Lew, Y.K., Sinkovics, R., Yamin, M. et al. (1 more author) (2016) Trans-specialization understanding in international technology alliances: The influence of cultural distance. Journal of International Business Studies, 47 (5). pp. 577-594. ISSN 0047-2506
Abstract
In the information age, the firm’s performance hinges on combining partners’ specialist knowledge to achieve value co-creation. Combining knowledge from different specialties could be a costly process in the international technology alliances (ITAs) context. We argue that the combination of different specializations requires the development of “trans-specialization understanding” (TSU) instead of the internalization of partners’ specialist knowledge. This article examines the extent to which inter-firm governance in ITAs shapes TSU, and whether the development of TSU is endangered by cultural distance. We hypothesize that relational governance, product modularity, and cultural distance influence TSU development, which in turn influences firm performance. We collected data from 110 non-equity ITAs between software and hardware firms participating in the mobile device sector. We analyzed the data using partial least squares path modeling. Our findings suggest that TSU largely depends on product modularity and relational governance in alliances. However, while cultural distance negatively moderates the path from relational governance to TSU, it has no effect on the relationship between product modularity and TSU. Based on this, we conclude that product modularity can substitute for relational governance when strong relational norms are not well-developed in international alliances. Thus cultural distance does not invariably amount to a liability in ITAs.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Keywords: | international technology alliance; trans-specialization understanding; cultural distance; product modularity; relational governance |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Management School (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 04 Nov 2016 11:59 |
Last Modified: | 04 Nov 2016 11:59 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2016.10 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Palgrave Macmillan |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1057/jibs.2016.10 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:106449 |