IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/respol/v38y2009i8p1376-1387.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Resource allocations, knowledge network characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation of multinational corporations

Author

Listed:
  • Williams, Christopher
  • Lee, Soo Hee

Abstract

This paper analyses entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in multinational corporations (MNCs) and develops a new typology of MNC EO based on combining R&D and asset growth investment intensities as orthogonal resource allocations. A cluster analysis of US MNCs on these two dimensions reveals three types of entrepreneurial stance: conservative, aggressive-asset growth and balanced. Internal knowledge network characteristics are shown to vary by stance, with more aggressive stances linked to knowledge governance supportive of the entrepreneurship process. In linking entrepreneurial orientation to the knowledge network of the MNC, this paper identifies factors important to the strategic management and on-going renewal of MNCs. In addition, the vector of R&D investment vs. asset growth investment is an indicator of entrepreneurial aggression and presents a new method of understanding the international strategies of MNCs.

Suggested Citation

  • Williams, Christopher & Lee, Soo Hee, 2009. "Resource allocations, knowledge network characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation of multinational corporations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 1376-1387, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:38:y:2009:i:8:p:1376-1387
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048-7333(09)00116-4
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Morgan P. Miles & Jeffrey G. Covin, 2002. "Exploring the Practice of Corporate Venturing: Some Common Forms and Their Organizational Implications," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 26(3), pages 21-40, April.
    2. Danny Miller & Peter H. Friesen, 1982. "Innovation in conservative and entrepreneurial firms: Two models of strategic momentum," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(1), pages 1-25, January.
    3. Jeffrey W. Allen & Gordon M. Phillips, 2000. "Corporate Equity Ownership, Strategic Alliances, and Product Market Relationships," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(6), pages 2791-2815, December.
    4. Tomiura, Eiichi, 2007. "Effects of R&D and networking on the export decision of Japanese firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 758-767, June.
    5. Anil K. Gupta & Vijay Govindarajan, 2000. "Knowledge flows within multinational corporations," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 473-496, April.
    6. Bruce Kogut & Udo Zander, 1993. "Knowledge of the Firm and the Evolutionary Theory of the Multinational Corporation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 24(4), pages 625-645, December.
    7. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    8. Lumpkin, G. T. & Dess, Gregory G., 2001. "Linking two dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to firm performance: The moderating role of environment and industry life cycle," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 429-451, September.
    9. Jensen, Morten Berg & Johnson, Bjorn & Lorenz, Edward & Lundvall, Bengt Ake, 2007. "Forms of knowledge and modes of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 680-693, June.
    10. Zanfei, Antonello, 2000. "Transnational Firms and the Changing Organisation of Innovative Activities," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 24(5), pages 515-542, September.
    11. Susan E. Feinberg & Anil K. Gupta, 2004. "Knowledge spillovers and the assignment of R&D responsibilities to foreign subsidiaries," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(8‐9), pages 823-845, August.
    12. Gautam Ahuja & Curba Morris Lampert, 2001. "Entrepreneurship in the large corporation: a longitudinal study of how established firms create breakthrough inventions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(6‐7), pages 521-543, June.
    13. Chang-Bum Choi & Paul W Beamish, 2004. "Split management control and international joint venture performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(3), pages 201-215, May.
    14. Henry Mintzberg, 1978. "Patterns in Strategy Formation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(9), pages 934-948, May.
    15. Srivastava, Abhishek & Lee, Hun, 2005. "Predicting order and timing of new product moves: the role of top management in corporate entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 459-481, July.
    16. Andersson, Ulf & Forsgren, Mats, 1996. "Subsidiary embeddedness and control in the multinational corporation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 5(5), pages 487-508, October.
    17. Kent Eriksson & Jan Johanson & Anders Majkgård & D Deo Sharma, 1997. "Experimental Knowledge and Costs in the Internationalization Process," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(2), pages 337-360, June.
    18. D Minbaeva & T Pedersen & I Björkman & C F Fey & H J Park, 2003. "MNC knowledge transfer, subsidiary absorptive capacity, and HRM," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(6), pages 586-599, November.
    19. Mats Forsgren, 2004. "The Use of Network Theory in MNC Research," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Volker Mahnke & Torben Pedersen (ed.), Knowledge Flows, Governance and the Multinational Enterprise, chapter 2, pages 18-37, Palgrave Macmillan.
    20. Jay B. Barney & Mark H. Hansen, 1994. "Trustworthiness as a Source of Competitive Advantage," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(S1), pages 175-190, December.
    21. Kurokawa, Sam & Iwata, Satoshi & Roberts, Edward B., 2007. "Global R&D activities of Japanese MNCs in the US: A triangulation approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 3-36, February.
