Co-Parenting: A Model of Value Creation in the Multinational Network

We analyze a novel way to configure and manage multinational networks and propose a model of "co-parenting", characterized by the sharing of parenting roles and distribution of responsibilities between two units. We develop our argument around the notion of the springboard subsidiary, which has an extra-regional geographic mandate of a more strategic nature. Such extra-regional headquarters help parent firms overcome the liability of inter-regional foreignness. Based upon qualitative data, our model revolves around three stages: establishment, consolidation and maturity, each of which reflects distinct roles and knowledge flows among the three actors involved: HQ, springboard subsidiary and…

Derrames de la inversión extranjera directa y su efecto en las exportaciones: una aplicación empírica en un país emergente

Este trabajo investiga, por primera vez en el caso colombiano, los efectos indirectos de los derrames de la inversión extranjera directa (IED) sobre las exportaciones de las empresas nacionales. A nivel empírico utilizamos una muestra de conveniencia formada por 32 empresas exportadoras, 14 filiales extranjeras y 18 empresas domésticas, las cuales mantuvieron continuidad en cerca de 60% del valor total de la oferta exportable nacional en el periodo de 2007 a 2016. Mediante el uso de un panel de datos con efectos fijos, demostramos que los efectos positivos de la entrada de IED sobre la exportación de las empresas locales se asocian más con mecanismos de reacción para la protección de sus me…

Augmenting versus exploiting entry modes in soft services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address foreign market entry mode as a way to enhance firm’s knowledge base, providing new insights into traditional explanations of entry mode choice for soft services. The authors offer an alternative knowledge-based approach to assess foreign investment decisions by considering the role of resource-augmenting (direct investment) and resource-exploiting strategies (licenses). In addition, the authors untie the type of experiential knowledge, i.e., host country and mode experience, to analyze its interactions with environmental uncertainties such as cultural distance. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a customized database of the Spanish Glob…

Triggering Open Innovation Processes Through Organizational Emotional Capability and Rival's Absorptive Capacity Orientation

In this article, we analyze the direct effects of the open innovation (OI) processes of acquisition and exploitation on innovation performance (IP), as well as the effects of two antecedents of OI: organizational emotional capability (EC) and rivaĺs absorptive capacity orientation (RACO). RACO implies processing external information in an analytical manner, whereas an intuitive approach is implicit in EC. The research model is tested in a sample of medium-low-technology Colombian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using structural equations by the consistent partial least squares method. Our results provide evidence on a significant effect of the OI acquisition process on IP, as well…

Service characteristics as moderators of the entry mode choice: empirical evidence in the hotel industry

Although a considerable amount of research has explored the entry mode choice, results regarding the direct influence of some variables on the entry mode choice evince a lack of a clear consistency. By introducing the moderator effect of the nature of the services being provided by the firm, we explain some of these inconclusive results. We use a comprehensive database on the Spanish hotel industry which covers nearly all the operations carried out by the majority of Spanish hotel chains up to 2011. We found that both intangibility and complexity of the services offered by the hotel moderate the relationship between environmental uncertainties and entry mode choice by increasing the propens…

Intermediate units in multinational corporations: A resource dependency view on coordinative versus entrepreneurial roles

Abstract Due to the dispersion of headquarters’ activities across organizational and geographical boundaries, intermediate units (IUs) are emerging as a key actor of international business. IUs are intermediate structural layers between headquarters (HQ) and local subsidiaries with specific HQ responsibilities. Our study relies on original data of 67 IUs and, taking on a Resource Dependence approach, explores empirically the two HQ roles attributed to IUs: coordinative versus entrepreneurial. According to our results, the main differences between both roles relate to external network embeddedness, internal network position and autonomy. We argue that these differences arise from the dominan…

Intermediate Units in Multinational Corporations: Advancing Theory on their Co‐parenting Role, Dynamics and Outcomes

Subsidiary-specific advantages for inter-regional expansion: The role of intermediate units

Abstract This paper explores the distinctive deployment of resources and capabilities by subsidiaries in order to develop an intermediate role within the MNC. Based on the regional management perspective, we focus on a specific intermediate role—the springboard subsidiary—that helps overcome the liability of inter-regional foreignness. Our results, which are based on a dataset covering 188 subsidiaries, show that the probability of taking on this role is contingent upon experiential knowledge about the target region, as well as a rich knowledge base derived from a wide range of activities and a broad geographical scope. Our findings also show that possession of slack resources does not nece…

Organisational learning capability, product innovation performance and export intensity

The hypothesis that managerial characteristics which facilitate the organisational learning process can provide firms with a basis for competitive advantage has received a great deal of attention. While there is evidence that organisational learning affects export intensity, we argue that intermediate variables, such as innovation, should be used in order to evaluate its impact in organisations. This study shows that firms with a higher organisational learning capability tend to be more innovative, and for this reason, they are more likely to export a higher share of their production. From a longitudinal perspective, we use structural equation modeling on a database from Italian and Spanish…

Governance of global value chains after the Covid-19 pandemic: A new wave of regionalization?

