"Will You Get What You Want? Managerial Ties, Knowledge Acquisition, and Firm Performance in China"

Integrating research in knowledge-based view and resource-dependence theory, this study proposes that the utilization of business ties differs significantly from that of political ties in acquiring external knowledge, which subsequently affects firm performance in supplier-distributor alliances. Specifically, we argue that the utilization of business ties enables suppliers to access deeper knowledge from distributors, while the utilization of political ties facilitates suppliers to acquire broader knowledge from distributors. As a result, the knowledge acquisition mediates the influences of managerial ties on firm performance. Further, the power structure between suppliers and distributors moderates the impacts of managerial ties on knowledge acquisitions. Our analyses of matched dyads of suppliers and distributors in China largely support our theses in this study.