Title: Identifying knowledge transfer requirement in global organisational contexts

Authors: Lugkana Worasinchai; Farhad Daneshgar

Addresses: Bangkok University, Rama 4 Road, Klong-Toey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. ' Australian School of Business (ASB), The University of New South Wales, Kensington (UNSW), NSW, 2006, Australia; Bangkok University, Klong-Toey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Abstract: This article studies the inter-organisational (IO) knowledge transfer in global supply chains. A representative case was selected that consists of a number of laboratory analysis equipment dealer companies in Thailand and their customer companies in different industries in various parts of the world. Using the theories and frameworks in knowledge transfer in inter-organisational relationships, a survey questionnaire instrument was designed and data were collected from 73 employees of dealer companies and 87 employees of their customer companies (users of the laboratory equipment) scattered in different industries worldwide. Results indicate that the intra-organisation characteristics of the dealer companies which are expected to affect transfer of the necessary knowledge to the customers has no significant relationship with the nature of knowledge that is transferred or with the inter-organisation management. Moreover, there is no statistical significance in the intra-organisation relationships within the client companies perhaps because the majority of laboratory analysis equipment dealer companies import a great part of their products from overseas companies and they do not possess the technology themselves. Based on the findings, appropriate guidelines were provided for the enhancement of the effectiveness of the knowledge transfer process within the wide case study of this research.

Keywords: knowledge transfer; supply chain relationships; SCM; supply chain management; global business; intra-organisational dynamics; South East Asia; knowledge sharing; global supply chains; laboratory analysis equipment; laboratory equipment dealers; Thailand; customer companies; inter-organisational relationships; dealer companies; customers; intra-organisation characteristics; inter-organisation management; statistical significance; client companies; imported components; overseas companies; innovation; learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIL.2012.049349

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2012 Vol.12 No.4, pp.353 - 363

Published online: 28 Aug 2014 *

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