Knowledge exchange, supply chain cooperations and the cross-network effects

Abstract

This thesis explores the roles of, and the relationships between knowledge exchange and supply chain cooperation through the theoretical lens of social network theory. It aims to explore the possible theoretical scenarios of the relationship dynamics between knowledge exchange and supply chain cooperation in varying empirical settings, and to answer how should firms manage their participation in different networks. The systematic literature review shows that prior studies have already tapped on this topic, while their theorizations are biased by incomplete assumptions and limited research scope, leading to diverse and mixed findings. Starting by theorizing four possible theoretical scenarios of the relationships between knowledge exchange and supply chain cooperation, based on social network theory, this thesis examines each scenario individually in different empirical settings. This thesis conducts three empirical studies based on the data about Chinese listed firms. It first explores the role of knowledge network embeddedness in shaping the firm’s knowledge exchange activities, and then extends such investigation to a cross-network setting. In the cross-network setting, it not only examines the impacts of knowledge network embeddedness on the firm’s supply chain learning, but also investigate how the firm’s supply chain transparency facilitates the firm’s knowledge network efficiency. The empirical results suggest that the impacts of the knowledge network embeddedness’s double-sided nature are not confined in the knowledge network, but that it could shed cross-network effects on the firm’s supply chain learning. In the knowledge network, the effects of knowledge network embeddedness on firm’s knowledge exchange are contingent upon the multidimensional proximity between the firms; and the cross-network effects of knowledge network embeddedness on supply chain learning is moderated by supply chain network cohesion. Further, such cross-network effect is not unilateral, as the firm’s strategy of improving its supply chain transparency could also improve the firm’s knowledge network efficiency. Such cross-network effect is also moderated by marketization level of the macroeconomic environment. Overall, this thesis contributes to the literature concerning knowledge exchange and supply chain cooperation by exploring the relationship between them, and sheds new light on the social network theory by offering insights to the network pluralism perspective literature.