration capability—is less centralized (i.e., not controlled by one or few members). We further demonstrate that these effects are more salient when the team’s task is more complex. Replicating these findings in a second sample of 57 project teams in an energy manufacturing and services firm, we show that these effects are mediated by the team’s information elaboration processes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Funding: This research was supported by grants received by C. Tang and her colleagues at UCAS, from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Projects 71974178, 71932009], MOE Social Science Laboratory of Digital Economic Forecasts and Policy Simulation at UCAS, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Project E2E40806X2]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2023.1661 .

The enterprise's external knowledge acquisition capability and technological diversification: From the perspective of intellectual property strategy.

Enterprises need intellectual property rights to protect their core knowledge, and technological diversification is an important strategic measure for enterprises to improve innovation performance. From the perspective of external resource acquisition, this study explores the mechanism of external knowledge acquisition capability (internal absorptive capability and external relational learning) on firm's technological diversification. It considers the impact of firm's innovation capability and external environmental uncertainty. The survey data of 258 Chinese pharmaceutical companies were obtained through questionnaire surveys, and various theoretical hypotheses were validated using regression analysis methods. The results show that internal absorptive capacity, external relational learning, and their interaction have a significant positive impact on technological diversification; the innovation capacity and the uncertainty of the external environment also affect enterprises' technological diversification.

Impact of Intellectual Structural Capital and Knowledge-Based Dynamic Capabilities on the Financial Performance of the Indigenous Craft Industry in Sri Lanka

This study attempts to identify the relationships between Intellectual Structural Capital (ISC), Knowledge-Based Dynamic Capabilities (KBDCs), and Financial Performance (FP), with special reference to the Indigenous Craft Industry (ICI) in Sri Lanka. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 231 owners of firms selected from indigenous crafts villages in Sri Lanka. The PLS-SME method was used to analyse data. The study found that ISC positively influences KBDCs, but does not directly affect the FP of ICI firms in Sri Lanka. Further, it revealed that the owners' ability to acquire knowledge and create knowledge have a positive impact on FP, and both variables fully mediate between ISC and the FP. By strengthening knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation capabilities of owners of ICIs and applying a proper mechanism to utilise ISC to transform tacit intellectual knowledge into explicit intellectual knowledge, the FP of firms in the ICI can be optimised.

Impact of Intellectual Human Capital and Knowledge Acquisition Capabilities on Financial Performances of Indigenous Craft Industries in Sri Lanka

The study seeks to investigate the impact of intellectual human capital and knowledge acquisition capabilities on the firm’s financial performance, particularly in indigenous craft industries in Sri Lanka. The quantitative data were collected from 355 owners of indigenous craft industries located in traditional handicrafts villages in Sri Lanka and analyzed with the help of a Partial Least Squire Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). The empirical results show that intellectual human capital has a significant positive impact on the financial performance of indigenous craft industries. Further, it was found that knowledge acquisition capabilities have a significant positive impact on the firm’s financial performance. In addition, the study identified that knowledge acquisition capabilities have a significant positive mediating effect on the relationship between intellectual human capital and the firm’s financial performance. Thus, the study found that the intellectual human capital of owners is the most powerful intangible resource, which has a significant positive impact on a firm’s financial performance. The study suggests to owners of the indigenous craft industries, policymakers, donors, and others to incorporate the strategies to develop and strengthen the efficiency and productivity of intellectual human capital to improve their financial performance.

Knowledge Acquisition and Product Development Capability Magnify Competitive Advantage: Insight into Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan

Knowledge Acquisition and Product Development Capability Magnify Competitive Advantage: Insight into Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan

Transformational leadership and radical innovation for sustainability: mediating role of knowledge management capability and moderating role of competitive intensity

