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Firm size is an important contingency variable in macro-organizational studies. Several questions arise in relation to knowledge management and organizational size that is critical to both public and private organizations. Unfortunately, despite its significance, all or most of the studies that examined the effects of organizational size’ on knowledge management have been in the private sector. This paper aims to empirically study the effects of organizational size on the key knowledge management processes and subsequent operational efficiency derived from its implementation in the public sector.

A structured country-wide survey of United Arab Emirates public sector organizations was conducted. The 383 completed responses obtained were then analysed to assess the hypothesized differences in the implementation of knowledge management processes (knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge capture, knowledge storage and retrieval, knowledge sharing, knowledge utilization) and its impact on the operational efficiency across small and medium, large and very large public sector organizations.

The results revealed that the extent of implementation of all six knowledge management processes and operational efficiency followed an inverted “V” pattern, in which, both knowledge management processes and operational efficiency was found to increase while transitioning from small and medium entities to large entities, but was found to decrease while transitioning from large to very large entities. In terms of relationships, while all knowledge management processes had a significant positive impact on the operational efficiency of the public sector, the ability to derive operational efficiency from knowledge management processes was found to be the highest for very large public sector organizations.

The novel findings are useful for practitioners and policymakers, especially those overseeing a country’s knowledge management initiatives to devise strategies, policies and support mechanisms to ensure public sector organizations, regardless of their size, can implement efficient and effective knowledge management processes to improve their operational efficiency.

The study is arguably the first comprehensive attempt to understand the impact of organizational size on knowledge management in the public sector.

The purpose of this paper is to present various knowledge‐acquisition methods and to show how existing empirical research can be used for mapping between marketing problem domains and knowledge acquisition techniques. The key to doing this is to create a taxonomy of marketing problem domains.

This paper combines a thorough literature review with prima facie conceptualization to map a generic problem domain, and thereby provide guidance in the choice of knowledge‐acquisition technique for developers of expert systems in the field of marketing.

Recent empirical research in the field of expert systems shows that certain knowledge‐acquisition techniques are significantly more efficient than others for the extraction of certain types of knowledge within specific problem domains. It is found that protocol analysis, while fairly commonly used, is relatively inefficient for analytic problems. In the synthetic problem domain, interviewing proves to perform better for simple problems and worse for more difficult‐to‐model synthetic domains.

The findings suggest that it may be worth exploring some of the non‐traditional knowledge‐acquisition techniques when working on some types of applications. Further research could offer guidance in choosing the appropriate technique, with the aim of improving the quality, efficiency and development of the resulting system.

Designers of expert systems for marketing should consider interviewing and card sorting as the main means of knowledge acquisition for analytic problem domains, rather than protocol analysis as the main knowledge‐acquisition technique for analytic problem domains.

This paper is the first to suggest mapping between knowledge‐acquisition research and marketing problem domains.

The purpose of this study is to investigate what type of knowledge enhances the frequency of strategic renewal for organizations operating in high velocity environments. It also investigates whether strategic renewal frequency is beneficial, rather than harmful in such environments.

The study followed a two-step data collection process involving pilot interviews and an on-site survey data collection procedure. The authors first conducted face-to-face pilot interviews with 16 fashion retailers lasting 30 min to 2 h. They then tested their hypotheses by using a sample of 152 South Korean fashion retailers, as the fashion industry is a prototypical high velocity environment.

Firms that have a higher rate of strategic renewal frequency outperform those with a lower one. Moreover, the frequency of strategic renewal mitigates the ill effects of lack of legitimacy not imbued by a franchisor’s backing. Finally, firms can increase the frequency of their strategic renewal efforts by accessing knowledge from their main customers more efficiently.

The results of this study provide a refined picture of the role of knowledge acquisition efficiency and strategic renewal frequency in the pursuit of competitive advantage in high velocity environments.

This paper aims to investigate how a Chinese firm’s strategic orientation impact its knowledge acquisition from its foreign alliance partners through governance mechanisms used in the Sino-foreign alliance partnership.

