Subsidiary roles as determinants of subsidiary technology sourcing: empirical evidence from China

Si Zhang, Shasha Zhao, Ioannis Bournakis, Robert Pearce and Marina Papanastassiou ()
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Si Zhang: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Huaibeizhen
Shasha Zhao: Middlesex University Business School
Robert Pearce: University of Reading Henley Business School
Marina Papanastassiou: Middlesex University Business School

Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, 2018, vol. 35, issue 2, No 15, 623-648

Abstract: Abstract Emerging economies have become new destinations for knowledge sourcing, forcing Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) to reconfigure their global innovation strategies and structure. While foreign subsidiaries located in emerging economies were conventionally viewed as having market or efficiency seeking roles, they have started to evolve towards knowledge-seeking roles. We argue that the conventional wisdom shall be reassessed considering this recent shift. We empirically investigate 129 manufacturing MNE subsidiaries of Fortune 500 companies in China, in terms of their roles and sources of technology. Our results indicate that market and knowledge seeking subsidiaries located in China tend to have a positive impact on the generation of new knowledge, either through locally established MNE R&D laboratories or through collaborations with local firms and scientific institutions.

Keywords: MNEs; R&D; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F23 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1007/s40888-018-0120-8

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