Abstract

The inter-firm technology transfers within collaborative joint ventures (JVs) have often involved close tradeoffs between the willingness of technology supplier to transfer a considerable amount of their technologies to technology recipient, degree of protection of the proprietary technology, knowledge and competencies as the source of the supplier’s competitive advantage, and motivation to transfer. While technology transfers through JVs, have been acknowledged by many studies as the most efficient formal mechanism in internalizing the partner’s technologies, knowledge and skills, the transfer process has frequently involved various facilitators, actors and complex relationship between partners which cause direct impact on degree of technology transfer. Based on the underlying knowledge-based view (KBV) and organizational learning (OL) perspectives, the main objective of this paper is to empirically examine the effects of two critical elements of technology supplier characteristics: partner protectiveness and transfer capacity on two dimensions of degree of technology transfer: degree of tacit and explicit knowledge. Using the quantitative analytical approach, the theoretical model and hypotheses in this study were tested based on empirical data gathered from 128 joint venture companies registered with the Registrar of Companies of Malaysia (ROC). Data obtained from the survey questionnaires were analyzed using the correlation coefficients and multiple linear regressions. The results revealed that partner protectiveness, as the critical element of technology recipient characteristics, had 1) a low significant effect on degree of tacit knowledge, and 2) no significant effect on degree of explicit knowledge. Nonetheless, transfer capacity showed strong significant effects on both degrees of tacit and explicit knowledge; where the effect on degree of explicit knowledge is slightly stronger than its effect on degree of tacit knowledge. The study has bridged the literature gaps in such that it offers empirical evidence on the effects of two generic technology supplier attributes: partner protectiveness and transfer capacity on degree of inter-firm technology transfer: degree of tacit and explicit knowledge in IJVs.

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