Exploring the nonlinear relationships between learning traits and knowledge transfer in outsourcing alliances

This study applies artificial neural networks and multivariate adaptive regression splines to explore the nonlinear relationships between suppliers´ learning traits and knowledge transfer in international outsourcing alliances. Especially, there are five learning traits included in this study; they are organizational learning intent, employee learning intent, self-learning commitment, manufacturing ability and integrated database. Through a dataset of 206 suppliers, this study reveals that organizational learning intent, employee learning intent, self-learning commitment and integrated database have nonlinearly and positive influences on knowledge transfer, while manufacturing ability has a nonlinearly negative influence on knowledge transfer. Therefore, suppliers with eager to learning could enhance their performance of knowledge transfer by pay more attention on their learning traits.