해외직접투자기업의 지식획득과 활용성과

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The knowledge base that a firm possesses is the greatest ability to serve as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Globally distributed networks of subsidiaries constitute a potentially important source of knowledge acquisition. By accessing the knowledge residing in these networks, international firms Can both exploit existing knowledge and combine these sources of knowledge to create new ones. The sources of local knowledge acquisition are foreign subsidiary's network ties, and the global strategy type and diversity of international business activities are an important factors influencing the subsidiaries' knowledge aquisition process. Three main themes discussed in this article are following.
First, foreign subsidiaries are embedded in different local networks. Each subsidiary maintains unique and idiosyncratic patterns of network linkages and is exposed to novel knowledge, ideas and opportunities. Relational embeddedness between subsidiary and local market participants overcomes barriers and facilitates learning by creating common identity promoting free exchange of knowledge, and reduces the cost of acquiring knowledge.
Second, The type of global strategies and diversity of international business activities, also, increase the reliance on foreign markets as a means of growth and competence improvement. It can promote organizational learning, facilitating the development of skills and competencies that help the firm achieve a competitive advantage.
Lastly, as international firms acquire local knowledge, they could exploit it to improve their of product development capabilities and managerial competencies.
This study examines the sources of international firms' knowledge acquisition and the consequences of its exploitation with the samples of Korean international firms. It was found that foreign subsidiary's relational embeddedness and diversity of international business activities facilitated local knowledge acquisition, and local knowledge acquisition improved the international firms' competencies.