Similarities and differences between absorptive capacity and appropriability: a bibliometric perspective

Purpose This study aimed to examine the similarities and differences between the ability to analyze the environment and exploit new knowledge (absorptive capacity) and the skills to generate value from innovation (appropriation). These fields have similar origins and are sometimes confused by practi...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cuéllar, Sergio David, Fernández Bajón, M. Teresa, Moya-Anegón, Felix de
Format: article
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repository:Docta Complutense
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/130255
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/130255
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Absorptive capacity
Appropriation
Appropriability
Bibliometrics
Clustering analysis
Backward citation analysis
Biblioteconomía y Documentación
5701.06 Documentación
Description
Summary:Purpose This study aimed to examine the similarities and differences between the ability to analyze the environment and exploit new knowledge (absorptive capacity) and the skills to generate value from innovation (appropriation). These fields have similar origins and are sometimes confused by practitioners and academics. Design/methodology/approach A review was conducted based on a full-text analysis of 681 and 431 papers on appropriation and absorptive capacity, respectively, from Scopus, Science Direct and Lens, using methodologies such as text mining, backward citation analysis, modularity clustering and latent Dirichlet allocation analysis. Findings In business disciplines, the fields are considered different; however, in other disciplines, it was found that some authors defined them quite similarly. The citation analysis results showed that appropriation was more relevant to absorptive capacity, or vice versa. From the dimension perspective, it was found that although appropriation was considered a relevant element for absorptive capacity, the last models did not include it. Finally, it was found that studies on both topics identified the importance of appropriation and absorptive capacity for innovation performance, knowledge management and technology transfer. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to examine in-depth the relationship between appropriation and absorptive capacity, bridging a gap in both fields.