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Competence-creating overlaps and subsidiary technological evolution in the multinational corporation

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  • Kappen, Philip

Abstract

This paper explores overlapping competence-creating activities within the boundaries of the multinational corporation by investigating how foreign greenfield subsidiaries' technological evolution is affected by the addition of an acquired unit in the same location. Drawing upon the complete U.S. patenting activity by subsidiaries of 21 Swedish multinationals over the 1893-1990 period, we use repeated event history analysis to test a set of hypotheses concerned with the effect of this competence-creating overlap. Findings include an initial retrogressive effect on greenfield subsidiaries' technological evolution as a result of competence-creating overlaps, which, over time diminishes to become positive after more than a decade of overlap exposure. Thus, we add to the theory of subsidiary evolution by expanding the view of the archetypal subsidiary that has so far been constrained to evolve without operational overlaps.

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  • Kappen, Philip, 2011. "Competence-creating overlaps and subsidiary technological evolution in the multinational corporation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 673-686, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:40:y:2011:i:5:p:673-686
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    Cited by:

    1. Henrik Dellestrand & Philip Kappen & Olof Lindahl, 2020. "Headquarter resource allocation strategies and subsidiary competitive or cooperative behavior: achieving a fit for value creation," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Blomkvist, Katarina & Kappen, Philip & Zander, Ivo, 2023. "Weathering storms – Technological exploration of MNCs in times of financial crisis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(2).
    3. Gillmore, Edward, 2022. "Mandate dynamics and the importance of mandate loss for subsidiary evolution," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6).
    4. Maximilian Stallkamp & Brian C Pinkham & Andreas P J Schotter & Olha Buchel, 2018. "Core or periphery? The effects of country-of-origin agglomerations on the within-country expansion of MNEs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(8), pages 942-966, October.
    5. Blomkvist, Katarina & Kappen, Philip & Zander, Ivo, 2014. "Superstar inventors—Towards a people-centric perspective on the geography of technological renewal in the multinational corporation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 669-682.
    6. Blomkvist, Katarina & Kappen, Philip & Zander, Ivo, 2017. "Gone are the creatures of yesteryear? On the diffusion of technological capabilities in the ‘modern’ MNC," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 1-16.
    7. Ha, Yoo Jung & Giroud, Axèle, 2015. "Competence-creating subsidiaries and FDI technology spillovers," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 605-614.
    8. Tippmann, Esther & Sharkey Scott, Pamela & Reilly, Marty & O’Brien, Donal, 2018. "Subsidiary coopetition competence: Navigating subsidiary evolution in the multinational corporation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 540-554.
    9. Reilly, Marty & Scott, Pamela Sharkey & Tippmann, Esther & Mangematin, Vincent, 2023. "Sustaining competence creation in the multinational enterprise: The role of piloting in subsidiaries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    10. Kostova, Tatiana & Marano, Valentina & Tallman, Stephen, 2016. "Headquarters–subsidiary relationships in MNCs: Fifty years of evolving research," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 176-184.
    11. De Beule, Filip & Van Beveren, Ilke, 2019. "Sources of open innovation in foreign subsidiaries: An enriched typology," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 135-147.
    12. Håkanson, Lars & Kappen, Philip, 2016. "Live and let die: A survival analysis of foreign R&D units in Swedish MNEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 1185-1196.

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