Chihiro Watanabe - Böcker

Why do some country's hi-tech firms innovate better than others? Why did hi-tech firms from the United States outperform such Japanese companies in the 1990s? Through a wealth of empirical evidence, the book compares the development trajectory of manufacturing technology and information technology both between Japanese companies and between companies based in the US, Europe, Australia, India and China. This book shows that institutional systems such as culture, tradition, consumers and local business practices play key roles in how companies develop technology. These factors also influence the very characteristics of the products that the hi-tech firms produce. With a number of case studies the author demonstrates how the most successful and innovative companies recognize these roles and incorporate them into their practices.

Innovation is the driving force behind economic growth. The knowledge that f- ters innovation builds on both systematic research and serendipity. The availability of new knowledge—be it technological or organizational (social)—is, however, - suf?cient. An institutional structure must be in place that enhances mutual learning among the actors involved and that stimulates cooperation, as well as competition. This recognition has inspired this volume, which focuses on national innovation s- tems and sectoral (technology) innovation systems that differ widely between co- tries, due to their diverse historical paths and distinctive cultural and societal f- tures. With regard to theory, most chapters incorporate a mix of endogenous growth theory and evolutionary thinking. Endogenous growth theory places an emphasis on the interplay between technological knowledge and various structural charact- istics of the economy and society, as well as on the results of economic growth. Concepts related to technology development, accumulation of knowledge on te- nology, and technology diffusion feature prominently here. In evolutionary thi- ing, and in particular coevolutionary thinking, the focus is on close links between technology and institutions, whereby the functionality of technology is in?uenced by certain dynamic interactions with institutional systems. Information technology turns out to be a clear example of such a development.

Through a wealth of empirical evidence, this book compares the development trajectory of manufacturing technology and information technology between Japanese companies as well as between companies based in the US, Europe, Australia, India and China.