Innovation growth from knowledge transfer in international strategic alliances

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a literature review on knowledge transfer and international strategic alliances to propose a research framework based on the theory of dynamic capabilities. A qualitative and quantitative review has been conducted to find out the past research patterns, emerging trends, and research gaps. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative review of more than 300 articles identified by keyword search, reference, and citation search has resulted in 130 most relevant articles. Citation analysis is performed on these studies, their journals, and authors by leveraging the international platforms of SCImago Journal Ranking, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. Findings The study enlists the highly cited studies, their journals, and authors with possible explanations for being highly cited. Criticisms of dynamic capabilities theory have been explained, and a research framework for the application of this theory in the context of international strategic alliances to fill the research gap has been proposed. Originality/value Currently, various bibliometric studies are growing in number. This study is not only a review study, but also proposes a research framework to fill the identified research gap.