This research first proposes an integrated model which links a firm’s strategic orientations (entrepreneurial and market orientations), governance mechanism (contract and trust controls), and its knowledge acquisition together. Then, this research collected data from 198 Chinese firms involved in Sino-foreign alliances to test the conceptual model.

For entrepreneurial-oriented alliance firms, a moderate level of contract and a high level of trust are the most efficient uses of control mechanisms for Chinese firms’ knowledge acquisition. In comparison, for market-oriented alliance firms, both contract and trust control mechanisms should be used at the moderate level to achieve maximum knowledge acquisition from their foreign partners.

By introducing a new antecedent for the choice of control mechanisms in the context of Sino-foreign alliance relationships, this study empirically finds a non-linear relationship between contract control and knowledge acquisition and confirms the significant role of trust in facilitating knowledge acquisition between alliance partners from the perspective of alliance firms in emerging markets.

This study had a threefold aim: to examine the impact of a Simmelian-tie tripartite alliance on corporate green innovation; to determine the chain-mediating roles of knowledge acquisition and knowledge integration; and to identify the moderating effect of network routines on the relationship between a Simmelian tie and green innovation.

Data were collected through 487 valid survey questionnaires from Chinese small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs). The authors examined the data through a structural model using partial least-squares structural-equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the research hypotheses.

The results reveal several key factors with positive impacts on enterprise green innovation. Specifically, a Simmelian tie significantly and positively affects enterprise green innovation. The results further reveal that knowledge acquisition and integration play mediating roles, while a network routine positively moderates the relationships among a Simmelian tie, knowledge acquisition and integration, and corporate green innovation.

This study is among the earliest empirical studies to investigate the influence of Simmelian ties on corporate green innovation for manufacturing companies. This study provides a theoretical basis for managers of firms, especially those of SMEs with limited resources, to fully use Simmelian ties to achieve environmentally sustainable innovation. In addition, this study validates and extends knowledge-management theory by verifying the linking roles of knowledge acquisition and integration and facilitating role of network routines.

The purpose of this paper was to investigate antecedents and results of strategic choices of multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries in Croatia economy. Hence, the authors examined knowledge management and its association with performance. Additionally, they explored which of the strategies will be most likely chosen by subsidiaries in transitional economies that are characterized by market volatility and uncertainty.

Data were collected from a survey of 131 MNC subsidiaries operating in Croatia. To test the theoretical correlation between knowledge management capabilities and strategic orientation, the authors used the ANCOVA method and controlled for industry, years in international business and firm size.

The results pointed out the recognized necessities for a specific alignment between environment, strategy and knowledge management capabilities. The findings also suggest that there is a positive relationship between knowledge management and performance.

As with most of the research, this paper has limitations. First, all data were collected using self-report surveys raising the possibility of response set biases. Additionally, all data were collected at one point in one country specifically in Croatia.

Clearly, there is substantial interaction between the MNC subsidiary’s environment and the MNC subsidiary’s strategic orientation. Most notably, the environment studied here was at the competitive and consumer market level. Firms need to develop a strategic plan for knowledge management based upon the local environmental influences.

Other firms from Central and Eastern European and developed countries may compare their own environment, strategy and knowledge management practices in MNCs with findings from Croatia to be aware of similarities and market differences.

The strategic employment of knowledge acquisition, conversion and application are examined across firms using the Prospector, Analyzer, Defender and Reactor strategic orientations.

From the dynamic capability perspective, the aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for collaborative capability, including scanning, relational skills and adaptation and to test the impact of each dimension on the acquisition of technological and marketing knowledge from partners. The conceptual framework also suggests that these two types of knowledge acquisition have different impacts on new product development (NPD) creativity and speed.

This study builds a theoretical framework and tests it with survey data from 289 Chinese manufacturing firms.

Firms with strong collaborative capability are identified to gain better knowledge acquisition from their partners and achieve higher NPD performance. While acquired technological knowledge has a greater effect on NPD creativity than acquired marketing knowledge, the latter has a greater effect on NPD speed. In addition, these two types of knowledge acquisition form different mediating paths between collaborative capability and NPD performance.

