Qualitative Study on Dimensions of 'Centre of Excellence' of Foreign Subsidiaries: A Content Analysis of Scientific Literature by Nvivo (Étude Qualitative Sur les Dimensions du Concept de Centre de L’Excellence de la Filiale a L’Étranger: Une Analyse du Contenu de la Littérature Scientifique par Nvivo) (French)

Abstract

By using a qualitative research approach and based on content analysis of scientific articles which consider “foreign subsidiary” as “Centre of Excellence” by multinational companies in the USA, Canada and Europe, this paper tries to explore “Centre of Excellence” concept by trying to identify the main dimensions which define it by using different data analysis methods which were used for research on this topic. At first stage, systematic literature review will highlight the definition of the “Centre of Excellence” of the foreign subsidiary, taking into consideration the dimensions which were studied on this topic in the academic articles published between 1995-2010. This stage will take the researchers to choose, based on pre-established criterias, sample of 98 articles. These articles are then used for codification by Nvivo software for qualitative research. A step of triangulation will follow and will have the results as principal categories which define the “Centre of Excellence” at subsidiary level. The last section will deal with results and conclusions along with the research limits and future possibilities.

Note: Downloadable document is in French.

Keywords: Foreign Subsidiary, Center of Excellence, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Transfer, Multinational Corporations