The effects of port employees’ perceptions of tacit knowledge and transaction cost on knowledge transfer

Abstract

This study empirically examined the effects of tacit knowledge and transaction cost on knowledge transfer, and transaction cost as a mediator of the relationship between tacit knowledge and knowledge transfer in the port context. Using data collected from a survey of 233 employees in the Keelung Port Corporation in Taiwan, structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses. The research findings indicated that port employees’ perceptions of tacit knowledge and transaction cost negatively influence knowledge transfer, and tacit knowledge positively impacts on transaction cost. The findings also showed that an employee’s perception of transaction cost mediates the relationship between tacit knowledge and knowledge transfer. The implications of the study findings for knowledge transfer in port operations are discussed.