Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitive Strategy – serie

The development and marketing of drugs since the Second World War offers an exemplary demonstration of the impact of technology on competitiveness in a major industry. While focusing primarily on the market in the USA, this study examines also the activities of European firms, their contribution to the industry's technological evolution and the impact of their entry into the US market. The main concern of the book, however, is to examine all the elements which go to make up the evolving landscape of competition, and their interaction. Thus, the effects of technological change are viewed in the context of changes in the legal and regulatory environment, and in competitive practice. For both the market as a whole and the individual firm this analysis illustrates how competitive positions actually emerge as a result of such interactions. Consistent with this wider view, both the technological and the non-technological competencies of firms are discussed, and the concept of core competence is used extensively to show how individual firms developed and maintained their competitive strengths, as the industry moved from deep-tank fermentation through to the first decade of biotechnology. The final chapter highlights the key role of biotechnology in shaping the future of the industry, at a time of increased regulation and accelerating market driven change.

Based on in-depth study of the electronics giant Philips, "Corporate Strategy, Public Policy and New Technologies" examines the key factors which have determined the success or failure of new technologies and the global competitiveness of firms within a major European consumer industry. Drawing on the insights gained from intensive empirical research into the company's growth, structure and competitive strategy, the book traces the reciprocal influences of Philips and of European Community policymaking on each other and on the development of the industry since the 1970s. The core of the book focuses on detailed case studies of three major technological initiatives, and analyses the reasons for their success or failure: the European VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) industry and Philips' VCR 2000 format; Philips and the development of the European HDTV (High Definition Television) system; and Philips' CD-i (Compact Disc-interactive) project. All three studies raise important issues of competition, collaboration, technology and the role of public policy, with a firm theoretical grounding in the most relevant and up-to-date academic research. In addition to providing an instructive analysis of the performance of an industry at the levels of the firm, the state and the European Community, the book emphasises that the strategies and policies discussed were adopted largely in response to the global challenge from the USA and, above all, Japan.

This book focuses on the challenges faced by defense-related industries and by the US Department of Defense in the post-Cold War era: by the former in enhancing their financial well-being, and by the latter in maintaining affordable national security. It explores the conditions they face, both currently and in the future they envision, as well as the corporate strategies and public policies that each develops in response to these conditions and visions. The contributors to this book describe these corporate strategies and public policies, assess their respective strengths and weaknesses, and where appropriate, endorse them or recommend alternatives. Finally, senior executives from ten small and large defense-related firms recount their experiences in diversifying successfully into commercial markets and the challenges they met or still face in planning and implementing their strategies effectively.

The fields of entrepreneurship and strategic management deal with the fundamental processes and forces that affect the start-up, prosperity, and survival of organizations. In both fields it is argued that a company's potential long-run performance is determined by the degree to which it can develop and maintain a 'fit' between its skills and resources and environmental demands. Through the use of rigorous, in-depth case studies, this book takes a comprehensive look at the process by which leaders, as entrepreneurs and strategists, attempt to build and craft the skill-bases of their firms to best create long-term value for their customers. Part one examines the foundations of resource-based approaches to management and strategic thinking, and presents a detailed process-typology of organizational resources that serves as a basis for understanding how resources can be leveraged into sustainable strategic advantage. Part two presents the case histories of four very different firms, including a high-tech chemicals research company, a custom cabinet manufacturer, a large corporate industrial engineering firm, and a craft-oriented surgical instrument maker. Each case provides a unique setting from which insights into the value creation process are presented. Part three compares and contrasts the insights discussed in the case analysis, and integrates the findings into a 'practitioner-based' model of value creation. This model is then further integrated with current academic theory, and a more formal theory of the value creation process is presented. In part four, issues such as the 'skill life-cycle', the relationship between technology and human skill development, and leadership styles and processes are discussed. The implications of the research are presented with respect to the practice of entrepreneurship and strategic thinking, to future research and theory in those fields, and to policy choices for government and private leaders.

