INTRA-FIRM AND INTER-FIRM KNOWLEDGE TRANSFERS AND PRODUCTIVITY IN RETAILING

Dolores Añon Higon (Aston)Jeremy Clegg (Leeds)Irena Grugulis (Bradford)Allan Williams (Exeter)Cecelia Lam, Ödül Boszkurt, +

AIM

To investigate how, and to what extent, inter and intra-firm knowledge transfer contribute to productivity and productivity growth

differences in the retailing sector in the UK.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.      What factors influence the observed variation in productivity within the retailing sector, and how strong are the relationships?

2.      How does domestic versus foreign ownership mediate the relationships between knowledge transfer and productivity?

3.      How do different knowledge transfer channels

contribute to these relationships?

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

PRODUCTIVITY IN RETAILING

Real time quality control

Quality measurement

Localised competition and prices

Regulation

Diversity

CF contd.

RETAILING AND KNOWLEDGE

Employment, skills and job design

Customer management

Inter-intra transfers: transaction costs

CF Contd.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Ownership advantages; MNEs v national

Explicit versus tacit

Channels(Clusters, communities, mobility, internal controls)

METHODOLOGY

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY

MULTI METHOD

Secondary data

Firm level questionnaires

Case studies

METHODOLOGY contd

SECONDARY DATA: NATIONAL

ARD(ownership, location + kt proxy variables)

Links to AFDI, BERDFAME

(Productivity, individual enterprises)

MV analysis

METHODOLOGY contd

FIRM LEVEL SURVEY

Sub sector: food

Questionnaire survey(Level, postal?, response rate)

Focus: ownership, kt channels

Analysis: MV, BV + secondary

METHODOLOGY contd

FIRM LEVEL INTERVIEWS

Desirable

but not in original research proposal !!

METHODOLOGY contd

4 CASE STUDIES

Ownership versus productivity

Participant obsv. + multi-level interviews

Meaning, management, contested

Analysis: qualitative

Theoretical Underpinning

Ownership (MNE, non-MNE)Basis of competition (cost/quality)

Processes of transferring knowledge and skills

Appropriateness of processes

Questionnaire Survey

Link between other two parts of project, partic for ownership data

Discussions with team one (combine?)Delay start, telephone interviewsChange to smaller number of head office

interviews

Supply chainsRegulation

Key issues that will be covered but in brief (constraints of research)

Multiple measures of performance and productivity

FAMEBranch level data (case studies)Intended and unintended consequences

(case studies)

The next six months

Cecilia Lam (Aston), literature review, begin econometric study

Odul Boskurt (Bradford/Leeds), literature review, negotiate access, initial interviews and observations

Exeter researcher – now or delay?

The next six months (cont.)

Meetings between team members and key contacts

Team meeting (January)Meeting with Sheffield team (before

Christmas?)