Platform Firm’s IT Capabilities, External Informal Knowledge Governance, and Green Knowledge Integration in Low-Carbon Economy

Abstract

Platform ecosystem provides internal firms with an abundant source of green technology knowledge for sustainable development. In a low-carbon economy, green technology could be accumulated via platform, thus utilized to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction. From firm’s social capital perspective, this study explores the effects of platform firm’s IT capabilities and external informal knowledge governance on green knowledge integration. A theoretical model is constructed about their direct and interactive effects. Based on 372 samples of platform firms, the empirical test results show that IT capabilities have a significant positive impact on collaborative and sysematic green knowledge integration; external informal knowledge governance has a significant positive impact on socialized and collaborative green knowledge integration; and their interactive effects pose significant positive impact on socialized, collaborative, and systematic green knowledge integration.