A case analysis on reverse knowledge transfer arising from foreign direct investments of developing country origin multinational corporations

The recent increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) of companies originating from developing countries makes it important to examine the information sharing that emerges with the outward FDIs of multinational companies. In the literature, there are many studies on information sharing that occurs in the internationalization of companies originating from developing countries such as China, Brazil, and India. Like other developing country origin companies, it is important for Turkish FDIs to become one of the few producers in the world in some sectors and not only because they create capital inflows, but also because they are a critical source of information sharing. For this reason, Turkish origin multinational companies are in a worthy position to be researched like other developing country origin companies and academic studies are needed more. For this reason, it is aimed to discover the knowledge levels emerging in the locations and to reveal the benefits of reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) by emphasizing the internationalization processes of Turkish multinational companies in order to be informed about the information sharing that occurs with the internationalization of Turkish multinational companies and to achieve a sustainable competitive environment. In this study, using the case analysis method, the findings obtained based on the interviews with the senior managers of an enterprise with FDI in developed and developing regions are evaluated. As a result of these findings, RKT shows that different levels of information can be obtained not only from developed countries but also from other developing countries. When evaluated on a benefit basis, it is seen that RKT helps to improve processes by providing benefits in terms of time and cost. At the same time, it is revealed that it provides benefits in terms of developing a new product, reducing product offers, directing technological development and completing incomplete information processes.