Marjorie A. Lyles

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International Strategies of Mid-Sized Firms: A Comparison of Indiana vs. Guangdong Province

Dr. Lyles’ project examines the international strategies of mid-sized Indiana-based firms, their interest in China, the barriers and challenges they face in expanding into China, and what types of assistance they most need from the university community, the chambers of commerce, and from the government. This project has agreements with the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Urban Institute, the Confucius Institute of IUPUI and the Kelley Center for International Business Education and Research. Professor Lyles’ team will compare the results of the Indiana survey with the results of an equivalent survey being done in the Guangdong Province through IUPUI’s partnership with Sun Yat-Sen University.

This line of research has not typically addressed mid-sized firms, their motivations, and the antecedents for improving firm performance. This study will make theoretical contributions to the academic literature on Foreign Direct Investment decisions and contribute to Indiana’s international economic development plans. Based on Dr. Lyles’ findings, she will work with partners that specialize in trade to help Indiana businesses grow and explore opportunities in China. In addition, the survey will allow exploration of academic theoretical questions about outward foreign direct investment decisions by emerging market firms.

Dr. Lyles’ research and partnership with the Indiana business community in exploring increased opportunities in foreign markets is another example of how IUPUI's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.

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Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Effects of absorptive capacity, trust and information systems on product innovation
    (Emerald, 2018) Zhang, Min; Zhao, Xiande; Lyles, Marjorie A.; Kelley School of Business - Indianapolis
    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the mechanisms through which absorptive capacity (AC), trust and information systems jointly influence product innovation. Design/methodology/approach This study proposes a research model to examine the mediating role of AC on the impacts of trust and information systems on product innovation and the moderating roles of trust and information systems on the relationship between AC and product innovation. The hypotheses are empirically tested using regression and bootstrapping methods and data collected from 276 manufacturing firms in China. Findings This study finds that trust and information systems positively affect product innovation and the effects are fully mediated by AC. AC also significantly enhances product innovation, and the effect is amplified by trust as well as information systems. In addition, the results show that trust and information systems improve AC both individually and interactively. Originality/value The findings extend existing knowledge on the antecedents of AC and the contingent conditions under which a manufacturer’s AC is more effective than that of its rivals. The results also clarify the mechanisms through which trust and information systems improve product innovation. This study provides insights into the complex relationships among a manufacturer’s sociotechnical systems, knowledge management processes and new product development, and reveals how to design organisational systems to fully capitalise the value of AC on product innovation.
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    All Supply Chains Don't Flow Through: Understanding Supply Chain Issues in Product Recalls
    (2008) Lyles, Marjorie A.; Flynn, Barbara B.; Frohlich, Mark T.
    Our paper conceptualizes and highlights the role of the supply chains in China’s product recall problems. We raise questions about the interrelationships of the focal manufacturer and the supplier firms and the consequences of these relationships. We address some of the causes of the current situation, including a discussion of deep supply chains, the importance of relationships, the role of trust and the impact of cultural misunderstandings. We suggest many future research questions to further understand how the supply chain can cause or deter product recalls.
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    Tapping the power of local knowledge: A local-global interactive perspective
    (Elsevier, 2016-06) Li, Shenxue; Easterby-Smith, Mark; Lyles, Marjorie A.; Clark, Timothy; Kelley School of Business
    Existing theories of international business and strategy do not fully explain how local knowledge disadvantage faced by foreign investors can be mitigated. We conducted an in-depth qualitative study into four MNCs to investigate the micro-processes of how they generated value from their dispersed sources of local knowledge in China. The results suggest an interactive model: that MNCs employed management processes encompassing three strategically interconnected efforts—global knowledge penetration, local-global knowledge blending, and local-global knowledge integration. The model highlights the interplay between global and local knowledge and challenges extant research that solely focuses on the transfer of either home-based or local knowledge.
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    Absorptive capacity and mass customization capability
    (Emerald, 2015) Zhang, Min; Zhao, Xiande; Lyles, Marjorie A.; Guo, Hangfei; School of Business
    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of a manufacturer’s absorptive capacity (AC) on its mass customization capability (MCC). Design/methodology/approach – The authors conceptualize AC within the supply chain context as four processes: knowledge acquisition from customers, knowledge acquisition from suppliers, knowledge assimilation, and knowledge application. The authors then propose and empirically test a model on the relationships among AC processes and MCC using structural equation modeling and data collected from 276 manufacturing firms in China. Findings – The results show that AC significantly improves MCC. In particular, knowledge sourced from customers and suppliers enhances MCC in three ways: directly, indirectly through knowledge application, and indirectly through knowledge assimilation and application. The study also finds that knowledge acquisition significantly enhances knowledge assimilation and knowledge application, and that knowledge assimilation leads to knowledge application. Originality/value – This study provides empirical evidence of the effects of AC processes on MCC. It also indicates the relationships among AC processes. Moreover, it reveals the mechanisms through which knowledge sourced from customers and suppliers contributes to MCC development, and demonstrates the importance of internal knowledge management practices in exploiting knowledge from supply chain partners. Furthermore, it provides guidelines for executives to decide how to manage supply chain knowledge and devote their efforts and resources in absorbing new knowledge for MCC development.
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    The Mutual Impact of Global Strategy and Organizational Learning: Current Themes and Future Directions
    (Wiley, 2015-05) Hotho, Jasper; Easterby-Smith, Mark; Lyles, Marjorie A.; School of Business
    Despite the interest in issues of knowing and learning in the global strategy field, there has been limited mutual engagement and interaction between the fields of global strategy and organizational learning. The purpose of our article is to reflect on and articulate how the mutual exchange of ideas between these fields can be encouraged. To this end, we first conduct a review of the intersection of the fields of global strategy and organizational learning. We then present two recommendations regarding how the interaction between the two fields can be enhanced. Our first recommendation is for global strategy research to adopt a broader notion of organizational learning. Our second recommendation is for global strategy research to capitalize on its attention to context in order to inform and enhance organizational learning theory. We discuss the use of context in a number of common research designs and highlight how the scope for theoretical contributions back to organizational learning varies with the research design that is adopted.