Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
8-23-2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
School of Strategic Leadership Studies
Advisor(s)
Adam J. Vanhove
Abstract
There is both theoretical and empirical support for the idea that firm-specific knowledge (FSK) has a greater effect on sustained competitive advantage than general knowledge (GK). However, empirical support suffers from several practical and methodological challenges which suggest that the relationships between FSK, GK, and firm performance are even more nuanced than previously considered. Multilevel modeling techniques (polynomial regression and latent growth modeling) were implemented to test these effects on both short- and long-term performance among MLB teams between 2015-2019. Although the results of the hypothesis tests and post-hoc analyses were largely non-significant, they do provide some information that furthers the research on the resource-based view of the firm (RBV). More specifically, they suggest that both an FSK- and GK-focused approach may create short-term performance advantages for firms, and that firms experiencing the “low/low” condition – low GK and low FSK – may experience consistently low performance as a result. A future research agenda associated with these topics is proposed.
Recommended Citation
Lindberg, Adam E., "An exploration of knowledge type and firm performance: A study in the MLB" (2021). Dissertations, 2020-current. 93.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/diss202029/93
