 MNC subunit competence creation and knowledge sourcingXiaoyu Pu, John Cantwell and Huiping Li International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 26-49 Abstract: This paper proposes a model to measure the extent to which the knowledge sourcing of a multinational corporation (MNC) foreign subunit influences that subunit's likelihood to engage in competence creation (CC) activities. We examine on a technological field level the extent to which a subunit's activity is distinct from that of its parent company (defined as technological distinctiveness), then analyse how this technological distinctiveness is related to the knowledge sourcing patterns of the subunit, as measured by the MNC's knowledge structure, as well as the knowledge complexity and geographical dispersion of its knowledge sources. This study focuses on a broadly defined set of large firms in the chemical industry. As predicted, a positive relationship is found between the knowledge complexity of a subunit's knowledge sourcing and its technological distinctiveness. Less expected, there is also found a negative relationship between the geographical dispersion of a subunit's knowledge sources and its technological distinctiveness. Keywords: multinational corporation; MNC; competence creation; technological distinctiveness. (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijtlid:v:16:y:2025:i:1:p:26-49 Access Statistics for this article More articles in International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd |
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