PurposeDrawing on the transformational leadership (TL) and knowledge-based view (KBV) theory, the present study investigates the impact of TL on radical innovation (RI) through the mediation of knowledge management capabilities (KMCs) and moderation of competitive intensity (CI) of textile and apparel industries with an Asian context.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from the relevant stakeholders of the industry-university collaboration teams with a structured survey questionnaire. Working with 304 textile and apparel industry respondents, structural equation modeling based partial least square (PLS-SEM) is used to test the conceptual framework. PLS-SEM technique was applied to test the hypothesis using Smart-PLS 3.8 packages program.FindingsThe results proposed TL has a positive impact on KMC and RI. Furthermore, the study reveals KMC positively mediated the relationship between TL and RI. This mediation is conditional on the moderating role of CI for the KMC (knowledge acquisition capability + knowledge-sharing capability) path to RI. Conversely, moderation of CI is insignificant and does not influence on fostering RI.Practical implicationsLeaders and managers have realized creative and innovative culture is built within the organizations by leader-follower collaboration through actual knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing. Moreover, industry policymakers and practitioners establish the knowledge management department to enhance the innovation culture among the firms' stakeholders to encourage RI to sustain the global business market.Originality/valueThe study has introduced KMC as a mediator and CI as a moderator in the proposed model between TL-RI and KMC-RI. Further, it explores the linkages between TL, KMC, CI and RI.

Stimulating Brand Innovation Strategy via Knowledge Acquisition, Market Orientation, and Strategic Capability Using Social Media Within China's Online Technology Industry.

In the context of China’s online technology business, this study explores the linkages between knowledge acquisition via social media, two modes of market orientation (proactive and responsive), social media strategic capability, and brand innovation strategy. Data were collected from 853 Chinese technology firms with the help of questionnaire. To analyze the collected data structure, equation modeling was applied using smart-PLS 3.3 version. Results indicate that knowledge acquisition from social media, market orientation (proactive and responsive), and strategic capability has significant impact on brand innovation in the context of social media. Furthermore, strategic capability on social media moderates the relationship between knowledge, market orientation (proactive and responsive), and brand innovation in the context of social media. This study offers new perspectives on market orientation and brand innovation strategy by extending the literature and testing key assumptions. Moreover, using social media knowledge in social media marketing and innovation management is a sensible approach for making changes and transforming an organization.

Investigating the effect of intangible resources and knowledge acquisition capabilities on export performance via the mediation role of innovation

Investigating the effect of intangible resources and knowledge acquisition capabilities on export performance via the mediation role of innovation

Entrepreneurial Leadership and Product Innovation in Construction SMEs

Product innovation is an important driver of the success and sustainable development of firms. Drawing on the resource-based view and the resource dependence theory, our research examines how entrepreneurial leadership influences product innovation in construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We develop a research model in which knowledge acquisition and market-sensing capability mediate the effect of entrepreneurial leadership on product innovation, and competitive intensity moderates the relationships between the two mediators and product innovation. The data for our research model were collected from 402 employees working in 254 construction SMEs in Vietnam. Our findings reveal a positive link between entrepreneurial leadership and product innovation, which is mediated by knowledge acquisition and market-sensing capability. Additionally, competitive intensity is found to moderate the associations between knowledge acquisition and market-sensing capability and product innovation. Other than the theoretical contributions, our study provides important practical implications on how SMEs can foster product innovation by utilizing both internal and external resources.

Enhancing green product and process innovation: Towards an integrative framework of knowledge acquisition and environmental investment

AbstractDespite the increasing interest in green innovation literature, little is known on how and under what conditions firms' knowledge transfer activities affect green innovation. There is lack of research that on how particular organizational capabilities are seen more useful and how it influences on green innovation performance. To address this research gap, we examine a mediation model in which we explore whether a firm's knowledge acquisition capability and investment in environmental management mediate the impact of buyer‐driven knowledge transfer activities on green product innovation and green process innovation. On the basis of an analysis of a sample of 239 manufacturing firms, we find that buyer‐driven knowledge activities have a greater positive impact on green product innovation than green process innovation. Investment in environmental management fully mediates the relationship between buyer‐driven knowledge transfer activities and green process innovation, and knowledge acquisition capability partially mediates the relationship between buyer‐driven knowledge transfer activities and green product innovation. The current study provides evidence that internal competencies and the role of buyers in knowledge transfer are critical for explaining the green product innovation and green process innovation. Our results suggest that buyer involvement pushes firms to develop resource acquisition capability to enhance green product innovation. Our results also highlight the importance of investment in environmental management for overcoming the environmental challenges in the manufacturing firms.

KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION CAPABILITY, STRATEGIC RESPONSE CAPABILITY, AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE: A MEDIATION ANALYSIS

This study examined the effect of knowledge acquisition capability on organizational performance of firms in multiple industries in Oyo State, Nigeria, more so, it investigated the indirect effect of strategic response capability on the interaction between knowledge acquisition capability and organizational performance. The cross-sectional survey is designed with a sample of 343 employees from multiple industries; including banks, insurance, FMCGs, telecoms and small and medium enterprises in Oyo State, Nigeria. The multiple regression analysis to test the mediation hypotheses was conducted. The results show that knowledge acquisition capability has a positive and significant effect on organizational performance (R2 =0.306, F (1,341) = 150.057, β= 0.489, t= 12.250, p= 0.000),). Further analysis shows that when strategic response capability was incorporated into the model as a multiple regression analysis, (Adj. R2 = 0.462, F(2,340) =148.135 p= 0.000) reveals that while the coefficient of strategic response capability had significant effect (β=0.732, t= 10.092, p= 0.000) on organizational performance, the coefficient of knowledge acquisition capability became insignificant (β= -0.084, t= -1.262, p= 0.208) suggesting that a full mediation effect was established. The findings suggest that knowledge acquisition capability benefit organizational performance through the deployment of strategic response capability. Therefore, the study recommended that firms should strengthen their competency to develop innovative means of acquiring knowledge either from within or outside the organization, more so they should develop highly creative means to respond to both competitive rivalry and environmental challenges. This is because both capabilities can be adopted as competitive strategies in responding to changing environment and achieving significant superior performance

Knowledge-based dynamic capabilities and knowledge worker productivity in professional service firms The moderating role of organisational culture

ABSTRACT This study investigates the relationships between two factors in knowledge management: knowledge-based dynamic capabilities and knowledge worker productivity. The study examines the moderating effect of organizational culture (i.e. adaptability, consistency, involvement and mission) on the relationship between the factors. We collected a unique survey data from 303 respondents from 41 research institutes and R&D centres in Australia and tested the model using structural equation modelling. The results suggest that all three knowledge-based dynamic capabilities can enhance perceived knowledge worker productivity, but knowledge acquisition capability has a stronger correlation with knowledge worker productivity. We also found significant moderating impacts of traits of organizational culture on several relationships. The model has significant implications for management and demonstrates that strengthening knowledge capabilities and understanding the influence of organizational culture will enhance the response of professional service firms to environmental complexities. Further implications for management include the increased utilisation of capacity to create and develop new knowledge, combine internal and external knowledge, and enhance knowledge worker productivity.

Enterprises' network structure and their technology standardization capability in Industry 4.0

Smart manufacturing is a key element in Industry 4.0. However, studies on the relationship between manufacturers' network structure and their technology standardization capability are not available. As such, this paper develops a model to explore the relationships among enterprises' network structure, their knowledge acquisition capability and their technology standardization capability. A survey on manufacturers in China is conducted. Hypotheses are developed, and structural equation modelling is applied to analyse the model. The results indicate that the three dimensions of enterprises' network structure are positively related with their technology standardization capability. Enterprises' knowledge acquisition capability mediates the relationship between their network structure and their technology standardization capability.

Buyer-Driven Knowledge Transfer Activities to Enhance Organizational Sustainability of Suppliers

Despite the significant contribution of buyer-driven knowledge transfer activities (BDKTAs) to innovation and operational performance, studies that analyze social sustainability in manufacturing (suppliers) firms are still scarce. This paper examines the mediation relationship of knowledge acquisition and investment in environmental management between BDKTAs and social performance improvements (SPIs). The paper contributes to the understanding of buyer knowledge transfer activities, with a focus on the knowledge acquisition capabilities and investments in environmental management, and the effect on SPIs. The hypotheses were examined with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with data collected from 239 firms. Buyer knowledge transfer activities are likely to increase the willingness of suppliers to make specific environmental investments into operations in waste reduction procedures, the recycling of materials, and pollution prevention training of employees. We proposed that buyer knowledge transfer activities are necessary to survive and grow and thus there is a need to acquire knowledge resources to achieve organizational sustainability. Buyer knowledge transfer activities are necessary to make investment decisions in environmental management programs. Firms that focus on buyer knowledge transfer activities and internal investments into environmental management can attain sustainability objectives.