Inovação em subsidiárias de empresas multinacionais e a influência da matriz – um estudo de casos múltiplos

Abstract

Objective of study: this study aimed at analyzing questions such as how the parent companysubsidiary relationship as well as the parent company’s actions can influence the development of innovation within the multinational company’s subsidiary; Methodology: a multi-case study was developed, having as case units four Brazilian companies from different industrial sectors that were acquired in the past ten years by multinational companies, becoming subsidiaries; Originality/relevance: this study contributes to fill the gap found in literature related, on the one hand, to the challenges faced by multinational subsidiaries regarding their ability to innovate, and, on the other hand, to the need to understand more about the actions and mechanisms through which the parent company can develop, promote and expand innovations developed by the subsidiary; Main results: results showed that the acquisition processes that incorporated the Brazilian companies in the networks of the multinationals resulted in benefits for both sides, especially for the subsidiaries that, after the merger processes, had different types of innovation triggered. Theoretical/methodological contribution: the contribution of this study is related to both, the elaboration of a theoretical framework that united the literatures of international business, knowledge transfer and innovation management, as well as the development of a multi-case study that analyzed four distinct cases from different industry sectors to enable the analysis of the factors that influence innovation in the subsidiary.