Skip to main content

Knowledge Drivers of Japanese Foreign Direct Investment Location

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Knowledge Management in Organizations (KMO 2019)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1027))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 2355 Accesses

Abstract

With rising globalization, several countries have been expanding outside their borders through not only trade, but also foreign direct investment. In doing so, they establish subsidiaries in little-known distant countries where they must overcome knowledge gaps to be successful.

This research examines some knowledge-related factors that affect the state location choices of Japanese investors when they established affiliates in the United States between 2003 and 2017. The results, constructed from an original database, showed that Japanese foreign direct investment favor states that are closer to Japan and with more direct flight access, which have higher industry concentration, and in which more Japanese firms are already located. These findings suggest that beyond economic considerations, Japanese firms select locations considered to be superior sources of knowledge, knowledge spillovers, and learning for foreign direct investment.

These results are specific to Japanese investments in the United States over the past 15 years which tend to be concentrated in manufacturing and IT industries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anderson, E., Gatignon, H.: Modes of foreign entry: a transaction cost analysis and propositions. J. Int. Bus. Stud. 17(3), 1–26 (1986)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barney, J.: Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. J. Manag. 17(1), 99–120 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  • BEA: Foreign Direct Investment in the US: Balance of Payments and Direct Investment Position Data. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2017). http://www.bea.gov/international/di1fdibal.htm

  • Brouthers, K.D., Hennart, J.F.: Boundaries of the firm: insights from international entry mode research. J. Manag. 33(3), 395–425 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt, R.S.: The contingent value of social capital. Adm. Sci. Q. 42(2), 339–365 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chung, W., Alcácer, J.: Knowledge seeking and location choice of foreign direct investment in the United States. Manage. Sci. 48(12), 1534–1554 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cortez, M.: Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: Update to 2017 Report, ESA Issue Brief #06-17, Office of The Chief Economist, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 3 October 2017. http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/FDIUS2017update.pdf

  • Díez-Vial, I., Montoro-Sánchez, Á.: Social capital as a driver of local knowledge exchange: a social network analysis. Knowl. Manage. Res. Pract. 12(3), 276–288 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunning, J.H.: The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic and business theories of MNE activity. Int. Bus. Rev. 9(2), 163–190 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erramilli, M.K., Rao, C.P.: Choice of foreign market entry modes by service firms: role of market knowledge. MIR Manag. Int. Rev. 30(2), 135–150 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hennart, J.F.: A transaction costs theory of equity joint ventures. Strateg. Manag. J. 9(4), 361–374 (1988)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Hennart, J.F.: Can the “new forms of investment” substitute for the “old forms?” A transaction costs perspective. J. Int. Bus. Stud. 20(2), 211–234 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennart, J.F.: The transaction cost theory of the multinational enterprise. In: Pitelis, C., Sugden, R. (eds.) The Nature of the Transnational Firm, 2nd edn, pp. 81–116. Routledge, London (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, E.: Finding a home away from home: effects of immigrants on firms’ foreign location choice and performance. Adm. Sci. Q. 59(1), 73–108 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jean, R.J.B., Tan, D., Sinkovics, R.R.: Ethnic ties, location choice, and firm performance in foreign direct investment: a study of Taiwanese business groups FDI in China. Int. Bus. Rev. 20(6), 627–635 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • JETRO: 1996–2017 FDI stock (Based on International Investment Position, net), Japanese Trade and Investment Statistics. JETRO (2018). https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/reports/statistics.html

  • Johanson, J., Vahlne, J.E.: The internationalization process of the firm—a model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitments. J. Int. Bus. Stud. 8(1), 23–32 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogut, B., Zander, U.: Knowledge of the firm and the evolutionary theory of the multinational corporation. J. Int. Bus. Stud. 24(4), 625–645 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krichene, H., Arata, Y., Chakraborty, A., Fujiwara, Y., Inoue, H.: How Firms Choose their Partners in the Japanese Supplier-Customer Network? An Application of the Exponential Random Graph Model (No. 18011) (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  • López, G., Ruiz, N.G., Patten, E.: Key Facts about Asian Americans, a Diverse and Growing Population. Pew Research Center, Washington, DC (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  • Luo, X., Chung, C.N.: Keeping it all in the family: the role of particularistic relationships in business group performance during institutional transition. Adm. Sci. Q. 50(3), 404–439 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magnier-Watanabe, R., Lemaire, J.P.: Inbound foreign direct investment in Japan: a typology. Int. Bus. Rev. 27(2), 431–442 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massa, S., Testa, S.: A knowledge management approach to organizational competitive advantage: evidence from the food sector. Eur. Manag. J. 27(2), 129–141 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., Cook, J.M.: Birds of a feather: homophily in social networks. Ann. Rev. Sociol. 27(1), 415–444 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miyamoto, Y., Kuhlman, N.: Ameliorating culture shock in Japanese expatriate children in the US. Int. J. Intercultural Relat. 25(1), 21–40 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, R.T.: A loyal retainer? Japan, capitalism, and the perpetuation of American hegemony. Asia Pac. J. 41(3), 1–10 (2010). http://www.japanfocus.org/-R_Taggart-Murphy/3425

    Google Scholar 

  • Nahapiet, J., Ghoshal, S.: Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Acad. Manag. Rev. 23(2), 242–266 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nonaka, I., Takeuchi, H.: The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation. Oxford University Press, New York (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  • North, D.C.: Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1990)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Polanyi, M.: The Tacit Dimension. Peter Smith, Gloucester (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R.D.: The prosperous community. Am. Prospect 4(13), 35–42 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J., Fuller, T.: International business: past, present and futures. Futures 42(9), 901–909 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, J.: Social Network Analysis. Sage, London (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaver, J.M., Mitchell, W., Yeung, B.: The effect of own-firm and other-firm experience on foreign direct investment survival in the United States, 1987–92. Strateg. Manag. J. 18(10), 811–824 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • US Census Bureau: North American industry classification system (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X.H., Fang, Y., Qureshi, I., Janssen, O.: Understanding employee innovative behavior: integrating the social network and leader–member exchange perspectives. J. Organ. Behav. 36(3), 403–420 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O.E.: The Economic Institutions of Capitalism. Free Press, New York (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, M.M.: Internationalizing Japanese expatriate managers: organizational learning through international assignment. Manag. Learn. 32(2), 237–251 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank: Exports of Goods and Services (constant 2010 US$). The World Bank (2018). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.EXP.GNFS.KD?end=2016&locations=JP&start=1996

  • Zhou, L., Wu, W.P., Luo, X.: Internationalization and the performance of born-global SMEs: the mediating role of social networks. J. Int. Bus. Stud. 38(4), 673–690 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Remy Magnier-Watanabe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Magnier-Watanabe, R. (2019). Knowledge Drivers of Japanese Foreign Direct Investment Location. In: Uden, L., Ting, IH., Corchado, J. (eds) Knowledge Management in Organizations. KMO 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1027. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21451-7_17

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21451-7_17

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-21450-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-21451-7

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics