THREE ESSAYS ON NETWORKS AND KNOWLEDGE VALUE

Abstract

Knowledge creation is one of the most factors that contribute to organizational performance and competitive advantage. Ample studies have employed network theory to examine the impact of various social capital and network-related features on the creation of new knowledge. However, some areas have been understudied or have not been explored yet. Thus, through three essays, this dissertation attempts to examine the relationships among networks, knowledge value, and firm performance. It advances our understanding of how the structure of networks changes, how some network characteristics affect the value of created knowledge, and how knowledge value contributes to firm performance. Using data from the National Basketball Association (NBA), the first study examines the impact of network resources and network’s knowledge utilization on structural changes in networks. The second study investigates Saudi Arabian patents registered at the United States of Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO) to assess how network size and network diversity influence the value of created knowledge. The third study seeks to explore the relationships between the value of the knowledge created by firms and their performance using data from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and USPTO on patents granted to biotechnological firms.