The disruption of the trade and investment activities of multinational enterprises as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic has reinvigorated the debate on the configuration of global value chains (GVCs) as well as the risks and challenges associated with offshoring. This article depicts how the pandemic might affect GVC configuration by driving a trend toward a more regional footprint in industries in which resilience and reliability are critical. Such a shift would create new opportunities for reshoring, and affect both the types of upgrading trajectories and the governance systems in value chains. The article also draws from the intersection of the global-strategy and value-chain field…

Unravelling the moderating effects of size and experience on product innovations and exports: a study in a medium knowledge-intensive industry

This paper contributes to improve our knowledge on the important role of product innovation in export strategy by introducing the moderating effects of organizational variables. We argue that in a medium knowledge-intensive industry, these variables might strengthen the relationship between innovations and exports. Research on innovation and export strategy has addressed these issues increasingly during last decades; however, the divergence on the empirical approaches difficult the understanding of the linkages among variables, which are highly dependent on the industry technological characteristics. We carry out a time-lagged study using the literature-based innovation output (LBIO) method…

Learning from foreign operation modes: The virtuous path for innovation

In this article, we analyze the impact of learning from internationalization on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) performance along different development paths. Drawing on the exploitation versus exploration logic, we use an alternative view of foreign operation modes (the learning perspective) to provide insights into the impact of such learning on technological and organizational innovation as well as overall performance. Our results, which are derived from a sample of 132 SMEs active in traditional manufacturing industries, point to a path to superior performance that entails resource-augmenting operation modes and organizational innovation. JEL CLASSIFICATION: O31; F23; L25; M10; M1…

The internationalization of SMEs: Building models for long-term development

Co‐parenting through subsidiaries: A model of value creation in the multinational firm

Research summary We analyze a novel way to configure and manage multinational networks and propose a model of "co-parenting", characterized by the sharing of parenting roles and distribution of responsibilities between two units. We develop our argument around the notion of the springboard subsidiary, an operating subsidiary which assumes headquarters’ functions since it shares greater institutional closeness with both the headquarters’ country as well as with the host region. Based upon qualitative data, our inductive model revolves around three stages: establishment, consolidation and maturity, each of which reflects distinct roles and loci of decision making among the three actors involv…

Exploring the role of knowledge management practices on exports: A dynamic capabilities view

Abstract Drawing on dynamic capabilities view, this work provides empirical evidence on the role of knowledge management practices on export intensity in SMEs in a mature and global, non-high-tech industry. A quantitative study with structural equation modeling was carried out on a sample of 157 Spanish and Italian manufacturing companies in the ceramic tile industry. Our results suggest the existence of a mediating effect of dynamic capabilities on exports, hence the implementation of knowledge management practices is a necessary but not sufficient condition to improve exporting, requiring the existence of dynamic capabilities to reconfigure these capabilities. Findings highlight the relev…

Business Models in Emerging Markets

The Impact of Family and Work-Life Balance Policies on the Performance of Spanish Listed Companies

Work-life balance has become a topic of great relevance in today's business world. In this work we present both a theoretical review on the state of art in this issue and an analysis testing the validity of the positive impact of work-life balance policies in firm performance. For the empirical analyses of these policies on performance we evaluated a sample composed of firms listed in IBEX-35. Findings provide support for the idea that introducing work-life balance practices benefits the company with respect to talent retention and higher employee engagement, as well as achieving a positive impact on productivity, costs and business results.

Socioemotional wealth in family business research: A systematic literature review on its definition, roles and dimensions

This study aims to depict the current state of research on socioemotional wealth (SEW) in family businesses considering its definitions, roles, and dimensions. Using the SPAR-4-SLR protocol (Paul, Lim, O’Cass, Hao, & Bresciani, 2021), we develop a systematic review of literature on SEW covering 74 studies published between 2007 and 2022. We propose a comprehensive definition of SEW based on four nonfinancial aspects and an association model that reviews the roles of SEW as an antecedent, a consequence, or a moderator. We also offer a new conceptual model for SEW comprising a general dimension and ten specific dimensions to facilitate empirical inquiries into areas beyond those considered by…

Configurational theory in traditional manufacturing industries: a new model of high-performing small and medium-sized enterprises

The goal of this study is to provide a model of high-performing small and medium-sized companies to address the new environmental challenges in traditional manufacturing industries. Adopting a configurational logic and following an inductive approach based on four high-performing firms, this paper provides new empirical evidence on how the steps followed by these firms are adjusted to the high-performance models prescribed by the literature. In doing so, it also offers a dynamic view of the interrelationships between the strategy and the new conditions of the environment. At a practitioner level, the paper illustrates which recipes are more appropriate to prescribe recommendations for a mor…