As microempresas são consideradas uma importante parte de um sistema econômico. Sua importância está centrada em sua diversificação de atuação, relacionada ao comércio, serviço e à indústria, formando um sistema de amortecimento das variações econômicas de uma nação. Sua importância em números de empresas em funcionamento e no número de funcionários é fundamental para a economia. A capacidade absortiva pode ser entendida como a capacidade de uma empresa em extrair conhecimento a partir do ambiente externo; reconhecer o valor da informação externa, assimilá-la e aplicá-la para fins comerciais, para aumentar/desenvolver a inovação. (COHEN; LEVINTHAL, 1990). Já a orientação para o mercado é descrita por Narver e Slater (1990) como um construto formado por três componentes comportamentais: orientação para o cliente, orientação para os concorrentes e coordenação interfuncional, bem como foco no longo prazo e na lucratividade, denominadas como critérios de decisão. Este trabalho buscou analisar a relação destes dois construtos com o desempenho das microempresas localizadas no Corede Serra do Rio Grande do Sul. A pesquisa foi realizada com uma amostra de 295 microempresas. Os resultados indicam que há uma correlação significativa entre a capacidade absortiva, a orientação para o mercado e o desempenho das empresas estudadas. As correlações apresentadas foram significativas em nível da significância (p<0,01), mesmo sendo baixas a moderadas, com valores em torno do 0,4, representou que há uma relação percebida entre capacidade absortiva, orientação para o mercado e desempenho nas microempresas. / Microenterprises are regarded as an important part of an economic system. Their importance is centered on their action diversification, which is related to trade, services and industry, thus forming a buffering system for the economic variations of a nation. Their importance in terms of both number of operating companies and number of employees is fundamental to the economy. The absorptive capacity can be understood as a company’s ability to extract knowledge from the external environment, recognize the value of external information, assimilate it and apply it to commercial purposes in order to increase/develop innovation (COHEN; LEVINTHAL, 1990). Market orientation, in turn, was described by Narver and Slater (1990) as a construct comprising three behavioral components: customer orientation, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination, with a focus on long-term and profitability, which have been denominated as decision criteria. This paper aimed at analyzing the relationship of these two constructs with the performance of microenterprises located in Corede Serra in Rio Grande do Sul. The sample consisted of 295 microenterprises. The results evidenced a significant correlation between absorptive capacity, market orientation and performance of the companies under study. The correlations presented were significant at the significance level (p<0.01). Despite being low to moderate, with values around 0.4, they evidenced a perceived relationship between absorptive capacity, market orientation and performance in micro-enterprises.

Drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective, this study provides some important insights into the paradox of the knowledge transfer-firm performance relationship in international joint ventures (IJVs) in an emerging market, China. It examines the IJV’s distribution capability as the underlying mediating mechanism through which the potential benefits of foreign parent-IJV knowledge transfer can be channeled and transformed into superior IJV performance. In this mediation process, the IJV’s absorptive capacity and market turbulence work as two boundary conditions that reinforce the role of foreign parent-IJV knowledge transfer on the IJV’s distribution capability. Specifically, this study delineates how the IJV’s distribution capability mediates 1) the complementary effects of knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity, and 2) the interactive effects of knowledge transfer and market turbulence, on IJV performance, respectively. Five hypotheses are proposed and empirically tested based on a random sample of 136 equity-based manufacturing IJVs in China. Overall, the results support the proposed hypotheses except hypothesis 1 which posits the IJV’s distribution capability mediates the effect of foreign parent-IJV knowledge transfer to the IJV’s ultimate performance. The findings reveal that 1) the IJV’s absorptive capacity and market turbulence strengthen the link of foreign parent-IJV knowledge transfer and the establishment of the IJV’s distribution capability; and 2) distribution capability mediates two complementary effects (knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity, and knowledge transfer and market turbulence) on superior IJV performance in emerging markets. The plausible explanation for the unsupported hypothesis 1 is the majority of the knowledge transferred by foreign parent is related to product development, organizational management and operational processes, rather than market knowledge. Hence, because distribution capability is an ability closely related to market, the true impact of the knowledge transferred on distribution capability may be blurred and even concealed if IJVs lack sufficient absorptive capacity or are currently operating in stable markets. In summary, this study makes an original contribution to extant IJV literature by unpacking the black box of the knowledge transfer-IJV performance relationship and reveals that the IJV’s distribution capability plays as an underlying mediation mechanism. It also identifies the moderating roles of the IJV’s absorptive capacity and market turbulence on the knowledge transfer-distribution capability relationship, and makes important empirical contribution to extant dynamic capabilities literature by substantiating the theoretical claim that dynamic capabilities have an indirect effect on firm performance, and that the existence and use of dynamic capabilities are more effective under rapidly changing environments. Keywords: Knowledge Transfer; Distribution Capability; Absorptive Capacity; International Joint Ventures; China

