Organizational Learning In The Internationalization Process Of Chinese Manufacturing Enterprises

It is vital for a manufacturing enterprise to improve its organizational learning effect in order to implement the internationalization strategy successfully. This dissertation classifies outward internationalization process of a manufacturing enterprise into three stages:initial stage, growing stage, mature stage, and defines them respectively. The former two stages can also be called internationalization primary stage.Knowledge is a special kind of resources, and capacity is a combination of resources with knowledge as the core. Enterprises' competitive advantage comes from their unique knowledge characterized by its invisibility and scarcity. The relevant knowledge gained by enterprises in the internationalization process can be divided into two basic types:market-specific knowledge and general knowledge of internationalization. Competitive advantage is not only the inducement of internationalization of the manufacturing enterprises, but also the result of their internationalization.This dissertation recommends that manufacturing enterprises which are in internationalization primary stage choose gradual internationalization process based on the stock of knowledge and propelled by organizational learning. On the one hand, these manufacturers lack relevant knowledge and organizational learning capability, but they can strengthen their organizational learning effect through the path of gradual arrangements; On the other hand, various risk prediction and control ability in the process of internationalization will gradually be improved with the accumulation of internationalization practices and knowledge. The gradual internationalization process of manufacturing enterprises is embodied in three aspects:the gradual entry modes into overseas markets, the gradual geographical scope of internationalization, and the gradual diversification of products in overseas markets.Organizational learning is an accelerator in the internationalization process of manufacturing enterprises. Manufacturing enterprises will choose a less gradual internationalization process in the mature stage, which reflects the incremental stock of knowledge and enhancement of selection ability. The transnational manufacturing enterprises maybe directly choose a more resource commitment entry mode into a new foreign market. The internationalization practices of some typical manufacturing enterprises in household electrical appliance industry, such as Haier Corporation and Panasonic Corporation, reflect gradual process of internationalization and its weakening.The transnational manufacturing enterprises should choose the internal knowledge transfer rather than other means. The overseas subsidiaries of a transnational manufacturing enterprise should change their role from passive enforcer of the strategy to active participant, from recipient of knowledge and technology of parent company to contributor of knowledge and capabilities. The transnational manufacturing enterprises should foster corporate culture contributing to organizational learning and knowledge-sharing.The enterpriser who shows high international entrepreneurship can make good use of the hidden opportunities in the international market and take timely commercial actions. Internationalization knowledge of the senior management team is a prerequisite for international new ventures (INVs), the international network is a development platform for INVs, and international entrepreneurship is a roll booster for INVs. These three aspects jointly promote the emergence of INVs; which also verify from another angle that "organizational learning is an accelerator in the internationalization process of manufacturing enterprises". The organizational structure of learning-style manufacturing enterprises should possess five functional and four morphological characteristics. Network organizational structure of transnational manufacturing enterprises consists of internal integration networks and transnational external networks, which comes into being with increasingly complex transnational business environment and more difficulties in internal and external communication in the enterprises.Technology sourcing FDI is an important and effective organizational learning approach. Manufacturing enterprises implement TSFDI in developed countries or regions, get access to industry cluster, and gain advanced knowledge and technology from host country through imitation effect, linkage effect, employee mobility effect and platform effect. Based on the four paths of spillover, this dissertation theoretically analyzes the 14 factors influencing the reverse technology spillover effects.This dissertation develops a specific questionnaire using 7-scale Likert Scale to explore dominant influencing factors of reverse technology spillovers to Chinese manufacturing enterprises. Based on stepwise regression analysis of sample data with statistical software SPSS 16.0, this dissertation concludes that there were five significant influencing factors of reverse technology spillovers to Chinese manufacturing enterprises; they were the imitation capability, the absorptive capability, appropriate technology gap, the embedded capability into the industry chain and the industrial clustering level of host country.