Business Administration and Business Economics
Abstract
This paper examined tacit knowledge so as to see whether tacit knowledge when properly
put to use can lead to improved performance by upstream sector firms in Nigeria. Knowledge as we
believe, is very vital to both corporate entities and individuals. Knowledge encompasses both explicit
and tacit. This paper focused on one aspect of knowledge – ‘tacit’ which is in the psyche or brain of
the individual possessing it. Inspite of the central role it plays, tacit knowledge has been downplayed
by most firms. However, we adopted a survey research design via questionnaires administered to 504
employees randomly selected from 3 different oil firms. The data obtained were analyzed using
inferential statistics. Also, multi-collinearity diagnoses of tacit knowledge and organizational
performance was performed. The result suggests that tacit knowledge is linearly correlated with
organizational performance. This implies that tacit knowledge predicts organizational performance.
This study is significant in that the findings would be useful to management of firms, as it divulge
how tacit knowledge when properly harnessed can lead to increased performance. Most prior studies
in this area were conducted in other countries, hence our study is one of the first in Nigeria that
examined tacit knowledge and organizational performance.
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importance of collective team identification. Academy of management Journal, 48(3), pp. 532-547.
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technology gaps, trade and growth, Aldershot: Avebury 1993, pp. 42-44, [online] Available at
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Cincinnati: Thompson Learning.
Aghion, P. & Howitt, P. (1992). A Model of Growth through Creative Destruction. Econometrica,
60(2), pp. 323-351.
ANCS (2012). România durabilă/The Sustainable Romania, [pdf] Available at
http://www.romaniainoveaza.ro/media/Resurse/Raportarea,%20evaluarea,%20monitorizarea.pdf
[accessed on August 19th 2012].
Barro, R. (1990). Government Spending in a Simple Model of Endogenous Growth. Journal of
Political Economy, vol. 98(5), pp. S103-S26
Brunetti, A. (1997). Political variables in cross-country growth analysis. Journal of Economic
Surveys, 11(2), pp. 163-190.
Cardinal, L.B. (2001). Technological innovation in the pharmaceutical industry: The use of
organizational control in managing research and development. Organization Science, 12(1), pp. 19-
36.
Coe, D.T. & Helpman, E. (1993). International R&D spillovers. National Bureau of Economic
Research, Working Paper Nº 4444, [online] Available at <http://www.nber.org/papers/w4444>
[accessed on November, 12, 2013].
Comisia Prezidențială/The Presidential Commission (2007). Raportul Comisiei Prezidenţiale pentru
analiza şi elaborarea politicilor din domeniile educaţiei şi cercetării, România Educaţiei, România
Cunoaşterii/The Report of Presidential Commission of education and research policies analysis and
elaboration. [pdf] Available at http://edu.presidency.ro/upload/raport_edu.pdf [accessed on August
19, 2012].
DiStefano, J. & Maznevski, M.M. (2003). Culture in International Management: Mapping the
Impact, Perspectives for Managers, 104, pp. 1-4, [pdf] Available at
http://media.ft.com/cms/d70a42ec-d933-11db-9b4a-000b5df10621.pdf [accessed on November, 12,
2013].
Englander, A.S. & Gurney, A. (1994). Medium-term determinants of OECD productivity. OECD
Economic Studies, nr. 22, pp. 49-109.
Feldman, M.P. and Audretsch, D.B. (1999). Innovation in cities: Science-based diversity,
specialization and localized competition. European Economic Review, 43, pp. 409-429, [online]
Available at http://unc.academia.edu/MaryannFeldman/Papers/752673/Innovation_in_cities_Sciencebased_
diversity_specialization_and_localized_competition [accessed on November, 12, 2013]
Gallup, J., Sachs, J. & Mellinger, A. (1999). Geography and Economic Development. International
Regional Science Review, 22 (2), pp. 179-232.
Granovetter, (2005). The impact of Social Structure on Economic Outcomes, Journal of Economic
Perspectives, vol 19(1), pp. 33-50.
Granovetter, M., (1985). Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness.
American Journal of Sociology, 91(3), pp. 481-510.