Background: There is a talent mismatch in Sweden. Companies are limited by a labour shortage, especially in the digital sector, and available talent has a low rate of hiring. Therefore, this study is focused on understanding the underlying reasons for this talent mismatch understanding it from an absorptive capacity process of knowledge and diversity in the digital sector. This research structure approaches this study by investigating the attraction, recruitment, development, and retention of talent in companies through an absorptive capacity lens. Aim: Broadening the understanding of why there is a mismatch between available talent and firms in Sweden. Methodology: A qualitative study method was done for the data collection and data analysis. Two clusters were created to explore the research process divided into companies and students. A proposed model was utilised to analyse the data and provide the results that confirmed different factors of the absorptive capacity process and the influence of diversity that serve to identify new findings. The thesis demonstrates that the absorptive capacity process can positively or negatively affect the influence of diversity in organisations. The factors that lead to these different outcomes are described in the various phases portrayed by the proposed model. However, the absorptive capacity process describes how people, in general, are retained in organisations and how the sense of belonging to the organisations is fundamental for a positive absorptive capacity process that leads to talent retention. Findings: Diversity related mechanisms that influence a match or mismatch between available talent and organisations. Keywords: Absorptive capacity process · Diversity · Employee life cycle · Knowledge integration· Science Parks

No description available.

With the gradual expansion of China's economy, the demand for innovation and growth of China’s companies is increasing. Traditional internal research and development (R&D) and iterative product and service development are no longer sufficient to meet the fierce market competition. More and more companies are seeking breakthrough growth of overall technology, brand, and service. Therefore, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) have become a common business activity for China’s companies. The motivation of company’s M&A is complex, and as M&A laws in China and worldwide become more complicated, how to make rational and rapid M&A that can achieve strategic upgrading of enterprises has become a research issue of concern for Chinese economic, financial, accounting, and legal disciplines, etc. As a basic industry, Chinese pharmaceutical industry has not yet taken a dominant position in the world. Due to the intertwining of multiple disciplines and complex background information, the impact of M&A transaction size on the innovation performance of pharmaceutical companies has yet to be studied.Focusing on the two hot spots: M&A and innovation, in the context of China's economic transformation and upgrading, this dissertation explores the impact of M&A on innovation based on the current situation analysis and theoretical analysis, and deeply studies and reveals the mechanism and effect of M&A transaction size on company innovation. 281 M&A data of 58 listed companies in China's healthcare industry from 2008 to 2017 was collected and regression analysis was performed to examine the impact of M&A transaction size on the innovation level of companies in terms of two aspects: the number of patent applications and the number of patents granted, and on three levels: invention patents, utility model patents and design patents. The results of the research show that: M&A transaction size promotes the growth of the number of patent applications and patents granted and has a significant positive effect on enterprise innovation; and M&A transaction size has contributed to the increase of the number of utility model patent applications and patents granted. In general, the innovation performance of M&A transaction size in utility model patents is better than that in invention patents with higher technological elements. Further mechanism examination results show that the innovation performance of a company after a bigger M&A transaction is influenced by its absorptive capacity: the stronger its absorptive capacity, the more opportunities it has to absorb and transform the technologies and knowledge of an acquired enterprise into its own. Through learning and imitation, it realizes the transformation and innovation of the technologies obtained through M&A, ultimately enhancing its innovation capability. / Business Administration/Finance

Virtual teams are being increasingly utilized in industry given their ability to bring together diverse knowledge and experience from individuals who are not geographically proximal. Having a diversity of knowledge within virtual teams is noted to benefit innovation outcomes; however, leveraging the benefits of diversity (both deep-level and functional level) is likely to require a capability to facilitate collaboration among team members. This dissertation examines collaboration capability and absorptive capacity at the virtual team level by evaluating the inter-relationships among the dimensions and their influence on team innovation. This research also tests the impact of team diversity on team innovation with an additional focus on understanding the moderating impact of collaboration capability and the mediating impact of absorptive capacity. Two dimensions of team diversity are examined. The first dimension, deep-level diversity, involves the individual characteristics, values, attitudes and preferences. The second dimension, functional-level diversity, which entails the diversity in functional and expertise backgrounds. Survey data was collected from 166 virtual team members and the validation process revealed satisfactory psychometric properties at the items and the constructs level. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to determine the factor structure of the hypothesized models, as well as its reliability and validity.

