Search results

Purpose: Sustainable functionality development (FD) is decisive to firm's profitability in their new innovation in a competitive market. While functionality instills attractive values in innovative goods leading to a dramatic increase in profit through increasing demand and higher prices, it obsolesces immediately in a competitive market. Therefore, how to maintain sustainable FD trajectory is decisive to firm survival strategy within the context of mega‐competition in a globalizing economy. Notwithstanding an increasing significance of this subject, dynamism enabling a sustainable FD trajectory still remains inside a black box. The purpose of this paper, on the basis of an empirical comparative analysis of the diffusion trajectories for copying machines developed by Canon and Ricoh, is to attempt to elucidate this dynamism. Design/methodology/approach: This paper employed a bi‐logistic growth model utilizing patent data for copying machine technologies. Findings: It was found that early undertaking of 2nd generational copying machinery initiated by Canon played a more decisive role in terms of its higher level of sustainable FD than with its competitor. Originality/value: This paper provides significant insight to firm's management of technology strategy in a competitive market.

Thai domestic automotive parts companies have to manage their technology and human resources effectively and efficiently. This paper attempts to identify the key factors for management of their technology and human resources.

Questionnaires were sent to, and interviews conducted in, Thai domestic automotive parts companies.

Enhancement of employee support is useful for domestic companies and there are significant differences among companies of Tier 1 or 2 and Tier 3 in quality management and the number of proprietary and management technologies adopted.

It can be said that Thai domestic automotive parts companies should adopt higher level quality management tools as well as more proprietary and management technologies in order to raise their technology level.

The paper analyzes the responses of questionnaires directly mailed to Thai domestic automotive parts companies and direct interviews to some of them. It was found that Thai domestic automotive parts companies have to enhance employee support and to improve their technology level to increase their product quality.

The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge creation and technological diversity management by medical device manufacturers, to identify strategic directions for innovation in the medical device field.

This paper uses two types of data to assess the importance of multiple technologies and technological diversity in product development: patent applications and approvals of medical devices for sale and use in medical treatment. Additional perspective is provided by the results of a survey of management styles.

While knowledge‐creating innovation frequently combines multiple technologies, the scope of technological diversity, the variety of types of technology combined may be wider in low‐risk than in high‐risk innovation.

The sample size is too small to justify claims of statistical significance. This research should be extended to incorporate more cases and explore the theme in greater depth.

Companies that choose a high‐risk strategy are likely to be more focused on related multiple technologies with which their researchers are already familiar. Conversely, companies that choose a low‐risk strategy may have more room to experiment since, if something goes wrong, the risk to patient health is lower. Innovative medical device enterprise to seek high‐risk device development is proposed to manage optimal diversity for it.

This paper analyses two case studies relevant to growing interest in technological diversity and knowledge management in knowledge‐driven innovation in the medical device industry in Japan.

A virtuous cycle between effective utilization of external resources and functionality development can be constructed. Given that the timely emergence of new functionality in an efficient way is crucial to a firm's competitive strategy in an era of mega‐competition, construction of such a virtuous cycle is a key element with regard to a firm's technopreneurial strategy. The purpose of this paper is to identify a trigger for such a virtuous cycle.

Empirical comparative analysis taking copying machines development trajectories in Canon and Ricoh and the patent data analysis were conducted.

Cumulative learning from preceding relevant technology development is found to stimulate intra‐technology spillover. Timely intra‐technology spillover from preceding innovation plays a triggering role.

Attempting a broad and comprehensive learning exercise should be strongly encouraged for the effective utilization of external resources for innovation. Fruitful effects of learning should be pursued to the hybrid management of technology fusing indigenous strength and the effects of the comprehensive learning.

Aiming at identifying the trigger emerging a virtuous cycle between effective utilization of external resources and functionality development, core technologies instilled in the copying machines just short of the emergence of functionality development were investigated. In order to anticipate thorough capturing of all dimensions of color technologies utilized for the emergence of new functionality development through indigenous development as well as utilization of externally developed technologies, F‐term retrieval of patent registration data was attempted.

The purpose of this paper is to argue for the need to reconcile managerial and economic approaches of the firm. Strategic management seems to be the perfect playground for this.

The paper shows many divergences between the economic and managerial approach of the firm but also highlights many topics where both approaches come in handy.

The authors underline the topics and theories in strategic management with the greatest benefits of mixing economics and management can be expected and they echo the papers in this special issue.

The paper comes as a warning for those using only managerial perspective without listening to the caveats and ideas put forward by the economic approach of the firm.

The paper offers an agenda of how economics and management could be reunited, and shows the relevance of doing so to both theory and practice.