Gratton, L. (2007). Hot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - and Others
Don't. Financial Times, Prentice Hall, [online] Available at
http://www.lyndagratton.com/uploads/downloads/hot-spots-chapter-1.pdf [accessed on November,
12, 2013].
Griliches, Z. (1980). Returns to research and development expenditures in the private sector, NBER
Chapters. New Developments in Productivity Measurement, pp. 419-462, National Bureau of
Economic Research, [pdf] Available at http://www.nber.org/chapters/c3919.pdf [accessed on
November, 12, 2013]
INSSE (2010). Anuarul statistic 2010, Capitolul Ştiinţă, tehnologie şi inovare/The statistical bulletin,
Science, technology and innovation chapter, [pdf] Available at
http://www.insse.ro/cms/files/Anuar%20statistic/13/13%20Stiinta,%20tehnologie%20si%20inovare_r
o.pdf> [accessed on November, 12, 2013].
Jürgen, W. & Vladislav, V. (2012). The Nonprofit Catallaxy: An Austrian Economics Perspective on
the Nonprofit Sector. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations,
Springer US, doi=10.1007/s11266-012-9330-9, pp. 1-12.
Jutting, J. (2003). Institutions and Development: A Critical Review, OECD Development Center,
Working Paper, pp. 210, [online] Available at
http://portals.wi.wur.nl/files/docs/SPICAD/Institutions_and_developmentOECD.pdf [accessed on
November, 12, 2013].
Kalemli-Ozcan, S. (2002). Does the Mortality Decline Promote Economic Growth? Journal of
Economic Growth, 7, pp. 411-439
Keller, R. (2001). Cross-functional protect groups in research and new product development:
Diversity, communications, job stress, and outcomes. Academy of management Journal, 44(3), pp.
547-555.
Lim, K. (2004). The relationship between research and innovation in the semiconductor and
pharmaceutical industries (1981-1997). Research Policy, 33(2), pp. 287-321.
Matatkova, K. & Stetjskal, J. (2013). Descriptive analysis of the regional innovation system – novel
method for public administration authorities. Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, no
39E, pp. 91-107.
Matthews, R. (1986). The economics of institutions and the sources of growth. The Economic
Journal, 96, pp. 903-18.
Niebuhr, A. (2006). Migration and Innovation - Does Cultural Diversity Matter for Regional R&D
Activity?, ERSA conference papers. European Regional Science Association, [pdf] Available at
http://doku.iab.de/discussionpapers/2006/dp1406.pdf [accessed on November, 12, 2013].
Petrakos, G.; Arvanitidis, P. & Pavleas, S. (2007). Determinants of Economic Growth: The Experts’
View, Working Papers, DYNREG – Dynamic Regions in a Knowledge-Driven Global Economy
Lessons and Policy Implications for the EU, [pdf] Available at
http://www.esri.ie/research/research_areas/international_economics/dynreg/papers/Working_Paper_N
o._20.pdf [accessed on November, 12, 2013] p. 4.
Pro Inno Europe (2012). Mini Country Report, Romania under Specific Contract for the Integration of
INNO Policy TrendChart with ERAWATCH (2011-2012), [online] Available at
http://www.proinnoeurope.eu/inno-policy-trendchart/repository/country-specific-trends [accessed on
November, 12, 2013].
Van Der Vegt, G. & Bunderson, J. (2005). Learning and performance in multidisciplinary teams: The
importance of collective team identification. Academy of management Journal, 48(3), pp. 532-547.
Verspagen, B. (1990). Uneven growth between interdependent economies: an evolutionary view on
technology gaps, trade and growth, Aldershot: Avebury 1993, pp. 42-44, [online] Available at
http://arno.unimaas.nl/show.cgi?fid=6498> [accessed on November, 12, 2013], Vol. 16, pp. 87-99.
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Published
2021-05-28
How to Cite
Collective Authors. (2021). Business Administration and Business Economics: Array. Acta Universitatis Danubius. Œconomica, 12(1). Retrieved from https://dj.univ-danubius.ro/index.php/AUDOE/article/view/1100
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