Page 77 - Crossing Cultural Boundaries - Cees den Teuling

Medium (16-100 employees) and Medium-sized (101-250 employees) organisations. In the Federal Law of 2007, two other SME criteria are set:
• The independence criterion (< 25% of ownership to an external party)
• An upper limit for the turnover (to be set by the Federal authorities, once in five
years) (Aidis, Korosteleva &Mickiewicz, 2008).
The average size of organisations is still small and the number of SME’s is limited in comparison with the average numbers of SME’s in the majority of the developed Western countries. Zhuplev and Shtykno (2009) indicated that the average of the owner/entrepreneurs is of younger age. There is also a greater share of female entrepreneurs. Most part of the entrepreneurs and/or SME operators are in need of training, consulting and supportive assistance with comparative conditions. Financing by banks and institutions is limited and the terms, in majority, are unfavourable (Zhuplev & Shtykhno, 2009). The knowledge-based-view of the organisation is based on paradigms, as knowledge, ambiguity, the age of the organisation, ACAP and the level of decentralisation as key assets of the organisation that enable competitive advantage. Alavi, Kayworth, and Leidner (2006) argue that transfer of management and business knowledge are instrumental to improve and ensure the level of OL leading to SVC.
In the upcoming section, the knowledge functions as organisational learning (OL) and absorptive capacity ACAP are discussed with a direction to their contribution to the process of sustainable value creation (SVC).
2.7 Organisational Learning and Absorptive Capacity as functions of the Knowledge Transfer process
2.7.1 Organisational Learning
A learning attitude and a history of learning, combined with the availability of a certain sufficient level of ACAP, both inside the transmitter and receiver organisation, improves effectiveness of KT (Van Wijk, Jansen & Lyles, 2008). OL is included in the process of KM as a path to achieve a higher, sustainable level of management and business knowledge inside the organisation. KM facilitates the creation, storage, application and transfer (translation) of knowledge at all levels of the organisation. The knowledge-based view of the organisation is based on paradigms, where knowledge ambiguity, the age of the organisation, ACAP and the level of decentralisation are key
assets of the organisation. Enabling competitive advantage and ensuring the transfer of
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