• International Area Studies Review
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.99-121
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• 2018

This study investigated the factors influencing the knowledge acquisition of Thai local partners from advanced foreign partners through international joint ventures(IJVs). For this purpose, this study initially identified three dimensions of characteristics in the context of IJVs that would influence local partners' knowledge acquisition - a local partners' own characteristic (absorptive capacity), a relationship characteristic with IJVs (proximity to the equal equity ownership), and a relationship characteristic with foreign partners (trust), and examined their effects on local partners' knowledge acquisition. The study further investigated the moderating effects of the tacitness of knowledge on the relationships between those characteristics and knowledge acquisition. Based on the data collected from Thai IJV local partners, results revealed that a local partners' own characteristic, absorptive capacity, and a relationship characteristic with IJVs, proximity to the equal equity ownership, had a strong positive effect on local partners' knowledge acquisition. Results further showed that the tacitness of knowledge strengthened the relationships between absorptive capacity and knowledge acquisition and between trust and knowledge acquisition, but not the relationship between proximity to the equal equity ownership and knowledge acquisition.