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This paper seeks to add to our understanding of how entrepreneurs can build “knowledge reservoirs” to achieve competitive advantage. The study focus upon the following issues: what kind of actors can be found in various entrepreneurs' knowledge reservoirs, and what business knowledge do these actors possess.

The author employs a longitudinal case study approach, involving a sample of seven entrepreneurs in new technology‐based firms, each interviewed two times during the period from 1999 to 2001.

Evidence suggests that entrepreneurs should build knowledge reservoirs, segmented into internal, semi‐internal and external knowledge reservoirs. These reservoirs should be a means to gain competition advantage.

The conceptual model has both empirical and theoretical backing, but the empirical backing is limited to seven cases. It would be useful to test the conceptual model on larger sample sizes.

Practitioners can focus on how to build knowledge reservoirs, while the model helps to increase awareness of the holistic view of entrepreneurial knowledge and which actors can contribute to it. Policy makers should encourage entrepreneurs to build knowledge reservoirs, and support systems could require a plan for this activity before entrepreneurs get access to public funds.

The paper makes four main contributions: model generation, development of terminology, further development of the field of entrepreneurial research, and development of RBT.

Purpose – Integrating insights from the literatures on internationalization and knowledge externalities, we posit that the reservoirs of scientific knowledge residing in different locations around the world have significant power in explaining interfirm performance variations. We assert that the ability to access and exploit such intangible resources differs considerably across multinationals, according to both firm-specific and exogenously determined factors.

Methodology – Unlike previous research that typically focuses on knowledge flows within one nation or between two countries, our statistical analysis combines firm-level data with industry-level information on 18 countries and 15 manufacturing sectors.

Findings and implications – The empirical findings indicate that the performance-enhancing effect of global knowledge reservoirs is positive and often higher than that of a firm's own knowledge. Whereas some multinationals excel at exploiting such intangible resources, others fail to do so successfully. In this respect, the results indicate that a firm's ability to benefit from global knowledge reservoirs is positively associated with its degree of international diversification, the intensity of its own research efforts, and exogenously determined opportunities pertaining to different technological domains.

The purpose of this article is to illustrate through a case study how Bernstein's discussion of horizontal discourse can be used to inform processes of management development and organizational learning in multi‐functional organizations.

The approach taken is to reflect on a particular case of management development in which the author was instrumentally involved, using Bernstein's concepts of “repertoire”, “reservoir”, and the “circulation” and “exchange” of knowledge and strategies to further the understanding of the nature of learning and development interventions that aim to recognise, refine and disseminate tacit managerial knowledge.

The article discusses the background to internal management development interventions of this type, and briefly evaluates the outcomes of the case study against original objectives. Although much progress was made with an initial group of participants, in terms of realising and sharing tacit managerial knowledge and strategies, the organization did not take the second phase of the intervention forward.

The case study develops a conceptually informed approach to internal learning and development interventions that can inform future initiatives.

The discussion of this case is valuable in that it illustrates how concepts from the sociology of knowledge can be used to provide new insights into internal learning and development interventions that seek to make better use of the knowledge and practice of individual employees.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the role played by tacit knowledge in marketing decision making in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to extrapolate the ramifications, in terms of practice and theory generation.

To provide support for the existence of tacit expertise, research was framed around three key questions and in-depth interview data drawn from SME senior managers. Although limited in number, interviewees represent a range of different types of SME businesses.

In SMEs, tacit knowledge presents a reservoir of expertise that reflects the recondite characteristics of marketing decision making. Strategies in marketing were found to be about locally situated networks, intersubjective knowledge and intuitive based judgements that led to important company advantages in the market place.

Based on an analysis of the findings and despite the abstruse nature of tacit knowledge, this paper tentatively suggests ways for marketers to unravel it. The suggestion is that tacit and locally significant experience and expertise in marketing is a basis for theory and practice, with potential for dissemination.

Tacit knowledge is a notable, yet widely overlooked area of SME marketing. Highlighted here are both managerial and learning challenges in terms of better conceptualising the understanding of marketing and SME activity regarding this largely unarticulated base of practice.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a model that can explain how organizations may retain their executives’ tacit knowledge in the organization especially during the succession period. The proposed model takes into consideration three critical contexts that may assist in improving the knowledge flow during the transition period, namely, motivation context, transition context and ability context.

This paper presents a conceptual framework that emphasizes the importance of the will and skill of two parties involved in succession, i.e. the predecessor and successor, as well as the context of the succession. To this end, the paper advances a set of propositions that explain how these different contexts affect the quantity and quality of the knowledge acquired by the successor at the end of the succession period.

This paper advances a theoretical model that describes the antecedents and moderator of job-specific knowledge acquired during executive succession.

This paper presents a theoretical model that explains knowledge flow during the transitory period of succession. It emphasizes the importance of the motivation and ability of the partners involved while taking into consideration the context of succession.

This paper contributes considerably and in a practical manner to managers in general and to human resource managers in particular. It draws the attention of concerned managers to check the motivation of both successor and predecessor in experiencing the transition, explain to the successors the job description of the position to direct their attention to learn specific knowledge and equip both parties involved in the succession with the needed skills.

This paper advances a new concept termed as accelerated engaged tacit knowledge acquisition. This concept complements other perspectives of knowledge flow and learning and takes into consideration the specific context of executive succession.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to greater conceptual clarity on the topic of higher-order learning, and to enable its potential empirical measurement. It includes a framework to show how this ability is developed by engaging in specific learning behaviors, each of which constitutes its own level of learning.

Three criteria are used to develop the framework. Each learning behavior should lead to a change in long-term memory, should have empirical support for leading to a defined learning outcome, and should be applicable to workplace learning.

