Technology Transfer from Nordic Capital Parenting Companies to Lithuanian and Estonian Subsidiaries or Joint Capital Companies: The Analysis of the Obtained Primary Data

Abstract

Scientific literature describes various factors that influence knowledge transfer and successful adoption, assimilation, transformation, and exploitation. These four components are mostly related to the absorptive capacity of the company. However, more factors influence both developments of innovations or patents and the lack of ability to use external and internal information (knowledge). Using external knowledge is often associated with previous experience, or even a point of view towards investment in innovation or developing patents. Thus, the companies might be divided into innovators and imitators. The research addresses several problems (questions). What external factors are influencing knowledge transfer and further development of innovation? What factors are influencing absorptive capacity? What factors are essential in cooperation and knowledge transfer to switch from a linear to a circular economy? To collect data, a computer-assisted telephone interviewing method was used. The survey was addressed to subsidiaries, joint companies, Lithuanian-Nordic, Estonian-Nordic capital companies, or companies in close collaboration with the Nordic countries. A total of 158 companies from Estonia and Lithuania agreed to answer all the questions. The survey involves companies of various sizes and ages from different business sectors. Reliability was denoted, as Cronbach’s Alpha was estimated. The KMO test was used to measure whether the data were suitable for principal component analysis. Additionally, PCA was performed. PCA reduced the number of variables into an extracted number of components. The separate row of the component defined a linear composite of the component score that would be the expected value of the associated variable. The dataset may be used to develop interlinkages among the research mentioned above questions, and the results of introducing innovation, the company’s size, and age might be used as control variables. The article aims to analyze the factors that determine innovation development and their interlinkages while technology is transferred from Nordic parenting companies to the subsidiaries. The article’s results contribute to the interdisciplinary knowledge transfer, innovations, and internationalization field.

Keywords

• knowledge transfer
• innovations
• absorptive capacity
• Nordic countries
• Baltic countries
• CATI