The Evaluation on the Three Critical Models of Absorptive Capacity: A Case Study on Logistics Company in Korea

Abstract

Knowledge transfer is regarded as a critical element for successful business. Cohen and Levinthal initially proposed the concept of absorptive capacity in 1989. Absorptive capacity is the ability to transfer and exploit external knowledge and it has become one of the most critical theories for two decades. The main purpose of the study is to identify the most appropriate model of absorptive capacity via statistical analyses. The three major models of absorptive capacity will be examined through the three core reconceptualization papers performed by Cohen and Levinthal (1990), Zahra and George (2002), and Todorova and Durisin (2007) in order to highlight a need for greater clarity about the construct of absorptive capacity. As a result, model3 proposed by Todorova and Durisin (2007) was the most reasonable in this study.