High technology research laboratories are under constant pressure from the governments that support them to generate secondary utilities such as technology transfer and spin-offs. As buyers, such organisations are often used by governments to stimulate innovation by their suppliers, under tight budgetary constraints and within the rigid institutional frameworks applied to public research organisations. This book addresses the design of efficient buyer-supplier contracts within the institutional boundaries faced by the buyer and focuses in particular on vertical buyer-supplier linkages as a source of supplier core competencies in a cost- and technology-driven environment. Based on a study of manufacturing contracts commissioned by the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the book aims to answer two questions. First, what is the most efficient governance structure for organising buyer-supplier relationships, given the presence of specific institutional boundaries, high technological complexity and environmental uncertainty? Secondly, irrespective of the presence of such an efficient governance structure, what type of impact could technology-oriented government contracts have on supplier core competencies?

The Silicon phenomenon was, is, and will be an extremely important phenomenon in the accelerated technological, scientific, and economic development of countries and regions. Silicon Valley North (SVN) is the high tech capital of Canada, the nations most developed and dynamic technology sector, which includes multiple clusters in telecommunications, software, photonics, and life sciences. It gave birth to many well-known companies such as Corel, JDS Uniphase, Mitel, Newbridge Networks, Nortel Networks, Digital Equipment of Canada, just to mention a few. A lot of literature describes Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley in the US, Silicon Islands in Asia, and so on. Despite the quite evident importance of Silicon Valley North for the regional, national, and international technological development (especially when Nortel Networks and JDS Uniphase became global leaders in their fields and expanded in explosive fashion), this phenomenon is far from being well understood.Because of this, a book on the Canadian Silicon Valley is an exceptionally timely endeavor. "Silicon Valley North: A High-Tech Cluster of Innovation and Entrepreneurship" is devoted to the multidimensional and multifaceted nature of SVN, its history, current state and future developments. The book offers a broad and deeply thematic analysis of one particular innovative clusterSilicon Valley North. The reader will obtain expert insight into what SVN is all about by acquiring a comprehensive and "panoramic picture" of SVN within a single book. The reader will develop an accurate sense of what spurs high tech start-up companies in SVN toward their exceptional performances, and how to apply these insights to his or her unique regional context.

During the 1990s, the state of Israel established its global high tech sector. The number of startups rose to almost 3,000, while total venture capital available reached approximately $3bn. This book emphasizes the multilevel nature of this development from a strategic management perspective. The first level focuses at the country global processes emphasizing the entry of foreign multinational corporations and the privatization of state owned enterprises. The second level focuses on the government and its role in establishing the technological incubators and venture capital industries. The third level focuses on the sources of new start ups and the role of veterans of elite technological units of Israel Defense Forces and women entrepreneurs. The fourth level focuses on the emerging organizations and the role of the board of directors and competitive intelligence capabilities and practices. Finally, the fifth level focuses at the industry level, emphasizing the role of the large number of new firms in creating new industrial sectors. The multilevel paradigm describes the sequential effects, starting at the first global level, and the interactive effects, across all five levels.

This book is embedded in practical tools which proposes a fourth field of economics in addition to macro, micro and industrial organisation economics (IO); namely what may be called the economics of diversity. This book asserts that businesses are as individual as people. All have unique identities, what may be called genomes. As such economic diversity is the norm, rather than the economics of commodities. Contemporary economics deals very effectively with commodities in situations of perfect competition. It also makes some useful insights into imperfect competition and monopoly. The first half of the book expands the conceptual underpinnings of the economics of diversity (ecosystems, business models, advantage, rents and valuation of resources); the second half demonstrates how these methods can be practically applied through tools and techniques to deal with questions of business development, corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and start-ups.

An exciting new volume in the Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitive Strategy series from Emerald's popular Strategy collection. This volume features excellent new research devoted to advancing our understanding of how networks foster creativity, innovation and the development of cutting-edge technologies. Contributions offer unique perspectives on the significance of networks to the financial success of businesses, in addition to giving examples of how these can be crucial in bringing about creativity and innovation. It deals with the evolution of networks through geographic and industry boundaries. This is crucial reading for any researchers exploring strategic management tools and techniques, and specifically the intricacies of "network theory" within businesses.

This volume of Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitive Strategy is devoted to research aimed at understanding the implications of Exploration and Exploitation activities in early-stage ventures and small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs).