The transfer of knowledge within MNEs: a case study applied to subsidiaries operating overseas

Business opportunities in Southern Africa have created an increasing interest on the part of foreign investors in markets like, for instance, the Mozambican market. This fact justifies getting a better understanding of the phenomenon of knowledge transfer to the Mozambican subsidiaries. We have studied three successful cases of companies with activities in the industrial sector. The information we have obtained indicates that the efficient transfer of knowledge from the MNE headquarters is the result of: 1) the assimilation of knowledge; 2) the scope of the transferred knowledge; 3) the improvement of performance on the part of the subsidiary, where the intervention of the expatriates who know the African reality is of fundamental importance for overcoming the difficulties that are felt locally, by means of the creation of an atmosphere of trust that motivates the individuals to acquire, assimilate and exploit the new knowledge on the local market.