More than Knowledge Seeking: A Cooperation-seeking Motive for Innovation in MNEs.
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| Year of publication | 2021 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Description | The aim of this chapter is to explain the differences between the innovation motives underlying subsidiaries of different types and uncover motives that are inconsistent with the current theory, which mainly focuses on innovation between developed multinational enterprises (MNEs) and by MNEs from emerging economies (EMNEs) operating in developed countries. The chapter employs a multiple case-study analysis method. It first compares and contrasts motives for innovation of four multinationals (two from emerging and two from developed countries) from the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry operating in Europe. Then it conceptualises and explores the cooperation-seeking motive in depth with a focus on the two EMNEs, and develops one proposition about it. The motive is elaborated on by linking it to the underlying management of knowledge and cooperation for innovation in EMNEs. Implications are drawn for the EMNE knowledge management literature, the emerging theory-building effort around knowledge connectivity and connectedness, and the broader EMNE international business literature. The main contribution of this chapter is a development of what we term a cooperation-seeking motive for foreign direct investment (FDI) in innovation-intensive activities. We propose that in addition to the knowledge-seeking (or strategic-asset seeking) motive traditionally ascribed to EMNEs, MNEs from both emerging and developed countries, investing abroad, may also have a cooperation-seeking innovation-investment motive. We define this motive as being motivated by both internal cooperation (high internal connectedness within the group) and external cooperation (high external connectedness with stakeholders such as suppliers, clients and universities in the host market). |