IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/worbus/v37y2002i4p297-306.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Offshore knowledge incubation: the "third path" for embedding R&D labs in foreign systems of innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Lehrer, Mark
  • Asakawa, Kazuhiro

Abstract

Offshore knowledge incubation (OKI) denotes the effort by foreign R&D units of MNCs to achieve local embeddedness within the host-country R&D system, even at the expense of remaining detached from the rest of the MNC. An open-ended social interaction and learning process, OKI can be seen as a novel path of MNC subsidiary evolution. In a qualitative study of eight European "knowledge incubators," the concept was found to be useful for analyzing the adjustment in R&D strategies of Japanese firms venturing into basic research abroad and of U.S. information technology companies coping with the turbulent IT environment of the 1990s.

Suggested Citation

  • Lehrer, Mark & Asakawa, Kazuhiro, 2002. "Offshore knowledge incubation: the "third path" for embedding R&D labs in foreign systems of innovation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 297-306, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:37:y:2002:i:4:p:297-306
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951602000962
    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. Gerybadze, Alexander & Reger, Guido, 1999. "Globalization of R&D: recent changes in the management of innovation in transnational corporations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 251-274, March.
    2. Granstrand, Ove & Hakanson, Lars & Sjolander, Soren, 1993. "Internationalization of R&D -- a survey of some recent research," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(5-6), pages 413-430, November.
    3. Jaideep Anand & Bruce Kogut, 1997. "Technological Capabilities of Countries, Firm Rivalry and Foreign Direct Investments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(3), pages 445-465, September.
    4. Julian Birkinshaw, 1997. "Entrepreneurship In Multinational Corporations: The Characteristics Of Subsidiary Initiatives," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 207-229, March.
    5. Marina Papanastassiou, 1997. "Global-Innovation Strategies of MNEs and European Integration: The Role of Regional R&D Facilities," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Global Competition and Technology, chapter 6, pages 123-151, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. Narula, R. & Dunning, J. H., 1998. "Explaining international R&D alliances and the role of governments," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 7(4), pages 377-397, August.
    7. Kuemmerle, Walter, 1999. "Foreign direct investment in industrial research in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries--results from a survey of multinational firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 179-193, March.
    8. Nicolai J. Foss, 1996. "Firms, Incomplete Contracts and Organizational Learning," DRUID Working Papers 96-2, DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies.
    9. Desirée Blankenburg Holm & Kent Eriksson & Jan Johanson, 1999. "Creating value through mutual commitment to business network relationships," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(5), pages 467-486, May.
    10. Beamish, Paul W. & Inkpen, Andrew C., 1998. "Japanese firms and the decline of the Japanese expatriate," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 35-50.
    11. Raymond Vernon, 1966. "International Investment and International Trade in the Product Cycle," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 80(2), pages 190-207.
    12. Asakawa, Kazuhiro, 2001. "Organizational tension in international R&D management: the case of Japanese firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 735-757, May.
    13. Pearce, Robert D., 1999. "Decentralised R&D and strategic competitiveness: globalised approaches to generation and use of technology in multinational enterprises (MNEs)," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 157-178, March.
    14. John Hagedoorn & Rajneesh Narula, 1996. "Choosing Organizational Modes of Strategic Technology Partnering: International and Sectoral Differences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(2), pages 265-284, June.
    15. Walid Hejazi & A Edward Safarian, 1999. "Trade, Foreign Direct Investment, and R&D Spillovers," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 30(3), pages 491-511, September.
    16. Lehrer, Mark & Asakawa, Kazuhiro, 1999. "Unbundling European operations: regional management and corporate flexibility in American and Japanese MNCS," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 267-286, October.
    17. Robert Pearce, 1997. "Global Competition and Technology," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-25856-7, December.
    18. 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.
    19. Cantwell, John & Janne, Odile, 1999. "Technological globalisation and innovative centres: the role of corporate technological leadership and locational hierarchy1," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 119-144, March.
    20. Serapio Jr., Manuel G. & Dalton, Donald H., 1999. "Globalization of industrial R&D: an examination of foreign direct investments in R&D in the United States," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 303-316, March.
    21. Bruce Kogut & Udo Zander, 1995. "Knowledge, Market Failure and the Multinational Enterprise: A Reply," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 26(2), pages 417-426, June.
    22. Peter J. Buckley & Mark Casson, 1985. "The Economic Theory of the Multinational Enterprise," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-05242-4, December.
    23. Satwinder Singh, 1997. "Overseas R&D Laboratories in MNEs: An Analysis of their Roles and Motivations," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Global Competition and Technology, chapter 5, pages 101-122, Palgrave Macmillan.
    24. Zander, Ivo, 1999. "Whereto the multinational? The evolution of technological capabilities in the multinational network," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 261-291, August.
    25. Grande, Edgar & Peschke, Anke, 1999. "Transnational cooperation and policy networks in European science policy-making," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 43-61, January.
    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. 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.
    2. Alberto Di Minin & Jieyin Zhang, 2010. "An Exploratory Study on International R&D Strategies of Chinese Companies in Europe," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 27(4), pages 433-455, July.
    3. Dau, Luis Alfonso, 2018. "Contextualizing international learning: The moderating effects of mode of entry & subsidiary networks on the relationship between reforms & profitability," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 403-414.
    4. Di Minin, Alberto & Zhang, Jieyin & Gammeltoft, Peter, 2012. "Chinese foreign direct investment in R&D in Europe: A new model of R&D internationalization?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 189-203.
    5. Asakawa, Kazuhiro & Lehrer, Mark, 2003. "Managing local knowledge assets globally: the role of regional innovation relays," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 31-42, February.
    6. Deephouse, David L. & Newburry, William & Soleimani, Abrahim, 2016. "The effects of institutional development and national culture on cross-national differences in corporate reputation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 463-473.
    7. Lehrer, Mark & Almor, Tamar, 2022. "Startups internationalizing in quest of a business model: The global prospecting of process niche firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(1).
    8. Schmid, Stefan & Dzedek, Lars R. & Lehrer, Mark, 2014. "From Rocking the Boat to Wagging the Dog: A Literature Review of Subsidiary Initiative Research and Integrative Framework," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 201-218.
    9. Chen, Chung-Jen & Huang, Yi-Fen & Lin, Bou-Wen, 2012. "How firms innovate through R&D internationalization? An S-curve hypothesis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(9), pages 1544-1554.
    10. Jeremiah, Rupin, 2017. "DO FIRMS INNOVATE ABROAD? - The Case of Swedish R&D in India," SSE Working Paper Series in Business Administration 2017:4, Stockholm School of Economics, revised 07 Dec 2017.
    11. Tang, Chunhui & Tang, Yaojia & Su, Shengwei, 2019. "R&D internationalization, product diversification and international performance for emerging market enterprises: An empirical study on Chinese enterprises," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 529-539.
    12. Nell, Phillip C. & Ambos, Bjérn & Schlegelmilch, Bodo B., 2011. "The MNC as an externally embedded organization: An investigation of embeddedness overlap in local subsidiary networks," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 497-505, October.

