MNC Knowledge transfer, global integration, and local responsiveness in Brazilian subsidiaries

Abstract

This paper is based on a sample of 104 subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in Brazil. It investigates the mechanisms of knowledge transfer in marketing and their relationship to the strategic positioning of the subsidiaries (i.e. global integration and local responsiveness). A positive correlation between the level of global integration and the intensity of knowledge transfer was statistically confirmed and the main mechanisms of knowledge transfer were also revealed. Some widely accepted theories about knowledge transfer in MNCs were empirically confirmed. Finally, this study provided the opportunity to develop several specific insights about knowledge transfer in marketing in the Brazilian context.

Keywords

• knowledge transfer
• global integration
• brazilian subsidiaries.