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The organization of knowledge transfer in the context of Chinese cross-border acquisitions in developed economies

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Abstract

This article investigates how Chinese multinational enterprises (MNEs) organize knowledge transfer through cross-border acquisitions in developed economies, by employing an organizational learning perspective, and investigating Chinese acquisitions in the German industrial sector. Engaging in several activities (e.g., establishment of R&D centers, joint ventures, and staff deployment, etc.), Chinese enterprises ultimately aim for stimulating the interaction between the acquired target and the parent company. Challenging the conventional wisdom, knowledge transfer also happens reciprocally. The absorptive and disseminative capacities of both partners, along with the knowledge characteristics, and the intercultural issues, moderate the effectiveness of knowledge transfer.

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  1. We added the words in brackets to make the quote more understandable. This applies from here on for all quotes of the informants.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully appreciate the funding provided by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under Grant Li 981/13-1. This funding does not create any conflicts of interest. An earlier version of the article was presented during the 11th annual China Goes Global conference in Kristiansand, Norway. However, the current manuscript is an extension with substantial improvement and has not been previously published, nor it is under review elsewhere.

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  1. Department of Economic Geography, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Senckenbergstrasse 1, 35390, Giessen, Germany

    Timon Immanuel Haasis

  2. Department of Economic Geography, Leibniz University Hannover, Schneiderberg 50, 30167, Hannover, Germany

    Ingo Liefner

  3. Department of Business Administration, BAU International Berlin University of Applied Science, Heinrich-Heine-Strasse 15, 10179, Berlin, Germany

    Ritam Garg

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Haasis, T.I., Liefner, I. & Garg, R. The organization of knowledge transfer in the context of Chinese cross-border acquisitions in developed economies. Asian Bus Manage 17, 286–311 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-018-0041-y

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