    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. Marina Papanastassiou & Robert Pearce & Antonello Zanfei, 2020. "Changing perspectives on the internationalization of R&D and innovation by multinational enterprises: A review of the literature," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 623-664, June.
    2. Asakawa, Kazuhiro & Lehrer, Mark, 2003. "Managing local knowledge assets globally: the role of regional innovation relays," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 31-42, February.
    3. Achcaoucaou, Fariza & Miravitlles, Paloma & León-Darder, Fidel, 2014. "Knowledge sharing and subsidiary R&D mandate development: A matter of dual embeddedness," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 76-90.
    4. Un, C. Annique & Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro, 2008. "Do subsidiaries of foreign MNEs invest more in R&D than domestic firms?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1812-1828, December.
    5. Alice Lam, 2003. "Organizational Learning in Multinationals: R&D Networks of Japanese and US MNEs in the UK," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 673-703, May.
    6. Srivardhini K. Jha & Charles Dhanaraj & Rishikesha T. Krishnan, 2018. "From Arbitrage to Global Innovation: Evolution of Multinational R&D in Emerging Markets," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 633-661, August.
    7. 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.
    8. Ambos, Bjorn, 2005. "Foreign direct investment in industrial research and development: A study of German MNCs," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 395-410, May.
    9. Sandro Montresor & Antonio Vezzani, 2015. "On the R&D giants’ shoulders: do FDI help to stand on them?," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 42(1), pages 33-60, March.
    10. Lorena M. D'Agostino & Grazia D. Santangelo, 2012. "The Global Fragmentation of R&D Activities: The Home Region Perspective," DRUID Working Papers 12-06, DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies.
    11. Filippaios, Fragkiskos & Papanastassiou, Marina & Pearce, Robert & Rama, Ruth, 2009. "New forms of organisation and R&D internationalisation among the world's 100 largest food and beverages multinationals," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 1032-1043, July.
    12. Shasha Zhao & Hui Tan & Marina Papanastassiou & Anne-Wil Harzing, 2020. "The internationalization of innovation towards the South: A historical case study of a global pharmaceutical corporation in China (1993–2017)," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 553-585, June.
    13. Håkanson, Lars & Kappen, Philip, 2016. "Live and let die: A survival analysis of foreign R&D units in Swedish MNEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 1185-1196.
    14. Lorena D’Agostino, 2015. "The neglected effects of R&D captive offshoring in emerging countries on the creation of knowledge at home," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 42(1), pages 61-91, March.
    15. Nigel Driffield & James H. Love, 2003. "Foreign Direct Investment, Technology Sourcing and Reverse Spillovers," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 71(6), pages 659-672, December.
    16. Song, Jaeyong & Asakawa, Kazuhiro & Chu, Youngeun, 2011. "What determines knowledge sourcing from host locations of overseas R&D operations?: A study of global R&D activities of Japanese multinationals," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 380-390, April.
    17. Wellhausen Rachel L., 2013. "Innovation in Tow: R&D FDI and investment incentives," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 15(4), pages 467-491, December.
    18. Borsos-Torstila, Julianna, . "The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment Operations of Finnish MNCs in Transition Economies 1990-1995," ETLA A, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy, number 28, June.
    19. Asakawa, Kazuhiro, 2001. "Organizational tension in international R&D management: the case of Japanese firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 735-757, May.
    20. Marin, Anabel & Sasidharan, Subash, 2010. "Heterogeneous MNC subsidiaries and technological spillovers: Explaining positive and negative effects in India," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1227-1241, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:worbus:v:37:y:2002:i:4:p:297-306. 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/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620401/description#description .

    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.