[pt] Este estudo analisou a influência exercida pela liderança compartilhada na inovação, investigando como a criatividade e o Team-Member-Exchange (TMX) explicariam esta conexão, e avaliando os efeitos da liderança compartilhada na capacidade absortiva e na eficácia das equipes. Pesquisas internacionais indicam que a liderança compartilhada permite às organizações superarem a complexidade de seus processos produtivos e construírem uma consistente e continua inovação, mas ainda são poucos os estudos realizados no Brasil. Desta forma, o presente estudo engloba uma análise no nível de grupo e tem como base uma amostra de 222 colaboradores e 19 líderes formais, permitindo investigar 76 grupos que atuam no segmento de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (P&D) de uma organização brasileira do ramo de energia. Os resultados sugerem uma influencia positiva da liderança compartilhada na capacidade absortiva e na eficácia global das equipes e confirmam os efeitos mediadores da criatividade, sugerindo que a mesma parece ser uma via relevante pela qual a liderança compartilhada promove a inovação dentro da organização. / [en] This study has analyzed the influence of shared leadership in innovation, investigating how creativity and Team-Member-Exchange (TMX) explain this connection and evaluating the effects of shared leadership on absorptive capacity and effectiveness of the teams. International research indicates that shared leadership enables organizations to overcome the complexity of its production processes and build a consistent and continuous innovation, but there are few studies in Brazil. Thus, the present study includes a descriptive analysis at the group level and is based on a sample of 222 employees and 19 formal leaders, allowing the investigation of 76 groups working in the Research and Development (R&D) of an energy Brazilian organization. The results suggests a positive influence of shared leadership in absorptive capacity and overall effectiveness of teams and confirm the mediating effects of creativity, suggesting that it appear to be a relevant route where shared leadership further innovation within the organization.

No description available.

In today’s fast-changing business climate, the priority on digital transformation demands organizations to develop innovation competencies to survive (Nambisan et al., 2017). To gain knowledge and know-how and stay innovative, organizations could work together with an Innovation Lab (IL) to remain competitive. To reach the best outcome from an IL, the dynamic between lab environment, resources, participants, and facilitation must be considered. Since SMEs typically have fewer resources, having an in-house IL is impossible. In addition, they require the guidance of experts to cope with the challenges of the digital era, to uncover solutions and continuous advancements, as innovation is critical for established companies to stay relevant in the phase of disruption and change (Berglund, 2007). This study aims to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon of ILs in the context of SMEs. More precisely, we are scrutinizing the integration of acquired knowledge, inventions, competencies, and innovations to see what both ILs and SMEs could do to achieve a better outcome. This study aims to originate valuable insights on integration patterns and key issues SMEs face during the IL, to fill literature gaps and build on existing theories of ILs (Fecher et al., 2020) and absorptive capacity (Zahra &amp; George, 2002). Our goal is to contribute with managerial implications for SMEs who wish to participate in ILs and achieve a favorable outcome. Additionally, to give IL facilitators suggestions on making the process more suitable for SMEs. Our research aimed to answer the question of how SMEs integrate competencies and inventions developed during their IL participation in ILs. We established a multiple case study (Eisenhardt, 1989) to investigate the phenomenon. Together with existing literature and qualitative data, we set a model on: ‘SMEs’ Absorptive Capacity in the Context of Innovation Labs’. Our model describes how ACAP is present in the three lab phases and its effect on integrating competencies and inventions. First, our results show the relevance of preparation and participants in the pre- lab phase. Second, PACAP, including acquisition and assimilation, correlated with resources and the IL process in the lab phase. Third, in the post-lab phase or integration phase, RACAP with the capabilities of transformation and exploitation were significant for the business practice, IL process, IC, and resources. Concluding, each of the phases and SMEs’ capabilities during the IL process affects the integration and commercialization of the outcome.

Problem Mergers and acquisitions are a common way for organisations to extend their operations. By merging two or more organisations into one, the newly formed constellation can access new markets and increase the market presence or control of the supply chain. Previous research has demonstrated that mergers and acquisitions generally need to improve in creating added value. There appears to be a gap in existing research regarding the extent managers utilise and execute knowledge integration. The relationship between operational managers and organisational members is yet to be explored in the context of M&amp;As, which has derived the problem statement of this thesis.   Purpose This thesis aims to gain insights into how organisational members and operational managers contribute to knowledge integration. The thesis also aims to reveal what essential aspects influence the outcome of mergers and acquisitions processes, partially with consideration to organisational members and operational managers, but also to other variables that are of significance during mergers and acquisitions.   Methodology The thesis is conducted through the qualitative research method. The thesis is mainly based on semi-structured interviews with professionals with broad experience in mergers and acquisitions processes and their integration phases. Aside from the interviews, data from secondary cases on mergers and acquisitions have been condensed to view additional perspectives and complement the primary data.   Findings The thesis finds that operational managers are in control of the overhauling structure of mergers and acquisitions processes. Although, despite the control of the operational manager, they are to be considered an enabler, leaving the organisational member as the executer, which implies that one cannot operate without the other. It appears in the thesis that mergers and acquisitions are complex constructs and that there are numerous varying variables. Therefore, one of the thesis’ main findings highlights the importance of understanding the interrelationship between operational management and organisational members, especially in the context of mergers and acquisitions.