This study not only underlines the important role of collaborative capability in facilitating knowledge acquisition, which in turn improves NPD performance, but also suggests that decision-makers should note the different roles of technological knowledge and market knowledge in influencing NPD performance.

These findings enrich the understanding of how firms enhance NPD performance by developing collaborative capability in a major emerging economy (i.e. China). In addition to demonstrating the differential effects of heterogeneous knowledge acquisition on NPD performance, different pathways of mediation through knowledge acquisition are also identified in the relationship between collaborative capability and NPD outcomes.

Although knowledge has become a decisive factor in the development of firms, there has been no detailed investigation into how start-ups acquire external knowledge. In order to narrow the research gap, this paper attempts to explore the mechanism of acquiring external knowledge in start-ups from the perspective of “environment–[sic.] structure” interaction.

This research develops a conceptual model regarding improvisation as an independent variable, strategic flexibility as a mediator, knowledge acquisition as the dependent variable and environmental mutation as a moderator between improvisation and strategic flexibility. Furthermore, this study collects the survey data from 277 firms and uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to empirically test the model and hypotheses.

The results show that creativity-bricolage and spontaneity-persistence have significantly positive effects on both capability flexibility and coordination flexibility. However, the positive effects of pressure-stress on capability flexibility and coordination flexibility are not supported. Meanwhile, the mediating roles of capability flexibility and coordination flexibility are supported. Finally, environmental mutation only positively moderates the relationship between creativity-bricolage and capability flexibility.

Improvisation can be seen as a core antecedent for start-ups to acquire external knowledge in environmental mutation. More specifically, the significant mediator is strategic flexibility to promote the relationship between improvisation and knowledge acquisition. The findings provide practical inspiration for start-ups to effectively utilize improvisation in emergencies.

This paper aims to present empirical test to analyse a structural process model based on the constructs of absorptive capacity considering sustainability aspects. It integrates dynamic capability perspective to strengthen the existing literature. Findings of the study may help organisations to renovate business processes related to absorptive capacity and improve decision-making considering sustainability attributes.

Sample for data analysis covers 389 managers of firms demonstrating some traits of sustainability orientation and operating in a developing economy like India. Structural equation modelling is applied to test a casual model.

Result of this study reveals that a formal system that drives knowledge sharing, storing and exploitation of knowledge, a structured way to appropriate and reward intellectual property rights can be fundamental to development of absorptive capacity. Such a system conducive to knowledge exploration and acquisition must lead to exploration of new knowledge sources and new knowledge. A firm’s knowledge acquisition system shall be able to deliver to acquire external as well as internal knowledge spread across departments.

This study considers commercial output as an aspect of innovative capability, so this attribute is not included in absorptive capacity.

The study may help organisations to develop a systemic approach to evolve decision-making and develop suitable processes linked to absorptive capacity considering sustainability challenges and uncertain market conditions.

The study presents a comprehensive view of absorptive capacity considering societal stakeholder’s knowledge in addition to technological and market knowledge.

There are hardly any research articles which link absorptive capacity, dynamic capability and sustainability strategies.

This study examines the impact of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) of Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) and formal and informal institutional distances between the home and host countries on the innovation performance of parent company.

This study uses panel data to conduct an empirical analysis on the data of 59 mature Chinese MNCs and their 872 overseas subsidiaries over the past 11 years and draws interesting results.

Results show that OFDI and formal and informal institutional distances between countries exert a significant positive impact on the innovation performance of the parent company and formal and informal institutional distances negatively moderate the impact between OFDI and the parent company's innovation performance.

Although international business research pays increasing attention to transnational differences in institutions and cultures, research on the relationship between technology spillover and distance is relatively limited. In addition, few studies consider the impact of FID and IFID on transnational reverse knowledge spillovers. This research fills these research gaps, and the conclusions have certain practical significance for multinational companies.