    22. Ensley, Michael D. & Pearson, Allison W. & Amason, Allen C., 2002. "Understanding the dynamics of new venture top management teams: cohesion, conflict, and new venture performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 365-386, July.
    23. Danny Miller, 1983. "The Correlates of Entrepreneurship in Three Types of Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(7), pages 770-791, July.
    24. Macmillan, Ian C. & Block, Zenas & Narasimha, P. N. Subba, 1986. "Corporate venturing: alternatives, obstacles encountered, and experience effects," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 1(2), pages 177-191.
    25. Michael A. Hitt & R. Duane Ireland & S. Michael Camp & Donald L. Sexton, 2001. "Strategic entrepreneurship: entrepreneurial strategies for wealth creation," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(6‐7), pages 479-491, June.
    26. Knight, Gary A., 1997. "Cross-cultural reliability and validity of a scale to measure firm entrepreneurial orientation," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 213-225, May.
    27. Karen A. Bantel & Susan E. Jackson, 1989. "Top management and innovations in banking: Does the composition of the top team make a difference?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(S1), pages 107-124, June.
    28. Bruce Kogut, 2000. "The network as knowledge: generative rules and the emergence of structure," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 405-425, March.
    29. Zahra, Shaker A. & Covin, Jeffrey G., 1995. "Contextual influences on the corporate entrepreneurship-performance relationship: A longitudinal analysis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 43-58, January.
    30. Benjamin M Oviatt & Patricia P McDougall, 2005. "The internationalization of entrepreneurship," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(1), pages 2-8, January.
    31. Jeffrey G. Covin, 1991. "Entrepreneurial Versus Conservative Firms: A Comparison of Strategies and Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 439-462, September.
    32. Baron, Robert A., 1998. "Cognitive mechanisms in entrepreneurship: why and when enterpreneurs think differently than other people," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 275-294, July.
    33. Frans A. J. Van den Bosch & Henk W. Volberda & Michiel de Boer, 1999. "Coevolution of Firm Absorptive Capacity and Knowledge Environment: Organizational Forms and Combinative Capabilities," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(5), pages 551-568, October.
    34. Robert A. Burgelman, 1983. "Corporate Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management: Insights from a Process Study," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(12), pages 1349-1364, December.
    35. Charles J. Fombrun & Ari Ginsberg, 1990. "Shifting gears: Enabling change in corporate aggressiveness," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(4), pages 297-308, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Arkadiusz Świadek, 2015. "Aktywność innowacyjna przedsiębiorstw zagranicznych i krajowych," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 2, pages 145-162.
    2. Dachs, Bernhard & Peters, Bettina, 2014. "Innovation, employment growth, and foreign ownership of firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 214-232.
    3. Francisco Javier Forcadell & Fernando Úbeda, 2022. "Individual entrepreneurial orientation and performance: the mediating role of international entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 875-900, June.
    4. Davar Azarmi, 2016. "Factors Affecting Technology Innovation and Its Commercialisation in Firms," Modern Applied Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(7), pages 1-36, July.
    5. Yexin Liu & Yecheng Wu & Weiwei Wu, 2023. "Which kind of board benefits more from the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and radical innovation? The asymmetric roles of board characteristics in China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Christopher Williams & Ana Colovic & Jiqing Zhu, 2016. "Foreign Market Knowledge, Country Sales Breadth And Innovative Performance Of Emerging Economy Firms," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(06), pages 1-25, August.
    7. Cacciolatti, Luca & Lee, Soo Hee, 2016. "Revisiting the relationship between marketing capabilities and firm performance: The moderating role of market orientation, marketing strategy and organisational power," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5597-5610.
    8. Desislava Ivanova Yordanova, 2011. "Growth Plans of Bulgarian Enterprises: An Empirical Investigation of Individual, Organizational and Environmental Influences," International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, vol. 1(1), pages 1-30.
    9. Zhanna A. Mingaleva & Lyudmila N. Deputatova & Nikolay B. Akatov & Yurii V. Starkov & Elena Mitrofanova, 2019. "Application of HADI-cycle for providing sustainability of processes of knowledge and innovation," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 7(2), pages 1628-1640, December.
    10. Hao Jing & Guimin Qu & Ning Qi, 2023. "Influence of Entrepreneurial Orientation on Open Innovation of Military-Civilian Integration Enterprises in China: The Mediating Effect of Organization Legitimacy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.
    11. Franc Vidic, 2013. "Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) and Knowledge Creation (KC)," International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences Applied Research (IJBESAR), Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Kavala Campus, Greece, vol. 6(2), pages 103-124, September.
    12. Williams, Christopher & Lee, Soo Hee, 2011. "Entrepreneurial contexts and knowledge coordination within the multinational corporation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 253-264, April.
