Title: Gaining relational competitive advantages: a conceptual framework on rent generation and appropriation

Authors: Yimei Hu; Si Zhang; Jizhen Li; Olav Jull Sørensen

Addresses: Department of Business and Management, Aalborg University, Fibigerstræde 10, Aalborg East 9220, Denmark ' Management School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 80, Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing 100190, China ' Research Center for Technological Innovation, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China ' Department of Business and Management, Aalborg University, Fibigerstræde 10, Aalborg East 9220, Denmark

Abstract: Establishing Strategic Technological Partnerships (STPs) with foreign partners is an increasingly studied topic within the innovation management literature. Partnering firms can jointly create sources of relational competitive advantage. Chinese firms often lack Research and Development (R&D) capabilities but are increasingly becoming preferred technological partners for transnational corporations. We investigate an STP between a Scandinavian and a Chinese firm and try to explore how to gain relational competitive advantage by focusing on its two essential stages: relational rent generation and appropriation. Based on an exploratory case study, we develop a conceptual framework that consists of process, organisational alliance factors and coordination modes that we propose lead to relational competitive advantage.

Keywords: relational competitive advantage; strategic technological partnerships; international management; strategic alliances; relational rent generation; relational rent appropriation; innovation management; China; coordination modes.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2015.071524

European Journal of International Management, 2015 Vol.9 No.5, pp.566 - 592

Received: 11 May 2013
Accepted: 08 Apr 2014

Published online: 31 Aug 2015 *

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