Subsidiaries and knowledge creation: the influence of the MNC and host country on innovation
研究跨国公司的子公司如何受内部网络和东道国环境影响进行技术创新，发现跨国公司技术丰富度、子公司与东道国企业的知识联系以及东道国技术多样性对创新有正向作用。
Abstract This paper studies the influence of external knowledge on innovation in subsidiaries of multinational firms. The focus on subsidiaries is especially interesting since they are simultaneously embedded in two knowledge contexts: (a) the internal multinational corporation (MNC) comprised of the headquarters and other subsidiaries; and (b) an external environment of regional or host country firms. We develop hypotheses to suggest that the extent of influences of these contexts on subsidiary technological innovation depends on the characteristics of the knowledge network (technological richness and diversity) and the knowledge linkages of the subsidiary with other entities. The study uses patent citation data pertaining to innovations by foreign subsidiaries of U.S. semiconductor firms to test these hypotheses. The paper finds that (a) the technological richness of the MNC, (b) the subsidiary's knowledge linkages to host country firms, and (c) the technological diversity within the host country have a positive impact on innovation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.