    13. Li Chen & Shaoming Zou & Hui Xu & Yiwen Chen, 2020. "Entrepreneurial Orientation in Multinational Corporations: Antecedents and Effects," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 123-148, February.
    14. Jian Shen & Zhenquan Sha & Yenchun Jim Wu, 2020. "Enterprise Adaptive Marketing Capabilities and Sustainable Innovation Performance: An Opportunity–Resource Integration Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, January.
    15. Aaldering, Lukas Jan & Song, Chie Hoon, 2021. "Of leaders and laggards - Towards digitalization of the process industries," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    16. Jeffrey G. Covin & Danny Miller, 2014. "International Entrepreneurial Orientation: Conceptual Considerations, Research Themes, Measurement Issues, and Future Research Directions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(1), pages 11-44, January.
    17. Suk Bong Choi & Christopher Williams, 2016. "Entrepreneurial orientation and performance: mediating effects of technology and marketing action across industry types," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(8), pages 673-693, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Williams, Christopher & Lee, Soo Hee, 2011. "Entrepreneurial contexts and knowledge coordination within the multinational corporation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 253-264, April.
    2. Williams, Christopher, 2009. "Subsidiary-level determinants of global initiatives in multinational corporations," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 92-104, March.
    3. Maria Glinyanova & Ricarda B. Bouncken & Victor Tiberius & Antonio C. Cuenca Ballester, 2021. "Five decades of corporate entrepreneurship research: measuring and mapping the field," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1731-1757, December.
    4. Erik Lundmark & Anna Krzeminska & Dean A. Shepherd, 2019. "Images of Entrepreneurship: Exploring Root Metaphors and Expanding Upon Them," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(1), pages 138-170, January.
    5. Jeffery S. McMullen & Katrina M. Brownell & Joel Adams, 2021. "What Makes an Entrepreneurship Study Entrepreneurial? Toward A Unified Theory of Entrepreneurial Agency," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(5), pages 1197-1238, September.
    6. Shaker A. Zahra & Daniel F. Jennings & Donald F. Kuratko, 1999. "The Antecedents and Consequences of Firm-Level Entrepreneurship: The State of the Field," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 24(2), pages 45-65, December.
    7. Krzysztof Wach & Agnieszka Głodowska & Marek Maciejewski, 2018. "Entrepreneurial Orientation, Knowledge Utilization and Internationalization of Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-23, December.
    8. Wincent, Joakim & Thorgren, Sara & Anokhin, Sergey, 2014. "Entrepreneurial orientation and network board diversity in network organizations," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 327-344.
    9. Lee, Soo Hee & Williams, Christopher, 2007. "Dispersed entrepreneurship within multinational corporations: A community perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 505-519, December.
    10. R. Lamadrid & A. Heene & X. Gellynck, 2008. "Rewiring Business Firms through an Entrepreneurial-Oriented Strategy Making," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 08/499, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    11. Farhad Uddin Ahmed & Louis Brennan, 2019. "Performance determinants of early internationalizing firms: The role of international entrepreneurial orientation," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 389-424, September.
    12. Mojtaba Hosseini & Hossein Dadfar & Staffan Brege, 2018. "Firm-level entrepreneurship and international performance: A simultaneous examination of orientation and action," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 338-368, September.
    13. Swen Nadkarni & Reinhard Prügl, 2021. "Digital transformation: a review, synthesis and opportunities for future research," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 71(2), pages 233-341, April.
    14. Andersson, Ulf & Dasí, Àngels & Mudambi, Ram & Pedersen, Torben, 2016. "Technology, innovation and knowledge: The importance of ideas and international connectivity," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 153-162.
    15. Stefano D’Angelo & Angelo Cavallo & Antonio Ghezzi & Francesco Di Lorenzo, 2024. "Understanding corporate entrepreneurship in the digital age: a review and research agenda," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(12), pages 3719-3774, December.
    16. Daniel R Clark & Dan Li & Dean A Shepherd, 2018. "Country familiarity in the initial stage of foreign market selection," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(4), pages 442-472, May.
    17. João José M. Ferreira & Cristina I. Fernandes & Vanessa Ratten, 2016. "A co-citation bibliometric analysis of strategic management research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(1), pages 1-32, October.
    18. Casillas, José C. & Moreno, Ana M. & Acedo, Francisco J. & Gallego, María A. & Ramos, Encarnación, 2009. "An integrative model of the role of knowledge in the internationalization process," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 311-322, July.
    19. Antonio Rodríguez-Peña, 2023. "Corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance relationship under the moderating effect of environmental dynamism: Replication and extension analysis," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 550-585, December.
    20. Jelica Rastoka & Saša Petković & Dragana Radicic, 2022. "Impact of Entrepreneurship on the Quality of Public Health Sector Institutions and Policies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-25, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:38:y:2009:i:8:p:1376-1387. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/respol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.