The Learning As Behaviors (LABS) framework presents three novel propositions. Four key learning behaviors of taking on a challenge, attending to information, forming meaningful connections, and practicing with feedback are required to engage in higher-order learning. There is an optimal order to the learning behaviors. Any one individual is unlikely to be motivated to engage in all four learning behaviors.

The clear definitions and elaborated LABS framework provide a potential new means for empirical research. The learning behaviors provided are directly observable behaviors, each with its own measurable learning outcome.

Historically, engaging in higher-order learning has been presented as a choice that is plagued by psychological forces of self-defense, ego and image management. This paper extends that view by presenting higher-order learning as a domain-specific ability to derive fundamental principles and patterns through critical reflection. It also develops three novel propositions that lend insight into the barriers that employees face as they engage in workplace learning.

This study examines how the characteristics of innovation knowledge exchanged among affiliate firms affect the ownership strategies adopted for their foreign subsidiaries.

This study employs a cross-classified multilevel model to examine a sample of 185 Korean manufacturing affiliates derived from 49 Chaebols engaged in international diversification, along with their 1,110 foreign manufacturing subsidiaries.

While exploratory innovation knowledge exchange lowers the affiliate's level of ownership in its foreign subsidiary, exploitative innovation knowledge exchange rather increases the affiliate's level of ownership in its foreign subsidiary.

This study advances the literature on intrafirm knowledge exchange by highlighting it as a determinant of ownership strategies. The study further shows that the characteristics of knowledge exchanged at the affiliate level not only determine the ownership structure but also have the potential to shape the direction in which the subsidiary develops its competencies.

This study has practical implications for the managers of business group affiliates. The results suggest that managers should adapt their ownership strategies according to the type of knowledge exchanged at the affiliate level to achieve a balanced and synergistic effect on intraorganizational knowledge exchange.

Previous studies have extensively explored the performance implications related to knowledge exchange. However, there is a notable gap in understanding the mechanisms through which the value of knowledge transferred within an affiliate is realized. To address this gap, this study focuses on ownership strategy as a crucial factor and empirically examines how the characteristics of innovation knowledge exchanged among affiliate firms influence the ownership strategies adopted for their foreign subsidiaries. By investigating this relationship, this study provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of knowledge exchange and its effect on ownership decisions within business group affiliates.

Technology has become an integral part of many businesses and, over time, new technology is deployed for business transformation process. It can come in the form of tools and its assimilation process is context sensitive. This paper invokes an empirical approach to design an ABC template and illustrates how it can be used as a tool for easy assimilation in an SME contextual environment. The approach uses the PROMISE conceptual framework as an interactive platform to exploit different best practices as tools for implementation. The assimilation process illustrated in the case study has been quite successful in a number of aspects, exhibiting an encouraging result valuable for further investigation. It is regarded as the first step in developing the necessary competence to tackle future SME transformation. Furthermore, the implications addressed are likely to be useful to managers who have the initiative for business process transformation and to academia looking for a promising area for future research.

By bringing together the IB and IE literatures, the purpose of this paper is to examine the internationalization process as an entrepreneurial process related to the development of international opportunities. It explicitly connects different types of knowledge (i.e. market and internationalization), international opportunities and the internationalization process comprising both new foreign market entry and sequential moves that happen after entry.

This is a conceptual paper that reviews the literature on knowledge, opportunities and the internationalization process. Moreover, the paper identifies the current gaps in the literature and builds new theory that sheds light into how these three concepts are related. The paper also presents a model and propositions that should guide future research.

The proposed model shows that market and internationalization knowledge combine to form the international knowledge stockpile of the firm, which moderates the relationship between the development of international opportunities and the internationalization process, comprising not only new foreign market entry but also sequential moves that happen after entry using either mode continuation or modal shift. Moreover, it shows that the development of opportunities only leads to modal shifts after a certain threshold is achieved.

The propositions suggest that market and internationalization knowledge are positively related to international opportunities, which, in turn, are related to foreign market entry and sequential moves using mode continuation. International opportunities, however, are related to modal shifts only beyond a threshold. Moreover, the international knowledge stockpile of the firm moderates the relationship between international opportunities and the internationalization process. Because this is a conceptual paper, the propositions have not been tested and, therefore, lack empirical validation. Nonetheless, the model is a starting point to new research on internationalization distinguishing different types of knowledge as well as different sequential moves.

This study shows that the internationalization process is contingent on the different types of knowledge associated with it. It also introduces the idea of a threshold that shapes the internationalization process. The bulk of the research on internationalization suggests that such a process is gradual and incremental. This study offers a non-linear alternative.

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of literature that establishes the factors affecting the ability of an organisation to absorb and apply knowledge. The review aims to draw from literature on the resource‐based view of the firm, dynamic capabilities, organisational learning, knowledge management and technological innovation. The paper then seeks to present a model of knowledge translation capability synthesised from the literature review.

The model that is synthesised from the literature review draws on three streams of work. First, the work of Dorothy Leonard on technological capability; second, the I‐space model of knowledge assets developed by Max Boisot; and third, other work based in the organisational learning and innovation management literature. The model is illustrated using a case study of an innovation project.

The effective development of a knowledge translation capability requires attention to a network of both formal and informal structures/activities across an organisation. Together these activities constitute a dynamic capability that operates iteratively throughout the whole organisation and are an example of triple‐loop learning processes.

The paper will prove useful to other academics in the area of technological innovation and practising managers who can use the model to evaluate their own organisation's knowledge translation capability.

The advantage of the model presented is that, unlike other discussions of dynamic capability, the link between conceptual level description and real world activities has been made more distinct. By recognising relevant organisational structures and relationships, it becomes possible to takes steps to assess their performance and then manage their improvement.