Send it Back Home : Unraveling the Dynamics of Reverse Knowledge Transfer in Emerging Market Multinational Corporations (Mncs)

This study investigates reverse knowledge transfer within 197 Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs), emphasizing the role of structural and relational embeddedness alongside industry knowledge intensity and MNC ownership. Findings reveal relational embeddedness directly enhances reverse knowledge transfer, whereas structural embeddedness impacts only in high-knowledge-intensive industries and is irrelevant for privately owned MNCs (POM). We apply fsQCA in combination with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), which enables us to better evaluate complex interrelationships in our hypotheses. The study offers novel insights into institutional and social network theories, while underscoring the importance of relational embeddedness for practitioners and policymakers